Patent US5248508A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5248508A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Hard coated gum with improved shelf life
Assignee: WM Wrigley Jr Co
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Filing: 1992-03-23
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Granted: 1993-09-28
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Expires: 2012-03-23
Abstract
Abstract A hard coated chewing gum is provided which exhibits improved long-term shelf stability under storage conditions involving constant exposure to the moisture contained in the atmosphere. The hard coated chewing gum is ideally suited for pellet chewing gum having pellet shapes which cannot easily be protected from atmospheric moisture by packaging. The hard coated chewing gum has a gum center which includes a gum base, a bulk portion, and one or more flavoring agents. The gum center contains at least 2.5% moisture and not more than 3.0% glycerin. The hard coated chewing gum also has an outer coating which includes about 50 to about 100% hydrogenated isomaltulose. A method of preparing the hard coated chewing gum is also provided.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael A. Reed
- 👤 Jeffrey S. Hook
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 09:19
CPC Classifications
A; A23; A23G; A23G4/00; A23G4/06; A23G4/02; A23G4/04; A23G4/043; A23G4/046; A23G4/10; A23G4/18; A23G4/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
98 words
A hard coated chewing gum, comprising: about 25-90 weight percent of a chewing gum center including 5-90 percent of a bulk sweetener, 5-95 percent of a chewing gum base, 0.1-15 percent of one or more flavoring agents, and 8.5-15 percent of a softener, by weight of the gum center; and about 10-75 weight percent of a hard outer coating including hydrogenated isomaltulose; the softener comprising an aqueous sweetener solution; the gum center including at least 2.5 percent water by weight of the gum center and not more than about 3.0 percent glycerin by weight of the gum center.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
98 words
A hard coated chewing gum, comprising: about 25-90 weight percent of a chewing gum center including 5-90 percent of a bulk sweetener, 5-95 percent of a chewing gum base, 0.1-15 percent of one or more flavoring agents, and 8.5-15 percent of a softener, by weight of the gum center; and about 10-75 weight percent of a hard outer coating including hydrogenated isomaltulose; the softener comprising an aqueous sweetener solution; the gum center including at least 2.5 percent water by weight of the gum center and not more than about 3.0 percent glycerin by weight of the gum center.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 1, wherein the softener comprises an aqueous sorbitol solution.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 2, wherein the aqueous sorbitol solution comprises about 70 weight percent sorbitol and about 30 weight percent water.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 1, wherein the softener constitutes about 10 weight percent of the gum center.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 1, wherein the gum base includes an elastomer selected from the group consisting of polyisobutylene, isobutylene-isoprene copolymer, styrene butadiene rubber, natural latexes, and combinations thereof.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 1, wherein the gum base includes a resin selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl acetate, terpene resins, ester gums, and combinations thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 1, wherein the gum base includes fats and oils selected from the group consisting of animal fats, vegetable oils, hydrogenated vegetable oils, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, cocoa butter, and combinations thereof.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 1, wherein the gum base includes a wax selected from the group consisting of paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, candelilla, carnauba, polyethylene wax, and combinations thereof.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 1, wherein the gum base includes a filler component selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, talc, dicalcium phosphate, and combinations thereof.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 1, wherein the gum base includes a softener selected from the group consisting of glycerol monostearate, glycerol triacetate, and combinations thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 1, wherein the outer coating comprises from about 50 to about 100% hydrogenated isomaltulose by weight of the outer coating.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 1, wherein the outer coating comprises at least about 90% hydrogenated isomaltulose by weight of the outer coating.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
109 words
A hard coated chewing gum, comprising: about 25 to about 90 weight percent of a gum center which includes 5-95 percent of a gum base, 5-90 percent of a bulk sweetener, 0.1-15 percent of one ore more flavoring agents, and 8.5-15 percent of a softener, by weight of the gum center; and about 10 to about 75 weight percent of a hard outer coating which includes about 50 to about 100 percent hydrogenated isomaltulose by weight of the outer coating; the gum center including at least 2.5 percent water by weight of the gum center, and not more than about 3.0 percent glycerin by weight of the gum center.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
109 words
A hard coated chewing gum, comprising: about 25 to about 90 weight percent of a gum center which includes 5-95 percent of a gum base, 5-90 percent of a bulk sweetener, 0.1-15 percent of one ore more flavoring agents, and 8.5-15 percent of a softener, by weight of the gum center; and about 10 to about 75 weight percent of a hard outer coating which includes about 50 to about 100 percent hydrogenated isomaltulose by weight of the outer coating; the gum center including at least 2.5 percent water by weight of the gum center, and not more than about 3.0 percent glycerin by weight of the gum center.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
43 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 13, wherein the softener comprises a mixture of water and a sweetener selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, syrups of xylitol, maltitol, hydrogenated isomaltulose and other polyols, corn syrup, and combinations thereof.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
18 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 13, wherein the softener comprises a mixture of water and sorbitol.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 13, wherein the gum center includes a bulk sweetener selected from the group consisting of sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, maltitol, hydrogenated isomaltulose, and combinations thereof.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
46 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 13, wherein the gum center further includes a high intensity sweetener selected from the group consisting of sucralose, aspartame, salts of acesulfame, alitame, saccharin and its salts, cyclamic acid and its salts, glycyrrhizin, dihydrochacones, thaumatin, monellin, and combinations thereof.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
44 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 13, wherein the gum center constitutes about 50 to about 80 weight percent of the hard coated chewing gum and the outer coating constitutes about 20 to about 50 weight percent of the hard coated chewing gum.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 13, wherein the hard outer coating includes at least about 90% hydrogenated isomaltulose by weight of the outer coating.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
15 words
The hard coated chewing gum of claim 13, wherein the gum center contains no glycerin.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
119 words
A method of forming a hard coated chewing gum, comprising the steps of: forming a gum center including 5-90 percent of a bulk sweetener, 5-95 percent of a chewing gum base, 0.1-15 percent of one or more flavoring agents, and 8.5-15 percent of a softener, by weight of the gum center, the gum center containing at least 2.5 percent water by weight of the gum center and not more than 3.0 percent glycerin by weight of the gum center; forming a liquid coating syrup comprising hydrogenated isomaltulose and about 25 to about 70 percent solvent by weight of the coating syrup; applying the liquid coating syrup to the gum center; and evaporating the solvent from the liquid coating syrup.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
119 words
A method of forming a hard coated chewing gum, comprising the steps of: forming a gum center including 5-90 percent of a bulk sweetener, 5-95 percent of a chewing gum base, 0.1-15 percent of one or more flavoring agents, and 8.5-15 percent of a softener, by weight of the gum center, the gum center containing at least 2.5 percent water by weight of the gum center and not more than 3.0 percent glycerin by weight of the gum center; forming a liquid coating syrup comprising hydrogenated isomaltulose and about 25 to about 70 percent solvent by weight of the coating syrup; applying the liquid coating syrup to the gum center; and evaporating the solvent from the liquid coating syrup.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the solvent for the liquid coating syrup comprises water.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the liquid coating syrup comprises at least about 30% hydrogenated isomaltulose by weight of the liquid coating syrup.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the liquid coating syrup further comprises a flavoring agent.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the liquid coating syrup further comprises a whitener.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the liquid coating syrup further comprises an artificial sweetener.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 21, wherein the liquid coating syrup is applied to the chewing gum center by spraying.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps of applying a plurality of coatings of liquid syrup to the gum center, and drying the plurality of coatings.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-09-27 | 1997-03-29 | 1997-09-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-09-27 | 2001-03-29 | 2001-09-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-09-27 | 2005-03-29 | 2005-09-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |