PORTABLE OUTDOOR COOKER

Abstract

A portable cooker for outdoor use having one or two side shelves which can be moved to a compact upright stowage position for carrying, storage or transport and can then be deployed to a horizontal position when using the portable cooker for cooking at a campsite, at a park, on a boat, at a tail-gate party, or at any other location. In the upright stowage position, the side shelves are located outside of the cooking chamber so that the shelves do not come into contact with the cooking grate and do not pick up food particles, grease, or other cooking residues which are present on the cooking grate or elsewhere in the cooking chamber. Also, because the side shelves are not folded into the cooking chamber during carrying or transport, the portable cooker can additionally include an interior warming rack and other features which are used in “non-portable” grills but would interfere with the operation of the side shelves of the portable grill if the shelves were required to be folded into the cooking chamber.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to portable outdoor grills and in other portable outdoor cooking systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most outdoor gas cooking grills are constructed such that the grill head (typically comprising the grill firebox and lid) is permanently attached to a supporting frame or cabinet. Thus, although the supporting frame or cabinet will typically be equipped with rollers which allow the grill assembly to be rolled a short distance to or from a garage, storage shed, and/or patio, these “non-portable” grills cannot be conveniently lifted by hand for carrying or for easily loading the grill in the trunk of a vehicle or the bed of a pick-up truck for use away from the home at a campsite, on a boat, at a stadium tail-gate party, etc.

Moreover, although some portable outdoor grills embodying a firebox, a heat source, and a lid have been formed for lifting, carrying and transport, these portable grills typically (a) have not been adaptable for full home use by removably mounting the portable grill on the same type of rolling frame or cabinet used in non-portable home grills and (b) have had other shortcomings in terms of their features, useful life, function, and maintenance.

For example, as with a “non-portable” home grill, it is very desirable that a portable grill include one or more, preferably two, side shelves for use when preparing meals and entrees and for holding cooking utensils, pots, pans, platters, dishes, and other articles. To provide a unitary portable system and to prevent the side shelves, or any attachments therefore, from being lost, it is also preferable that the side shelves be permanently attached to the grill head in such a way that they can be moved to a safe, compact stowage position for lifting, carrying, and transport but can be easily and securely deployed for use at the cooking site.

Unfortunately, although some portable grill assemblies heretofore known in the art have included side shelves, it has been necessary when carrying and transporting the prior grills to fold the side trays to a stowage position inside the grill cooking chamber. As a result, the top surfaces of the side trays, i.e., the surfaces of the side trays which will be used for supporting dishes and other items when cooking, typically rest upon or otherwise come into contact with the cooking grate which supports the food in the cooking chamber during cooking. Consequently the top surfaces of the side shelves are soiled and contaminated with the food particles and pieces, grease and other cooking residues which are present on the cooking grate and in the cooking chamber. Therefore, when the shelves are subsequently deployed outwardly for use, they must first be thoroughly cleaned to remove these greasy residues.

In addition, to protect the side shelves from heat damage, the side shelves must either be formed of a more expensive heat resistant material, or care must always be taken to ensure that the grill has cooled sufficiently after use to allow the side shelves to be folded into the firebox.

Thus, a need exists for an improved portable outdoor cooking grill having one or more side shelves wherein the shelves can be moved to a compact and secure stowage position for carrying and transport without placing the shelves in the cooking chamber and/or in contact with the cooking grate. A need also exists for a portable outdoor grill which is adaptable for full home use by removably mounting the portable grill on the same type of rolling frame or cabinet used in “non-portable” home grills.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a portable outdoor cooker which satisfies the needs and alleviates the problems discussed above.

In one aspect, there is provided portable cooker for outdoor use which preferably comprises: a housing having at least one heating source positioned therein, the housing having a top opening; a lid positionable over the housing for opening and closing the top opening; a lifting handle adjacent to a lateral side of the housing; and a side shelf mounted adjacent to the lateral side of the housing. The side shelf is selectively positionable in an upright stowage position and in a horizontally extending deployed position. In the upright stowage position, the side shelf is positioned between the lifting handle and the lid such that the side shelf is located outside of the lid and the housing (i.e., outside of the cooking chamber).

In another aspect, the portable cooker preferably comprises a pair of side shelves of this type positioned on each lateral side of the housing.

Consequently, in the inventive portable cooker, the compact stowage position of each of the side shelves is outside of the cooking chamber of the assembly so that the shelves do not come into contact with the food debris, grease, and other residues which have accumulated on the cooking grate or are otherwise present in the cooking chamber. Nor will the shelves be damaged if they are moved to the storage position before the grill has been allowed sufficient time to cool.

Further aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those in the art upon examining the accompanying drawings and upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment 2 of the outdoor cooker provided by the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment 4 of a removable portable grill head assembly used in the inventive cooker 2.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of a housing 6 used in the inventive portable grill head assembly 4.

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the housing 6.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a subframe 18 used in the inventive portable grill head assembly 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An embodiment 2 of the inventive portable outdoor cooker is illustrated in FIGS. 1-5. The inventive cooker 2 preferably comprises a portable grill head assembly 4 which is which is removably positionable for use on a frame or cabinet 5 of the type used for “non-portable” gas, charcoal, or electric grills. The portable grill head assembly 4 preferably comprises: a grill housing 6 which contains the grill firebox 8; at least one heating source 34, 36 positioned in the firebox 8; a lid 10 which is pivotably connected to or otherwise removably positionable on the grill housing 6 for opening and closing the firebox 8; one or two, preferably a pair, of stowable side shelves 12 and 14; a corresponding number of shelf attachment brackets 15 and 16 for mounting the side shelves 12 and 14 on the left and right lateral ends of the grill housing 6; a grill head subframe 18 which holds and supports the grill housing 6; and a cooking control panel 20.

The grill housing 6 comprises: a bottom wall 22; an upwardly extending front wall 24; an upwardly extending back wall 26; an upwardly extending left end wall 28; an upwardly extending right end wall 30; and a top opening 32 for the firebox 8. Two heating sources, in this case parallel tube burner elements 34 and 36, extend horizontally within the firebox 8 from front to back above the bottom wall 22 of the housing 6. The burner elements 34 and 36 have forward end portions 35 and 37 which project through apertures 38 and 40 formed in the front wall 24 of the housing 6. Igniters 42 and 44 for the burners 34 and 36 also extend into the firebox 8 via the same apertures 38 and 40 provided through the front wall 24 of the housing 6.

The grill housing 6 also includes a flat upper flange 46 which surrounds the top opening 32 of the firebox 8 for supporting a cooking grate (not shown) on or in the upper portion of the firebox 8 above the heating elements 34 and 36. The cooking grate can be a conventional convection type grate, an infrared cooking grate, a combination convection and infrared grate, a one or two piece grate, or any other type of outdoor cooking grate used in the art. An upwardly projecting mounting bracket 48 extends around the perimeter of upper flange 46 for pivotably attaching the grill lid 10 to the grill housing 6. The mounting bracket 48 extends around the top opening 32 of the firebox 8 and is received within and in close proximity to the interior wall of the lid 10 when the lid 10 is closed.

Because the side shelves 12 and 14 of the portable grill head assembly 4 are not folded into or otherwise placed inside the cooking chamber of the grill head 4 (i.e., are not placed within the interior chamber formed by the firebox 8 and the lid 10 when the lid 10 is closed), the cooking chamber can also include an interior warming rack or tray (not shown) of the same type used in conventional “non-portable” home grills. The warming rack will preferably be positioned toward the back of the cooking chamber above the cooking grate such that, as with a typical home grill, the warming rack will be exposed for placing food items thereon when the lid 10 is open and will be entirely covered by the lid 10 when the lid 10 is closed.

Although the inventive portable grill head assembly 4 is described above as including a pair of gas tube burners 34 and 36, it will be understood that any number or any other arrangement or type of heating source(s) 34 and/or 36 (e.g., one or more pan burners, electric heating elements, infrared burner assemblies, box burner assemblies, charcoal pans, etc.) can alternatively be used. The heating source(s) 34 and/or 36 will preferably be gas burner elements.

The grill head subframe 18 for holding the grill housing 6 comprises: (a) a laterally extending front frame panel 50 having short, downwardly extending left and right support legs 52 and 54 on the left and right ends of the front panel 50, the legs 52 and 54 preferably having foot elements 56 and 58 on the bottoms thereof; (b) a parallel, laterally extending back frame panel 60 having short, downwardly extending left and right support legs 62 and 64 on the left and right ends of the back panel 60, the legs 62 and 64 preferably having foot elements 66 and 68 on the bottoms thereof; (c) a left gripping rod or other lifting handle 70 extending between the upper left end portions of the front and back frame panels 50 and 60; (d) a right gripping rod or other lifting handle 72 extending between the upper right end portions of the front and back frame panels 50 and 60; (e) a frame base plate 74 extending between the lower central portions of the front and back frame panels 50 and 60; and (f) a pair of parallel support bars 76 and 78 extending between the lower central portions of the front and back frame panels 50 and 60 above the frame base plate 74.

The grill housing 6 is received in the grill head subframe 18 such that (a) the grill housing 6 is positioned between the lift handles 70 and 72 and (b) the bottom wall 22 of the grill housing 6 rests on the subframe support bars 76 and 78. Also, a pair of apertures 80 and 82 are provided in the front panel 50 of the subframe 18 for receiving therethrough the forward end portions 35 and 37 of the burner elements 34 and 36 which extend forwardly out of the front wall 24 of the grill housing 6.

Each of the side shelves 12 and 14 is preferably a panel structure comprising: a flat “upper” surface 84 on which cooking utensils, pots, pans, platters, dishes, packages of buns, and other items can be placed when the shelf 12 or 14 is deployed for cooking; a straight proximal end 86 which is positioned adjacent to the grill housing 6; a distal end 88 which preferably has curved outer edges 90 and 92 or is otherwise configured to correspond to the end profile shape 94 of the grill housing 6 and lid 10 assembly when the lid 10 is closed; and a pair of opposing guide pins or other guide elements 96 and 98 which extend laterally outward, with respect to the longitudinal axis 102 of the side shelf 12 or 14, from the sides 104 and 106 of the shelf 12 or 14 near the proximal end 86 thereof.

As noted above, the side shelves 12 and 14 are mounted on the left and right lateral ends of the grill housing 6 using a pair of shelf attachment brackets 15 and 16. The shelf attachment brackets 15 and 16 are secured, respectively, on the exterior of the left end wall 28 and the exterior of the right end wall 30 of the grill housing 6 by bolting, welding, or any other suitable attachments. Each of the shelf attachment brackets 15 and 16 comprises a pair of opposing, spaced apart, outwardly extending mounting ears or other mounting structures 108 and 110 which include parallel slots, grooves or similar guide tracks 112 and 114 for the shelf guide pins 96 and 98. In this arrangement, the proximal end portion 86 of each shelf 12 or 14 is positioned between the mounting ears 108 and 110 of the shelf attachment bracket 15 or 16 such that the guide pins 96 and 98 of the shelf 12 or 14 are received in and are slideably and rotatably retained by the mounting ear guide tracks 112 and 114.

The guide tracks 112 and 114 of the mounting ears 108 and 110 preferably extend upwardly in a straight line which is either vertical or is angled to some degree toward the lid 10 of the grill head assembly 4. More preferably, each of the guide tracks 112 and 114 extends upwardly at an angle toward the grill lid 10 which is in the range of from 0° to 30°, more preferably from 15° to 25°, from vertical. The guide tracks 112 and 114 are preferably angled toward the grill lid 10 at about 20° from vertical.

Each side shelf 12 and 14 can be moved to selectively place the shelf 12 or 14 in either (a) an upright stowage position 116 for carrying, transport, or storage or (b) a horizontally extending deployed position 118 for use when cooking. In the upright stowage position 116, the shelf guide pins 96 and 98 are positioned at the bottom ends 120 and 122 of the mounting ear guide tracks 112 and 114 and the side shelf 12 or 14 is in an upwardly extending position between the lid 10 and the lifting handle 70 or 72. In the upright stowage position 116, the side shelf 12 or 14 is preferably either vertically oriented or inclined toward the grill lid 10. Most preferably, in the upright stowage position 116, the side shelf 12 or 14 is inclined toward the grill lid 10 such that the side shell 12 or 14 is either in close proximity to or is in contact with the lid 10.

To move each side shelf 12 or 14 from the upright stowage position 116 to the deployed position 118 for use, the shelf 12 or 14 is lifted and also rotated outwardly such that (a) the shelf guide pins 96 and 98 travel to the upper ends 124 and 126 of the mounting ear guide tracks 112 and 114 and (b) the upper surface 84 of the side shelf 12 or 14 is horizontal. In the deployed position 118, each side shelf 12 or 14 will preferably rest upon and be supported by the adjacent lifting handle 70 or 72.

When in use, the inventive portable grill head assembly 4 can be placed on a picnic table, on the ground, or on any other surface. Moreover, as noted above, the entire inventive cooker assembly 2 will preferably also include a frame or cabinet 5 on which the grill head assembly 4 can be removably positioned for use in the same manner as a more standard “non-portable” grill. The upper end or upper surface 125 of the frame or cabinet 5 will preferably include holding wells or other holding structures 130 for removably receiving the legs 52, 54, 62, and 64 and feet elements 56, 58, 66, and 68 of the portable grill head assembly 4 in order to more securely retain the portable grill head assembly 4 on the frame or cabinet 5.

As with a typical “non-portable” assembly of this type, the frame or cabinet 5 of the inventive cooker assembly 2 will preferably include a plurality of wheels 128 on the bottom thereof for rolling the cooker assembly 2 a short distance. The frame or cabinet 5 will preferably also be sized and configured for holding a standard home sized gas fuel bottle and other items carried by or within the typical frames or cabinets used in “non-portable” grills.

Thus, the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned above as well as those inherent therein. While presently preferred embodiments have been described for purposes of this disclosure, numerous changes and modifications will be apparent to those in the art. Such changes and modifications are encompassed within this invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A portable cooker for outdoor use comprising: a housing having at least one heating source positioned therein, the housing having a top opening;a lid positionable over the housing for opening and closing the top opening;a lifting handle adjacent to a lateral side of the housing; anda side shelf mounted adjacent to the lateral side of the housing,the side shelf being selectively positionable in an upright stowage position and in a horizontally extending deployed position, andin the upright stowage position, the side shelf being positioned between the lifting handle and the lid such that the side shelf is located outside of the lid and the housing.

2. The portable cooker of claim 1 wherein: the lifting handle is a left side lifting handle, the lateral side of the housing is a left lateral side, and the side shelf is a left side shelf;the portable cooker further comprises a right side lifting handle, positioned adjacent to a right lateral side of the housing, and a right side shelf mounted adjacent to the right lateral side of the housing;the right side shelf being selectively positionable in an upright stowage position and in a horizontally extending deployed position, andin the upright stowage position of the right side shelf, the right side shelf is positioned between the right side lifting handle and the lid such that the right side shelf is located outside of the lid and the housing.

3. The portable cooker of claim 1 further comprising: a pair of projecting mounting structures for the side shelf on the lateral side of the housing;each of the mounting structures including a guide track;the side shelf having a pair of guide elements projecting outwardly therefrom; andthe side shelf being mounted between the pair of mounting structures such that the guide elements of the side shelf are slideably and rotatably received in the guide tracks of the mounting structures.

4. The portable cooker of claim 3 wherein each of the guide tracks of the mounting structures extends upwardly in a straight line that is either vertical or is angled toward the lid.

5. The portable cooker of claim 4 wherein each of the guide tracks of the mounting structures extends upwardly in a straight line at an angle toward the lid which is in a range of from 15° to 25° from vertical.

6. The portable cooker of clam 3 wherein: each of the guide tracks of the mounting structures has a bottom end and a top end;when the side shelf is in the upright stowage position, the guide elements of the side shelf are positioned in the bottom ends of the guide tracks; andwhen the side shelf is in the horizontally extending deployed position, the guide elements of the side shelf are positioned in the top ends of the guide tracks.

7. The portable cooker of claim 6 wherein, in the horizontally extending deployed position, the side shelf rests upon and is supported by the lifting handle.

8. The portable cooker of claim 1 further comprising a support frame or cabinet having an upper end upon which the portable cooker is removably placeable.

9. The portable cooker of claim 8 further comprising a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted on a bottom of the support frame or cabinet.

10. The portable cooker of claim 8 wherein: the portable cooker further comprises a plurality of support legs extending from a bottom of the portable cooker andthe upper end of the support frame or cabinet includes a plurality of well structures in which the support legs of the portable cooker are removably receivable.