# US 2012/0042789 A1 · Apparatus for thawing or cooling food products

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- Number: US 2012/0042789 A1
- Document ID: US20120042789A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/266,287
- Filed: 2010-04-23
- Published: 2012-02-23
- Earliest claimed: 2009-04-27
- Assignees: 3X Technology
- Inventors: Albert Högnason; Johann Jonasson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20120042789A1

## CPC

- A23B 4/062: {the materials being transported through or in the apparatus with or without shaping, e.g. in the form of powder, granules or flakes (moving on the spot only A23B4/066)}
- A22B 5/0076: {Chilling or lowering the temperature of carcasses}
- A22C 21/00: Processing poultry
- A23B 2/803: {Materials being transported through or in the apparatus, with or without shaping, e.g. in the form of powders, granules or flakes}
- A23B 2/88: with direct contact between the food and the chemical, e.g. liquid N2 at cryogenic temperature
- A23B 4/09: with direct contact between the food and the chemical, e.g. liquid N2, at cryogenic temperature
- F25D 3/127: {Stationary devices with conveyors carrying articles to be cooled through the cooling space}
- F25D 13/065: {Articles being submerged in liquid coolant}
- A23V 2002/00: Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
- A23B: PRESERVATION OF FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES
- A22B: SLAUGHTERING
- A22C: PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH (preserving A23B; obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs A23J1/00; fish, meat or poultry preparations A23L; disintegrating, e.g. chopping meat, B02C18/00; preparation of proteins C07K1/00)
- F25D: REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (refrigerated showcases A47F3/04; thermally-insulated vessels for domestic use A47J41/00; refrigerated vehicles, see the appropriate subclasses of classes B60 - B64; containers with thermal insulation in general B65D81/38; heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials, e.g. refrigerants, or materials for the production of heat or cold by chemical reactions other than by combustion C09K5/00; thermally-insulated vessels for liquefied or solidified gases F17C; air-conditioning or air-humidification F24F; refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25B; cooling of instruments or comparable apparatus without refrigeration G12B)
- A23V: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION

## Abstract

An apparatus for thawing or cooling food products includes a tank adapted to be at least partly filled with a liquid. A spiral shaped blade extends between a first end and a second end of the tank, where the spiral shaped blade is mounted to a rotation axis which operates rotational movement of the spiral shaped bladed and thus the conveying of the food products from the first end towards the second end. A temperature controlling system is provided and adapted to control the temperature of the liquid by arranging multiple heat supplying units along the tank for injecting heating or cooling agents into the liquid so as to provide a substantial temperature distribution into the thawing liquid during the thawing or cooling of the food products.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-16. (canceled)

### Claim 17

An apparatus for thawing frozen food products, comprising:
a tank adapted to be at least partly filled with a heating liquid,
a spiral shaped blade extending between a first end and a second end of the tank, the spiral shaped blade being mounted to a rotation axis which operates rotational movement of the spiral shaped blade and thus the conveying of the food products from the first end towards the second end, and
a temperature controlling system adapted to control the temperature of the liquid, wherein the temperature controlling system comprises multiple of heat supplying units arranged along the tank for injecting heating agent into the liquid so as to provide a uniform temperature distribution into the liquid during the thawing of the food products wherein the apparatus further comprises air supply sources arranged along and below the tank longitudinally at substantially equal distances for pumping air into the liquid.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the multiple of heat supplying units are arranged at substantial equal length intervals under the tanks.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the multiple of heat supplying units comprise multiple nozzles extending upwardly from a common heat supplying pipe and into the tank, where the heat supplying pipe is connected to a heat supplying source.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the tank is separated into a lower bottom section and an upper section, the lower bottom section having a circular cross sectional shape of a diameter being substantially the same as the diameter of the spiral shaped blade such that the distal part of the spiral shape blade is adjacent to the inner lower bottom section of the tank, wherein at least one said air supply sources are distributed across the arc shape of the lower bottom section, wherein at least one of said heat supplying units is arranged across one side of the arc shape lower bottom section, the side being selected with respect to the rotation of the spiral shaped blade as the side to which the food products seek due to the pressure cause by the rotation of the spiral shaped blade.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

An apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the air supply sources are an integral part of said multiple nozzles.

### Claim 22 (depends on 17)

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the temperature controlling system further comprises at least one thermometer arranged within at least one of the intervals for measuring the temperature of the liquid within the at least one interval, the measured temperature being used as a control parameter for controlling the injection of the heat agent into the tank and thus the temperature of the liquid.

### Claim 23 (depends on 17)

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the tank is separated into a lower bottom section and an upper section, the lower bottom section having a circular cross sectional shape of a diameter being substantially the same as the diameter of the spiral shaped blade such that the distal part of the spiral shape blade is adjacent to the inner lower bottom section of the tank, and where the upper section comprises at least one drain unit for allowing drainage of access liquid from the tank.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the access liquid is heated up and injected again into the tank.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

An apparatus according to claim 24, further comprising filter placed between the at least one drain unit at the location where the access liquid is injected again into the tank.

### Claim 26 (depends on 17)

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the in-feeding of the frozen food products into the tank is performed at the first end which acts as an in-feed end, where during the in-feeding the rotation axis rotates the spiral shaped blade at a rotations speed which is adapted to the length of the tank such that the when the food products reach the opposite end of the tank the food products are thawed.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

An apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the frozen food products to be fed into the tank at the first end are frozen fish of fish blocks.

### Claim 28 (depends on 17)

An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the in-feeding of the frozen food products into the tank is performed along the side of the tank, the rotation of the spiral shaped blade being started as soon as the frozen food products are thawed so as to convey the thawed food products out of the tank.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

An apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the frozen food products to be fed into the tank along the side of the tank are frozen shell fish products and other small fish products.

### Claim 30 (depends on 17)

An apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising multiple of cooling supplying units arranged along the tank for injecting cooling agent into the liquid so as to provide a uniform temperature distribution into the liquid during the thawing of the food products, said food products being poultry items where the apparatus is adapted to cool down the poultry items after being heated up during processing the poultry items.

### Claim 31 (depends on 17)

An apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising multiple of cooling supplying units arranged along the tank for injecting cooling agent into the liquid so as to provide a uniform temperature distribution into the liquid during the thawing of the food products, said food products being fish where the apparatus is adapted to cool down the fish.