1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a barbecue stove based on coal and, more particularly, to an elevator for adjusting the elevation of a coal tray instead of a food tray of such a barbecue stove.
2. Related Prior Art
Barbecue parties are popular outdoor gatherings because they allow a lot of people to take part in. In a barbecue party, the primary device is a barbecue stove. There are various barbecue stoves based on various fuels including coal. A typical barbecue stove based on coal includes a bowl, a coal tray positioned in the bowl for supporting coal and a food tray installed on the bowl for supporting food. Thus, the food on the food tray can be barbecued with the fire due to the burning of the coal on the coal tray. The coal tray provides good circulation of air so that the burning of the coal on the coal tray can be complete. In the typical barbecue stove, the flame due varies as time goes by. In initial and final phases, the flame is weak. In an intermediate phase, the flame is intense. Therefore, the food has to be cooked longer in the initial and final phases than in the intermediate phase. The food cooked in the initial and final phases generally contains little water and is too tough to eat. The food cooked in the intermediate phase is often scorched and too awful to eat.
There have been devised various barbecue stoves wherein the elevation of a food tray can be adjusted relative to a coal tray based on the thickness of the food and desired degrees of the cooking of the food. Such barbecue stoves can be found, for example, in Taiwanese Patent Publication Nos. 552917, 433035 and 422064. In each of the barbecue stoves, the food tray is moved toward or from the coal tray so that food tends to fall from the food tray. Moreover, they include complicated structures and entail high costs.
The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a barbecue stove for cooking food of consistent quality.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide an inexpensive barbecue stove.
To achieve the foregoing objectives, a barbecue stove is provided with a coal tray that can be moved toward and from a food tray.
According to the present invention, a barbecue stove includes a bowl, a food tray installed on the bowl and a coal tray positioned under the food tray in the bowl.
An elevator is used for the coal tray in the bowl. The elevator includes two cranks positioned beneath the coal tray in the bowl and a handle for rotating the cranks, thus adjusting the elevation of the coal tray
The bowl defines a vertical slot and several holes in communication with the slot. The handle is inserted through the slot. The handle includes a first end connected to the cranks in the bowl and a second end exposed from the bowl. A grip is movably installed at the second end of the handle. The handle can be pivoted in order to rotate the cranks. The grip can be located in one of the holes so as to keep the coal tray in one of several positions.
The elevation of the coal tray can be adjusted based on the flame due to the combustion of coal on the coal tray and desired degrees of the cooking of food.
Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description referring to the attached drawings.
The present invention will be described through detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings.
Referring to
The elevator 30 includes two cranks 31 and 32 and a handle 33. Both of the cranks 31 and 32 are substantially U-shaped. The crank 31 includes a pivot 310 at an end and a loop 311 at another end. The crank 32 includes a pivot 320 at an end and a loop 321 at another end. The pivots 310 and 320 are inserted in apertures defined in the bowl 10 so that the cranks 31 and 32 are pivotally installed in the bowl 10.
The bowl 10 defines a vertical slot 11 and a plurality of apertures 12 in communication with the slot 11. The slot 11 and the apertures 12 are located opposite to the apertures that receive the pivots 310 and 320.
The handle 33 is inserted through the slot 11 and the loops 311 and 321. The handle 33 includes a first end and a second end. The handle 33 is pivotally connected to the bowl 10 by means of a mount 36. The mount 36 includes a middle portion and two lateral portions extending from opposite sides of the middle portion. Each of the lateral portions of the mount 36 defines an aperture 360. Two rivets are driven into a portion 13 of the bowl 10 through the apertures 360 so as to secure the mount 36 to the bowl 10. The first end of the handle 33 is pivotally connected to the middle portion of the mount 36 by means of a pin. The first end of the handle 33 defines a slit for receiving the middle portion of the mount 36.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Although referred to as “trays”, the food tray 15 and the coal tray 20 are grids as shown.
The present invention has been described through the illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2047979 | Mills | Jul 1936 | A |
2262692 | Meacham | Nov 1941 | A |
2477546 | Reeves | Jul 1949 | A |
3048162 | Gauss | Aug 1962 | A |
3088395 | Miller | May 1963 | A |
5458053 | Hsiao | Oct 1995 | A |
6357434 | Bossler | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6363925 | Chavana et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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10-94486 | Apr 1998 | JP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20070169767 A1 | Jul 2007 | US |