The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 14, 2002
Filed:
Aug. 18, 1998
Gregory A. Clanton, Becker, MN (US);
Julie L. Holmstrom, Savage, MN (US);
Peter A. Huberg, Shoreview, MN (US);
Gerald J. Rudolph, Annandale, MN (US);
Scott A. Tolson, Arden Hills, MN (US);
James N. Weinstein, Maple Grove, MN (US);
General Mills, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US);
Abstract
An extrudable food product is provided by a food cooker extruder ( ) and is mixed with an additive to form a patterned food product, using a pattern forming die ( ). The cross-sectional area of the patterned food product is reduced from an inlet end ( ) to an outlet end ( ) by a factor of at least 50:1 at an average convergence angle of ≦45° while maintaining the cross-sectional pattern to form a reduced cross-sectional patterned dough, and then is extruded through a die port ( ) having an opening equal to the reduced cross-sectional area to form a complexly patterned extrudate. The food product comprising, multiple extrudates are simultaneously formed with the flow rates for each extrudate being adjustable by an adjuster plug ( ) including a smooth cylindrical portion ( ) extendable into a passageway ( ) having a circular cross section of a larger diameter than the cylindrical portion ( ). A color additive is injected to provide a topical coating to the periphery of the flowing dough to lubricate and reduce friction of the periphery of the flowing dough with the passageway ( ) and to produce a surface coloration on the periphery of the flowing dough.