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null | referring now specifically to the drawings , in which identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout , and first referring to fig1 a convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 . the seat 10 provides for the seating of two adults , each of the adult seats being shown to be convertible into an infant seat . it will be clear , however , from the discussion that follows , that the seat 10 can be provided with only one child seat and , therefore , accommodate only one child on one or the other side of the seat 10 . since each of the two seats of the seat 10 are identically constructed , only one will be described in detail , it being understood that the other seat has like construction . the convertible automobile seat 10 in fig1 shows one of the infant seats extended to receive a child , while the other infant seat is in the retracted position to accommodate an adult , as will be more fully described below . each convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention includes a back rest section 12 which includes a fixed portion 13 which generally consists of fixed side or lateral portions , and a central movable portion 14 . a conventional seat section 16 is provided which may be fixed relative to the automobile , although the back rest section 12 and the seat section 16 may be adjustably moved relative to each other to accommodate the comfort of a passenger in accordance with well known techniques . the present invention does not relate to the means used to adjust the general positions or orientations of the back rest section 12 and / or the seat section 16 . similarly , while the fixed portion 13 is shown as a smooth surface while the movable and seat portions 14 , 16 are shown tufted , the specific materials or upholstering methods used for the adult seat sections is not critical for purposes of the present invention . an important feature of the present invention is the provision of a head rest 18 which is pivotally mounted for movements between an upper position generally above the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by an adult as shown at the right - hand or far view of fig1 and in a lower position generally in front of the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by a child as shown at the left - hand or near view of fig1 . when in the upper position , the surface of the head rest 18 facing the seat section 16 is advantageously suitably padded so as to provide a soft surface for the head of the adult . the entire head rest 18 is advantageously padded so as to provide soft surfaces for the child when used in the lower position as a restraint . however , the specific design or material used for the head rest 18 is not critical , except as hereinbelow noted . the head rest 18 is connected at each end or side thereof to two levers or arms 20 which extend between the head rest 18 and pivot pins 22 for pivotally mounting the head rest 18 between the aforementioned positions as shown in fig1 . the arms 20 have substantially equal lengths selected to clear the back rest section 12 when the seat 10 is used by an adult and to engage a child seat 24 , to be described , and restrain a child received in the child seat when the seat is used by a child . the child seat 24 , in the embodiment being described , is of unitary construction and includes side restraining walls 26 which are pivotally mounted on pivot pins 28 . the restraining walls 26 include an upper wall portion 30 , at the rear of the restraining wall 26 , and a lower wall portion 32 at the front of the restraining wall 26 in the extended position of the child seat 24 . in the child seat 24 , being of unitary construction , the back rest 33 and lower seat section 34 are rigidly connected to each other and move together as a single unit between the extended and retracted positions . referring to fig2 and 4 , there is provided a space or storage compartment c behind the back rest section 12 , in the retracted position of the child seat 24 , which receives same as shown in fig4 when the seat 10 is used by an adult . the compartment c may be a space within the seat 10 or may , when the seat 10 is a rear passenger seat , extend into the trunk space . referring to fig5 a head rest lock 35 is provided which includes a loop or retainer 36 which defines an opening for receiving a latch or pin 38 mounted on the head rest 18 for movement between a locking position wherein the head rest is locked in the lower position as shown in fig2 and an unlocked position which permits the head rest to be moved to the upper position shown in fig4 . according to one possible arrangement , the latch 38 consists of a pin mounted for slideable movement into and out of the loop or retainer 36 . advantageously , biasing means in the nature of a spring 40 is provided to resiliently urge the latch or pin 38 to the locking position of the lock 34 . a release member 42 ( as shown in fig1 ) is provided which is attached to the pin 38 which permits the application of an external force to the pin to move same to the unlocked position against the action of the spring 40 . the spring 40 may be in the nature of a compression or a tension spring , depending on which side of the pin 38 or release member 42 it is situated . once the head rest 18 is locked to the lower wall portions 32 , the head rest provides the desired restraint on the child and advantageously cannot be inadvertently unlocked by the child . since the child seat 24 is pivotally mounted , it is important to fix its positions in either the extended or retracted positions thereof . although this can be accomplished in a number of different ways , including a design which maintains the desired positions due to forces of gravity and / or friction , the approach shown in the drawings includes the use of a seat belt 46 which is attached to the forward end of the child seat 24 provided with a male buckle 48 . attached to the top of the seats 10 is a belt 50 provided with a female buckle 52 adapted to receive the male buckle 48 in the retracted position of the seat 24 , as shown in fig4 . when the child seat 24 is in the extended or open position , it may be retained in that position by engaging the male buckle 48 to a female buckle 56 attached to a belt 54 connected to the seat section 16 . connection of the buckle 48 , therefore , to the buckle 52 will maintain the child seat 24 in the closed or retracted position , while connection with the buckle 56 will maintain the child seat 24 in the open or extended position . within the child seat 24 , there is advantageously provided a conventional seat belt restraint 58 of the type commonly used in infant seats , although the nature or construction of the restraint 58 is not critical and any such restraint may be used . another embodiment 10 &# 39 ; of the invention is illustrated in fig6 . here , while the central movable portion 14 &# 39 ; forms part of a child seat 24 &# 39 ;, only the lower seat section 34 is pivotally mounted together with modified side restraining walls 26 &# 39 ;. the child seat 24 &# 39 ; is not of unitary construction as the previously described seat 10 , and the back rest 33 &# 39 ; remains fixed in all positions of the seat 10 &# 39 ;. the lowering of the seat section 34 converts the seat 10 &# 39 ; to a children &# 39 ; s seat and exposes the back rest 33 &# 39 ;. there is no need , therefore , to provide a separate storage compartment similar to the compartment c shown in fig2 and 4 . while the invention is described with reference to specific embodiments thereof and with respect to the incorporation therein of certain combinations of features , it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms , many of which do not incorporate all of the features present in this specific embodiment of this invention which has been described . for this reason , the invention is to be taken and limited only as defined by the claims that follow . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Human Necessities'? | 0.25 | 05479a5abd0240a88e107bb9a75eddee14019d469ee1653c29cf49c0f5b880f0 | 0.084961 | 0.055908 | 0.140625 | 0.006897 | 0.128906 | 0.030273 |
null | referring now specifically to the drawings , in which identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout , and first referring to fig1 a convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 . the seat 10 provides for the seating of two adults , each of the adult seats being shown to be convertible into an infant seat . it will be clear , however , from the discussion that follows , that the seat 10 can be provided with only one child seat and , therefore , accommodate only one child on one or the other side of the seat 10 . since each of the two seats of the seat 10 are identically constructed , only one will be described in detail , it being understood that the other seat has like construction . the convertible automobile seat 10 in fig1 shows one of the infant seats extended to receive a child , while the other infant seat is in the retracted position to accommodate an adult , as will be more fully described below . each convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention includes a back rest section 12 which includes a fixed portion 13 which generally consists of fixed side or lateral portions , and a central movable portion 14 . a conventional seat section 16 is provided which may be fixed relative to the automobile , although the back rest section 12 and the seat section 16 may be adjustably moved relative to each other to accommodate the comfort of a passenger in accordance with well known techniques . the present invention does not relate to the means used to adjust the general positions or orientations of the back rest section 12 and / or the seat section 16 . similarly , while the fixed portion 13 is shown as a smooth surface while the movable and seat portions 14 , 16 are shown tufted , the specific materials or upholstering methods used for the adult seat sections is not critical for purposes of the present invention . an important feature of the present invention is the provision of a head rest 18 which is pivotally mounted for movements between an upper position generally above the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by an adult as shown at the right - hand or far view of fig1 and in a lower position generally in front of the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by a child as shown at the left - hand or near view of fig1 . when in the upper position , the surface of the head rest 18 facing the seat section 16 is advantageously suitably padded so as to provide a soft surface for the head of the adult . the entire head rest 18 is advantageously padded so as to provide soft surfaces for the child when used in the lower position as a restraint . however , the specific design or material used for the head rest 18 is not critical , except as hereinbelow noted . the head rest 18 is connected at each end or side thereof to two levers or arms 20 which extend between the head rest 18 and pivot pins 22 for pivotally mounting the head rest 18 between the aforementioned positions as shown in fig1 . the arms 20 have substantially equal lengths selected to clear the back rest section 12 when the seat 10 is used by an adult and to engage a child seat 24 , to be described , and restrain a child received in the child seat when the seat is used by a child . the child seat 24 , in the embodiment being described , is of unitary construction and includes side restraining walls 26 which are pivotally mounted on pivot pins 28 . the restraining walls 26 include an upper wall portion 30 , at the rear of the restraining wall 26 , and a lower wall portion 32 at the front of the restraining wall 26 in the extended position of the child seat 24 . in the child seat 24 , being of unitary construction , the back rest 33 and lower seat section 34 are rigidly connected to each other and move together as a single unit between the extended and retracted positions . referring to fig2 and 4 , there is provided a space or storage compartment c behind the back rest section 12 , in the retracted position of the child seat 24 , which receives same as shown in fig4 when the seat 10 is used by an adult . the compartment c may be a space within the seat 10 or may , when the seat 10 is a rear passenger seat , extend into the trunk space . referring to fig5 a head rest lock 35 is provided which includes a loop or retainer 36 which defines an opening for receiving a latch or pin 38 mounted on the head rest 18 for movement between a locking position wherein the head rest is locked in the lower position as shown in fig2 and an unlocked position which permits the head rest to be moved to the upper position shown in fig4 . according to one possible arrangement , the latch 38 consists of a pin mounted for slideable movement into and out of the loop or retainer 36 . advantageously , biasing means in the nature of a spring 40 is provided to resiliently urge the latch or pin 38 to the locking position of the lock 34 . a release member 42 ( as shown in fig1 ) is provided which is attached to the pin 38 which permits the application of an external force to the pin to move same to the unlocked position against the action of the spring 40 . the spring 40 may be in the nature of a compression or a tension spring , depending on which side of the pin 38 or release member 42 it is situated . once the head rest 18 is locked to the lower wall portions 32 , the head rest provides the desired restraint on the child and advantageously cannot be inadvertently unlocked by the child . since the child seat 24 is pivotally mounted , it is important to fix its positions in either the extended or retracted positions thereof . although this can be accomplished in a number of different ways , including a design which maintains the desired positions due to forces of gravity and / or friction , the approach shown in the drawings includes the use of a seat belt 46 which is attached to the forward end of the child seat 24 provided with a male buckle 48 . attached to the top of the seats 10 is a belt 50 provided with a female buckle 52 adapted to receive the male buckle 48 in the retracted position of the seat 24 , as shown in fig4 . when the child seat 24 is in the extended or open position , it may be retained in that position by engaging the male buckle 48 to a female buckle 56 attached to a belt 54 connected to the seat section 16 . connection of the buckle 48 , therefore , to the buckle 52 will maintain the child seat 24 in the closed or retracted position , while connection with the buckle 56 will maintain the child seat 24 in the open or extended position . within the child seat 24 , there is advantageously provided a conventional seat belt restraint 58 of the type commonly used in infant seats , although the nature or construction of the restraint 58 is not critical and any such restraint may be used . another embodiment 10 &# 39 ; of the invention is illustrated in fig6 . here , while the central movable portion 14 &# 39 ; forms part of a child seat 24 &# 39 ;, only the lower seat section 34 is pivotally mounted together with modified side restraining walls 26 &# 39 ;. the child seat 24 &# 39 ; is not of unitary construction as the previously described seat 10 , and the back rest 33 &# 39 ; remains fixed in all positions of the seat 10 &# 39 ;. the lowering of the seat section 34 converts the seat 10 &# 39 ; to a children &# 39 ; s seat and exposes the back rest 33 &# 39 ;. there is no need , therefore , to provide a separate storage compartment similar to the compartment c shown in fig2 and 4 . while the invention is described with reference to specific embodiments thereof and with respect to the incorporation therein of certain combinations of features , it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms , many of which do not incorporate all of the features present in this specific embodiment of this invention which has been described . for this reason , the invention is to be taken and limited only as defined by the claims that follow . | Should this patent be classified under 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Chemistry; Metallurgy'? | 0.25 | 05479a5abd0240a88e107bb9a75eddee14019d469ee1653c29cf49c0f5b880f0 | 0.092773 | 0.000103 | 0.123535 | 0.000019 | 0.126953 | 0.001099 |
null | referring now specifically to the drawings , in which identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout , and first referring to fig1 a convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 . the seat 10 provides for the seating of two adults , each of the adult seats being shown to be convertible into an infant seat . it will be clear , however , from the discussion that follows , that the seat 10 can be provided with only one child seat and , therefore , accommodate only one child on one or the other side of the seat 10 . since each of the two seats of the seat 10 are identically constructed , only one will be described in detail , it being understood that the other seat has like construction . the convertible automobile seat 10 in fig1 shows one of the infant seats extended to receive a child , while the other infant seat is in the retracted position to accommodate an adult , as will be more fully described below . each convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention includes a back rest section 12 which includes a fixed portion 13 which generally consists of fixed side or lateral portions , and a central movable portion 14 . a conventional seat section 16 is provided which may be fixed relative to the automobile , although the back rest section 12 and the seat section 16 may be adjustably moved relative to each other to accommodate the comfort of a passenger in accordance with well known techniques . the present invention does not relate to the means used to adjust the general positions or orientations of the back rest section 12 and / or the seat section 16 . similarly , while the fixed portion 13 is shown as a smooth surface while the movable and seat portions 14 , 16 are shown tufted , the specific materials or upholstering methods used for the adult seat sections is not critical for purposes of the present invention . an important feature of the present invention is the provision of a head rest 18 which is pivotally mounted for movements between an upper position generally above the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by an adult as shown at the right - hand or far view of fig1 and in a lower position generally in front of the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by a child as shown at the left - hand or near view of fig1 . when in the upper position , the surface of the head rest 18 facing the seat section 16 is advantageously suitably padded so as to provide a soft surface for the head of the adult . the entire head rest 18 is advantageously padded so as to provide soft surfaces for the child when used in the lower position as a restraint . however , the specific design or material used for the head rest 18 is not critical , except as hereinbelow noted . the head rest 18 is connected at each end or side thereof to two levers or arms 20 which extend between the head rest 18 and pivot pins 22 for pivotally mounting the head rest 18 between the aforementioned positions as shown in fig1 . the arms 20 have substantially equal lengths selected to clear the back rest section 12 when the seat 10 is used by an adult and to engage a child seat 24 , to be described , and restrain a child received in the child seat when the seat is used by a child . the child seat 24 , in the embodiment being described , is of unitary construction and includes side restraining walls 26 which are pivotally mounted on pivot pins 28 . the restraining walls 26 include an upper wall portion 30 , at the rear of the restraining wall 26 , and a lower wall portion 32 at the front of the restraining wall 26 in the extended position of the child seat 24 . in the child seat 24 , being of unitary construction , the back rest 33 and lower seat section 34 are rigidly connected to each other and move together as a single unit between the extended and retracted positions . referring to fig2 and 4 , there is provided a space or storage compartment c behind the back rest section 12 , in the retracted position of the child seat 24 , which receives same as shown in fig4 when the seat 10 is used by an adult . the compartment c may be a space within the seat 10 or may , when the seat 10 is a rear passenger seat , extend into the trunk space . referring to fig5 a head rest lock 35 is provided which includes a loop or retainer 36 which defines an opening for receiving a latch or pin 38 mounted on the head rest 18 for movement between a locking position wherein the head rest is locked in the lower position as shown in fig2 and an unlocked position which permits the head rest to be moved to the upper position shown in fig4 . according to one possible arrangement , the latch 38 consists of a pin mounted for slideable movement into and out of the loop or retainer 36 . advantageously , biasing means in the nature of a spring 40 is provided to resiliently urge the latch or pin 38 to the locking position of the lock 34 . a release member 42 ( as shown in fig1 ) is provided which is attached to the pin 38 which permits the application of an external force to the pin to move same to the unlocked position against the action of the spring 40 . the spring 40 may be in the nature of a compression or a tension spring , depending on which side of the pin 38 or release member 42 it is situated . once the head rest 18 is locked to the lower wall portions 32 , the head rest provides the desired restraint on the child and advantageously cannot be inadvertently unlocked by the child . since the child seat 24 is pivotally mounted , it is important to fix its positions in either the extended or retracted positions thereof . although this can be accomplished in a number of different ways , including a design which maintains the desired positions due to forces of gravity and / or friction , the approach shown in the drawings includes the use of a seat belt 46 which is attached to the forward end of the child seat 24 provided with a male buckle 48 . attached to the top of the seats 10 is a belt 50 provided with a female buckle 52 adapted to receive the male buckle 48 in the retracted position of the seat 24 , as shown in fig4 . when the child seat 24 is in the extended or open position , it may be retained in that position by engaging the male buckle 48 to a female buckle 56 attached to a belt 54 connected to the seat section 16 . connection of the buckle 48 , therefore , to the buckle 52 will maintain the child seat 24 in the closed or retracted position , while connection with the buckle 56 will maintain the child seat 24 in the open or extended position . within the child seat 24 , there is advantageously provided a conventional seat belt restraint 58 of the type commonly used in infant seats , although the nature or construction of the restraint 58 is not critical and any such restraint may be used . another embodiment 10 &# 39 ; of the invention is illustrated in fig6 . here , while the central movable portion 14 &# 39 ; forms part of a child seat 24 &# 39 ;, only the lower seat section 34 is pivotally mounted together with modified side restraining walls 26 &# 39 ;. the child seat 24 &# 39 ; is not of unitary construction as the previously described seat 10 , and the back rest 33 &# 39 ; remains fixed in all positions of the seat 10 &# 39 ;. the lowering of the seat section 34 converts the seat 10 &# 39 ; to a children &# 39 ; s seat and exposes the back rest 33 &# 39 ;. there is no need , therefore , to provide a separate storage compartment similar to the compartment c shown in fig2 and 4 . while the invention is described with reference to specific embodiments thereof and with respect to the incorporation therein of certain combinations of features , it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms , many of which do not incorporate all of the features present in this specific embodiment of this invention which has been described . for this reason , the invention is to be taken and limited only as defined by the claims that follow . | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is 'Textiles; Paper' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 05479a5abd0240a88e107bb9a75eddee14019d469ee1653c29cf49c0f5b880f0 | 0.088867 | 0.000805 | 0.140625 | 0.000075 | 0.128906 | 0.001869 |
null | referring now specifically to the drawings , in which identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout , and first referring to fig1 a convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 . the seat 10 provides for the seating of two adults , each of the adult seats being shown to be convertible into an infant seat . it will be clear , however , from the discussion that follows , that the seat 10 can be provided with only one child seat and , therefore , accommodate only one child on one or the other side of the seat 10 . since each of the two seats of the seat 10 are identically constructed , only one will be described in detail , it being understood that the other seat has like construction . the convertible automobile seat 10 in fig1 shows one of the infant seats extended to receive a child , while the other infant seat is in the retracted position to accommodate an adult , as will be more fully described below . each convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention includes a back rest section 12 which includes a fixed portion 13 which generally consists of fixed side or lateral portions , and a central movable portion 14 . a conventional seat section 16 is provided which may be fixed relative to the automobile , although the back rest section 12 and the seat section 16 may be adjustably moved relative to each other to accommodate the comfort of a passenger in accordance with well known techniques . the present invention does not relate to the means used to adjust the general positions or orientations of the back rest section 12 and / or the seat section 16 . similarly , while the fixed portion 13 is shown as a smooth surface while the movable and seat portions 14 , 16 are shown tufted , the specific materials or upholstering methods used for the adult seat sections is not critical for purposes of the present invention . an important feature of the present invention is the provision of a head rest 18 which is pivotally mounted for movements between an upper position generally above the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by an adult as shown at the right - hand or far view of fig1 and in a lower position generally in front of the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by a child as shown at the left - hand or near view of fig1 . when in the upper position , the surface of the head rest 18 facing the seat section 16 is advantageously suitably padded so as to provide a soft surface for the head of the adult . the entire head rest 18 is advantageously padded so as to provide soft surfaces for the child when used in the lower position as a restraint . however , the specific design or material used for the head rest 18 is not critical , except as hereinbelow noted . the head rest 18 is connected at each end or side thereof to two levers or arms 20 which extend between the head rest 18 and pivot pins 22 for pivotally mounting the head rest 18 between the aforementioned positions as shown in fig1 . the arms 20 have substantially equal lengths selected to clear the back rest section 12 when the seat 10 is used by an adult and to engage a child seat 24 , to be described , and restrain a child received in the child seat when the seat is used by a child . the child seat 24 , in the embodiment being described , is of unitary construction and includes side restraining walls 26 which are pivotally mounted on pivot pins 28 . the restraining walls 26 include an upper wall portion 30 , at the rear of the restraining wall 26 , and a lower wall portion 32 at the front of the restraining wall 26 in the extended position of the child seat 24 . in the child seat 24 , being of unitary construction , the back rest 33 and lower seat section 34 are rigidly connected to each other and move together as a single unit between the extended and retracted positions . referring to fig2 and 4 , there is provided a space or storage compartment c behind the back rest section 12 , in the retracted position of the child seat 24 , which receives same as shown in fig4 when the seat 10 is used by an adult . the compartment c may be a space within the seat 10 or may , when the seat 10 is a rear passenger seat , extend into the trunk space . referring to fig5 a head rest lock 35 is provided which includes a loop or retainer 36 which defines an opening for receiving a latch or pin 38 mounted on the head rest 18 for movement between a locking position wherein the head rest is locked in the lower position as shown in fig2 and an unlocked position which permits the head rest to be moved to the upper position shown in fig4 . according to one possible arrangement , the latch 38 consists of a pin mounted for slideable movement into and out of the loop or retainer 36 . advantageously , biasing means in the nature of a spring 40 is provided to resiliently urge the latch or pin 38 to the locking position of the lock 34 . a release member 42 ( as shown in fig1 ) is provided which is attached to the pin 38 which permits the application of an external force to the pin to move same to the unlocked position against the action of the spring 40 . the spring 40 may be in the nature of a compression or a tension spring , depending on which side of the pin 38 or release member 42 it is situated . once the head rest 18 is locked to the lower wall portions 32 , the head rest provides the desired restraint on the child and advantageously cannot be inadvertently unlocked by the child . since the child seat 24 is pivotally mounted , it is important to fix its positions in either the extended or retracted positions thereof . although this can be accomplished in a number of different ways , including a design which maintains the desired positions due to forces of gravity and / or friction , the approach shown in the drawings includes the use of a seat belt 46 which is attached to the forward end of the child seat 24 provided with a male buckle 48 . attached to the top of the seats 10 is a belt 50 provided with a female buckle 52 adapted to receive the male buckle 48 in the retracted position of the seat 24 , as shown in fig4 . when the child seat 24 is in the extended or open position , it may be retained in that position by engaging the male buckle 48 to a female buckle 56 attached to a belt 54 connected to the seat section 16 . connection of the buckle 48 , therefore , to the buckle 52 will maintain the child seat 24 in the closed or retracted position , while connection with the buckle 56 will maintain the child seat 24 in the open or extended position . within the child seat 24 , there is advantageously provided a conventional seat belt restraint 58 of the type commonly used in infant seats , although the nature or construction of the restraint 58 is not critical and any such restraint may be used . another embodiment 10 &# 39 ; of the invention is illustrated in fig6 . here , while the central movable portion 14 &# 39 ; forms part of a child seat 24 &# 39 ;, only the lower seat section 34 is pivotally mounted together with modified side restraining walls 26 &# 39 ;. the child seat 24 &# 39 ; is not of unitary construction as the previously described seat 10 , and the back rest 33 &# 39 ; remains fixed in all positions of the seat 10 &# 39 ;. the lowering of the seat section 34 converts the seat 10 &# 39 ; to a children &# 39 ; s seat and exposes the back rest 33 &# 39 ;. there is no need , therefore , to provide a separate storage compartment similar to the compartment c shown in fig2 and 4 . while the invention is described with reference to specific embodiments thereof and with respect to the incorporation therein of certain combinations of features , it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms , many of which do not incorporate all of the features present in this specific embodiment of this invention which has been described . for this reason , the invention is to be taken and limited only as defined by the claims that follow . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'Fixed Constructions'? | 0.25 | 05479a5abd0240a88e107bb9a75eddee14019d469ee1653c29cf49c0f5b880f0 | 0.09668 | 0.014038 | 0.083984 | 0.032471 | 0.129883 | 0.017456 |
null | referring now specifically to the drawings , in which identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout , and first referring to fig1 a convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 . the seat 10 provides for the seating of two adults , each of the adult seats being shown to be convertible into an infant seat . it will be clear , however , from the discussion that follows , that the seat 10 can be provided with only one child seat and , therefore , accommodate only one child on one or the other side of the seat 10 . since each of the two seats of the seat 10 are identically constructed , only one will be described in detail , it being understood that the other seat has like construction . the convertible automobile seat 10 in fig1 shows one of the infant seats extended to receive a child , while the other infant seat is in the retracted position to accommodate an adult , as will be more fully described below . each convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention includes a back rest section 12 which includes a fixed portion 13 which generally consists of fixed side or lateral portions , and a central movable portion 14 . a conventional seat section 16 is provided which may be fixed relative to the automobile , although the back rest section 12 and the seat section 16 may be adjustably moved relative to each other to accommodate the comfort of a passenger in accordance with well known techniques . the present invention does not relate to the means used to adjust the general positions or orientations of the back rest section 12 and / or the seat section 16 . similarly , while the fixed portion 13 is shown as a smooth surface while the movable and seat portions 14 , 16 are shown tufted , the specific materials or upholstering methods used for the adult seat sections is not critical for purposes of the present invention . an important feature of the present invention is the provision of a head rest 18 which is pivotally mounted for movements between an upper position generally above the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by an adult as shown at the right - hand or far view of fig1 and in a lower position generally in front of the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by a child as shown at the left - hand or near view of fig1 . when in the upper position , the surface of the head rest 18 facing the seat section 16 is advantageously suitably padded so as to provide a soft surface for the head of the adult . the entire head rest 18 is advantageously padded so as to provide soft surfaces for the child when used in the lower position as a restraint . however , the specific design or material used for the head rest 18 is not critical , except as hereinbelow noted . the head rest 18 is connected at each end or side thereof to two levers or arms 20 which extend between the head rest 18 and pivot pins 22 for pivotally mounting the head rest 18 between the aforementioned positions as shown in fig1 . the arms 20 have substantially equal lengths selected to clear the back rest section 12 when the seat 10 is used by an adult and to engage a child seat 24 , to be described , and restrain a child received in the child seat when the seat is used by a child . the child seat 24 , in the embodiment being described , is of unitary construction and includes side restraining walls 26 which are pivotally mounted on pivot pins 28 . the restraining walls 26 include an upper wall portion 30 , at the rear of the restraining wall 26 , and a lower wall portion 32 at the front of the restraining wall 26 in the extended position of the child seat 24 . in the child seat 24 , being of unitary construction , the back rest 33 and lower seat section 34 are rigidly connected to each other and move together as a single unit between the extended and retracted positions . referring to fig2 and 4 , there is provided a space or storage compartment c behind the back rest section 12 , in the retracted position of the child seat 24 , which receives same as shown in fig4 when the seat 10 is used by an adult . the compartment c may be a space within the seat 10 or may , when the seat 10 is a rear passenger seat , extend into the trunk space . referring to fig5 a head rest lock 35 is provided which includes a loop or retainer 36 which defines an opening for receiving a latch or pin 38 mounted on the head rest 18 for movement between a locking position wherein the head rest is locked in the lower position as shown in fig2 and an unlocked position which permits the head rest to be moved to the upper position shown in fig4 . according to one possible arrangement , the latch 38 consists of a pin mounted for slideable movement into and out of the loop or retainer 36 . advantageously , biasing means in the nature of a spring 40 is provided to resiliently urge the latch or pin 38 to the locking position of the lock 34 . a release member 42 ( as shown in fig1 ) is provided which is attached to the pin 38 which permits the application of an external force to the pin to move same to the unlocked position against the action of the spring 40 . the spring 40 may be in the nature of a compression or a tension spring , depending on which side of the pin 38 or release member 42 it is situated . once the head rest 18 is locked to the lower wall portions 32 , the head rest provides the desired restraint on the child and advantageously cannot be inadvertently unlocked by the child . since the child seat 24 is pivotally mounted , it is important to fix its positions in either the extended or retracted positions thereof . although this can be accomplished in a number of different ways , including a design which maintains the desired positions due to forces of gravity and / or friction , the approach shown in the drawings includes the use of a seat belt 46 which is attached to the forward end of the child seat 24 provided with a male buckle 48 . attached to the top of the seats 10 is a belt 50 provided with a female buckle 52 adapted to receive the male buckle 48 in the retracted position of the seat 24 , as shown in fig4 . when the child seat 24 is in the extended or open position , it may be retained in that position by engaging the male buckle 48 to a female buckle 56 attached to a belt 54 connected to the seat section 16 . connection of the buckle 48 , therefore , to the buckle 52 will maintain the child seat 24 in the closed or retracted position , while connection with the buckle 56 will maintain the child seat 24 in the open or extended position . within the child seat 24 , there is advantageously provided a conventional seat belt restraint 58 of the type commonly used in infant seats , although the nature or construction of the restraint 58 is not critical and any such restraint may be used . another embodiment 10 &# 39 ; of the invention is illustrated in fig6 . here , while the central movable portion 14 &# 39 ; forms part of a child seat 24 &# 39 ;, only the lower seat section 34 is pivotally mounted together with modified side restraining walls 26 &# 39 ;. the child seat 24 &# 39 ; is not of unitary construction as the previously described seat 10 , and the back rest 33 &# 39 ; remains fixed in all positions of the seat 10 &# 39 ;. the lowering of the seat section 34 converts the seat 10 &# 39 ; to a children &# 39 ; s seat and exposes the back rest 33 &# 39 ;. there is no need , therefore , to provide a separate storage compartment similar to the compartment c shown in fig2 and 4 . while the invention is described with reference to specific embodiments thereof and with respect to the incorporation therein of certain combinations of features , it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms , many of which do not incorporate all of the features present in this specific embodiment of this invention which has been described . for this reason , the invention is to be taken and limited only as defined by the claims that follow . | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Should this patent be classified under 'Mechanical Engineering; Lightning; Heating; Weapons; Blasting'? | 0.25 | 05479a5abd0240a88e107bb9a75eddee14019d469ee1653c29cf49c0f5b880f0 | 0.09668 | 0.000075 | 0.083984 | 0.00014 | 0.129883 | 0.001549 |
null | referring now specifically to the drawings , in which identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout , and first referring to fig1 a convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 . the seat 10 provides for the seating of two adults , each of the adult seats being shown to be convertible into an infant seat . it will be clear , however , from the discussion that follows , that the seat 10 can be provided with only one child seat and , therefore , accommodate only one child on one or the other side of the seat 10 . since each of the two seats of the seat 10 are identically constructed , only one will be described in detail , it being understood that the other seat has like construction . the convertible automobile seat 10 in fig1 shows one of the infant seats extended to receive a child , while the other infant seat is in the retracted position to accommodate an adult , as will be more fully described below . each convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention includes a back rest section 12 which includes a fixed portion 13 which generally consists of fixed side or lateral portions , and a central movable portion 14 . a conventional seat section 16 is provided which may be fixed relative to the automobile , although the back rest section 12 and the seat section 16 may be adjustably moved relative to each other to accommodate the comfort of a passenger in accordance with well known techniques . the present invention does not relate to the means used to adjust the general positions or orientations of the back rest section 12 and / or the seat section 16 . similarly , while the fixed portion 13 is shown as a smooth surface while the movable and seat portions 14 , 16 are shown tufted , the specific materials or upholstering methods used for the adult seat sections is not critical for purposes of the present invention . an important feature of the present invention is the provision of a head rest 18 which is pivotally mounted for movements between an upper position generally above the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by an adult as shown at the right - hand or far view of fig1 and in a lower position generally in front of the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by a child as shown at the left - hand or near view of fig1 . when in the upper position , the surface of the head rest 18 facing the seat section 16 is advantageously suitably padded so as to provide a soft surface for the head of the adult . the entire head rest 18 is advantageously padded so as to provide soft surfaces for the child when used in the lower position as a restraint . however , the specific design or material used for the head rest 18 is not critical , except as hereinbelow noted . the head rest 18 is connected at each end or side thereof to two levers or arms 20 which extend between the head rest 18 and pivot pins 22 for pivotally mounting the head rest 18 between the aforementioned positions as shown in fig1 . the arms 20 have substantially equal lengths selected to clear the back rest section 12 when the seat 10 is used by an adult and to engage a child seat 24 , to be described , and restrain a child received in the child seat when the seat is used by a child . the child seat 24 , in the embodiment being described , is of unitary construction and includes side restraining walls 26 which are pivotally mounted on pivot pins 28 . the restraining walls 26 include an upper wall portion 30 , at the rear of the restraining wall 26 , and a lower wall portion 32 at the front of the restraining wall 26 in the extended position of the child seat 24 . in the child seat 24 , being of unitary construction , the back rest 33 and lower seat section 34 are rigidly connected to each other and move together as a single unit between the extended and retracted positions . referring to fig2 and 4 , there is provided a space or storage compartment c behind the back rest section 12 , in the retracted position of the child seat 24 , which receives same as shown in fig4 when the seat 10 is used by an adult . the compartment c may be a space within the seat 10 or may , when the seat 10 is a rear passenger seat , extend into the trunk space . referring to fig5 a head rest lock 35 is provided which includes a loop or retainer 36 which defines an opening for receiving a latch or pin 38 mounted on the head rest 18 for movement between a locking position wherein the head rest is locked in the lower position as shown in fig2 and an unlocked position which permits the head rest to be moved to the upper position shown in fig4 . according to one possible arrangement , the latch 38 consists of a pin mounted for slideable movement into and out of the loop or retainer 36 . advantageously , biasing means in the nature of a spring 40 is provided to resiliently urge the latch or pin 38 to the locking position of the lock 34 . a release member 42 ( as shown in fig1 ) is provided which is attached to the pin 38 which permits the application of an external force to the pin to move same to the unlocked position against the action of the spring 40 . the spring 40 may be in the nature of a compression or a tension spring , depending on which side of the pin 38 or release member 42 it is situated . once the head rest 18 is locked to the lower wall portions 32 , the head rest provides the desired restraint on the child and advantageously cannot be inadvertently unlocked by the child . since the child seat 24 is pivotally mounted , it is important to fix its positions in either the extended or retracted positions thereof . although this can be accomplished in a number of different ways , including a design which maintains the desired positions due to forces of gravity and / or friction , the approach shown in the drawings includes the use of a seat belt 46 which is attached to the forward end of the child seat 24 provided with a male buckle 48 . attached to the top of the seats 10 is a belt 50 provided with a female buckle 52 adapted to receive the male buckle 48 in the retracted position of the seat 24 , as shown in fig4 . when the child seat 24 is in the extended or open position , it may be retained in that position by engaging the male buckle 48 to a female buckle 56 attached to a belt 54 connected to the seat section 16 . connection of the buckle 48 , therefore , to the buckle 52 will maintain the child seat 24 in the closed or retracted position , while connection with the buckle 56 will maintain the child seat 24 in the open or extended position . within the child seat 24 , there is advantageously provided a conventional seat belt restraint 58 of the type commonly used in infant seats , although the nature or construction of the restraint 58 is not critical and any such restraint may be used . another embodiment 10 &# 39 ; of the invention is illustrated in fig6 . here , while the central movable portion 14 &# 39 ; forms part of a child seat 24 &# 39 ;, only the lower seat section 34 is pivotally mounted together with modified side restraining walls 26 &# 39 ;. the child seat 24 &# 39 ; is not of unitary construction as the previously described seat 10 , and the back rest 33 &# 39 ; remains fixed in all positions of the seat 10 &# 39 ;. the lowering of the seat section 34 converts the seat 10 &# 39 ; to a children &# 39 ; s seat and exposes the back rest 33 &# 39 ;. there is no need , therefore , to provide a separate storage compartment similar to the compartment c shown in fig2 and 4 . while the invention is described with reference to specific embodiments thereof and with respect to the incorporation therein of certain combinations of features , it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms , many of which do not incorporate all of the features present in this specific embodiment of this invention which has been described . for this reason , the invention is to be taken and limited only as defined by the claims that follow . | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Physics'? | 0.25 | 05479a5abd0240a88e107bb9a75eddee14019d469ee1653c29cf49c0f5b880f0 | 0.040771 | 0.027222 | 0.15625 | 0.003174 | 0.05835 | 0.03418 |
null | referring now specifically to the drawings , in which identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout , and first referring to fig1 a convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 . the seat 10 provides for the seating of two adults , each of the adult seats being shown to be convertible into an infant seat . it will be clear , however , from the discussion that follows , that the seat 10 can be provided with only one child seat and , therefore , accommodate only one child on one or the other side of the seat 10 . since each of the two seats of the seat 10 are identically constructed , only one will be described in detail , it being understood that the other seat has like construction . the convertible automobile seat 10 in fig1 shows one of the infant seats extended to receive a child , while the other infant seat is in the retracted position to accommodate an adult , as will be more fully described below . each convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention includes a back rest section 12 which includes a fixed portion 13 which generally consists of fixed side or lateral portions , and a central movable portion 14 . a conventional seat section 16 is provided which may be fixed relative to the automobile , although the back rest section 12 and the seat section 16 may be adjustably moved relative to each other to accommodate the comfort of a passenger in accordance with well known techniques . the present invention does not relate to the means used to adjust the general positions or orientations of the back rest section 12 and / or the seat section 16 . similarly , while the fixed portion 13 is shown as a smooth surface while the movable and seat portions 14 , 16 are shown tufted , the specific materials or upholstering methods used for the adult seat sections is not critical for purposes of the present invention . an important feature of the present invention is the provision of a head rest 18 which is pivotally mounted for movements between an upper position generally above the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by an adult as shown at the right - hand or far view of fig1 and in a lower position generally in front of the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by a child as shown at the left - hand or near view of fig1 . when in the upper position , the surface of the head rest 18 facing the seat section 16 is advantageously suitably padded so as to provide a soft surface for the head of the adult . the entire head rest 18 is advantageously padded so as to provide soft surfaces for the child when used in the lower position as a restraint . however , the specific design or material used for the head rest 18 is not critical , except as hereinbelow noted . the head rest 18 is connected at each end or side thereof to two levers or arms 20 which extend between the head rest 18 and pivot pins 22 for pivotally mounting the head rest 18 between the aforementioned positions as shown in fig1 . the arms 20 have substantially equal lengths selected to clear the back rest section 12 when the seat 10 is used by an adult and to engage a child seat 24 , to be described , and restrain a child received in the child seat when the seat is used by a child . the child seat 24 , in the embodiment being described , is of unitary construction and includes side restraining walls 26 which are pivotally mounted on pivot pins 28 . the restraining walls 26 include an upper wall portion 30 , at the rear of the restraining wall 26 , and a lower wall portion 32 at the front of the restraining wall 26 in the extended position of the child seat 24 . in the child seat 24 , being of unitary construction , the back rest 33 and lower seat section 34 are rigidly connected to each other and move together as a single unit between the extended and retracted positions . referring to fig2 and 4 , there is provided a space or storage compartment c behind the back rest section 12 , in the retracted position of the child seat 24 , which receives same as shown in fig4 when the seat 10 is used by an adult . the compartment c may be a space within the seat 10 or may , when the seat 10 is a rear passenger seat , extend into the trunk space . referring to fig5 a head rest lock 35 is provided which includes a loop or retainer 36 which defines an opening for receiving a latch or pin 38 mounted on the head rest 18 for movement between a locking position wherein the head rest is locked in the lower position as shown in fig2 and an unlocked position which permits the head rest to be moved to the upper position shown in fig4 . according to one possible arrangement , the latch 38 consists of a pin mounted for slideable movement into and out of the loop or retainer 36 . advantageously , biasing means in the nature of a spring 40 is provided to resiliently urge the latch or pin 38 to the locking position of the lock 34 . a release member 42 ( as shown in fig1 ) is provided which is attached to the pin 38 which permits the application of an external force to the pin to move same to the unlocked position against the action of the spring 40 . the spring 40 may be in the nature of a compression or a tension spring , depending on which side of the pin 38 or release member 42 it is situated . once the head rest 18 is locked to the lower wall portions 32 , the head rest provides the desired restraint on the child and advantageously cannot be inadvertently unlocked by the child . since the child seat 24 is pivotally mounted , it is important to fix its positions in either the extended or retracted positions thereof . although this can be accomplished in a number of different ways , including a design which maintains the desired positions due to forces of gravity and / or friction , the approach shown in the drawings includes the use of a seat belt 46 which is attached to the forward end of the child seat 24 provided with a male buckle 48 . attached to the top of the seats 10 is a belt 50 provided with a female buckle 52 adapted to receive the male buckle 48 in the retracted position of the seat 24 , as shown in fig4 . when the child seat 24 is in the extended or open position , it may be retained in that position by engaging the male buckle 48 to a female buckle 56 attached to a belt 54 connected to the seat section 16 . connection of the buckle 48 , therefore , to the buckle 52 will maintain the child seat 24 in the closed or retracted position , while connection with the buckle 56 will maintain the child seat 24 in the open or extended position . within the child seat 24 , there is advantageously provided a conventional seat belt restraint 58 of the type commonly used in infant seats , although the nature or construction of the restraint 58 is not critical and any such restraint may be used . another embodiment 10 &# 39 ; of the invention is illustrated in fig6 . here , while the central movable portion 14 &# 39 ; forms part of a child seat 24 &# 39 ;, only the lower seat section 34 is pivotally mounted together with modified side restraining walls 26 &# 39 ;. the child seat 24 &# 39 ; is not of unitary construction as the previously described seat 10 , and the back rest 33 &# 39 ; remains fixed in all positions of the seat 10 &# 39 ;. the lowering of the seat section 34 converts the seat 10 &# 39 ; to a children &# 39 ; s seat and exposes the back rest 33 &# 39 ;. there is no need , therefore , to provide a separate storage compartment similar to the compartment c shown in fig2 and 4 . while the invention is described with reference to specific embodiments thereof and with respect to the incorporation therein of certain combinations of features , it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms , many of which do not incorporate all of the features present in this specific embodiment of this invention which has been described . for this reason , the invention is to be taken and limited only as defined by the claims that follow . | Should this patent be classified under 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | Is 'Electricity' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 05479a5abd0240a88e107bb9a75eddee14019d469ee1653c29cf49c0f5b880f0 | 0.094238 | 0.000062 | 0.123535 | 0.000158 | 0.126953 | 0.00008 |
null | referring now specifically to the drawings , in which identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout , and first referring to fig1 a convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 . the seat 10 provides for the seating of two adults , each of the adult seats being shown to be convertible into an infant seat . it will be clear , however , from the discussion that follows , that the seat 10 can be provided with only one child seat and , therefore , accommodate only one child on one or the other side of the seat 10 . since each of the two seats of the seat 10 are identically constructed , only one will be described in detail , it being understood that the other seat has like construction . the convertible automobile seat 10 in fig1 shows one of the infant seats extended to receive a child , while the other infant seat is in the retracted position to accommodate an adult , as will be more fully described below . each convertible automobile seat in accordance with the present invention includes a back rest section 12 which includes a fixed portion 13 which generally consists of fixed side or lateral portions , and a central movable portion 14 . a conventional seat section 16 is provided which may be fixed relative to the automobile , although the back rest section 12 and the seat section 16 may be adjustably moved relative to each other to accommodate the comfort of a passenger in accordance with well known techniques . the present invention does not relate to the means used to adjust the general positions or orientations of the back rest section 12 and / or the seat section 16 . similarly , while the fixed portion 13 is shown as a smooth surface while the movable and seat portions 14 , 16 are shown tufted , the specific materials or upholstering methods used for the adult seat sections is not critical for purposes of the present invention . an important feature of the present invention is the provision of a head rest 18 which is pivotally mounted for movements between an upper position generally above the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by an adult as shown at the right - hand or far view of fig1 and in a lower position generally in front of the back rest section 12 when the seat is to be used by a child as shown at the left - hand or near view of fig1 . when in the upper position , the surface of the head rest 18 facing the seat section 16 is advantageously suitably padded so as to provide a soft surface for the head of the adult . the entire head rest 18 is advantageously padded so as to provide soft surfaces for the child when used in the lower position as a restraint . however , the specific design or material used for the head rest 18 is not critical , except as hereinbelow noted . the head rest 18 is connected at each end or side thereof to two levers or arms 20 which extend between the head rest 18 and pivot pins 22 for pivotally mounting the head rest 18 between the aforementioned positions as shown in fig1 . the arms 20 have substantially equal lengths selected to clear the back rest section 12 when the seat 10 is used by an adult and to engage a child seat 24 , to be described , and restrain a child received in the child seat when the seat is used by a child . the child seat 24 , in the embodiment being described , is of unitary construction and includes side restraining walls 26 which are pivotally mounted on pivot pins 28 . the restraining walls 26 include an upper wall portion 30 , at the rear of the restraining wall 26 , and a lower wall portion 32 at the front of the restraining wall 26 in the extended position of the child seat 24 . in the child seat 24 , being of unitary construction , the back rest 33 and lower seat section 34 are rigidly connected to each other and move together as a single unit between the extended and retracted positions . referring to fig2 and 4 , there is provided a space or storage compartment c behind the back rest section 12 , in the retracted position of the child seat 24 , which receives same as shown in fig4 when the seat 10 is used by an adult . the compartment c may be a space within the seat 10 or may , when the seat 10 is a rear passenger seat , extend into the trunk space . referring to fig5 a head rest lock 35 is provided which includes a loop or retainer 36 which defines an opening for receiving a latch or pin 38 mounted on the head rest 18 for movement between a locking position wherein the head rest is locked in the lower position as shown in fig2 and an unlocked position which permits the head rest to be moved to the upper position shown in fig4 . according to one possible arrangement , the latch 38 consists of a pin mounted for slideable movement into and out of the loop or retainer 36 . advantageously , biasing means in the nature of a spring 40 is provided to resiliently urge the latch or pin 38 to the locking position of the lock 34 . a release member 42 ( as shown in fig1 ) is provided which is attached to the pin 38 which permits the application of an external force to the pin to move same to the unlocked position against the action of the spring 40 . the spring 40 may be in the nature of a compression or a tension spring , depending on which side of the pin 38 or release member 42 it is situated . once the head rest 18 is locked to the lower wall portions 32 , the head rest provides the desired restraint on the child and advantageously cannot be inadvertently unlocked by the child . since the child seat 24 is pivotally mounted , it is important to fix its positions in either the extended or retracted positions thereof . although this can be accomplished in a number of different ways , including a design which maintains the desired positions due to forces of gravity and / or friction , the approach shown in the drawings includes the use of a seat belt 46 which is attached to the forward end of the child seat 24 provided with a male buckle 48 . attached to the top of the seats 10 is a belt 50 provided with a female buckle 52 adapted to receive the male buckle 48 in the retracted position of the seat 24 , as shown in fig4 . when the child seat 24 is in the extended or open position , it may be retained in that position by engaging the male buckle 48 to a female buckle 56 attached to a belt 54 connected to the seat section 16 . connection of the buckle 48 , therefore , to the buckle 52 will maintain the child seat 24 in the closed or retracted position , while connection with the buckle 56 will maintain the child seat 24 in the open or extended position . within the child seat 24 , there is advantageously provided a conventional seat belt restraint 58 of the type commonly used in infant seats , although the nature or construction of the restraint 58 is not critical and any such restraint may be used . another embodiment 10 &# 39 ; of the invention is illustrated in fig6 . here , while the central movable portion 14 &# 39 ; forms part of a child seat 24 &# 39 ;, only the lower seat section 34 is pivotally mounted together with modified side restraining walls 26 &# 39 ;. the child seat 24 &# 39 ; is not of unitary construction as the previously described seat 10 , and the back rest 33 &# 39 ; remains fixed in all positions of the seat 10 &# 39 ;. the lowering of the seat section 34 converts the seat 10 &# 39 ; to a children &# 39 ; s seat and exposes the back rest 33 &# 39 ;. there is no need , therefore , to provide a separate storage compartment similar to the compartment c shown in fig2 and 4 . while the invention is described with reference to specific embodiments thereof and with respect to the incorporation therein of certain combinations of features , it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms , many of which do not incorporate all of the features present in this specific embodiment of this invention which has been described . for this reason , the invention is to be taken and limited only as defined by the claims that follow . | Is 'Performing Operations; Transporting' the correct technical category for the patent? | Is this patent appropriately categorized as 'General tagging of new or cross-sectional technology'? | 0.25 | 05479a5abd0240a88e107bb9a75eddee14019d469ee1653c29cf49c0f5b880f0 | 0.041992 | 0.061768 | 0.15625 | 0.114258 | 0.05835 | 0.052734 |
null | the present invention is directed to the roasting of foodstuff and , in particular , to a coffee bean roasting method and apparatus having an internal air cleaning system that eliminates the need for exhausting roasting air to the exterior of buildings as well as for an afterburner to clean the roasting air before it is exhausted , that discharges clean air at or near room temperature that can be vented interiorly , and that assures consistent and uniform bean flavor , aroma and quality without the need for an attending roastmaster . as a result , roasting machines made in accordance with this invention can be placed inside stores and can be operated to provide daily roasted coffee beans that have consistent and uniform flavor . all this is achieved at a cost that is typically less than the cost of centrally roasting beans and distributing the roasted beans to retailers as is presently done . although this application makes reference primarily to the roasting of coffee beans , the invention can be applied to roasting other foodstuffs such as other types of beans , seeds , nuts , kernels , and the like . one aspect of the present invention is an automated method of roasting by computer monitoring and control without the need for subjective judgment . applicants have determined that the darkness or color of roasted beans is a reliable indicator of the development of the beans during roasting and the finish of coffee when brewed with such beans . a reflectometer ( or spectrometer ) is used to monitor the change in darkness ( or color ) of the beans during roasting . when the beans have reached a predetermined darkness , the reflectometer sends a signal to the computer to terminate the roasting . to enhance the quality and consistency of the roasted beans , other parameters that affect the ultimate finish can and should also be monitored and input into the computer to control roasting . for instance , the roasting speed , or the time over which the beans are roasted , the color or darkness development during the prescribed roasting time , the prevailing pressure in the roasting chamber , the roasting temperature , and the like can be monitored and used to determine when roasting should cease and / or what roasting parameters , such as heat , air flow or pressure , need to be adjusted . fig1 schematically illustrates a centrally controlled multi - station coffee roasting system 10 constructed and operated in accordance with the invention . it has a central control station 11 that includes a computer or master control server 12 and a plurality of , typically many , geographically dispersed individual roasting machines 14 networked with computer 12 . each of the individual roasting machines 14 includes an on - board computer with programmable logic controllers ( plcs ) and / or a central processing unit ( cpu ) with on - board memory that is networked ( telephonically or by wireless techniques ) with the control server . the control station includes a sample roasting machine 11 a that is constructed substantially identical to the individual roasting machines 14 and with which a roastmaster performs sample roasts of different types of coffee beans to establish for each bean type one or more desired coffee roast profiles and finishes . recordable parameters of relevant characteristics , primarily the darkness of the beans being sample - roasted and , secondarily , the roasting time , roasting pressure , roasting temperature , and the like , are monitored and recorded . when the roastmaster has attained a specific darkness that he or she wish to replicate with the roasting machines 14 installed at the retail establishments , the corresponding roasting parameters 11 b are stored in the memory of master control server 12 . the roastmaster will normally select a number of , say twelve , fifteen , or the like , different types of beans for which the needed roasting parameters are established and stored in the memory of the central processor . all parameters , or at least those for beans that are to be roasted on one or more of the individual roasting machines that form part of the system , are then downloaded to a memory that forms part of the computer contained in each of the individual roasting machines . the stored parameters are then available to control and terminate bean roasting on each individual machine , as is described in more detail below . alternatively , as already mentioned above , each individual roasting machine can be directly controlled with a mainframe computer at the central control station , thereby eliminating the need for on - board computers on the individual roasting machines . in addition to controlling the roasting of the beans by the individual roasting machines , master control server 12 can advantageously be used to monitor and assist in the management of the individual machines . for example , the inventory of green beans at the individual machines may be monitored , and fresh beans can then be automatically reordered from a suitable supplier to assure that sufficient beans are always available when a low - inventory signal is received to assure an adequate bean supply at each individual machine . in addition , the machines , computers and the central computer can be used to monitor and record machine usage ( for example on the basis of processed bean weight , roasting time , or the like ) as well as for billing , establishing profiles of bean types and / or aroma selection systemwide and at each individual roasting machine , and the like . along the same lines , the machines &# 39 ; computers and the central control server can be used for diagnostic purposes , for example to determine malfunctions or needed adjustments and the like for each individual machine , by providing access to the various roasting process monitors and sensors that form part of the roasting machines . a major advantage of the centralized system 10 is that consistent , uniform , high quality bean roasts are assured . further , since each roasting machine is on - site and can be activated whenever needed , the retailer can limit each roast so that no more than one - day &# 39 ; s requirements for the beans are roasted , thereby assuring freshness and the best possible product for the consumer . referring to fig2 , 4 and 6 , an individual roasting machine 14 made according to this invention has a rotary storage hopper 22 for storing and dispensing the foodstuff ( e . g . the beans ) to be roasted . the hopper is on top of and supported by a housing 24 , and a roasting drum 44 is located inside of the housing . a bean handling system directs a selected bean type from hopper 22 into the drum and , after roasting , discharges the roasted beans onto a cooling tray 26 that protrudes horizontally from the housing . also disposed on the inside of housing 24 is an air supply system that heats intake air to the desired roasting temperature , directs the heated air into the roasting drum , and from the drum directs the used or exhaust air through air cooling and air cleaning systems for the subsequent discharge of the used air at about room temperature into the atmosphere immediately surrounding the roasting machine . thus , when installed in a supermarket , for example , the used air will be discharged into the interior of the surrounding building . to be acceptable for complete indoor installation and operation , the used air cleaning system removes all pollutants , such as white plume smoke , oily smoke , particulate matter , including chaff , volatiles , hydrocarbons , and the like , that are generated during roasting before the air is discharged from the machine . referring to fig2 and 3 , rotary hopper 22 has a cylindrical exterior , comprises , for example , sixteen sector - shaped , upright compartments 30 arranged about the center of the hopper , and is rotatable about an upright shaft 30 . a drive ( not separately shown ) incrementally advances the hopper about the upright shaft for indexing a bean discharge opening 36 at the bottom of each compartment with a green bean scale 42 of the roasting machine . a gate 116 keeps the compartment discharge openings 36 normally closed . when the opening of a given compartment is aligned with the scale and beans are to be transferred to the roasting drum , an actuator 117 under the control of the on - board computer of the roasting machine opens the gate so that the beans gravitationally flow onto the scale . when the desired quantity of beans has been transferred to the scale , the compartment gate is closed again . in one preferred embodiment of the invention , appropriate electronics 42 a of the scale generate a weight - responsive electrical signal that is used to close the compartment gate when the preselected quantity of beans has been received on the scale . the hopper 22 includes a removable lid or cover 34 ( fig2 ) to protect the beans and provide access to the hopper compartment , for example for replenishing the beans in the compartments . referring to fig5 , 5 a and 5 b , the roasting of the beans takes place in a roasting drum 44 formed by concentric inner and outer drums 82 , 84 . the outer drum is cylindrical , stationary , sealed and has an upright front plate that is fixed , e . g . bolted to the frame . the outer drum forms a horizontal tubular chamber that extends rearwardly and , at the aft end of the outer drum , mounts an aft end plate 102 that defines a downwardly extending exhaust air outlet 90 . in a presently preferred embodiment , the aft end of the outer drum and the forward end of the aft plate 102 form mating flanges that are held together with a conventional , schematically illustrated flange clamp 103 that permits quick removal of the clamp and disassembly of the drum . the inner drum is perforated and has a rear wall 83 and a spider 85 with preferably three equally - spaced , radial legs that project inwardly from the inner drum , or two spiders 85 ( the second being substituted for the rear wall 83 ). at the axial center of the drum , the rear wall and spider ( s ) are fixed to a drum shaft 87 that is rotatable in shaft bearings 87 a and 87 b of front plate 104 and aft plate 103 of the outer drum . a pulley 89 driven by a motor ( not separately shown ) via a belt 89 a rotates shaft 87 and therewith the inner drum in a given , say clockwise , direction ( as viewed in fig5 a ). the inner drum further includes a plurality of elongated , generally longitudinally extending vanes 94 that project perpendicular to the inner drum wall and extend along a thread - like or helical line over the length of the inner drum . in the presently preferred embodiment , four such vanes are equally spaced about the inside of the inner drum , and the vanes extend through the sector - shaped openings formed by the radial legs of the spiders 85 . to remove beans that may become trapped in the annular space between the inner and outer drums , a spiral bean removal brush 91 can optionally be provided . it is made of heat - resistant material , e . g . stainless steel , extends helically over the length of the inner drum , and projects from the periphery thereof into the annular space to a point close to but slightly spaced from the inner surface of the outer drum 84 . when the drum rotates , beans in the annular space between the drums are moved rearwardly by brush 91 and are ultimately discharged into the downwardly extending exhaust air outlet 90 ( or into a bean collection receptacle or a separately provided bean removal conduit ( not shown )). front plate 104 of roasting drum 44 has a tubular bean intake conduit 86 the open end of which is positioned immediately below a scale discharge opening 43 so that a fresh batch of green beans that has been weighed on the scale flows gravitationally into the drum for roasting by opening gate 43 a following the weighing of the beans by the scale . roasted beans are removed from drum 44 via a bean outlet 88 in front plate 104 and via a discharge chute 110 onto cooling tray 26 by opening a drum discharge gate 122 . during roasting , the pressure inside the roasting drum exceeds atmospheric pressure , in a presently preferred embodiment by about 1 . 5 psi . to prevent the escape of the hot roasting air , a gate — in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention , a butterfly disc 86 a — is placed in the tubular conduit 86 between scale 42 and the interior of the drum . the butterfly disc includes a heat - resistant seal ( not separately shown ) that prevents the hot , pressurized air in the drum from escaping through the bean intake conduit . the butterfly disc remains closed at all times except when a fresh batch of green beans is to be gravitationally transferred from the scale to the drum interior . it is operated by a suitable drive ( not separately shown ) that is under the control of the computer of the roasting machine and is preferably synchronized with the activator ( not shown ) for scale gate 43 a . similarly , bean discharge gate 122 is provided with a seal formed by a high temperature seal ring ( not separately shown ) that prevents the escape of hot , pressurized air from the interior of the drum when the gate is in its closed position . in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention , discharge gate 122 is hinged to the front plate 104 along its upper edge and a linear drive ( not separately shown ) is provided for opening and closing the discharge gate . the drive for the discharge gate is also under the control of the computer of the roasting machine . as is described in more detail below , the roasting of the beans is monitored with a reflectometer 108 ( or a spectrometer for monitoring color ) suitably mounted adjacent to front plate 104 with a holder 108 a . the reflectometer directs a laser beam 109 through a window 98 in the front plate into the interior of the roasting drum . finally , rear plate 104 includes a hot roasting air inlet 92 that receives hot roasting air from an air intake conduit 92 a . turning now to the manner in which fresh or green coffee beans are roasted in accordance with the invention , different types of green beans are placed into the hopper compartment 30 and an appropriate command is entered into an on - board computer 40 of the roasting machine which of the bean types is to be roasted . its computer selects the appropriate hopper compartment and activates the hopper drive ( not shown in the drawings ) to rotationally advance the hopper until the discharge opening 36 of the selected compartment is immediately above scale 42 . actuator 117 opens hopper gate 116 and green beans gravitationally drop onto the scale where they are weighed . when the desired weight of beans that is to be roasted has been received on the scale , the actuator , preferably via a signal from scale electronics 42 a , closes the hopper gate and therewith terminates the transfer of beans . the computer next activates the drive for bean inlet closure disc 86 a to open it and also opens gate 43 a in scale discharge opening 43 , thereby permitting the beans to gravitationally flow from the scale via bean inlet 86 into the interior of inner drum 82 . thereafter intake disc gate 86 a , as well as bean discharge gate 122 , are closed , or maintained closed , to form a seal and prevent the escape of pressurized air from the interior of the drum through the bean intake or outlet . the drum drive ( not separately shown ) is energized , to rotate in a drum 82 via pulley 89 , and the air circulation system is activated to flow hot roasting air through hot air inlet 92 and the interior of the drum for discharge through exhaust or used air outlet 90 , thereby bringing the beans to the roasting temperature . the green beans introduced into the drum at the beginning of roasting initially rest at the bottom of the inner drum 82 . when rotation commences , the radially inwardly extending vanes 94 pick up quantities of beans in a pocket defined by each vane and the portion of the inner drum adjoining the vane . as rotation of the drum continues , the beans in the pocket are lifted upwardly until the vane rises above the axis of shaft 87 , at which point the side of the vane facing the pocket becomes downwardly inclined and the beans roll off the vane under the influence of gravity . the vanes are helically curved so that the sides thereof that form the pocket slope downwardly towards front plate 104 of the roasting drum . as a result , as the inner drum rotates , the beans in the pocket are also urged towards the front plate . thus , a stream of beans 95 from the elevated vane is intermittently formed in the vicinity of window 98 each time one of the vanes ( with beans in the pocket ) rises above the shaft centerline . in the process , the beans become heated to the roasting temperature and as roasting time continues they undergo a gradual color change and darkening , which , for coffee beans , progresses from an initial gray - green color of the green beans to a light color giving the beans a bleached appearance and then to increasingly dark shades of brown . the laser ( not separately shown ) of the reflectometer 108 is continuously or intermittently activated to direct laser light onto the stream of beans 95 on the inside of the drum . laser light impinging on the beans is reflected and the reflected light is sensed and analyzed by the reflectometer , for example by determining its wavelength . the desired darkness of the finished roasted beans ( which was previously downloaded from the computer at the central control station ) is stored in the memory of the on - board computer 40 of the roasting machine and compared with an output signal generated by the reflectometer that indicates the darkness of the beans in real time . when the signal from the reflectometer matches the stored signal in the on - board computer , roasting is terminated . in a preferred embodiment , roasting is terminated by initially ceasing the heating of the roasting air flowing into the drum while continuing to rotate the inner drum ( with bean outlet gate 122 closed ) for about 30 to 45 seconds in a gradually cooling environment that enhances the finish that can be obtained with many types of beans . in addition , while full heat roasting of the beans continues , the light / dark development of the beans inside the drum is monitored by reflectometer 108 , which generates corresponding signals that are fed to the on - board computer . in a preferred embodiment , the memory of the on - board computer includes light / dark level data that was generated during sample roasting at the central control station , typically as a function of roasting time and / or roasting temperature . whenever the darkness level of the beans being roasted deviates from the corresponding stored darkness level data , operating parameters , such as the roasting air temperature and / or roasting air flow rate , are adjusted to bring the darkness level of the beans being roasted in compliance with the stored darkness information in the memory of the on - board computer . in this manner , the test roast , which was performed to establish optimal roasting parameters for a given type of bean and / or roasting profile , is precisely replicated at each and every roasting operation on any and all of the individual roasting machines that are networked with the central computer at the central computer 12 at control station 11 . once the beans are ready for discharge , the on - board computer activates the drive ( not shown ) for bean discharge gate 122 by moving it into its open position shown in fig6 . the continued rotation of inner drum 83 , coupled with the helical shape of vanes 94 therein , gradually moves the beans in the direction of bean discharge opening 88 , from where the roasted beans gravitationally drop onto cooling tray 26 . the cooling tray is preferably circular in shape ( see fig2 ) and includes one or more wiper arms 27 that slowly rotate with upright shaft 27 a protruding from the tray . the arms gradually move the beans over the tray to facilitate their cooling , and , upon completion of the cooling , push the beans through a finish roasted bean discharge opening 124 to a suitable collection point or into a canister ( not shown ). the discharge opening is preferably located adjacent the periphery of the cooling tray , and the wiper arms are shaped so that they slowly direct the beans towards the periphery of the tray . the discharge opening is normally closed by a gate 125 that is opened via a suitable actuator ( not shown ) that is manually or automatically ( by the on - board computer ) opened after the beans have been sufficiently cooled . the cooling tray preferably includes perforations 26 a ( not shown and of a sufficiently small size to prevent beans from dropping through or becoming lodged in them ) so that cooling air can be flowed over the beans on the tray to accelerate their cooling and , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , to use the heat of the cooling beans for preheating fresh air before it is heated for roasting a new batch of green beans that was placed into the drum . referring to fig4 and 7 - 10 , each individual roasting machine 14 includes an air supply or circulation system that comprises a blower 48 for generating an air flow through roasting drum 44 for the eventual discharge of the air from the machine . in a presently preferred embodiment of the roasting machine in which 6 - lb . batches of green beans are roasted in about twelve minutes , the blower has a 2½ hp motor , generates a pressure rise of about 1 . 5 psi at about 50 cfm through the air circulation system , and heats the air , as a result of the compression of the air , by about 30 ° f .- 50 ° f . ( about 17 ° c .- 28 ° c .). as is best seen in fig8 , the air circulation system preferably receives fresh intake air that was preheated by flowing it over just - roasted , still - hot beans on cooling tray 26 and through perforations 26 a therein to thereby reduce the overall energy consumption of the machine . since the intake air may pick up particulates and white plume smoke as it passes over the roasted beans on the cooling tray , a prefilter 50 is provided to remove such smoke and debris before the air enters fan 48 . filter 50 preferably comprises a 0 . 3 - micron hepa filter with a relatively low pressure drop so that it can remove the white plume smoke and smoke particulates from the intake air . fan 48 is coupled to a heat exchanger 54 , which preheats the air from the fan . the structure and operation of the heat exchanger is discussed in more detail below . the preheated air flows from the heat exchanger 54 to a heater 56 for heating it to the desired roasting temperature . the heater 56 is preferably a flow - through electric duct ( tubular ) heater 56 capable of heating the incoming air from about 120 ° f . ( about 49 ° c .) and at 50 cfm to the roasting temperature , e . g . about 500 ° f . ( about 260 ° c .). from the heater the roasting air flows via a conduit 92 a and past roasting air inlet 92 into and through the roasting drum from which it exits via used air exit 90 . in the drum , the green beans give off particulates , including chaff , as well as white plume smoke , oily smoke , volatiles , hydrocarbons , and the like , which are carried out of the roasting drum by the air . to enable the discharge of the air into the indoor environment surrounding each individual roasting machine 14 , the used roasting air must be cleaned and cooled before it can be discharged . chaff , an onionskin - like husk byproduct that is flaked off the beans in the roasting drum , is removed in a chaff collector 60 located downstream of and coupled to roasting drum 44 . the chaff collector 60 comprises a vortex particulate separator ( not shown ) that captures the chaff and lets the air through . the chaff collecting tray is periodically removed and cleaned as needed . a primary filter 64 is coupled to the chaff collector 60 via a conduit ( not shown ) for the removal of tars and chaff fines . in one embodiment , the primary filter 64 is made of superfine steel wool media . in another embodiment , a prefilter 62 made from superfine 30 micron media is positioned upstream of the primary filter to remove fines from the air flow and prevent a premature plugging of the filter by the fines . from the primary filter 64 , the used air flows to heat exchanger 54 for cooling . in the presently preferred embodiment , the heat exchanger is formed of a plurality of heat pipes ( not shown ) coupled to cooling fins . the relatively cool intake air flows in one direction over one end of the heat pipe array and the relatively hot exhaust air , separated from the cool air by a wall , is conveyed in the opposite direction over the other end of the heat pipe array . heat from the hot exhaust air is transferred via the heat pipe array to the cool intake air flowing from the blower 48 to preheat it before it enters heater 56 and thereby improve the energy efficiency of the roasting machine . the heat exchanger is about 80 % efficient and typically cools the air exhaust air from about 350 ° ( about 177 ° c .) to 100 ° f . ( about 38 ° c .). alternatively , the heat exchanger can also be formed of double concentric counterflow hoses or pipes . in that case , an outer tube 66 conveys the relatively cool intake air in one direction and an inner tube 68 conveys the relatively hot exhaust air in the opposite direction , or vice versa . heat from the exhaust air is transferred via inner tube 68 to the cool intake air flowing towards fan 48 to thereby preheat it before it enters heater 56 to thereby improve the energy efficiency of the roasting machine . the air is then cooled to about 100 ° f . ( about 38 ° c .) in an aftercooler 72 disposed downstream of and receiving the air from the heat exchanger 54 . it typically cools the air from about 350 ° f . ( about 177 ° c . ), the exit temperature at the main heat exchanger , to about 100 ° f . ( 38 ° c .). in the illustrated alternative embodiment , aftercooler 72 employs a finned - tube heat sink of a serpentine configuration with sufficient length to achieve the desired temperature drop . a high efficiency particulate accumulator (“ hepa ”) filter 74 is coupled to the heat exchanger and a carbon filter 76 is coupled to the hepa filter 74 . the hepa filter 74 is preferably a 0 . 3 - micron media that captures white plume smoke and particles as small as ½ micron with a 99 +% efficiency . the carbon filter 76 employs activated carbon that filters vocs and hydrocarbons ( so 2 , no 2 , etc .) in the used air stream before it is discharged from the machine . the carbon filter 76 can be used to control the amount of vocs , and therewith the coffee aroma that emanates from the roasting machine . thus , and as is illustrated in fig8 , the intake air enters the prefilter 50 , which filters out smoke and / or debris in the air . the fan 48 produces a flow of the air that traverses the entire roasting machine in no more than about 1 second and , preferably , in as little as about ¼ second while the air is heated from ambient at intake to about 500 ° f . ( about 260 ° c .) for roasting and is then cooled again to about room temperature ( approximately 100 ° f ., 38 ° c .) at discharge . the hot air therefore flows through the roasting drum 44 in a continuous , high temperature flow to thereby effectively roast the beans . referring to fig9 , sensors are employed throughout each individual roasting machine 14 for monitoring and controlling the roasting of the beans . for example , a temperature gauge or thermometer 132 and a pressure gauge 134 are disposed at the inlet of the prefilter 50 to measure the inlet air temperature and pressure . a pressure gauge 136 measures the inlet pressure of the fan 48 and another pressure gauge 138 measures the outlet pressure of the fan . the temperature of the air at the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger 54 is measured with temperature gauges 142 and 144 . a further temperature gauge 146 at the outlet of the heater 56 measures the roasting temperature of the air . a thermometer 150 and a pressure gauge 152 can be provided to measure the temperature and pressure in the roasting chamber 44 . a pair of pressure gauges 154 , 156 at the inlet and outlet of the smoke filter 64 measure the pressure drop across it . the exhaust air temperature drop across the heat exchanger 54 is measured with a pair of thermometers 158 , 162 disposed at the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger . another thermometer 164 provided at the outlet of the aftercooler 72 measures the temperature drop caused by it . a pressure gauge 168 at the inlet of the hepa filter 74 measures the inlet pressure . a pressure gauge 170 at the outlet of the hepa filter 74 measures the outlet pressure of the hepa filter 74 and the inlet pressure of the carbon filter 76 . a pressure gauge 172 at the outlet of the carbon filter 76 measures the outlet pressure . if desired , flow rates at various points of the system may be measured with appropriate flow gauges . as discussed above , while it is preferred to use a reflectometer to monitor the darkness of the beans during roasting , spectrometers can be used instead for measuring the color of the beans . spectrometers or calorimeters capable of detecting colors that can be used with the present invention are known . for example , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 684 , 582 issued nov . 4 , 1997 to eastman et al . and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 504 , 575 issued apr . 2 , 1996 to stafford , which are incorporated by reference herein , disclose useable spectrometers . the patent to stafford specifically discusses the use of a spectrometer to monitor the color of food products to ensure a uniform color for the consumer . on - board roasting computer software of the roasting machine 14 serves , among others , the following functions : 1 . receiving in - store operator roasting requests and initiating roasting sequence , including preheating system check , upon request . 2 . rotating the rotary hopper to the desired green beans position and releasing a correct quantity of the beans into the scale funnel 42 . 3 . releasing the beans from the scale funnel 42 into a the roasting chamber 44 . 4 . roasting the beans to the appropriate recipe established at central control station 11 and , if desired , modifying the recipe with real - time barometric input . 5 . guiding roasting development and final roast degree ( darkness ) by real - time input from the laser reflectometer 108 . 6 . starting the cooling tray sweep arm and discharging the roasted beans from the roasting chamber 44 to the cooling tray 26 when the spectrometer 108 determines that roasting is complete . 7 . stirring / cooling the finished beans on the cooling tray 26 and discharging them into the discharge container when ready . 8 . starting loading / roasting the next batch upon discharge of the previous batch to the cooling tray 26 . the block diagram in fig1 illustrates a roasting system that comprises the combined configuration of the bean handling system of fig7 and the internal air control system of fig8 . the arrows illustrate the bean flow and the air flow . the point of intersection between the two flows is located at the roasting chamber 44 , in which the heated air is used to roast the beans . in this embodiment , the intake air comes from and the exhaust air is released into the surrounding environment at a temperature that is close to room temperature . by circulating air taken from outside surroundings of the roasting apparatus 20 and releasing it back into the surroundings , the internal air control system is an open - loop system . an alternative is a closed - loop air circulation system that comprises substantially the same components as the open - loop system . the primary difference is that only a small proportion , e . g . 20 % of the used air , is discharged to the atmosphere , while the remainder , after thorough cleaning , is recirculated through the roasting machine . the earlier discussed hepa and charcoal filters 74 , 76 are effective only at relatively low temperatures of about 100 ° f . ( about 38 ° c .). to prevent the need for cooling the used air to such low temperatures in a closed - loop air circulation system while still removing white plume smoke , vocs , hydrocarbons , and the like , a catalytic converter ( not shown ) may be used instead of such filters . with a catalytic converter the cleaned air can be recirculated to the fan of the machine at significantly higher temperatures , which , in turn , reduces the energy consumption of the machine . water removed from the green beans during roasting and entrained in the recirculating used roasting air is discharged from the system with the earlier mentioned release of a small , e . g . 20 %, proportion of the used air . | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Performing Operations; Transporting'? | 0.25 | 5a562e0729c99b60b2f728819899174aad5bbd4a7f466a6192701fdb30da1f84 | 0.043945 | 0.078125 | 0.000805 | 0.013245 | 0.040771 | 0.094238 |
null | the present invention is directed to the roasting of foodstuff and , in particular , to a coffee bean roasting method and apparatus having an internal air cleaning system that eliminates the need for exhausting roasting air to the exterior of buildings as well as for an afterburner to clean the roasting air before it is exhausted , that discharges clean air at or near room temperature that can be vented interiorly , and that assures consistent and uniform bean flavor , aroma and quality without the need for an attending roastmaster . as a result , roasting machines made in accordance with this invention can be placed inside stores and can be operated to provide daily roasted coffee beans that have consistent and uniform flavor . all this is achieved at a cost that is typically less than the cost of centrally roasting beans and distributing the roasted beans to retailers as is presently done . although this application makes reference primarily to the roasting of coffee beans , the invention can be applied to roasting other foodstuffs such as other types of beans , seeds , nuts , kernels , and the like . one aspect of the present invention is an automated method of roasting by computer monitoring and control without the need for subjective judgment . applicants have determined that the darkness or color of roasted beans is a reliable indicator of the development of the beans during roasting and the finish of coffee when brewed with such beans . a reflectometer ( or spectrometer ) is used to monitor the change in darkness ( or color ) of the beans during roasting . when the beans have reached a predetermined darkness , the reflectometer sends a signal to the computer to terminate the roasting . to enhance the quality and consistency of the roasted beans , other parameters that affect the ultimate finish can and should also be monitored and input into the computer to control roasting . for instance , the roasting speed , or the time over which the beans are roasted , the color or darkness development during the prescribed roasting time , the prevailing pressure in the roasting chamber , the roasting temperature , and the like can be monitored and used to determine when roasting should cease and / or what roasting parameters , such as heat , air flow or pressure , need to be adjusted . fig1 schematically illustrates a centrally controlled multi - station coffee roasting system 10 constructed and operated in accordance with the invention . it has a central control station 11 that includes a computer or master control server 12 and a plurality of , typically many , geographically dispersed individual roasting machines 14 networked with computer 12 . each of the individual roasting machines 14 includes an on - board computer with programmable logic controllers ( plcs ) and / or a central processing unit ( cpu ) with on - board memory that is networked ( telephonically or by wireless techniques ) with the control server . the control station includes a sample roasting machine 11 a that is constructed substantially identical to the individual roasting machines 14 and with which a roastmaster performs sample roasts of different types of coffee beans to establish for each bean type one or more desired coffee roast profiles and finishes . recordable parameters of relevant characteristics , primarily the darkness of the beans being sample - roasted and , secondarily , the roasting time , roasting pressure , roasting temperature , and the like , are monitored and recorded . when the roastmaster has attained a specific darkness that he or she wish to replicate with the roasting machines 14 installed at the retail establishments , the corresponding roasting parameters 11 b are stored in the memory of master control server 12 . the roastmaster will normally select a number of , say twelve , fifteen , or the like , different types of beans for which the needed roasting parameters are established and stored in the memory of the central processor . all parameters , or at least those for beans that are to be roasted on one or more of the individual roasting machines that form part of the system , are then downloaded to a memory that forms part of the computer contained in each of the individual roasting machines . the stored parameters are then available to control and terminate bean roasting on each individual machine , as is described in more detail below . alternatively , as already mentioned above , each individual roasting machine can be directly controlled with a mainframe computer at the central control station , thereby eliminating the need for on - board computers on the individual roasting machines . in addition to controlling the roasting of the beans by the individual roasting machines , master control server 12 can advantageously be used to monitor and assist in the management of the individual machines . for example , the inventory of green beans at the individual machines may be monitored , and fresh beans can then be automatically reordered from a suitable supplier to assure that sufficient beans are always available when a low - inventory signal is received to assure an adequate bean supply at each individual machine . in addition , the machines , computers and the central computer can be used to monitor and record machine usage ( for example on the basis of processed bean weight , roasting time , or the like ) as well as for billing , establishing profiles of bean types and / or aroma selection systemwide and at each individual roasting machine , and the like . along the same lines , the machines &# 39 ; computers and the central control server can be used for diagnostic purposes , for example to determine malfunctions or needed adjustments and the like for each individual machine , by providing access to the various roasting process monitors and sensors that form part of the roasting machines . a major advantage of the centralized system 10 is that consistent , uniform , high quality bean roasts are assured . further , since each roasting machine is on - site and can be activated whenever needed , the retailer can limit each roast so that no more than one - day &# 39 ; s requirements for the beans are roasted , thereby assuring freshness and the best possible product for the consumer . referring to fig2 , 4 and 6 , an individual roasting machine 14 made according to this invention has a rotary storage hopper 22 for storing and dispensing the foodstuff ( e . g . the beans ) to be roasted . the hopper is on top of and supported by a housing 24 , and a roasting drum 44 is located inside of the housing . a bean handling system directs a selected bean type from hopper 22 into the drum and , after roasting , discharges the roasted beans onto a cooling tray 26 that protrudes horizontally from the housing . also disposed on the inside of housing 24 is an air supply system that heats intake air to the desired roasting temperature , directs the heated air into the roasting drum , and from the drum directs the used or exhaust air through air cooling and air cleaning systems for the subsequent discharge of the used air at about room temperature into the atmosphere immediately surrounding the roasting machine . thus , when installed in a supermarket , for example , the used air will be discharged into the interior of the surrounding building . to be acceptable for complete indoor installation and operation , the used air cleaning system removes all pollutants , such as white plume smoke , oily smoke , particulate matter , including chaff , volatiles , hydrocarbons , and the like , that are generated during roasting before the air is discharged from the machine . referring to fig2 and 3 , rotary hopper 22 has a cylindrical exterior , comprises , for example , sixteen sector - shaped , upright compartments 30 arranged about the center of the hopper , and is rotatable about an upright shaft 30 . a drive ( not separately shown ) incrementally advances the hopper about the upright shaft for indexing a bean discharge opening 36 at the bottom of each compartment with a green bean scale 42 of the roasting machine . a gate 116 keeps the compartment discharge openings 36 normally closed . when the opening of a given compartment is aligned with the scale and beans are to be transferred to the roasting drum , an actuator 117 under the control of the on - board computer of the roasting machine opens the gate so that the beans gravitationally flow onto the scale . when the desired quantity of beans has been transferred to the scale , the compartment gate is closed again . in one preferred embodiment of the invention , appropriate electronics 42 a of the scale generate a weight - responsive electrical signal that is used to close the compartment gate when the preselected quantity of beans has been received on the scale . the hopper 22 includes a removable lid or cover 34 ( fig2 ) to protect the beans and provide access to the hopper compartment , for example for replenishing the beans in the compartments . referring to fig5 , 5 a and 5 b , the roasting of the beans takes place in a roasting drum 44 formed by concentric inner and outer drums 82 , 84 . the outer drum is cylindrical , stationary , sealed and has an upright front plate that is fixed , e . g . bolted to the frame . the outer drum forms a horizontal tubular chamber that extends rearwardly and , at the aft end of the outer drum , mounts an aft end plate 102 that defines a downwardly extending exhaust air outlet 90 . in a presently preferred embodiment , the aft end of the outer drum and the forward end of the aft plate 102 form mating flanges that are held together with a conventional , schematically illustrated flange clamp 103 that permits quick removal of the clamp and disassembly of the drum . the inner drum is perforated and has a rear wall 83 and a spider 85 with preferably three equally - spaced , radial legs that project inwardly from the inner drum , or two spiders 85 ( the second being substituted for the rear wall 83 ). at the axial center of the drum , the rear wall and spider ( s ) are fixed to a drum shaft 87 that is rotatable in shaft bearings 87 a and 87 b of front plate 104 and aft plate 103 of the outer drum . a pulley 89 driven by a motor ( not separately shown ) via a belt 89 a rotates shaft 87 and therewith the inner drum in a given , say clockwise , direction ( as viewed in fig5 a ). the inner drum further includes a plurality of elongated , generally longitudinally extending vanes 94 that project perpendicular to the inner drum wall and extend along a thread - like or helical line over the length of the inner drum . in the presently preferred embodiment , four such vanes are equally spaced about the inside of the inner drum , and the vanes extend through the sector - shaped openings formed by the radial legs of the spiders 85 . to remove beans that may become trapped in the annular space between the inner and outer drums , a spiral bean removal brush 91 can optionally be provided . it is made of heat - resistant material , e . g . stainless steel , extends helically over the length of the inner drum , and projects from the periphery thereof into the annular space to a point close to but slightly spaced from the inner surface of the outer drum 84 . when the drum rotates , beans in the annular space between the drums are moved rearwardly by brush 91 and are ultimately discharged into the downwardly extending exhaust air outlet 90 ( or into a bean collection receptacle or a separately provided bean removal conduit ( not shown )). front plate 104 of roasting drum 44 has a tubular bean intake conduit 86 the open end of which is positioned immediately below a scale discharge opening 43 so that a fresh batch of green beans that has been weighed on the scale flows gravitationally into the drum for roasting by opening gate 43 a following the weighing of the beans by the scale . roasted beans are removed from drum 44 via a bean outlet 88 in front plate 104 and via a discharge chute 110 onto cooling tray 26 by opening a drum discharge gate 122 . during roasting , the pressure inside the roasting drum exceeds atmospheric pressure , in a presently preferred embodiment by about 1 . 5 psi . to prevent the escape of the hot roasting air , a gate — in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention , a butterfly disc 86 a — is placed in the tubular conduit 86 between scale 42 and the interior of the drum . the butterfly disc includes a heat - resistant seal ( not separately shown ) that prevents the hot , pressurized air in the drum from escaping through the bean intake conduit . the butterfly disc remains closed at all times except when a fresh batch of green beans is to be gravitationally transferred from the scale to the drum interior . it is operated by a suitable drive ( not separately shown ) that is under the control of the computer of the roasting machine and is preferably synchronized with the activator ( not shown ) for scale gate 43 a . similarly , bean discharge gate 122 is provided with a seal formed by a high temperature seal ring ( not separately shown ) that prevents the escape of hot , pressurized air from the interior of the drum when the gate is in its closed position . in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention , discharge gate 122 is hinged to the front plate 104 along its upper edge and a linear drive ( not separately shown ) is provided for opening and closing the discharge gate . the drive for the discharge gate is also under the control of the computer of the roasting machine . as is described in more detail below , the roasting of the beans is monitored with a reflectometer 108 ( or a spectrometer for monitoring color ) suitably mounted adjacent to front plate 104 with a holder 108 a . the reflectometer directs a laser beam 109 through a window 98 in the front plate into the interior of the roasting drum . finally , rear plate 104 includes a hot roasting air inlet 92 that receives hot roasting air from an air intake conduit 92 a . turning now to the manner in which fresh or green coffee beans are roasted in accordance with the invention , different types of green beans are placed into the hopper compartment 30 and an appropriate command is entered into an on - board computer 40 of the roasting machine which of the bean types is to be roasted . its computer selects the appropriate hopper compartment and activates the hopper drive ( not shown in the drawings ) to rotationally advance the hopper until the discharge opening 36 of the selected compartment is immediately above scale 42 . actuator 117 opens hopper gate 116 and green beans gravitationally drop onto the scale where they are weighed . when the desired weight of beans that is to be roasted has been received on the scale , the actuator , preferably via a signal from scale electronics 42 a , closes the hopper gate and therewith terminates the transfer of beans . the computer next activates the drive for bean inlet closure disc 86 a to open it and also opens gate 43 a in scale discharge opening 43 , thereby permitting the beans to gravitationally flow from the scale via bean inlet 86 into the interior of inner drum 82 . thereafter intake disc gate 86 a , as well as bean discharge gate 122 , are closed , or maintained closed , to form a seal and prevent the escape of pressurized air from the interior of the drum through the bean intake or outlet . the drum drive ( not separately shown ) is energized , to rotate in a drum 82 via pulley 89 , and the air circulation system is activated to flow hot roasting air through hot air inlet 92 and the interior of the drum for discharge through exhaust or used air outlet 90 , thereby bringing the beans to the roasting temperature . the green beans introduced into the drum at the beginning of roasting initially rest at the bottom of the inner drum 82 . when rotation commences , the radially inwardly extending vanes 94 pick up quantities of beans in a pocket defined by each vane and the portion of the inner drum adjoining the vane . as rotation of the drum continues , the beans in the pocket are lifted upwardly until the vane rises above the axis of shaft 87 , at which point the side of the vane facing the pocket becomes downwardly inclined and the beans roll off the vane under the influence of gravity . the vanes are helically curved so that the sides thereof that form the pocket slope downwardly towards front plate 104 of the roasting drum . as a result , as the inner drum rotates , the beans in the pocket are also urged towards the front plate . thus , a stream of beans 95 from the elevated vane is intermittently formed in the vicinity of window 98 each time one of the vanes ( with beans in the pocket ) rises above the shaft centerline . in the process , the beans become heated to the roasting temperature and as roasting time continues they undergo a gradual color change and darkening , which , for coffee beans , progresses from an initial gray - green color of the green beans to a light color giving the beans a bleached appearance and then to increasingly dark shades of brown . the laser ( not separately shown ) of the reflectometer 108 is continuously or intermittently activated to direct laser light onto the stream of beans 95 on the inside of the drum . laser light impinging on the beans is reflected and the reflected light is sensed and analyzed by the reflectometer , for example by determining its wavelength . the desired darkness of the finished roasted beans ( which was previously downloaded from the computer at the central control station ) is stored in the memory of the on - board computer 40 of the roasting machine and compared with an output signal generated by the reflectometer that indicates the darkness of the beans in real time . when the signal from the reflectometer matches the stored signal in the on - board computer , roasting is terminated . in a preferred embodiment , roasting is terminated by initially ceasing the heating of the roasting air flowing into the drum while continuing to rotate the inner drum ( with bean outlet gate 122 closed ) for about 30 to 45 seconds in a gradually cooling environment that enhances the finish that can be obtained with many types of beans . in addition , while full heat roasting of the beans continues , the light / dark development of the beans inside the drum is monitored by reflectometer 108 , which generates corresponding signals that are fed to the on - board computer . in a preferred embodiment , the memory of the on - board computer includes light / dark level data that was generated during sample roasting at the central control station , typically as a function of roasting time and / or roasting temperature . whenever the darkness level of the beans being roasted deviates from the corresponding stored darkness level data , operating parameters , such as the roasting air temperature and / or roasting air flow rate , are adjusted to bring the darkness level of the beans being roasted in compliance with the stored darkness information in the memory of the on - board computer . in this manner , the test roast , which was performed to establish optimal roasting parameters for a given type of bean and / or roasting profile , is precisely replicated at each and every roasting operation on any and all of the individual roasting machines that are networked with the central computer at the central computer 12 at control station 11 . once the beans are ready for discharge , the on - board computer activates the drive ( not shown ) for bean discharge gate 122 by moving it into its open position shown in fig6 . the continued rotation of inner drum 83 , coupled with the helical shape of vanes 94 therein , gradually moves the beans in the direction of bean discharge opening 88 , from where the roasted beans gravitationally drop onto cooling tray 26 . the cooling tray is preferably circular in shape ( see fig2 ) and includes one or more wiper arms 27 that slowly rotate with upright shaft 27 a protruding from the tray . the arms gradually move the beans over the tray to facilitate their cooling , and , upon completion of the cooling , push the beans through a finish roasted bean discharge opening 124 to a suitable collection point or into a canister ( not shown ). the discharge opening is preferably located adjacent the periphery of the cooling tray , and the wiper arms are shaped so that they slowly direct the beans towards the periphery of the tray . the discharge opening is normally closed by a gate 125 that is opened via a suitable actuator ( not shown ) that is manually or automatically ( by the on - board computer ) opened after the beans have been sufficiently cooled . the cooling tray preferably includes perforations 26 a ( not shown and of a sufficiently small size to prevent beans from dropping through or becoming lodged in them ) so that cooling air can be flowed over the beans on the tray to accelerate their cooling and , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , to use the heat of the cooling beans for preheating fresh air before it is heated for roasting a new batch of green beans that was placed into the drum . referring to fig4 and 7 - 10 , each individual roasting machine 14 includes an air supply or circulation system that comprises a blower 48 for generating an air flow through roasting drum 44 for the eventual discharge of the air from the machine . in a presently preferred embodiment of the roasting machine in which 6 - lb . batches of green beans are roasted in about twelve minutes , the blower has a 2½ hp motor , generates a pressure rise of about 1 . 5 psi at about 50 cfm through the air circulation system , and heats the air , as a result of the compression of the air , by about 30 ° f .- 50 ° f . ( about 17 ° c .- 28 ° c .). as is best seen in fig8 , the air circulation system preferably receives fresh intake air that was preheated by flowing it over just - roasted , still - hot beans on cooling tray 26 and through perforations 26 a therein to thereby reduce the overall energy consumption of the machine . since the intake air may pick up particulates and white plume smoke as it passes over the roasted beans on the cooling tray , a prefilter 50 is provided to remove such smoke and debris before the air enters fan 48 . filter 50 preferably comprises a 0 . 3 - micron hepa filter with a relatively low pressure drop so that it can remove the white plume smoke and smoke particulates from the intake air . fan 48 is coupled to a heat exchanger 54 , which preheats the air from the fan . the structure and operation of the heat exchanger is discussed in more detail below . the preheated air flows from the heat exchanger 54 to a heater 56 for heating it to the desired roasting temperature . the heater 56 is preferably a flow - through electric duct ( tubular ) heater 56 capable of heating the incoming air from about 120 ° f . ( about 49 ° c .) and at 50 cfm to the roasting temperature , e . g . about 500 ° f . ( about 260 ° c .). from the heater the roasting air flows via a conduit 92 a and past roasting air inlet 92 into and through the roasting drum from which it exits via used air exit 90 . in the drum , the green beans give off particulates , including chaff , as well as white plume smoke , oily smoke , volatiles , hydrocarbons , and the like , which are carried out of the roasting drum by the air . to enable the discharge of the air into the indoor environment surrounding each individual roasting machine 14 , the used roasting air must be cleaned and cooled before it can be discharged . chaff , an onionskin - like husk byproduct that is flaked off the beans in the roasting drum , is removed in a chaff collector 60 located downstream of and coupled to roasting drum 44 . the chaff collector 60 comprises a vortex particulate separator ( not shown ) that captures the chaff and lets the air through . the chaff collecting tray is periodically removed and cleaned as needed . a primary filter 64 is coupled to the chaff collector 60 via a conduit ( not shown ) for the removal of tars and chaff fines . in one embodiment , the primary filter 64 is made of superfine steel wool media . in another embodiment , a prefilter 62 made from superfine 30 micron media is positioned upstream of the primary filter to remove fines from the air flow and prevent a premature plugging of the filter by the fines . from the primary filter 64 , the used air flows to heat exchanger 54 for cooling . in the presently preferred embodiment , the heat exchanger is formed of a plurality of heat pipes ( not shown ) coupled to cooling fins . the relatively cool intake air flows in one direction over one end of the heat pipe array and the relatively hot exhaust air , separated from the cool air by a wall , is conveyed in the opposite direction over the other end of the heat pipe array . heat from the hot exhaust air is transferred via the heat pipe array to the cool intake air flowing from the blower 48 to preheat it before it enters heater 56 and thereby improve the energy efficiency of the roasting machine . the heat exchanger is about 80 % efficient and typically cools the air exhaust air from about 350 ° ( about 177 ° c .) to 100 ° f . ( about 38 ° c .). alternatively , the heat exchanger can also be formed of double concentric counterflow hoses or pipes . in that case , an outer tube 66 conveys the relatively cool intake air in one direction and an inner tube 68 conveys the relatively hot exhaust air in the opposite direction , or vice versa . heat from the exhaust air is transferred via inner tube 68 to the cool intake air flowing towards fan 48 to thereby preheat it before it enters heater 56 to thereby improve the energy efficiency of the roasting machine . the air is then cooled to about 100 ° f . ( about 38 ° c .) in an aftercooler 72 disposed downstream of and receiving the air from the heat exchanger 54 . it typically cools the air from about 350 ° f . ( about 177 ° c . ), the exit temperature at the main heat exchanger , to about 100 ° f . ( 38 ° c .). in the illustrated alternative embodiment , aftercooler 72 employs a finned - tube heat sink of a serpentine configuration with sufficient length to achieve the desired temperature drop . a high efficiency particulate accumulator (“ hepa ”) filter 74 is coupled to the heat exchanger and a carbon filter 76 is coupled to the hepa filter 74 . the hepa filter 74 is preferably a 0 . 3 - micron media that captures white plume smoke and particles as small as ½ micron with a 99 +% efficiency . the carbon filter 76 employs activated carbon that filters vocs and hydrocarbons ( so 2 , no 2 , etc .) in the used air stream before it is discharged from the machine . the carbon filter 76 can be used to control the amount of vocs , and therewith the coffee aroma that emanates from the roasting machine . thus , and as is illustrated in fig8 , the intake air enters the prefilter 50 , which filters out smoke and / or debris in the air . the fan 48 produces a flow of the air that traverses the entire roasting machine in no more than about 1 second and , preferably , in as little as about ¼ second while the air is heated from ambient at intake to about 500 ° f . ( about 260 ° c .) for roasting and is then cooled again to about room temperature ( approximately 100 ° f ., 38 ° c .) at discharge . the hot air therefore flows through the roasting drum 44 in a continuous , high temperature flow to thereby effectively roast the beans . referring to fig9 , sensors are employed throughout each individual roasting machine 14 for monitoring and controlling the roasting of the beans . for example , a temperature gauge or thermometer 132 and a pressure gauge 134 are disposed at the inlet of the prefilter 50 to measure the inlet air temperature and pressure . a pressure gauge 136 measures the inlet pressure of the fan 48 and another pressure gauge 138 measures the outlet pressure of the fan . the temperature of the air at the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger 54 is measured with temperature gauges 142 and 144 . a further temperature gauge 146 at the outlet of the heater 56 measures the roasting temperature of the air . a thermometer 150 and a pressure gauge 152 can be provided to measure the temperature and pressure in the roasting chamber 44 . a pair of pressure gauges 154 , 156 at the inlet and outlet of the smoke filter 64 measure the pressure drop across it . the exhaust air temperature drop across the heat exchanger 54 is measured with a pair of thermometers 158 , 162 disposed at the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger . another thermometer 164 provided at the outlet of the aftercooler 72 measures the temperature drop caused by it . a pressure gauge 168 at the inlet of the hepa filter 74 measures the inlet pressure . a pressure gauge 170 at the outlet of the hepa filter 74 measures the outlet pressure of the hepa filter 74 and the inlet pressure of the carbon filter 76 . a pressure gauge 172 at the outlet of the carbon filter 76 measures the outlet pressure . if desired , flow rates at various points of the system may be measured with appropriate flow gauges . as discussed above , while it is preferred to use a reflectometer to monitor the darkness of the beans during roasting , spectrometers can be used instead for measuring the color of the beans . spectrometers or calorimeters capable of detecting colors that can be used with the present invention are known . for example , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 684 , 582 issued nov . 4 , 1997 to eastman et al . and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 504 , 575 issued apr . 2 , 1996 to stafford , which are incorporated by reference herein , disclose useable spectrometers . the patent to stafford specifically discusses the use of a spectrometer to monitor the color of food products to ensure a uniform color for the consumer . on - board roasting computer software of the roasting machine 14 serves , among others , the following functions : 1 . receiving in - store operator roasting requests and initiating roasting sequence , including preheating system check , upon request . 2 . rotating the rotary hopper to the desired green beans position and releasing a correct quantity of the beans into the scale funnel 42 . 3 . releasing the beans from the scale funnel 42 into a the roasting chamber 44 . 4 . roasting the beans to the appropriate recipe established at central control station 11 and , if desired , modifying the recipe with real - time barometric input . 5 . guiding roasting development and final roast degree ( darkness ) by real - time input from the laser reflectometer 108 . 6 . starting the cooling tray sweep arm and discharging the roasted beans from the roasting chamber 44 to the cooling tray 26 when the spectrometer 108 determines that roasting is complete . 7 . stirring / cooling the finished beans on the cooling tray 26 and discharging them into the discharge container when ready . 8 . starting loading / roasting the next batch upon discharge of the previous batch to the cooling tray 26 . the block diagram in fig1 illustrates a roasting system that comprises the combined configuration of the bean handling system of fig7 and the internal air control system of fig8 . the arrows illustrate the bean flow and the air flow . the point of intersection between the two flows is located at the roasting chamber 44 , in which the heated air is used to roast the beans . in this embodiment , the intake air comes from and the exhaust air is released into the surrounding environment at a temperature that is close to room temperature . by circulating air taken from outside surroundings of the roasting apparatus 20 and releasing it back into the surroundings , the internal air control system is an open - loop system . an alternative is a closed - loop air circulation system that comprises substantially the same components as the open - loop system . the primary difference is that only a small proportion , e . g . 20 % of the used air , is discharged to the atmosphere , while the remainder , after thorough cleaning , is recirculated through the roasting machine . the earlier discussed hepa and charcoal filters 74 , 76 are effective only at relatively low temperatures of about 100 ° f . ( about 38 ° c .). to prevent the need for cooling the used air to such low temperatures in a closed - loop air circulation system while still removing white plume smoke , vocs , hydrocarbons , and the like , a catalytic converter ( not shown ) may be used instead of such filters . with a catalytic converter the cleaned air can be recirculated to the fan of the machine at significantly higher temperatures , which , in turn , reduces the energy consumption of the machine . water removed from the green beans during roasting and entrained in the recirculating used roasting air is discharged from the system with the earlier mentioned release of a small , e . g . 20 %, proportion of the used air . | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | Is 'Chemistry; Metallurgy' the correct technical category for the patent? | 0.25 | 5a562e0729c99b60b2f728819899174aad5bbd4a7f466a6192701fdb30da1f84 | 0.043945 | 0.007111 | 0.000805 | 0.001167 | 0.040771 | 0.009705 |
null | the present invention is directed to the roasting of foodstuff and , in particular , to a coffee bean roasting method and apparatus having an internal air cleaning system that eliminates the need for exhausting roasting air to the exterior of buildings as well as for an afterburner to clean the roasting air before it is exhausted , that discharges clean air at or near room temperature that can be vented interiorly , and that assures consistent and uniform bean flavor , aroma and quality without the need for an attending roastmaster . as a result , roasting machines made in accordance with this invention can be placed inside stores and can be operated to provide daily roasted coffee beans that have consistent and uniform flavor . all this is achieved at a cost that is typically less than the cost of centrally roasting beans and distributing the roasted beans to retailers as is presently done . although this application makes reference primarily to the roasting of coffee beans , the invention can be applied to roasting other foodstuffs such as other types of beans , seeds , nuts , kernels , and the like . one aspect of the present invention is an automated method of roasting by computer monitoring and control without the need for subjective judgment . applicants have determined that the darkness or color of roasted beans is a reliable indicator of the development of the beans during roasting and the finish of coffee when brewed with such beans . a reflectometer ( or spectrometer ) is used to monitor the change in darkness ( or color ) of the beans during roasting . when the beans have reached a predetermined darkness , the reflectometer sends a signal to the computer to terminate the roasting . to enhance the quality and consistency of the roasted beans , other parameters that affect the ultimate finish can and should also be monitored and input into the computer to control roasting . for instance , the roasting speed , or the time over which the beans are roasted , the color or darkness development during the prescribed roasting time , the prevailing pressure in the roasting chamber , the roasting temperature , and the like can be monitored and used to determine when roasting should cease and / or what roasting parameters , such as heat , air flow or pressure , need to be adjusted . fig1 schematically illustrates a centrally controlled multi - station coffee roasting system 10 constructed and operated in accordance with the invention . it has a central control station 11 that includes a computer or master control server 12 and a plurality of , typically many , geographically dispersed individual roasting machines 14 networked with computer 12 . each of the individual roasting machines 14 includes an on - board computer with programmable logic controllers ( plcs ) and / or a central processing unit ( cpu ) with on - board memory that is networked ( telephonically or by wireless techniques ) with the control server . the control station includes a sample roasting machine 11 a that is constructed substantially identical to the individual roasting machines 14 and with which a roastmaster performs sample roasts of different types of coffee beans to establish for each bean type one or more desired coffee roast profiles and finishes . recordable parameters of relevant characteristics , primarily the darkness of the beans being sample - roasted and , secondarily , the roasting time , roasting pressure , roasting temperature , and the like , are monitored and recorded . when the roastmaster has attained a specific darkness that he or she wish to replicate with the roasting machines 14 installed at the retail establishments , the corresponding roasting parameters 11 b are stored in the memory of master control server 12 . the roastmaster will normally select a number of , say twelve , fifteen , or the like , different types of beans for which the needed roasting parameters are established and stored in the memory of the central processor . all parameters , or at least those for beans that are to be roasted on one or more of the individual roasting machines that form part of the system , are then downloaded to a memory that forms part of the computer contained in each of the individual roasting machines . the stored parameters are then available to control and terminate bean roasting on each individual machine , as is described in more detail below . alternatively , as already mentioned above , each individual roasting machine can be directly controlled with a mainframe computer at the central control station , thereby eliminating the need for on - board computers on the individual roasting machines . in addition to controlling the roasting of the beans by the individual roasting machines , master control server 12 can advantageously be used to monitor and assist in the management of the individual machines . for example , the inventory of green beans at the individual machines may be monitored , and fresh beans can then be automatically reordered from a suitable supplier to assure that sufficient beans are always available when a low - inventory signal is received to assure an adequate bean supply at each individual machine . in addition , the machines , computers and the central computer can be used to monitor and record machine usage ( for example on the basis of processed bean weight , roasting time , or the like ) as well as for billing , establishing profiles of bean types and / or aroma selection systemwide and at each individual roasting machine , and the like . along the same lines , the machines &# 39 ; computers and the central control server can be used for diagnostic purposes , for example to determine malfunctions or needed adjustments and the like for each individual machine , by providing access to the various roasting process monitors and sensors that form part of the roasting machines . a major advantage of the centralized system 10 is that consistent , uniform , high quality bean roasts are assured . further , since each roasting machine is on - site and can be activated whenever needed , the retailer can limit each roast so that no more than one - day &# 39 ; s requirements for the beans are roasted , thereby assuring freshness and the best possible product for the consumer . referring to fig2 , 4 and 6 , an individual roasting machine 14 made according to this invention has a rotary storage hopper 22 for storing and dispensing the foodstuff ( e . g . the beans ) to be roasted . the hopper is on top of and supported by a housing 24 , and a roasting drum 44 is located inside of the housing . a bean handling system directs a selected bean type from hopper 22 into the drum and , after roasting , discharges the roasted beans onto a cooling tray 26 that protrudes horizontally from the housing . also disposed on the inside of housing 24 is an air supply system that heats intake air to the desired roasting temperature , directs the heated air into the roasting drum , and from the drum directs the used or exhaust air through air cooling and air cleaning systems for the subsequent discharge of the used air at about room temperature into the atmosphere immediately surrounding the roasting machine . thus , when installed in a supermarket , for example , the used air will be discharged into the interior of the surrounding building . to be acceptable for complete indoor installation and operation , the used air cleaning system removes all pollutants , such as white plume smoke , oily smoke , particulate matter , including chaff , volatiles , hydrocarbons , and the like , that are generated during roasting before the air is discharged from the machine . referring to fig2 and 3 , rotary hopper 22 has a cylindrical exterior , comprises , for example , sixteen sector - shaped , upright compartments 30 arranged about the center of the hopper , and is rotatable about an upright shaft 30 . a drive ( not separately shown ) incrementally advances the hopper about the upright shaft for indexing a bean discharge opening 36 at the bottom of each compartment with a green bean scale 42 of the roasting machine . a gate 116 keeps the compartment discharge openings 36 normally closed . when the opening of a given compartment is aligned with the scale and beans are to be transferred to the roasting drum , an actuator 117 under the control of the on - board computer of the roasting machine opens the gate so that the beans gravitationally flow onto the scale . when the desired quantity of beans has been transferred to the scale , the compartment gate is closed again . in one preferred embodiment of the invention , appropriate electronics 42 a of the scale generate a weight - responsive electrical signal that is used to close the compartment gate when the preselected quantity of beans has been received on the scale . the hopper 22 includes a removable lid or cover 34 ( fig2 ) to protect the beans and provide access to the hopper compartment , for example for replenishing the beans in the compartments . referring to fig5 , 5 a and 5 b , the roasting of the beans takes place in a roasting drum 44 formed by concentric inner and outer drums 82 , 84 . the outer drum is cylindrical , stationary , sealed and has an upright front plate that is fixed , e . g . bolted to the frame . the outer drum forms a horizontal tubular chamber that extends rearwardly and , at the aft end of the outer drum , mounts an aft end plate 102 that defines a downwardly extending exhaust air outlet 90 . in a presently preferred embodiment , the aft end of the outer drum and the forward end of the aft plate 102 form mating flanges that are held together with a conventional , schematically illustrated flange clamp 103 that permits quick removal of the clamp and disassembly of the drum . the inner drum is perforated and has a rear wall 83 and a spider 85 with preferably three equally - spaced , radial legs that project inwardly from the inner drum , or two spiders 85 ( the second being substituted for the rear wall 83 ). at the axial center of the drum , the rear wall and spider ( s ) are fixed to a drum shaft 87 that is rotatable in shaft bearings 87 a and 87 b of front plate 104 and aft plate 103 of the outer drum . a pulley 89 driven by a motor ( not separately shown ) via a belt 89 a rotates shaft 87 and therewith the inner drum in a given , say clockwise , direction ( as viewed in fig5 a ). the inner drum further includes a plurality of elongated , generally longitudinally extending vanes 94 that project perpendicular to the inner drum wall and extend along a thread - like or helical line over the length of the inner drum . in the presently preferred embodiment , four such vanes are equally spaced about the inside of the inner drum , and the vanes extend through the sector - shaped openings formed by the radial legs of the spiders 85 . to remove beans that may become trapped in the annular space between the inner and outer drums , a spiral bean removal brush 91 can optionally be provided . it is made of heat - resistant material , e . g . stainless steel , extends helically over the length of the inner drum , and projects from the periphery thereof into the annular space to a point close to but slightly spaced from the inner surface of the outer drum 84 . when the drum rotates , beans in the annular space between the drums are moved rearwardly by brush 91 and are ultimately discharged into the downwardly extending exhaust air outlet 90 ( or into a bean collection receptacle or a separately provided bean removal conduit ( not shown )). front plate 104 of roasting drum 44 has a tubular bean intake conduit 86 the open end of which is positioned immediately below a scale discharge opening 43 so that a fresh batch of green beans that has been weighed on the scale flows gravitationally into the drum for roasting by opening gate 43 a following the weighing of the beans by the scale . roasted beans are removed from drum 44 via a bean outlet 88 in front plate 104 and via a discharge chute 110 onto cooling tray 26 by opening a drum discharge gate 122 . during roasting , the pressure inside the roasting drum exceeds atmospheric pressure , in a presently preferred embodiment by about 1 . 5 psi . to prevent the escape of the hot roasting air , a gate — in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention , a butterfly disc 86 a — is placed in the tubular conduit 86 between scale 42 and the interior of the drum . the butterfly disc includes a heat - resistant seal ( not separately shown ) that prevents the hot , pressurized air in the drum from escaping through the bean intake conduit . the butterfly disc remains closed at all times except when a fresh batch of green beans is to be gravitationally transferred from the scale to the drum interior . it is operated by a suitable drive ( not separately shown ) that is under the control of the computer of the roasting machine and is preferably synchronized with the activator ( not shown ) for scale gate 43 a . similarly , bean discharge gate 122 is provided with a seal formed by a high temperature seal ring ( not separately shown ) that prevents the escape of hot , pressurized air from the interior of the drum when the gate is in its closed position . in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention , discharge gate 122 is hinged to the front plate 104 along its upper edge and a linear drive ( not separately shown ) is provided for opening and closing the discharge gate . the drive for the discharge gate is also under the control of the computer of the roasting machine . as is described in more detail below , the roasting of the beans is monitored with a reflectometer 108 ( or a spectrometer for monitoring color ) suitably mounted adjacent to front plate 104 with a holder 108 a . the reflectometer directs a laser beam 109 through a window 98 in the front plate into the interior of the roasting drum . finally , rear plate 104 includes a hot roasting air inlet 92 that receives hot roasting air from an air intake conduit 92 a . turning now to the manner in which fresh or green coffee beans are roasted in accordance with the invention , different types of green beans are placed into the hopper compartment 30 and an appropriate command is entered into an on - board computer 40 of the roasting machine which of the bean types is to be roasted . its computer selects the appropriate hopper compartment and activates the hopper drive ( not shown in the drawings ) to rotationally advance the hopper until the discharge opening 36 of the selected compartment is immediately above scale 42 . actuator 117 opens hopper gate 116 and green beans gravitationally drop onto the scale where they are weighed . when the desired weight of beans that is to be roasted has been received on the scale , the actuator , preferably via a signal from scale electronics 42 a , closes the hopper gate and therewith terminates the transfer of beans . the computer next activates the drive for bean inlet closure disc 86 a to open it and also opens gate 43 a in scale discharge opening 43 , thereby permitting the beans to gravitationally flow from the scale via bean inlet 86 into the interior of inner drum 82 . thereafter intake disc gate 86 a , as well as bean discharge gate 122 , are closed , or maintained closed , to form a seal and prevent the escape of pressurized air from the interior of the drum through the bean intake or outlet . the drum drive ( not separately shown ) is energized , to rotate in a drum 82 via pulley 89 , and the air circulation system is activated to flow hot roasting air through hot air inlet 92 and the interior of the drum for discharge through exhaust or used air outlet 90 , thereby bringing the beans to the roasting temperature . the green beans introduced into the drum at the beginning of roasting initially rest at the bottom of the inner drum 82 . when rotation commences , the radially inwardly extending vanes 94 pick up quantities of beans in a pocket defined by each vane and the portion of the inner drum adjoining the vane . as rotation of the drum continues , the beans in the pocket are lifted upwardly until the vane rises above the axis of shaft 87 , at which point the side of the vane facing the pocket becomes downwardly inclined and the beans roll off the vane under the influence of gravity . the vanes are helically curved so that the sides thereof that form the pocket slope downwardly towards front plate 104 of the roasting drum . as a result , as the inner drum rotates , the beans in the pocket are also urged towards the front plate . thus , a stream of beans 95 from the elevated vane is intermittently formed in the vicinity of window 98 each time one of the vanes ( with beans in the pocket ) rises above the shaft centerline . in the process , the beans become heated to the roasting temperature and as roasting time continues they undergo a gradual color change and darkening , which , for coffee beans , progresses from an initial gray - green color of the green beans to a light color giving the beans a bleached appearance and then to increasingly dark shades of brown . the laser ( not separately shown ) of the reflectometer 108 is continuously or intermittently activated to direct laser light onto the stream of beans 95 on the inside of the drum . laser light impinging on the beans is reflected and the reflected light is sensed and analyzed by the reflectometer , for example by determining its wavelength . the desired darkness of the finished roasted beans ( which was previously downloaded from the computer at the central control station ) is stored in the memory of the on - board computer 40 of the roasting machine and compared with an output signal generated by the reflectometer that indicates the darkness of the beans in real time . when the signal from the reflectometer matches the stored signal in the on - board computer , roasting is terminated . in a preferred embodiment , roasting is terminated by initially ceasing the heating of the roasting air flowing into the drum while continuing to rotate the inner drum ( with bean outlet gate 122 closed ) for about 30 to 45 seconds in a gradually cooling environment that enhances the finish that can be obtained with many types of beans . in addition , while full heat roasting of the beans continues , the light / dark development of the beans inside the drum is monitored by reflectometer 108 , which generates corresponding signals that are fed to the on - board computer . in a preferred embodiment , the memory of the on - board computer includes light / dark level data that was generated during sample roasting at the central control station , typically as a function of roasting time and / or roasting temperature . whenever the darkness level of the beans being roasted deviates from the corresponding stored darkness level data , operating parameters , such as the roasting air temperature and / or roasting air flow rate , are adjusted to bring the darkness level of the beans being roasted in compliance with the stored darkness information in the memory of the on - board computer . in this manner , the test roast , which was performed to establish optimal roasting parameters for a given type of bean and / or roasting profile , is precisely replicated at each and every roasting operation on any and all of the individual roasting machines that are networked with the central computer at the central computer 12 at control station 11 . once the beans are ready for discharge , the on - board computer activates the drive ( not shown ) for bean discharge gate 122 by moving it into its open position shown in fig6 . the continued rotation of inner drum 83 , coupled with the helical shape of vanes 94 therein , gradually moves the beans in the direction of bean discharge opening 88 , from where the roasted beans gravitationally drop onto cooling tray 26 . the cooling tray is preferably circular in shape ( see fig2 ) and includes one or more wiper arms 27 that slowly rotate with upright shaft 27 a protruding from the tray . the arms gradually move the beans over the tray to facilitate their cooling , and , upon completion of the cooling , push the beans through a finish roasted bean discharge opening 124 to a suitable collection point or into a canister ( not shown ). the discharge opening is preferably located adjacent the periphery of the cooling tray , and the wiper arms are shaped so that they slowly direct the beans towards the periphery of the tray . the discharge opening is normally closed by a gate 125 that is opened via a suitable actuator ( not shown ) that is manually or automatically ( by the on - board computer ) opened after the beans have been sufficiently cooled . the cooling tray preferably includes perforations 26 a ( not shown and of a sufficiently small size to prevent beans from dropping through or becoming lodged in them ) so that cooling air can be flowed over the beans on the tray to accelerate their cooling and , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , to use the heat of the cooling beans for preheating fresh air before it is heated for roasting a new batch of green beans that was placed into the drum . referring to fig4 and 7 - 10 , each individual roasting machine 14 includes an air supply or circulation system that comprises a blower 48 for generating an air flow through roasting drum 44 for the eventual discharge of the air from the machine . in a presently preferred embodiment of the roasting machine in which 6 - lb . batches of green beans are roasted in about twelve minutes , the blower has a 2½ hp motor , generates a pressure rise of about 1 . 5 psi at about 50 cfm through the air circulation system , and heats the air , as a result of the compression of the air , by about 30 ° f .- 50 ° f . ( about 17 ° c .- 28 ° c .). as is best seen in fig8 , the air circulation system preferably receives fresh intake air that was preheated by flowing it over just - roasted , still - hot beans on cooling tray 26 and through perforations 26 a therein to thereby reduce the overall energy consumption of the machine . since the intake air may pick up particulates and white plume smoke as it passes over the roasted beans on the cooling tray , a prefilter 50 is provided to remove such smoke and debris before the air enters fan 48 . filter 50 preferably comprises a 0 . 3 - micron hepa filter with a relatively low pressure drop so that it can remove the white plume smoke and smoke particulates from the intake air . fan 48 is coupled to a heat exchanger 54 , which preheats the air from the fan . the structure and operation of the heat exchanger is discussed in more detail below . the preheated air flows from the heat exchanger 54 to a heater 56 for heating it to the desired roasting temperature . the heater 56 is preferably a flow - through electric duct ( tubular ) heater 56 capable of heating the incoming air from about 120 ° f . ( about 49 ° c .) and at 50 cfm to the roasting temperature , e . g . about 500 ° f . ( about 260 ° c .). from the heater the roasting air flows via a conduit 92 a and past roasting air inlet 92 into and through the roasting drum from which it exits via used air exit 90 . in the drum , the green beans give off particulates , including chaff , as well as white plume smoke , oily smoke , volatiles , hydrocarbons , and the like , which are carried out of the roasting drum by the air . to enable the discharge of the air into the indoor environment surrounding each individual roasting machine 14 , the used roasting air must be cleaned and cooled before it can be discharged . chaff , an onionskin - like husk byproduct that is flaked off the beans in the roasting drum , is removed in a chaff collector 60 located downstream of and coupled to roasting drum 44 . the chaff collector 60 comprises a vortex particulate separator ( not shown ) that captures the chaff and lets the air through . the chaff collecting tray is periodically removed and cleaned as needed . a primary filter 64 is coupled to the chaff collector 60 via a conduit ( not shown ) for the removal of tars and chaff fines . in one embodiment , the primary filter 64 is made of superfine steel wool media . in another embodiment , a prefilter 62 made from superfine 30 micron media is positioned upstream of the primary filter to remove fines from the air flow and prevent a premature plugging of the filter by the fines . from the primary filter 64 , the used air flows to heat exchanger 54 for cooling . in the presently preferred embodiment , the heat exchanger is formed of a plurality of heat pipes ( not shown ) coupled to cooling fins . the relatively cool intake air flows in one direction over one end of the heat pipe array and the relatively hot exhaust air , separated from the cool air by a wall , is conveyed in the opposite direction over the other end of the heat pipe array . heat from the hot exhaust air is transferred via the heat pipe array to the cool intake air flowing from the blower 48 to preheat it before it enters heater 56 and thereby improve the energy efficiency of the roasting machine . the heat exchanger is about 80 % efficient and typically cools the air exhaust air from about 350 ° ( about 177 ° c .) to 100 ° f . ( about 38 ° c .). alternatively , the heat exchanger can also be formed of double concentric counterflow hoses or pipes . in that case , an outer tube 66 conveys the relatively cool intake air in one direction and an inner tube 68 conveys the relatively hot exhaust air in the opposite direction , or vice versa . heat from the exhaust air is transferred via inner tube 68 to the cool intake air flowing towards fan 48 to thereby preheat it before it enters heater 56 to thereby improve the energy efficiency of the roasting machine . the air is then cooled to about 100 ° f . ( about 38 ° c .) in an aftercooler 72 disposed downstream of and receiving the air from the heat exchanger 54 . it typically cools the air from about 350 ° f . ( about 177 ° c . ), the exit temperature at the main heat exchanger , to about 100 ° f . ( 38 ° c .). in the illustrated alternative embodiment , aftercooler 72 employs a finned - tube heat sink of a serpentine configuration with sufficient length to achieve the desired temperature drop . a high efficiency particulate accumulator (“ hepa ”) filter 74 is coupled to the heat exchanger and a carbon filter 76 is coupled to the hepa filter 74 . the hepa filter 74 is preferably a 0 . 3 - micron media that captures white plume smoke and particles as small as ½ micron with a 99 +% efficiency . the carbon filter 76 employs activated carbon that filters vocs and hydrocarbons ( so 2 , no 2 , etc .) in the used air stream before it is discharged from the machine . the carbon filter 76 can be used to control the amount of vocs , and therewith the coffee aroma that emanates from the roasting machine . thus , and as is illustrated in fig8 , the intake air enters the prefilter 50 , which filters out smoke and / or debris in the air . the fan 48 produces a flow of the air that traverses the entire roasting machine in no more than about 1 second and , preferably , in as little as about ¼ second while the air is heated from ambient at intake to about 500 ° f . ( about 260 ° c .) for roasting and is then cooled again to about room temperature ( approximately 100 ° f ., 38 ° c .) at discharge . the hot air therefore flows through the roasting drum 44 in a continuous , high temperature flow to thereby effectively roast the beans . referring to fig9 , sensors are employed throughout each individual roasting machine 14 for monitoring and controlling the roasting of the beans . for example , a temperature gauge or thermometer 132 and a pressure gauge 134 are disposed at the inlet of the prefilter 50 to measure the inlet air temperature and pressure . a pressure gauge 136 measures the inlet pressure of the fan 48 and another pressure gauge 138 measures the outlet pressure of the fan . the temperature of the air at the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger 54 is measured with temperature gauges 142 and 144 . a further temperature gauge 146 at the outlet of the heater 56 measures the roasting temperature of the air . a thermometer 150 and a pressure gauge 152 can be provided to measure the temperature and pressure in the roasting chamber 44 . a pair of pressure gauges 154 , 156 at the inlet and outlet of the smoke filter 64 measure the pressure drop across it . the exhaust air temperature drop across the heat exchanger 54 is measured with a pair of thermometers 158 , 162 disposed at the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger . another thermometer 164 provided at the outlet of the aftercooler 72 measures the temperature drop caused by it . a pressure gauge 168 at the inlet of the hepa filter 74 measures the inlet pressure . a pressure gauge 170 at the outlet of the hepa filter 74 measures the outlet pressure of the hepa filter 74 and the inlet pressure of the carbon filter 76 . a pressure gauge 172 at the outlet of the carbon filter 76 measures the outlet pressure . if desired , flow rates at various points of the system may be measured with appropriate flow gauges . as discussed above , while it is preferred to use a reflectometer to monitor the darkness of the beans during roasting , spectrometers can be used instead for measuring the color of the beans . spectrometers or calorimeters capable of detecting colors that can be used with the present invention are known . for example , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 684 , 582 issued nov . 4 , 1997 to eastman et al . and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 504 , 575 issued apr . 2 , 1996 to stafford , which are incorporated by reference herein , disclose useable spectrometers . the patent to stafford specifically discusses the use of a spectrometer to monitor the color of food products to ensure a uniform color for the consumer . on - board roasting computer software of the roasting machine 14 serves , among others , the following functions : 1 . receiving in - store operator roasting requests and initiating roasting sequence , including preheating system check , upon request . 2 . rotating the rotary hopper to the desired green beans position and releasing a correct quantity of the beans into the scale funnel 42 . 3 . releasing the beans from the scale funnel 42 into a the roasting chamber 44 . 4 . roasting the beans to the appropriate recipe established at central control station 11 and , if desired , modifying the recipe with real - time barometric input . 5 . guiding roasting development and final roast degree ( darkness ) by real - time input from the laser reflectometer 108 . 6 . starting the cooling tray sweep arm and discharging the roasted beans from the roasting chamber 44 to the cooling tray 26 when the spectrometer 108 determines that roasting is complete . 7 . stirring / cooling the finished beans on the cooling tray 26 and discharging them into the discharge container when ready . 8 . starting loading / roasting the next batch upon discharge of the previous batch to the cooling tray 26 . the block diagram in fig1 illustrates a roasting system that comprises the combined configuration of the bean handling system of fig7 and the internal air control system of fig8 . the arrows illustrate the bean flow and the air flow . the point of intersection between the two flows is located at the roasting chamber 44 , in which the heated air is used to roast the beans . in this embodiment , the intake air comes from and the exhaust air is released into the surrounding environment at a temperature that is close to room temperature . by circulating air taken from outside surroundings of the roasting apparatus 20 and releasing it back into the surroundings , the internal air control system is an open - loop system . an alternative is a closed - loop air circulation system that comprises substantially the same components as the open - loop system . the primary difference is that only a small proportion , e . g . 20 % of the used air , is discharged to the atmosphere , while the remainder , after thorough cleaning , is recirculated through the roasting machine . the earlier discussed hepa and charcoal filters 74 , 76 are effective only at relatively low temperatures of about 100 ° f . ( about 38 ° c .). to prevent the need for cooling the used air to such low temperatures in a closed - loop air circulation system while still removing white plume smoke , vocs , hydrocarbons , and the like , a catalytic converter ( not shown ) may be used instead of such filters . with a catalytic converter the cleaned air can be recirculated to the fan of the machine at significantly higher temperatures , which , in turn , reduces the energy consumption of the machine . water removed from the green beans during roasting and entrained in the recirculating used roasting air is discharged from the system with the earlier mentioned release of a small , e . g . 20 %, proportion of the used air . | Should this patent be classified under 'Human Necessities'? | Does the content of this patent fall under the category of 'Textiles; Paper'? | 0.25 | 5a562e0729c99b60b2f728819899174aad5bbd4a7f466a6192701fdb30da1f84 | 0.043945 | 0.004333 | 0.000805 | 0.000116 | 0.040771 | 0.010681 |
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