Here at Vincent we are proud of the award on April 22, 2003 of United States Patent number 6,550,376. It describes a TWIN SCREW PRESS WITH INTERRUPTED FLIGHTS. The screw press described in this patent was first introduced in the early months of 2000.

Most machinery patents describe minor modifications of existing technology. This is especially true in the case of screw presses because they are extremely mature machines in the historical sense. These patents are referred to as extension patents because, by covering a minor change, they can extend the life of an older, more important, patent.

What is unusual about the new Vincent patent is that it describes an altogether new class of screw presses. The patent starts by describing how Valerius Anderson invented the interrupted flight screw press in the year 1900. At the time, this technology was a major departure from the then traditional continuous flight screw presses. The patent goes on to describe how screw press technology took another step forward with the introduction of the twin screw, continuous flight, screw presses. Both of these classes of screw presses have unique advantages and weaknesses.

The just-issued patent describes a new class of screw presses that combines the advantages of the two earlier classes. Technically, the invention features (1) the high capacity and low horsepower (relative to size) of the interrupted screw press, and (2) the strong, positive throughput and dewatering features of the twin screw, continuous flight, press.

The patent makes reference to a number of earlier patents. Among these is US Patent number 647,354, the original 1900 Anderson patent. The number assigned to the new patent, 6,550,376, indicates that almost 6,000,000 patents have been issued in the intervening 103 years.

Vincent Corporation is enjoying technical success with the Series TSP Twin Screw Press machines. Small models have been supplied to shrimp waste processors in four different countries. Other units have proven successful in dewatering both limed and washed citrus peel, juicing pineapples, dewatering spent brewers grain, separating oil and water from raw fish, and, most recently, extracting starch from raw potatoes.

A copy of the patent is available upon request.