May 18 , 1926.
G. C, SUPPLEE
£584,503“
METHOD OF PACKING FOOD PRODUCTS AND CONTAINER THEREFOR"
Filed Augus’c‘ l5 , 1924
2 Sheet's-Sheert I 1
l/VVE/VTÜH
GEaRGE C. SUP/#LEE
May 18 , 1926.
G. C. SUPPLEE
METHOD oF PACKING F-GQD PROBUCTS AND CONTAINER THEREFOR
Filed August- 15 , 1.924
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PatentedlMay 18,’. 1926.
_ '1 "1,584,903 y
UNITED sra'res> PATE-'NT oFFICE.
" GEORGE c. sUrrLEE, or ADAMS, NEW Yoan.
. ' METHOD OF PACKING- FOOD PRODUCTS AND CONTAINER THEREFOR. I
Application íiledvAu'gust 15, 1924. Serial 11m-732,141.
_My invention relates to the packing of air Acombines ,with the oxygen -thereof to
dry milk and other foods in such a manner form ferrie oxid or common iron rust
as to preserve them for a long time. To ac (FezOS). As these reactions proceed upon
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complish this result, I have devised a novel a quantitative basis, the' amounts of >mate-v
method and ya’novel type 'of _container in rial required- can be calculate-d with mathe
which ’reducing chemicals are employed to matical accuracy. For example., let it be as
-act on the oxygen of the air within the con sumed that the volume of air in the packed
tainer, so as to prevent such oxygenpfrom `container equals1000 c. c.; 209 c. c. of oxy 65
exerting al deteriorating influence on the gen must bev removed, leaving 791 c. c. of
food; at the same time, my invention in nitrogen and a partial vacuum according to
sures permanent separation of said chemi the amount of oxygen- absorbed. In case-the
cals from the food, so that the latter may outside lair should leak into the can slowly
not be injured byÍ direct contact with such during long storage periods,l the oxygen of 70
such incoming air could alsol'be absorbed un
Several examples of containers of the typeJ til equal pressure existed .inside and outside l
invented by me are illust-rated by the -accom the can. Under such a condition, the can
panying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a cen becomes automatically filled with an atmos
tral vertical section through a container em phere consisting almost. exclusively of nitro 18
chemicals.
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hodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an inverted gen, and no vacuum exists. Therefore, in
sectional detail showing the construction of , order to provide sufiicient iron sulphate to the receptacle for the chemical; Fig. 3 is a take up all-the oxygen which might seep in,
central vertical section throughv a modified it is necessary to add more than the theoretl
form of the container; Fig. 4 is a plan view _cal _amount required to take up the oxygen
partly brokenaway‘of the container shown originally in the can. Calculations _show
in Fig. v3 and Fig. 5 is a central section of that in a can of this size, provision should be
still another modified form of the container made to absorb 266 c. tc. of oxygen. One
with parts of a receptacle being shown in gram of f the iron >sulphate completely
sidel elevation and in section.
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changed through the hydroxid to iron oxid
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In Figs. 1 and 2,' the- numeral 10 indicates (iron rust) requires l0.02852 grams of
a container of any suitable construction, oxygen._- One liter of , pure oxygen
. 'but which as shown is provided with a top weighs 1.4292 grams, therefore 0.38038vv
or cover 11, which may 'be removable and, grams of oxygen must-be absorbed. This re
in the illustrated example, is secur ly locked quires 13.2 grams of the iron sulphate. To 90
to the container, for instance as in icated at convert this amount of sulphate into the Veas
'12. Adjacent to its bottom edge, the con ily oxidizable hydroxid, 3.52 grams of lime
tainer-- is provided with an inwardly project are required.. Similar calculations may ob
ing shoulder or bead 13, against which a viously «be made for other sizes of containers
receptacle or tray 14 is adaptedäto be seated from which the oxygen is to be taken up.
The iron sulphate either ground or un 95
' and held in place by the bottom 15 which is .
ground
may be kept for long periods with
40 turned or rolled to form, with the main
body portion of the container, the rolled out material> deterioration. The success of
seam A16. In the example illustrated, the _the method _involves getting the u'noxidized
container is shown `as filled with a food hydroxid in the can and getting the- can
product in a dried or powdered condition. sealed before the material has been rendered
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inert and useless by taking up any consider
The tray 11 vis filled with the reducing re
agent 17 which preferably consists of com- I able amount of oxygen. When the iron sul- 4
mercial ferrous sulphate (FeSOJHzO) l phate is mixed with’the' lime, the time elaps-'
freshly ground to a -coarse powder and ing before rapid absorption of oxygen takes y los
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mixed witha suitable proportion of dry' piace depends upon the rap1dity of forma
lime Ca(OI-I\ 2'. The freshly round fer tion of the hydroxid, which _inyturn can be
rous sulphate is sufiicientl'y ino-1st to allow controlled ‘by varying the amount of> free
the starting of a chemical 'reaction between moisture in _the -lime and in the iron sull
phate. In my experimental work I have`-
the sulphate and the lime whereby iron hy
- droxidjFe(OI-I)2 is formed. The ir-on hy-- been ‘able- to extend this time to several 110
Several hund-red cans may be~
55 droxid formed Iby this reaction is an inter-. minutes.
mediate product 'which on contact with the packed by this method where only one per~~
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1,584,903
son measures and mixes the lime and sul droxid is formed, the action of which is
phate by hand, placing the mixture in small similar to that of the ferrous and eobaltous
envelopes and the can in the automatic Salts. Chromous chloride may also be used
sealer, before any marked deterioration of in the presence of an acid medium, for ex
the mixture results. lVhen using the sul ample, by impregnating with acid an inert "
' phate in excess of the amount required t0 material such as sawdust, infusorial earth,
take up all the oxygen from a filled can of bone black or even dehydrated calcium sul
powder, it has been found that only about
phate.
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0.25% of oxygen remained in thc can after
Still another material which may be used
four hours.
is bright metallic copper which in the pres
The manner in which the packing is ef vence of ammonia gas combines directly with
fected is as follows:
the oxygen of the air. A suitable dry am
The container 10 is tilled with the food monium salt such as ammonium chloride
product, after which the tray 14 contain mixed with a dry base, for example, lime,
ing' the freshly prepared material 17 is may be used as the source of the ammonia
Si)
seated within the inverted container and the gas and the copper, in the form otl tiling.;
container is placed in an automatic sealing or chips, may he mixed with the anunonium
machine which secures the bottom 15 and chloride and lime.
forms the seam 16. The titff'between the
rl`he~construction of the container shown
side walls of the tray and `container is sut' in Figs. 1 and 2 may be varied. ln Figs.
ticiently neat to prevent the reducing ma 3 and 4, I have shown an example ot’ a
terial, which forms a porous dry cake after different form of container in whichy thc
the reaction has progressed, from passing reducing material is placed within a jack
‘into the body ot the container, while the eted can 10n having an inner jacket Q() ar
le Ll tit not being air tight permits the circula
ranged eoncentrically within the can and ex
tion of the air from the body of the con tending the full length thereof. |The inner
' tainer to the reducing agent.
jacket 20 is spaced from the can to pro
lVhile the use of ferrous sulphate and vide a compartment 21 in which the reduc
CO
liniev hereinfore described is preferred to ing material 17 is placed. Suitable spacing
accomplish the (le-oxidation of the air in the means such as the metal strips 21a/are pret'
container, my invention is not to he con
erably provided to hold the inner jacket.
sidered as limited to these substances as it concentrically of the outer can. In packing
C.: Li
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will be apparent that many other substan
tially dry materials or mixtures may `also be
used without departingr from the spirit of
my invention. Among such other materials,
the following examples may be noted: stan
this container the food products are placed
within the inner jacket, after which the
material 17 is placed within the compart
ment 21.
The top 11n which is secured to
the can forms the bottom thereof during the
nous chloride (SnCl._,) which in the pres packing operation, after which the bottom
ence of moisture will combine directly 15" is placed upon the can in the automatic
with the oxygen of the air forming sealer which forms the bead 1(51‘. Both the
stannic chloride (SnCL) basic chloride of top 11a and bottom 15“ are provided with
tin (SnCMOTDCl). The reactionVf takes a deep bead 22 which projects within the
place in a substantially dry atmosphere and compartment 2l to prevent the oxygen ab
the resultant products are substantially dry, sorbing materials from passing into the cen- ‘
the stannic chloride which results from the tral compartment and also serves as an ad
oxidation in the presence of small amounts ditional means to hold the inner jacket 20
to
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of moisture, forming a _series of crystalline
hydrates. This latter phenomenon is of im
portance because of the formation of crystals
sufficiently large to prevent their passage
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in position. The top 11a of the can is pref
erably scored along a circular line 25 lo
cated well within the inner jacket to facili
tate the opening thereof, and to indicate the
through the restricted space allowed for- the proper place for opening the container.
passage of the air.
In the example shown in F ig. 5, the con
Certain cobaltous compounds in the pres tainer 10b is provided with a dished bot
~ence of traces of moisture and a suitable tom 15b whichy has a cup shaped tray 15c
basic substance are converted to cobaltous secured thereto and is provided with an
hydroxid which will combine directly with annular tiange 26 which is adapted to be
the oxygen of the air in a manner prac crimped in the automatic sealer to form
tically identical with the formation of iron the bead 16". The bottom'27 of the tray
hydroxid.
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15° is secured to the sidewall 28 thereof
The properties of the chromous salts also hy a loosely crimped seam 29 which will
permit of their use in place of the substances permit the circulation of air, but will pre
hereinbefore enumerated. ÑVhen chromous vent the material 17 from passing through
chloride is mixed with substantially dry al the seam. An opening 30 is provided in'
kali, for. example, lime, 'in the presence of the side wall of the tray for `the introduc
traces of moisture, a readily oxidizable hy tion ~of the oxygen absorbing material 17,
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- 1,584,903
and a closure 31 slidable in suitable guidesy contained in said container, and finally seal
32 is provided for closing said opening after ing said can before any vsubstantial oxidation
the material 17 has been placed within the of said reducing agent occurs.
'.tray. Any Suitable means may be provided '2. The method of removing oxygen from 70
5 to prevent accidental opening of the clo containers for-packing food products,- which
consists in» placing within the container a
It will be-noted that in veach form of con mixture of chemicals -which, in the presence
sure
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of moisture, will react to form, as' an inter
tainer illustrated,the restricted passage pro mediate
product, a reducing agent capable of
vided for the circulation of the air is tortu
ous so as `to prevent the passage of particles _combining directly w-ith tlre ox'ygen of the 75
of the chemicals from the chemical holding air, whilev preventing direct 'contact or ad- -
ltray or compartment into the main-body of
thejcontainer. A common characteristic of
the chemicals employed is that they are in
the form of large crystals, or form a cake,
so that no small, loose particles of the chemi
cals capable of passing through the air pas
sages
are
present.
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It is to _beunderstood that the various ex
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mixture of said chemicals or reducing agent
with the food products contained in said
container, and finally sealing said can before
the ailinity of said agent for oxygen is ex
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hausted.
3. The method of packing food products
in a container which consists in placing with
in the container, but out of contact with each
amples- of suitable >chemicals hereinbefore other, the foodpròduct and a solid reducing
enumerated are merely illustrative, as it will _agent free from'small, loose particles, keep
be obvious that many other chemicals could ing' the said agent and the food product sep
be employed. 1t' will also be understood arate while allowing the air which is in con'
that my invention is not limited to the spe tact with the food productto pass into'con
cilic constructional details of the containers tact- with said reducingagent, and sealing
or compartments/illustrated as the principles the4. container.
The method of ,packing food products
herein disclosed obviously'may be utilized in
~in
a
container,- which consists in placing
a great variety of .container constructions.
It will also be noted that my improved within the container, but out of contact with
30 -method enables meto meet the following re eachother, the food product and a body of
quirements: First, the chemicals should not ferroussulphate and lime, keeping the par-`
react with the food products -to-»be packed; ticles of said -body from contact with the
- second, there should be no evolution of gas food product, while allowingthe air which is
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harmful to the food product as the result of in contact with the food product, to pass 100
the reaction with the oxygen ;- third,- the into contact with said body, and finally seal-~
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chemical employed must be cheap, so that the ing the container.
added cost of the packing operation will-- not " 5. A sealed container having two compart
ments, one containing a food product and the
a substantially dry, solid reducing
tainer; fourth, the mechanical or physical other
agent,
and
a barrier interposed between said _ 105
aspects of the methods of using the chemical
compartments
and forming with the walls
must be ¿simple enough to enable an eliicien't
exceed a fractional part of a cent per con
of said container> a restricted passageway
_` packing operation to rbe performed in a short which
permits the passage of air from -the
time; fifth, the time rate of the reactionmust food-containing compartment to lthe other' .
be susceptible of control so that the aiiinity
which the chemical employed has for oxygen >compartment but prevents the passage of
will not be exhaustedbefore the packing and said agent to said _food-containlng compart
lsealing ofthe cans'is completed; sixth, the
i ment.
-manner _in which the chemical is used must - - 6. A sealed container having two com
be such that evidence 'of its- use will not be partments, one containing a food product -and
other'a reducing agent in the form of a
recognized by the consumer; and-lastly, the the
solid
substance free from minutev loose part-i
-direct intermixture of the chemical or any
. particles thereof with the food products must > cles, and a -barrier interposed between said
be prevented, while permitting circulation of compartments- and forming with the walls of
4 ' the airv within the container to arid-through said container a restricted passageway which 120
permits thepassageway'of air-fromrthe food
ci Gl.
the chemical.
_containing compartment to `theother com
partment but prevents> the passage of said
1. The method of .removing oxygen from vagent
to said food-containing compartment.
containers lfor packing food products which 7 .' Aseale-d
container having two compart
consists ' in placing within the contain
fI_ claim:`>
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er a mixture of chemicals which will react ments, one containing a food product and
to form as_an intermediate'product, a reduc-~ 'the otòher a reducing agent,- 'consisting of a
‘ ing agent capable of combining directly with body .of ferrous ’sulphate andylime, and a‘
the oxygen of the air,_while preventing d1-. barrier interposed between ¿said -compart-- .
rect contact or admixture of said chemicals ments and forming with the walls of said
or reducing agent with the food products co'ptamer arestricted passageway which per-_
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1,584,903
mits the passage of air from the food-con relationship to one of the walls of said con
' taining compartment to the other compart tainer and forming therewith a shallow
ment but prevents the passage of said agent compartment, said container being pro
to said food-containing com artment.
vided with a bead to hold said partition
8. The combination wit a container against lateral movement, and a reducing
adapted to hold food products of a shallow, agent in a solid, substantially dry condition
imperi’orate receptacle adapted to contain packed within said compartment.
a chemical and a restricted passageway be
13. A method of packing food products in
tween said receptacle and container to per a sealed container' with a reducing agent
mit circulation of a gaseous medium between capable of combiningl directly with the
said receptacle and, container while prevent oxygen of the air within said container,
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ing the passage therebetween _of particles of characterized by preparing said reducing
solid material.
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agent by mixing ferrous sulphate and lime
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9. In a container adapted to hold food in the presence of moisture wl'ierehy a mix
products, a receptacle ada ted to contain a ture of iron hydroxid and calcium Sulphate
chemical and a restrictec passageway of is formed, the iron hydroxid acting as the
tortuous configuration between said recepta reducing agent and the calcium sulphate as
cle and container to permit circulation of a a cementitious binder to form said mixture
gaseous medium between said receptacle and- into a coherent porous cake.
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container while preventing the passage of
particles of solid material.
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14. A method of packing. food products
in a container with a reducing agent capable 70
10.-The combination with a sealed con of combining directly with the oxygen
tainer adapted to contain food productsl and of the air within said container and thereby
consisting of side and end walls, of a parti prevent oxidation and deterioration of said
tion located in closely spaced relationship to food products, characterized by preparing
one of said Walls and substantially con
a mixture of chemicals which will react in
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tcrminous therewith to foi-in_with said wall the presence of moisture to form the reducing
‘ a shallow compartment, and a reducing agent as an intermediate product, and gov-«
agent in a solid substantially dry condition _erning the time rate of the _reaction which
packed within said com artment; the ends forms Ysuch reducing agent by controlling
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of said partition terminating suñiciently thel amount of moisture present so as to al
close to certain of the other walls of said low sutiieient time for packing and sealing 8.0
container to~ provide a restricted passageway @said container before the lcompletion of said
throu h which air is permitted to circulate reaction.
but w ich prevents the passage of particles 4 15. A method of packing substances sus
of said reducin agent t erethrough.
ceptible to deterioration in the presence of
11. Tl?e com ination ‘with a sealed .con oxygen which consists in preparing a mix
tainer, of a false bottom which forms with ture'of chemicals which will react to `form a'
one of the walls of said container a shallow reducing agent as an intermediate product.
compartmerïti, and a reducingvag'ent in ‘the placing such mixture and the substance to
form of a substantially dry 'solid' pä'ò‘ked e packed within a container, while con 9o
within said compartment; said false) bot trolling the time rate of the reaction which
tom further forming with said,e'cìintai?eg` a forms said reducing agent so as to allow
restricted passagewa through which 'fair suñicient time for packing and sealing said
is permitted to circu ate butI which does not coxïtainer-before the completion of the re
permit the passage- of said reducing agent action which forms said reducing agent.
therethrough.o_
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In testimony whereof I have hereunto set
12. The combination with a sealed con m hand.
tainer, of a partition located in closely spaced
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GEORGE C. SUPPLEE.
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