BARBEQUE GRILL APPARATUS

DISPOSITIF DE GRILL POUR BARBECUE

English Abstract

A barbecue grill apparatus includes a casing, a cover, two cooking grills, two warming grills and two supporting elements. The cover is pivotally connected to the casing. The cooking grills are pivotally connected to the casing. The warming grills are pivotally connected to the cover. Each of the supporting elements connects a corresponding one of the cooking grills to a corresponding one of the warming grills. The warming grills are placed horizontally as the cover is lifted from the casing. Each of the warming grills is moved from the horizontal position as the corresponding one of the cooking grills is lifted from the casing.

French Abstract

Un dispositif de gril pour barbecue comprend un boîtier, un couvercle, deux grilles de cuisson, deux grilles de réchauffement et deux éléments de support. Le couvercle est relié de manière pivotante au boîtier. Les grilles de cuisson sont reliées de manière pivotante au boîtier. Les grilles de réchauffement sont reliées de manière pivotante au couvercle. Chacun des éléments de support relie une des grilles de cuisson correspondant à une des grilles de réchauffement correspondant. Les grilles de réchauffement sont placées horizontalement alors que le couvercle est soulevé du boîtier. Chacune des grilles de réchauffement est déplacée de la position horizontale comme la une des grilles de cuisson correspondante est soulevée du boîtier.

Claims

8
CLAIMS
1. A barbecue grill apparatus including
a casing;
a cover pivotally connected to the casing;
two cooking grills pivotally connected to the casing between an idle position
and an
active position;
two warming grills connected to the cover and movable into one of a non-
horizontal
position and first and second active horizontal positions; and
two supporting elements each for connecting a corresponding one of the cooking
grills to a corresponding one of the warming grills, wherein the warming
grills are moved into
the second active horizontal position from the first active horizontal
position as the cover is
lifted from the casing, wherein each of the warming grills is pivoted into the
non-horizontal
position from the second active horizontal position as the corresponding one
of the cooking
grills is pivoted into the idle position from the active position.
2. The barbecue grill apparatus according to claim 1, further including two
handles each connected to a corresponding one of the cooking grills
3 The barbecue grill apparatus according to claim 1, further including
an axle for
pivotally connecting the warming grills to the cover.
4. The barbecue grill apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of
the
warming grills includes:
middle bars substantially extending parallel to one another; and
two lateral bars substantially extending parallel to the middle bars and each
including
a J-shaped portion formed at an end , wherein the axle is inserted through the
J-shaped
portions of the lateral bars, placed against the middle bars, and connected to
the cover

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5. The barbecue grill apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the
supporting elements includes:
a beam pivotally connected to the corresponding one of the warming grills;
two pivots each pivotally connected to the corresponding one of the cooking
grills;
and
two posts each extending to a corresponding one of the pivots from the beam.
6. The barbecue grill apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the
warming grills includes:
middle bars substantially extending parallel to one another; and
two lateral bars substantially extending parallel to the middle bars and each
including
a U-shaped portion formed at an end, wherein the beam of the corresponding one
of the
supporting elements is inserted through the U-shaped portions of the lateral
bars and placed
against the middle bars.
7. The barbecue grill apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the
cooking grills includes two lugs for receiving the pivots of the corresponding
one of the
supporting elements.

Description

CA 02807821 2013-02-19
Barbecue Grill Apparatus
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a barbecue grill apparatus and, more
particularly, to a barbecue grill apparatus good for cooking food and
keeping it warm.
2. RELATED PRIOR ART
As disclosed in US Patent No. 3520290, a conventional grill 10
includes a casing 11, a cooking grate 20, a cover 25, a warming grate 29,
two grate-supporting brackets 30, two attaching brackets 44, two guide
arms 47 and two latches 51. The cooking grate 20 is placed in the
casing 11. The cover 25 is pivotally connected to the casing 11. The
warming grate 29 is detachably supported on the grate-supporting
brackets 30. Each grate-supporting bracket 30 includes a base 33
connected to a groove element 37 by two posts 38 and 39. The base 33
of each grate-supporting bracket 30 is secured to the casing 12. Each
attaching bracket 44 includes an aperture 44b defined therein and is
attached to the cover 25. Each guide arm 47 includes a pin 49 secured
thereto. Each latch 51 includes a notched end 51b. Each guide arm 47
is pivotally connected to a corresponding leg 39. Each latch 51 is
pivotally connected to a corresponding guide arm 47. Each pin 49 is
inserted through a corresponding aperture 44b. The notched end 51b of
each latch 51 is engaged with a corresponding pin 49. Thus, the
grate-supporting brackets 30 are extended to place the warming grate 29
horizontally for use when the cover 25 is lifted from the casing 11. The
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use of the grill 10 is not without any problems. To add coal into the
casing 11 from time to time, the cooking grate 20 has to be removed or
lifted from the casing 11. A user may remove food from the cooking
grate 20 before he or she uses a hand to remove or lift the cooking grate
20 from the casing 11 and uses the other hand to add coal into the casing
11. Alternatively, the user may leave the food on the cooking grate 20
and use both hands to move the cooking grate 20 to a safe place from the
casing 11 before he or she uses a hand to add coal into the casing 11.
Both practices are inconvenient. Moreover, the addition of coal deep
into a rear portion of the interior of the casing 11 is hindered by the
warming grate 29.
As disclosed in US Patent No. 4979437, another conventional
barbecue grill 12 includes a housing 16, a cover 18, a gas burner 20, a
cooking grill 22, a lower warming rack 24, a lower U-shaped bail 25, an
upper warming rack 26 and an upper U-shaped bail 34. The cover 18 is
pivotally connected to the housing 16. The gas burner 20 is placed in
and connected to the housing 16. The cooking grill 22 is placed in the
housing 16. The lower warming rack 24 and the upper warming rack 26
are pivotally connected to the cover 18. The lower U-shaped bail 25
includes a lower portion pivotally connected to the housing 16 and an
upper portion pivotally connected to the lower warming rack 24. The
upper U-shaped bail 34 includes a lower portion movably connected to
the lower warming rack 24 and an upper portion pivotally connected to
the upper warming rack 26. Thus, the warming racks 24 and 26 are
placed horizontally for use when the cover 18 is lift from the housing 16.
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This configuration is suitable for gas-burning grills, not for coal-burning
grills. To add coal into the housing 16 from time to time, the cooking
grill 22 has to be removed or lifted from the housing 16. However, the
movement of the cooking grill 22 is hindered by the lower U-shaped bail
34. A user may remove food from the cooking grill 22 before he or she
uses a hand to remove or lift the cooking grill 22 from the housing 16 and
uses the other hand to add coal into the housing 16. Alternatively, the
user may leave the food on the cooking grill 22 and use both hands to
move the cooking grill 22 to a safe place from the housing 16 before he or
she uses a hand to add coal into the housing 16. Moreover, the addition
of coal deep into a rear portion of the interior of the housing 16 is
hindered by the lower warming rack 24.
As disclosed in US Patent Application Publication 2006/0086354,
another conventional grill 100 includes a housing 162, a cover 164, a
cooking structure 170, a warming rack 110, two supports 120 and two
mounting devices 130. The cover 164 is pivotally connected to the
housing 162. The cooking structure 170 is placed in the housing 162.
Each support 120 includes two legs 124 extending from a beam 126.
Each leg 124 is pivotally connected to the cooking structure 170 by a
corresponding mounting device 130. The warming rack 110 is
connected to the beams of the supports 120. The use of the grill 100 is
not without any problems. The lifting of the cover 164 from the housing
162 does not automatically place the warming rack 110 in an active
position because the warming rack 110 is not connected to the cover 164.
Therefore, a user has to lift the cover 164 before he or she can place the
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warming rack 110 in an active position. Moreover, to add coal into the
housing 162 from time to time, the user has to remove all of the cooking
structure 170, the warming rack 110, the supports 120 and the mounting
devices 130 from the housing 162, and this could be a heavy load for the
user. The user may remove food from the cooking structure 170 before
he or she uses a hand to remove or lift the cooking structure 170, the
warming rack 110, the supports 120 and the mounting devices 130 from
the housing 162 and uses the other hand to add coal into the housing 162.
Alternatively, the user may leave the food on the cooking structure 170
and the warming rack 110 and use both hands to move the cooking
structure 170, the warming rack 110, the supports 120 and the mounting
devices 130 to a safe place from the housing 162 before he or she uses a
hand to add coal into the housing 162.
Therefore, the present invention is intended to obviate or at least
alleviate the problems encountered in prior art.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is one aspect of the present invention to provide a convenient
barbecue grill apparatus.
To achieve the foregoing, the barbecue grill apparatus includes a
casing, a cover, two cooking grills, two warming grills and two
supporting elements. The cover is pivotally connected to the casing.
The cooking grills are pivotally connected to the casing. The warming
grills are pivotally connected to the cover. Each of the supporting
elements connects a corresponding one of the cooking grills to a
corresponding one of the warming grills. The warming grills are placed
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horizontally as the cover is lifted from the casing. Each of the warming
grills is moved from the
horizontal position as the corresponding one of the cooking grills is lifted
from the casing.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a barbecue grill
apparatus including:
a casing; a cover pivotally connected to the casing; two cooking grills
pivotally connected to the casing
5 between an idle position and an active position; two warming grills
connected to the cover and
movable into one of a non-horizontal position and first and second active
horizontal positions; and two
supporting elements each for connecting a corresponding one of the cooking
grills to a corresponding
one of the warming grills, wherein the warming grills are moved into the
second active horizontal
position from the first active horizontal position as the cover is lifted from
the casing, wherein each of
the warming grills is pivoted into the non-horizontal position from the second
active horizontal position
as the corresponding one of the cooking grills is pivoted into the idle
position from the active position.
Other advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from
the following
description referring to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of the
preferred embodiment
referring to the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a barbecue grill apparatus in a closed
position according to the
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the barbecue grill apparatus shown in FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the barbecue grill apparatus in an open
position other than
shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the barbecue grill apparatus in another
position shown in
FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the barbecue grill apparatus in another
position than shown in
FIG. 3; and
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a warming grill and a supporting element
of the barbecue
grill apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, there is shown a barbecue grill apparatus according
to the preferred
embodiment of the present invention. The barbecue grill apparatus includes a
casing 10 pivotally
connected to a

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6
posts 38. The beam 36 extends parallel to the pivots 40.
The beam 36 of each supporting element 20 is inserted through the U-shaped
portions 34 of the lateral bars 30 of the corresponding warming grill 18 and
placed against
the middle bars 28 of the corresponding warming grill 18. Thus, the supporting
elements 20
are pivotally connected to the warming grills 18.
The pivot 40 of each supporting element 20 is inserted in the lug 24 of the
corresponding cooking grill 14. Thu's, the supporting elements 20 are
pivotally connected to
the cooking grills 14.
As mentioned above, the cover 12 can be laid on the casing 10 as shown in
FIGS. 1
and 2 and lifted from the casing 10 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. A user simply
places both of
the warming racks 18 in an active position as he or she lifts the cover 12
from the casing 10
because the warming grills 18 are connected to the cover 12.
Referring to FIG. 5, to add coal into the housing 162, the user moves food
onto the
right cooking grill 14 or warming grill 18 for example before he or she uses a
hand to operate
the left handle 16 to lift the left cooking grill 14 from the casing 10 and
uses the other hand to
add coal into the casing 10. When the left cooking grill 14 is lifted from the
casing 10, the left
warming grill 18 is moved from the active position so that it is not placed
above the casing 10.
That is, the addition of coal into the casing 10 is not hindered by the left
warming grill 18.

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The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set
forth
in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent
with the
description as a whole.

Representative Drawing