Patent ID: 6467398
Filing Date: 2002-10-22
Classification: A21B,A23L,A47J

Abstract:
An apparatus for making a bowl-shaped snack food product, said apparatus comprising:a housing; a plurality of mold bodies disposed within said housing, said mold bodies each having one or more upwardly opening, bowl-shaped mold cavities formed therein for receiving chip preforms made of uncooked dough and for shaping each of said chip preforms into a bowl shape; and a cooking medium distribution system disposed above said mold bodies so as to fill bowl-shaped chip preforms disposed within said mold cavities with a first cooking medium from above, thereby cooking said chip preforms from the inside of the bowl formed thereby, wherein said mold bodies are linked together to form an endless belt of mold bodies which circulates at least partially within said housing and wherein said mold cavities have slots formed in bottom portions thereof, said endless belt being trained around one or more ejector wheels which extend into said mold cavities through said slots to eject said at least partially cooked chip preforms.