| 主权项 |
1. Apparatus useful for chilling or freezing a product, comprising:
(A) an elongated enclosure having an entrance and an exit; (B) a movable belt that can carry product to be chilled or frozen on the top surface of the belt within the enclosure between the entrance and the exit, wherein the top surface of the belt lies on a path that crosses first and second points and that includes a segment within the enclosure that is between the first and second points and that is lower than an imaginary horizontal line passing through the lower of the first and second points, and wherein the belt does not pass through any container of cryogenic liquid; (C) wherein the enclosure includes first and second structures located within the enclosure between the first and second points, each structure extending from above the imaginary line to below said line and above the top surface of the belt, the first and second structures impeding entry of air from the ambient atmosphere into the enclosure and, together with the top, bottom and sides of the enclosure, defining a chilling zone; and (D) at least one outlet within the enclosure that is capable of dispensing cryogenic refrigerant into the chilling zone. |
