General Mills, Inc.

General Mills Cereals, LLC

General Mills Marketing, Inc.

Craig E Gustafson

Ralph A Stenvik

Thomas G Cremers

James W Finkowski

Mark E Arlinghaus

Dennis B Usgaard

Benjamin R Heyda

Roberta M Langenfeld

Anna Gale

Craig A Dowd

Michael P Waldherr

Jonathan M Griebel

Thomas E Heinzen

Terry G Reishus

Cara J Sekerak

Stephen J Green

Rolled food products are produced by cutting a dough sheet to form a roll sheet having a continuous pattern. The pattern is comprised of an asymmetrical repeat unit. The roll sheet is transported in a first direction with a conveyor system, and the roll sheet is rolled in a second direction to form a continuous roll. The second direction is not parallel to the first direction. The continuous roll is cut to form a plurality of rolls. Each of the plurality of rolls is asymmetrical.

Rolled food product and method of producing

A method and system for packaging products provides for initially, vertically stacking a plurality of products during production in a transfer canister, simultaneously removing a stack of the products from the transfer canister, reorienting the stack and horizontally loading the stack into a final product package cavity. The invention has applicability to a wide range of products, particularly food products, such as refrigerated dough products. In one embodiment of the invention, the product package cavity is thermoformed as part as an overall horizontal form, fill and seal system.

Food packaging with vertical to horizontal transfer loading

A weighing apparatus comprising a weigh deck, one or more load cells, and two staging bars. The weighing apparatus is configured to be installed in an existing conveyor system having a frame and a conveyor belt so that the weigh deck is generally flush with the frame and the weigh deck and the staging bars are positioned underneath the conveyor belt. The staging bars are positioned to mitigate weight measurement variations produced by the conveyor belt. In many cases, the staging bars are vertically adjustable. One or more weigh bridges can be incorporated into a production line or conveyor system.

Weighing apparatus and conveyors systems incorporating a weighing apparatus

A cutting mechanism is mounted to a tub of a dough mixing apparatus including an internal mixing chamber having a rotatable agitator assembly for forming dough. After the dough is formed, the tub is rotated and the cutting mechanism is automatically shifted from a non-cutting position, wherein an elongated blade element of the cutting mechanism is located remote from the agitator assembly so as to not interfere with the dough forming process in the internal mixing chamber, to a cutting position, wherein the elongated blade element is arranged directly adjacent an operational path of mixing elements of the agitator assembly to slice the dough, whereupon the dough readily falls from the agitator assembly for enhanced discharge of the dough from the tub. The cutting mechanism can be integrated into a breaker bar or separately mounted in the tub.

Dough extraction system for batch mixer

The present invention is, in one embodiment, an apparatus for placing an insert within a nested group of taco shells. The insert placement apparatus comprises a vertical shaft, a horizontal shaft, a first pillow block, a second pillow block, a vacuum cup, a horizontal timing belt, an air cylinder, and a servomotor. The vacuum cup is adapted to transport the insert. The first pillow block has a bore therethrough for receiving the horizontal shaft. The second pillow block is supported off of the first pillow block and has a bore therethrough for receiving the vertical shaft. The vacuum cup is suspended off of the vertical shaft. The horizontal belt is routed around a drive pulley and a second pulley and is interconnected to the first pillow block. The servomotor is interconnected to the drive pulley. The servomotor causes the timing belt to displace the first pillow block along the horizontal shaft, thereby causing the vacuum cup to displace horizontally. The air cylinder is adapted to vertically displace the vertical shaft through the second pillow block. This causes the vacuum cup to displace vertically.

Taco shell nesting apparatus and method

Food product

Growing community of inventors

Bloomington, MN, United States of America

Craig E Gustafson