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:
May. 06, 2003
Filed:
May. 23, 2000
Frank V. Nolfi, Jr., Port Orange, FL (US);
Conagra Grocery Products Company, Irvine, CA (US);
Abstract
A food packaging system wherein one or more food component preparation lines deliver heated, e.g., cooked, components to a packaging station that operates at overpressure to maintain aseptic conditions as a container is filled and sealed. The preparation line may be a high pressure heated conduit, a covered batch conveyer, sealed pocket feeder or similar line, and prepares each component at a temperature and time suitable for the particular ingredient. Plural separate preparation lines may deliver different food components to the pressure chamber in which filling occurs, and each component attains a narrowly-defined degree of cooking or uniform stage of undercooking. A loading lock interfaces the packaging and preparation sections so as to prevent evaporative fluid loss or cooling and preserve aseptic conditions during filling and sealing. The sealed containers may be heated or held in a sterilizing chamber for a brief time, after which they may be cooled, labeled and placed on or in pallets or cartons for shipping or storage.