Crimper roller
AssigneeGeneral Mills, Inc.
InventorsEmilien Esteve, Yves Marchionini, Pierre Vigier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention concerns an apparatus and method utilizing a crimping roller which itself comprises a plurality of radially extending separating blades, with each blade comprising a central triangular cutting edge and two sealing portions extending from opposing sides of the base of the triangular cutting edge.
Claims14
A food product separating apparatus comprising a separating roller having a circular outer forming surface and a plurality of radially extending separating blades, each separating blade extending across a width of the separating roller, wherein each separating blade comprises a triangular cutting edge configured to form a cut in the food product and being centrally located between two sealing portions extending from opposing sides of the base of the triangular cutting edge, said sealing portions being shaped to compress a region of the food product immediately adjacent the cut, and wherein each separating blade is in the form of a plurality of alternating portions, wherein adjacent portions extend in alternating directions having an angle between 90 and 150 degrees between the adjacent portions so as to form a serrated or zig-zag profile to each blade.
A method of manufacturing a co-extruded food product with a co-extruded food product separating apparatus comprising a separating roller having a circular outer forming surface and a plurality of radially extending separating blades, each separating blade extending across a width of the separating roller, wherein each separating blade comprises a triangular cutting edge configured to form a cut in the food product and being centrally located between two sealing portions extending from opposing sides of the base of the triangular cutting edge, said sealing portions being shaped to compress a region of the food product immediately adjacent the cut, and wherein each separating blade is in the form of a plurality of alternating portions, wherein adjacent portions extend in alternating directions having an angle between 90 and 150 degrees between the adjacent portions so as to form a serrated or zig-zag profile to each blade and a second roller against which the separating roller is arranged to rotate, said method comprising
- supplying a stream of food product between the separating roller and the second roller to form a plurality of individual food items from the stream of food product.
A co-extruded cereal manufacturing apparatus comprising a pair of opposing rollers which are arranged in use to rotate in opposing directions, at least one of said rollers comprising a plurality of cutting blades configured to cut a stream of foodstuff into a plurality of discrete parcels, wherein each cutting blade comprises:
- (a) a first radially extending portion defining a cutting edge arranged in use to cut and separate adjacent parcels;
- and
- (b) a pair of circumferentially extending edges on opposing sides of the first radially extending portion arranged in use to compress the foodstuff along an edge of the parcel to create a seal;
- and wherein each cutting blade has portions arranged at alternating angles creating a non-linear cut and seal for each of said parcels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.