For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the drawings herein illustrate examples of the invention. The drawings, however, do not limit the scope of the invention. Similar references in the drawings indicate similar elements.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details, that the present invention is not limited to the depicted embodiments, and that the present invention may be practiced in a variety of alternative embodiments. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and systems have not been described in detail.
Various operations will be described as multiple discrete steps performed in turn in a manner that is helpful for understanding the present invention. However, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily performed in the order they are presented, nor even order dependent. Lastly, repeated usage of the phrase “in one embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may.
As an overview, the present inventors set out to develop the concept of producing carbonated (or “fizzy”) fruits or vegetables for serving in school lunch programs. After considerable testing and experimentation, the present inventors determined that out of numerous different designs developed, particular designs provided satisfactory performance in terms of simplicity of design, easy of use, acceptable manufacturing feasibility, manageable costs, and so forth. One embodiment of a suitable carbonation vessel, in general terms, comprises a food grade container or body defining a lower area sized to hold approximately five pounds of fruit, a lid covering a top opening of the body, an insert pan having a seal for sealing the lid to the body and a gas vent for allowing gas to flow downward from an upper area above the insert pan to the lower area below the insert pan, and a clamp for securely holding the lid to the body. A quantity of water and tea bags (or sachets) containing sodium bicarbonate and citric acid may be placed within a water and bag area in the insert pan, thereby causing a release of carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide gas fills the upper area above the insert pan and flows downward through the gas vent into the lower area, where the carbon dioxide gas is absorbed by the fruit causing the fruit to take on an effervescent or carbonated quality. The vessel may include a pressure release valve (and over pressure safety valve) and handles on the lid and body. In one embodiment, it was found that a vessel having therein between thirty (30) and forty (40) pounds per square inch (psi) of pressurized carbon dioxide is enough to adequately carbonate a portion of fresh-cut grapes.
The present inventors experimented with, in one embodiment, using a pellet (or several pellets) of dry ice for generating pressurized carbon dioxide within a vessel. However, it was determined that while such a pellet does comprise a suitable gas generating substance, and is, therefore, to be included as an acceptable gas generating substance in at least one embodiment, the handling of dry ice is not easily accommodated in typical fruit (or food) handling environments. The present inventors subsequently found that a dry powder mixture of sodium bicarbonate and citric acid (or other appropriate carboxylic base and acid) which when activated by water or a water-based solution would generate the requisite volume of carbon dioxide to pressurize the carbonation vessel.
The present inventors further determined that other combinations of gas generating substances and suitably corresponding liquids (or “reactants”) may be used with a suitably designed vessel for carbonating fruits or vegetables. In one embodiment, sodium bicarbonate and citric acid may be activated with water to generate carbon dioxide in a separated space within the vessel, and the separated space may be configured to prevent unreacted reactants and residual solution formed in the reaction from coming into contact with and possibly tainting the flavor of fruits or vegetables in the package. It was found that such contact may cause an unpleasant or salty taste in, for example, a “fizzy” fruit product.
Additional improvements are included, as will be discussed below for various embodiments, to provide safe operation and commercially viable characteristics for a carbonation vessel. Such improvements include, but are not limited to, a manually operated pressure release valve, an automatic over pressure release valve, food grade stainless steel components, food grade silicone seal material, a hinged clamp ring with locking features, and other aspects described or depicted in the drawings.
Reference to “a portion of fruits or vegetables” is used herein to refer to a portion of any one or any combination of the following: a single type of fruit, a mixture of different types of fruit, a single type of vegetable, a mixture of different types of vegetable, or a mixture of one or more types of fruit and one or more types of vegetable. For example, the fruits or vegetables may comprise fresh-cut whole grapes, de-stemmed grapes mixed with strawberries, a particular type of fruit mixed with a particular type of vegetable, or any other combination of fruits or vegetables. The fruits or vegetables may comprise fresh-cut or minimally processed fruits or vegetables but may also include fruits or vegetables that have been processed. The fruits or vegetables may comprise fruits or vegetables that have been carbonated before placement into the carbonation vessel.
Turning now to the drawings,
Other configurations are possible. For example, the vessel 100 may include more than just one handle 125 on the container 105. The container 105 may include two handles, perhaps one on each side of the container 105. Likewise, the lid 115 may include more than one handle 130. The vessel 100 may incorporate a combination manual release and automatic over pressure release type valve 135. In one embodiment, the pressure relief valve 135 comprises a manually operated pressure relief valve or an automatic over pressure safety relief valve or a combination valve providing both manual operation as a pressure release valve and automatic operation as an over pressure safety valve.
However, the vessel 100, in one embodiment, may incorporate other over pressure release and manual pressure release features in addition to or in place of the valve 135 shown in
In one embodiment, the vessel 100 is designed for carbonating product within its lower space 110 so that at least thirty (30) pounds per square inch (psi) is maintained within the lower space 110. In one embodiment, the vessel 100 is designed to safely retain at least sixty (60) pounds per square inch (psi) of internal gaseous pressure without bursting or failing. In one embodiment, the valve 135 comprises an over pressure safety valve for automatically releasing excess pressure above a predetermined threshold. In one embodiment, the predetermined threshold is approximately forty-five (45) pounds per square inch), above which threshold pressure is released until the pressure within the vessel 100 drops below the threshold amount. As with any device operating as a switch or valve designed to open at a particular threshold pressure value and then close when pressure drops below the threshold value, a hysterisis may exist whereby the device opens at a particular pressure but then closes when the pressure drops by a predetermined amount (for example, 1 or 2 psi) below the threshold. Therefore, a pressure release valve 135 may be designed as an automatic over pressure safety valve to release pressure above a threshold value (ex. 45 psi) but operationally triggers at the threshold value (ex. 45 psi) and thereafter releases the excess pressure down to an amount below the trigger/threshold value (ex. 43 psi) at which point the valve closes to retain the remaining pressure. However, such operation is typical and such device is herein described as a pressure release valve for automatically releasing excess pressure over a predetermined amount.
Next,
Clamp ring 120 may comprise any of a wide variety of clamp ring designs. For example, a non-hinged clamp ring may be used that is similar in design to clamp rings used with filtration systems. A clamp ring 120 may be used that incorporates a quick-release type of closing mechanism, similar to quick-release mechanisms used on bicycles, instead of the wing-nut 160 and threaded fastener 150. Other clamping devices may be used. For example, instead of the hinged type clamp ring 120 shown in
In one embodiment, the carbonation vessel comprises a clamp such as the clamp ring 120, a lid 115, an insert pan 215, and a container 105, as shown in
In one embodiment, the sealing member 210 comprises a food grade silicone ring sized to fit between the peripheries of the lid 115 and the top opening 205 of the container 105. In one embodiment, the sealing member 210 is affixed about the circumference or periphery of the insert pan 215 to simplify the handling of components and usage of the carbonation vessel. In one embodiment, the clamp ring 120, the lid 115, the insert pan 215, and the container 105 comprise a food grade stainless steel construction, and the sealing member 210 comprises a food grade silicone material formed upon the insert pan 215. Other materials may be used for these components.
A method of carbonating fruits or vegetables using the carbonation vessel 300, according to one embodiment, comprises the steps of: providing the carbonation vessel 300 and the quantity of fruits or vegetables 315 to be carbonated; placing the quantity of fruits or vegetables 315 into the lower space 310 of the container 305; placing the insert pan 320 over the lower space 310 of the container 305; adding carbon dioxide generating reactants (such as, for example, water 355, a sodium bicarbonate sachet 360, and a citric acid sachet 365) to the upper space 310 over the insert pan 320; closing the lid 335 over the upper space 325 and the top opening 340 of the container 305; clamping the lid 335 to the top opening 340 of the container 305 with the sealing member 345 therebetween using the clamp 350; and waiting a predetermined amount of time to allow generated pressurized carbon dioxide gas to be absorbed by the tissue of the fruits or vegetables 315. In one embodiment, the carbon dioxide generating reactants comprise approximately one hundred (100) milliliters or a quarter cup of water 355 and two sachets, a sodium bicarbonate sachet 360 and a citric acid sachet 365, together, having a net weight of approximately seventy (70) grams.
The method further comprises, according to one embodiment: releasing pressure from the vessel 300 after a sufficient amount of carbon dioxide gas has been absorbed by the fruits or vegetables 315 so that the fruits or vegetables 315 acquire an effervescent quality, the releasing of pressure by opening a pressure release valve (such as valve 135) mounted upon the vessel 300 and then removing the clamp 350 or, alternatively, by opening the clamp 350 enough to release pressurized carbon dioxide from within the vessel 300; removing the clamp 350 to expose the upper space 325 and the insert pan 320 therein; and removing the insert pan 320.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises: removing the quantity of fruits or vegetables 315 from the lower space 310 of the container 305; and serving the quantity of fruits or vegetables 315 to one or more consumer or, before the serving step, pouring the quantity of fruits or vegetables 315 onto a serving tray, spreading the quantity of fruits or vegetables 315 to fill a plurality of individual serving cups cooperatively aligned below serving cup sized holes in the serving tray, thereby filling the plurality of individual serving cups with the quantity of fruits or vegetables 315.
The above method steps may be performed in the sequence described or in different orders. For example, the step of adding carbon dioxide generating reactants to the upper space 325 over the insert pan 320 may be performed before or after the step of placing the insert pan 320 over the lower space 310 of the container 305. Moreover, additional steps may be performed between the above method steps, depending upon the particular needs of a user of the carbonation vessel 300. For example, sugars, sweetners, or perhaps vitamins or nutrients may be added to the lower space 310 along with the quantity of fruits or vegetables 315. Or, if, for example, the sealing member 345 comprises a separate component (i.e. not integrally formed upon, affixed to, or mounted to the insert pan 320), the sealing member 345 may be appropriately placed before securely sealing closed the carbonation vessel to allow carbonation of the fruits or vegetables 315 therein. Other changes to the method steps disclosed herein may be made without compromising the spirit of the method of using a carbonation vessel as disclosed herein.
The order of adding carbon dioxide generating reactants to the upper space of the vessel is unimportant. The water 355 may be added, followed by addition of the sodium bicarbonate 360 and citric acid 365 sachets, or the sachets may be added first and followed by addition of the water. Of course if other reactants or carbon dioxide generating substances are used, different method steps will be needed. For example, if the reactants comprise a liquid and a single sachet containing a dry powder mixture that, when combined with the liquid, generate carbon dioxide gas, then these reactants may be put into the insert pan in any order as long as the reactants are allowed to generate enough pressurized carbon dioxide gas within the sealed carbonation vessel so that the tissue of the fruits or vegetables within the vessel acquire an effervescent or “fizzy” quality.
Also shown in
In one embodiment, the orifice of the gas vent inlet 380 comprises an opening in a nut 385 threadably fastened to cooperatively mating threads upon the tubular protrusion 370 extending from the bottom surface 370 of the insert pan 320, the opening in the nut 385 having a pathway through the tubular protrusion 370 capable of allowing gas to freely flow between the upper space 325 and the lower space 310. In one embodiment, the gas vent inlet 380 is positioned substantially centrally upon the insert pan 320 and at a height above the bottom surface 375 of the insert pan 320 and below surfaces of the lid 335 so that the gas vent inlet 380 does not become blocked by the reactants or non-gaseous material even when the sealed vessel 300 is tipped on its side (as shown in
Finally,
The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60805070 | Jun 2006 | US |