Apparatus for cutting and shaping a spherical body

An apparatus for cutting and shaping a spherical material from a continuous bar of material consisting of dough with a filling therein, comprising an assembly consisting of a plurality of identically-shaped cutting and shaping members, one end of each of the members being pivotally fitted to each of a plurality of fulcrums that are equidistantly disposed on an imaginary circumference formed by connecting the fulcrums, and the opposite end of each of the members being formed into a tip so that the members collectively and radially form and close an opening concentric to the circumference surrounded by the members when each member pivots away from and towards the center of the circumference, respectively, thereby to cut and shape material passing through the opening,

• wherein each of the cutting and shaping members has on both sides thereof adjacent the tip first and second curved side surfaces and respectively, such that when the members make a pivotal movement, the tip of one member slides over the first curved side surface of an adjacent member so that the opening is confined by an exposed part of the first curved side surface of the members to cut and shape the material,
• wherein each of the first and second curved side surfaces forms an arc whose radius is equal to the distance between the fulcrums of two adjacent cutting and shaping members, and when the opening is closed, the center of the arc of the first curved side surface of a cutting and shaping member is at the same time located at a distance from the fulcrum of a member that is equal to the radius of the imaginary circumference and at a distance from the center of the opening that is equal to the distance between two adjacent fulcrums, and the center of the arc of the second curved side surface is at the same time located at a distance from the fulcrum of the next member, in the direction going from the first curved side surface to the second curved side surface, that is equal to the radius of the imaginary circumference and at a distance from the center of the opening that is equal to the distance between two adjacent fulcrums, and
• wherein the first curved side surface of each of the cutting and shaping members has a uniform thickness, except for an area near the tip thereof, where the thickness decreases toward the tip.