Patent ID: 7470878

Claim:
In a high-frequency thawing apparatus for thawing a frozen material having opposite surfaces of a specified size and shape, the frozen material further having a specified thickness extending between the opposite surfaces, the thawing apparatus being operative for executing a thawing processing by means of dielectric heating by applying high-frequency power, an improvement comprising a thawing section that includes: first opposing electrodes spaced apart by a distance exceeding the specified thickness and including at least one electrode with a size and shape of a plate smaller than the specified size and shape; second opposing electrodes spaced apart by a distance exceeding the specified thickness and including at least one electrode with a size and shape of a plate larger than the plate in the first opposing electrodes; and a high-frequency wave supply portion that supplies high-frequency power via the second opposing electrodes after the high-frequency power is supplied via the first opposing electrodes, whereby the frozen material is sandwiched between the first opposing electrodes and receives the high-frequency power supplied by the high-frequency wave supply portion and then is sandwiched between the second opposing electrodes and receives the high-frequency power supplied from the high-frequency wave supply portion.