US3642012A

US3642012A - Sterilizing apparatus for continuously sterilizing articles by flames means

Info

Publication number: US3642012A
Application number: US854996A
Authority: US
Inventors: Karl Kereluk
Original assignee: American Sterilizer Co
Current assignee: American Sterilizer Co
Priority date: 1969-09-03
Filing date: 1969-09-03
Publication date: 1972-02-15
Anticipated expiration: 1989-02-15
Also published as: CA920477A

Abstract

A combination dishwasher and sterilizer. The dishwasher has a conveyor for dishes which carries the dishes through a chamber having several zones which include a prime rinse zone, a wash zone and a final rinse zone. From the final rinse zone, the dishes pass through flames from two gas burners which direct the gas flames onto the dishes both from above and from below, killing bacteria on the dishes. A heat exchanger is provided which utilizes the heat from the flames to heat the rinse water for the final rinse.

Description

United States Patent Kereluk 1 Feb. 15,1972

154] STERILIZING APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY STERILIZING ARTICLES BY FLAMES MEANS [72] Inventor: Karl Kereluk, Fairview, Pa.

[7 3] Assignee: American Sterilizer Company, Erie, Pa.

[22] Filed: Sept. 3, 1969 [21 1 Appl. No.: 854,996

[52] US. Cl "134/83, 21/92, 134/19, 134/105, 263/6 [51] Int. Cl. ..A6113/00, B081: 3/10, F27b 9/20 [58] FieldoiSearch ..l34/19,82, 83, 105, 106, 107; 21/78, 79,80, 92

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,136,110 4/1915 Eberhart ..134/19UX 1,215,107 2/1917 Bush ..2l/79 UX 1,761,812 6/1930 Breton ..21/80 UX 1,992,460 2/1935 Baldwin ..21/79 2,036,503 4/1936 Russell 134/107 UX 2,095,502 10/1937 Johnston... ..21/80 X 2,644,473 7/1953 Fox et a1. ..134/72 3,018,184 1/1962 Martin ..21/78 UX Primary Examiner-Daniel Blum Attorney-Charles L. Lovercheck 1 1 ABSTRACT A combination dishwasher and sterilizer. The dishwasher has a conveyor for dishes which carries the dishes through a chamber having several zones which include a prime rinse zone, a wash zone and a final rinse zone. From the final rinse zone, the dishes pass through flames from two gas burners which direct the gas flames onto the dishes both from above and from below, killing bacteria on the dishes. A heat exchanger is provided which utilizes the heat from the flames to heat the rinse water for the final rinse.

10 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures )unnnluiununnn "in"! nu;

PATENTEDFEB15 m2 DR. KARL KERSLUk hynu ununuavnua-n aununnynunwnu nununununununununununun-nunqn-nuaunu nun-a nunumqj STERILIZING APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY STERILIZING ARTICLES BY FLAMES MEANS STATEMENT OF INVENTION This invention relates to sterilizers and, more particularly, to combination dishwashers and a flame sterilizer. In the invention disclosed herein, direct flame sterilizer is provided to sterilize dishes and eating utensils as they pass through a dishwasher. An open flame is directed onto the dishes as they are removed from the dishwasher; that is, the dishes move on a conveyor which passes between the long flames from gas jets and plays on the dishes. A heat reflector is provided below the flames to reflect heat onto the dishes to dry them. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved combination dishwasher and sterilizer.

REFERENCE TO PRIOR ART Prior patents which show open flames used for sterilizing are shown in US. Pat. No. 2,345,72l US. Pat No. 958,259 but no one has, to applicant's knowledge, used an open flame in combination with a dishwasher to sterilize dishes as they move from a dishwasher.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide an improved dishwasher-sterilizer combination.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved open flame sterilizer.

Yet another object is to provide a combination dishwasher and sterilizer wherein the heat from an open flame sterilizer is utilized in a heat exchanger to heat the water in a final rinse stage ofthe washing phase.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG, I is a longitudinal view partly in cross section ofa dishwasher-sterilizer combination according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings show the dishwasher-sterilizer combination which is enclosed in a chamber having a suitable top 51, bottom 52, entrance 30, and discharge opening 3] for trays of dishes or the like. The chamber is supported on legs 43.

A conveyor 1] which may be the conventional roller-type conveyor is shown which may support trays of dishes or utensils. The trays pass through the entrance 30, through the wash rinse zone 12, a wash zone 13, and a final rinse zone 14. These zones will be supplied water through line 33, which will be discharged through drain line 34. Water for the wash-rinse zone 12, the wash zone 13, and the final rinse zone 14 is supplied t'rom water dispensing means I5, 16, and 17 respective ly. These are connected in series with lines 33 and 34 as shown. It will be noted that water from line 33 flows through the dispensing means 17 first so that the final rinse water is hotter than the wash water in zone 13. Likewise, the washrinse water for zone 12 is least hot since the water is adjacent the drain line 34 at this point.

The water to the final rinse zone 14 will be heated by a booster heat exchanger output part I8, which will e supplied heat from the heat exchanger input part 19. The heat exchanger input part 19 receives its heat from convection from the flames from jets 22 and 23 as the hot gas from these flames passes over the heat exchanger and is caught in the hood 26 and flows out a suitable vent through the exhaust stack 37 and out the chimney 38. A damper 39 is provided to regulate the flow of hot gases. The heat exchanger 19 is supported in the path of convection of the hot gases flowing from the burners as they escape to the exhaust stack 37. These heat exchangers 19 can be any of the well-known type of heat exchangers familiar to those skilled in the art, such as, for example, mned tube heat exchangers, plain pipes, or any other suitable type of heat exchanger.

Gas is supplied from line 2] from which it flows to the laterally extending line 40 and to line 25 and to line 41, which are connected to the line 21 in a generally U-shaped arrangement. The jets 22 and 23 are supported on the lines 40 and 41 respectively.

The upper burners are indicated at 23 and the lower burners are indicated at 22. The flames from burners 22 and 23 are indicated at 42 and 43 and will impinge on the dishes and fairly cover them so that when the dishes pass through exit opening 31, they will be thoroughly sterilized and dried.

The flame sterilizer, made up oflines 21, 25, 40 and 41, can be used as an add-on to an existing sterilizer.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

Iclaim;

l. A washer-sterilizer combination comprising,

a chamber,

washing means in said chamber having a washing section and a sterilizing section,

means to move dishes through said chamber, through said washing section, and through said sterilizing section,

sterilizing means in said sterilizing section disposed in a position spaced from said washing section,

said sterilizing means comprising a flame generating means below said dishes and directing a first flame onto said dishes and a flame generating means above said dishes directing a second flame onto said dishes from above said first flame overlapping said second flame whereby said flames engage said dishes and whereby said dishes are sterilized.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said sterilizing means comprises a plurality of laterally disposed gas burners supported below said conveyor.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said sterilizing means comprises a plurality of said gas burners spaced laterally and disposed above said conveyor and a plurality of said gas burners spaced laterally from each other and supported below said conveyor and adapted to project flames on said dishes.

4. The combination recited in claim 3 wherein a hood is supported above said gas flame and exhaust means is connected to said hood for removing exhaust gases from said chamber.

5. The combination recited in claim 4 wherein a first heat exchanger part is supported in said hood and a second heat exchanger part is connected to said first heat exchanger part and said second heat exchanger part being disposed in operative relation with a rinse water source for heating said rinse water.

6. The combination recited in claim 5 wherein a first heat exchanger part is supported above said flames.

7. The combination recited in claim 5 wherein said chamber has a prime rinse zone, a wash zone and a final rinse zone through which dishes are carried on a conveyor prior to said sterilizing means.

8. The combination recited in claim 7 wherein said conveyor is a roller conveyor having longitudinally spaced rollers laterally extending.

9. The combination recited in claim 7 wherein said flame generating means supported on said chamber above said conveyor comprise a gas line extending laterally substantially from one side of said chamber to the other and spaced gas burners adapted to provide long flames attached to said line.

10. The combination recited in claim 7 wherein said burners below said conveyor comprise a laterally extending pipe extending substantially from one side of said chamber to the other and spaced burners attached to said pipe.

Claims

1. A washer-sterilizer combination comprising, a chamber, washing means in said chamber having a washing section and a sterilizing section, means to move dishes through said chamber, through said washing section, and through said sterilizing section, sterilizing means in said sterilizing section disposed in a position spaced from said washing section, said sterilizing means comprising a flame generating means below said dishes and directing a first flame onto said dishes and a flame generating means above said dishes directing a second flame onto said dishes from above said first flame overlapping said second flame whereby said flames engage said dishes and whereby said dishes are sterilized.