Patent Application
20100089248
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Not Applicable
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1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a portable electric grill that has been improved to provide quicker faster cooking while eliminating smoke and food odors while not sacrificing the taste of grilled food.
2. Description of Prior Art
U.S. Design Pat. D389777 ornamental design for tree stand.
There are several U.S. patents that address either convection cooking or filtering smoke from cooking. None of them combine the two activities into one product using a single fan. In one example U.S. Pat. No. 7,301,128 B2 addresses the removal of smoke in conjunction with a fan located below the cooking surfaces and between the folding cooking surfaces. But it is an open grill with no convection heating present to improve cooking or grilling. With the present invention which incorporates a domed lid roasting is possible where it is not with all open grills. In another example of smoke removal U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,842 B1 has a telescoping hood that sits on a stanchion above the grill plate that drawing smoke up through the filter but it does not have a convection air flow feature as does the present invention.
In another example U.S. Pat. No. 6,747,250 B1 has a heating element attached to a fan that blows hot air down on food creating convection cooking but does not filter smoke from the air or does it provide for a grill that cooks and sear food from the bottom. It acts as an oven as opposed to the present invention that cooks like a grill. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,227,189 B1, 6,131,559, 5,345,923 have to do with commercial ovens that provide convection cooking.
In an example U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,663 provides for a fan and duct work to draw smoke and odor away from the cooking surface but does not provide for using the same heating air for convection cooking as in the present invention.
The present invention relates to an portable electric grill which may also be used indoors or outdoors for grilling or roasting with removable dome lid and which significantly reduces smoke that is created during cooking. It utilizes a built in fan that draws the smoke created from cooking food through a filtering device. With the lid on and closed, the filtered and heated air is then channeled through an air duct and directed back to the top the grill through the aid of a deflective shield mounted on the inside of the lid. This heated air circulates around the food sitting on a grill plate thereby cooking the food and locking in its flavor and juices while the fat drips away providing a healthier and more flavorful meal. The convection cooking reduces the cooking time and saves energy.
Grill Housing—shape can be rectangular, square, round or oval and made from metal, stainless steel or plastic or any combination there of. It supports and houses heating elements, grill/griddle plate, or heating element embedded grill plate, drip tray, drip pan, grill rack, lid/cover filter assembly, fan and controls. It has orifices to draw smoke, odors and hot air from the grilling area and force the cleaner hot air back to where the food is cooking on the grill plate thereby filtering the internal air and providing convection cooking.
Filter System—the fan which can mount at the top, bottom, or back draws smoke and odor through a series of charcoal and grease filters. After filtering the air it directs the heated cleaner air back onto the food to reduce cooking time. The filtering system would comprise of a at least a charcoal filter and grease filter enclosed within a metal or plastic frame and would be positioned between the fan intake and the food that is cooking and could be partially below the food and above the food. The filter frame will completely remove by sliding in and out for cleaning
Fan—The fan is mounted on the rear or bottom of the housing or could be mounted to the lid/cover. The fan system draws smoke away from the cooking food, filters the smoke and sends the heated air back down on the food to create a convection cooking effect from the circulation of air which in turn thereby assists in the reduction of cooking time.
Heating System—The system will utilize either exposed calrod elements with grease deflectors with a grill rack, or an aluminum grill plate that sits on top of the calrod elements or a cast aluminum grill plate with the calrod elements cast inside. Regardless of the heating method, the heat can be concentrated towards the front of the grill or the back by simply turning off the heating elements by use of the temperature controller. The reason for the providing the concentration of heat in one area is to sear the food that is being cooked and then removing it from direct heat so the filtered convection air via the fan can cook the food to completion without burning it.
Controls—There will be three to four controls: a thermostat for control heat by reducing wattage to the heating elements, an element control switch that activates and deactivated the heating elements, a ON/Off-Low-High switch for the fan, and a timer to time cooking. The controls may be fixed to the housing or a module that removes to facilitate cleaning of the housing.
Grill Rack/Grill Plate/Embedded Heating Element/Griddle—The Grill Rack, if this method is utilized, would be a wire, stamped or die cast (metal or aluminum) which would sit above the calrod heating elements that have a small metal reflector immediately above them to deflect grease spatters from the calrods which could cause flare-ups. The Grill Plate would be either stamped or die cast aluminum and sit directly on the heating elements. The Grill Plate would have raised ribs for searing and sloped towards the center where there would be a hole to drain grease into grease tray located beneath it. The Grill Plate may have many slots built in to provide added grease drainage augment the air flow for better convection cooking and improved smoke and odor reduction. It would be removable for cleaning. The die cast Embedded Heating Element would be die cast with the heating elements die cast into the Grill Plate and the configuration would be similar to the aforementioned Grill Plate configuration i.e. center drain hole and slots. The Embedded Heating Element Grill Plate would be removable for cleaning. A flat griddle which may be stamped aluminum or die cast aluminum and could either set on the elements or have Embedded Elements would be an additional cooking device.
Drip Tray/Drip Pan—Depending on the method of heating elements utilized there may be a combination of a drip pan and drip tray. With the exposed calrod elements a drip pan and tray may be necessary. The pan would be located above the tray and would slope from all directions toward a center hole which would allow grease to drain away from the heating elements. If a Grill plate with or without the Embedded Elements is utilized only the Drip Tray would not be necessary. Both the Drip Pan and The Drip Tray would be removable for cleaning. They would slide in and out on runners and could be position on the front, back or either side.
Lid/Cover—The Lid/Cover would be mounted to the housing with hinges and be removable for cleaning. It will have a dome shape to promote better air flow for convection cooking and provide enough space for roasting. It may or may not have a view window. It would have a deflector for the hot air that is being forced up into the grill area to direct towards the food being cooked and the deflector would help keep the top of the lid cooler.
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