Refrigeration – Cooled enclosure – Portable receptacle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-06
2001-11-20
Bennett, Henry (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Cooled enclosure
Portable receptacle
C062S457700, C062S371000, C062S530000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318114
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention pertains to food containers. More specifically, the present invention pertains to containers for rapidly cooling cooked foods and holding the foods at safe temperatures for extended periods of time.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is very important that foods which are cooked and stored for reheating be quickly and properly cooled to prevent growing of bacteria which can cause food poisoning. This is particularly important in restaurants and other food handling establishments. Improper cooling of potentially hazardous foods is a main cause of food borne illness. Most hazardous microorganisms are killed and/or deactivated by adequate cooking; but, improper cooling of such foods may result in rapid growth of such microorganisms. Some of the most severe of these hazardous microorganisms are:
Clostridium botulinum; Shiaella dysenteriae
; Salmonella; Hepatitis A and E;
Brucella abortus; Vibrio cholerae; Vibrio vulnificus; Toenia solium
; and
Trichinella spiralis.
To eliminate such bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have previously required that cooked foods be cooled from 140° F. to 70 F. within two hours and then from 70° F. to 45° F. within four hours. However, recent research has shown that some of the most hazardous microorganisms are still present below 45° F. Therefore, recent regulations require cooked foods to be cooled from 140° F. to 70° F. within two hours and from 70° F. to 41° F. within four hours.
During restaurant inspections, health department inspectors investigate potentially hazardous cooked foods and how they are cooled. They monitor foods which have been reheated or are in the process of being reheated by measuring temperature. They also investigate how such foods are cooled. Some particularly potentially hazardous foods include poultry, meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, stews, soups, dressing, chilis, chowders, sauces, quiches, mousses, chiffons, etc. It is very important that such foods be properly cooled.
Most commercially available refrigerators cool at ambient temperatures of 45° F. and are not capable of complying with the new regulations which require that the food be cooled to 41° F. Although cooling to 41° can be accomplished, it requires expensive chilling equipment designed to cool faster than standard refrigerators. At the present time, many restaurants and other food service establishments cannot afford such units. For this reason, they utilize time and labor intensive methods such as:
1. placing food into shallow pans,
2. dividing the food into smaller or thinner portions,
3. continuously stirring food in a container placed in an ice water bath (a very time consuming method which runs the risk of splashing ice water into the food and contaminating it),
4. using chilled paddles to stir the food,
5. placing the food in shallow pans into a freezer or refrigerator (an impractical method which raises the ambient temperature of the refrigerator or freezer and puts other food products at risk of bacterial contamination), and
6. adding ice as an ingredient (diluting the flavor and consistency of the food).
The FDA recommends that food never be cooled at room temperature and that food cooled by the above methods will cool faster if uncovered but must be covered tightly as soon as it reaches 70° F. and that food which is set inside a walk-in cooler to cool must be covered loosely until it has reached 41° F. when it must be tightly covered.
Obviously, these are time and labor intensive methods which may also run the risk of further food contamination or dilution. Until better refrigeration units are manufactured and available to these establishments, better and less costly food chilling containers and/or methods are needed.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention provides a container for rapidly cooling and holding foods at safe temperatures for extended periods of time. The container includes an upwardly opening inner container providing an inner bottom and upwardly extending inner side walls and an outer container providing an outer bottom and upwardly extending outer side walls surrounding the inner container. An enclosed chamber is formed between the bottom and sides of the inner and outer containers and is provided with a slow-to-freeze. slow-to-thaw gelatinous material which may be frozen by placing the container in a low temperature freezer. The container also includes a removable lid for covering the opening of the inner container. The lid has a lower wall and an upper wall between which is an enclosed space in which is also provided a slow-to-freeze, slow-to-thaw Gelatinous material.
The container is further characterized in that the bottom and inner side walls of the inner container and the lower wall of the lid provide insulating properties which control the rate of heat transfer between the gelatinous material and the foods placed in the container. The bottom and outer side walls of the outer container and the upper wall of the lid provide insulating properties which substantially retard heat transfer between the gelatinous material and the ambient air which surrounds the container.
The insulating properties of the bottom and outer side walls of the outer container and the upper wall of the lid are substantially greater than the insulating properties of the bottom and inner side walls of the inner container and the lower wall of the lid. Thus, foods placed in the container are rapidly cooled by the frozen gelatinous material; yet, there is little transfer of heat between the ambient air surrounding the container and the gelatinous material. In fact, the gelatinous material, when frozen to 0° F., will reduce temperature of foods placed in the container at 140° to 70° F. within a period of two hours and will further reduce the temperature thereof from 70° to 41° F. within an additional four hours. This fully complies with the most recent U.S. FDA food regulations of 1999. Furthermore, cooling of the food is totally accomplished while the food is covered by the lid and protected from outside contamination.
The cooling container of the present invention is relatively inexpensive and is affordable by restaurants and other food service establishments which otherwise could not afford the expensive rapid chilling units capable of reducing temperature as required by the new FDA regulations. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from reading the description which follows in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2632311 (1953-03-01), Sullivan
patent: 5088301 (1992-02-01), Piepenbrink
patent: 6145333 (2000-11-01), Richmond et al.
patent: 6209343 (2001-04-01), Owen
Bennett Henry
Berryhill Bill B.
Jones Melvin
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