Patent ID: 8506283

Claim:
A device for molding dough for insertion of edible filling into the molded dough comprising: a lower assembly comprising: a plurality of separable elongate mold sleeve segments wherein each segment including an upper end and a lower end; said segments fitting together to form an elongate cylindrical mold sleeve having a longitudinal axis and encompassing a central cavity; said mold sleeve including: an inner face; an outer face; an upper end; and a lower end; and a base including: a top including: a surface; and retaining means for retaining said lower ends of said mold sleeve segments to said base so as to define a container for receiving the dough; and an upper assembly including: a disk for selectively covering said upper end of said mold sleeve; said disk having a center and a periphery; filling centering means projecting downward from said center of said disk for insertion into the dough in the central cavity for centering filling in the dough in said central cavity; and cooperating centering means projecting downward from said periphery of said disk and cooperating between said disk and said outer face of said mold sleeve of said lower assembly for centering said filing centering means in the central cavity of said mold sleeve during insertion of said filling centering means into the central cavity; said mold sleeve being separable into said mold sleeve segments for removing molded dough from said container; wherein said base further includes: a vent including: a vent orifice in said surface of said top; and a duct in said base providing ambient air to said vent orifice; and said filling centering means includes: a plunger connected to said disk and projecting downward therefrom and having a longitudinal axis, configured to form a central bore in the dough and including: an elongate plunger cylinder including: an upper end; and a lower end; and a punch on said lower end of said plunger cylinder; said cylinder being tapered from said upper end to said lower end to be more easily releasable from the dough upon withdrawal of said plunger from the dough and adapted for plunging into said upper end of said mold sleeve retained on said base so as to displace the dough received by said container and to displace a portion of the dough for receiving filling and wherein said punch enters said vent orifice such that ambient air can enter said central cavity below said plunger upon withdrawal of said plunger from said central cavity and such that a vacuum is not created upon withdrawal of said plunger and the dough is not pulled back into said central bore displaced by said plunger.