Food cooking apparatus

Claim 2

In combination with a food cooking apparatus wherein cooked V-shaped food products are manufactured by loading uncooked food products into a plurality of food holding units and moving said food holding units through a cooking vessel, the improvement comprising: said food holding units being foldable, each of said food holding units having a normally open unfolded position for receiving an uncooked food product and a selectively closed folded position for molding said food product into a V-shape; guide means for engaging said food holding units to fold said units into their closed positions and for guiding said units through said cooking vessel, each of said units being operable to spring into its normally open unfolded position upon moving out of engagement with said guide means; and each of said units including discharge means operable by the spring action of said unit to discharge a V-shaped food product whenever said unit springs into its normally open position.

Claim 3

The invention recited in claim 1, wherein said guide means includes at least one parallel set of guide rails having outwardly extending flanges mounted at the entrance of said guide rails, said flanges being operable to engage said food holding units whereby to fold said food holding units into their closed position and guide said food holding units into said guide rails.

Claim 4

The invention recited in claim 2, wherein: a first portion of said guide rails defines a path for said food holding units into and within said bath and a second portion of said guide rails defines an exit path from said bath; and said bath defined in said cooking vessel extends below said second portion of said guide rails whereby frying fat draining from one of said food holding units being moved out of said bath drains into said bath so as to be recovered.

Claim 5

The invention recited in claim 1, including heater means for maintaining the frying fat in said cooking vessel at a predetermined temperature.

Claim 6

Apparatus for manufacturing cooked V-shaped food products, comprising: a cooking vessel defining a bath for holding heated frying fat; a plurality of foldable food holding units, each having a normally open unfolded position for receiving an uncooked food product and a selectively closed folded position for molding said food product into a V-shape, each of said food holding units comprising a V-shaped member and a normally flat food holding member, said food holding member having a pair of plates hingedly mounted to be selectively foldable about said V-shaped member whereby to selectively form a V-shaped food mold, and each of said food holding units including means for biasing said hinged plates in a normally coplanar relation; guide means for engaging said hinged plates of said food holding units to fold said hinged plates about said V-shaped members whereby to place said food holding units in their closed position, said guide means mounted to define a path for said food holding units through said bath in said cooking vessel; endless conveyor means having said food holding units mounted in spaced relation thereon, said conveyor means being mounted with respect to said guide means for moving each of said food holding units during portions of each cycle of said conveyor means into engagement with said guide means whereby food products loaded in said food holding units are guided through said bath and cooked in V-shaped form, and said food holding units including means for discharging a V-shaped product by spring action of the food holding unit whenever said unit springs into its normally open position.

Claim 7

Apparatus for manufacturing cooked V-shaped food products, comprising: a cooking vessel defining a bath for holding heated frying fat; a plurality of foldable food holding units, each having a normally open unfolded position for receiving an uncooked food product and a selectively closed folded position for molding said food product into a V-shape, each of said food holding units comprising a V-shaped member and a normally flat food holding member, said food holding member having a pair of plates hingedly mounted to be selectively foldable about said V-shaped member whereby to selectively form a V-shaped food mold, and each of said food holding units including means for biasing said hinged plates in a normally coplanar relation; guide means for engaging said hinged plates of said food holding units to fold said hinged plates about said V-shaped members whereby to place said food holding units in their closed position, said guide means mounted to define a path for said food holding units through said bath in said cooking vessel; endless conveyor means having said food holding units mounted in spaced relation thereon, said conveyor means being mounted with respect to said guide means for moving each of said food holding units during portions of each cycle of said conveyor means into engagement with said guide means whereby food products loaded in said food holding units are guided through said bath and cooked in V-shaped form, and said food holding units including means for discharging a V-shaped product by spring action of the food holding unit whenever said unit springs into its normally open position.

Claim 8

The invention recited in claim 5, wherein said guide means includes at least one parallel set of guide rails having outwardly extending flanges mounted at the entrance of said guide rails, said flanges being operable to engage said hingEd plates of said food holding units whereby to fold said food holding units into their closed position and guide said food holding units into said guide rails.

Claim 9

The invention recited in claim 5, wherein: a first portion of said guide means defines a path for said food holding units into and within said bath and a second portion of said guide means defines an exit path from said bath; and said bath defined in said cooking vessel extends below said second portion of said guide means whereby frying fat draining from one of said food holding units being moved out of said bath drains into said bath so as to be recovered.

Claim 10

The invention recited in claim 6, wherein: a first portion of said guide rails defines a path for said food holding units into and within said bath and a second portion of said guide rails defines an exit path from said bath; and said bath defined in said cooking vessel extends below said second portion of said guide rails whereby frying fat draining from one of said food holding units being moved out of said bath drains into said bath so as to be recovered.

Claim 11

The invention recited in claim 5, wherein: said endless conveyor means includes at least one endless chain mounted on sprocket drive means and power drive means for driving said sprocket drive means whereby to drive said chain; and said food holding units are mounted in spaced apart relation on said chain.

Claim 12

The invention recited in claim 5, including heater means for maintaining the frying fat in said cooking vessel at a predetermined temperature.

Claim 13

Apparatus for manufacturing cooked V-shaped food products, comprising: a cooking vessel defining a bath for holding a heated frying fat; a plurality of foldable food holding units each having a normally open unfolded position for receiving an uncooked food product and a selectively closed folded position for molding said food product into a V-shape, each of said food holding units comprising: a V-shaped member, said V-shaped member having a slot therein; a normally flat food holding member, said food holding member being pivotally mounted with respect to said V-shaped member to swing toward or away therefrom, said food holding member having a pair of plates hingedly mounted to be selectively foldable about said V-shaped member; means for biasing said hinged plates in a normally coplanar relation; means for biasing said food holding member in a normally predetermined spaced relationship away from said V-shaped member; an arm mounted on said food holding member to pivot therewith and extend within said V-shaped member to a position adjacent said slot; and pusher means mounted on said arm adjacent said slot for extending through said slot whenever said food holding member is biased in said predetermined spaced relationship away from said V-shaped member and for retracting from said slot into the space within said V-shaped member whenever said food holding member is pivoted toward said V-shaped member; guide means for engaging said hinged plates of said food holding units, said guide means being operable upon engaging said hinged plates of any one of said food holding units to simultaneously fold said hinged plates about said V-shaped member and pivot said food holding member toward said V-shaped member whereby to form a V-shaped food mold and retract said pusher means into the space within said V-shaped member, said guide means mounted to define a path for said food holding units through said bath in said cooking vessel; and endless conveyor means having said food holding units mounted in spaced relation thereon, said conveyor means being mounted with respect to said guide means for moving each of said food holding units during portions of each cycle of said conveyor means into engagement with said guide means whereby food products loaded in said food holding units are guided through said bath and cooked in V-shaped form, said gUide means and said conveyor means being positioned with respect to each other so that as any one of said food holding units exits said guide means said V-shaped member thereof supports the cooked food product therein whereby as said one food holding unit assumes its normal open position said pusher means thereof is moved through said slot to discharge the cooked food product therefrom.

Claim 14

Apparatus for manufacturing cooked V-shaped food products, comprising: a cooking vessel defining a bath for holding a heated frying fat; a plurality of foldable food holding units each having a normally open unfolded position for receiving an uncooked food product and a selectively closed folded position for molding said food product into a V-shape, each of said food holding units comprising: a V-shaped member, said V-shaped member having a slot therein; a normally flat food holding member, said food holding member being pivotally mounted with respect to said V-shaped member to swing toward or away therefrom, said food holding member having a pair of plates hingedly mounted to be selectively foldable about said V-shaped member; means for biasing said hinged plates in a normally coplanar relation; means for biasing said food holding member in a normally predetermined spaced relationship away from said V-shaped member; an arm mounted on said food holding member to pivot therewith and extend within said V-shaped member to a position adjacent said slot; and pusher means mounted on said arm adjacent said slot for extending through said slot whenever said food holding member is biased in said predetermined spaced relationship away from said V-shaped member and for retracting from said slot into the space within said V-shaped member whenever said food holding member is pivoted toward said V-shaped member; guide means for engaging said hinged plates of said food holding units, said guide means being operable upon engaging said hinged plates of any one of said food holding units to simultaneously fold said hinged plates about said V-shaped member and pivot said food holding member toward said V-shaped member whereby to form a V-shaped food mold and retract said pusher means into the space within said V-shaped member, said guide means mounted to define a path for said food holding units through said bath in said cooking vessel; and endless conveyor means having said food holding units mounted in spaced relation thereon, said conveyor means being mounted with respect to said guide means for moving each of said food holding units during portions of each cycle of said conveyor means into engagement with said guide means whereby food products loaded in said food holding units are guided through said bath and cooked in V-shaped form, said gUide means and said conveyor means being positioned with respect to each other so that as any one of said food holding units exits said guide means said V-shaped member thereof supports the cooked food product therein whereby as said one food holding unit assumes its normal open position said pusher means thereof is moved through said slot to discharge the cooked food product therefrom.

Claim 15

The invention recited in claim 11, including means for collecting cooked V-shaped food products which have been discharged from said food holding units.

Claim 16

The invention recited in claim 11, including heater means for maintaining the frying fat in said cooking vessel at a predetermined temperature.

Claim 17

The invention recited in claim 11, including means mounted on said hinged plates of each one of said food holding units for engaging said V-shaped members thereof whenever said food holding units are folded in their closed position in said guide means whereby in said guide means said food holding member of any one of said food holding units is held in a fixed closed position with respect to said V-shaped member thereof so that said pusher means thereof is retracted from said slot.

Claim 18

The invention recited in claim 11, wherein: said means for biasing said hinged plates includes stop means for supporting said hinged plates in a coplanar relation and spring means for biasing said hinged plates normally against said stop means; and said means for normally biasing said food holding member in a predetermined spaced relationship away from said V-shaped member includes a compression spring; and including roller means mounted on each pair of hinged plates for engaging said guide means.

Claim 19

The invention recited in claim 11, wherein said guide means includes at least one parallel set of guide rails having outwardly extending flanges mounted at the entrance of said guide rails, said flanges being operable to engage said hinged plates of said food holding units whereby to fold said food holding units into their closed position and guide said food holding units into said guide rails.

Claim 20

The invention recited in claim 11, wherein a first portion of said guide means defines a path for said food holding units into and within said bath and a second portion of said guide means defines an exit path from said bath; and said bath defined in said cooking vessel extends below said second portion of said guide means whereby frying fat draining from one of said food holding units being moved out of said bath drains into said bath so as to be recovered.

Claim 21

The invention recited in claim 16, wherein: a first portion of said guide rails defines a path for said food holding units into and within said bath and a second portion of said guide rails defines an exit path from said bath; and said bath defined in said cooking vessel extends below said second portion of said guide rails whereby frying fat draining from one of said food holding units being moved out of said bath drains into said bath so as to be recovered.

Claim 22

The invention recited in claim 1, wherein means are included for collecting cooked V-shaped food products which have been discharged from said food holding units.