US Patent 11,006,657

On May 18, 2021, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Steak Locker Global US Patent 11,006,657, titled "Meat Aging Chamber and System Utilizing a Communications Network." The patent is held by founder and inventor Claus Schmitz.

The patent application was originally filed on October 4, 2015 — establishing priority on the connected dry aging architecture at a point when no comparable system existed in the market. The USPTO's own examination confirmed this: the patent background documentation states that prior art methods provided no remote control of the aging process, and that meat aging apparatus had not been built in a manner accessible to consumers.

The patent covers the complete system architecture:

• A refrigerated aging cabinet with integrated environmental control apparatus
• An instrumentation module with sensors monitoring temperature, humidity, and environmental conditions
• A control circuit coupled to a communications interface
• A cloud resource hosting the aging protocol and communicating with the control circuit
• A portable interactive device — a smartphone app — operating in both setup and active control modes
• A complete signal path between the cabinet, cloud, and user device

This architecture is the foundation of every Steak Locker G5 unit shipped today. The G5 Smart App — available on the App Store — operates on the patented communication framework. No other dry aging system sold in the United States holds equivalent patent protection on connected aging technology.

Intertek Certification — NSF Category 7

All Steak Locker units are tested and certified by Intertek, one of the world's three primary independent testing and certification bodies — alongside SGS and Bureau Veritas. Intertek certification to NSF Category 7 standards is the equivalent of NSF certification for commercial refrigeration equipment used in food contact environments.

NSF Category 7 covers commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerated cabinets intended for food storage in professional and foodservice environments. Certification requires that the equipment meets construction, material, and performance standards for food safety, sanitation, and temperature maintenance.

This certification is not a marketing claim. It is a third-party verified standard administered by an accredited testing body. It establishes Steak Locker units as compliant with the same category of commercial food equipment standards used by NSF-certified restaurant and foodservice refrigeration equipment globally.

The G5 Platform — Active Control Architecture

The Steak Locker G5 platform is the commercial implementation of the patented system. It consists of three integrated components:

The Cabinet — A precision-engineered aging environment with active humidity management, rear plenum airflow, UV sterilisation, and temperature control from 34°F to 72°F. The Home Edition G5 holds 65 lbs across 4.2 cubic feet. The Professional Edition G5 holds 350 lbs across 20 cubic feet with up to seven adjustable shelves.

The Control Board — A proprietary US-engineered control circuit integrated into every unit by Steak Locker Global. The control board is the hardware implementation of the patented communication architecture — it connects the cabinet's environmental systems to the cloud and to the user's device.

The G5 Smart App — Available on the App Store. The app operates on the patented communication framework, giving the user active remote control of every parameter in the cabinet — temperature, humidity, airflow, UV cycle — in real time, from any location. The system handles minor environmental drift autonomously. All significant adjustments are user-initiated. The chef is always in command.

Ten Years of Aging Telemetry

Steak Locker has been collecting aging telemetry from deployed units since 2015. The accumulated dataset — temperature, humidity, airflow, and aging duration across thousands of cycles on thousands of units — is the foundation of the G5 platform's predictive intelligence. The Adaptive Predictive pH and Barometric Intelligence feature on the Professional Edition G5 builds a predictive model of each cabinet's environment over time, using this telemetry foundation as its baseline. No competitor entering the market today has access to a comparable dataset. It took a decade to build.

US Positioning — What Is and Is Not Claimed

Steak Locker Global makes four specific US-origin claims, each of which is accurate and defensible:

• US Patented — US Patent 11,006,657, granted by the USPTO, inventor Claus Schmitz.
• US Engineered — The control board, aging intelligence software, and system integration are designed and engineered in the United States by Steak Locker Global.
• US Designed Intelligence — The aging protocols, predictive algorithms, and platform architecture are developed in the United States.
• US Support — All customer support, installation, and technical assistance is provided from the United States.

Steak Locker does not claim "Made in USA" or "Assembled in USA." The mechanical cabinet is manufactured by a contract supplier. Steak Locker installs its own US-engineered control board, electronics, and IP into every unit in the United States. The US-origin IP and electronics represent approximately 50% of the unit's cost of goods.

Steak Locker Global LLC · 16 North Central, Suite 200, Clayton, MO 63105
US Patent 11,006,657 · Intertek NSF Category 7 Certified · © 2026 Steak Locker Global LLC