US 11317640

Analysis of U.S. Patent 11,317,640

Date of Analysis: April 29, 2026

This report provides a summary of United States Patent 11,317,640, including its key bibliographic details and an overview of its independent claims. A search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database was conducted, and the provided information is based on the full text of the patent. A search of the dockets for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) for the year 2026 did not yield any public records of litigation involving this patent.

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Bibliographic Information

Patent Number:	11,317,640
Title:	Fruit snack with probiotics and method of manufacturing a fruit snack with probiotics
Assignee:	Promotion In Motion Inc.
Inventor:	Basant K. Dwivedi
Filing Date:	February 28, 2020
Issue Date:	May 3, 2022
Abstract:	A fruit snack with probiotics that is stable at room temperature is manufactured by combining various ingredients including fruit juices/purees to produce a slurry and cooking the slurry to produce a center that contains a high moisture content. The fruit snack center is covered with a barrier layer which in turn is covered by an outer layer that contains heat sensitive ingredients, such as probiotic cultures. The barrier layer substantially prevents migration of moisture from the center to the outer layer, and the fruit snack is cooled prior to applying the outer layer to minimize damage/harm to the heat sensitive ingredients. In addition to including probiotic cultures and being stable at room temperature, the fruit snack has other desirable characteristics including a chewy soft texture and fruit-flavorings, and may be manufactured using traditional processes.

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Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

This patent contains one independent claim, which outlines a specific method for manufacturing a food product.

Independent Claim 1:

This claim describes a multi-step process for creating a food product. The core of the method involves:

1. Creating a slurry: Combining multiple ingredients to form a thick liquid mixture.
2. Cooking the slurry: Heating the mixture to produce the center of the food product.
3. Applying a barrier layer: Coating the center with a layer that acts as a moisture barrier.
4. Cooling: Allowing the center of the food product to cool down.
5. Applying an outer layer: Adding a final layer over the barrier layer.

In essence, this claim protects a manufacturing process that creates a layered food item, where a cooked center is first coated with a protective layer, cooled, and then coated with an outer layer. This method is designed to control moisture and protect heat-sensitive ingredients that might be in the outer layer.