US 5,665,412 AGranted

Method for thawing frozen food

OwnerRobert Fuller, David Pasekinventors

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Abstract

Frozen food is thawed automatically by disposing the food within a container having a trough disposed adjacent to a top of the container, the trough being connected to a drain, filling the container with water to a predetermined level, providing a controlled metered secondary flow of fresh water into the container so as to cause the water level to rise and flow into the trough, forcibly recirculating, using a pump, water in the container so as to produce sufficient water circulation to maintain a substantially even water temperature distribution therein and so as to produce sufficient agitation of the water to break loose small food particles from the frozen food immersed in the water such that the food particles and food-related oils and debris float to the surface of the water and are carried into the trough.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method of thawing frozen foods, comprising the steps of:

(a) immersing frozen food in a container;
(b) filling said container with a fluid thawing medium to a predetermined level;
(c) controllably supplying said thawing medium at a first predetermined flow rate to said container, such that fluid thawing medium in said container rises above said predetermined level;
(d) removing fluid thawing medium from said container to discard it;
(e) removing fluid thawing medium from said container at a first location and recirculating it back into said container, at a second and higher predetermined flow rate, at a plurality of second locations located adjacent to the bottom of said container;
(f) agitating fluid thawing medium in said container;
and
(g) maintaining a substantially even fluid thawing medium temperature throughout said container, wherein said fluid thawing medium is water.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/911,032Filed 9 Jul 1992 · division
Priority: 31 Aug 1984
Granted: 9 Sep 1997
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

A23B 2/82
Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling: thawing subsequent to freezing
A23B
Preservation of foods, foodstuffs or non-alcoholic beverages

Family

Serial646,087Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 31 Aug 1984
Serial669,791Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 9 Nov 1984
Serial771,727Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Sep 1985
Serial193,194Parent of this continuation · filed 9 May 1988
Serial730,579Parent of this division · filed 15 Jul 1991
US 5,146,843 AParent of this division
US 5,665,412 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.