Patent ID: 8256190

Claim:
A method for providing a desired atmosphere and introducing at least one substance within a sealed enclosure, comprising: positioning at least one product within the sealed enclosure, the sealed enclosure having at least one conduit through which one of gas or fluid may flow into or out of the sealed enclosure; programming a controller with target parameters, set-points and/or operating instructions to provide a desired atmosphere within the sealed enclosure; evacuating air from the sealed enclosure through the at least one conduit to create a first predetermined pressure within the sealed enclosure, wherein the evacuating is controlled by the controller in accordance with the target parameters, set-points and/or operating instructions; injecting a predetermined quantity of the at least one substance into the sealed enclosure through the at least one conduit, wherein the injecting of the substance is controlled by the controller in accordance with the target parameters, set-points and/or operating instructions, wherein the at least one substance is applied to, coats, is absorbed into, or infuses into the at least one product, and wherein the evacuating and injecting steps facilitate the application to, coating of, absorption into, or infusion into the at least one product by the at least one substance, and wherein the at least one substance comprises at least one of a sanitizing substance, a flavoring substance, a preservative substance, a food additive substance, a coating substance, a coloring substance, a nutritional substance, or a sealing substance; injecting a gas into the sealed enclosure through the at least one conduit, wherein the injecting of the gas is controlled by the controller in accordance with the target parameters, set-points and/or operating instructions; monitoring the atmosphere inside the sealed enclosure by sampling the atmosphere and comparing at least one sampled parameter to the target parameters, set-points and/or operating instructions; and maintaining and/or adjusting the atmosphere inside the sealed enclosure based on the monitoring, wherein the maintaining and/or adjusting of the atmosphere is controlled by the controller in accordance with target parameters, set-points and/or operating instructions.