Brk Brands, Inc.

Kateman Family Limited Partnership

General Mills, Inc.

Clifford S Lansil

Christopher T Zirps

Clay A Burns

Victor Y Cheung

Paul C Sabin

Matthew K Haggerty

Terry G Reishus

Paul Kateman

Jose Tadeo De Castro

Bernhard Van Lengerich

Chaitanya Kanojia

Jonathan B Kateman

Kenneth A Focht

Dennis A Hunchar

Paul R Kateman

Kevin Otto

An aerated mixture of unflavored ice cream, yogurt or other food base mix is applied to one end of the interior of an elongated freezing chamber and is advanced along the chamber by a rotating screw or auger. As the mix is advanced within the chamber, it is cooled and worked to form a semi-solid product. Prior to discharge from the remote end of the chamber, flavor is injected and mixed into the product. The free volume in the system from chamber inlet to the discharge point is carefully limited to a minimum amount so that most of the product is cleared from the system during each individual serving. The result is the availability of individual servings of a fresh, high-quality frozen food product.

Apparatus for manufacturing frozen confection

A dispenser product supply unit includes a pressurizable container for containing a product liquid and having an opening leading into one end of a conduit. Formed integrally in the conduit is a mixing chamber at which a gas may be added to the liquid followed by an elongated turbulence tube for causing turbulent flow of the mixed fluids. The opposite end of the conduit may be coupled to a distribution manifold that can distribute the aerated liquid issuing from the turbulence tube onto a surface as a relatively thin layer. Side branches from the conduit may also be present for introducing one or more additives into the fluid flowing through the conduit. The container conduit and side branches constitute an integral disposable structure. The unit is especially suitable for producing and distributing flavored ice cream and yogurt from associated dispensing apparatus.

Closed dispenser product supply unit

An apparatus (10) for at least partially freezing a food product which is at least partly liquid in a batch mode is disclosed including a double screw extruder (12) including first and second, substantially intermeshing, self-wiping screws (14, 16) rotatably received in a figure 8-shaped barrel (30) with minimal clearance. In the preferred form, the freezing block (20) includes multiple refrigerant channels (36) spaced closely and in the most preferred form spaced approximately 0.32 centimeters from the barrel (30) and from each other. Thus, the refrigeration system can change the barrel surface temperature rapidly and specifically in approximately one second when the food product is introduced into the barrel (30). A ratio between the radius of the flight (40) at the crest (42) to the radius at the root (38) of the screws (14, 16) is in the order of 1.04 to reduce the total amount of product in the barrel (30) at any given time and decreasing the product residence time in the extruder (12). In the most preferred form, the food product is aerated and is supplied in discrete volumes from at least one and preferably from multiple sources (48), with the supply of discrete volumes for individual servings being delayed to substantially prevent intermixing in the extruder (12).

Twin screw extruder for batch freezing

Container

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Woburn, MA, United States of America

Clifford S Lansil