Edible container apparatus and method of manufacture

• US 7,895,940 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conics Foods, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Conics Foods, Inc.
• Inventors: Lehmann, Thomas A., Huxel, Edward T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans; Geoffrey S
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, THIEN S
• Application Number:
  US11/158,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20060292276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,078 Days
• Field of Search: 994501-4508, 99352-356, 994/26, 994/28, 994/32, 994/39, 994/85, 249120-122, 425/398, 425/348.R, 425/351, 425/358, 425/346, 426/505
• US Class Current: 99/426
• CPC Class Codes: A21B 5/026 for baking waffle cups or cones
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 15/025 Apparatus for shaping or moulding baked wafers, e.g. to obtain cones for ice cream

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for forming and baking an edible cone-shaped container, the container being of a bread dough provided with a light, flaky texture by the inclusion of solid flaked fat pieces in the dough mixture and the cone formed by an initial forming and cooking step followed by multiple baking steps.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming an edible cone-shaped bread product from a bolus of dough prior to cooking, the apparatus comprising:

a female baking form assembly for receiving one or more boluses of dough therein, said female assembly comprising a linear array of one or more rows of cone-shaped female baking forms, and defining at least one pin opening at a base portion of said assembly corresponding to each of said one or more rows;

a mandrel assembly comprising one or more rows of cone-shaped mandrels mounted on a movable shaft, said shaft providing vertical displacement of said mandrel assembly, said mandrels for insertion into said female baking form assembly to urge the dough boluses into a conical shape,

a registration pin indirectly attached to a base of a vertical support and positioned relative to the base portion of the female baking form assembly for engaging said at least one pin opening, said registration pin being complimentary in both size and shape to each pin opening in the female baking form assembly such that engaging the registration pin in a pin opening aligns at least one female baking form directly beneath a mandrel;

a heating unit connected to said mandrel assembly to sufficiently heat each mandrel to provide a partial cooking of each said conically shaped dough bolus upon said mandrel'"'"'s contacting said dough bolus,

a vertically repositionable male baking form assembly comprising a linear array of one or more rows of cone-shaped male baking forms for insertion into said conically shaped dough boluses within said female form assembly upon removal of said mandrels therefrom, said male form assembly being user selectably spaced from said female form assembly to provide a user selected sized interstice into which said conically shaped dough boluses expand during baking to provide a user selected cone thickness in response to the expansion of said dough bolus into said user selected size interstice during baking,

said vertical support extending upwardly from said female baking form assembly for insertion of said male baking form assembly thereon for a user selectable positioning of said male baking form assembly along said vertical support to provide said user selected sizing of said sized interstice and to register said male baking form with said female baking form; and

a standoff repositionably mounted on said support to provide said user selectable positioning of said male baking form along said support to establish said user selected size interstice.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mandrel is heated to a temperature of approximately 200°

F.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a nut for attachment to said vertical support to provide an upper terminus to the movement of said male form upwardly from said female form during the expansion of said conically shaped dough bolus during baking.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a hydraulic cylinder attached to said movable shaft to provide vertical displacement of said mandrel.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a thermostat for selecting and maintaining the temperature of said heating unit.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a timer to regulate the duration said mandrel is in direct contact with said dough bolus.