Shrimp cooking apparatus

• US 5,072,663 A
• Filed: 04/26/1991
• Issued: 12/17/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seafood Equipment Development Corporation
• Original Assignee: Seafood Equipment Development Corporation
• Inventors: Ellis-Brown, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Simone, Timothy F.
• Application Number:
  US07/692,290
• Time in Patent Office: 235 Days
• Field of Search: 99/331, 99/330, 99/341, 99/403, 99/404, 99/410, 99/443 R, 99/443 C, 99/467, 99/468, 99/477, 99/483, 99/487, 126/20, 126/369, 426/510, 426/511, 426/523, 414/157, 198/861.1, 198/860.5, 198/860.3
• US Class Current: 99/331
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 4/0053 with gas or liquids, with or without shaping, e.g. in form of powder, granules or flakes
• CPC Class Codes: A23B 4/0056 with packages, or with shaping in the form of blocks or portions
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/16 heated by steam

Abstract

A shrimp cooking apparatus has a frame having a motor driven endless belt conveyor with a porous endless belt supported to the frame. The frame includes a plurality of upright members, each two upright members being connected by transverse support channels. A housing covers a portion of the porous endless belt and is supported on the frame and has an entrance thereinto and an exit therefrom. A steam pipe is connected to a source of steam and is connection to a plurality of steam nozzles for directing steam into the housing. The housing is formed from a pair of stainless steel layers having a predetermined layer of insulation therebetween. The housing has a lift mechanism attached thereto for lifting the housing relative to the plurality of frame members to thereby gain access inside the housing. A plurality of solenoid valves are operatively connected to temperature sensors to open and close each steam feedpipe nozzle to thereby control the feeding of steam into the housing. The housing lift mechanism includes individual chains mounted inside the upright frame member between pairs of sprockets and are driven by a motor driven rotating shaft located in a transverse beam and driving a sprocket on the chain drive at each end thereof in one of the upright channels. A lift bracket is attached to each chain which in turn is attached to the housing for lifting and lowering the housing responsive to the operation of the electric motor.

Claims

1. A shrimp cooking apparatus comprising:

a frame including a plurality of upright members;

a motor driven endless belt conveyor having a porous endless belt supported on said frame;

a housing covering a portion of said porous endless belt and supported on said frame, said housing having an entrance thereinto and an exit therefrom and said housing being formed from spaced inner and outer layers of metal having a predetermined layer of insulation therebetween;

a housing lift mechanism attached to said plurality of frame upright members and to said housing for lifting said housing relative to said plurality of frame upright members to thereby gain access inside said housing;

a steam feed pipe connected to a source of steam and connected to a plurality of steam nozzles for directing steam into said housing;

a plurality of solenoid valves, each valve being operatively connected to open and close one said steam feed pipe nozzle to thereby control the feeding of steam into said housing;

control system connected to each of said plurality of solenoid valves for controlling the operation of said valves; and

a plurality of sensors for sensing heat in said housing, each said sensor being operatively connected to said control system whereby said control system can control the flow of steam into said housing responsive to said plurality of sensors sensed conditions and whereby shrimp can be cooked to a predetermined degree.

2. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which each pair of said frame upright members is connected with a transverse frame member to thereby form a generally U-shaped support frame portion.

3. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 2 in which each U-shaped support frame portion has two legs extending therefrom.

4. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 3 in which said U-shaped support frame portion leg is adjustable attached thereto for leveling said shrimp cooking apparatus.

5. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which lift mechanism includes a chain riding on a plurality of sprockets and said chain being attached to said housing lift bracket portion.

6. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 5 in which said lift mechanism includes an electric motor and said electric motor is operated through a switch to raise or lower said housing.

7. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which said lift mechanism is coupled through said transverse beam to a frame upright member on either side of said housing and a shaft drives a pair of chain drives to operate a pair of lifts.

8. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said housing has a support bracket extending thereover and attached thereto and attached on either side of said housing to said lift mechanism to thereby reinforce said housing for the lifting of said housing.

9. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 8 in which housing support bracket is a generally U-shaped bracket extending over said housing and being fixedly attached thereto.

10. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 9 in which housing inner and outer metal layers are stainless steel having a layer of polymer insulation therebetween.

11. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 10 in which housing insulation layer is a rigid foamed polymer.

12. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 11 in which housing inner and outer layers are connected around said layer of insulation with bracing members.

13. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 12 in which said conveyor belt is a stainless steel mesh belt.

14. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 13 in which said housing has a pair of openings in the top thereof and each said opening has an exhaust pipe connected thereto and each said opening has an electric damper valve therein.

15. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 14 in which housing has a raised portion and said endless conveyor belt has a raised portion inside said housing to thereby lift shrimp thereon to a raised area in said housing.

16. A shrimp cooking apparatus comprising:

a frame including a plurality of pairs of upright posts, and a transverse beam member connected between each pair of said plurality of upright posts;

a motor driven endless belt conveyor having a porous endless belt supported on said frame between said upright posts and above each transverse beam and supported on said transverse beam;

an upper housing covering a portion of said porous endless belt and supported on said frame, said housing having an entrance thereinto and an exit therefrom;

an upper housing lift mechanism attached between said a plurality of frame upright members and said upper housing for lifting said housing relative to said plurality of frame upright members to thereby gain access inside said housing;

a steam feed pipe connected to a source of steam and connected to a plurality of steam nozzles for directing steam into said housing;

a plurality of solenoid valves, each valve being operatively connected to open and close one said steam feed pipe nozzle to thereby control the feeding of steam into said housing;

a control system connected to each of said plurality of solenoid valves for controlling the operation of said valves; and

a plurality of sensors for sensing the heat in said housing, each said sensor being operatively connected to said control system whereby said control system can control the flow of steam into said housing responsive to said plurality of sensors sensed conditions, whereby shrimp can be cooked to a predetermined degree.

17. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 16 in which said upper housing is formed from spaced inner and outer layers of metal having a predetermined layer of insulation therebetween.

18. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 17 in which upper housing has a support bracket extending thereover and attached thereto and attached on either side of said upper housing to said lift mechanism.

19. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 18 in which said lift mechanism is coupled through said beam to a frame upright member on either side thereof for operating a pair of lifts from a common drive mechanism.

20. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 16 in which said upper housing lift mechanism includes a guide block located inside each upright post and connected to each chain for sliding inside each said frame upright member and each said guide block being connected to said upper housing for lifting said upper housing responsive to movement of said chain.

21. A shrimp cooking apparatus in accordance with claim 20 in which each said guide block has a bracket attached thereto and attached through a slot in each said upright member to said upper housing support member.

22. A shrimp cooking apparatus comprising:

a frame including a plurality of upright members;

a motor driven endless belt conveyor having a porous endless belt supported on said frame;

a housing covering a portion of said porous endless belt and supported on said frame, said housing having an entrance thereinto and an exit therefrom and said housing being formed from spaced inner and outer layers of stainless steel having a predetermined layer of insulation therebetween;

a housing lift means for lifting said housing, said housing lift means being attached to said plurality of frame upright members and to said housing for lifting said housing relative to said plurality of frame upright members to thereby gain access inside said housing;

a steam feed means for feeding steam into said housing, said steam feed means being connected to a source of steam and connected to a plurality of steam nozzles for directing steam into said housing;

valve means operatively connected to open and close said steam feed means to thereby control the feeding of steam into said housing;

control means connected to each of said valve means for controlling the operation of said valve means; and

sensor means for sensing heat in said housing, said sensor means being operatively connected to said control means whereby said control means can control the flow of steam into said housing responsive to said plurality sensor means sensed conditions and whereby shrimp can be cooked to a predetermined degree.