Patent ID: 7320279

Claim:
A cutter assembly for an extruder for producing an extruded food piece containing a filling, the extruder including a first pressure vessel for containing a mash of the food under pressure, a second pressure vessel for containing the filling under pressure, a pressure exerting device for maintaining pressure in the pressure vessels, and first and second manifolds in fluid communication with the first and second pressure vessels, respectively, said cutter assembly being attachable in fluid communication with the first and second manifolds, and comprising: an elongated extrusion member, said elongated extrusion member including a tubular extrusion wall, said elongated extrusion member including an opened feed end formed on an end thereof, said opened feed end being attachable in fluid communication with the first manifold of the extruder; a filling tube extending through said elongated extrusion member, said filling tube being attachable to the second manifold of the extruder; an extrusion die formed in said elongated extrusion member, said extrusion die being shaped to the general shape of a natural food piece; and a cutter member having an opened drivable end, an elongated cutter wall, and an opened cutter end with a cutting surface for cutting extrudate to a desired length as the extrudate exits said extrusion die, said cutting surface being shaped to the general shape of said extrusion die, and said cutter member being disposed at least partially over and reciprocally slidable on the extrusion wall and operably connectable at the drivable end to a drive device of the extruder for reciprocatably sliding the cutting surface of the cutter member over and away from the extrusion die.