Machine for injecting liquids

Abstract

A machine for injecting liquids. An air booster pump is adapted to receive injectate. The air booster pump is in fluid communication with one or more heads having apertures for nozzles. A hollow tube is preferably, but not necessarily, located within each head and is in fluid communication with the air booster pump. Injectate flows from the air booster pump into the head, preferably through the apertures in the wall of the hollow tube. Preferably, but not necessarily, the head is designed so that upon installation one point of the inside of the head will be at the highest elevation. Near such point the head has an escape aperture so that any gas within the injectate that enters the head will tend to flow to and through such escape aperture. Furthermore, a return line preferably, but not necessarily, takes injectate that flows through the escape aperture to the low-pressure side of the air booster pump. And also, a drain, in a work surface to which the head is preferably, but not necessarily, mounted, preferably, but not necessarily, reclaims injectate and transports it to the low-pressure side of the air booster pump. Filters exist for the injectate; a main injectate filter can preferably be replaced while the Machine is operating. And the Machine preferably includes a computer device for controlling its components and operation.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method for the needleless injection of a food subject comprising: 
 providing a liquid injectate;    pressurizing the liquid injectate using at least one air booster pump;    supplying the liquid injectate to at least one injection heads having a plurality of nozzles;    positioning the nozzles of each injection head in a position close adjacent to and spaced apart from the food subject; and    injecting the food subject with high pressure liquid injectate.    
     
     
         2 . The method for needleless injection as defined in  claim 1 , wherein providing the liquid injectate includes storing the liquid injectate in a storage receptacle and maintaining the liquid injectate at a required temperature for injection.  
     
     
         3 . The method for needleless injection as defined in  claim 2 , recycling the spent liquid injectate to the storage receptacle.  
     
     
         4 . The method for needleless injection as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the pressure of the liquid injectate from the start of the injection to the completion of the injection is uniform.  
     
     
         5 . The method for needleless injection as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising filtering the liquid injectate before supplying the injectate to the injection nozzles.  
     
     
         6 . The method for needleless injection as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising adjusting the output pressure of the injectate exiting the injection nozzles for a given food subject and adjusting the duration of each injection.  
     
     
         7 . A method for injecting a subject with a liquid comprising: 
 providing an injection head having at least one nozzle removably secured to the injection head;    conveying the subject to a location adjacent to the injection head;    configuring the nozzles of the injection head in a spaced apart, close adjacent position relative to the subject;    supplying the liquid to the injection head; and    delivering at least one, constant pressure injection burst to the subject through the nozzles without the nozzles contacting the subject during the injection.    
     
     
         8 . The method of injecting as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the nozzles are configured into the nozzle injection position by at least one of raising, lowering, and rotating the injection head about at least one of the X, Y and Z orthogonal axis, wherein the nozzle injection position is spaced apart from the subject during an injection burst.  
     
     
         9 . The method of injecting as defined in  claim 7 , wherein the liquid is supplied to the injection head by at least one air booster pumps in fluid communication with the injection head.  
     
     
         10 . The method of injecting as defined in  claim 6 , further comprising providing a plurality of injection heads having at least one nozzle removably secured to each of the injection heads for supplying the liquid to the subject.  
     
     
         11 . The method of injecting as defined in  claim 6 , further comprising moving the subject during the delivery of a liquid injection.  
     
     
         12 . The method of injecting as defined in  claim 6 , further comprising treating the liquid with ozone.  
     
     
         13 . The method of injecting as defined in  claim 6 , further comprising treating the subject to ozone before injection of the subject.  
     
     
         14 . The method of injecting as defined in  claim 6 , further comprising controlling at least one of the duration of the injection burst, the pressure of the injection burst, the configuration of the injection nozzles and the movement of the subject with at least one electrical control system.  
     
     
         15 . A method for needlelessly injecting a food subject with liquid comprising: 
 storing the liquid injectate in an injectate reservoir at a required injection temperature;    pressurizing the liquid injectate with at least one air booster pump;    supplying the liquid injectate to at least one injectate head having a plurality of nozzles secured thereto, each of the nozzles having an inlet and an outlet;    conveying the food subject into an injection position;    adjusting the injectate head so that the outlet of each of the nozzles is spaced apart from the food subject; and    delivering at least one high pressure injection to the food subject wherein the injection is delivered at a constant pressure throughout the duration of the injection and wherein the outlet of each of the nozzles is spaced apart from the food subject during the injection.    
     
     
         16 . The method  claim 15 , wherein the injection head is adjusted by at least one of raising, lowering, and rotating the injection head about at least one of the X, Y and Z orthogonal axis, wherein each of the nozzles are spaced apart from the food subject during injection of the food subject.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising filtering the liquid injectate before delivering an injection to the food subject.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising moving the subject during the delivery of a liquid injection.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising recycling spent liquid injectate to the injectate reservoir after an injection.