Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
199 words
A method for the manufacture of edible products using a container, comprising assembling pieces of confection material into the form of wafers of predetermined uniform thickness and configuration, the pieces being sugar based confection material having expandable properties, heating the pieces to make the surfaces soft and sticky and to cause the same to adhere together, cooling the wafers, assembling a group comprising a multiplicity of such wafers in a container in parallel relationship with void spaces between parallel opposing side surfaces of adjacent wafers, inserting non-edible separating elements in the form of thin sheets or films between and across the opposed side faces of the wafers and in the void spaces before expansion, and then expanding the wafers by heating to soften the same and by subjecting the wafers to a partial vacuum, the expansion serving to cause the wafers to expand in thickness to substantially eliminate the void spaces between the same and to bring opposing side surfaces of adjacent expanded wafers into juxtaposition with formation of bonds between adjacent expanded wafers, and then permitting the expanded group of wafers to cool to form a final product consisting of a self-supporting group or stack of expanded wafers.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
199 words
A method for the manufacture of edible products using a container, comprising assembling pieces of confection material into the form of wafers of predetermined uniform thickness and configuration, the pieces being sugar based confection material having expandable properties, heating the pieces to make the surfaces soft and sticky and to cause the same to adhere together, cooling the wafers, assembling a group comprising a multiplicity of such wafers in a container in parallel relationship with void spaces between parallel opposing side surfaces of adjacent wafers, inserting non-edible separating elements in the form of thin sheets or films between and across the opposed side faces of the wafers and in the void spaces before expansion, and then expanding the wafers by heating to soften the same and by subjecting the wafers to a partial vacuum, the expansion serving to cause the wafers to expand in thickness to substantially eliminate the void spaces between the same and to bring opposing side surfaces of adjacent expanded wafers into juxtaposition with formation of bonds between adjacent expanded wafers, and then permitting the expanded group of wafers to cool to form a final product consisting of a self-supporting group or stack of expanded wafers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method as in claim 1 in which the sheets or films have openings and the expansion of the wafers causes the expanded material to be in direct adhering contact in the areas of the openings to form friable bonds between expanded wafers.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method as in claim 1 in which the sheets or films forming the separating elements have integral protrusions on the faces of the same, the protrusions serving to maintain the desired spacing of the wafers before expansion of the same.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as in claim 3 in which the protrusions of the separating elements are collapsed when the wafers are expanded.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method as in claim 3 in which the protrusions imprint the wafers during expansion.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
10 words
The food product resulting from the process of claim 2.