Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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757
This invention relates to an apparatus and method
for processing items sealed in flexible pouches and, more
particularly, to an apparatus and method for sterilizing
items contained in such pouches by circulating a heating
medium through the conduits formed with having stackable
trays having the pouches therein.
In recent years technology in the food processing
industry has developed to the extent that it is currently
possible to heat sterilize food and make it stable on a
shelf by placing the food in a flexible air and light
impermeable pouch and sealing the pouch. The pouch is then
retorted in a standard canning retort to sterilize the food
therein and provide the same advantages of a canned product.
The prime advantage of this type of processing is that the
pouch can then be placed in boiling water to heat the pro-
duct therein and the heating does not require the depositing
of food on the cooking vessel and thus the cooking vessel
does not need to be cleaned, a distinct advantage to the
user. Furthermore, the product can be sterilized without
adding water thereto or without exposure to air thereby, in
some instances, greatly increasing the taste of the food
product. Heretofore, such products, when placed in the
flexible pouches and sealed therein have been sterilized by
clamping the tops thereof and placing them in a retort
cooker. This type of processing has proved to be extremely
time consuming and labor consuming as well as requiring a
large vessel for cooking since the spacing apart of the
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flexible pouches in a row creates a large volume of held
pouches. Furthermore, the clamping devices used for such a
process have been extremely expensive and detailed and
difficult to operate.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus
for sterilizing items sealed in a flexible pouch, said
apparatus comprising~ means for depositing flexible pouches
containing items sealed therein on stackable trays, said
stackable trays capable o~ spacing apart the flexible
pouches and providing a continuous conduit for a heating
medium to circulate about the pouches; means for stacking
the stackable trays with the pouches thereon and means for
circulating a heating medium about the pouches to cook the
~ood therein.
The invention is additional:Ly directed to a method
for sterilizing items comprising: sealing the item in air
and light impermeable, flexible pouches, spacing apart a
plurality of the item containing pouches on trays to form
a plurality o~ conduits with substantially unmovable pouches
therein; and retort sterilizing the items in the pouches by
circulating a heated medium through the formed conduits and
about the pouches while maintaining a substantially uniform
exposed cross-section o~ the pouches.
This invention represents a new and unique apparatus
and process for sterilizing items sealed in flexible pouches.
With known apparatus and processes, as noted above, the
pouches are either handled individually and thus the time
757
and labor consumption is extensive or else the pouches tend
to become bunched together thereby creating hot and cold
spots and un-uniform cooking of the product which is un-
desirable. In contrast, the invention provides for uniform
sterilization of items in flexible pouches with the lowest
cost and most significant amount of automation. In addition,
the degree of sterilization can be closely and carefully
controlled by use of the tray which provides for a uniform
exposed cross-section of the pouch and thus enables calcula-
tion of the heat transfer by known methods.
In addition, items other than ~ood, e.g. medical
supplies, can be sterilized and sent to market in flexible
pouches and this invention makes possible this sterilization
as well as other needed sterilization processes across a
wide range of industries.
This invention may be more fully described but is
not limited by the attached drawings of a preferred embodi-
ment of the invention wherein:
FIGURE 1 represents a top view of the apparatus
~20~ employing the process of this invention;
FIGURE 2 represents an end view of the apparatus
employing the process of this invention; and
FIGURE 3 shows an end view of the tray preferably
used in the apparatus and process of this invention.
In the drawings numeral 11 refers to the flexible
pouches having the item to be sterilized sealed therein.
Flexible pouches generally proceed through a clamping
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sealing devica 12 in the packaging machine. After the pouches
are sealed in the clamping sealing device they ara taken
therefrom and deposited in trays 13.
A preferred form of the tray 13 is fully disclosed
~ an~ an zs0~6s~ ~r//2~ 6
n our co-pending~appln. ~o. ~4K~b~ filed r~b. ~,-19, r
In general, the preferred tray 13, as shown in Figure 3 has
a bottom portion 22 comprising a conduit for circulating a
heating medium therethrough. Edge walls 23 project outward
from opposing sides of the bottom portion 22 and terminate
in wall ends 24 engageable with the bottom portion 22 of a
like tray 13. Protuberances 25 are provided in the tray 13
projecting outward from the bottom portion 22 for spacing
apart flexible pouches 11 on the tray 13 and preventing
substantial movement of the pouches 11 on the tray 13. The
protuberances 25 are sufficiently open to allow for circula-
tion of a heating medium about the trays 13.
It is envisioned that a vacuum line 14 in timed~
relationship with timing device 15 would move from next to
the pouches with the vacuum picking up the flexible pouch 11
and then be moved over the tray 13 by an appropriate set of
gears and cams (not shown) and when immediately over the
tray 13 the vacuum being broken by passing over a cam (not
shown) or through the timing device 15 or some other such
method and the flexible pouch 11 thereby deposited in the
tray. It may be understood, however, that many types of
depositing devices would be fully acceptable within the
scope of this invention and it need not be limited to the
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vacuum pickoff device 15 as is shown herein. For instance,
a set of slots and chutes could be used with an appropriate
timing mechanism to deposit the flexible pouches in pro-
gressive order on the tray. The trays 13 move on a conveyor
belt 16 having a motor 17 and gea~s thereon to drive it with
the motor 17 and gears being in timed relationship to the
pickoff device 15 which is also in timed relationship to the
packaging machine. The loaded trays 13 then move on the
conveyor belt 16 into bin 18 which is open ended but re-
strained on the opposite end by restraining bars 19. Whena stack of trays 13 fills a slot in the bin 18, the re-
straining bars 19 are placed on the other end, thereby
locking the trays 13 therein. The bin 18 is adjusted to
catch the trays 13 by an appropriate lift 20 which is in
timed relationship with the movement of the other portions
of the apparatus. When the bins 18 are filled they are
then moved into retort device 21 and a heating mediu~ is
circulated thereabout by a conventional method until the
product in the pouches 11 is sterilized. Conventionally the
cooking medium is under pressure to provide a temperature
above the boiling point of water and thereby provides for
sterilization of the product.
Referring to Figure 3, stackable ends 24 of the
trays 13 engage the tray thereabove and provide a stacking
feature which locks the pouches 11 therein to prevent
movement thereof. As noted above, the protuberances 25 on
the tray 13 separate the pouches 11 and provide a conduit for
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~06~757
the circulating medium to move through without lateral move-
ment of the flexible pouches ll. In the process the flexible
pouches ll are placed in the trays 13, they are stacked and
placed in the bin 18, and locked therein, and then placed in
the retort device 21 for sterilization. The entire operation
is in timed relationship for automation thereof~ It may be
seen, however, that within the scope of the inten-t of this
invention are numerous modifications and changes which still
fall within the scope of this invention and are intended to
be claimed herein. For instance, within the scope of the
claimed invention can be the above process and apparatus
wherein the trays 13 are independently stacked on a cart
(not shown) as they leave the conveyor 16 and are then placed
as stacks in the bin 18.
