Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title: GRILL COVER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cooking accessories and in
particular to a grill cover for grills having a downdraft ventilator.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Indoor grills have become increasingly popular for those who
wish to enjoy grilled food in all seasons. Such grills may utilize a gas or
electric heating source and typically include an electrically powered
downdraft ventilator with an opening located along one side of the grill at
the same height or slightly raised above the grill surface. The ventilator
draws smoke into the opening so that it may be filtered or discharged
outdoors.
One problem with such indoor grills is that grease tends to
splatter away from the grill during the grilling process. Also, the grilling
process can be prolonged due to the escape of heat resulting in added time
required to fully heat (and therefore cook) the food. Outdoor barbecue
grills address these problems by providing a cover for the grilling surface
but no adequate solution has been provided for indoor grills.
One attempt to address the problem with indoor grills is
disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,279,279 (White) directed to a deflector for
blocking splatter and heat loss for a downdraft ventilated grill. The White
device does not provide a sufficient amount of coverage of the grill surface
for containing heat and catching splatter during the cooking process.
What is needed is an improved cover for a grill having a
downdraft ventilator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A cover for a grill equipped with a downdraft ventilator, said
cover comprising:
a heat resistant enclosure sized to enclose a substantial
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portion of a surface of the grill, said enclosure sufficiently enclosing said
grill to contain smoke and splatter generated during cooking; and
a vent defined in said enclosure at a position to permit the
downdraft ventilator to draw the smoke from the space within the
enclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the present invention, and to
show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be
made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings. The drawings
show preferred embodiments of the present invention, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a grill cover in accordance with
the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a top view of the base for the cover of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the base taken along lines 3-3 in
Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is a top view of the lid of the cover of Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a
grill cover in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 6 is a top perspective view of the grill cover of Fig. 5
shown with the lid in an open position;
Fig. 7 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of a
grill cover in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 8 is a top perspective view of the cover of Fig. 7 with the
lid in an open position;
Fig. 9 is a top perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a
cover in accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 10 is a top perspective view of the cover of Fig. 9 shown
with the lid in an open position; and
Fig. 11 is a side view of a fifth embodiment of a cover in
accordance with the present invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A grill cover in accordance with the present invention is
shown generally at 20 in the figures. The cover is designed for use with an
appliance 22 having a grill 24 that is ventilated with a downdraft
ventilator 26. The ventilator is typically electrically powered to create a
sufficiently strong vacuum to draw smoke (which may include other by-
products associated with the grilling process) away from the grill 24 and
into the opening 28 of the ventilator. The smoke is then discharged
through a vent pipe (not shown) outdoors or it is filtered from the drawn
air and the resulting clean air is discharged indoors. The ventilator is
typically positioned along one elongate side 30 of the grill 24 at a height
that is generally flush with or slightly raised above the surface 56 of the
grill 24.
The grill 24 is heated with either a gas flame or an electric
heating source and may include lava rocks or other means below the grill
surface to retain and distribute heat and catch fat drippings from food
being cooked on or over the grill 24. The term "grill" is also defined herein
to include any other cooking surface such as a hot plate or radiant element
that is ventilated using a downdraft ventilator.
The cover includes an enclosure 31 that defines an enclosed
space 32 for containing heat and smoke and preventing the splatter of
grease from the grill 24. The enclosure 31 is formed from a heat resistant
material, such as metal, so as not to be affected by the temperatures given
off by the grill 24. The enclosed space 32 is sized sufficiently to enclose a
substantial portion of the surface 56 of the grill 24 and to provide air
circulation about the food being cooked on the grill 24.
A vent 38 is defined in the enclosure 31 at a position to
permit an airflow 40 generated by the downdraft ventilator 26 to draw
smoke from the enclosed space 32 into the opening 28 of the ventilator.
The vent 38 may be configured with vertical slots 64, horizontal slots,
circular apertures or apertures of any other shape that allow an airflow 40
to pass between the enclosed space 32 and the ventilator.
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Referring in particular to the preferred embodiment of cover
depicted in Figs. 1-4, the enclosure 31 includes a base 34 and a lid 36. The
base 34 includes vertical end walls 50 and vertical side walls 51 that
together extend about the perimeter 52 of the grill 24. The walls have a flat
bottom edge 54 that contacts the surface 56 of the applicance 22
surrounding the grill 24 to create a sufficient seal to prevent smoke from
passing beneath the bottom edge. The base 34 includes support flanges 58
mounted by welds, rivets or other fastening means 60 to the inner surface
56 of the vertical walls adjacent to the top edge 62 of the base 34 to support
the lid 36. The vent 38 comprises a plurality of vertical slots 64 defined in
the vertical side wall 50 for positioning adjacent to the downdraft
ventilator 26.
A vent cover 66 is mounted to the vented vertical side wall
51 to open or close the vent 38 as desired (for instance to allow smoke to
accumulate and flavour the food before the vent cover 66 is opened and
the smoke is gathered by the ventilator). The vent cover 66 includes a
panel 68 that is movably mounted with brackets 70 secured by welds,
rivets, screws or bolt fasteners 71 to the inner surface of the vertical side
wall 51. Tabs 72 extend outwardly from the vertical end walls 50 through
slots 74. The slots 74 include notches 76 for locking the tabs 72 in a desired
position.
The lid 36 has an inverted bowl shaped body 80 with a
protruding lip 82 defining a flat bottom edge 84 for resting on the support
flanges 58 of the base 34. The lid 36 is sized to fit sufficiently close
within
the base 34 so as to substantially contain smoke from passing between the
lid 36 and the base 34. The lid 36 also includes a handle 86 secured to the
lid 36 by nut and bolt fasteners 88 or other suitable fasteners such as screw
fasteners, welds or rivets.
The cover is equipped with a rotisserie mechanism 90 which
includes an electric rotor (not shown) contained within a rotor housing 92.
A spit 94 has a first end 96 that is removably connected to the rotor such
that the rotor causes the spit 94 to rotate about its axis. A second end 98 of
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the spit 94 is sharpened for piercing a food product 99. The spit 94 extends
between opposing vertical end walls 50 of the base 34 and extends through
an aperture 100 sized to permit rotation of the spit 94 within the aperture
100. The spit 94 is also equipped with tines 102 that are mounted to a collar
104 that is slidably connected to the spit 94. The collar 104 may be releasely
locked into a desired position with a set screw 106 or other suitable fastener
for forming a friction fit with the spit 94. The tines 102 may be positioned
to engage opposing sides of the food that has been placed on the spit 94 in
order to cause the food to rotate in response to rotation of the spit 94.
Referring to Figs. 5 to 11 , further embodiments of the cover
in accordance with the present invention are shown. For convenience, the
same reference numbers have been given to elements that correspond to
elements described above.
Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, a second embodiment of the cover
is shown. The enclosure 31 has a base 108 and lid 109. The base 108 has
vertical end walls 110 and a curved side wall 112. The lid 109 is connected
to the curved side wall 112 by an elongate hinge 114. The lid 109 is curved
and sized to fit closely against support flanges 58 mounted to the vertical
end walls 110 of the base 108 . The handle 86 is positioned proximate to an
end wall in order to be positioned at the front end of the applicance 22.
This provides easy access to a user for lifting and lowering the lid 109. The
vent 38 is defined along a lower portion of the lid 109 and comprises
specifically a series of circular apertures 115.
Referring to Figs. 7 and 8, a third embodiment of the cover is
shown. The enclosure 31 has a base 115 and a lid 117. The base 115 has
vertical end walls 116 and a curved side wall 118. The lid 117 includes
vertical end walls 120 and a curved side wall 122 that is sized to pivot into
close engagement with the base 115. The lid 117 is connected at pivot
points 124 to the vertical end walls 116 of the base 115. The handle 86 and
vent 38 are both located at a lower edge of the curved side wall 122 of the
lid 117.
Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, a fourth embodiment of the cover
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is shown. The enclosure 31 is integrally formed with a base portion 126
and a lid portion 128. The base portion 126 is pivotly connected to support
arms 130 that are mounted to or rest upon the applicance 22. The handle
86 is located at the front end of the base portion 126 opposite to the end
where the base portion 126 is pivotly connected to the support arms 130.
The cover may thus be lifted by the handle 86 and pivoted on the support
arms 130 to permit access to the grill surface. A rack 132 is supported in a
cantilever arrangement on pivotal arms 134. One end of each arm is
pivotly connected with a pin 136 to a lower edge of the base portion 126
and the other end of each arm is pivotly connected with a pin 138 to the
inside edge 140 of the grill 24.
Referring to Fig. 11, a fifth embodiment of the cover is
depicted. The enclosure 31 is integrally formed with a base portion 141 and
a lid portion 143. The vent 38 is defined in a side wall 142 of the base
portion 141 in order to be positioned adjacent to the downdraft ventilator
26. The handle 86 is located on the lid portion 143 to permit the cover to be
lifted away from the grill 24.
In use, a cover according to any one of the embodiments
described above may be permanently or temporarily placed upon an
applicance 22 over a grill 24. The cover will contain heat and smoke to
speed up cooking time and improve the flavour of the food. The cover
will also catch grease splatters from the food product 99 being cooked on
the grill 24. The vent 38 will permit smoke to be drawn from the enclosed
space 32 under the cover into the downdraft ventilator 26.
It is to be understood that what has been described is a
preferred embodiment of the invention. The invention is nonetheless
susceptible to certain changes and alternative embodiments fully
comprehended by the spirit of the invention as described above, and the
scope of the claims set out below.
