Patent ID: 7337708

Claim:
A system for producing an edible product that includes an edible inner component made from a first material and an edible outer cover component substantially completely encapsulating the edible inner component, comprising: a first material source for supplying a first edible material; a second material source for supplying a second edible material; an extruder for continuously coextruding the first edible material and the second material source to produce an elongated rope of edible product, the extruder including a manifold having a first conduit connected to the first material source and a second conduit connected to the second material source, the first conduit being positioned within the second conduit to produce during coextrusion a continuous longitudinal rope comprised of the first edible material surrounded by the second edible material; a crimping apparatus which receives the longitudinal rope extruded from the extruder for crimping the longitudinal rope to separate the longitudinal rope into individual edible products, the crimping apparatus including a first movable member and an opposing second movable member, the first and second movable members being connected to a drive source for moving the first and second movable members, the first movable member having a plurality of protruding crimping elements positioned to define compression points with the second movable member as the crimping elements move into confronting relation with the second movable member during movement of the first and second movable members, the first and second movable members moving at a same speed and in a same direction at the compression point, and the longitudinal rope being received in the compression point with the longitudinal rope being compressed between the crimping element and the second movable member to separate the longitudinal rope into a plurality of individual edible products; a plurality of protruding crimping elements on the second movable member; and an alignment mechanism for aligning the crimping elements on the first movable member with respective crimping elements on the second movable member at the compression point.