Defrosting apparatus

• US 4,062,277 A
• Filed: 09/22/1975
• Issued: 12/13/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: W B Van Nest Company
• Original Assignee: W B Van Nest Company
• Inventors: Powers, Gilbert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Christian, Leonard D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pous, Robert
• Application Number:
  US05/616,033
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 99/516-517, 99/487, 99/485, 99/483, 239/450, 239/71, 239/74, 134/177, 134/260, 62/81, 62/274, 62/282, 62/82, 222/544, 138/34, 138/166, 160/84, 160/48, 312/214
• US Class Current: 99/483
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 4/07 Thawing subsequent to freezing
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/365 Thawing subsequent to freezing

Abstract

An apparatus for thawing of frozen food products is provided which includes a tank member having an open top which is provided with a specially constructed cover member which insures sanitary conditions during the thawing while at the same time minimizing the quantity of liquid utilized to thaw the frozen food. The cover member is constructed so as to define a reservoir chamber for the liquid used in thawing and is further provided with a plurality of inwardly facing openings so as to spray the liquid over the frozen food in the tank. Drain means are provided so that the food being thawed is never immersed in liquid but rather has a flowing thin film of liquid over its surface. Low temperatures are utilized thereby decreasing the rate of bacterial activity within the product being thawed.

Claims

1. A system for thawing of frozen food products comprising:

a. a tank for holding the products to be thawed, the sidewalls and base of said tank joined to define a closed container except for an open top and including drain means joined thereto adjacent the lower portion of said tank;

b. a readily removable cover member of flexible plastic material providing a complete closure for the top of said tank to seal the contents from contamination, said cover member having upper and lower sheet members joined adjacent the peripheral edges to define a closed liquid receiving chamber, an inlet opening in said chamber for introducing thawing liquid into said chamber, the lower sheet member of said cover member which faces inwardly into said tank defining a plurality of small openings in fluid communication with said chamber, said openings being spaced from one another so as to provide a spray of thawing liquid over the product to be thawed, said cover member being collapsible and foldable when not in use so as to be conveniently storable;

c. fluid conduit means connecting said drain means to said inlet opening in said chamber;

d. pump means in said conduit means positioned intermediate said drain and said chamber; and

e. heat exchange means including temperature control means in communication with said conduit means for adjusting the thawing liquid cycled therethrough to a predetermined temperature.

2. Apparatus for thawing of frozen food products comprising in combination:

a. a tank for holding the product to be thawed, the sidewalls and base of said tank joined to define a closed container except for an open top, said tank including drain means adjacent the lower portion thereof; and

b. a readily removable cover member of flexible plastic material providing a complete closure of the open top of said tank to seal the contents from contamination, said cover member being formed of two sheets of flexible plastic material joined together adjacent the outer periphery thereof to define a chamber and joined interiorly of the outer edges at a plurality of parallel intervals to thereby define a plurality of spaced parallel tube members, each of said tube members being in fluid communication with said chamber, the lower inwardly facing surface of said cover member along the lengths of said tube members including a plurality of small openings in fluid communication with said chamber, said cover member including connector means for joining said chamber to a source of thawing liquid, said cover member being collapsible and foldable when not in use so as to be conveniently storable.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said cover member includes a downwardly extending flange at the periphery thereof of a size to fit around the exterior top end of said tank.

4. A large generally rectangularly shaped cover member having a width a substantial portion of the length thereof having dependent flanges and adapted to enclose the top of and deliver a thawing fluid to an open topped tank holding frozen food comprising upper and lower sheets of flexible plastic material in opposed relationship to one another and joined to one another adjacent the outer edges thereof between said flanges to form a closed chamber, said sheets being further joined to one another by a plurality of spaced parallel seams, said seams extending from points interior to the opposite edges of said sheets to thereby define multiple numbers of parallel tubes with the transverse end regions of said sheets adjacent said outer edges and intermediate said tubes and the outer edges defining first and second manifolds at opposite end of said tubes in fluid connection with said tubes to thereby provide a uniform pressure in each of said tubes when a thawing liquid is being passed therethrough, a continuous plastic flange joined to the outer edges of said sheets and extending generally perpendicular to the plane of said sheets in the direction of said lower sheet, the lower sheet portions of said tubes defining a plurality of small openings therethrough uniformly spaced over the surface of each of said tubes for spraying fine streams of a thawing fluid onto the food to be thawed, and inlet means in a first of said manifolds for introducing said thawing fluid into said chamber, said cover member being collapsible and foldable when not in use so as to be conveniently storable.

5. A cover member in accordance with claim 4 wherein the joined outer edge of said sheets in the second manifold region are joined by means that are readily mechanically openable and resealable so as to provide a relatively large temporary opening at said second manifold for flushing the interior of said chamber free of foreign material.

6. A cover member in accordance with claim 4 wherein said flexible plastic material is selected from the group consisting of clear polyethylene and clear polypropylene so as to provide a visual indication of foreign materials within said chamber.

7. A cover member in accordance with claim 4 wherein said cover is of a size to close the open top of a thawing tank having dimensions of about 4'"'"' ×

6'"'"'.

8. A cover member in accordance with claim 5 wherein said plastic material is clear polyethylene.