Loosening method and loosening device for cooked rice

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9974322-B2
Application number	US-201414896391-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2014
Priority date	Jun 6, 2013
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A device includes a loosening room into which cooked rice is fed, an air blowing port which is configured to blow high-speed air toward the cooked rice in the loosening room; and a collecting room provided adjacent to the loosening room with a wall therebetween, the high-speed air is blown from the blowing port and is blown to the cooked rice in the loosening room such that the cooked rice is scatted and floated by blowing the air, and the cooked rice floating and moving over the wall is collected by the collecting room.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cooked rice loosening method comprising:
feeding cooked rice into a loosening room;
continuously advancing the loosing room;
blowing high-speed air to the cooked rice in the advancing loosening room, the speed of the high-speed air being sufficient to scatter and float the cooked rice in the advancing loosening room;
scattering and floating the cooked rice in the advancing loosening room; and
gradually reducing an amount of the cooked rice in the advancing loosening room by collecting the scattered and floated rice in a collecting room provided adjacent to the advancing loosening room.

2. The cooked rice loosening method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the loosening room and the collecting room are partitioned by a wall, and
the cooked rice floated by the high-speed air moves over the wall into the collecting room.

3. A cooked rice loosening device comprising:
a loosening room, which in operation, receives cooked rice and is transferable along a transfer path;
an air blowing port provided in plural above the transfer path, which in operation, blows high-speed air toward the cooked rice in the loosening room, a speed of the high-speed air being sufficient to scatter and float the cooked rice received in the loosening room;
a collecting room adjacent to the loosening room and at a side of the transfer path of the loosening room; and
a wall between the loosening room and the collecting room,
wherein the high-speed air blown from the blowing port causes the cooked rice to be scattered and floated, and the floated cooked rice moves over the wall into the collecting room.

4. The cooked rice loosening device according to claim 3 ,
wherein a top plate is provided above the loosening room at a position higher than the wall provided between the loosening room and the collecting room such that a gap is formed between the top plate and the wall.

5. The cooked rice loosening device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the speed of the high-speed air blown from the air blowing port is between 50 m/s and 100 m/s.

Assignees

• Nissin Foods Holdings Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yasuda Shigeru
• Machida Noriyuki
• Saeki Kentaro
• Kasuga Hiroshi
• Tanaka Mitsuru

Classifications

• A23L5/30 Primary

  Physical treatment, e.g. electrical or magnetic means, wave energy or irradiation (cooking A23L5/10) · CPC title

• A23L7/196

  Products in which the original granular shape is maintained, e.g. parboiled rice · CPC title

• A23L7/143 Primary

  Cereal granules or flakes to be cooked and eaten hot, e.g. oatmeal; Reformed rice products · CPC title

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• F26B2200/06

  Grains, e.g. cereals, wheat, rice, corn · CPC title