US 4,380,191 AGranted

Dough forming and cooking apparatus

OwnerRafael C. Gallegos, Antonio Gallegos +3inventors

InventorsRafael C. Gallegos, Antonio Gallegos, Robert M. Gallegos, Jess E. Gallegos, deceased, by Adeline Gallegos, legal representative

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Abstract

Apparatus for forming and cooking articles made from material of dough-like consistency. The apparatus combines: means adapted to contain a fluid cooking medium at an elevated temperature; an endless belt means adapted to continuous operation having a plurality of convex porous mold members arranged on a surface; a web-like articulated continuous conveyor means adapted to receive finite quantities of amorphous, dough-like material; and means for intermittently positioning consecutive portions of said web-like conveyor means into operative engagement with consecutive mold members to shape each of said quantities of material of amorphous, dough-like consistency into articles of desired configuration. Thereafter the engaged portions of said conveyor and belt means move into said fluid cooking medium containment means. Guide means are arranged within said fluid cooking medium containment means which direct said operatively engaged article-containing portions of said conveyor and belt means through said fluid cooking medium in a submerged position and thereafter facilitate their separation as they emerge from said fluid cooking medium containment means, with the cooked articles being removed on said conveyor means in an attitudinal orientation promoting optimal drainage and return of the entrained fluid cooking medium to the cooking medium containment means.

Claims15

Dependent claims

Apparatus for forming and cooking articles made from material of dough-like consistency, comprising:

(a) means adapted to contain a fluid cooking medium at an elevated temperature;
(b) an endless belt means adapted to travel at a uniform rate in a continuous path, a portion of which path of travel is through said fluid cooking medium containment means, and a portion of which path of travel is elevated above said fluid cooking medium containment means and in a direction opposite to the direction of the path of travel through said fluid cooking medium containment means;
(c) a plurality of convex porous mold members arranged on a surface of said belt means;
(d) separate web-like articulated endless conveyor means adapted to receive finite quantities of amorphous dough-like material;
(e) means for intermittently positioning consecutive discrete portions of said web-like conveyor means into operative engagement with consecutive mold members arranged on said endless belt means to shape each of said quantities of material of amorphous, dough-like consistency into articles of desired configuration, said engaged portions of said conveyor and belt means thereafter moving into said fluid cooking medium containment means;
and
(f) guide means arranged interiorly and exteriorly of said fluid cooking medium containment means and adapted to direct the transportation of said operatively engaged article-containing portions of said conveyor and belt means through said fluid cooking medium containment means in a submerged position and to thereafter facilitate their separation as they emerge from said fluid cooking medium containment means, said articles being removed on said conveyor means in an attitudinal orientation promoting optimal drainage and return of entrained fluid cooking medium to the cooking medium containment means.

4 more elements

Apparatus for forming and cooking articles made from material of dough-like consistency, comprising:

(a) means adapted to contain a fluid cooking medium at at an elevated temperature;
(b) an endless belt means adapted for continuous operation;
(c) a plurality of convex porous mold members arranged on a surface of said belt means;
(d) a web-like articulated continuous conveyor means adapted to receive finite quantities of amorphous dough-like material;
said web-like conveyor means comprising an endless belt of chain mesh, a continuous chain member attached to and contiguous with each of the two lateral edges of said chain mesh belt, and a plurality of bar members arranged transversely across said chain mesh belt to form a plurality of junctions between parallel portions of said two chain members through said bar members;
(e) means for intermittently positioning consecutive portions of said web-like conveyor means into operative engagement with consecutive mold members arranged on said continuous belt means to shape each of said quantities of material of amorphous, dough-like consistency into articles of desired configuration, said engaged portions of said conveyor and belt means thereafter moving into said fluid cooking medium containment means;
(f) guide means arranged interiorly and exteriorly of said fluid cooking medium containment means and adapted to direct the transportation of said operatively engaged article-containing portion of said conveyor and belt means through said fluid cooking medium containment means in a submerged position and to thereafter facilitate their separation as they emerge from said cooking medium containment means, said articles being removed on said conveyor means in an attitudinal orientation promoting optimal drainage and return of entrained fluid cooking medium to the cooking medium containment means, said guide means comprising continuous parallel rail members arranged on opposite lateral sides of said apparatus, a portion of each rail member being arranged within the fluid cooking medium containment means, and the remainder of each rail member being arranged exteriorly of said containment means, and wherein said guide means include a downwardly convergent, upwardly divergent portion beginning in the vicinity where said operatively engaged article-containing portions of said conveyor and belt means begin their separation as they emerge from said fluid cooking medium containment means.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.