US3912433A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automatic egg roll making machine
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1973-10-26
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Granted: 1975-10-14
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Expires: 1993-10-26
Abstract
Abstract Method and apparatus for automatically making egg rolls which includes a skin feeding device for feeding the egg roll dough skins in individually cut sections on to a conveyor. The conveyor includes a plurality of connected plates, each of which provides a semi-cylindrical mold cup that is used to form the egg roll skin in the desired shape around the food stuffing contained therein. Each section of egg roll skin moves on a conveyor plate to a position beneath a rotary turntable. The rotary turntable receives the food stuffing material from a food injector which deposits portions of food stuffing on to the egg roll skin as it passes beneath the rotary turntable. Each conveyor plate includes a mold cavity formed by the mold cup. As the food stuffing is transferred from the rotary turntable on to the egg roll skin, the food stuffing is passed by a compactor against the egg roll skin at the location of the mold cavity so as to compress the food stuffing in a compact form in the mold cavity. After the food is pressed into the mold cavity, two side folding plates on the conveyor plate are activated to fold the two opposite corners of the egg roll skin over towards the center of the skin. Once the side folding plates have been retracted away from the egg roll, the mold cup is activated from its position below the conveyor plate so that it pivots on to the top of the conveyor plate. The mold cup is retracted below the conveyor plate, leaving the egg roll in a partially formed condition whereby the food stuffing and its surrounding egg roll skin are folded over on top of the conveyor plate. The conveyor moves the semi-formed egg roll to a spraying station where a spray device directs a bonding agent, such as egg yolk or glucose, on to an exposed portion of the egg roll skin. The final rolling operation of the egg roll is performed by a rolling device which contacts and rolls the egg roll until the skin forms a cylindrical shape around the food stuffing.
Inventors
- 👤 Kwok Chuen Ma
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 01:28
CPC Classifications
A; A21; A21C; A21C9/00; A21C9/04; A21C9/06; A21C9/063; A23; A23P; A23P20/00; A23P20/20
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
200 words
Apparatus for automatically making egg rolls, comprising: a folding assembly; means for feeding an egg roll skin on to the top surface of the folding assembly; a mold means included in said folding assembly and having a mold cavity with an opening facing a top folding surface upon which an egg roll skin rests, said mold means being adapted for receiving a portion of said egg roll skin and a food stuffing through said opening to substantially fill said mold cavity; means included in said folding assembly for folding the two opposite sides of said egg roll skin over to the central portion of said egg roll skin adjacent said mold cavity; means for activating said mold means from a first position to a second position whereby a portion of said egg roll skin lining the walls of said mold cavity and the food stuffing therein is folded over on to a remaining portion of said egg roll skin, thereby partially forming said egg roll; means for applying a bonding agent to a portion of said egg roll skin; and means for wrapping and the remaining unfolded portion of saidd egg roll skin to form a final egg roll product.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
200 words
Apparatus for automatically making egg rolls, comprising: a folding assembly; means for feeding an egg roll skin on to the top surface of the folding assembly; a mold means included in said folding assembly and having a mold cavity with an opening facing a top folding surface upon which an egg roll skin rests, said mold means being adapted for receiving a portion of said egg roll skin and a food stuffing through said opening to substantially fill said mold cavity; means included in said folding assembly for folding the two opposite sides of said egg roll skin over to the central portion of said egg roll skin adjacent said mold cavity; means for activating said mold means from a first position to a second position whereby a portion of said egg roll skin lining the walls of said mold cavity and the food stuffing therein is folded over on to a remaining portion of said egg roll skin, thereby partially forming said egg roll; means for applying a bonding agent to a portion of said egg roll skin; and means for wrapping and the remaining unfolded portion of saidd egg roll skin to form a final egg roll product.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
62 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said folding means comprise a pair of plates which are spaced apart and pivotally mounted for movement from an open position whereby said plates extend beneath two opposite sides of said egg roll skin to a closed position whereby said plates fold said opposite sides over towards the central portion of said egg roll skin.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said mold means comprises a semi-cylindrical mold forming a cavity which is open in the longitudinal plane at the top folding surface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for positioning said egg roll skin so that a portion covers the opening of said mold cavity, and compacting means for pressing said food stuffing against said egg roll skin and into said mold cavity whereby said food stuffing substantially fills said cavity.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
54 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said pair of plates, when in said open position, lie in the plane of said top folding surface, and said mold means, when in said first position, is recessed below said top folding surface with its mold opening lying in said plane of said top folding surface.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
61 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the activating means for said side folding plates includes pivot means for pivoting each folding plate over an arc of 180* above said top folding surface, and said moving means for said mold means includes a pivot means for pivoting said mold means over an arc of 180* between said first and second positions.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising compacting means for pressing said food stuffing against said egg roll skin and into said mold cavity, thereby substantially filling said mold cavity.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
58 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for holding said egg roll skin and said food stuffing in its folded over position produced when said mold means is activated to said second position, whereby said mold means is activated and returned to said first position without said egg roll skin and said food stuffing contained therein.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
57 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said holding means includes a hold down bar which is activated to a lowered position against the egg roll skin portion which has been folded over by said mold means, said hold down bar being returned to a raised position after said mold means is returned to its first position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
259 words
Apparatus for automatically making egg rolls, comprising: a folding assembly; means for feeding an egg roll skin on to the top surface of the folding assembly; a pair of side folding plate means included in said folding assembly, said side folding plate means being spaced apart and adapted for folding the two opposite sides of said egg roll skin over to the central portion of said egg roll skin; a mold means included in said folding assembly, said mold means being located between said pair of side folding plate means and providing a mold cavity having an opening facing the top surface of said folding assembly, said mold means being adapted for receiving a portion of said egg roll skin and a food stuffing within its opening to substantially fill said mold cavity; means for activating said side folding plate means towards each other in a manner which folds the two opposite sides of said egg roll skin over toward the central portion of said egg roll skin; means for moving said mold means from a first recessed position to a second position whereby a portion of said egg roll skin lining the walls of said mold means and the food stuffing in said mold means is folded over on to a remaining portion of said egg roll skin, thereby partially forming said egg roll; means for applying a bonding agent to a portion of said egg roll skin; and means for wrapping the remaining unfolded portion of said egg roll skin to form a final egg roll product.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
259 words
Apparatus for automatically making egg rolls, comprising: a folding assembly; means for feeding an egg roll skin on to the top surface of the folding assembly; a pair of side folding plate means included in said folding assembly, said side folding plate means being spaced apart and adapted for folding the two opposite sides of said egg roll skin over to the central portion of said egg roll skin; a mold means included in said folding assembly, said mold means being located between said pair of side folding plate means and providing a mold cavity having an opening facing the top surface of said folding assembly, said mold means being adapted for receiving a portion of said egg roll skin and a food stuffing within its opening to substantially fill said mold cavity; means for activating said side folding plate means towards each other in a manner which folds the two opposite sides of said egg roll skin over toward the central portion of said egg roll skin; means for moving said mold means from a first recessed position to a second position whereby a portion of said egg roll skin lining the walls of said mold means and the food stuffing in said mold means is folded over on to a remaining portion of said egg roll skin, thereby partially forming said egg roll; means for applying a bonding agent to a portion of said egg roll skin; and means for wrapping the remaining unfolded portion of said egg roll skin to form a final egg roll product.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said mold means comprises a generally semi-cylindrical mold forming a cavity which is open in a longitudinal plane along the top surface of the folding assembly.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising pivot means for pivotally moving said mold means from said first position below the top surface of said folding assembly to said second position above said top surface.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
49 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising compacting means for pressing said food stuffing against said egg roll skin and into said mold cavity whereby said food stuffing substantially fills said mold cavity with a portion of said egg roll skin lining the walls of said mold cavity.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said compacting means includes a ram block made of a soft, spongelike material.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
87 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said side folding plate means comprise a pair of plates which are spaced apart at the opposiTe ends of said mold means, each of said side folding plates having a working surface lying in a plane in the top surface of said folding assembly, said side folding plates being pivotally connected to fold the two opposite sides of said egg roll skin over towards the central portion of said egg roll skin and overlying the opening of said mold means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said means for activating said side folding plate means is operated before the operation of said means for moving said mold means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
123 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said means for wrapping the remaining unfolded portion of said egg roll skin to form a final egg roll product comprises a pair of roller arms mounted with their respective end faces on opposite ends of the partially formed egg roll, said roller arms being adapted for longitudinal movement from a first position out of contact with said egg roll to a second position whereby the end faces of said roller arms contacts the opposite portions of the egg roll, said roller arms also being adapted for rotating movement whereby the egg roll is caused to be rotated until the unfolded portion of the egg roll skin is wrapped around the body of the egg roll.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
74 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said means for wrapping the remaining unfolded portion of said egg roll skin includes an endless rotating belt and belt guide means which are located above the top surface of said folding assembly with the belt guide means being gradually inclined downwards in the direction of the movement to a position where said belt makes contact with an egg roll and rolls it along said top surface.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising means for positioning said egg roll skin so that a portion covers the opening of said mold cavity, and compacting means for pressing said food stuffing against said egg roll skin and into said mold cavity whereby said food stuffing substantially fills said cavity.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-10-13 | 1979-04-14 | 1979-10-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-10-13 | 1983-04-14 | 1983-10-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-10-13 | 1987-04-14 | 1987-10-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |