PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for forming a plurality of cooked and shaped rice products having soft texture and a method for forming the cooked rice.SOLUTION: The apparatus for producing a cooked and shaped rice food is provided with a cooked rice feeding apparatus, the first conveyor to transport cooked rice, a cooked rice leveling mechanism to smooth the cooked rice in the form of a sheet, a cooked rice shaping mechanism to shape the cooked rice sheet in the form of a rod by raising both lateral edges of the first conveyor and rolling the cooked rice sheet, a cooked rice cutting mechanism to cut the cooked rice rod, and a cooked and shaped rice producing mechanism to produce a plurality of cooked and shaped rice products from the short rods of the cooked rice produced by the cutting mechanism. The cooked and shaped rice producing mechanism is provided with the second conveyor to transport the short cooked rice rod perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rod, and a cutting mechanism to cut the short rice rod into a plurality of cooked and shaped rice products. The cutting mechanism is composed of a stopping member to stop the short rice rod at the front side of the transfer direction, and a mobile member contacting with or separating from the stopping member to form a space for holding the short rice rod between the mobile member and the stopping member in the contacting state. The stopping member and/or the mobile member have cutting blades to cut the short rice rod held in the space into multiple sections.COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT【課題】 ふっくらとした複数の成形米飯を得ることができる装置および方法の提供。【解決手段】 米飯供給装置と、米飯を搬送する第一コンベアと、米飯をシート状に均す米飯均し機構と、第一コンベアの幅方向両端部を立上げ巻締してシート状米飯を棒状とする米飯成形機構と、棒状米飯を切断する米飯切断機構と、切断で得られた短尺棒状米飯から複数の成形米飯を形成する成形米飯形成機構を備え、成形米飯形成機構が、短尺棒状米飯をその長さ方向と直角に搬送する第二コンベアと、短尺棒状米飯を複数の成形米飯に切断する切断機構を有し、切断機構が、短尺棒状米飯を進行方向前側で受け止める受止部材と、受止部材に対し当接離反され当接時に受止部材との間に短尺棒状米飯の収容空間を形成する移動部材からなり、受止部材及び/又は移動部材に、空間に収容された短尺棒状米飯を複数に切断する切断刃が形成されている。【選択図】 図1
