This invention relates generally to charcoal grills, and specifically to such devices that are also portable.
There are many options for consumers looking for portable charcoal grills. The prior art described below represents some of what is available.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,835 presents a collapsible or folding element that provides support for the coals, and uses a “chimney effect” for efficiently heating the coals. However, this element is not designed to provide a surface for barbecuing after the coals are heated, therefore the user must provide an additional plate to collect the hot coals, and the action of releasing the hot coals may create a burn hazard.
U.S. Pat. No. 2004035407 offers a portable grill with a folding mechanism for ease of carrying and storage but requires fuel for ignition, and the grilling surface area equals only one of its sides. There is also a very unsafe situation during the turning phase, in that the coals can escape from the opening. Furthermore, if the paper burns out, this grill requires the user to dump out all of the contents and start again, which is inconvenient and potentially unsafe.
CA Patent 1306153 is directed towards a portable grill that offers rapid ignition but is limited to a substantially small number of reuses in the order of ten times or so.
The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,335 is structured in a way to open up into two halves, each of which can then support a flat, wire, grilling tool, and which uses an open-bed type method of igniting the coals, but this ignition method is time consuming. Furthermore, the mechanism that connects the legs to the body is relatively complicated.
U.S. Pat. No. 2004194774 provides a portable grill with grilling surface area that is larger than the product's closed dimensions but is still quite small. Furthermore, this grill uses only combustible fuel, not paper or charcoal.
Therefore, what is needed is a lightweight, portable, and economical solution to grilling needs that allows for rapid ignition of the coals, incorporates a large grilling area, and is safe, simple, and uncomplicated to operate. It would be additionally useful if such a grill incorporated the added feature of using organic material such as paper for ignition, rather than relying on additional accelerants.
Some embodiments of the present invention relate to an all-in-one portable grill, with the added advantage of providing a large built-in surface for grilling that does not require lighter fluids or other accelerants to ignite the charcoals, and offers rapid ignition of the charcoal, by using the chimney effect and paper ignition.
Some embodiments of the present invention described herein relate to a portable grill that has a number of innovative features. The grill may include novel joints that may allow the legs of the grill to rotate with substantial ease from a fully closed position to a securely opened position. The chimney shape created by the grill when in the closed, vertical position greatly reduces the time required to heat the charcoal. By maintaining separate charcoal and ignition areas, additional material may be easily inserted into the ignition area with no need to rearrange burning charcoal. A vented safety cover prevents charcoal from escaping when the grill is rotated, and also acts as an aerating interface that contributes to igniting the coals quickly. Once the charcoal is ignited and the grill is opened, the internal surfaces of both halves of the grill can be used for grilling.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, when the grill is in the closed position, charcoal can be supplied through the opened safety cover located at the top of the portable grill. Lit paper or other organic combustible material may be inserted through a relatively large opening in the grill body into an ignition area located at the bottom of the portable grill in order to ignite the charcoal. The chimney effect created by the shape of the closed portable grill, and by its vertical positioning, aids in heating and firing up the charcoal by channeling the heat into an upwardly directional channel. Once the charcoal is at the proper burning point, the portable grill may be safely opened up and a large grilling area is available for cooking.
These and further features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly understood in light of the ensuing description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein—
The description presented here relates to some of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in the embodiments of the present invention shown in
In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, a vented safety cover (22) may be attached to the hinged end of the inner cover (14) by one or more suitable hinges (25). When the housing is in the closed, vertical position, as shown in
In accordance with further embodiments of the present invention, the safety cover (22) may be equipped with a securing mechanism, as shown in
In accordance with yet further embodiments of the present invention, although the safety cover (22) may be secured when the portable grill (10) is in the closed position, upon opening the portable grill (10), the increasingly obtuse angle of the outer and inner covers (12, 14) may create enough mechanical pressure on the louvers (35) to force them out of the locks (34), causing the safety cover (22) to automatically open. This action can be seen in
The plurality of small perforations along each of the sides of the portable grill may (10) create convection vents (33) that provide aeration for the flames, further enabling the rapid heating of the charcoal (29). This detail can be seen in
The igniting area (17) may be located within the housing, beneath the charcoal (29). The igniting area (17) may be adapted to receive ignited paper and other kindling material for heating up the charcoal (29). This detail is described in
Large openings (31), designed for inserting feeder material, may be located on each side of the portable grill (10) and may provide access to the igniting area (17). These large openings are most clearly shown in
In accordance with some embodiments, there may be a fill mark (26), shown in
A collapsible shelf (27) situated inside the portable grill (10) may provide support for the charcoal (29) and may create a partitioned area that separates the igniting area (17) from the charcoal (29) during ignition, as shown in
Another feature of the collapsible shelf (27) is that it may automatically rotate from a position that is substantially perpendicular to the outer cover (12) to a position that is substantially parallel and adjacent to the outer cover (12) when the portable grill (10) is opened, so that it remains out of the way, when the charcoal (29) is moved into the full grilling area (37). This feature is seen in
The portable grill (10) may be equipped with three legs: an outer cover leg (13), an inner cover leg (15), and a center leg (16). The locations and positions of each leg (13, 15, 16) are clearly shown in
When the portable grill (10) is in the vertical, closed position (see
Testing has shown that while hot to the touch, the legs' surface temperature does not provide a burn hazard. This is because the legs (13, 15, 16) are not materially part of the body and thus do not conduct the heat from the body. There is the option of encasing one or all of the legs (13, 15, 16) with rubber (32) or other heat resistant material for physiological or psychological comfort.
One of the novel features of some embodiments of the present invention is the joint (18) described in
Once opened, the entire space of the portable grill (10) can be used for cooking; each half of the portable grill (10) can support a flat, wire cooking grid (38), described in
In the preferred embodiment, the portable grill (10) is made of durable metal and can be reused repeatedly. There is also the option of using any other heatproof and sturdy material that will stand up to repeated use.
In order to understand further the present invention, the operation of the portable grill (10) is described in detail below and also described briefly in
Operations
The portable grill (10) may be transported from one location to another while in the fully closed position, wherein the outer cover leg (13), the inner cover leg (15), and center leg (16) may be in the flexibly closed position, as seen in
Wadded paper or any other kindling material may be inserted through the large opening (31) into the igniting area (17), and ignited.
Once the charcoal (29) has reached cooking temperature, the portable grill (10) may be rotated and opened. These actions are also described in
Once the portable grill (10) has been fully rotated over to its side, and the outer cover leg (13) is fully seated on the surface, the charcoal (29) should be spread out over the entire grilling area (37). At this stage, additional charcoal (29) can be added, if necessary. The cooking grids (38) may be set in place and the portable grill (10) may be ready for use seen in
The exterior surfaces of the outer cover (12) and a safety cover (22) of the portable grill (10) can also be used as a warming tray when in either the closed vertical or horizontal positions.
After use, and once the charcoal (29) is sufficiently cooled, the portable grill (10) may be prepared for transport or storage as follows: The charcoal (29) may be removed. The legs (13, 15, 16) may be released from the locked open position by pulling the rods (21) out and away from body and then rotating the legs (13, 15, 16) back to the flexibly closed position. The outer and inner covers (12, 14) may be rotated back together and the safety cover (22) may be secured.
While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of the preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other possible variations that are within the scope of this invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiment illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2477529 | Sprinkle et al. | Jul 1949 | A |
4133335 | Malafouris | Jan 1979 | A |
4158992 | Malafouris | Jun 1979 | A |
4878476 | Oliphant | Nov 1989 | A |
4884499 | Rensch et al. | Dec 1989 | A |
5947007 | O'Grady | Sep 1999 | A |
6009867 | Walton | Jan 2000 | A |
6631711 | Patience | Oct 2003 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20060144383 A1 | Jul 2006 | US |