Other

General Mills, Inc.

James L Popp

Carolyn Popp

James A Dean

Robert E Clark

Scott LaCourse

Angela M Brown

Dual compartment food container

Leaf shape cluster pom pom

A piston for dispensing material from a commodity container includes a nose section connected to a piston shaft. A recessed channel is located between the nose section and piston shaft. In the channel, there is a seal lifter over which a solid wiping seal is placed. Upon inflation, the seal lifter forcers the wiping seal to extend beyond the periphery of the piston to come into sealing contact with the interior wall of the container.

Dispensing piston for commodity container

A method and apparatus for the cleaning of residue from the surface of a container where the method comprises cooling the container and residue adhered to the container surface to a low temperature, substantially embrittling the residue, fragmenting the residue, separating the residue from the surface of the container and removing the residue from the container. The container is placed in an enclosure with an opening in the top of the enclosure to permit access to the interior of the container when a container lid is removed. The system includes a rotating base to turn the container to facilitate freezing and removal of the residue.

Process and apparatus for cryogenically cleaning residue from containers

A commodity container is provided that includes a cylindrical body that is preferably open substantially the full diameter at the top with an outwardly extending flange and an inner sealing band extending to a height above the top of the flange. On the body sits a removable lid having a cylindrical side wall depending down and terminating with an outwardly extending, wherein the lid is adapted to sit on the open end of the body with the lid flange above the body flange and the sealing band overlapping the lid side wall. A channel is formed between the inner sealing band, the body flange and the lid flange. A gasket is placed in the channel and the gasket is compressed between the body flange and the lid flange for sealing the container. The large opening of this container facilitates having commodity residue cryogenically cleaned from the interior. To cryogenically clean the container, it is placed in an enclosure with an opening in the top of the enclosure to permit access to the interior of the container when a container lid is removed. The system includes a rotating base to turn the container to facilitate freezing and removal of the residue.

Commodity container

A method and apparatus for the cleaning of residue from the surface of a container where the method comprises adhering a bulk material to the residue, cooling the container and residue adhered to the container surface to a low temperature, substantially embrittling the residue and then impacting the container to fragment and separate the residue from the surface of the container. The cooling may be effected to multiple containers in a semi-continuous fashion placing the containers sequentially in one end of an enclosure, contacting cold cryogen to the residue and container, advancing the containers to the other end of the enclosure and withdrawing the containers sequentially.

A method and apparatus for the cleaning of residue from the surface of a container where the method comprises cooling a container and residue adhered to the container surface to a low temperature, substantially embrittling the residue and then impacting the container to fragment and separate the residue from the surface of the container. The cooling may be effected by contacting cold vaporized cryogen to the residue and container in an insulated box having a cryogen sprayer, an opening, and a door. A method for reducing the bulk volumes of containers comprising cooling the container to a low temperature to substantially embrittle the container and then stressing the container to fracture and break apart the embrittled portions and thereby reduce the bulk volume of the container.

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Aurora, IL, United States of America

James L Popp