Apparatus and process for chilling food products
AssigneeThe BOC Group, Inc.
InventorsJohn J. Appolonia, Steve McCormick, Robert Boddaert, Charles Cory
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and method for chilling a food product which includes a food distribution device having a pair of circular members including at least one spaced-apart partition defining a food receiving area; the circular members rotating to cause food delivered to the food product receiving area to fall into a food storage compartment in a uniform manner; and a cryogen releasing device connected to one of the circular members which uniformly distributes a cryogenic substance to the food product within the food storage compartment.
Claims18
Apparatus for chilling a food product comprising:
- (a) a food storage compartment for receiving the food product while in motion from a food distribution means and for storing the food product at rest;
- (b) food distribution means operatively engaged to the top of the food storage compartment for receiving the food product from a source and for uniformly distributing the food product within the food storage compartment;
- (c) cryogenic releasing means for releasing a cryogenic substance to cool the food product while the food product is contained within the food storage compartment;
- and
- (d) means for adjusting a rate at which the cryogenic substance is released in accordance with a rate at which the food product enters the food storage compartment.
A method of chilling a food product comprising:
- (a) providing a food storage compartment for receiving the food product while the food product is in motion and for storing the food product at rest;
- (b) determining the rate at which the food product enters the food storage compartment;
- and
- (c) releasing a cryogenic substance into the food storage compartment at a selected rate corresponding to the rate the food product enters the food storage compartment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.