US 4,084,493 AGranted

Apparatus for producing foodstuff products

OwnerElias Dennis Quintanainventor

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Abstract

An apparatus for producing foodstuff products, wherein a food wrapping comprising a flat flour sheet, known as a "tortilla", is stuffed with a food product of ingredients by dispositing the stuffing ingredients on the tortilla and thereafter folding and rolling the flour sheet to form a foodstuff known as a "burrito". The apparatus comprises a conveyor system arranged to pass the tortilla placed thereon through a series of stations whereby the flour sheet is sequencially wrapped about the foodstuff ingredients to encapsulate the foodstuff therein. The stations include depositing the foodstuff on the flour sheet, folding the side edges of the sheet by a folding chute, folding the leading edge of the sheet back over the food stuffing and folded side edges, rolling the sheet and stuffing back over itself a first time, and again rolling the sheet and stuffing therein a second and final time, after which the stuffed tortilla is discharged from the conveyor as a completed burrito ready for packaging.

Claims17

Dependent claims

An apparatus for producing a foodstuff product wherein a food-filler material is encapsulated within a thin sheet of dough, said apparatus comprising:

a supporting frame structure;
a conveyer system sequentially activated for transporting said sheet of dough thereon;
drive means connected to said conveyor system for sequentially moving said conveyor system longitudinally along said frame structure;
a foodstuff-dispensing means arranged to deposit a predetermined quantity of said filler onto said sheet of dough in a transverse manner to that of the travel of the conveyor system, said means being removably attached to said frame structure thereof;
a folding chute having oppositely disposed curling side walls whereby the longitudinal edges of said sheet of dough are folded inwardly thereby, said chute being positioned rearwardly of said dispensing means;
a first folding means positioned following said folding chute whereby the leading edge of said dough is folded over said filler and longitudinal edges thereof, and including a pressing means formed therewith to press down said longitudinal edges of said sheet of dough during the folding of said leading edge thereof;
a second folding means positioned rearwardly of said first folding means whereby said sheet of dough, along with said filler, is folded over said previously folded leading edge thereof;
a third folding means positioned rearwardly of said second folding means whereby the filler material is further folded over the trailing edge of said sheet of dough, wherein said foodstuff produce is completely formed thereby;
and
a sequential actuating means interconnecting said folding means and said conveyor system to said drive means.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.