Abstract:
A grill cover that is rain-impermeable and reversibly stretchable, and formed of a dual-layer sheet. The cover is substantially stretchable to a size sufficient to cover a grill, such as a gas grill. Rain runs off of the installed cover, while condensation on the grill evaporates through the sheet without absorbing to the sheet.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/104,152, filed Jan. 16, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Grill covers are well-known and in widespread use. Conventional grill covers are generally effective for covering and protecting grills, but are undesirable for several reasons. For example, many grill covers are unwieldy and difficult to operate because they blow off and prevent access to the propane area and storage cabinet. Conventional grill covers are constructed of soft fabric sewn into a structure that should conform to the gill&#39;s shape. Conventional grill covers are designed to fit one size grill only. Since the fabric is soft, it folds upon itself, making it difficult for the operator to determine the correct orientation for placing the cover over the grill. In another example, the grill cover fabric is heavy, cumbersome, difficult to store while grilling, and non-porous, which causes moisture from condensation or rain to be retained under the cover. The grill covers are not UV-resistant and deteriorate within a few years. The retained moisture contacts the grill, which eventually leads to rust on the grill and its components accelerating the grill&#39;s deterioration. 
         [0003]    In light of the foregoing deficiencies and others associated with convention grill covers, a need has been identified for a novel and unobvious grill cover device that overcomes the noted deficiencies and others while providing better overall results. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Grills have a variety of components that are sensitive to wet weather. Accordingly, it is essential to cover such grills when not in use, so as to protect them from the elements and extend their life. The present invention is directed toward an elastic grill cover for covering such grills. The sack-like grill cover has a relaxed, un-stretched, state, which is convenient for folding and storing the cover. To use, the operator simply opens the cover and stretches it over the top of the grill. The cover opening is elasticized, so that is conforms to the grill. Rain falling on the grill cover does not penetrate the cover. Instead, the rain sheets or runs off of the cover, so that the grill components do not get wet. Additionally, the cover is water vapor-permeable, so that moisture that happens to condense under or inside of the cover evaporates through the cover. To use the grill, the operator removes the cover, which shrinks and substantially recovers its original size and shape. If desired, the operator can fold the cover up for storage. 
         [0005]    The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a gas grill covered with the grill cover of the present invention, wherein the grill cover is stretched so as to fit over and cover the top of the grill. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the grill cover of  FIG. 1 , wherein the grill cover is un-stretched and folded. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the covered gas grill of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a portion of the fabric of the grill cover of  FIG. 1 , with a close-up view illustrating the weave of the fabric. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
         [0011]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1-4 , the present invention is directed to a rain-proof cover, cowl or drape, denoted by the numeral  5 , for covering a grill  10 , such as a charcoal or gas grill. The cover  5  is constructed or fabricated of a stretchy, water-proof, UV-resistant material that stretches or expands to a size sufficient to cover the grill  10  and then recovers its original shape and size upon removal from the grill  10 . As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the cover  5  is bag-like and includes a top portion  20 , a side portion  25  and an interior (not shown) or chamber. The lower edge  30  of the side portion  25  defines an opening  35  that provides access to the cover interior so that the grill  5  can be received into the cover interior. An elastic band (not shown) or cinch type is sewn next to or adjacent to the cover opening  35 , so that the cover opening  35  closes, contracts or snugs up against the grill  10 , so as to prevent wind from blowing the cover  5  off of the gill  10 . The cover  5  does not include or require a supportive frame, such as is used in some grill covers known in the art. 
         [0012]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the cover  5  is provided in an un-stretched or relaxed state, and may be folded. To use the cover  5 , the operator stretches the cover  5  over the upper portion  40  of the grill  10  (see  FIGS. 1 and 3 ). The cover  5  generally conforms to the grill upper portion  40  (see  FIGS. 1 and 3 ). When installed and covering the grill  10 , the cover  5  protects the grill  10  from UV light and precipitation, such as rain, fog and melting snow and ice, while enabling condensation under the cover  5  to evaporate therethrough. Grills  10  of numerous shapes and sizes are known, and it if foreseen that a cover  5  can be shaped and sized so as to be sufficiently stretchable so as to cover each of those grills  10 . Since the cover  5  is stretchable, it is foreseen that the cover  5  can be sized and shaped to stretch and cover at least two different grills  10  or a range of similarly sized and shaped grills  10 . While in the illustrated embodiment, the cover  5  covers only the operational upper portion  40  of the grill  10  (i.e., the burners and the electronic components) but not the grill lower portion, base or legs  45 , thus allowing access to the propane and storage cabinets below. It is foreseen that the cover  5  can be sized and shaped to cover the entire grill  5 . 
         [0013]    The grill cover  5  is constructed or formed of a reversibly stretchable sheet  50  with upper and lower surfaces,  55  and  60  respectively (see  FIG. 4 ). When the sheet  50  is constructed into the cover  5  (i.e., cut and sewn), the upper surface  55  faces outwardly and the lower surface  60  forms, defines or provides the cover interior (not shown) that contains and contacts the grill  5 . 
         [0014]    The sheet  50  includes two layers, a fabric layer  65  ( FIG. 4 ) and a polymer-film layer (not shown). The fabric  65  is formed of a plurality of warp threads, or yarns,  70  woven together with a plurality of weft threads, or yarns,  75 . It is foreseen that the fabric  65  could be knitted instead of woven. The polymer-film layer (not shown) is attached to the fabric layer  65 . For example, the polymer film could be bonded or fused to the fabric  65 . In another example, the polymer film could be directly formed onto the fabric first layer using methods known in the art. In yet another example, the polymer film penetrates and surrounds fabric layer  65 . The polymer film renders the sheet  50  rain resistant or water proof while remaining permeable to water vapor so that condensation caught under the grill cover  5  can evaporate through the cover and thereby protect the grill from rusting. 
         [0015]    The fabric  65  is primarily formed of a stretch polyester or polyester-polyurethane copolymer material, such as are known by the trade names Lycra, Lycra spandex, Spandex or Elastane. Spandex makes the cover  5  light weight and UV resistant. A polyurethane coating or film is foreseen to be added to the cover to make the cover both water and puncture resistant. The cover  10  hugs the grill with a built-in elastic band (not shown) to minimize the possibility of the cover  10  blowing off of the grill. 
         [0016]    Spandex is formed of polyester and nylon fibers, threads or yarns, such as warp and weft threads  35  and  40  ( FIG. 4 ), woven together in a number of ratios. Commonly, the ratio is about 8-20% nylon fiber with the rest being polyester fiber (i.e., 80-92%). These ratios generate varying amounts of stretch and recovery. For example, fabrics woven of spandex typically stretch in near equal amounts in both the warp and weft directions. In the warp direction, the threads  70  ( FIG. 4 ) run the length of the fabric  65 . In the weft direction, the threads  75  run across the width of the fabric  65 . It is not uncommon for a spandex fabric to have a biaxial stretch of 150% of its original size. Recovery, the ability of the stretched fabric  65  to return to its original shape and size, is typically 100% of the maximum amount the fabric  65  is stretched. The individual fibers of Spandex are generally hydrophobic. Therefore, instead of absorbing moisture, water may pass between the threads  70 ,  75  of the fabric  65  or through spaces  80  formed or provided by the threads  70 ,  75 . As is known in the art, polyurethane films have spaces (not shown) between the molecules that are large enough for molecules of water vapor to pass through, such as from one side of the film to the other. Accordingly, rain will not penetrate the cover  5 , but condensation formed in the interior of the cover  5  is no longer trapped; the water vapor evaporates or passes through the cover  5 , thereby keeping the grill  10  dry and prolonging the life the components of the grill  10 . 
         [0017]    To make the fabric  65  water-proof, a very thin film of molten polyurethane (not shown) is extruded and pressed onto the fabric  65 . The polyurethane film permanently adheres to the fabric  65 . When the fabric  65  has the polyurethane film applied thereto, the stretch of the fabric  65  is lowered by about 15-25% in the warp direction (i.e., parallel with the warp threads  70 ) and 30-40% in the weft direction (i.e., parallel with the weft threads  75 ). This stretching is reversible. With regard to these reductions in stretch, the difference between the warp threads  70  and the weft threads  75  is caused by the polymer alignment of the polyurethane molecules when applied to the fabric  65 . Generally, spandex fabric is manufactured into rolls that are roughly six feet wide and hundreds of feet long. To apply the polyurethane film to the fabric  65 , the fabric  65  is fed through a machine (not shown) that applies the polyurethane film through a narrow gap nozzle that is six feet wide. The polyurethane molecules align in the direction of flow, which in the illustrated embodiment, the vast majority of the polyurethane molecules align themselves in the warp direction (i.e., parallel with the warp threads  70 ). 
         [0018]    The cover pattern, which is used to cut out the fabric  65 , is strategically designed such that the fabric  65  is oriented specific to desired direction of performance. In particular, the cover  5  must stretch far more from the grill left side, generally  85 , to the grill right side, generally  90 , and over the grill  10  than from the grill front, generally  95  to the grill back, generally  100  (see  FIGS. 1 and 3 ). Since the fabric  65  stretches more in the weft direction, the fabric  65  is cut such that the weft threads  75  run left to right with respect to the grill  10 . 
         [0019]    The above description discloses several methods and materials of the present invention. This invention is susceptible to modifications in the methods and materials, as well as alterations in the fabrication methods and equipment. Such modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this disclosure or practice of the invention disclosed herein. Consequently, it is not intended that this invention be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but that it cover all modifications and alternatives coming within the true scope and spirit of the invention. It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.