General Mills, Inc.

Craig E Zimmermann

Timothy J Gluszak

Richard O Benham

Robert C Dechaine

Rene K Merle

James N Weinstein

Rene K Smethers

Sheryl S Brunken

Laurie Burgess

Julie L Holmstrom

Thomas Luehrs

Craig W Kassara

Soumya Roy

Philippe A Vandeweghe

Gary S Bachand

Paul D Nordling

Natalia Kubantseva

Jeffrey A Taylor

Stanley C Rustad

Loren J Gordon

Edible fruit sheet

Food product with linked star design

A roll forming apparatus having a shaft member for supporting a head member above a baking container housing a dough mass. The head member can include a plurality of arms with corresponding guide blades disposed therein for contacting a peripheral wall of the container. A tension assembly is mounted about the shaft member for adjusting movement and an outward force of each of the guide blades. Upon insertion in a baking pan, the head member's arms and guide blades divide the dough into a plurality of dough lobes without damaging the container. In a roll forming process, a rack is provided for receiving and transporting the roll forming apparatus over the container. A securing assembly is mountable about the shaft member for permitting the shaft member to resiliently pivot toward a generally perpendicular orientation with respect to the rack after the container pivotally displaces the head member.

Roll forming apparatus and system

A rolled food item () is fabricated by rolling a strip of support material () and food () about its leading end () into a roll. Prior to its rolling into the roll, a deposit () of water is sprayed onto the food () adjacent to the trailing end () to increase the tackiness of the food () sufficient to be adherable to the support material () in the roll to at least temporarily prevent unintentional unrolling of the roll during later fabrication operations. In the preferred form, the trailing end of the deposit () is coextensive with the trailing end () of the strip of support material () and food (). In one form, the side edges of the deposit () are spaced inwardly from the side edges of the food () which are spaced inwardly from the side edges of the support material ().

Labelless, rolled food item and its fabrication

Apparatus ( ) is disclosed including first and second forming rollers ( ) which rotatably abut with an anvil roller ( ). The forming rollers ( ) each include a periphery forming a continuous forming surface including a plurality of axially and circumferentially spaced grooves ( ) each formed as a continuous depression arranged in a serpentine and non-intersecting manner. Food ( ) is simultaneously fed between a continuous strip of support material ( ) and a continuous ribbon of film material ( ) as they pass between a first abutment nip of the first forming roller ( ) and the anvil roller ( ). After extending partially around the periphery of the first forming roller ( ), the materials ( ) and the food therebetween pass around an adjustable idler roller ( ) to between a second abutment nip of the second forming roller ( ) and the anvil roller ( ). The food ( ) compressed upon the support material ( ) by the first abutment nip is in phase with the grooves ( ) of the second abutment nip. The film material ( ) removes the food ( ) from the grooves ( ) and can be discarded after passing through the second abutment nip and prior to the support material ( ) being cut to longitudinal lengths and widths between the embossed shapes of food ( ).

Food item fabricating methods

Apparatus (,) is disclosed including first and second forming rollers (,) which rotatably abut with an anvil roller (,). The forming rollers (,) each include a periphery forming a continuous forming surface including a plurality of axially and circumferentially spaced grooves (,) each formed as a continuous depression arranged in a serpentine and non-intersecting manner. Food (,) is simultaneously fed between a continuous strip of support material (,) and a continuous ribbon of film material (,) as they pass between a first abutment nip of the first forming roller (,) and the anvil roller (,). After extending partially around the periphery of the first forming roller (,), the materials (,) and the food therebetween pass around an adjustable idler roller (,) to between a second abutment nip of the second forming roller (,) and the anvil roller (,). The food (,) compressed upon the support material (,) by the first abutment nip is in phase with the grooves (,) of the second abutment nip. The film material (,) removes the food (,) from the grooves (,) and can be discarded after passing through the second abutment nip and prior to the support material (,) being cut to longitudinal lengths and widths between the embossed shapes of food (,).

Food item fabricating method

A food item is disclosed produced in the preferred form by an apparatus (10) including first and second forming rollers (18, 21) which rotatably abut with an anvil roller (20). The forming rollers (18, 21) each include a periphery forming a continuous forming surface including a plurality of axially and circumferentially spaced grooves (24) each formed as a continuous depression arranged in a serpentine and non-intersecting manner. Food (14) is simultaneously fed by a saddle (36, 36') between a continuous strip of support material (16) and a continuous ribbon of film material (66) as they pass between a first abutment nip of the first forming roller (18) and the anvil roller (20). In a preferred form, the saddle (36') is in the form of a block having first and second lower surfaces (118, 120) corresponding to the shape and located adjacent the first forming roller (18) and the anvil roller (20) in their mating side (32). A trough (24) is formed in the second lower surface (120) which is supplied by food under pressure flowing through conduits (140, 142, 144, 146, 150, 152). Radially disposed barriers (132) divide the trough (24) into axial portions. Radially disposed dividing walls (136) having lower tapering surfaces (138) and an axially disposed dividing wall (148) having a radially spaced lower end divide the trough (24) into volumes for receiving different foods (14a, 14b) to produce food items including integral food zones where the different foods (14a, 14b) are not intermixed.

Food item

A food item includes one or more continuous strings (14e, 14f) and one or more continuous, thin strips (14c, 14d) of food adhered to the support material (16).

Embossed shape food item

Apparatus (10) is disclosed including first and second forming rollers (18, 21) which rotatably abut with an anvil roller (20). The forming rollers (18, 21) each include a periphery forming a continuous forming surface including a plurality of axially and circumferentially spaced grooves (24) each formed as a continuous depression arranged in a serpentine and non-intersecting manner. Food (14) is simultaneously fed between a continuous strip of support material (16) and a continuous ribbon of film material (66) as they pass between a first abutment nip of the first forming roller (18) and the anvil roller (20). After extending partially around the periphery of the first forming roller (18), the materials (16, 66) and the food therebetween pass around an adjustable idler roller (70) to between a second abutment nip of the second forming roller (21) and the anvil roller (20). The food (14) compressed upon the support material (16) by the first abutment nip is in phase with the grooves (24) of the second abutment nip. The film material (66) removes the food (14) from the grooves (24) and can be discarded after passing through the second abutment nip and prior to the support material (16) being cut to longitudinal lengths and widths between the embossed shapes of food (14).

Rotary molding apparatus for molding food

Apparatus (10) is disclosed including first and second forming rollers (18, 21) which rotatably abut with an anvil roller (20). The forming rollers (18, 21) each include a periphery forming a continuous forming surface including a plurality of axially and circumferentially spaced patterns each formed including depressions (196, 198) and/or grooves (24). Food (14) is simultaneously fed by a saddle (36, 36') between a continuous strip of support material (16) and a continuous ribbon of film material (66) as they pass between a first abutment nip of the first forming roller (18) and the anvil roller (20). In the preferred form, the food items include one or more continuous strings (14e, 14f) and one or more continuous, thin strips (14c, 14d) of food adhered to the support material (16).

Food item fabricating apparatus and methods

Apparatus (10) is disclosed including first and second forming rollers (18, 21) which rotatably abut with an anvil roller (20). The forming rollers (18, 21) each include a periphery forming a continuous forming surface including a plurality of axially and circumferentially spaced patterns each formed including depressions (196, 198) and/or grooves (24). Food (14) is simultaneously fed by a saddle (36, 36') between a continuous strip of support material (16) and a continuous ribbon of film material (66) as they pass between a first abutment nip of the first forming roller (18) and the anvil roller (20). In a preferred form, the saddle (36') is in the form of a block having a trough (24) supplied by food under pressure. Radially disposed barriers (132) divide the trough (24) into axial portions. Radially disposed dividing walls (136) having lower tapering surfaces (138) and an axially disposed dividing wall (148) having a radially spaced lower end divide the trough (24) into volumes for receiving different foods (14a,14b) to produce food items including integral food zones where the different foods (14a,14b) are not intermixed. An applicator (160) applies a thin layer of edible oil to the film material (66) prior to and on the side opposite of the forming roller (18) to provide more consistent and/or easier separation of the film material (66) from the food (14).

Growing community of inventors

Waconia, MN, United States of America

Craig E Zimmermann