Food freezing apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR FREEZING RELATIVELY THICK FOOD COM PRISING (1) AN INSULATED FOOD FREEZING SPACE HAVING A PRECOOLING ZONE AND A FREEZING ZONE, (2) A DEPRESSED AREA IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SPACE FOR PROVIDING A PLACE FOR A POOL OF A LIQUEFIED REFRIGERANT GAS TO COLLECT, THE DEPTH OF THE DEPRESSED AREA BEING SUCH THAT THE DISTANCE FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE FOOD PASSING ABOVE THE AREA TO THE SURFACE OF THE POOL IS EQUAL TO FROM ONE EIGHT TO ONE HALF OF THE HEIGHT OF THE FOOD, (3) A CONVEYOR BELT FOR CARRING FOOD INTO THE SPACE, THROUGH SAID ZONES AND OUT OF THE SPACE, (4) AND COOLING CONDUIT DISPOSED IN THE FREEZING ZONE AND ABOVE THE CONVEYOR BELT, SAID COOLING CONDUIT HAVING ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CONVEYOR BELT AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPRAY NOZZLES DISPOSED TO PROVIDE A SPRAY OF LIQUEFIED REFERIGERANT GAS FOR FORMING A THIN LIQUEFIED REFERIGERANT GAS FILM ON THE FOOD AND SPACED SO THAT THE FILM FORMED BY ONE NOZZLE WILL HAVE EVAPORATED TO PRODUCE A VAPOR BY THE TIME THE FOOD COMES INTO CONTACT WITH THE SPRAY FROM THE NEXT NOZZLE, (5) MEANS FOR CASING THE VAPOR SO PRODUCED TO FLOW COUNTERCURRENT TO THE FOOD IN THE PRE-COOLING ZONE TO PRE-COOL THE FOOD ENTERING THE APPARATUS, (6) MEANS FOR REMOVING THE VAPOR FROM THE FOOD FREEZING SPACE AND (7) MEANS LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE FOOD FREEZING SPACE FOR DRIVING THE CONVEYER BELT.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR FREEZING RELATIVELY THICK FOOD COM PRISING (1) AN INSULATED FOOD FREEZING SPACE HAVING A PRECOOLING ZONE AND A FREEZING ZONE, (2) A DEPRESSED AREA IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SPACE FOR PROVIDING A PLACE FOR A POOL OF A LIQUEFIED REFRIGERANT GAS TO COLLECT, THE DEPTH OF THE DEPRESSED AREA BEING SUCH THAT THE DISTANCE FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE FOOD PASSING ABOVE THE AREA TO THE SURFACE OF THE POOL IS EQUAL TO FROM ONE EIGHT TO ONE HALF OF THE HEIGHT OF THE FOOD, (3) A CONVEYOR BELT FOR CARRING FOOD INTO THE SPACE, THROUGH SAID ZONES AND OUT OF THE SPACE, (4) AND COOLING CONDUIT DISPOSED IN THE FREEZING ZONE AND ABOVE THE CONVEYOR BELT, SAID COOLING CONDUIT HAVING ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CONVEYOR BELT AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPRAY NOZZLES DISPOSED TO PROVIDE A SPRAY OF LIQUEFIED REFERIGERANT GAS FOR FORMING A THIN LIQUEFIED REFERIGERANT GAS FILM ON THE FOOD AND SPACED SO THAT THE FILM FORMED BY ONE NOZZLE WILL HAVE EVAPORATED TO PRODUCE A VAPOR BY THE TIME THE FOOD COMES INTO CONTACT WITH THE SPRAY FROM THE NEXT NOZZLE, (5) MEANS FOR CASING THE VAPOR SO PRODUCED TO FLOW COUNTERCURRENT TO THE FOOD IN THE PRE-COOLING ZONE TO PRE-COOL THE FOOD ENTERING THE APPARATUS, (6) MEANS FOR REMOVING THE VAPOR FROM THE FOOD FREEZING SPACE AND (7) MEANS LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE FOOD FREEZING SPACE FOR DRIVING THE CONVEYER BELT.