Method for making center-filled chewing gum
First Claim
1. A method for forming center-filled chewing gum which comprises the steps of:
- (A) providing an apparatus which comprises;
(a) an extruder barrel nozzle means with an annular orifice and an outer tube;
(b) a straight center-fill tube extending concentrically within and outwardly through the annular orifice and being concentrically disposed within the outer tube, the center-fill tube having an outside diameter equal to at least one-half of the inside diameter of the outer tube;
(c) a conveying means comprising a straight rotating screw conveyor rotatable in the center-fill tube;
(B) extruding a rope of chewing gum through the annular orifice of the extruder barrel nozzle to form a gum rope with a hollow interior of predetermined volume;
(C) pouring a center-fill material from the center-fill tube with the straight rotating screw conveyor into the hollow interior of the gum rope as the gum rope is being extruded; and
(D) regulating the straight rotating screw conveyor to establish a predetermined volumetric rate relative to the rate of extrusion of the gum rope sufficient to just fill the hollow interior of the gum rope without exerting compressive pressure thereon.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for making center-filled chewing gum, in which product having up to at least 35-40% by weight of center fill can be produced. The apparatus comprises a novel extruder barrel and nozzle arrangement (11) which extrudes a tubular rope of gum (G) through an annular orifice (30), and at the same time supplies a center-fill material (F) to the hollow interior (V) of the tubular rope through a central nozzle (20,21) concentric with the orifice. The center-fill material is fed into the hollow interior of the gum rope at a rate sufficient to just fill the void produced in the gum rope as it is extruded through the nozzle, and without exerting a compressive pressure thereon. With this apparatus and method, center-filled chewing gum can be produced with up to at least 35-40% by weight of center-fill material and at the same time uniform wall thickness and consistency for the center-filled product can be maintained.
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Citations
3 Claims
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1. A method for forming center-filled chewing gum which comprises the steps of:
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(A) providing an apparatus which comprises; (a) an extruder barrel nozzle means with an annular orifice and an outer tube; (b) a straight center-fill tube extending concentrically within and outwardly through the annular orifice and being concentrically disposed within the outer tube, the center-fill tube having an outside diameter equal to at least one-half of the inside diameter of the outer tube; (c) a conveying means comprising a straight rotating screw conveyor rotatable in the center-fill tube; (B) extruding a rope of chewing gum through the annular orifice of the extruder barrel nozzle to form a gum rope with a hollow interior of predetermined volume; (C) pouring a center-fill material from the center-fill tube with the straight rotating screw conveyor into the hollow interior of the gum rope as the gum rope is being extruded; and (D) regulating the straight rotating screw conveyor to establish a predetermined volumetric rate relative to the rate of extrusion of the gum rope sufficient to just fill the hollow interior of the gum rope without exerting compressive pressure thereon. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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Specification