Kellogg Company

Norbert Gimmler

Charles Aden Smith

Chris L Willoughby

Kevin J Laubenthal

Charles A Smith

Helbert David Almeida Dominguez

Terry L Engle

Chris Willoughby

Charles Bernath

Terry Engle

Terry (deceased) Engle

An apparatus and method for producing flake-like cereal without the use of a flaking mill.

Apparatus and method for producing flake-like cereal without the use of a flaking mill

A shaping assembly for producing a discrete spiral shaped food product includes a die that defines at least one aperture that is centered on an aperture axis. The at least one aperture extends to an aperture exit and allows for the movement of a stream of food mass through the aperture and out the aperture exit. A shaping tool includes at least one slicing blade that is disposed over at least a portion of the aperture exit to slice the stream of food mass into a plurality of food mass portions. A coupling arrangement engages the shaping tool to facilitate rotation of the slicing blade to spin the plurality of food mass portions into a spiral shaped stream of food mass. The slicing blade simultaneously slices and spins the stream of food mass to create the spiral shaped stream of food mass. A crimper is used to cut the spiral shaped stream of food mass into the discrete spiral shaped food products.

Apparatus and method for curled extrudate

An apparatus and method for producing a substantially spiral shaped food product is disclosed herein. The apparatus includes a die defining a plurality of apertures disposed in a circle about a center. The apparatus also includes at least one cutting blade disposed for rotation about the center and operable to intermittently pass fully across each of the apertures during rotation. The apparatus also includes a plurality of slicing blades arranged for individual rotation about one of the plurality of apertures. The plurality of slicing blades are also arranged for continuous extension less than fully across the one aperture. The apparatus also includes a planetary coupling arrangement operably disposed to facilitate reciprocating rotation between the at least one cutting blade and the plurality of slicing blades.

A gas assisted co-extrusion apparatus includes a co-extrusion die in communication with an extruder. A nozzle that is defined by a bore in the co-extrusion die extends about a nozzle axis to a nozzle exit of the co-extrusion die. An injector extends through the bore of the co-extrusion die along the nozzle axis. The injector and nozzle together form a dough into a rope that is tubular with a wall portion and an inner cavity surrounded by the wall portion as the dough is extruded out of the nozzle exit and about the injector. A compressed gas source provides a compressed gas out of an injector outlet and into the inner cavity of the rope to radially stretch the wall portion of the rope as the rope is dispersed from the injector. The co-extrusion die is spaced from the extruder to define a void therebetween. A delivery system delivers an entrainable material to the compressed gas in a pipe. The pipe is connected to an injector inlet of the injector in the void. This allows the pipe to operate within the ambient temperature of the environment and for the entrainable material to be entrained into the compressed gas prior to being introduced into the injector.

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Portage, MI, United States of America

Norbert Gimmler