Patents by Inventor Warner Wellman

Warner Wellman 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: 5211343
    Abstract: A milling system for cereal grains such as wheat includes one or more bran removal machines which removes a substantial fraction of the bran of the incoming wheat to form a pearled wheat. The pearled wheat is then supplied as a feed stock to a disc mill in the first break position. The bran removal machines preferably include inner and outer abrasive elements, wherein the outer abrasive elements extend over a cumulative arc of at least about 250 degrees. Because a substantial portion of the bran is removed prior to the first break position, prior art problems associated with bran fragmentation in a disc mill are reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1993
    Assignee: ConAgra, Inc.
    Inventor: Warner Wellman
  • Patent number: 5211982
    Abstract: Milling quality wheat is milled by first removing germ and outer bran layers amounting to approximately 8-10 % of the weight of the wheat in a pearling process. The pearled wheat is then milled in a conventional roller mill to produce flour or semolina. Unexpectedly high yields have been observed, and the process yields a milled product which is unusually high in aleurone cell wall fragments for a given ash content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1993
    Assignee: ConAgra, Inc.
    Inventor: Warner Wellman
  • Patent number: 5194287
    Abstract: Milling quality soft and hard wheat is milled by first removing outer bran layers and germ, amounting to approximately 6% of the weight of the wheat in a vertical pearler. The pearled wheat is then milled in a conventional roller mill to produce flour and farina. Unexpectedly high yields have been observed, and the process yields a milled product which is unusually low in pericarp cell wall fragments for a given ash content and high in aleurone content. An unusually high proportion of the total food grade product is low ash product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1993
    Assignee: ConAgra, Inc.
    Inventor: Warner Wellman
  • Patent number: 5186968
    Abstract: A milling system for cereal grains such as wheat includes one or more bran removal machines which removes a substantial fraction of the bran of the incoming wheat to form a pearled wheat. The pearled wheat is then supplied as a feed stock to a disc mill in the first break position. The bran removal machines preferably include inner and outer abrasive elements, wherein the outer abrasive elements extend over a cumulative arc of at least about 250 degrees. Because a substantial portion of the bran is removed prior to the first break position, prior art problems associated with bran fragmentation in a disc mill are reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 16, 1993
    Assignee: ConAgra, Inc.
    Inventor: Warner Wellman
  • Patent number: 5158237
    Abstract: A method for cleaning a cereal grain such as wheat includes the steps of separating a quantity of incoming wheat into a light fraction and a heavy fraction. The light fraction is then cleaned by passing it through a vertically oriented treatment chamber defined between inner and outer chamber walls. The inner chamber wall includes a set of inner abrasive elements and the outer chamber wall includes a set of outer abrasive elements and a screen. One of the sets of abrasive elements is rotated with respect to the other and a gas is forced through the treatment chamber. In this way, a substantial fraction of any oats in the cereal grain is fragmented. The light fraction is aspirated after it is passed through the treatment chamber to clean the light fraction further. Conventional scouring and tempering steps can then be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1992
    Assignee: ConAgra, Inc.
    Inventor: Warner Wellman
  • Patent number: 5141764
    Abstract: Milling quality wheat is milled by first removing germ and outer bran layers amounting to approximately 8-10% of the weight of the wheat in a pearling process. The pearled wheat is then milled in a conventional roller mill to produce flour or semolina. Unexpectedly high yields have been observed, and the process yields a milled product which is unusually high in aleurone cell wall fragments for a given ash content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1992
    Assignee: Conagra, Inc.
    Inventor: Warner Wellman
  • Patent number: 5104671
    Abstract: Milling quality soft and hard wheat is milled by first removing germ and outer bran layers and germ, amounting to approximately 6% of the weight of the wheat in a vertrical pearler. The pearled wheat is then milled in a conventional roller mill to produce flour and farina. Unexpectedly high yields have been observed, and the process yields a milled product which is unusually low in pericarp cell wall fragments for a given ash content and high in aleurone content. An unusually high proportion of the total food grade product is low ash product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1992
    Assignee: ConAgra, Inc.
    Inventor: Warner Wellman
  • Patent number: 5089282
    Abstract: Milling quality wheat is milled by first removing germ and outer bran layers amounting to approximately 8-10% of the weight of the wheat in a pearling process. The pearled wheat is then milled in a conventional roller mill to produce flour or semolina. Unexpectedly high yields have been observed, and the process yields a milled product which is unusually high in aleurone cell wall fragments for a given ash content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1992
    Assignee: ConAgra Inc.
    Inventor: Warner Wellman