Manufacture of cooked or expanded and extruded pellets

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS PRESSURE COOKING OF CEREAL MATERIALS AND THE LIKE INTO AN EXTRUDABLE MASH AND FOR THE CONTINUOUS EXTRUSION THEREOF TO FORM A PLURALITY OF EXPANDED PELLETS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, THE COMBINATION WHICH COMPRISES A COOKING CONTAINER FOR COOKING AND MIXING AND CONDITIONING OF SAID CEREAL MATERIALS THEREIN, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY URGING SAID MATERIALS THROUGH SAID COOKING CONTAINER, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING HEAT AND SUPER-ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE INTO SAID COOKING CONTAINER, FEEDING MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID MATERIALS TO BE COOKED AND FOR FEEDING THEREOF INTO SAID CONTAINER CONTINUOUSLY AGAINST SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE THEREIN AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR COMPACTING SAID MATERIALS INTO A PRESSURE-RESISTANT PLUG TO RESIST ESCAPE OF PRESSURE FROM SAID COOKING CONTAINER, ROTATING MEANS ROTATING COUNTER TO SAID FEEDING MEANS FOR BREAKING SAID MATERIALS FROM THE INNER END OF SAID PLUG FOR THE FEEDING THEREOF INTO SAID COOKING CONTAINER, A PRESSURE EXTRUSION ASSEMBLY IN FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH SAID COOKING CONTAINER FOR RECEIVING THEREFROM SAID MATERIALS AFTER SAID COOKING WHILE FORMING A BARRIER FOR MAINTAINING SAID SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE THEREIN AND EFFECTING EXTRUSION OF SAID COOKED MATERIAL INTO ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE FOR EXPANSION OF SAID COOKED MATERIAL UPON EMERGENCE FROM SAID APPARATUS, AND MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY CUTTING SAID EXTRUDED MATERIAL INTO SAID EXPANDED PELLETS.