General Mills, Inc.

Terry G Reishus

Christopher T Zirps

Bernhard H Van Lengerich

Ralph A Stenvik

Philip K Zietlow

Craig A Dowd

Craig E Gustafson

Mathew F Langenfeld

James L Stinson

Gerald L Wilson

Clifford S Lansil

Michael A Helser

Jose Tadeo De Castro

Rodney McCalley

Robert Erickson

Anita J Hall

Lily Leung Fee

Chaitanya Kanojia

Douglas A Zietlow

Warren D Vala

Bernhard Van Lengerich

Darin T Huffman

Hans Konle

Steve J Schoo

Thomas Zopf

Cara J Sekerak

Kenneth A Focht

Dennis A Hunchar

Timothy R Cooley

Michael G Viland

A system and a method include breaking a sheet of frozen pizza into individual pieces for packaging. In an embodiment, the frozen pizza sheet includes five individual pieces separated by frangible lines. The breaking process includes a first step, wherein two end pieces are broken off by a first breaking mechanism, and a second step, wherein two additional end pieces are broken off a remainder of the frozen pizza sheet by a second breaking mechanism arranged downstream of the first breaking mechanism. In preferred embodiments, each breaking mechanism includes multiple holding wheels and multiple camming wheel rotatably mounted on a common driven axle.

System and method for breaking sheets of frozen pizza into individual pieces

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 method of preparing aerated food products, especially marshmallows, having a nutritionally fortified ingredient is provided. In accordance with a preferred form of the invention, the method includes the steps of: providing a liquid sugar confection blend comprising: a saccharide component; about 1 to 30% moisture; and a foam structuring agent; adding a dry particulate including a nutritional fortifying ingredient to the liquid confection blend; aerating the liquid confection blend to form an aerated confection plastic foam; extruding the aerated foam at a heated temperature to form an aerated confection extrudate; cooling the extrudate to solidify the confection to form a set aerated confection extrudate; forming the set aerated confection extrudate into pieces; and drying the pieces. The invention also concerns preparing a liquid confection blend seeded with a sweetener and a nutritional fortifying ingredient that can be used in making the aerated food products.

Food product and method of preparation

A manufacturing apparatus and method for assembling a food container having a body portion with an annular rim configured to be secured to an annular rim of a base portion of the container. The manufacturing apparatus and method includes a container supporting assembly, a tool member, a drive assembly, an oscillator assembly and a suspension assembly. The container supporting assembly supports the body and base portions of the container with the annular rim of the base portion engaging the annular rim of the body portion. The drive assembly moves the tool member along a first axis between a first position, wherein the tool member is engaged with the annular rim of the base portion, and a second position, wherein the tool member is disengaged therefrom. The oscillator assembly oscillates the tool member relative to the container supporting assembly to cause oscillation of the base and body portions relative to one another. This oscillation generates enough heat to melt areas of contact between the annular rims to join the base portion and the body portion. The suspension assembly supports the tool member for pivotal movement about a second axis orthogonal to the first axis to accommodate inaccuracies in the annular rims of the base and body portions and misalignment of the container components within the container supporting assembly.

Apparatus and method for assembling a plastic container for food products

A microwave applicator (10) including a tunable cavity (12) having by an elongated casing formed from a transition section (14) axially secured between upstream and downstream end sections (16) and by first and second end assemblies (28) each axially movable in the elongated casing. A tube assembly (72) passes through and is rotatably supported within tubes (36) of the end assemblies (28) and passes through the elongated casing. Material in the tube assembly (72) in the elongated casing and between the end assemblies (28) are subjected to microwave power introduced into the transition section (14) by a waveguide (110) via an opening 20. The axis of the tube assembly (72) is adjustably offset from that of the elongated casing and the transition section (14) is adjustably fixed at various circumferential positions to superimpose the material bed in the tube assembly (72) with the area of highest field strength. Material is introduced into the tube assembly (72) by an auger (90) having holes (92) in the spiral flight above the material to allow air to flow concurrently with the material in the auger (90) and in the tube assembly (72). The tube assembly (72) includes a tube (74) formed by sections (74A, 74B) interconnected together by generally T-shaped extensions (132, 133) which interfit in generally T-shaped slots (120, 121) formed on the axial ends of the sections (74A, 74B). A control system (170) is used to adjust operating parameters for the applicator and includes a generator (146), a network analyzer (148), a microwave switch (152), a dual directional coupler (164) and an impedance matching device (112). A method of adjusting the applicator (10) to overcouple the microwave energy to the cavity (12) includes adjusting the end assemblies (28) and an impedance matching device (112) while minimizing the reflected power.

Tunable cavity microwave applicator

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

Disclosed are apparatus and methods for testing for leaks in bottles or containers having at least one flexible portion. The apparatus includes one or more test chambers including a means for applying a direct compressive force to the flexible container portion and also a means for measuring the reaction force exerted by the internal pressure in the container to the applied force after at least two predetermined time intervals following application of the direct force while the force is maintained, and means for generating signals indicative of the reactive forces. In its method aspect, the invention provides methods whereby the reaction force is compared with established reference values obtained by applying the same direct force to an identical container having known leak characteristics and establishing by such comparison if the leak rate for the tested container conforms to the established reference values.

Apparatus and method for seal testing flexible containers

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Eagan, MN, United States of America

Terry G Reishus