Methods for cooling sealed food containing cans in continuous sterilization processes

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF STERILIZING FOOD-CONTAINING CANS, SEALED UNDER CONDITIONS OCCLUDING NON-CONDENSABLE GASES THEREIN, BY CONDUCTING THEM IN CONTINUOUS PROCESSION THROUGH A CONFINED STERILIZING AMOSPHERE OF A TEMPERATURE PRODUCING INTERNAL CAN PRESSURES CAPABLE OF CAUSING BUCKLING OF THE CANS UNDER ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE; THE MEHTOD OF TREATING SAID CANS TO PERMIT ATMOSPHERIC COOLING THEREOF WITHOUT CAUSING BUCKLING IN SPITE OF THE OCCLUSION OF NON-CONDENSABLE GASES IN THEIR HEAD SPACES, WHICH COMPRISES DETERMINING THE BUCKLING PRESSURE OF THE CANS EMPLOYED; MAINTAINING THE STERILIZING ATMOSPHER BELOW A TEMPERATURE CAPABLE OF RAISING THE VAPOR PRESSURE OF THE LIQUID CAN CONTENTS TO SAID BUCKLING PRESSURE; AND APPLYING A COOLING MEDIUM TO THE HEAD SPACE OF SAID CANS, AS THEY ARE TRANSFERRED FROM SAID CONFINED STERILIZING ATMOSPHERE TO AN ATMOSPHERIC COOLING MEDIUM, WHILE MAINTAINING THEM SUBSTANTIALLY UNDER THE PRESSURE PREVAILING IN SAID STERILIZING ATMOSPHERE FOR THE LIMITED TIME NECESSARY TO LOWER THE TOTAL PRESSURE OF THE GASES IN THE HEAD SPACE BY CONDENSATION OF PART OF THE VAPOR COMPONENT OF SAID GASES, TO ABOUT THE LEVEL OF THE VAPOR PRESSURE OF THE LIQUID CAN CONTENTS.