Roasting system with heat recycler
First Claim
1. A fluid bed roasting system, comprising:
- a roasting chamber having an air infeed vent for receiving air and a flue for directing exhaust air from the roasting chamber; and
an air reconditioning system coupled between the flue and the air infeed vent including;
a heater for heating the air after the air has passed through the roasting chamber and the flue;
an air filtering system for removing pollutants from the exhaust output from the roasting chamber flue; and
a fan coupled between the heater and roasting chamber infeed vent drawing the exhaust air from the roasting chamber, passing the exhaust air through the air filtering system and past the heater and recirculating the filtered and reheated air back into the roasting chamber through the air infeed vent,the same recirculated filtered and reheated air blown up by the fan through a bottom end of the roasting chamber providing a fluid bed of air that both suspends and circulates a food product inside the roasting chamber while the air at the same time roasts the food products.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A roasting system includes a roasting chamber having an air infeed vent for receiving air and a flue for directing exhaust air from the roasting chamber. An air reconditioning system coupled between the air infeed vent and the flue eliminates the need for external venting. The air reconditioning system includes a heater for heating the air received in the roasting chamber through the infeed vent and an air filtering system. A fan draws the exhaust air from the roasting chamber, passes the exhaust air through the air filtering system and past the heater and then recirculates the filtered and reheated air back into the roasting chamber. Continuously filtering recirculated air allows the roasting system to be placed in retail coffee shops without requiring external ventilation or producing objectionable odors. By reusing the heated air from the roasting chamber, the roasting system is also more energy efficient than current coffee roasting systems and allows the roasting system to be operated in non-industrial locations.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A fluid bed roasting system, comprising:
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a roasting chamber having an air infeed vent for receiving air and a flue for directing exhaust air from the roasting chamber; and an air reconditioning system coupled between the flue and the air infeed vent including; a heater for heating the air after the air has passed through the roasting chamber and the flue; an air filtering system for removing pollutants from the exhaust output from the roasting chamber flue; and a fan coupled between the heater and roasting chamber infeed vent drawing the exhaust air from the roasting chamber, passing the exhaust air through the air filtering system and past the heater and recirculating the filtered and reheated air back into the roasting chamber through the air infeed vent, the same recirculated filtered and reheated air blown up by the fan through a bottom end of the roasting chamber providing a fluid bed of air that both suspends and circulates a food product inside the roasting chamber while the air at the same time roasts the food products. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A roasting system for roasting coffee beans, comprising:
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a roasting chamber having an air infeed vent at a bottom end for receiving air and an exhaust flue for directing exhaust air from the roasting chamber; a heating system including a fan continuously pulling the air from the roasting chamber, through the heating system and continuously forcing the air reheated by the heating system up through the infeed vent; an infrared sensor coupled inside a top end of the roasting chamber and pointed toward the top end of the roasting chamber for sensing the amount of heat radiated by the coffee beans while being circulated at the top end of the roasting chamber thereby detecting a more uniform roasting temperature of the coffee beans. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for roasting coffee beans, comprising:
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locating a batch of coffee beans in a roasting chamber; blowing air through a bottom end of the roasting chamber causing the coffee beans to circulate; roasting the coffee beans by heating the air blown into the roasting chamber, the roasting coffee beans generating smoke; measuring the radiated temperature of the coffee beans while being circulated in a top portion of the roasting chamber using an infrared sensor; drawing the heated air and smoke from the roasting chamber; filtering the smoke from the heated air used for roasting the coffee beans; reheating the filtered air; and recirculating the reheated air back into the roasting chamber until the coffee beans reach a preselected temperature. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for roasting coffee beans, comprising:
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locating a batch of coffee beans in a roasting chamber; blowing air through a bottom end of the roasting chamber at a first pressure during a first coffee bean roasting stage; and blowing air through a bottom end of the roasting chamber at a second pressure during a second coffee bean roasting stage to maintain substantially constant circulation of the coffee beans in the roasting chamber without blowing the coffee beans out an exhaust flue; roasting the coffee beans by heating the air blown into the roasting chamber, the roasting coffee beans generating smoke; drawing the heated air and smoke from the roasting chamber; filtering the smoke from the heated air used for roasting the coffee beans; reheating the filtered air; and recirculating the reheated air back into the roasting chamber until the coffee beans reach a preselected temperature. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification