Abstract:
A barbecue mechanism according to the present invention includes a lower casing member enclosing the heating medium for the cooking process. A gear driven spit arm is located above the cooking area, and is movable from a rearward position over the cooking area outwardly by way of linkage arms, to a position proximate outer side of the lower casing member. In this manner, food to be cooked can be loaded on the spit arm for the cooking process. A multi-part cover is also included, which includes a fixed portion mounted to the lower casing member, and a pivotable portion which pivots relative to the fixed portion and defines an opening into which the spit arm rotates when it is in its fully forward position.

Description:
This Application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/135,408 filed May 21, 1999. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention is directed to a barbecue assembly, and in particular, to an assembly which has a driven spit arm for receiving food to be cooked, where the spit arm is laterally movable towards an open side of the barbecue. 
     2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
     In commercially sized barbecue units, the units generally include a lower casing member or chamber, which contains the heating medium for the cooking, normally propane gas burners in the larger units. These units also include a spit arm for holding the food to be cooked, which is generally a rod rotatably fixed to the unit. The unit also includes a drive mechanism which imparts rotational movement to the spit arm, to turn the food during the cooking phase. Finally, a cover member is normally included which covers the entirety of the open cooking area, so as to keep the heat and moisture in the unit for best cooking results. 
     Normally, such food items as whole pigs, or chickens, are cooked on the barbecue units. It is not uncommon to have large cooking areas for such barbecues; and given the weight of the good to be placed on the spit arms, it is oftentimes quite difficult to hold the food items, while leaning over the cooking area to add the food items to the spit arm. It should also be noted that the open surface area is quite hot due to the heating medium, which can become quite uncomfortable for the person or persons operating the barbecue. Such a movement is also ergonomically discomforting, as the person is holding great weight while leaning over the barbecue in an attempt to add the food to the spit arm. 
     One of the ancillary difficulties or shortcomings of the above mentioned unit is that the covers to such units are relatively large and cumbersome also, in that they must cover the entire open area of the cooking unit when closed, but must also access the spit arm when open, so that the food items can be added to the spit arm as mentioned above. Thus, these covers are relatively heavy to open, which simply intensifies the entire operation of the application to be accomplished. 
     These and other shortcomings in the industry are intended to be resolved by the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above mentioned objects of the invention have been accomplished by providing a barbecue rotisserie assembly, comprising a lower casing member, a spit arm profiled for receiving food to be cooked, and a drive mechanism which imparts rotational movement to said spit arm along its longitudinal axis, so as to rotate said food while cooking. In the present invention however, the spit arm is movable in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, between a loading position and a cooking position. 
     In this manner, by having the spit arm movable transverse to the longitudinal direction, the spit arm can move away from the center of the grilling area to a position which is more convenient to the person(s) operating the grilling. As such, the spit arm moves towards the side where the person(s) stand to operate the barbecue, which reduces, if not eliminates the requirement of the person to lean over the grilling area to add food to be cooked onto the spit arm. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the barbecue assembly comprises a lower casing member profiled for containing the heating medium for the cooking process, a rotatable spit arm profiled for receiving food to be cooked, and a cover member profiled to enclose said casing for proper cooking conditions. The lower casing member has a front side accessible to the rotatable spit arm, with the cover member comprising, a first rearwardly disposed and relatively fixed section, and a second rotational section adjacent said front side, rotatable to access a food loading area. The spit arm is movable towards the front side into the food loading area for loading the food, and rearwardly away from the front side into a cooking position. 
     In this manner, a more ergonomic cooking cover or hood is possible. Due to the movable spit arm moving adjacent to the front side of the assembly, the food loading area is also moved towards the front side. This allows that the cover or hood need not open the entire area, but rather, need only open to expose the cooking area. Thus the cover can be comprised of a fixed half and a movable half where the movable half is easier to open ergonomically, than if it were a full cover spanning the entire open barbecue area. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the second rotatable section is mounted relative to a pivot axis, such that upon opening movement, the weight distribution relative to the pivot axis changes to ease the opening movement, the further that second section is moved. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with relation to the following drawings, where: 
     FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the barbecue assembly according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 shows a front plan view of the invention of FIG. 1 with the cover open; 
     FIG. 3 is a exploded view of the drive train and rotisserie assembly; 
     FIGS. 4A-4C are diagrammatical views of the assembly of cooking grates; 
     FIG. 5 is a side plan view showing the spit arm rotated to its fully outward position, with the cover open; 
     FIG. 6 shows the spit arm rotated back into the barbecue mechanism; 
     FIG. 7 shows the spit arm in the position of FIG. 6, with the cover fully rotated downwardly; 
     FIGS. 8A-8 c  shows the location of the cooking grates relative to the spit arm assembly with various types of food to be cooked; and 
     FIG. 9 shows a double barbecue mechanism. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference first to FIG. 1, a barbecue mechanism according to the preferred embodiment is shown generally at  2  which will comprise a barbecue lower casing  4 , a towing mechanism  6 , a barbecue spit and drive assembly  8 , and a cover  10 . It should be appreciated that the barbecue mechanism  2  is of the type which can be towed to various fairs and festivals by way of the towing mechanism  6  which has a hitch mechanism at  12  for connection to a hitch ball assembly of a towing vehicle (not shown). It should also be appreciated that the barbecue mechanism will include some type of heating and cooking mechanism, and in the preferred embodiment will include a propane fueled barbecue mechanism and therefore includes a propane tank such as  14 . Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2 the barbecue mechanism  2  includes appropriate plumbing hardware  16  to deliver the propane gas from the tank  14  to the various burners such as  18 . With reference now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the drive mechanism will be described in greater detail. 
     With respect first to FIG. 2, the drive function emanates from a motor at  20  which delivers an output to its corresponding shaft at  22 . The shaft  22  is thereafter coupled to a drive shaft at  24  being connected by a coupling at  26 . As shown in FIG. 2, the drive shaft  24  extends through the barbecue casing  4  to an interior thereof. The drive shaft  24  thereafter extends through the barbecue casing  4  to an interior thereof. The drive shaft  24  thereafter extends through two collet members  27 , through a linkage arm  28  and to a gear  30 . It should be appreciated that the drive shaft  24  is either keyed or splined to the gear  30 , but that the drive shaft  24  is not fixed to the link arm  28  but rather, the drive shaft  24  forms the pivot point, for the link arm  28 . As shown in FIG. 3, a gear member  32  and a cooking plate  34  are keyed to a spit arm  36  where a shaft end  38  extends through an opening  40  of the cooking plate  34  and through an opening  42  of the gear  32 , yet is free to rotate within an opening or rotation point  44  of the link rod  28 . A chain member  46  extends around the gear members  30  and  32  to impart rotational movement from the motor to the gear member  32 , and thereafter to the spit arm  36 . As shown in FIG. 2, a second collet  51  is fixed to a second cooking plate  54  in a similar manner as described above, where the collet  51  has an opening therethrough for receiving shaft end  56 ; with the shaft end  56  thereafter extending through an aperture  60  in a link arm  58 . The link rod  58  is similar to link rod  28 , in that it is pinned to a pivot rod  62  to the other side of the barbecue casing  4  and further includes two collets  64  flanking the pivot rod  58  to retain it to the pivot rod  62 . It should be appreciated that the pivot rod  62  could be fixed to the inside surface of the lower casing member  4  in any known manner, for example, by welding or through the use of fasteners. 
     With reference now to FIG. 3, the grill end plates  34  and  54  will be described in greater detail as it relates to their structure. Each of the plates  34  and  54  includes a plurality of aperture at  70  where four sets of columns of apertures  71 - 74  are arranged on the plates  34  and  54 , the sets of columns taking on a substantial cruciform shape. The exact position of the apertures and its operation will be described in greater detail as it relates to the application and operation of the barbecue mechanism. As also shown in FIG. 3, a cooking grate  80  is shown which includes two end rods  82  and  86  in a transverse manner. The end rods  82  include free end portions  90  and  92  which extend beyond the last transverse strap portion, for insertion into desired pairs of apertures  70 . 
     Finally, as shown in FIG. 1, the cover member  10  is comprised f a fixed portion  100 , which is defined as a substantial quarter cylinder shape having quarter section end plates  102 , and a substantial cylindrical fixed cover portion  104  (FIG. 2) attached to the quarter section end plates  102 . The cover assembly  10  further comprises a movable cover part or unit  110  which also includes a quarter section end plates  112 , which is also interconnected to a quarter cylindrical shape shall member  1056 , where the entire unit  110  is rotatably pinned at  108  to the end plates  102 . For ease of movement, the cover section  110  includes a handle  114 . It should be appreciated that the location where cover member  110  is pinned at point  108  is such that the weight distribution of the cover makes it easily rotatable about the pivot point. 
     With the barbecue mechanism  2  as described above, the operation and application of the mechanism will be described now in greater detail. With the motor assembly as described above, it should be appreciated that the motor shaft  22  will drive hear member  30  which will in turn drive gear  42  via the chain member  46 . As gear member  32  is keyed to both the plate  34  and to the rod  36 , the motor will drive the spit arm  36 . This driving motion will in turn also drive the opposite end plate  54  and the two end plates together  34 ,  54  will cause the rotation of the individual cooking grates  80 . It should be understood that the end plate  34 , while keyed o the spit arm  36  and to gear  32 , is free to rotate about point  44 . Likewise, plate  54  is keyed to the spit arm  36 , but is free to rotate about its pivot point  60 . It should also be appreciated that the link arms  28  and  58 , while rotatable about the respective pins  24  and  62  through the corresponding bearing surfaces  29  and  59 , they are to driven by the rod  24  and therefore can be pivoted about the rod  24  and  62  from and between the positions of FIGS. 5 and 6. Thus as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the linkage arms  28  and  58  can rotate between respective stop surfaces  66  and  68 . 
     As mentioned above, the linkage arms  28  and  58  are movable between the cooking position of FIG. 6, to the loading position of FIG. 5, by manual rotation of the linkage arms  28  and  58 , which pivots the linkage arms about their respective pins at  24  and  62  to move the spit arm  36  and associated cooking end plates  34  and  54  towards a front side 120% the lower casing member  4 . In the position shown in FIG. 5, with the linkage arms  28  and  58  fully rotated towards the front side, the operator, who also stands at the front side can easily load food to be cooked. A shelf  121  is mounted to front side  120  of casing member  4  to serve as an aid for holding and loading the food. With respect to FIG. 3, it should be appreciated that the distance between adjacent rod ends  92  and adjacent rods  90  is dimensioned to fit in opposed apertures  70  in the same set of columns  71 - 74 . Said differently, the cooking grates  80  can be placed in each of the columns  71 - 74  at various distances from the center of the plates  34  and  54 . 
     With respect now to the diagrammatical views of FIGS. 4A-4C, the cooking grates  80  are positioned and affixed to the plates  34  and  54  as follows. As shown in FIG. 4A, the pin members  90  can be positioned in their respective apertures  70  in the plate  34 , and as configured, will allow the pin ends  92  to now clear the inside of plate  54  to be aligned with apertures  70  in plate  54 . This allows the cooking grate  80  to be moved leftwardly as viewed in FIG. 4B, to a position where a fastener such as a cotter pin  130  can be positioned in a respective aperture  132  as shown in FIGS.  4 C. It should be appreciated from a review of FIGS. 3, and  4 A- 4 C, that the cooking grates will be positioned in corresponding sets of apertures  71 - 74 , for the retention of the food to be cooked. 
     Thus, with reference to FIGS. 8A-8C, it should be appreciated that the cooking grates  80  can accommodate various sizes and configurations of food to be cooked. With reference first to FIG. 8A, two cooking grates  80  can be positioned in opposing relation to each other, and in close proximity thereto to accommodate such food as chicken or ribs to be barbecued. With respect to FIG. 8B, a similar configuration of the grates  80  is shown, but spread apart from each other in a greater distance to accommodate larger food such as a turkey or ham. Finally, as shown in FIG. 8C, four grates can be positioned as shown, with one grate in each column of apertures  70  for a large item such as a hog to be barbecued. 
     Thus, as designed, the present invention finds numerous advantages over those mechanisms shown in the prior art. Firstly, the mechanism is easier to load with food to be cooked, due to the ability of the spit arm to be rotated toward the front side  120  of the barbecue mechanism. In this manner, the spit arm is moved to a position closer to the operator, and therefore the operator need not lift the food to be cooked and lean over the mechanism, which is not ergonomically suitable, nor is it healthy as having to lean over the cooking area becomes quite hot for the operator. An ancillary advantage to the spit arm moving toward the operator is that the cover can be made in a smaller movable section, as the entire grill area need not be exposed. Since the spit arm is movable towards the front side of the barbecue mechanism, the cover portion can expose the entire spit arm when it is fully rotated forward to the position shown in FIG.  5 . Furthermore, as configured, the mechanism can accommodate numerous sizes of food to be cooked. 
     As shown in FIG. 9, an alternate embodiment of the invention is shown where a double spit arm unit is shown generally at  202  which comprises a lower casing member  204  having two drive assemblies  208  where each of the drive assemblies includes a linkage arm  228  for rotating between the cooking position shown in FIG. 9 to an outward position for loading purposes (not shown). It should be appreciated that the double spit arm barbecue mechanism is made possible because of the retractable spit arm. That is, since the linkage arm can be rotated outwardly to a position away from the cooking area, the cover need not open to a great extent to expose the spit arm, but rather, need only expose the spit arm when in the forward position. This enables both sides of the barbecue for access to the spit arms  236 .