Patents
US 8640546 B2: Sensor for high pressure processing of articles
- Granted
- 2014-02-04
- Filed
- 2011-09-12 application 13230382
- Type
- Utility · 54 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
A pressure sensor device and its use for confirming achievement of a selected pressure in a high pressure process (HPP) for sanitizing food is disclosed. The device includes at least a base and a sheet, each of which is substantially impermeable to the working fluid of the HPP and is deformable at the selected pressure. Microcapsules interposed between flat overlapping portions of the base and sheet contain a color former and burst upon pressurization of the environment surrounding the device. Release of the color former is detected to confirm that the pressurization occurred. The device can be associated with one or more foodstuffs (e.g., a packaged food product or a group of such packages) and remain associated therewith to continuously indicate that the foodstuff(s) have been subjected to the selected pressure and are therefore sanitized.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg140204.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Del Monte Corporation 16 patents | US company or organization | San Francisco, CA | DEL MONTE CORPORATION State business registration EXACT high confidence: identical full name and state DEL MONTE CORP SEC filer FUZZY low confidence: same name (legal endings aside), one of each nationally | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caitlin Elizabeth Trahan | Oakland, CA | 2 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Justin Shimek | San Ramon, CA | 4 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Russell Allan Lem | Concord, CA | 1 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Andrew Richard Hart | Ithaca, NY | 3 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| G01L | Measuring force, stress, torque, work, mechanical power, mechanical efficiency, or fluid pressure | G01L7/00 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| A23B | Preservation of foods, foodstuffs or non-alcoholic beverages; chemical ripening of fruit or vegetables | A23B2/00 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| A61L | Methods or apparatus for sterilising materials or objects in general; disinfection, sterilisation or deodorisation of air; chemical aspects of bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles; materials for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles | A61L2/28 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| B01J | Chemical or physical processes, e.g. catalysis or colloid chemistry; their relevant apparatus | B01J13/00 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| C09B | Organic dyes or closely-related compounds for producing dyes ; , e.g. pigments; mordants; lakes | C09B67/0097 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-16 | Release of security interest Release of security interest | GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT signed 2025-04-15 | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. WALNUT CREEK, CA | 70859/619 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2024-08-06 | Release of security interest Termination and release of security interest in patent rights | JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. signed 2024-08-02 | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. WALNUT CREEK, CA | 68364/695 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2022-05-27 | Release of security interest Release of security interest | UMB BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT signed 2022-05-16 | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. WALNUT CREEK, CA | 60033/753 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2022-05-27 | Security interest Security interest Security interest | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. signed 2022-05-16 | GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT NEW YORK, NY | 60033/741 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2020-05-26 | Security interest Security interest Patent security agreement | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. signed 2020-05-15 | JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT CHICAGO, IL | 52755/602 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2020-05-26 | Security interest Security interest Patent security agreement | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. signed 2020-05-15 | UMB BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT NEW YORK, NY | 52755/595 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2020-05-15 | Release of security interest Release of security interest | CITIBANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT signed 2020-05-15 | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. WALNUT CREEK, CA | 52675/588 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2020-05-15 | Release of security interest Release of security interest | CITIBANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT signed 2020-05-15 | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. WALNUT CREEK, CA | 52675/357 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2020-05-15 | Release of security interest Release of security interest | CITIBANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT signed 2020-05-15 | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. WALNUT CREEK, CA | 52675/72 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2014-02-28 | Security interest Security interest Patent collateral agreement - second lien | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. signed 2014-02-18 | CITIBANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT NEW YORK, NY | 32367/832 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2014-02-28 | Security interest Security interest Patent collateral agreement - first lien | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. signed 2014-02-18 | CITIBANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT NEW YORK, NY | 32367/637 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2014-02-28 | Security interest Security interest Patent collateral agreement - abl | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. signed 2014-02-18 | CITIBANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT NEW YORK, NY | 32367/524 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2014-02-21 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | DEL MONTE CORPORATION signed 2014-02-18 | DEL MONTE FOODS, INC. SAN FRANCISCO, CA | 32266/363 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2011-09-12 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | LEM, RUSSELL ALLAN signed 2011-09-08 TRAHAN, CAITLIN ELIZABETH signed 2011-09-08 HART, ANDREW RICHARD signed 2011-09-09 SHIMEK, JUSTIN WADE signed 2011-09-09 | DEL MONTE CORPORATION SAN FRANCISCO, CA | 26889/623 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.