Appeal No. 1998-1417
Application No. 08/526,891
12), a method of continuously manufacturing chewing gum in a
blade and pin extruder that includes at least a first pin that
is hollow and a second pin (claims 14 and 15), and a method of
continuously manufacturing chewing gum without requiring
separate manufacture of a chewing gum base (claims 17 and 19).
According to the appellants (specification, page 3, lines 15-
19), “[i]t has been found that by shortening, or backing out,
one or more hollow feed pins that are typically used in a blade
and pin type extruder, greater feed of ingredients can be
achieved” and “clogging of feed orifices can be avoided.”
Further details of this appealed subject matter are recited in
representative claims 1, 7 through 10, 14, 17, and 19, all the
independent claims on appeal, reproduced below:
1. A method for manufacturing chewing gum
comprising the steps of adding chewing gum ingredients
to an extruder that includes pins projecting inward
from a barrel that circumscribes a shaft having
blades, the extruder including at least one hollow pin
that is located at a distance from the shaft that is
equal to at least 2.7% of the barrel diameter.
7. A method for modifying a blade and pin
extruder having a barrel so as to allow it to
manufacture chewing gum comprising the steps of
increasing the distance between at least one hollow
pin and a shaft of the extruder to a distance that is
equal to at least approximately 2.7% of the barrel
diameter.
8. A method for modifying a blade and pin
extruder having a barrel so as to allow it to
manufacture chewing gum comprising the steps of
2
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