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US 2024/0180179 A1Published application
Contact drum freezer system for automated and/or mechanized food process lines, and products produced thereby
OwnerRobert G. Nothum, Jr., Ryan Doyle Nothuminventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A contact drum freezer system includes a contact drum freezer, an endless product wrap belt and a cross feed conveyor. The contact drum freezer is mounted to revolve about an axis generally parallel to a main lane of transit. The endless product wrap belt has an intake shelf, an inner product-compressing run encircling most of the drum and an outer return run looping back to the intake shelf. The cross feed conveyor is situated in the main lane of transit and has a return run a and product-carrying run for transferring product laterally out of the main lane of transit and onto the intake shelf of the product wrap belt.
Claims18
A contact drum freezer system (500) comprising:
- a hollow drum (540) mounted to revolve about an axis (668);
- an endless product wrap belt (550) having an intake run (552), an inner food product-compressing run (556) encircling most of the drum (540) and an outer return run (554) looping back to the intake run (552);
- and
- a feed apparatus (572) transferring unfrozen food product (580U) onto the intake run (552) of the product wrap belt (550);
- wherein the drum (540) has an inside cylindrical surface (612) and an outer cylindrical surface (618);
- the belt (550) has an infeed run (552), an inner food product-compressing run (556) and an outer return run (554) returning to the infeed run (552);
- wherein the belt (550)'s inner food product-compressing run (556) forms an outer cylindrical surface and an inner cylindrical surface compressing food product (580) against the outer cylindrical surface (618) of the drum (540);
- said contact drum freezer system (500) further comprises an INSIDE treatment system (602) for the hollow drum (540);
- and
- said contact drum freezer system (500) further comprises an OUTSIDE treatment system (604) for the endless product wrap belt (550);
- the OUTSIDE treatment system (604) comprises an annular ring of forced, chilled air exhausts (660) arranged and disposed relative to the outer cylindrical surface of the belt (550)'s inner food product-compressing run (556) so as to produce an annularly-inward close range blast (614) of such chilled air directly thereon.
8 more elements
A contact drum freezer system (500) comprising:
- a hollow drum (540) mounted to revolve about an axis (668);
- an endless product wrap belt (550) having an intake run (552), an inner food product-compressing run (556) encircling most of the drum (540) and an outer return run (554) looping back to the intake run (552);
- and
- a feed apparatus (572) transferring unfrozen food product (580U) onto the intake run (552) of the product wrap belt (550);
- wherein the drum (540) has an inside cylindrical surface (612) and an outer cylindrical surface (618);
- the belt (550) has an infeed run (552), an inner food product-compressing run (556) and an outer return run (554) returning to the infeed run (552);
- wherein the belt (550)'s inner food product-compressing run (556) forms an outer cylindrical surface and an inner cylindrical surface compressing food product (580) against the outer cylindrical surface (618) of the drum (540);
- said contact drum freezer system (500) further comprises an INSIDE treatment system (602) for the hollow drum (540);
- said contact drum freezer system (500) further comprises an OUTSIDE treatment system (604) for the endless product wrap belt (550);
- and
- said contact drum freezer system (500) further comprising:
- a bifurcated housing (520) for the contact drum freezer system (500);
- wherein the bifurcated housing comprises an INSIDE treatment housing section (522) and an OUTSIDE treatment housing section (524) which housing sections (522 and 524) can be separated APART, whereby for cleaning or maintenance, and returned back to CLOSED whereby for run operations;
- the drum (540) and belt (550) are mounted within and slide or move between APART and CLOSED with the INSIDE treatment housing section (522);
- and
- the OUTSIDE treatment system (604) is mounted within and slides or moves between APART and CLOSED with the OUTSIDE treatment housing section (524).
13 more elements
A contact drum freezer system (500) comprising:
- a hollow drum (540) mounted to revolve about an axis (668);
- an endless product wrap belt (550) having an intake run (552), an inner food product-compressing run (556) encircling most of the drum (540) and an outer return run (554) looping back to the intake run (552);
- and
- a feed apparatus (572) transferring unfrozen food product (580U) onto the intake run (552) of the product wrap belt (550);
- wherein the drum (540) has an inside cylindrical surface (612) and an outer cylindrical surface (618);
- the belt (550) has an infeed run (552), an inner food product-compressing run (556) and an outer return run (554) returning to the infeed run (552);
- wherein the belt (550)'s inner food product-compressing run (556) forms an outer cylindrical surface and an inner cylindrical surface compressing food product (580) against the outer cylindrical surface (618) of the drum (540);
- said contact drum freezer system (500) further comprises an INSIDE treatment system (602) for the hollow drum (540);
- said contact drum freezer system (500) further comprises a coolant slinging system (652) which comprises a coolant slinger (702) turning about the central turning axis (668) inside the drum (540) to fling coolant (600) at the inside cylindrical surface (612) of the drum (540).
6 more elements
18-20. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.