Patent ID: 7416753

Claim:
A method all removing air and food product fines from a reciprocating mold plate patty forming apparatus, comprising the steps of: providing a mold plate slidable along a first surface, said mold plate having a cavity that is reciprocable between a cavity fill position and a patty discharge position; providing a pressurized supply of food product material and a delivery channel for delivering pressurized food product material through said first surface and into said cavity when said reciprocating mold plate is in the cavity fill position; providing a breather plate on a side of said mold plate opposite said first surface, said breather plate having at least one breather hole that is in registry with said cavity when said mold plate is in the cavity fill position; and pumping expressed air and food product fines which were expressed through said breather hole during filling of said cavity with pressurized food product material, to a collection area by a pumping device, said pumping step being in addition to the expressing of air and food product fines caused by said filling of said cavity with pressurized food product material.