Patent ID: 6863913

Claim:
A system for manufacturing particulate food matter and changing the bulk density thereof, comprising: a cup filler including; a plurality of cups each having a variable volumetric capacity and fixed to rotate about a common rotational axis, each cup defining a volumetrically metered portion of particulate food matter; a planar bottom plate disposed to support a lower portion of each of the cups and configured to change the volume of the cups; a top plate disposed to support an upper portion of each of the cups; a position sensor disposed to sense changes in the volume of each cup and to generate an electrical signal indicative of such volumetric changes; a weight sensing device for determining a weight measurement of the volumetrically metered portions of particulate food matter; a first electronic controller coupled to the position sensor and to the weight sensing device to generate a series of electrical signals indicative of the bulk density of the volumetrically metered portions; a second electronic controller coupled to the first electronic controller over first communications lines to receive the series of electrical signals indicative of bulk density; and at least one food processing device selected from the group consisting of a mixer-agitator, a pre-conditioner, a cooling extruder, a batch steam cooker, a forming and cooking extruder, a pelletizing extruder, a microwave oven, a tempering oven, flaking rolls, shredding rolls, a deep-fat fryer, a gun puffer, a toasting oven, a baking oven and an enrober, the device having at least one electrically controllable actuator configured to regulate at least one machine operating parameter; wherein the second electronic controller is configured to change the operating parameter based upon at least one signal in the series of electrical signals indicative of bulk density by electrically signaling the at least one electrically controllable actuator, and further wherein the change in that electrically controllable actuator varies the bulk density of the particulate food matter.