Patents by Inventor Nathan W. Lukecart

Nathan W. Lukecart 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: 10004254
    Abstract: Inhibition of expansion of a cereal product, such as a ready-to-eat cereal, by a particulate insoluble component such as fiber and/or calcium is avoided by pelletizing the particulate insoluble component. A binder component, such as gelatinized starch, is used to bind particles of the particulate insoluble component into a coherent mass which is formed into non-expanded pellets for fortification of the cereal product. The expanded cereal products, such as extruded puffed RTE cereals which contain the pellets, exhibit a crisp, uniform texture and cell structure, improved, prolonged bowl life, a non-gritty mouthfeel, and a smooth, uniform surface appearance even though they are fortified with high amounts of the solid or particulate insoluble nutritional components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: General Mills, Inc.
    Inventors: Bernhard H. van Lengerich, Nathan W. Lukecart, Friedrich P. Meuser, Dieter Oberdoerfer, Wolfgang Bindzus
  • Publication number: 20170181462
    Abstract: Inhibition of expansion of a cereal product, such as a ready-to-eat cereal, by a particulate insoluble component such as fiber and/or calcium is avoided by pelletizing the particulate insoluble component. A binder component, such as gelatinized starch, is used to bind particles of the particulate insoluble component into a coherent mass which is formed into non-expanded pellets for fortification of the cereal product. The expanded cereal products, such as extruded puffed RTE cereals which contain the pellets, exhibit a crisp, uniform texture and cell structure, improved, prolonged bowl life, a non-gritty mouthfeel, and a smooth, uniform surface appearance even though they are fortified with high amounts of the solid or particulate insoluble nutritional components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Applicant: General Mills, Inc.
    Inventors: Bernhard H. van Lengerich, Nathan W. Lukecart, Friedrich P. Meuser, Dieter Oberdoerfer, Wolfgang Bindzus
  • Patent number: 9560877
    Abstract: Inhibition of expansion of a cereal product, such as a ready-to-eat cereal, by a particulate insoluble component such as fiber and/or calcium is avoided by pelletizing the particulate insoluble component. A binder component, such as gelatinized starch, is used to bind particles of the particulate insoluble component into a coherent mass which is formed into non-expanded pellets for fortification of the cereal product. The expanded cereal products, such as extruded puffed RTE cereals which contain the pellets, exhibit a crisp, uniform texture and cell structure, improved, prolonged bowl life, a non-gritty mouthfeel, and a smooth, uniform surface appearance even though they are fortified with high amounts of the solid or particulate insoluble nutritional components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: General Mills, Inc.
    Inventors: Bernhard H. van Lengerich, Nathan W. Lukecart, Friedrich P. Meuser, Dieter Oberdoerfer, Wolfgang Bindzus
  • Publication number: 20130243925
    Abstract: Inhibition of expansion of a cereal product, such as a ready-to-eat cereal, by a particulate insoluble component such as fiber and/or calcium is avoided by pelletizing the particulate insoluble component. A binder component, such as gelatinized starch, is used to bind particles of the particulate insoluble component into a coherent mass which is formed into non-expanded pellets for fortification of the cereal product. The expanded cereal products, such as extruded puffed RTE cereals which contain the pellets, exhibit a crisp, uniform texture and cell structure, improved, prolonged bowl life, a non-gritty mouthfeel, and a smooth, uniform surface appearance even though they are fortified with high amounts of the solid or particulate insoluble nutritional components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Inventors: Bernhard H. van Lengerich, Nathan W. Lukecart, Friedrich P. Meuser, Dieter Oberdoerfer, Wolfgang Bindzus
  • Patent number: 7413760
    Abstract: Visually appealing heterogeneous puffed flaked Ready-to-Eat (“R-T-E”) cereal products with varied texture and density have a first continuous denser portion and a second discontinuous portion in the form of more highly puffed discrete regions. The R-T-E cereal products are fabricated from a dried heterogeneous cooked cereal mass comprising a continuous phase provided by macerated cooked cereal ingredients, e.g., cut whole wheat and a discontinuous phase containing added discrete hydrated intact parboiled medium grain rice. The cereal products are made by preparation methods involving forming the workable heterogonous cooked cereal dough into wet pellets having discrete pieces of the parboiled rice; drying the wet pellets to form dried pellets; flaking the dried pellets to form wet flakes; and, heating the wet flakes to dry and puff the flakes to form puffed flakes having 2-5% moisture and bulk density of 270-480 g/liter. The flakes can be pre-sweetened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: General Mills, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel R. Green, Nathan W. Lukecart
  • Patent number: D572427
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: General Mills IP Holdings II, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel R. Green, Nathan W. Lukecart, Dean F. Funk, Steven A. Stein
  • Patent number: D574577
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2008
    Assignee: General Mills IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel R. Green, Nathan W. Lukecart