Patents by Inventor Peris W. Njenga

Peris W. Njenga has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method and apparatus for making bowl-shaped snack food products
    Patent number: 6467398
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for making bowl-shaped snack food products, e.g. tortilla chips. The method features placing chip preforms in open bowl-shaped cavities and partially frying the chip preforms by filling them with hot oil from above. Additionally, the preforms are partially fried from below by immersing the lower portions of the preforms in a vat of hot oil and transporting them through the hot oil. After cooking the preforms to a desired moisture content, at which point the preforms retain their bowl shapes outside of or independent of the mold cavities, the preforms are removed from the mold cavities and subsequently cooked to completion in a secondary frying operation. The invention also features an apparatus to carry out the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Recot, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy J. Fink, Ernest Marshall, Peris W. Njenga, James L. Sanford, James W. Stalder, Kevin Trick
  • METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING BOWL-SHAPED SNACK FOOD PRODUCTS
    Publication number: 20020108501
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for making bowl-shaped snack food products, e.g. tortilla chips. The method features placing chip preforms in open bowl-shaped cavities and partially frying the chip preforms by filling them with hot oil from above. Additionally, the preforms are partially fried from below by immersing the lower portions of the preforms in a vat of hot oil and transporting them through the hot oil. After cooking the preforms to a desired moisture content, at which point the preforms retain their bowl shapes outside of or independent of the mold cavities, the preforms are removed from the mold cavities and subsequently cooked to completion in a secondary frying operation. The invention also features an apparatus to carry out the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2001
    Publication date: August 15, 2002
    Inventors: Timothy J. Fink, Ernest Marshall, Peris W. Njenga, James L. Sanford, James W. Stalder, Kevin Trick
  • Method for making bowl-shaped snack food products
    Patent number: 6129939
    Abstract: A method for making bowl-shaped snack food products, e.g. tortilla chips. The method features placing chip preforms in open bowl-shaped cavities and partially frying the chip preforms by filling them with hot oil from above. Additionally, the preforms are partially fried from below by immersing the lower portions of the preforms in a vat of hot oil and transporting them through the hot oil. After cooking the preforms to a desired moisture content, at which point the preforms retain their bowl shapes outside of or independent of the mold cavities, the preforms are removed from the mold cavities and subsequently cooked to completion in a secondary frying operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2000
    Assignee: Recot, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy J. Fink, Ernest Marshall, Peris W. Njenga, James L. Sanford