Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~- CA 02221082 1997-11-14
. I
WO 96/36265 P~1IIJ~~ G~31S
DEVICE FOR CO~K . r;l~ OR ~T~TT.T.TNG S~AIL PIECES OF FOOD
AND ~ OD OF USE
The present application is a continuation-in-part
of co-pending application Serial No. 08/442,931, filed
on May 17, 1995, a continuation-in-part of 08/512,416,
filed on August 8, 1995, and a continuation-in-part of
08/571,772, filed on December 13, 1995.
Backqround of the Invention
Various attempts have been made to develop devices
for cooking or grilling specialty food items,
particularly for use with outdoor barbecue grills. For
example, U.S. Patent No. 4,510,855 to Avner describes a
secondary grilling apparatus which comprises a flat
sheet of metal with rectangular openings which clips
onto the bars of conventional barbecue grills. The
sheet provides a secondary surface for grilling with
smaller openings. However, the device cannot be easily
taken out of the barbecue grill when hot and does not
permit easy turning over of food items.
U.S. Patent No. 5,069,196 to Schlosser et al.
describes a pivoting ~ ~y rack which attaches to
the perimeter of a barbecue grill and can be pivoted
from the side attachment over the surface of the grill
or off to the side for easy retrieval of cooked food
items. The pivoting rack comprises a circular flat
grill with a rail around the edge to prevent food from
f~ ng off. The circular flat grill is similar to the
main grill of the barbecue, but is held above the main
grill by means of a pivot. The device suffers the same
problems that a regular grill with longitll~;n~l bars in
that small food items easily slip through. Also, the
device cannot be easily lifted out of the grill and
~h~k~n to turn over food items.
U.S. Patent No. 2,846,941 to Goodwin discloses a
barbecue basket which fully encases food items and is
mounted on a spit, permitting one to easily turn
cooking food items over for cooking on both sides. The
device cannot be easily ~ ~ved from the grill because
, ,. CA 02221082 1997-11-14
W096/36265 -2- PCT~596/02315
it is mounted on a spit. Also, the device would not be
suitable for small food items because the longitudinal
bars create lengthwise openings through which small
food items would fall out.
Other devices include the PLATINUM GRILLING WOK~
(sold by Charcoal Champion) which comprises a square
bottom with trapezoidal sides that flare outward from
their attachment to the square bottom. The wok
contains some small circular openings to allow
circulation of heated air and smoke. However, the wok
contains no lid that permits sh~k;ng of food items to
easily turn them over. In addition, the limited number
of openings does not allow full circulation of heated
air and smoke which are important for achieving optimum
grilling flavor.
Still another device is the BARBE~u~ ~.~TTT.TNG
GRID~ (sold by Charcoal Champion) which comprises a
flat sheet with ~;~mon~-sh~re~ openings and an upturned
edge on one side. The grid cannot be easily lifted off
of the grill, nor can it permit sh~k;ng of food items
to turn them over without their falling out. It is
essentially one-sided.
Summary of the Invention
It is an object of the present invention to
provide a device for cooking or grilling small food
items which permits optimum circulation of heated air
and smoke to achieve full grilling/cooking flavor. The
device is entirely independent from the grill requiring
no att~hm~nt whatsoever. It is an object of the
present invention to provide a device that can be
easily ~ ,ved from the h~hecue grill, lifted out, and
sh~ken to turn food items over without their falling
out. These same functions may be achieved while
cook;ng with the device on the grill grate by either
removing the lid or lifting the lid and stirring,
shifting or moving the food items inside the device
with a cooking implement (such as tongs, spatula, fork,
etc.).
~, CA 02221082 1997-11-14
. I
wos6136265 PCT~S96/02315
The use of a lid with the device is optional.
With the lid on or off, spices, sauces, and flavorings
may be added while cooking. Also, the grilling device
of the present invention is designed to fit completely
within standard barbecue grills so that the top of the
grill can be closed while offering the Y;mnm amount
of cooking surface area. Still another object of the
present invention is to provide a light-weight grilling
device that can be easily and cheaply manufactured from
a single piece of starting material.
With these objects in mind, the present inventors
discovered that a grilling device could be fashioned
out of light-weight stainless steel mesh having square
openings, which could easily be fabricated from a
single flat piece of mesh by folding and which would
satisfy the above objects. Due to the flexibility of
the stainless steel mesh, the device can be shaped to
fit the interiors of standard barbecue grills,
permitting the lid of the grill to be completely shut
while providing the ~-~;mllm surface area for cooking
small pieces of food and m~Y;m;zing the aromatic effect
of barbecue cooking or grilling. Since the device is
independent from the grill on which it is used, food
items may be prepared and placed inside the device at
one location, carried and then cooked at the grill.
Once cooking is completed, the food items may be
carried from the grill inside the device to another
desired location.
~3rief DescriPtion of the Drawin~s
Fig. 1 shows one embodiment of the present
invention without a top.
Fig. 2 shows another embodiment similar to that of
Fig. 1 with a top in the open position and side
handles.
Fig. 3 shows the ~ho~;m~nt of Fig. 2 with the top
in the closed position.
Fig. 4 shows a side view of the embodiment of Fig.
3.
- ~ ~. CA 022210X2 1997-11-14
wos6/3626s 4 PCT~S96/02315
Fig. 5 is a top view of another embodiment with
two inwardly facing top edges and two outwardly facing
top edges and square grasping handles at each corner
and hand spaces between the two corner handles.
Fig. 6 is a top view of the lid for the embs~;~Gnt
of Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a frontal cut-away view of the
embs~; -nt of Fig. 5.
Fig. 8 is a side cut-away view of the embodiment
of Fig. 5.
Fig. 9 shows the device of Figs. 5-8 prior to
folding.
Fig. 10 shows a side view of another embodiment of
the device according to the present invention
comprising two halves.
Fig. 11 shows a side view of another embo~; - t of
the device comprising c-shaped edges which lock a lid
in place on top of the open basket of the device.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
In one embodiment, the present invention is
directed to a device for grilling small pieces of food,
wherein the device comprises a basket composed of mesh
having square openings throughout the mesh and the
basket has a base that matches the shape of the grill
and four side walls which are high enough to retain
small pieces of food when the device is sh~k~n to turn
the small pieces of food over, wherein the mesh is made
of a material suitable for cooking or grilling food
that is welded, soldered, or woven. Preferably, the
basket is shaped to fit within the interior of a grill
when the lid of the grill is clo~ed. Optionally, the
basket of the device is covered with a lid that may be
fastened to the device or placed on top of the device.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a
device for grilling small pieces of food as described
in the above paragraph, wherein the device comprises a
fully enclosed basket having a top, a bottom, and four
side walls. One of the four side walls is pre~erably
. CA 02221082 1997-11-14
wos6/3626s P~~ 02315
raised higher than the other three walls, so that the
top of the device slopes downward from a point where
the top is joined with the raised side wall to a point
where the top is joined with at least one of the other
three side walls. In this embodiment, a single cut is
made through the side walls of the device, separating
it into two halves, which may be used separately as two
grilling devices or together in one grilling device as
a top and bottom. This embo~ t is further
advantageous because of the ease of production.
Another e ho~;m~nt of the present invention is a
method of using the device to grill small pieces of
food on a grill comprising placing the pieces of food
in the ba~ket, placing the basket on the grill, closing
the lid of the grill, removing the basket after the
small pieces of food are cooked on one side, shaking
the basket to turn the pieces of food over onto their
uncooked sides, and placing the basket onto the grill
until the small pieces of food are cooked. Optionally,
the entire device may be turned upside down with the
food r~m~;ning in the ba~ke. ,o ~urn the food over when
a lid is in place.
Preferably, the device is used on a covered grill
having a lid and the base of the device has a
rectangular or circular shape which matches the
~ n~ions of the most c~ - ly sold outdoor barbecue
grills. More preferred is a rectangular base measuring
about ll ; n~h~S by about 16 ;n~h~s
The_mesh can be made of any material suitable for
cooking or grilling pieces of food that is welded,
soldered or woven. Preferably, the mesh is stainless
steel mesh or mild steel covered with a non-stick
coating such as XYLONTM (manufactured by Whitford
Manufacturing). The size of the square openings
throughout the mesh is between 14 gauge and l9 gauge,
or which measure between about 0.2 ; n~h~ across to
about 0.8 in~hes across. The most preferred size of
the square openings is about 0.5 in~hes across.
. CA 02221082 1997-11-14
w096/36265 -6- PCT/u~5~231s
The mesh can optionally be nickel-plated,
porcelain-coated, or coated with a non-stick coating
suitable for grilling or cooking.
As used herein, ~small pieces of food" refers to
those small pieces of food co~ke~ on grills which
normally fall through the longitudinal bars of a
conventional grill grate. In particular, these small
pieces of food include sliced, chopped, unchopped,
chunked, and whole vegetables, fruits, scallops,
shrimp, and pieces of meat or fish.
Preferably, one or more divider walls can be
placed inside the basket and att~ch~A to the base to
create separate areas for placing different types of
small food pieces. For example, all the vegetables can
be placed on one side of a divider wall and all the
chopped meat pieces can be placed on the other side of
the divider wall.
For convenience, only Fig. 1 contains the mesh
pattern drawn on all sides. Figs. 2-9 are in block
style, showing only structural lines where edges or
corners are formed. However, the devices shown in
Figs. 2-9 are also formed of the mesh material shown in
Fig. 1.
Fig. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the present
invention wherein one of the four side walls 3A
adjoining the cooking base 1 is raised higher than the
other three side walls 3B, 3C and 3D.
As shown in Fig. 2, it is preferred to attach a
lid 4 having two triangular overhang portions 6 by
means of fasteners 5 to the raised side 3A. The
fasteners may be any suitable fasteners that withstand
the heat of cooking or grilling including alligator
clips or metal rings. Also, Fig. 2 shows wire semi-
circular handles 2 at~he~ to two of the sides 3C and
3D that adjoin the raised side 3A. Fig. 2 also shows a
divider wall 7 placed inside the basket for separating
different kinds of small food pieces.
. CA 0222l082 l997-ll-l4
Wos6/3626s 7 P~ 5~3l5
Fig. 3 illustrates the embodiment of Fig. 2
wherein the lid 4 is in the closed position. Due to
the raised edge 3A, the lid slopes downward when closed
to meet the top edge of the lower front side 3B. This
embo~; ~nt is advantageous because it fits inside most
rectangular-shaped outdoor grills wherein the lid of
the grill slopes downward toward the front of the
grill.
The ~ ntS shown in Figs. 1-4 can be
manufa~L~ed from a single flat piece of mesh by -~;ng
cuts in the piece of mesh according to desired
~;m~n~ions and folding the sides of the cut pieces
upward and joining the corners with fasteners or by
welding or other suitable means for joining pieces of
mesh together. For example, starting from a single
piece of mesh, the lid 4 can be cut out and the
overhang portions 6 can be folded d~..L-~-rd. One or
more divider walls 7 can be cut from the single
starting piece of mesh and later attached into the
- 20 interior of the basket. The basket is formed from the
single piece of mesh by folding the pre-cut sides 3A,
3B, 3C, and 3D upward so that the edges of the sides
meet each other. Thereafter, the adjoining edges may
be fastened by suitable means for fastening pieces of
mesh together such as closing rings, clips, solder or
welding.
Figs. 5-8 relate to another preferred embo~; t
of the present invention, which also can be
manufactured from a single flat piece of mesh by making
cuts in the piece of mesh according to desired
~ ions and folding the sides of the cut piece
upward and joining the corners with fasteners or by
welding or other suitable means for joining pieces of
mesh together as discussed more fully below.
In the preferred embo~; m~nt of Fig. 5, there is an
interior rectangular cooking base 1', two outwardly
facing top edges 3' adjoining two side walls 5', two
inwardly facing top edges 4' adjoining the other two
~ CA 02221082 1997-11-14
.,
wos6/3626s 8 P~~ 6~0z3ls
side walls 5", and four square grasping handles 2' at
each corner of the base 1~. This embodiment is
advantageous because the inwardly facing edges 4' help
to retain the small pieces of food when the basket is
moved while on the grill and or turned over onto its
side, or 1l- ved from the cooking surface and sh~k~n to
the turn the food pieces over. The outwardly facing
edges 3' provide handles for easy grasping of the
basket during shAk;ng, turning the device upside down
with the lid on, and in removing the device from the
grill.
Fig. 6 shows the lid for the device of Fig. 5.
The lid is a flat rectangular piece of mesh adapted to
be placed on top of the opening in the device of Fig.
5. The lid can opt-o~lly be placed on top of the
device and removed to permit stirring or moving of the
contents within the basket. A180, the lid can be used
for gathering cont~nts in the basket by turning the
device upside down while the lid is on or used for
cooking by turning the device upside down so that the
lid becomes the cooking base or independently removing
the lid and using it as a second cooking base. The lid
may be fastened at the top edge at one or more of the
sides 5' so that it can be opened and closed.
Fig. 7 shows the 5' side wall and corner handles
2' cut away from the rest of the device of Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 illustrates how the outwardly facing edge 3'
meets the two corner handles 2'.
Fig_ 8 shows the 5" side wall and corner handles
cut away from the rest of the device of Fig. 5. Fig. 8
illustrates how the inwardly facing edge 4' faces away
from the corner handles 2' toward the inside of the
basket.
Fig. 9 shows the device of Fig. 5 prior to folding
of a piece of the mesh. The four ~Rh~ lines indicate
the four places where the flat piece of mesh is
internally pre-cut. All internal solid lines indicate
the lines along which a fold must be made. First, the
CA 022210X2 1997-11-14
. ~ ,
w096/3626S g PCT/Uv,-'02~15
two 5' side walls which include the two outwardly
facing 3' edges are folded up. Second, the other two
5" side walls which include the two inwardly facing 4'
edges and the corner post portions 2' are folded up
forming a basket. The inwardly facing 4' edges are
folded to the inside of the basket. The outwardly
facing 3' edges are folded to the outside of the
basket. Lastly, the corner posts are formed by folding
first at line A away from the basket, then at line B in
a direction parallel to the adjoining side wall 5",
then at line C and finally at line D. In this way, the
four corners of the corner post 2' are made.
Fig lO shows a side view of a preferred
~mho~;m~nt of the present invention. The device
comprises a raised rear wall 3A~ and a lower front wall
3B". Side wall 3D" is sloped to meet the angle of the
top 4". The four side walls are joined to each other
and joined to the top 4" and the bottom l". A single
cut, shown in the Figure as the ~ he~ line 7", is made
through the four side walls, separating the device into
two halves, i.e., a top and a bottom half. The top and
bottom halves may be used together as one grilling
device or the top can be L~- ved and turned upside down
for use as a separate grilling device.
Fig. ll shows a preferred ~ t of the device
of Fig. 5, wherein the two top edges 3" have been
curled over towards the inside of the basket to
simultaneously create a roll-shaped gripping handle and
locking_grooves which accept the edges of the lid of
Fig. 6, which is shown as a ~he~ line in Fig. ll, and
hold it in place on top of the basket. The lid of Fig.
6 can be ,~- ,ved by sliding it laterally out of the
locking grooves. Since a roll-shaped gripping handle
is formed by the curled top edges 3 n having a C-shaped
cross section, there is no need for the square grasping
handles 2' of the embo~; - t of Fig. 5.
It will be understood that various modifications
in the invention as described herein may be made
~. ,. CA 02221082 1997-11-14
~,
w096/36265 lO P~l/u~5-,~2315
without departing from the spirit of the invention and
from the scope of the claims which follow.
