Improvements in and Apparatus for Effecting the Thawing of Frozen Meat or other Articles of Food.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 5th June, 1896-Accepted, 11th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for Effecting the Thawing of
Frozen Meat or other Articles of Food.
I, JOSEPH AMOS LINLEY, of 57 Ridgmount Gardens, Gower Street, in the
County of London, Ship Broker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide efficient means whereby frozen meat or
other articles of food can be thawed in such a manner that it has after thawing a
good marketable appearance without moisture on the surface such as in ordinary
processes of thawing renders the meat or other articles of food of such a flabby or
unwholesome appearance as interferes considerably with its marketable value.
According to my invention I first dry the air by passing it through or in contact
with chloride of calcium and then I heat the said air and I then pass the air so
dried and heated through the chamber in which the frozen meat or other food is
placed and in which the thawing is to be effected, the apparatus as a whole being
so arranged and the process so carried on that the meat or food is subjected only
to the action of air which is in such a condition as to prevent the retention of
moisture on the surface thereof when it is thawed.
The apparatus is preferably so constructed that the external air is excluded and
the same air is passed over and over again successively through the drying chamber
the heater and the meat or food chamber. The following is the preferred con-
struction of apparatus according to my invention but I do not limit myself to the
precise details.
A tower or chamber is provided for containing the chloride of calcium it having
at one end a communication with a fan or air forcing device and at the other end
In communication with
a passage communicating with the meat or food chamber.
the said meat or food chamber is also a passage leading from the air heater into
which, by the fan or air forcing device, the air after it has passed through or over
the chloride of calcium is caused to pass on its way to the meat or food chamber.
The said air heater may be of plain, tubular, or other suitable construction and may
be heated by any suitable means for example with oil gas or coal. The chloride of
calcium may be supported in the tower or chamber in blocks or other suitable form
or upon perforated trays or other supports and there may be provided therein
partitions or deflectors for causing the air to take a circuitous path or otherwise be
presented efficiently to the chloride of calcium so that the moisture of the air is
abstracted by the said chloride of calcium which can when necessary be removed
and dried or replaced or it may be dried whilst in place in which case there may
be a duplex arrangement of chloride of calcium towers or chambers with passages
and valves so arranged that either can be put into and out of operation as
required.
In order to give
an efficient distribution of the dried and heated air in the meat
or food chamber the inlets or the outlets (or both) for the air may be in considerable
number distributed throughout the chamber.
Dated this 5th day of September 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in and Apparatus for Effecting the Thawing of
Frozen Meat or other Articles of Food.
I JOSEPH AMOS LINLEY of 57 Ridgmount Gardens Gower Street in the County
of London Ship Broker do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to provide efficient means whereby frozen meat, or
other articles of food can be thawed in such a manner that it has after thawing
a good marketable appearance without moisture on the surface such as in ordinary
processes of thawing renders the meat or other articles of food of such a flabby or
unwholesome appearance as interferes considerably with its marketable value.
According to my invention I first dry the air by passing it through or in contact
with chloride of calcium and then I heat the said air and I then pass the air so
dried and heated through the chamber in which the frozen meat or other food is
placed and in which the thawing is to he effected, the apparatus as a whole being so
arranged, and the process so carried on, that the meat or food is subjected only to
the action of air which is in such a condition as to prevent the retention of moisture
on the surface thereof when it is thawed.
The apparatus is preferably so constructed that the external air is excluded and
the same air is passed over and over again successively through the drying chambor
the heater and the meat or food chamber. The following is the preferred construction
of apparatus according to my invention which I will describe with reference to the
accompanying diagram but I do not limit myself to the precise details.
A tower or chamber A is provided for containing the chloride of calcium a
communicating at one end with a fan or air forcing device B, and at the other end
with a trunk or passage C, leading by a passage or passages c from the meat or food
chamber D. In communication with the said meat or food chamber is also a trunk or
passage C leading from a passage 02 containing an air heater E into which, by the
fan B, the air after it has passed through or over the chloride of calcium is caused
to pass on its way to the meat or food chamber D. The said air heater is shewn
constructed with tubes e but it may be of other suitable construction and may be
heated by any suitable means for example with gas jets e'. The chloride of calcium
may be supported in the tower or chamber in blocks. or other suitable form upon
supports a¹ arranged therein so as to form partitions or deflectors for causing the
air to take a circuitous path or otherwise be presented efficiently to the chloride of
calcium so that the moisture of the air is abstracted by the said chloride of calcium
which can when necessary be removed and dried or replaced. Or the chloride of
calcium may be dried whilst in place in which case there may be a duplex arrange-
ment of chloride of calcium towers or chambers, not shewn in the drawing, with
passages and valves so arranged that either can be put into and out of operation as
required.
In order to give an efficient distribution of the dried and heated air in the meat
or food chamber the inlets or the outlets c (or both) for the air may be in
considerable number distributed throughout the chamber.
When in operation air is first drawn in by the fan B through the door A' into the
tower A where it circulates upwardly between the partitions or deflectors a¹ so as to
be thoroughly dried by the chloride of calcium a. The air then passes along the
trunk C through the heater E situated therein to the trunk C¹ whence it flows
through a passage (or passages) c² into the upper part of the chamber D. The air
circulates downwardly round the meat d suspended therein passing out of the
chamber by the passage (or passages) e in the bottom thereof into the trunk C,
whence it is drawn up into the tower A for re-use, the door A¹ being closed, and

page_text: so on. A constant circulation of the air moving in the direction indicated by the
arrows is thus obtained. I have only shewn one meat chamber in the drawing
but three may be advantageously arranged in juxta-position supplied with air by a
fan or the like from a calcium tower and suitably heated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The improved means for effecting the thawing of frozen meat or other articles
of food by the circulation of dried and heated air substantially as described.
2. Apparatus for thawing frozen meat or other articles of food substantially as
hereinbefore described and shewn in the drawing.
Din 5th day of T1806
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.