Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an
improvement for a barbecue grill and pertains, more
particularly, to an improved fire grate for use in a
vertical barbecue grill.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vertical grill devices are known. For
example, U.S. patent No. 2,821,187 issued January 28,
1958 to J.C. Tescula describes a broiler assembly that
includes a series of vertical charcoal receptacles and
vertical food holding elements disposed between the
receptacles. Similarly, U.S. patent No. 3,742,838
issued July 3, 1973 to Luschen et al. shows a grill
device that includes food holding members and heating
material holding members which are vertically
positioned in a barbecue grill. The advantages of
vertical grills are obvious: fat and juices of the
food, when broiling, do not drip on the hot coals which
would produce flames.
In both the devices described in these
patents, the heating material, in the form of pieces of
charcoal, are stacked in the heating material holding
baskets that include an open mesh bottom wall to allow
the ashes to fall from the grates to the ground (as
described in the U.S. patent 2,82l,187) or on the
bottom wall of a box-like structure (as described in
U.S. patent 3,742,838). One disadvantage of these
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devices is that, as the charcoal burns down, it drops
to the bottom of the baskets and the heat transfered to
the food retaining members is not uniformly distributed
with more heat at the bottom than at the top. One
method of partially correcting this problem is to
adjust the spacing between the baskets and members to
assure the same degree of heat. However, this requires
constant supervision by the user.
OBJECTS AND STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to
provide these grills with an improved fire grate which
overcomes the above mentioned problems and gives a
uniform distribution of heat during the entire food
cooking process. This is achieved by providing the
vertical fire grate with a series of vertically spaced
horizontal plates that retain, at various levels of tne
grate, those burning charcoals. The invention further
allows the easy removal of at least one of the panels
to place additional charcoals on the plates.
The present invention therefore relates to a
vertical fire grate which comprises:
a) a parallelepiped body defined by opposite
end walls and a bottom wall, and a pair of opposite
side panels, at least one of the panels being
constructed of open mesh; at least one of the panels
being freely retained in vertical position along the
end walls and the bottom wall to thereby permit
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vertical sliding and removal of said at least one panel
from the body;
b) a plurality of horizontal fire plates
vertically spaced within the parallelepiped body for
receiving thereon coo~ing fires so as to provide a
uniform fire surface over the entire height of the
panel constructed of open mesh;
c) means on the body for retaining the panels
in opposite spaced relationship in front of the plates;
and
d) support means extending outwardly from
opposite upper ends of the opposite end walls of the
body and resting on corresponding upper edges of the
opposite sidewalls of the frame for suspending the body
over the bottom wall of the frame; the support means
including means allowing the grate to be removed from
the frame.
In one form of the invention, both side
panels are constructed of open mesh.
In another form of the invention, one side
panel is constructed of open mesh while the other is
formed of imperforate material.
In a further form of the invention, both side
panels are removable from the fire grate.
Other objects and further scope of
applicability of the present invention will become
apparent from the detailed description given
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hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that
this detailed description, while indicating preferred
embodiments of the invention, is given by way of
illustration only, since various changes and
modifications within the spirit and the scope of the
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the
art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective illustrative view
showing a vertical fire grate made in accordance with
the present invention and showing two embodimentsi
Figure 2 is a side elevation view of one
embodiment of a fire grate made in accordance with the
present invention; and
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view wherein
both embodiments of a vertical fire grate are mounted
adjacent to a food holding member.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figure 1, there is shown, in
dotted lines, a barbecue grill generally designated 10
which includes a supporting frame 12 adapted to receive
therewithin a series of vertical fire grates of the
type shown as 14.
The frame 12 may have a box-like
configuration with elongated side panels 16 and 18 and
end panels, one of which being shown as 20. The
barbecue grill may also be formed of an open
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rectangular frame of the type shown in U.S. patent
2,821,187 mentioned above where ashes and food
drippings fall to the ground.
The fire grate 14 defines a parallelepiped
body having opposite end walls 22 or 24 and a bottom
wall 26. The upper ends of walls 22 and 24 displays
loops 28 and 30, respectively, including a flat portion
adapted to sit on the upper edge of the side frame
members 16 and 18 and an inverted V-shaped portion
which is used for either removing the fire grates from
the barbecue grill or to displace them laterally
therein.
A plurality of L-shaped ears 32 are fixedly
mounted to the side edges of the end walls 22 and 24.
Similarly, a series of L-shaped ears 34 are mounted to
the opposite edges of the bottom wall 26. These ears
32 and 34 have a front portion which is spaced from the
adjacent edges of the end walls and the bottom wall.
The fire grate further includes a pair of
opposite vertical side panels. A first side panel 36,
constructed of open mesh of expanded metal or any other
perforated material, is vertically insertable within
the space defined by the front portion of ears 32 and
34 to rest on the horizontal portion of the lower ears
34. The vertical fire grate includes a second side
panel disposed on the other side of the grate. Figure
1 schematically represents two embodiments 38 and 40 of
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such a panel, both being also vertically insertable
within the retaining ears 32 and 34 to rest on the
lower horizontal portion of ears 34.
An important aspect of the present invention
consists in providing the grate with a series of
vertically spaced horizontal plates such as 42, 44, 46
and 48 which serve to define various layers of cooking
fires 50. These plates have their opposite ends
fixedly connected to the inner face of the end walls 22
and 24. They are preferably equally spaced over the
height of the grate so that they may provide a uniform
heat over the entire surface of the grill. With one of
the panels being removable, additional cooking fires
may be added on the plates, when required.
Referring to Figure 3, both embodiments are
shown mounted to the side members of a barbecue grill
and disposed on either side of a food holding grate 52.
A detailed description of the food holding grate 52 is
not necessary as it does not form part of the present
invention. One example of such a food grate is
described in the above mentioned U.S. patent 2,821,187.
The fire grate mounted adjacent the end wall 20 of the
grill frame has an imperforate side panel 38 to prevent
undo loss of heat.
Although the invention as been described
above in relation to two specific forms, it will be
evident to a person skilled in the art that it may be
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refined and modified in various ways.. It is therefore
wished to have it understood that the present invention
should not be limited in interpretation except by the
terms of the following claims.
C
