The Kartridg Pak Co.

Gary F Roberts

Rick A Meeker

Gary C Woodworth

A cut-off nozzle for use in dispensing increments of flowable products comprised of a liquid medium in which solids are dispersed, particularly burrito fillings. The cut-off nozzle structure incorporates a light-weight slide member which is shuttled with fast movement between 'open' and 'close' positions within a chamber having outlet openings in the bottom with which discharge openings in the slide member register or coincide when the slide member is shuttled to its 'open' position. The geometry of the chamber-outlet and slide-discharge openings combines with the fast closing action of the slide to provide a sharp positive cut-off of increments of product dispensed from the nozzle with elimination of leakage or drip, plugging and separation of product constituents. The nozzle may be fed with a single stream of product or with two different streams.

Nozzle for dispensing increments of flowable product

Apparatus for making food products, such as burritos, having fillings wrapped or enrobed in dough sheets, such as tortillas. Dough sheets are conveyed to a first station of the apparatus wherein a rotatably reversing crease-forming roller operates in conjunction with the discharge end of a dough sheet conveyor and its non-reversing end roller to form a downward crease or groove in each dough sheet while simultaneously a predetermined quantity of filling is deposited into the crease or groove. Each dough sheet having a crease or groove with a filling deposited therein is conveyed through a series of stations wherein the dough sheet is folded and formed into a wrapper encasing or enrobing the filling.

Apparatus for making filled food articles

In apparatus for folding a dough sheet to enclose a foodstuff filling, such as in a tortilla-forming machine, an improved means for folding opposite sides of the dough sheets having side belts with runs extending along opposite sides of the upper run of a flat conveyor belt and a stationary elongated dough sheet engager disposed over the upper run and between the side belt runs. The side belt runs are substantially co-planar with the conveyor belt adjacent the beginning of its upper run and twist spirally so that intermediate portions thereof become upwardly and inwardly inclined above the conveyor belt upper run. The opposite sides of the dough sheets riding on the conveyor upper run are engaged from their undersides by the side belts and turned upwardly, inwardly and downwardly while being slidably supported by opposite sides of the stationary elongated dough sheet engager. Preferably, the dough sheet engaging surfaces of the stationary dough sheet engager are formed of Teflon or other material having comparable low friction or slippery properties.

Tortilla folder

A stuffing pump for handling a food product having a helical gear metering pump with means for removing air from the material moving through the metering pump and a feed conveyor in a hopper continuously feeding material to the metering pump. The feed conveyer includes a pair of counter-rotating augers in the bottom of the hopper. Independent and infinitely variable drive mechanisms are provided for the metering pump and the feed conveyer.

Growing community of inventors

Colona, IL, United States of America

Gary F Roberts