Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a novel cooking
apparatus which can function as a barbecue, smoke-house or
Turkish oven. More specifically, the present invention
relates to a cooking apparatus that contains a grill rack, a
smoking basket, a roasting pan and a rotisserie.
Furthermore, the present invention contains unique
features for properly cooking a variety of food at one time
with a minimum amount of subsequent cleaning.
~here are cooking apparatuses which have combined a
variety of cooking features with a variety of easy-cleaning
features. For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,470,343 shows an
outdoor cooker with a rotatable rotisserie, a plurality of
food baskets and a localized grease-drip space; U.S. Patent
No. 4,213,381 shows a cooking apparatus with a horizontal
grill, a drip collection pan with deflector, a solid fuel
support and the means for imparting smoke-flavour to thz food
being cooked.
The present invention provides a novel combination
and unique cooking means which the prior art cooking
apparatuses do not offer or suggest.
The present invention provides the means for
cooking methods with a grill rack, a roasting pan and a
multiple rotisserie, and also incorporates the unique built-
in features of-basting and smoking food, grease-drip and
debris collecting. Furthermore, the present invention
provides heating chambers adapted to use gas, propane, lava
rock, wood or charcoal as a fuel source.
According to the present invention a cooking
apparatus i8 provided comprised of:
an upright housing having an open top and base, and
a multiplicity of walls, wherein the top, base and walls
define the enclosure for cooking;
a roasting pan support grill which is located in
the lower central area of the cooking apparatus, wherein said
roasting pan support grill extends horizontally from a first
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wall to a second opposite wall of the housing and which is
so disposed as to support a roasting pan;
a plurality of heating chambers which are located
on either side of the centrally located roasting pan support
grill, wherein said heating chambers comprise an area defined
by a base horizontal member and several adjoining vertically
inclined walls;
a removable horizontal debris tray which is
slidably mounted onto a plurality of lips, wherein said lips
are attached to the interior walls of the open base of said
housing;
a removable smoking basket wherein the basket is
comprised of one or more levels, wherein the lowest level
constitutes the bottom of the basket, wherein the walls of
the basket are adjoined to the bottom of the basket, and
wherein the upper portion of said walls form basket support
shoulders, wherein said basket support shoulders provide the
means to hang the basket therefrom;
a horizontal grill rack which extends across the
top of the apparatus to provide a support surface for cooking
food;
a basting tray which is incorporated into the
horizontal grill rack, wherein the ba6ting tray comprises a
track having a groove, wherein said track extends from one
wall to a second opposite wall of the housing such that said
basting tray extend6 over the rotisserie and central roasting
pan, and said track iB shaped a6 to provide a maximum depth,
wherein at the maximum depth there are perforations which
will allow juices to drip over the food onto the rotisserie
and/or roasting pan below.
The present invention provides a roasting pan
support grill for 6upporting a roasting pan thereon. The
roasting pan support grill is mounted between the heating
chambers to provide unlform heating of the roastlng pan.
Uniform heating of the roasting pan provides for ideal
cooking. In addition to cooking food in the roasting pan,
the roasting pan provides a means to collect any food
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drippings. When the roasting pan is used as a drip-
collector, grease fires, which burn the food are avoided,
and the collected drippings may then be used for basting.
Furthermore, the drip collecting feature provides a cooking
apparatus which is easier to keep clean.
A debris tray is slidable mounted on a plurality of
lips which are attached to the interior walls of the housing
base of the cooking apparatus. The debris tray collects
falling debris. Onse debris has been collected, the tray is
easily removed and cleaned.
A smoking basket of wire mesh is designed to hang
over the roasting pan. This unique feature provides a means
for burning wood chips to provide a means for adding a smoke
flavour to the food.
The heating chambers provide sub6tantially uniform
heating throughout the cooking apparatus. The upper portion
of the inner walls of the heating chambers are downwardly and
inwardly tapered and are provided with perforated
longitudinal ribs. These walls direct heat to the centre
rotisserie and grill of the apparatus for the uniform
distribution of heat. Furthermore, these walls retain the
debris from falling into the roasting pan.
A horizontal grill, preferably of cast iron,
extends across the top of the cooking apparatus. One of the
grill rack's unique features is the perforated basting tray
which is incorporated into the centre of the grill. Food and
food drippings may be placed in the basting tray to provide
constant and sustained dripping on the rotisserie and
roasting pan below. In t~is manner, the food may be
flavoured with a variety of drippings.
A further embodiment of the grill rack would
comprise a solid continuous tray incorporated directly
underneath the grill rac~ The tray would channel the
dripping juice to the centre of the cooking apparatus where
it would be distri~ted o~er the rotis6erie, or into the
roasting pan.
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A multiple rotisserie is also incorporated into
this novel cooking apparatus. It is mounted on the main
rotisserie and is driven by a regular electric motor (as in
any regular rotisserie). At both ends of the rotisserie
there are disks. On the periphery of each disk there are
slots into which eight individual spits are placed. At the
front of the barbecue the disk is encased by a perforated
housing which prevents the spit from being displaced from the
slot, when the rotisserie is in action. The housing also
serves to allow the spit to rotate on itself by working the
individual gears with the gear teeth on the inside rim of the
housing case. The multiple rotisserie can be used to roast
different foods such as: rock cornish game hens, quail, and
other small items shis-kebob. The advantage of the multiple
rotisserie is that it permits an increased space for
rotisserie use.
Description of the Drawings
FIGURE 1 is a front view of a preferred embodiment
of the cooking apparatus.
FIGURE 2 is a side view of the preferred embodiment
of the cooking apparatus of Figure 1;
FIGURE 3 is a back view of the preferred embodiment
of the cooking apparatus of Figure 1.
FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred
embodiment of the 6moking basket feature.
FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred
embodiment 1 along lines 5-5 of figure 1.;
FIGVRE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred
embodiment along lines 6-6 of Figure 2.
FIGURE 7 is a side view of a preferred embodiment
of the multiple rotisserie feature.
FIGURE 8 i6 a cros6-sectional view of the
rotisserie disk shown in along lines 8-8 of Figure 7
FIGURE 9 is a front view of a preferred embodiment
of the grill rack.
Detailed Description 1 3 2 3 5 3 5
The cooking apparatus of the present invention will
be better understood by the illustration and description of
the preferred embodiments in Figures 1 to 9.
Figure 1 is a frontal view of the cooking apparatus
which comprises a housing 8 and a hood 2. At the bottom of
the housing 8 i 8 an open base 38. Below the base 38 is a
removable debris tray 11 which is slidable mounted on a
plurality of lips on the interior walls below the base 38.
The debris tray is mounted and removed therefrom with the aid
of the residue tray handle 39.
At each corner of the base 38 is a leg 12 which
provides a means for supporting the cooking apparatus.
The vertical front wall 40 of the housing 8 is
continuous with the base of the apparatus 38 and extends
upwardly and outwardly from the base. In one preferred
embodiment the front wall contains an opening 18 to access
the rotisserie.
An access door 14 is centrally located on the front
wall 40 to provide a means for inserting and removing the
roasting pan. A knob handle 41 is located on the door 14 to
facilitate the opening and closing of the door 14. Note that
the access door 14 could be located on any wall of the
housing 8.
On either side of the access door 14 a V-shaped
ledge 13 i6 attached. The ledge 13 extends downwardly and
outwardly from the lower portion of the front wall 40. The
ledge 13 extends across the front of the wall 40, underneath
the door 14.
A gas valve 10 is located on the ledge 13 on
either side of the access door and the gas valve 10 is
designed such that the flow of gas from a propane or natural
gas tank can be manually controlled with a gas valve knob 49.
A starter hole 9 is located on the bottom front
wall 40 and provides an opening for inserting means for
igniting the fuel source.
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The hood 2 of the cooking apparatus comprises an
upper surface 50 which continues downwardly and outwardly to
form walls 55 which at the bottom thereof form a hood lip 4.
In the centre of the front wall 40 of the housing, the hood 2
and hood lip 4 form an extension 57 which provides a cover
for the rotisserie access opening 18, in the housing front
wall 40 when the hood 2 is closed.
The rotisserie access opening 18 is defined by the
proportions of the front wall 40 to allow the easy removal of
a multiple rotisserie 31 (Figure 7) which is accommodated
therein.
Rotisserie slots 7 are incorporated into the front
wall of the housing 40, directly beneath the rotisserie
access 18 and in the back wall 43 directly opposite the front
wall slot 7.
Extending outward from each side wall 42 of the
housing is a carrying handle 6. The carrying handle 6
contains a fire chamber adjustment screw 5.
The adjustment screw 5 comprises a female hubular
bolt and a Male bolt. The female tubular bolt is manually
adjusted inwards and outwards to adjust the size of the
heating chamber 20 by positioning the outer housing side
walls 40. When the fire chamber adjustment screw is rotated
in one direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) the wall is
pushed inwards and when rotated in the opposite direction the
wall is pushed outwards.
On the topmost surface of the hood 2 is a vent 1
which provides an opening for the escape of heat and smoke
when the hood 2 is closed over the housing 8.
A hood handle 3 is positioned on either side of the
hood 2 to facilitate the opening and closing of the hood 2.
A hood projection 17 extends downwards and outwards
from the back of the hoods uppermost surface 50 to rest on a
hood support angle 16. ~he bood support angle 16 provides
support for hood 2 and means for leveraging the hood
projection 17 when opening and closing the hood 2.
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A cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of
the smoking basket insert 28 is illustrated in Figure 4. The
sides 44 of the basket 28 are inclined outwardly and upwardly
from the bottom 45 of the basket to the shoulder supports 37.
In this preferred embodiment one horizontal basket level 46
is incorporated into the basket 28. However, a multiple
arrangement of said basket levels could be used. The smoking
basket 28 consists of wire mesh which will hold smoke
producing material for flavouring food.
The smoking basket insert 28 is hung from the top
of the inner heating chamber walls 54 with the basket support
shoulders 37.
Figure 5 is a cross-section of Figure 1 along
lines 5-5.
In the lower central portion of the cooking
apparatus is a roasting pan support grill 23. The roasting
pan support grill 23 extends horizontally from the front wall
40 to the back wall 43 to provide a support means for a
roasting pan.
On either side of the roasting pan support grill 23
is a heating chamber 20. The base of the heating chambers 52
contain a gas or propane burner 15 and a fire chamber holding
pin 24. The fire chamber holding pins 24 support the heating
chambers 52.
Located directly above the base 52 of the heating
chambers are horizontal support racks 21 which will support
lava rock, wood or charcoal. The area defined by the
vertically inclined walls of the heating chambers 53, the
base of the heating chamber 52, and the horizontal support
rack 21, constitute the gas chamber 22.
Above the roasting pan support grill the inner
walls of the heating chambers 54 extend upwardly and
outwardly to form the smoking chamber inner wall 47, wherein
said inner walls have a series of longitudinal ribs 48. The '
longitudinal ribs 48 extend at right angles to the inner
walls of the smoking chamber walls 47. These walls retain 47
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debris preventing it from falling into the roasting pan, and
direct heat to the centre of the cooking apparatus.
A cast iron horizontal grill 25 extends
horizontally above the heating chambers. The cast iron grill
25 comprises a cooking surface 26 and a base 19. The cooking
surface 26 is used for grilling food. The base 19 extends
outward to rest on the inner surface of the housing lip 51.
One preferred embodiment of the horizontal grill 25
is illustrated in Figure 9. A grill rack tray 61 i6 mounted
underneath the grill rack 25 to provide a means for
collecting all of the dripping juice. The tray is designed
so that the juices are channelled to the centre of the
cooking apparatus an then dripped over the rotisserie and/or
roasting pan.
When the centre of the grill 25 is used for
cooking, the roasting pan which is supported by the grill
support 23 functions as a drip-collecting pan. This
minimizes the number of grease fires which can burn the food.
In the centre of the cast iron grill 25 is a
perforated basting tray 27. The perforated basting tray 27
can be used to baste food which is being cooked on the
multiple rotisserie 31 and/or in the roasting pan on the
support grill 23.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a preferred embodiment
of the multiple rotisserie.
The multiple rotisserie spits 31 are permanently
mounted parallel to a main rotisserie sp~t 33 wherein at
either end of the spits there is a first rotisserie disk 29
and a back rotisserie disk 32. The multiple rotisserie spits
comprise four 4" diameter spits and Four 2" diameter spits,
alternately arranged in a circle. The rotisserie disks 29
and 32 contain grooves in the shape of a semi-circles and in
shape of the letter U in which the 2" spits and 4" spits are
seated, respectively. The front rotisserie disk 29 is
encased in a housing case 30. The housing case 30 contains
gear teeth 57 on the inside rim thereof. Each multiple spit
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31 has an individual gear wheel 59 which is engaged with the
gear teeth 57.
A suitable motor 34 drives the main rotisserie spit
33, which is permanently attached to the disks 29 and 32,
causing the individual spits to rotate such that the working
of gear wheels 59 engage themselves with the gear teeth 57 is
initiated.
While the invention has been described with
reference to preferred embodiments, it will be understood by
those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and
equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without
departing from the scope of the invention. In addition,
modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or
material to the teachings of the invention without departing
from the scope thereof. Therefore, it will be understood
that the invention not be limited to the particular
embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for
carrying out this invention, but that the invention will
include all variations and modifications which fall within
the scope of the invention as set out by the appended claims.
