JPS6112648B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to food cooking methods, and more particularly, to forming the starting materials of torchas (circular breads kneaded with corn flour and toasted thinly without yeast) into a predetermined contour and preparing the food for cooking. An improved apparatus and method for forming and cooking taco (stuffed torches, folded in half and fried) shells at high speeds by maintaining the material in its contour during operation.

Various types of cooking mechanisms for taco shells have been known and used for many years. Among the various devices employed are those disclosed in US Pat. No. 2,603,143 (Saenz), US Pat. Each of these devices relates to a means for shaping and cooking a torch so that the torch can be used in preparing tacos and similar food products. However, each of these devices requires individual charging, has inherent capacity limitations, requires excessive amounts of cooking oil, or is difficult to accommodate in modern production. They either fail to meet the high standards of product uniformity required. U.S. Patent No. 3880065, No. 3928638, No.
No. 3,785,273 and No. 4,154,153 (Stakeles) relate to an apparatus having a flexible pliable belt, the belt being deformed by a plunger mounted transversely thereon, the plunger having a The torch lath is tightened against the belt to form a pocket in the belt. How to work is
Intermittent belt movement was required both when the torch lath was first formed in the pocket and when the torch lath was removed from the belt pocket when the plunger was separated from the belt.
Intermittent motion was also present as the pocket moved through the fryer.

Improvements to the idea of the Stackles patent are:
Intermittent motion was minimized by disposing a secondary conveyor within the fryer to carry the primary conveyor through the fryer during fryer operations. this is,
During that period, intermittent exercise was promoted. Another limitation of Stakles' device is its contribution to the special size of the torchlass and the resulting taco shell. Without substantial redesign, this machine
It was not possible to interchangeably accommodate a variety of different diameter torchlases. These machines, as well as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,393 (Cee), although mechanically original, require
It was an unreasonably complex machine to operate, maintain, and clean. Therefore, its adoption has been mostly limited to applications where low production of taco shells is acceptable, for example in the range of 75 to 325 taco shells per minute.

Product uniformity is a requirement for high volume commercial production of taco shells. This was difficult to achieve without the presence of several workers at a visual inspection station located at the discharge point of the taco shell forming machine, thus resulting in high labor costs for the operation. . This, and the loss of scrap taco shells from rejected product, had a negative impact on the overall economy of operation in prior art taco shell forming machines.

An important object of the present invention is to be capable of operating at high production speeds to produce improved quality taco shells with minimal rejection of taco shell imperfections.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for cooking and forming taco shells and the like.

Another object of the invention is to perform low production tasks such as
It can be adapted to a wide range of designs for use both in production rates on the order of 75-150 units/min and in high production operations, e.g. producing 350-750 taco shells per minute. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for cooking taco shells.

Another object of the invention is to provide a taco shell cooking device in which the flat torch lath is shaped in a U-shape around a vertical plane coextensive with the path of travel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type described above which is adaptable for forming taco shells from torches of a variety of different diameters.

Another object of the invention is to accommodate a high density of product in the mechanism when fully loaded with the product, thereby achieving high efficiency in the use of cooking oil.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for forming and cooking taco shells.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus for forming and cooking taco shells that operates economically at high operating rates of cooking oil, thus reducing the amount of cooking oil absorbed by the product. The aim is to achieve a lower free fatty acid content in the oil and maintain high quality of the oil, thereby providing better product shelf life.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which are also illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Briefly, the invention encompasses an apparatus for forming and cooking food that includes a frame having a vat thereon containing a cooking medium through which the food to be cooked can be passed. An endless conveyor is arranged on the frame for transporting the food product through the cooking medium, in particular from the food forming location to the food discharge location.
The endless conveyor includes a plurality of forming elements, each of the forming elements having complementary concave and convex forming surfaces, the convex forming surface being disposed at the leading edge of each forming element and thus adjacent When the forming elements are placed in close relationship, the forming surfaces are spaced apart so that the food product inserted therebetween is constrained, shaped and conveyed through the cooking medium. The forming station includes means for feeding the food elements in sheet form one at a time, where each food element is engaged by a convex surface of the forming element and a concave portion of the preceding forming element. It is conveyed in a downward curve for the enclosed space within and held therebetween during the cooking operation. The food is
When the molding elements are opened and spaced apart, the food product is ejected and received onto the support mechanism for removal from the device.

The method of the present invention is particularly useful for forming taco shells from torch lass by preparing a spaced matrix of torch lass and moving it in a substantially flat plane. The torch lass is then accelerated one by one to the forming station without substantially changing its orientation. The torchlass is decelerated to a substantially stationary state, where it is folded, and simultaneously moved in the folded state away from the flat plane in a curved path and placed into the cooking medium; The food is cooked to its final state and then removed.

A high speed taco fryer 10 of the present invention is shown in the drawings, particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2, and includes a loading conveyor 11 and a pan or vat 12 for containing a supply of cooking oil. Food molding place 1
3 and four endless conveyors 14, each endless conveyor comprising a plurality of complementary forming elements 16 for conveying the torchlass 17 from the forming station 13 through the pan 12 to an unloading station 18. . The aforementioned components are structural frame 1
9, it is understood that they are appropriately arranged. 4
Although two endless conveyors 14, a forming station 13 and an unloading station 18 are shown here, the present invention does not require the use of a single line of such components or together for conveying food products through a cooking medium. several conveyors 14 connected laterally to
Can be used with Although the cooking medium described here is cooking oil, it is in fact used in U.S. Pat.
Other cooking media may be used with the present invention, such as the cooking media disclosed in No. 4,167,585 (published September 11, 1979).

Torch lath transport loading conveyor 11 shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 11
includes an endless, flat, flexible wire belt 21 having provision for maintaining and positioning the torchlass 17 in columns that do not extend in the direction of movement as shown in FIG. These facilities are
1. An outwardly projecting shoulder 2 as shown in Figure 1.
2 of the belt (as shown in FIG. 6) includes an arrangement of staggered wire elements. Shoulder part 22
are spaced laterally of the conveying path slightly wider than the diameter of the torchlass, e.g., 5 to 51/8 inches (127 to 130 mm). Torch lasses are recognized to deviate from their ideal diameter of design and take on a variety of elliptical shapes and sizes in common production. The device accommodates these discrepancies. When positioned between the wire shoulders 22, the torch lath 17 is maintained in alignment with the forming station as the loading conveyor 11 moves the food product forward, to the right as seen in FIGS. Probably. The food repositioning means 23 serving to lightly swing the wire belt 21 is the eleventh food repositioning means 23.
As shown in the figure. Its purpose is to control the variable speed motor 2
6, the wire belt 21 is swung laterally through the action of an adjustable eccentric 24 rotatably mounted on a shaft 25 driven by 6. The U-link 27 on the eccentric 24 is attached to a connecting rod 28 which extends under the upper path of the wire belt 21 towards the diaphragm 29.
imparts a rocking motion to the wire belt 21 when displaced back and forth in the direction of arrow 31, thereby causing the torch 17 (indicated by dashed lines in FIG. (as shown) into the space between the opposing shoulders 22 so that it is properly positioned for reception by the food forming station 13.

The loading conveyor 11 is driven from a shaft 32 with wire belt engagement teeth 33 positioned along the length of the shaft 32 (FIGS. 5 and 6).
figure). The shaft 32 is driven from a shaft 34 of a food acceleration conveyor 36 located in the food forming station 13 (FIGS. 5 and 6).
The shafts 32 and 34 are driven in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. It is mounted with. Thus, when the shaft 32 is driven in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6, the torchlass 17 is moved from left to right as seen in FIGS. Advance in an orderly line towards 36.

The high speed taco crust fryer may be constructed and arranged so that the conveyor belt 21 accommodates more than a single row of torchlas 17 with more than two pairs of shoulders 22 to define a torchlare receiving channel. will be understood. Or, on the other hand, the taco shell fryer 10 can be designed and configured to receive multiple rows of torches 17, with four rows of torches 17 depicted here. It is worth noting that the present design can be adapted to form several rows of taco shells simultaneously without the mechanical limitations associated with prior art machines. The present apparatus retains the qualities and advantages of this design when employing either a single row or multiple row torchlas forming machine.

The pot 12 essentially includes a heat exchanger 43 and a motor 4.
A system including a pump 44 driven by 6......at a temperature of about 275 to 425〓 (135 to 218 degrees Celsius)...
...is a vat for maintaining the supply of cooking oil 20 maintained at cooking temperature, and is a pump 44.
The oil is suitably circulated between heat exchanger 43 and pan 12 through suitable tubing 47 (FIG. 1). In order to work with a minimum amount of cooking oil 20 and thereby achieve the benefits of a high turnover rate of cooking oil giving improved quality with lower free fatty acid values, the pan 12 is , outlined as shown in FIG. It includes a plurality of channels 48 surrounding the forming elements 16, through which the forming elements on the endless conveyor 14 are passed.
1 per conveyor system 14 as shown in Figure 3.
There are two channels. The channels 48 are interconnected at each end to a header or manifold 49 (first
), thus maintaining a uniform flow of culinary ingredients through each of the channels 48 within the taco fryer 10.

The four endless conveyors 14 shown can be similarly configured and, as previously mentioned, the invention is implemented through the use of only one endless conveyor 14 at the location of the associated loading conveyor 11 and pan 12. and the forming station 13 would be similarly adapted to the number of conveyors 14 selected for use in a high speed taco crust fryer.

5, 6 and 8, the endless conveyor 14 is connected to a drive chain and sprocket assembly 5 from a motor 53 coupled to a phase shifter 55.
2, the shaft 51
is suitably supported by pillow blocks or similar bearings 54 mounted to frame 19.
For carrying forming elements 16 on conveyor 14, drive shaft 51 and idler shaft 56 (FIG. 8) at opposite ends of unit 10 are each provided with two spaced drive sprockets 57 and two endless linear drives. It cooperates with elements such as roller chains 58 for each conveyor 14. The forming element 16 is connected to the roller chains 58 by means of a carrier 59 which is pivotally connected to the two roller chains 58 by a pair of transverse rods 61.
(Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 8)
(Fig. 9). Each carrier 59 is equipped to receive one transverse rod 61 through an aligned circular hole 62 in a tongue 64 and the other transverse rod through an elongated slot 63, the elongated slot 63 having an aligned opening 62. The “next” carrier 5 has a similar pair of tongues 64 with
nests over the tongue of No. 9 (No. 9
figure). As seen in FIGS. 6 and 8, sprocket 57 has a relatively small diameter, such as on the order of two inches (50.8 mm) in diameter. When the associated transverse rod 61 traverses the sprocket 57 at the loading or unloading location, the forming elements pivoting into the open position extend outwardly from the axis of the sprocket 57 by a considerable distance, e.g. Extends approximately 1 inch (219.5 mm).

This relationship between a small diameter sprocket and a forming element with a significant "arm length" is such that the torch lath can be inserted between successive forming elements 16, and the heated section shown in FIG. An opening or "window" is provided for removing the torch or taco shell 170 at the unloading location.

The molded elements 16 have the general shape of a partially open, quiet shell and are suitably fixed individually to their associated carrier 59, such as by welding. Each shaped element includes a first body 16a having a generally vertically disposed convex shaped surface 66 (FIG. 9) and a second body 16b having a concave shaped surface 67. The two objects 16a, 16b are arranged as shown in FIG. 9 and secured together by welding. The trailing edge of the second object 16b is curved so that as the forming element 16 progresses through the forming operation as shown in FIG. It is curved to give. 9, 10, and 12, the continuous element 1 is shown so that the aligned holes 62 and slots 63 are disposed in substantially the same plane.
When the six carriers 59 are arranged, the forming elements are arranged such that there is a food enclosing space provided between the concave shaped surface 67 on the front carrier and the convex shaped surface 66 on the rear or next carrier. 16 is formed. This space between opposing molded surfaces 66, 67 serves to receive and enclose the torchlass and hold it in a collapsed condition as it is conveyed through cooking oil 20. The space between the opposing forming surfaces is slightly wider than the thickness of the torchlus, and the forming surfaces have minimal tendency for the food to slide out of the slot or space due to the buoyancy of the food in the cooking oil 20 and good surface contact. The molded surface is such that
It will be appreciated that a plurality of through holes 69 are provided in the forming elements 16a, 16b to provide access for cooking oil to the food product and to allow water vapor to escape from the food product during the cooking operation. Cooking food vertically facilitates rapid escape of water vapor and minimizes water vapor blockage and therefore blistering of the food.

Track means 70 are provided on the taco shell fryer 10 to maintain the continuous forming elements 16 in a nested or closed relationship by constraining the movement of the roller chain 58 and the carrier 59 is , is connected to roller chain 58 via transverse rod 61 as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 12. More specifically, the track means provided for each of the two sets of roller chains 58 are a pair of vertically spaced rods 71 defining a guide slot 72 therebetween, and the links of the roller chains. 58 moves into the guide slot 72 from the forming station 13 to the unloading station 18. Sprocket 57 (Figures 6 and 8)
The roller drive chain 58 is connected to the guide slot 72 such that the roller drive chain 58 drives the roller chain and the carrier 59.
The forwardmost forming element 16 accelerates when it reaches its point of contact with the sprocket 57 at the moment when the next forming element 16 remains at the linear velocity of the roller chain 58. At this moment, the other carrier 59 and its elements move away from the rear carrier 59 and its elements,
Therefore, at the unloading station 18, the cooked torch is placed on the taco shell 170 (No. 8
) is exposed on the convex shaped surface 66. Elongated holes or slots 63 in the carrier 59 permit short spacing of the transverse rods and are adapted to accommodate movement of the carrier over the sprockets 57 at each end of the conveyor 14.

8, means are provided to ensure that the taco shell 170 is positively disengaged from the convexly formed surface 66. . For this purpose, on each side of the unloading station there are arranged units 74 driven by bristle-like or finger-like elements 78 mounted on the frame 19, each unit 74 ,
It is driven by an electric motor or the like in the direction of arrow 77 shown in FIG. 8A. As shown in FIG. 8, the taco 170 is firmly but gently urged forward and downward so that the taco shell can be received on the fixed conveying member 79 and removed onto the discharge conveyor 81. Bristle elements 78 provide sufficient frictional force. In other embodiments, a jet of compressed air (not shown) arranged at the unloading location can serve to actively disengage the taco shell 170 from the convexly formed surface 66. A pot 82 is provided at the discharge or unloading station 18 and is adapted to return the tacos 170 and oil droplets falling from the conveyor 14 to the cooking pot 12. The drip pan 82 is connected to the food conveyor 14
It also serves to ensure that even if a torch or taco shell were to fall off the conveyor 14 for any reason, it would not fall out of the enclosed space defined by the forming element 16.

Forming location 13 below the lower path of the conveyor 14
A guide rod 86 (FIG. 6) located at 12.degree. Therefore, the installation of the rod 86 and the pot 82 is as follows:
Preventing the possibility of clogging or contaminating the cooking medium 20 from food falling into the cooking oil. The buoyancy of the torch in the cooking oil helps to hold the torch in the molded state between successive molding elements.

Details of this molding station 13 are shown in FIGS. 5-7. Equipment is included to ensure that each torchlass 17 is transferred in a direct positive manner onto the food accelerating conveyor 36, and for this purpose a cooperating pair of accelerating rolls 90 for each conveyor 14 is included. , 91 are located on a shaft 92 which rests on the terminal or folded portion of the loading conveyor 11 as best shown in FIG. The upper and lower accelerator rolls 90, 91 are laterally spaced to grip the central portion of the torch lath 17 and move it in a straight line onto the accelerating conveyor 36, which finally The torch is maintained and transported in accelerated motion until blocked or stopped by a contacting object. These project vertically upwardly from the sides of the accelerating conveyor chain or belt 94 and serve to position and maintain the torchlass 17 for subsequent operations. This obviates "long horns" in the taco shell, where the taco shell is shaped asymmetrically so that one side is longer than the other. Acceleration rolls 90, 91 and food acceleration conveyor 36 connect food forming conveyor 1 through a drive chain that passes over sprockets on shaft 92.
4 (Fig. 6). Idler sprocket assembly 97 maintains chain 96 at the correct tension. Food accelerating conveyor 36 is driven from shaft 92 through a drive chain 98 that passes through the lower portion above idler sprocket assembly 99. Flexible belt 9 of food acceleration conveyor 36
4 pass through the sheave 101 on the upper transverse shaft 102 and on the lower transverse shaft 103 supporting the sheave 104.
Travel downwards. As shown in FIG. 7, belt 94 is supported vertically by tracks 106 to precisely define the plane of belt 94 at the forming station. The transverse shafts 102, 103 are supported by a U-shaped secondary frame 107 fixed to a transverse member 108 forming a component of the framework 19 (FIG. 6). As the carrier 59 traverses the outer periphery of the sprocket 57 in a folded manner (FIG. 6), as the forming element 16 and its associated carrier advance downwardly, a guide chute or recess 111 is provided in which the forming element and the torch lass are propagated. They are arranged at each food forming place 13 so as to accommodate a procession (advancement) of .

At the turning point, the continuous shaped element 16
The leading edge-to-leading edge of forming element 16 is separated by an angular displacement of approximately 86 degrees as shown in both FIGS. 6 and 8. In Figure 6, approximately
A 30 degree gap is present to allow engagement with the torchlass. The time available for the torchlus to reach the loading location before forming is 0.225 seconds at a food conveyor 14 speed of 200 inches (5.08 m) per minute.

Convexly shaped surface 6 with the torch lath biased downwards
It has been found that it is desirable to constrain and control the downward movement of the torch lath when molded against 6. For this purpose, a guide chute or recess 111 is provided with a vertically downwardly moving forming element 1
6 , the free ends of the bristles being spaced apart by a distance slightly less than the width of the shaping element 16 . The protrusion of the descending shaping element thus brings the torchlas into contact with the bristles 116 and urges it downwardly against deflection of the bristles 116 as the torchlass is moved into the concave shaped surface 67. (Figure 7). Therefore, the transverse rod 61 of the associated carrier is connected to the guide slot 7 with the chain 58.
2, the successive forming elements are held together in the correct forming condition to form the taco shell from the torch. The bristle-like or brush-like elements 116 prevent the torch lath 17 from falling freely into the guide chute or recess 111 and are therefore attached by the convex part of the shaped element into the guide chute or recess 111. Maintain control of the descent of the Tortilus as it is gaining momentum. Spaced pairs of stationary rods 117 extend longitudinally along the top of the guide chute or recess 111 to establish a contour or guide surface for the lowering torchlass 17. The surface of the rod 117 is exposed almost immediately upon engagement of the torch by the tip or leading portion of the forming element 16.
It works effectively to release the torchlass from the accelerator belt. This provides additional control over the downward movement of the torch.

To operate the high-speed taco fryer 10 to produce 100 finished taco shells per minute per food conveyor 14, the operator first applies a body of oil 20 contained in the pan 12 to the desired amount. Operating temperature e.g.
It also comes within the range of 275-425〓 (135-218℃). Tortilus cooks in about 30 seconds. oil 2
In order to achieve the desired temperature of 0, the heat exchanger 43
Energy is supplied to the pump 44 and motor 46. The main drive motor 53 is driven to put the individual conveyors of the unit 10 in motion and allows the unit 10 to move carrying elements 16 every minute.
Food conveyor 14 moving at 200 inches (5.08 m)
, loading conveyor 11 that moves at 600 inches (15.24 m) per minute, and food acceleration conveyor 36.
and an acceleration roll 91 that moves at 1500 inches (38.1 m) per minute (Figures 5 and 6). Torch lath 17 incorrectly positioned between spaced shoulders 22 defining a channel on wire belt 21
To stop the conveyor belt 21 and convey the torchlass in this channel towards the forming station 13, a torchlass repositioning mechanism 23 is actuated to impart a generally parallel action to the conveyor belt 21.

Torch lath 17 with a diameter of 5 inte (127 mm)
are regularly spaced approximately 6 inches (152.4 mm) between row centers on wire belt 21 starting from the directed or indexing wire belt element (not shown); In this case, this spacing is not important. The reason is that the variation in spacing between adjacent torch laths 17 is 6 inches (152.4 mm) plus or minus 1 inch (25.4 mm).
This is because the speed relationship between the accelerating conveyor 36 and the food conveyor 11 works harmoniously with the forming conveyor 14 in such a way that it may be of the order of mm). Driving the phase shift device 55 to ensure that the food conveyor 11 receives the torchlass 17 from a properly timed torchlass forming device (not shown) for operation of the high speed taco shell forming unit 10. I can do it. The speed of the accelerating rolls and accelerating conveyor 36 is such that the torchlass reaches the forming station 13 when the forming elements approach the guide chute or recess 111 to begin the taco shell forming action.
I guarantee that it will be stopped. Food molding place 13
Continuous forming element 1 (in charging position) at
As mentioned above, in terms of time this is approximately 0.225 seconds. This gap allows accurate stopping of the torch lath facing the contact object 93.
It has been found that the gap is sufficient to allow it to be conveyed downwardly in a curved path into a concavely shaped surface 67 disposed below.

Once the continuous forming elements 16 are in a "nested" or "closed" relationship, the endless conveyor 14 traverses the channel 48 of oil in the pan 12. When the drive chain 58 and the transverse rod 61 are spaced apart from each other, the track 7
1 slot 72, the forming element 16 is maintained in a relationship that tends to retain the torch. The track 71 is guided through a gentle curve downward through the cooking medium and then upwardly out of the cooking medium to the unloading location 18.
, in which case the slot 72 is directed toward the redirection sprocket 5 mounted on the idler shaft 56.
It ends just before 7 (Figures 8 and 12). At the unloading station 18, as the transverse rod 61 of the advancing forming element 16 traverses the redirection sprocket 57, the forwardmost element 16 has a fried taco resting on and supported on the convex forming surface or element 16a. The taco shell 170 is accelerated away from the exposed preceding forming element 16 upon which the taco shell 170 is engaged by the rotating brush 74 and placed on a discharge or removal conveyor 81 for packaging, inspection, etc. Hetacos outer skin 1
If the taco shell 170 does not fall of its own weight onto the guide rod 79 that serves to guide the taco shell 70, the taco shell 170 can be ejected. The now empty forming element 16 returns over the top of the frame 19 towards the forming station 13 in order to engage another torch lath and form it into a fried taco shell.

A taco shell fryer in this arrangement may be fitted with one of several rows of forming conveyors 14, each row having a capacity of 75 to 150 taco shells per minute. The several conveying systems employed in the taco shell fryer 10, in contrast to prior art systems, have no intermittent movement, and this design allows for low maintenance costs along with a long useful life. A hood and hoist mechanism (not shown), which is well known in the prior art,
will be supplied to unit 10. By replacing the suitably contoured belt 21, the torchlass can be adapted to the present unit with an outer range of torchlas diameter that is approximately 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) smaller than the vertical dimension of the forming element 16. can. Thus, a 6 inch (152.4 mm) diameter torchlas can be accommodated. The smaller diameter torchlass 17 can be accommodated in diameters as small as 31/2 to 4 inches (88.9 to 101.6 mm) using a suitable belt 21 and keeping the balance of the system the same. This is in contrast to prior art taco forming equipment which is generally limited to accommodating a single sized torch lath.

Although the particular apparatus disclosed herein is more or less directed to embodiments for shaping and cooking taco shells, the form can be adapted to other shapes to modify any suitable contours. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to forming U-shaped articles. The embodiments described above are merely illustrative.
Applicant does not claim to have invented all parts, elements or steps described. Various modifications in structure, materials, arrangement and operation are possible and still fall within the scope of the invention. The limits of the invention and the boundaries of patent protection are measured and defined by the claims. The above-described limited description and drawings of specific embodiments do not point out what constitutes infringement of this patent, but do enable the reader to make and use the present invention. It should be.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of the taco shell forming and cooking apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. Figure 3 shows 3-3 in Figure 1.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of the line; Figure 4 shows
4 is an enlarged detail taken from the boxed area of FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged plan view taken in the direction of arrow 5--5 in FIG. FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view taken in the direction of arrow 6--6 in FIG.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken in the direction of arrow 7--7 of FIG. Figure 8 shows the arrow 8 in Figure 2.
8 is a partially enlarged developed view taken in the direction of FIG. 8th
Figure A is an end view taken in the direction of arrows 8A--8A of Figure 8. FIG. 9 is an enlarged detail view of a molded element of the invention. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the elements shown in FIG. 9. Figure 11 shows arrow 1 in Figure 1.
1-11 is a partially enlarged sectional view taken in the direction of FIG. FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken in the direction of arrow 12--12 in FIG. 10...Taco shell fryer, 11...Loading conveyor, 12...Battle, 13...Food forming place, 14...Endless conveyor, food conveyor, 18
...unloading location, 16...molding element, 19
...frame, 17...torch lath, 21...wire
Belt, 36...Food acceleration conveyor, 38, 39...
Sprocket, 32, 34...axis, 36...acceleration conveyor, 51...drive shaft, 56...idler female, 58...
Roller chain, endless linear drive element, 59... carrier, 66... convex shaped surface, 67... concave shaped surface, 74, 78... bristle-like element.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Molding elements having a convex surface and a concave surface each having a substantially U-shaped cross section are driven by an endless conveyor provided so as to overlap a large number of molding elements in a vat of heated cooking oil. In a method of forming a taco shell using a method of forming a taco shell, a plurality of uncooked flat torches are advanced successively in a substantially horizontal plane into a forming station position such that the torches are temporarily supported at their ends, each The molded elements on the convex shaped surface are engaged with the upper surface of the torch lath, the molded elements on the convex shaped surface are moved downwardly with the torch lath into the cooking oil, and the torch lath is folded over the convex shaped surface to cook. almost simultaneously, engaging a concave-shaped surface forming element against the lower surface of each torch when the torch lath is moved from a horizontal plane by a convex-shaped surface forming element; The bent torch is supported between the forming elements of the convex and concave forming surfaces while the torch is being cooked in heated cooking oil and reaches the unloading station.
A method characterized in that the forming elements of the convex and concave forming surfaces are separated from each other in order to remove the taco-shaped shell from between the forming elements of the convex and concave forming surfaces. 2. In an apparatus for forming taco shells: a frame; a vat provided on the frame for accommodating a cooking medium through which the food to be cooked passes; a vat for conveying the food through the cooking medium;
an endless conveyor provided on said frame; a food forming station on said frame; a device for transferring and positioning individual food pieces to said forming station; said endless conveyor having a closed and nested position and an open position. a plurality of overlapping molding elements mounted thereon for movement between positions, each molding element having convex and concave molding surfaces interlocking with each other; and the molding surface comprises:
The shaping surfaces are shaped such that when adjacent shaping elements are placed in a nested relationship, the shaping surfaces are spaced such that food product inserted between the shaping elements is constrained, shaped, and carried through the cooking medium. the endless conveyor moves the forming elements from a nested position to an open position and urges the food product positioned at the forming station towards the concave shaped surface of the preceding forming element; a device adjacent the forming station that engages the convex shaped surface; a device located at the forming station that restricts movement of the food product on a path toward the concave forming surface; a guiding device that cooperates with the conveyor to maintain the forming elements in a nested relationship as the forming elements move through the cooking medium; an unloading location on the frame; a device adjacent to said unloading location for exposing food product for removal by moving it from a nested position to an open position; and said unloading location for receiving food product from said forming element for removal from said unloading location. An apparatus for forming a taco shell, comprising: a support device provided on the taco shell. 3. In an apparatus for forming torch lass into cooked taco shells: a frame; a loading conveyor mounted on said frame, comprising means for maintaining the torch lass in an aligned column and positioning the torch lass next to the conveyor travel path; a food forming station on the frame and a food unloading station; an acceleration conveyor for individually transferring the torches from the loading conveyor to the food forming station; a food forming conveyor having a conveyor drive shaft and a conveyor driven shaft; a power unit for driving a conveyor, an acceleration conveyor, and the food forming conveyor; the food forming conveyor is spaced apart from the food forming location and the food unloading location and is connected to the drive shaft and the driven shaft; a pair of sprockets; a spaced-apart endless linear drive threaded around the spaced-apart sprockets; a plurality of taco skin-forming elements attached to and projecting outwardly from the linear drive; each taco shell forming element having complementary convex and concave forming surfaces, said forming surfaces forming a nested relationship between successive forming elements for forming and conveying the food product therebetween; arranged such that the concave shaped surface of the forward shaping element receives the convex shaped surface of the next rearward shaping element when the linear drive pivots the sprocket; A linear drive and a forming element are configured to move from a nested configuration to an open configuration to receive a torch at a loading station and to eject a taco shell at a food unloading station. cooperating with a spaced pair of sprockets; a vat disposed on the frame and containing a supply of cooking oil; and a food forming conveyor for discharging the forming element and the food product encased thereby in the cooking oil. extending downwardly through said cooking vat for insertion into said cooking vat;