The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 20, 1982
Filed:
Oct. 14, 1980
John E Gerling, Cupertino, CA (US);
John P O'Meara, Orinda, CA (US);
Gerling-Moore, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
A microwave oven is incorporated in a coffee bean roasting system and includes a rotatable microwave transparent tube or drum positioned within the same and at an angle to the horizontal, through which coffee beans are introduced at an upper end and flow in continuous agitation to the lower end while being subjected to microwave fields within the oven. At the lower end of the oven a separate section is preferably provided for subjecting the coffee beans to selective treatment during the final stages of the roasting process. In one form utilizing a unitary structure the separate section is provided by a conductive septum which separates the oven into sections in which the power level is different. In the last section the power level is adjusted to control the final critical phase of the roasting process. The oven terminates into a cooling and quenching chamber from which the beans are delivered through a microwave trap to a further cooling stage to rapidly reduce their temperature to well below roasting.