Patents by Inventor Steven C. Robie
Steven C. Robie 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).
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Publication number: 20180077950Abstract: The present disclosure relates to extruded protein compositions suitable for thermal processing and thermally processed protein compositions made from extruded protein compositions. In particular, a thermally processed protein composition has a particular protein content with protein fibers in a generally parallel orientation, and a particular hardness, chewiness and springiness.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 14, 2015Publication date: March 22, 2018Applicant: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Caleb I. Heck, Steven C. Robie, Goeran Walther
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Patent number: 9877498Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for producing an extruded protein product. In particular, a system for making an extruded protein product using a system that includes a die including channel having a transverse cross section that is a continuous loop along at least a portion of the length of the die is disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2014Date of Patent: January 30, 2018Assignee: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Goeran Walther, Bernhard H. van Lengerich, Steven C. Robie, James N. Weinstein
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Publication number: 20160205986Abstract: The present disclosure relates to extruded protein products and methods for producing an extruded protein product. In particular, an extruded piece is disclosed having a high protein content and having a desirable texture and flavor. Methods for making an extruded piece include processing, under extrusion conditions, a combination of a powdered protein ingredient, a protein matrix disruptive ingredient, water, and an oil.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2016Publication date: July 21, 2016Applicant: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Goeran Walther, Steven C. Robie, Kevin H. Wright, Joel R. Lafavor
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Publication number: 20160205985Abstract: The present disclosure relates to extruded protein products and methods for producing an extruded protein product. In particular, an extruded piece is disclosed having a high protein content and having a desirable texture and flavor. Methods for making an extruded piece include processing, under extrusion conditions, a combination of a powdered protein ingredient, a protein matrix disruptive ingredient, water, and an oil.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2015Publication date: July 21, 2016Applicant: GENERAL MILLS, INC.Inventors: Goeran Walther, Steven C. Robie, Kevin H. Wright, Joel R. Lafavor
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Publication number: 20150208699Abstract: The invention generally provides novel no-bake grain products and methods of preparation of the same. Specifically, a no-bake food product with a toasted appearance and flavor and a method of providing a toasted appearance and flavor to a no-bake food product. The no-bake food product includes granola bars, clusters, cereal, instant hot cereal and snacks.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 9, 2015Publication date: July 30, 2015Applicant: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Jeremy Linn Johnson, Steven C Robie, Philip K Zietlow
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Patent number: 9034411Abstract: The invention generally provides novel no-bake grain products and methods of preparation of the same. Specifically a no-bake food product with a toasted appearance and flavor and a method of providing a toasted appearance and flavor to a no-bake food product. The no-bake food product includes granola bars, clusters, cereal, instant hot cereal and snacks.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2013Date of Patent: May 19, 2015Assignee: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Jeremy Linn Johnson, Steven C. Robie, Philip K. Zietlow
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Publication number: 20150132465Abstract: Visually distinct, flaked Ready-to-Eat (“R-T-E”) cereal products with varied texture and thickness are produced by forming a cereal dough and forcing the same through an extrusion die assembly including various spaced openings which establish a plurality of dough streams which are merged prior to reaching a die outlet. Directly at the die outlet, a resulting dough extrudate is sliced by a cutter unit to form dough discs which are then dried and cooled, during which the discs curl and form cereal flakes having varying textures defined, at least in part, by distinct sets of surface bumps. The number and configuration of the bumps can be altered by changing the number, shape and/or position of the various spaced openings of the die assembly, while the thicknesses of the resulting cereal flakes can be varied by just altering an operational speed of the cutter unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2015Publication date: May 14, 2015Applicant: GENERAL MILLS, INC.Inventors: Barmack Rassi, Steven C Robie, James N. Weinstein
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Patent number: 8968816Abstract: Visually distinct, flaked Ready-to-Eat (“R-T-E”) cereal products with varied texture and thickness are produced by forming a cereal dough and forcing the same through an extrusion die assembly including various spaced openings which establish a plurality of dough streams which are merged prior to reaching a die outlet. Directly at the die outlet, a resulting dough extrudate is sliced by a cutter unit to form dough discs which are then dried and cooled, during which the discs curl and form cereal flakes having varying textures defined, at least in part, by distinct sets of surface bumps. The number and configuration of the bumps can be altered by changing the number, shape and/or position of the various spaced openings of the die assembly, while the thicknesses of the resulting cereal flakes can be varied by just altering an operational speed of the cutter unit.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2012Date of Patent: March 3, 2015Assignee: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Barmack Rassi, Steven C Robie, James N Weinstein
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Publication number: 20150044334Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for producing an extruded protein product. In particular, a system for making an extruded protein product using a system that includes a die including channel having a transverse cross section that is a continuous loop along at least a portion of the length of the die is disclosed.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 18, 2014Publication date: February 12, 2015Inventors: Goeran Walther, Bernhard H. van Lengerich, Steven C. Robie, James N. Weinstein
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Publication number: 20130316063Abstract: The invention generally provides novel no-bake grain products and methods of preparation of the same. Specifically a no-bake food product with a toasted appearance and flavor and a method of providing a toasted appearance and flavor to a no-bake food product. The no-bake food product includes granola bars, clusters, cereal, instant hot cereal and snacks.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 5, 2013Publication date: November 28, 2013Applicant: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Jeremy Linn Johnson, Steven C. Robie, Philip K. Zietlow
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Publication number: 20130260009Abstract: The invention generally provides novel no-bake grain products and methods of preparation of the same. Specifically a no-bake food product with a toasted appearance and flavor and a method of providing a toasted appearance and flavor to a no-bake food product. The no-bake food product includes granola bars, clusters, cereal, instant hot cereal and snacks.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2012Publication date: October 3, 2013Inventors: Jeremy Linn Johnson, Steven C. Robie, Philip K. Zietlow
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Patent number: 8541044Abstract: The invention generally provides novel no-bake grain products and methods of preparation of the same. Specifically a no-bake food product with a toasted appearance and flavor and a method of providing a toasted appearance and flavor to a no-bake food product. The no-bake food product includes granola bars, clusters, cereal, instant hot cereal and snacks.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2012Date of Patent: September 24, 2013Assignee: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Jeremy Linn Johnson, Steven C. Robie, Philip K. Zietlow
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Publication number: 20130209647Abstract: Visually distinct, flaked Ready-to-Eat (“R-T-E”) cereal products with varied texture and thickness are produced by forming a cereal dough and forcing the same through an extrusion die assembly including various spaced openings which establish a plurality of dough streams which are merged prior to reaching a die outlet. Directly at the die outlet, a resulting dough extrudate is sliced by a cutter unit to form dough discs which are then dried and cooled, during which the discs curl and form cereal flakes having varying textures defined, at least in part, by distinct sets of surface bumps. The number and configuration of the bumps can be altered by changing the number, shape and/or position of the various spaced openings of the die assembly, while the thicknesses of the resulting cereal flakes can be varied by just altering an operational speed of the cutter unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2012Publication date: August 15, 2013Applicant: GENERAL MILLS IP HOLDINGS II, LLCInventors: Barmack Rassi, Steven C. Robie, James N. Weinstein
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Patent number: 7431986Abstract: A stabilized emulsion is employed to produce shelf stable, controlled release, discrete, solid particles or pellets which contain an encapsulated and/or embedded component, such as a readily oxidizable component, such as omega-3 fatty acids. An oil encapsulant component which contains an active, sensitive encapsulant, dissolved and/or dispersed in an oil is admixed with an aqueous component and a film-forming component to form an emulsion. An antioxidant for prevention of oxidation of the active, sensitive encapsulant, and a film-softening component or plasticizer for the film-forming component may be included in the emulsion. The emulsion is stabilized by subjecting it to homogenization. The pellets are produced by first reducing the water content of the stabilized emulsion so that the film-forming component forms a film around the oil droplets and encapsulates the encapsulant. In embodiments of the invention, the water content of the homogenized emulsion may be reduced by spray-drying to produce a powder.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2002Date of Patent: October 7, 2008Assignee: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Bernhard H. Van Lengerich, Lily Leung, Steven C. Robie, Young Kang, Jamileh Lakkis, Thomas M. Jarl
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Patent number: 7235276Abstract: Disclosed are ready-to-eat puffed dried food products that are high both in protein and in fiber. The cereals contain sufficient amounts of at least one protein ingredient to provide a total protein content about 50% to 75% (dry weight) of the cooked food product; sufficient amounts of at least one dietary fiber ingredient to provide a total fiber content of about 1-45% (dry weight); and sufficient amounts of a starch containing ingredient to provide a starch content of about 5-45%. The food products have a crush strength raging from about 0.25 to 3.5 kg/cm3.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2003Date of Patent: June 26, 2007Assignee: General Mills IP Holdings II, LLCInventors: Patrick E. Allen, Gregory Flickinger, Terry T. Kirihara, Steven C. Robie
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Patent number: 6746702Abstract: Methods for preparing puffed snack products from cooked cereal doughs, especially corn based, comprise deep fat frying cornucopia shaped pellets or half products. Methods for preparing such snack products include a steeping step of cut grain particles having a particle size of 0.5 to 2.5 mm with warm water to have a moisture content of at least 18%, short residence time cooking to form a cooked cereal dough such as in a twin screw extruder, second long residence time cooking step, extruding the cooked cereal dough into extrudate ropes, tempering while cooling the extrudate ropes, forming into pellets, drying the pellets, and puffing to form the finished snack products such as by deep fat frying. The present methods provide finished puffed pieces of equivalent texture and eating qualities to those prepared by traditional low shear extended cooking of grains in batch cookers.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2000Date of Patent: June 8, 2004Assignee: General Mills, Inc.Inventor: Steven C. Robie
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Publication number: 20040017017Abstract: A stabilized emulsion is employed to produce shelf stable, controlled release, discrete, solid particles or pellets which contain an encapsulated and/or embedded component, such as a readily oxidizable component, such as omega-3 fatty acids. An oil encapsulant component which contains an active, sensitive encapsulant, dissolved and/or dispersed in an oil is admixed with an aqueous component and a film-forming component to form an emulsion. An antioxidant for prevention of oxidation of the active, sensitive encapsulant, and a film-softening component or plasticizer for the film-forming component may be included in the emulsion. The emulsion is stabilized by subjecting it to homogenization. The pellets are produced by first reducing the water content of the stabilized emulsion so that the film-forming component forms a film around the oil droplets and encapsulates the encapsulant. In embodiments of the invention, the water content of the homogenized emulsion may be reduced by spray-drying to produce a powder.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 24, 2002Publication date: January 29, 2004Inventors: Bernhard H. Van Lengerich, Lily Leung, Steven C. Robie, Young Kang, Jamileh Lakkis, Thomas M. Jarl
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Publication number: 20010051198Abstract: The present invention describes ready-to-eat cereal flakes desirably exhibiting higher numbers of discernible grain fragments of at least 1 mm2 as well as processes for preparing said cereal flakes. By having high numbers of discernible grain fragments the flakes exhibit greater consumer appeal as being less highly processed. More specifically, the present invention provides ready-to-eat cereal flakes fabricated from cooked cereal dough having at least 20 discernible grain fragments per gram of flakes. Methods for preparing such flakes including a steeping step of cut grain particles having a particle size of 0.5 to 2.5 mm with warm water to have a moisture content of about 20%, short residence time cooking to form a cooked cereal dough such as in a twin screw extruder, long residence time cooking, forming into pellets, drying the pellets, tempering, flaking the pellets and toasting to form the improved speckled R-T-E flake cereal.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2001Publication date: December 13, 2001Applicant: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Steven C. Robie, David J. Hilgendorf
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Patent number: 6291008Abstract: A ready-to-eat cereal based food product such as flakes desirably exhibiting higher numbers of discernible grain fragments of at least 1 mm2 is provided, as well as processes for preparing said cereal flakes. By having high numbers of discernible grain fragments the flakes exhibit greater consumer appeal as being less highly processed. More specifically, the ready-to-eat cereal flakes are fabricated from cooked cereal dough having at least 20 discernible grain fragments per gram of flakes. Methods for preparing such flakes including a steeping step of cut grain particles having a particle size of 0.5 to 2.5 mm with warm water to have a moisture content of about 20%, short residence time cooking to form a cooked cereal dough such as in a twin screw extruder, long residence time cooking, forming into pellets, drying the pellets, tempering, flaking the pellets and toasting to form the improved speckled R-T-E flake cereal.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 1998Date of Patent: September 18, 2001Assignee: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Steven C. Robie, David J. Hilgendorf
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Patent number: D681310Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2012Date of Patent: May 7, 2013Assignee: General Mills, Inc.Inventors: Barmack Rassi, Steven C Robie, James N Weinstein