Patents by Inventor Mark S. Miller

Mark S. Miller has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5501869
    Abstract: A non-fat edible plastic dispersion which has rheological properties similar to solid margarine or squeezable margarine. The plastic dispersion includes a fat mimetic selected from the group consisting of gelling type maltodextrins, starch modified by acid hydrolysis to remove amorphous regions therefrom and branched chain amylopectin starch and inulin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1996
    Assignee: Kraft Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory S. Buliga, Mark S. Miller, William F. Powell, Daniel G. Lis, R. G. Krishnamurthy, Vernon C. Witte, Sharon Tomski
  • Patent number: 5486372
    Abstract: A frozen dairy dessert product having on a non-flavored basis, from about 3% to about 20% of a polyol fatty acid polyester, from 0% to about 8% of a triglyceride fat, from about 0.3% to about 0.7% of an emulsifier, from about 10% to about 19% of milk solids not fat, from about 6% to about 15% of a carbohydrate sweetener, such as sucrose, from 0% to about 15% (dry solids basis) of low dextrose equivalent corn syrup solids having a dextrose equivalent (DE) of from about 20 to about 36, from 0% to about 6% (dry solids basis) of high DE corn syrup solids having a DE of from about 36 to about 95, from 0% to 6% (dry solids basis) of dextrin having a DE of less than about 20, from 0% to about 3% of starch and from 0% to about 0.5% stabilizer.A white mix containing all of the ingredients is prepared by adding the ingredients, including the polyol polyester to heated water with agitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 23, 1996
    Assignee: Kraft Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert W. Martin, Mark S. Miller, Kevin J. Surber
  • Patent number: 5474795
    Abstract: Low-fat or reduced-fat chocolate products containing sucrose fatty acid polyesters and dextrose are provided which have texture and mouthfeel properties similar to conventional chocolate products. The sweetener used is dextrose or blends of dextrose and sucrose. These chocolate products are prepared using a sucrose fatty acid polyester or a blend of sucrose fatty acid polyesters in place of the conventional cocoa butter constituent and dextrose or blends of dextrose and sucrose in place of the convention sucrose sweetener. The preferred form of dextrose is dextrose monohydrate. The sucrose fatty acid polyesters used do not necessarily mimic the rheological and thermal properties of cocoa butter. The improved chocolate products have similar texture and mouthfeel properties of conventional chocolate with significantly fewer calories and lower fat content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 12, 1995
    Assignee: Kraft Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin J. Surber, Mark S. Miller
  • Patent number: 5472728
    Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, a method is provided for manufacture of an edible fat containing product which is a water-in-oil emulsion having discrete droplets of an oil-in-water emulsion dispersed therein. The method includes the steps of providing an oil-in-water emulsion at a temperature where the oil phase is liquid. A separate water-in-oil emulsion is provided at a temperature wherein the oil phase is liquid. The water-in-oil emulsion is cooled to a temperature such that at least about 5% of the oil phase is crystallized. The oil-in-water emulsion is combined with the water-in-oil emulsion and the combined emulsions are immediately cooled with agitation so that the oil phase of the water-in-oil emulsion substantially crystallizes to entrap discrete droplets of the oil-in-water emulsion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1995
    Assignee: Kraft Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark S. Miller, Gregory S. Buliga, Ronald L. Meibach
  • Patent number: 5378478
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for the manufacture of a natural cheese. In the method, moisture, salts and lactose are removed from skim milk by ultrafiltration and diafiltration to provide a retentate having between about 60% and about 85% moisture, between about 0.7% and about 2.5% salts, and less than about 1.8% lactose. A lactic acid producing cheese culture is then added to the retentate and the retentate is fermented to a pH of between about 4.8 and about 5.6. The fermentation is effected without coagulating the retentate. An emulsion is then prepared by homogenizing a mixture of an aqueous material and a fat. The emulsion contains from about 10% to about 70% fat. The fat comprises from about 25% to 100% of a polyol fatty acid polyester with the balance being a triglyceride fat. The fermented retentate and the emulsion are then blended together. A milk clotting enzyme is added to the blend and the blend is immediately subjected to evaporation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1995
    Assignee: Kraft General Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark S. Miller, Kevin J. Surber
  • Patent number: 5298108
    Abstract: The disclosed invention provides a serpentine-shaped semiconductor superlattice for novel electric and electro-optic devices. The invention comprises a stepped, or vicinal substrate, having a plurality of layers deposited on the steps in succession. Each layer comprises at least two alternating materials. The extent to which each layer covers the exposed surface defines that layer's coverage ratio p. By varying the coverage ratios cyclically around p=1.0, the present invention creates undulating, or serpentine, connected paths of the materials. Each cycle of connected material may form a substantially parabolic path that grows widest at the extremum (or vertex) point of the parabola, where p=1.0. Charged carriers can be confined at these wide points, in quantum wires extending through the substrate parallel to the substrate steps. The resulting quantum mechanical structures allow reliable fabrication and operation of quantum wire lasers, waveguides and other electro-optical and electronic devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1994
    Assignee: The University of California
    Inventor: Mark S. Miller
  • Patent number: 5215778
    Abstract: Substantially fat-free cheese slice products and methods for manufacturing such products, comprising less than about 1.67 weight percent fat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1993
    Assignee: Kraft General Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian C. Davison, William H. Schwimmer, Laura J. Prostko, Alan C. Hamann, Gregory S. Buliga, Alice A. Heth, Linda K. Jackson, Phillip J. Kerwin, Mark S. Miller, David G. Pechak, Gary F. Smith
  • Patent number: 5104674
    Abstract: Microfragmented ionic polysaccharide/protein complex dispersions which are suitable for use as fat substitute compositions in food products such as ice cream, salad dressings, dips, spreads and sauces and methods for preparing such dispersions and food products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1992
    Assignee: Kraft General Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Wehn-Sherng Chen, George A. Henry, Susan M. Gaud, Mark S. Miller, John M. Kaiser, Estela A. Balmaceda, Ronnie G. Morgan, Cynthia C. Baer, Rajendra P. Borwankar, Lorraine C. Hellgeth, John J. Strandholm, Gerard L. Hasenhuettl, Phillip J. Kerwin, Chyi-Cheng Chen, John F. Kratochvil, Wennie L. Lloyd, Gerard Eckhardt, Adam P. De Vito, Alice A. Heth
  • Patent number: 5078846
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for forming magnetic media, in which a protective overcoat of either partially stabilized zirconia or partially stabilized hafnia directly overlies a magnetic thin film recording layer. First, a chromium underlayer is sputter deposited onto a planar aluminum nickel phosphorous substrate. A crystalline magnetic recording layer is deposited onto the chromium underlayer, and substantially replicates the crystalline orientation of the underlayer. The substrate, underlayer and recording layer are passivated briefly in an oxygen atmosphere. Then, the hafnia or zirconia underlayer is applied by RF reactive sputtering in an atmosphere of argon and oxygen, with the argon partial pressure at least ten times the oxygen partial pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1992
    Assignee: Seagate Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark S. Miller, Roger L. Peterson
  • Patent number: 5011701
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for preparing a low fat or substantially fat-free food product such as pourable dressings and viscous dressings. The method includes the steps of heating and repeatedly shearing at least two times an aqueous dispersion consisting of from about 3 to about 10 weight percent of microcrystalline cellulose and from about 90 to about 97 weight percent water. The shearing occurs in a high shear zone having a pressure drop of at least 12,000 psi and the shearing is sufficient to fragment the microcrystalline cellulose to submicron sized microcrystalline cellulose fragments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1989
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1991
    Assignee: Kraft General Foods, Inc.
    Inventors: Cynthia C. Baer, Gregory S. Buliga, Gerard L. Hassenheutti, George A. Henry, Alice A. Heth, Linda K. Jackson, Jill M. Kennedy-Tolstedt, Phillip J. Kerwin, Mark S. Miller, Elizabeth M. Parker, Neela K. Paul, David G. Pechak, Gary F. Smith, Vernon C. Witte
  • Patent number: 4885183
    Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, the meltability of processed cheese is controlled to provide a desired degree of meltability by incorporating whey proteins in the process cheese mix and processing the process cheese mix under conditions of temperature and time so as to denature the whey proteins sufficiently to provide a predeterminted level of cross-linked beta-lactoglobulin and provide the desired level of meltability. The whey protein provided in the process cheese blend is selected to limit the lactose in the final product to a predetermined level. The method of the present invention avoids the need for the use of sodium hexametaphosphate and consequently permits, in process cheese manufacture greater flexibility in handling holdover cheese.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1989
    Assignee: Kraft, Inc.
    Inventors: John J. Strandholm, Robert R. Prochnow, Mark S. Miller, Lawrence E. Woodford, Steven M. Neunaber