Foods and beverages: apparatus inventions 12/06

20060288874 - In-line, instantaneous carbonation system: A beverage dispenser having a source of water and a source of gas. The beverage dispenser may include a beverage valve connected by one or more water lines to the source of water, a flow meter positioned about the water lines so as to determine a flow rate therethrough, and... Agent: Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP

20060288873 - Tea-making device with a time control: A tea-making device with a time control comprises a main body, a connecting mount having a spring, a securing mount, a cup with a filtering cap, an upper cover, a timer, driving unit and a movable unit, whereby the upper cover is rotated to activate the timer which in turn... Agent: Heng-te Yang

20060288875 - Disposable portafilter: A portafilter system for use with a rigid pod. The portafilter may include a handle and a cup connected to the handle. The cup may include an aperture for positioning the rigid pod therein.... Agent: Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP

20060288876 - Automatic popcorn vending machine: An apparatus, method, and system of popping popcorn. In one aspect of the invention, an apparatus comprises a popcorn popper, a popped popcorn hopper and a dispensing mechanism in communication with the hopper. By actuation, the dispensing mechanism dispenses one or more servings from the hopper. In another aspect of... Agent: Mckee, Voorhees & Sease, P.L.C

20060288877 - Device for measuring the quality and/or degradation of a fluid, particularly a food oil: The invention relates to a device for measuring the quality and/or degradation of a fluid, especially an oil, comprising a sensor consisting of at least one pair of electrodes which are distanced from each other. Said sensor is immersed in the fluid which is to be measured. The electrodes and... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20060288878 - Portable griddle: Portable griddle, which comprises a container (2) of metallic nature coated on the inside with a thermal wave reflector plate (6); one or several electric elements (7), placed on the inside of the container (2) but without direct contact with it so that air can circulate between the two; and... Agent: Lucas & Mercanti, LLP

20060288879 - Automated laterally offset retractable food dislodgement or guiding mechanisms and associated methods and systems: Commercial production transport systems, mechanisms, and guides for food processing are configured so as to automate food handling and/or transport. The systems employ fingers that can be inserted to gap spaces in a carrier surface so as to dislodge, guide and/or route food to travel over predetermined travel lanes. Associated... Agent: Myers Bigel Sibley & Sajovec

20060288880 - Gentle dry bin filler: A bin filler apparatus for gently and automatically filling a storage bin with a fruit, such as apples. The bin filler includes an organizer with an infeed conveyor for delivering the fruit to an organizing mechanism, for positioning the fruit into a succession of fruit rows for transfer to a... Agent: Stratton Ballew

20060288881 - Feeding device for safely feeding fruits in particular to peeling-coring machines: The invention relates to a fruit feeding device, or fruit conveyor, for fruits like melons and pine-apples, which is used to supply peeling machines, coring machines, and peeling-coring machines with such fruits; the feeding device allows to work safely since it prevents the operator's hands from coming near the moving... Agent: Young & Thompson

20060283329 - Coffee pot with freshness timer built into handle: A coffee pot with a manually activated timer built into the handle. By resetting the timer at the time of brewing, the timer can be used to keep track of how old the pot of coffee is, and therefore, how fresh it is. While the coffee pot can be used... Agent: Michael B. Ronci

20060283331 - Coffee maker: A coffee maker includes a housing and a brewing assembly. Pushing a handle leftward moves projections along slides in a direction for rising a cylindrical member until being stopped. A funnel-shaped member with a coffee bag placed therein can be slid along the rails toward the housing until being stopped.... Agent: Nikolai & Mersereau, P.A.

20060283330 - Coffee maker with height adjustment mechanism: A coffee maker comprises a height adjustment mechanism for accommodating mugs with different heights including an internal casing, a gear in the casing, a column secured to the brewing assembly and the casing, the column including a rack meshed the gear, a staged knob seat interconnected the casing and the... Agent: Nikolai & Mersereau, P.A.

20060283332 - Hot beverage maker: A hot beverage maker includes a stand, and a filter basket and brewed beverage tank positioned on the stand. The brewed beverage tank is freely and removably positioned on the stand. The brewed beverage tank has a reservoir portion and an outlet port and valve for controlling flow of liquid... Agent: John H. Thomas, P.C.

20060283333 - Rotary steam blancher: A food processing apparatus includes a tank defining a heat compartment having an inlet end for receiving food product and an outlet end for discharging food product, an inlet for introducing a non-liquid heat transfer medium to the heat compartment, and a drum rotatably mounted within the inner compartment and... Agent: Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP

20060283334 - Multipurpose waffle iron set: A multipurpose waffle iron set is disclosed to include a waffle iron formed of two symmetrical iron plates for making waffles, and a griddle for placing on one iron plate of the waffle iron for cooking foods, which griddle having a center area thereof curved upwards and perforated, an oil... Agent: Wei-teh Ho

20060283335 - Frying/boiling stand with hoist: A frying/boiling stand with hoist includes a hoist supported for rotation by opposed end frames. The hoist includes an axle, a centrally located spindle hood, and axle housings extending between the spindle hood and the opposed end frames. The axle centrally supports a cable having a lower hook, the cable... Agent: Litman Law Offices, Ltd

20060283336 - Shower head with quick release flexible handpiece: A quick disconnect shower head having a shower head housing operable to receive a quick disconnect fitting connected to a hose or other apparatus such that the apparatus is readily connected or disconnected to the shower head housing.... Agent: Ice Miller LLP

20060283337 - Roaster for powder and granular material: A roaster for powder and granular material capable of effectively roasting powder and granular material to the inside thereof to provide high quality powder and granular material and capable of effectively avoiding the possibility of causing contamination since the possibility of dewing is less even if the material is cooled.... Agent: Rader Fishman & Grauer PLLC

20060283338 - Force sensing integrated readout and active tip based probe microscope systems: In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is a force sensor for a probe based instrument. The force sensor can comprise a detection surface and a flexible mechanical structure disposed a first distance above the detection surface so as to form a gap between the flexible mechanical structure... Agent: Georgia Tech Research Corp. C/o Bryan W. Bockhop

20060283339 - Apparatus for slicing apples: An apparatus for slicing apples is provided. The slicer utilizes thinner blades than known in the art, with a thickness less than 300 microns, and preferably between 180 and 220 microns. Each of the thinner blades is supported against bending, warping or twisting by a novel clinch buckle which rigidly... Agent: Bruce H. Johnsonbaugh Eckhoff & Hoppe

20060278090 - Dispensing machine with eductor: The present invention is directed to a dispensing machine and method for making a beverage. The dispensing machine of this invention has a delivery means which can deliver beverage precursor and beverage enhancing component with a single pump and an eductor. The method results in a beverage, such as a... Agent: Unilever Intellectual Property Group

20060278092 - Brewing apparatus with pre-infusion and pulse brewing: A brewing apparatus includes an intermittent brewing feature whereby a controller regulates flow into a brew basket based upon a user selected pre-stored flow profile comprising a sequence of flow pulses. A user selects from among a plurality of stored intermittent flow profiles according to the specific brewing operation, where... Agent: Fulwider Patton Lee & Utecht, LLP

20060278091 - Dual coffee maker: A dual coffee maker (10) has a base (12), to support two containers (20, 22) side-by-side. A coffee filter section (24) accommodates one of either: the dual basket filter element (26) or a pair of filter baskets (28, 30). The dual basket filter element (26) has two basket sections (32,... Agent: Steven A. Garner, Esq. Conair Corporation

20060278093 - Feeding formula appliance: A device for preparing a fluid food at a desired consumption temperature on demand, comprising two reservoirs of water, a container containing a formula, a data processor and a controller for dispensing water of the correct temperature from each of the reservoirs and the formula from the container into a... Agent: Martin D. Moynihan Prtsi, Inc.

20060278095 - Automatic stirring system: The present invention relates to an automatic stirring system that is selectively mounted to a cooking vessel. The cooking vessel includes a handle, an opening for receiving food items, and a lid. The automatic stirring system includes a housing mounted to the handle, a ring gear rotatably mounted to the... Agent: Fay, Sharpe, Fagan, Minnich & Mckee, LLP

20060278094 - Device and method for gently producing a pastry strand: The invention relates to a device for the dough-saving production of a dough strand (28) from a dough mass (6) found in a container (5), for which the container (5) has an outlet (27) at the bottom. The container (5) is made to rotate about its axis (7). The outlet... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew, LLP

20060278096 - Apparatus for cooking foods: An apparatus (1) for cooking foods, includes a support frame (3), a container (2) for food to be cooked, provided with a door (6) for introduction and withdrawal of the foods, and heating fluid supply elements, characterised in that the container is rotatably mounted on a fixed axis (4) of... Agent: Young & Thompson

20060278097 - Griddle with multiple cooking areas: The present invention is a cooking griddle having a plurality of cooking surface areas on the surface of the griddle, each surface area capable of functioning as a separate skillet. Although the cooking surface areas function as separate skillets, there is no physical barrier that would impede the movement of... Agent: Catalina + Associates, LLC

20060278098 - Foodstuff preparing device and method: A device for making omelets has a conveyor (3, 4) for transferring plates (7) linearly through the device from a position for supplying each plate with omelet batter to a position for removal of a finished omelet from the device. The device has at least two separately controllable induction heaters... Agent: AratorIPLaw Group

20060278099 - Oil pan useful for an internal combustion engine: An oil pan, particularly for an internal combustion engine, having a protective contour member with a protective shell that is spaced apart from the outer wall of the oil pan. The protective shell at least partially encloses the outer wall of the oil pan and is held in a fixed... Agent: Crowell & Moring LLP Intellectual Property Group

20060278100 - Seal for burners: A seal for burners for the combustion of fossil fuels with an oxidant gas that contains a high fraction of gaseous oxygen. The burner includes a burner body with a cylindrical opening within which a cylindrical nozzle is removably positioned. The nozzle includes axial channels for the supply of fuel... Agent: Alfred J Mangels

20060278101 - Continuous method and system for producing wet cured ham: A continuous method and system for processing and preparing a wet cured, ham in a continuous manner. Green hams are tumbled to at least partially loosen the fat and skin, which are trimmed into separate containers. A thin layer of fat remains on the hams. The trimmed fat and skin... Agent: Bingham Mccutchen LLP Suite 1800

20060272510 - Coffee cup: A coffee cup for instantly brewing ground coffee is provided. The coffee cup combines the design of a paper cup to include a disposable filter cover inset with a filter bag, and a ground coffee sachet, sugar sachet and cream sachet are disposed in the cup body. When using the... Agent: Jianq Chyun Intellectual Property Office

20060272511 - Electric cooking apparatus having interchangeable cooking inserts and method for using same: A cooking device comprising an upper housing, a lower housing, a first and second pan inserts and a heating unit is disclosed. The lower housing is pivotally connected to the upper housing. The lower housing a cooking well. The first pan insert is removably insertable into the lower housing. The... Agent: Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP

20060272512 - Connecting member for the handle of a pan: A connecting structure for the handle of a pan is disclosed. The connecting structure has an element which can conduct heat energy and the top face of the connecting member is provided with a temperature sensing element, thereby the heat from the pan body is transferred via the edge of... Agent: Leong C Lei

20060272514 - Cooking apparatus and related method: This invention provides a pot for frying or boiling, which comprises a pot having at least one side wall. The side wall defines an opening at a level proximate to a top portion of the side wall, and a conduit sealably connected to the opening and extending outward from the... Agent: Sieberth & Patty, LLC

20060272513 - Devices for reforming frying oil: Devices for reforming frying oil in a cooking vessel for the purpose of prolonging the freshness and usable life of the frying oil. The devices include beads that come into contact with the frying oil and reform the frying oil at ordinary temperatures, where each bead has a coating that... Agent: Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney PC

20060272515 - Cast iron griddle particularly suited for cooking peppers: A cooking griddle having a body including a handle and an interconnected basin. A plurality of individualized and three-dimensional recesses are formed at locations across a surface area of the basin and are designed to individually hold pre-sectioned and prepared portions of selected food items (e.g. jalepeno pepper). The peppers... Agent: Gifford, Krass, Groh, Sprinkle & Citkowski, P.c

20060272516 - Steam automatic dispensing device for preparing hot and/or frothed drinks: A steam automatic dispensing device for preparing hot and/or frothed drinks, includes a first duct (13) for introducing steam inside a drink; a second duct (15) for introducing air inside the drink; an electronic control unit (51) for controlling the introduction of steam and/or air through said first and second... Agent: Bacon & Thomas, PLLC

20060272517 - Vacuum cooking or warming appliance: A cooking or food warming appliance having a heated heat sink plate situated in a vacuum environment within an outer shell. A food vessel intimately engages the heat sink plate along a food contacting surface thereof by virtue of the vacuum. The vacuum eliminates air gaps between the food contacting... Agent: The Webb Law Firm, P.C.