# US 8,465,272 B2 · Apparatus and methods for fabricating food items > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,465,272 B2 - Document ID: US8465272B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/373,035 - Filed: 2007-09-28 - Published: 2010-03-04 - Granted: 2013-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2006-09-29 - Assignees: General Mills, Inc. - Applicants: James N. Weinstein; James M. Olive; Peter A. Huberg; Laurie Burgess; Thomas Leuhrs; Jennifer M. Mcaab - Inventors: James N. Weinstein; James M. Olive; Peter A. Huberg; Laurie Burgess; Thomas Leuhrs; Jennifer M. Mcaab - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8465272B2 ## CPC - A21C 11/163: {Applying co-extrusion, i.e. extruding two or more plastic substances simultaneously, e.g. for making filled dough products; Making products from two or more different substances supplied to the extruder} - A23P 30/25: Co-extrusion of different foodstuffs - B29C 48/022: {characterised by the choice of material} - B29C 48/05: Filamentary, e.g. strands - A21C: MACHINES OR EQUIPMENT FOR MAKING OR PROCESSING DOUGHS; HANDLING BAKED ARTICLES MADE FROM DOUGH - A23P: SHAPING OR WORKING OF FOODSTUFFS, NOT FULLY COVERED BY A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS - 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 Apparatus and methods for fabricating food items include extruding a first hot plastic food mass through multiple passages (14) and co-extruding a second hot plastic food mass through a feed stem (22) received in each of the multiple passages (14) and through nozzles (42). Each nozzle (42) includes a first portion (42b) in communication with the feed stem (22) but not the passage (14) and a second portion (42a) in communication with the passage (16) but not the feed stem (22). The nozzles (42) are rotatable in gearing relation with the drive gear (70) of a servomotor (72). The co-extruded ropes are conveyed at a linear speed rate less than or equal to the discharge speed from the nozzles (42), cooled, and cut into individual pieces in the form of peelably separable strands. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Coextrusion apparatus comprising, in combination: a manifold having a front face, a rear face, and at least one through passage extending from the rear face to the front face; a feed stem slideably received in the at least one through passage, with the feed stem including a sealing portion of a size and shape corresponding to and for slideable and sealing receipt in the at least one through passage, with the feed stem further including a feed portion extending from the sealing portion and of a size less than the at least one through passage; a central bore extending through the feed stem; a passageway defined radially between the feed portion and the at least one through passage; a nozzle closing the central bore and the passageway, with the nozzle including a first nozzle portion in communication with the central bore but not with the passageway, with the nozzle including a second nozzle portion in communication with the passageway but not with the central bore; and a power source including a rotatable shaft drivingly connected to said nozzle through a series of directly interengaged gears, wherein operation of the power source causes rotation of said nozzle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The coextrusion apparatus of claim 1 with the at least one through passage including a counterbore extending from the rear face and of a size larger than the sealing portion; and with the feed stem including an end portion of a size and shape for slideable receipt in the counterbore, with the sealing portion located intermediate the end portion and the feed portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The coextrusion apparatus of claim 2 with the passageway being concentric to the central bore, with the central bore having circular cross sections. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The coextrusion apparatus of claim 3 with the nozzle being rotatable relative to the manifold and to the passageway. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The coextrusion apparatus of claim 4 further comprising, in combination: an outer stem secured to the front face of the manifold, with the outer stem having a central conduit of a size and shape corresponding to the at least one through passage, with the nozzle rotatably mounted on the outer stem, with the feed portion extending through the outer stem to the nozzle, with the passageway further defined between the feed portion and the central conduit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The coextrusion apparatus of claim 5 further comprising, in combination: a drive element rotatably mounted upon the outer stem, with the nozzle mounted upon the drive element, with the drive element being rotated to rotate in different directions and at different speeds. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The coextrusion apparatus of claim 6 with the nozzle being removably mounted to the drive element, with at least one lug extending from one of the drive element and the nozzle, and with an L-shaped slot slideably receiving the at least one lug extending from a free end of the other of the drive element and the nozzle, with the L-shaped slot including an axially extending portion extending from the free end and interconnecting at an interconnection with a circumferentially extending portion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The coextrusion apparatus of claim 7 with the L-shaped slot including an axially extending obtrusion provided at the interconnection and adjacent the free end, with the nozzle being biased away from the drive element. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The coextrusion apparatus of claim 8 with the nozzle being biased away from the drive element by an O-ring abutting with the free end and the one of the drive element and the nozzle. ### Claim 10 Extrusion apparatus comprising, in combination: a manifold having a front face, a rear face, and at least one passage extending to the front face; a nozzle closing the at least one passage; and a drive element rotatably mounted relative to the manifold with the at least one passage extending therethrough, with the nozzle being removably mounted to the drive element, with at least one lug extending from one of the drive element and the nozzle, and with an L-shaped slot slideably receiving the at least one lug extending from a free end of the other of the drive element and the nozzle, with the L-shaped slot including an axially extending portion extending from the free end and interconnecting at an interconnection with a circumferentially extending portion. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The extrusion apparatus of claim 10 with the L-shaped slot including an axially extending obtrusion provided at the interconnection and adjacent the free end, with the nozzle being biased away from the drive element. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The extrusion apparatus of claim 11 with the nozzle being biased away from the drive element by an O-ring abutting with the free end and the one of the drive element and the nozzle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The extrusion apparatus of claim 10 further comprising, in combination: an outer stem secured to the front face of the manifold, with the outer stem having a central conduit of a size and shape corresponding to the at least one passage, with the drive element rotatably mounted on the outer stem. ### Claim 14 Extrusion apparatus comprising, in combination: a manifold having a front face, a rear face, and multiple passages extending to the front face, with each of the passages including an outer stem secured to the front face of the manifold, with the outer stem having a central conduit of a size and shape corresponding to the passage, a drive element rotatably mounted upon the outer stem, and a nozzle mounted upon the drive element and closing the central conduit; and a rotatable power source including a rotatable shaft, with the drive elements of the multiple passages being in driving relation with the rotatable shaft, wherein the drive element is in the form of a gear, with the drive elements of the multiple passages and of the rotatable shaft being in direct interengaging gearing relation and wherein the rotatable power source rotates the rotatable shaft in different directions and at different speeds. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The coextrusion apparatus of claim 1 wherein the manifold includes multiple through passages extending from the rear face to the front face, with each said through passage including a respective said nozzle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The coextrusion apparatus of claim 15 wherein operation of the power source causes rotation of each said nozzle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The coextrusion apparatus of claim 16 wherein the series of directly interengaged gears drivingly interconnects each said nozzle with the rotatable shaft.