Conical taco shell

• US 5,009,902 A
• Filed: 07/07/1988
• Issued: 04/23/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Carlos A. Mercenari
• Original Assignee: Carlos A. Mercenari
• Inventors: Mercenari, Carlos A.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNTER, JEANETTE M
• Application Number:
  US07/216,345
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 426/138, 426/125, 426/139, 426/403, 99/416, 99/383, 99/426
• US Class Current: 426/138
• CPC Class Codes: A21D 13/42 Tortillas

Abstract

A fried and crispy conically shaped taco-shell made from a heart shaped flat tortilla bent along a vertical axis to form a conical shell so as to present an overlapping portion of its edge and almost closed pike. It may optionally be held inside a wet-proof conical cup covering a third or more of the total length of the shell.

Claims

1. Process of manufacturing cone-taco-shells which comprises the steps of rolling cooked heart shaped tortilla to form a cylinder placing said cylinder in a cone shaped sheet metal envelope;

inserting a solid and heavy metallic cone into the sheet metal envelope containing the tortilla to hold the tortilla between said outside metal sheet and the solid metal cone;

submerging the whole assembly in which cooking oil preheated to a temperature effective to fry the tortilla in a few seconds and removing the assembly from the oil and allowing it to cool.

2. A process as set forth in claim 1 which comprises the additional step of inserting, after frying and cooling, a conventional cover manufactured of wet-proof materials having a length that covers only a third of the cone-taco-shells, at the bottom thereof, so as to provide protection to the user from any spill off or leak of the contents.

3. A process as set forth in claim 1 wherein an adequate number of assemblies are placed inside a wire cage provided with a handle, and then the cage is immerced in a conventional frying pot until the cone-shells are totally fried.

4. A process according to claim 1, wherein the tortilla employed is in the shape of a limacon of Pascal.

5. Cone-taco-shells produced by the process of claim 1.

6. Cone-taco-shells as produced by the process of claim 2 wherein the conical shaped taco-shell is held inside a wet-proof conical cup covering at least a third of the total length of the shell so as to provide protection to the user from any spill off or leak of the contents.