Patent ID: 6960361

Claim:
A method of coating at least two separate masses of centers simultaneously in a single coating apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: providing the coating apparatus, which comprises a coating pan including an outer shell having first and second ends, with the pan defining an interior volume, and at least one partition within the shell, dividing the interior volume into a plurality of coating vessels and generally preventing the intermixing of the separate masses of centers, wherein each coating vessel has at least one aperture for the introduction of a mass of centers and a coating composition into each coating vessel; introducing the mass of centers to be coated into each of the coating vessels, wherein the masses of centers in different coating vessels may be the same as or different from each other; optionally, measuring each mass of centers to provide masses of centers that vary in weight, one from the other, by no more than about 2 percent; rotating the coating pan; generally preventing cross-over and intermixing of centers between coating vessels with the partition; introducing a coating composition into each of the coating vessels, wherein each coating composition introduced into different coating vessels may be the same as or different from one another; intermixing the mass of centers and coating composition in each coating vessel to form a coating layer on each of the centers; and drying the coating layers.