Patents by Inventor Richard Kevin Merrill

Richard Kevin Merrill 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).

  • Process of making a homogeneous cheese
    Patent number: 7291356
    Abstract: A process of making cheese, e.g., a mozzarella variety cheese, is disclosed. It comprises the following steps: (a) preparing a cheese curd; (b) grinding the curd while in admixture with (i) an aqueous solution of at least one cheese emulsifying salt and (ii) at least one GRAS food additive in the form of a comminuted solid, to obtain an emulsifier/additive-impregnated ground curd; and (c) converting the emulsifier/additive-impregnated curd into cheese either by (i) heating, kneading, and stretching the emulsifier/additive-impregnated ground curd to obtain a homogeneous mass of cheese, or (ii) pressing the emulsifier/additive-impregnated ground curd to obtain a homogeneous mass of cheese. Examples of suitable GRAS food additives include gums, stabilizers, dairy solids (e.g., non-fat dry milk or whey protein concentrate), cheese powders, non-dairy protein isolates, sodium chloride, native or modified food starches, colorants, and flavorants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Leprino Foods Company
    Inventors: Richard Kevin Merrill, Terry Leroy Anderson
  • Process of making a homogeneous cheese
    Patent number: 7169429
    Abstract: A process of making cheese, e.g., a mozzarella variety cheese, is disclosed. It comprises the following steps: a) preparing a cheese curd; b) grinding the curd while in admixture with (i) an aqueous solution of at least one cheese emulsifying salt and (ii) at least one GRAS food additive in the form of a comminuted solid, to obtain an emulsifier/additive-impregnated ground curd; and c) converting the emulsifier/additive-impregnated curd into cheese either by (i) heating, kneading, and stretching the emulsifier/additive-impregnated ground curd to obtain a homogeneous mass of cheese, or (ii) pressing the emulsifier/additive-impregnated ground curd to obtain a homogeneous mass of cheese. Examples of suitable GRAS food additives include gums, stabilizers, dairy solids (e.g., non-fat dry milk or whey protein concentrate), cheese powders, non-dairy protein isolates, sodium chloride, native or modified food starches, colorants, and flavorants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: Leprino Foods Company
    Inventors: Richard Kevin Merrill, Terry Leroy Anderson
  • Process of making a homogeneous cheese
    Publication number: 20040096564
    Abstract: A process of making cheese, e.g., a mozzarella variety cheese, is disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2002
    Publication date: May 20, 2004
    Inventors: Richard Kevin Merrill, Terry Leroy Anderson