Midmark Corporation

Henny Penny Corporation

Richard L Jones

Philip Marc Stewart

Michael J Coyle

Ronald A Gatchell

Robert W Stirling

William M Casey

David B Winter

James E Clapp

Dennis L Harris

Tim A Landwehr

Edward J Florkey

Gary W Benning

A portable steam sterilizer for surgical and dental instruments includes an outer casing and a pressure chamber configured to receive steam therein. A tray is configured to hold the instruments and is releasably received within the pressure chamber while a boiler is in fluid communication with the pressure chamber for providing steam thereto. The sterilizer further includes a container for receiving condensed steam evacuated from the pressure chamber. The container is spaced from the outer casing and includes a main body and a lid that is substantially non-rotationally coupled to the main body. A conduit is coupled to the lid and fluid communicates the container with the pressure chamber. The main body of the container may include a base while the lid may include a wall oriented generally orthogonal to the base.

Water management system for sterilizer

A portable steam sterilizer for surgical instruments includes a tray configured to hold the instruments and a pressure chamber. The pressure chamber includes a cavity portion and a handle portion. The cavity portion includes a set of walls and is configured to releasably receive the tray, while the handle portion is coupled to the tray for selectively inserting and removing the tray respectively into and from within the cavity portion. The handle portion is sealingly engageable with the cavity portion to thereby define the pressure chamber. A steam inlet fluidly communicates the pressure chamber with a source of steam to selectively permit steam to flow from the source of steam and into the pressure chamber. A steam outlet fluidly communicates the pressure chamber with a steam management assembly to selectively permit steam to flow from the pressure chamber and into the steam management assembly.

Portable sterilizing apparatus for surgical and dental instruments

A sterilizer () is provided having a steam filled sterilizer chamber () for sterilizer articles placed within the chamber (). An electronic air valve () is provided to control the venting rate of the steam is vented back to a water reservoir () after the articles have been sterilized. The electronic air valve () also vents the chamber () in a controlled manner during the heat up portion of the sterilization cycle to obtain an optimum saturated steam environment with the chamber () for the sterilizing process. The sterilizer () has pre-programmed and programmable sterilization cycles. And the drying times of each of these cycles is programmable by a user. The programmable sterilization cycles also provide a programmable vent rate which may be selected by the user to minimize damage to the sterilized articles. A steam condensing coil () is associated with the water reservoir () to minimize pressure build up within the water reservoir (). The sterilizer () uses sensed pressure within the sterilizer chamber () to control heating of the chamber () to a predetermined sterilization temperature set point during a sterilization cycle. A motor () controls a door lock mechanism to open the door () of the sterilizer () following the sterilizing portion of the sterilization cycle.

Sterilizing apparatus

A sterilizer including a sterilization chamber for receiving articles to be sterilized and a door supported on a horizontal pivot at an access opening of the sterilizer chamber. The door includes a seal plate and a resilient seal member supported on the seal plate wherein the seal member includes an annular lip extending transversely to the plane of the seal plate. The lip extends into the sterilizer chamber wherein pressure within the chamber exerts a force biasing an opposing surface of the lip into engagement with an inner surface of the chamber. The sterilizer door is movable between a fully closed and a fully open position and includes a mechanism for holding the door in a partially open position. In the partially open position, the lip extends into contact with a surface of the sterilizer chamber to thereby form a bridge between the door and chamber and prevent condensation from dripping down away from the chamber and door. A controller is provided for controlling sterilization cycles and actuates the door to move to the partially open position at the end of a sterilization cycle. In addition, a pressure actuated lock is provided for preventing the door from opening when the chamber is pressurized. The controller further automatically controls purging of air from the sterilizer chamber during a steam generation mode of a sterilization cycle wherein the controller senses the temperature and pressure during the sterilization cycle, and in response thereto, opens a purge valve to release air when the conditions within the sterilizer deviate by a predetermined amount from preset conditions monitored by the controller.

Sterilizer including air purging system and pressure actuated door seal

A cooking medium management system and method from manipulating a cooking medium during cooking operations. The system has a controller generating a lock-out signal and a transfer signal, and selectively generating one control signal selected from the group consisting of a discard signal, a fresh fill signal, a drain signal, a filtration signal, and a polish signal. The system also has a cooking medium transfer pump and a transfer conduit for transferring the cooking medium to and from a frypot, wherein the transfer pump activates in response to the transfer signal. The system further includes a lock-out device, which receives the lock-out signal and disables a fryer heater. Moreover, this system includes a discard device, which receives the discard signal and includes the frypot, the drain pan, a drain valve and a cooking medium drain. The frypot and the drain pan are placed in communication with the transfer conduit via the drain valve. Subsequently, the drain pan and the cooking medium drain are placed in communication with the transfer conduit to discard used cooking medium. In addition, the system includes a fresh fill device, which receives the fresh fill signal and includes the frypot and a cooking medium source. The frypot and the cooking medium source are placed in communication with the transfer conduit to fill the frypot with fresh shortening. The system also includes a filtration device, which receives the filtration signal and places the frypot and drain pan in communication with the transfer conduit to filter the cooking medium. Finally, the system includes a polish device, which receives the polish signal and places the frypot and the drain pan in communication with the transfer conduit in response to the polish signal, fills the frypot to a predetermined level, and places the frypot and the drain pan in communication with the transfer conduit for a predetermined time period, and places the frypot and the drain pan out of communication with the transfer conduit after completion of the predetermined time period.

Cooking medium management system

A cooking medium management system and method from manipulating a cooking medium during cooking operations. The system has a controller generating a lock-out signal and a transfer signal, and selectively generating one control signal selected from the group consisting of a discard signal, a fresh fill signal, a drain signal, a filtration signal, and a polish signal. The system also has a cooking medium transfer pump and a transfer conduit for transferring the cooking medium to and from a frypot, wherein the transfer pump activates in response to the transfer signal. The system further includes a lock-out device, which receives the lock-out signal and disables a fryer heater. Moreover, this system includes a discard device, which receives the discard signal and includes the frypot, the drain pan, a drain valve and a cooking medium drain. The frypot and the drain pan are placed in communication with the transfer conduit via the drain valve. Subsequently, the drain pan and the cooking medium drain are placed in communication with the transfer conduit to discard used cooking medium. In addition, the system includes a fresh fill device, which receives the fresh fill signal and includes the frypot and a cooking medium source. The frypot and the cooking medium source are placed in communication with the transfer conduit to fill the frypot with fresh shortening.

Method for manipulating cooking medium during cooking operations

The present invention is directed to a computerized control system for use with a cooking system, such as a deep fat fryer. The control system has a plurality of separately accessible control levels. The control system has a control pad comprising a plurality of function switches. Each of the control levels may be accessed by simultaneously depressing a particular combination of function switches. Cooking parameters can be entered at each level, so that unique cooking parameters for various types of food products can be individually programmed into the control system or so that a single set of cooking parameters for use with all food products can be programmed into the control system. During a cooking cycle, the status of the cycle for a particular product and the usage of that product may be displayed on a control pad.

Growing community of inventors

Eaton, OH, United States of America

Richard L Jones