Patent Application
20210059471
The present invention generally relates to a portable outdoor grill and method for cooking in windy outdoor environments.
The present invention generally relates to a portable outdoor grill and method for cooking in windy outdoor environments. More so, a portable outdoor grill protects food on a grill grate from flying debris by retaining the grill grate in a predetermined offset position from the rim that forms at the open end of the grill housing; whereby the portable outdoor grill provides a cylindrical housing defined by an open base end and an open grill end terminating at a rim, and further including a sidewall extending between the open ends; whereby a grill grate, for supporting food, is sized and dimensioned to position perpendicularly across the sidewalls, the grill grate being offset from the rim a predetermined distance so as to protect food from debris that is blown across the open grill end; whereby the housing is sufficiently portable to enable the open base end of the housing to position over any number of ground surfaces containing heating fuel used to radiate heat towards the food on the grill grate; whereby a plurality of fastening apertures form in the sidewalls of the housing for receiving grate support fasteners that support the grill grate at a plurality of longitudinal positions along the length of the housing; whereby the user can select which among the plurality of support fasteners to place the grate depending on the wind intensity; whereby a plurality of vent apertures form in the sidewall to enable circulation of air within the sidewalls of the housing; whereby a ventilation control assembly is slidably attached to the interior sidewall of the housing controls the degree of desired ventilation; whereby an insulated handle facilitates gripped manipulation of the portable outdoor grill; and whereby a Z-shaped spatula facilitates access to the offset grill grate below the rim.
The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views of the drawings.
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms “first,” “second,” “left,” “rear,” “right,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
At the outset, it should be clearly understood that like reference numerals are intended to identify the same structural elements, portions, or surfaces consistently throughout the several drawing figures, as may be further described or explained by the entire written specification of which this detailed description is an integral part. The drawings are intended to be read together with the specification and are to be construed as a portion of the entire “written description” of this invention as required by 35 U.S.C. § 112.
In one embodiment of the present invention, presented in
As best illustrated in the embodiment of
In one aspect, the portable outdoor grill 100, comprises:
In another aspect, the housing 102 is fabricated from a noncorrosive material.
In another aspect, the grill grate 118 is positioned about one-third of the length of the sidewall 110 from the open grill end 106 of the housing 102.
In another aspect, the housing 102 is about 12″ long and has a diameter of about 13½″.
In another aspect, the grill grate 118 is 4″ from the rim 108, and 8″ from the open base end 104.
In another aspect, the fastening and vent apertures 112, 116a-c are circumferentially disposed around the sidewall 110.
In another aspect, the heating fuel positions in a pit.
In another aspect, the heating fuel comprises charcoal.
In another aspect, the one insulated handle 122a positions on the lid 120, and two insulated handles 122b, 122c position on the sidewall 110.
In another aspect, the interior or exterior sidewall 110 of cylindrical housing 102 is fitted with a ventilation control assembly.
In another aspect, the ventilation control assembly may comprise a plate slidably engaged and conformed to the sidewall 110 and wherein said plate and sidewall 110 further comprise a track assembly for controlled movement of plate across the sidewall surface.
One objective of the present invention is to protect food on a grill grate 118 from debris, such as sand, that is blown by the wind.
Another objective is to offset the grill grate 118 a predetermined distance below the rim 108 of the open grill end 106;
Another objective is to offset the grill grate to about 4″ below the rim 108 of the open grill end 106.
Another objective is to enable the grill grate 118 to be height adjusted at different longitudinal positions along the length of the housing 102 through use of grate support fasteners 114a-d passing through the fastening apertures 112.
Another objective is to provide a portable housing 102 that can easily be carried to multiple pits containing charcoal.
Another objective is to protect the heating fuel from the wind by the position of the sidewall 110 at the open base end 104 of the housing 102.
Another objective is to provide vent apertures 116a-c that allow for air circulation inside the housing 102.
Another objective is to control the degree of air flow through vent apertures 116a-c by ventilation control assembly.
Another objective is to provide an inexpensive to manufacture portable outdoor grill 100.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that outdoor cooking devices, such as barbecue grills, are well known for their ability to provide naturally flavored food. Barbecue grills of many shapes and sizes have been known and used for many years. Typically, the barbecue grill is fueled by an open fire consisting of wood or coal wherein the food drippings help in the flavoring of the food. Alternatively, the cooking device can be fueled by a gas burner.
Often, portable grills that use fuel sources, such as charcoal or gas, are generally made of inexpensive steel. These grills are susceptible to the problem of wind and blowing sand when grilling outdoors. Typically, initiating a fire within a charcoal or gas grill is difficult in windy, sand-blown areas like a beach or ocean setting. In many grill designs, the depth of the grill grate relative to the top rim of the grill body is not sufficiently deep to inhibit blowing sand, dust, etc. from engaging the food that is being cooked on the grill grate.
The present portable outdoor grill 100 provides a protective cylindrical housing 102 that retains a grill grate 118 and the heating fuel in an offset, recessed position within the housing 102 to protect from the wind and wind-blown debris.
As referenced in
In one non-limiting embodiment shown in
Turning now to
The housing 102 is further defined by a sidewall 110 that extends between the open ends 104, 106. The sidewall 110 forms the circumferential protective barrier that inhibits the wind and wind-blown debris from contacting the food near the grill end 106, or the heat fuel near the base end 104 of the housing 102. In one embodiment, the housing 102 is about 12″ long and has a diameter of about 13½″. In another embodiment, the housing 102 is fabricated from a noncorrosive or corrosion resistant materials, such as stainless steel, titanium alloys, copper alloys or aluminum.
As
As shown in
In another embodiment, housing 102 comprises a ventilation control assembly. In some embodiments, the ventilation control assembly comprises a plate slidably engaged and conformed to the sidewall 110 and wherein said plate and sidewall 110 further comprise a track assembly for controlled movement of plate across the sidewall surface. As the plate is manipulated by the user and moved along the track assembly, one or more of the vent apertures 116 are opened or closed depending on the position of plate. The same general mechanical concept could be applied to the vents positioned in lid 120 discussed above.
The open base end 104 of the housing 102 concentrically positions over a heating fuel. In this position, the sidewalls direct radiated heat upwardly from the heating fuel towards the grill grate 118 at the open grill end 106 of the housing. The lightweight nature of the portable outdoor grill 100 allows the base end 104 to be easily placed over the ground surface (e.g., a pit, hole or substantially flat surface) containing heat fuel. The heat fuel may include, without limitation, charcoal, briquettes, and wood.
In some embodiments, the portable outdoor grill 100 includes a grill grate 118 for supporting food (
The grill grate 118 is offset from the rim 108 about one-third of the length of the sidewall 110 from the open grill end 106 of the housing 102. In one non-limiting embodiment, the grill grate 118 is recessed about 4″ from the rim 108, and about 8″ from the open base end 104 (
In some embodiments, multiple grate support fasteners 114a-d are used to height adjust the grill grate 118 along the length of the housing 102. The grate support fasteners 114a-d pass through the fastening apertures 112 that form in the sidewall 110 to support the grill grate 118. In one embodiment, four gate support fasteners 114a, 114b, 114c, 114d support the grill grate 118 at equidistant positions around the sidewall 110. The grate support fasteners 114a-d may include, without limitation, a bolt, a screw, a nail, and an elongated fastening mechanism.
In some embodiments, a lid 120 detachably covers the open grill end 106 of the housing 102. The lid 120 is sized and dimensioned to cover and seal the opening in the grill end 106, so that the radiated heat and smoke does not escape form the open grill end 106. The lid 120 may completely detach from the grill end 106, or may be provided with hinges attached to the sidewall 110 at the grill end 106 to move between a closed position and an open position.
It is known in the art that in order to open and close the lid 120, it is necessary to place the arm and hand directly over the upper grate, and thereby over the rising heat from the heat fuel. Thus, the portable outdoor grill 100 provides at least one insulated handle 122a-c that attaches to the lid 120, or the sidewall 110, or both, so as to facilitate gripped manipulation of the housing 102. The insulated handle 122a-c may have a U-shape and be insulated by, for example, plastic dipping, or coating (e.g., liquid, rubberized, or plastic dip coating), taping or constructing the handle from a material that does not readily conduct heat.
Alternative embodiments of the portable outdoor grill 100 may include a square, round, or rectangular housing; with lids or no lids; and with vent apertures 116a-c or without vent apertures for heat control. The portable outdoor grill 100 may also be positioned over any type of heat source suitable for grilling, including electrical or gas heat sources.
Furthermore, because of the recessed position of the grill grate 118, accessing the food with a spatula, knife, fork, or other utensil may be difficult. Thus, a Z-shaped spatula facilitates access to the offset grill grate 118. The Z-shape allows the spatula to naturally engage the food while the hand of the cook remains outside the housing 102. Various other Z-shaped handles for other utensils may also be used. Furthermore, in addition to a traditional flat surface of the spatula, a fork for hot dogs and even an articulating tong on the rim 108 of the housing 102 can be used to prevent food from sliding off the spatula during removal from the recessed grill grate 118.
In some embodiments, a Step 206 includes passing at least one grate support fastener through a plurality of fastening apertures for supporting the grill grate. A Step 208 comprises igniting the heat fuel to generate radiant heat towards the grill grate. A Step 210 includes enabling passage of air through a plurality of vent apertures that form in the sidewall for controlling the heat. In some embodiments, a final Step 212 may include gripping at least one insulated handle to move the housing away from the fuel heat.
Although the process-flow diagrams show a specific order of executing the process steps, the order of executing the steps may be changed relative to the order shown in certain embodiments. Also, two or more blocks shown in succession may be executed concurrently or with partial concurrence in some embodiments. Certain steps may also be omitted from the process-flow diagrams for the sake of brevity. In some embodiments, some or all the process steps shown in the process-flow diagrams can be combined into a single process.
Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalence.
