Apparatus for making filled food products

Apparatus for filling edible products with discrete spots of filling material, comprising:

• means for partially forming the product into its final form,
• a plurality of discrete, separated tubes, each having a discharge opening for injecting filling material into said partially formed product,
• means for applying positive pressure on said filling material in said tubes and for applying negative pressure on said filling material to partially retract the flow of filling material, and
• means for finally forming the product between said discharge openings and the injected filling material to form a final product completely enclosing the spots of filling material, said means for partially forming the product including a product material hopper having a forming cylinder, forming piston means reciprocably mounted in said forming cylinder, metering piston means axially spaced from said forming piston means and independently reciprocably mounted in said forming cylinder, means for reciprocating the forming and metering piston means in said forming cylinder to trap a quantity of product material and extrude it radially outwardly of said forming cylinder, said tubes extending lengthwise radially of said forming cylinder between said forming piston means and said metering piston means for discharging discrete spots of filling material in the radially extruding product material.

Apparatus for filling edible products with spots of filling material, comprising:

• means for partially forming the product into its final form,
• filling nozzle means having circumferentially spaced discharge openings for injecting discrete spots of filling material into said partially formed product,
• means for pushing a predetermined amount of filling material through said filling nozzle and out said discharge openings to inject discrete spots of filling material within said partially formed product,
• means for halting the flow of filling material,
• means for finally forming the product between the filling nozzle discharge openings and the injected filling material to form a final product completely enclosing at least one spot of filling material,
• said means for partially forming the product including a product material supply having a forming cylinder with a discharge end,
• disk means having a peripheral edge generally coaxially aligned with said forming cylinder discharge end for providing a generally radially opening product material discharge passage,
• means selectively opening and closing said product material discharge passage for passing a quantity of product material through said forming cylinder and generally radially out said product material discharge passage to form a final product having radially inner and outer portions,
• said filling nozzle discharge openings opening into said product material discharge passage for forming a final product having partially radially spaced but interconnected portions of product material with a discrete spot of filling material between the radially spaced portions.

Apparatus for filling edible products with discrete spots of a relatively low-viscosity, readily flowable filling material, comprising:

• means for partially forming the product into its final form,
• filling nozzle means having a plurality of discrete, separated discharge openings for injecting discrete spots of filling material into said partially formed product,
• means applying positive pressure on said filling material in said filling nozzle and applying negative pressure sufficient to completely eliminate any positive pressure acting on said filling material for halting the flow of filling material out said discharge openings, and
• means for finally forming the product between said discharge openings and the injected filling material to form a final product completely enclosing the spots of filling material,
• said means for partially forming the product including a product material supply and cylindrical forming means,
• disk means having a peripheral edge generally coaxially aligned with said cylindrical forming means for providing a generally radially opening product material discharge passage,
• means selectively opening and closing said product material discharge passage for passing a quantity of product material through said cylindrical forming means and generally radially out said product material discharge passage to form a final product having radially inner and outer portions,
• said filling nozzle means discharge openings opening into said product material discharge passage for forming a final product having partially radially spaced but interconnected portions of product material with a discrete spot of filling material between each radially spaced portion.