# US 10,117,448 B2 · Extruder die and resultant food product > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,117,448 B2 - Document ID: US10117448B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/159,088 - Filed: 2014-01-20 - Published: 2014-05-15 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2010-08-16 - Assignees: Frito-Lay North America, Inc. - Applicants: Frito-Lay North America, Inc. - Inventors: Shalaka Narwankar; Richard James Ruegg - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10117448B2 ## CPC - A23L 7/13: Snacks or the like obtained by oil frying of a formed cereal dough - A23L 7/109: Types of pasta, e.g. macaroni or noodles - B29C 48/12: Articles with an irregular circumference when viewed in cross-section, e.g. window profiles - B29C 48/131: {Curved articles} - B29C 48/06: Rod-shaped - B29C 48/13: Articles with a cross-section varying in the longitudinal direction, e.g. corrugated pipes - A23L: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B) - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) ## Abstract An extruder die designed to produce a spiral corn-based snack food product with consistent, tight spiral pitch and the resultant food product. The extruder die has a center post parallel to the flow path along with three cone-shaped receiving ports arranged in a cloverleaf pattern around the center post. The die has three curved slots on the output side of the die which are in fluid communication with the cone-shaped receiving ports. At the distal end of each of these slots is a semi-circular tip. The tip has a diameter larger than the width of its associated slot. Further, the tip is located at the apex of a cone-shaped receiving port with which it is in fluid communication, thus providing for the highest flow velocity of the extrudate through the tip. The resultant flow profile produces the consistent spiral shape of the snack product produced by the die design described. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A corn-based snack piece made by a food extrusion die having an inlet side and an output side and which directs an extrudate along a flow path through the die, said die comprising: a center post parallel to the flow path; three cone-shaped receiving ports arranged in a cloverleaf pattern around said center post; three curved slots on the output side of the die, wherein said curved slots are in fluid communication with the cone-shaped receiving ports, wherein further each slot terminates at a distal end with a circular tip, said circular tip having a diameter larger than the width of the slot, and wherein further each said circular tip is located at the apex of a cone-shaped receiving post. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The corn-based snack piece of claim 1, wherein the corn-based snack piece comprises three flights. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The corn-based snack piece of claim 2, wherein a distal end of each flight comprises a round tip, and wherein the round tip has a diameter that is greater than a thickness of a portion of the flight adjacent to the round tip. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The corn-based snack piece of claim 3, wherein the corn-based snack piece comprises a spiral, wherein the spiral is consistent along an axis for the snack piece for a length equal to at least 3 times a pitch between adjacent flights of the three flights. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The corn-based snack piece of claim 4, wherein the spiral comprises the pitch, wherein the pitch is consistent along the axis for the snack piece for a length equal to at least 3 times the pitch. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The corn-based snack piece of claim 1, wherein the snack piece comprises three flights that are mutually and directly joined at a proximal end of each flight. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The corn-based snack piece of claim 5, wherein the three flights of the corn-based snack piece are mutually and directly joined at a proximal end of each flight. ### Claim 8 A food piece made by a method comprising: a) forming a dough; b) extruding said dough through a die having a center post, three cone-shaped receiving ports arranged in a cloverleaf pattern around said center post, and three curved slots on the output side of the die, wherein said curved slots are in fluid communication with the cone-shaped receiving ports, wherein further each slot terminates at a distal circular tip having a diameter larger than the width of the slot, and wherein further each said circular tip is located at the apex of a cone-shaped receiving post; c) cutting the extrudate into individual pieces; and d) cooking said extrudate pieces. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The food piece of claim 8, wherein the food piece comprises three flights. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The food piece of claim 9, wherein a distal end of each flight comprises a round tip, and wherein the round tip has a diameter that is greater than a thickness of a portion of the flight adjacent to the round tip. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The food piece of claim 10, wherein the food piece comprises a spiral, wherein the spiral is consistent along an axis for the food piece for a length equal to at least 3 times a pitch between adjacent flights of the three flights. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The food piece of claim 11, wherein the spiral comprises the pitch, wherein the pitch is consistent along the axis for the food piece for a length equal to at least 3 times the pitch. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The food piece of claim 8, wherein the food piece comprises three flights that are mutually and directly joined at a proximal end of each flight. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The food piece of claim 12, wherein the three flights of the food piece are mutually and directly joined at a proximal end of each flight.