Abstract:
The folding rack includes a planar grill having folding tine rows extending therefrom. At least some rows include stops extending thereacross to prevent the rows from passing substantially beyond the vertical when they are extended from their stored positions adjacent to the grill. At least one tine row may be free of such a stop, allowing that row to pivot from one side of its pivot axis to the other. The tips of the tines are exposed to allow food or other articles to be placed between or impaled upon the tines. The grill may optionally be equipped with folding legs. The rack is preferably formed of suitable food and temperature safe material, e.g., stainless steel, for use in cooking. The various components of the rack may be coated with a non-stick coating to facilitate cleanup.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to cooking utensils, supports, racks, brackets, and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a folding rack that supports poultry, including supports for multiple poultry wings. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Innumerable grills, racks, and the like have been developed in the past for holding food while cooking. Most such racks are relatively simple devices, and are not optimized for efficient use or storage. For example, pieces of food must be laid out flat upon an ordinary flat grill. This results in each piece taking up considerably more horizontal room or space than would be required if some means were available to hold the piece upright or on edge. A grill having such means for holding pieces of food upright while cooking would enable the cook to prepare more food on a given size grill, oven, barbecue, or the like. The articles of food are also generally more evenly exposed to the cooking heat, thus providing more even cooking of the food. 
         [0005]    Thus, a folding rack solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The folding rack includes a relatively flat, horizontal grill component having a series of rows of tines foldably extending therefrom. The tip of each tine is exposed. Adjacent tines define an open capture area therebetween, allowing food or other items to be placed between, or impaled upon, the tines. At least some of the tine rows are configured with stop bars to limit angular motion of the hinged tines and prevent the tines from passing substantially beyond the vertical, relative to the plane of the grill. Another tine row may be provided without such limit, to allow that row to be pivoted or hinged through 180° of travel. The grill or rack may include a series of folding legs, which may operate in the same manner as the folding tines. All of the tines in any given row and the legs at each end of the grill are interconnected to fold and extend together. 
         [0007]    As the device is primarily oriented for use in cooking, it is preferably constructed of a material that is safe for use in cooking and coming into contact with food, e.g., stainless steel wire or rod. The material may be coated with a non-stick coating that is safe for food contact, e.g., Teflon® (polytetrafluoroethylene resin; Teflon is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Del.). 
         [0008]    These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a folding rack according to the present invention, showing its placement in a roasting pan for cooking. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of a folding rack according to the present invention, showing the folding of the various rows of tine racks of the device. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a detailed, partial perspective view of one corner of a folding rack according to the present invention, showing hinge and stop details for one of the tine racks and optional support leg elements. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4A  is a detailed, partial perspective view of a portion of a folding rack according to the present invention, showing a first tine rack configuration having blunt tine ends, one of the tines being broken away to show an optional coating shown disposed partially thereover. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4B  is a detailed, partial perspective view of a portion of a folding rack according to the present invention, showing a second tine rack configuration having sharpened or pointed tine ends. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4C  is a detailed, partial perspective view of a portion of a folding rack according to the present invention, showing a third tine rack configuration having bladed tine ends. 
       
    
    
       [0015]    Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0016]    The present invention relates to various embodiments of a folding rack for use in cooking articles of food. The folding rack includes a series of tine rows, which may be folded downwardly adjacent the plane of the grill when not in use or extended to support articles atop the grill. Folding support legs may optionally be provided as well. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  of the drawings provides an environmental perspective view of a first embodiment of a folding rack  10 , shown resting upon or in a pan P and holding several food articles (e.g., chicken wings W and a chicken C) for cooking. The folding rack  10  has a flat, planar grill portion  12  formed of a series of substantially parallel grill elements  14  (e.g., steel wire or rod, etc.). At least one, and preferably several, tine row(s)  16  extend foldably from the grill portion  12 . Each tine row  16  has multiple individual tines  18  extending therefrom. Each tine row extends and folds as a unit.  FIG. 1  shows two pairs of parallel tine rows  16 , the two rows  16  in each pair being spaced apart and the tines  18  in each of the rows  16  being uniformly spaced apart in order to facilitate the placement of wings W or other food articles extending between the rows  16  in each pair and supported between or upon adjacent tines  18 . 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the folding rack  10 , showing the configurations of the grill attachment arms  20  at the opposite ends of each of the tine rows  16  and pivotal attachment of the arms  20  to the grill  12 . Each grill attachment arm  20  has a proximal grill extension portion  22  and an opposite, distal tine portion  24 . The two portions  22  and  24  have a bend  26  formed generally medially therebetween, with the bend  26  being greater than ninety degrees, most preferably about 120°, the two arm portions  22  and  24  defining an obtuse angle therebetween. 
         [0019]    A tine support element  28 , shown most clearly in  FIG. 3 , extends laterally between or across the corresponding opposed grill attachment arms  20  of each tine row  16 , with the tines  18  extending distally from support element  28 . Thus, only the two grill attachment arms  20  of each tine row  16  attach directly to the grill  12 , with the individual tines  18  extending from the tine support element  28 , which, in turn, extends laterally across the corresponding two grill attachment arms  20  of each tine row  16 . 
         [0020]    Each of the tine rows  16  is pivotally secured to the grill portion  12  to allow folding of the tine rows  16  when not needed. The general folding operation is illustrated in  FIG. 2  of the drawings, with  FIG. 3  providing a detailed view of pivotal attachment of one tine row  16  to the grill  12 , as well as the extension and retraction stops provided for the tine rows  16 . A tine row attachment pintle (or pintles)  30  extends across at least a pair of grill elements  14  substantially normal thereto. The pintle(s)  30  may comprise a single wire or short rod that extends completely across the entire width of the grill  12 , or two shorter lengths extending across the outermost grill frame peripheral member and adjacent grill element  14 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0021]    The grill extension portion  22  of each of the two opposite grill attachment arms  20  includes a tine row pintle attachment loop  32  formed about the corresponding pintle  30 . Thus, the two grill attachment arms  20  hinge or pivot about their respective attachment pintles  30 . As the two grill attachment arms  20  are rigidly secured together by the lateral tine support element  28 , the two attachment arms  20 , tine support element  28 , and tines  18  extending therefrom all hinge or pivot together as a unit for each tine row  16 . 
         [0022]    Pivoting of the tines  18  (and the tine portions  24  of their associated grill attachment arms  20 ) is limited to an extended position substantially normal to the plane of the grill  12  by a tine row extension stop  34  attached to the grill extension portions  22  of the two opposite grill attachment arms  20  of each tine row  16 . These tine row extension stops  34  contact the grill elements  14  and/or peripheral frame member of the grill  12  when the tines  18  are fully extended, thus stopping the tines in an orientation substantially normal to the plane of the grill  12 . 
         [0023]    The tine rows  16  are further limited in their retraction through the plane of the grill by one or more tine row retraction stops, which extend across two or more of the parallel grill elements  14 . Depending upon the spacing of the tine rows  16  from one another, these tine row retraction stops may be the same components as the tine row attachment pintles  30 . It will be seen in  FIG. 2  that the span of the grill attachment arms  20  of each tine row  16  is slightly greater than the spacing between the tine row attachment pintles  30  for adjacent tine rows. Thus, the ends of the grill attachment arms  20  will contact the adjacent attachment pintles  30 , and prevent the tine rows  16  from dropping through the plane of the grill  12 . Alternatively, separate retraction stops could be provided across adjacent grill elements  14 . 
         [0024]    The folding rack of  FIGS. 1 and 2  also has an additional central folding tine row  36 , shown erected in solid lines and folded in broken lines in  FIG. 2 . The central tine row  36  includes opposite first and second attachment arms  38 , with a row of tines extending therebetween. The proximal ends of the central tine row attachment arms  38  include pintle attachment loops  40 , which wrap about a corresponding central tine row attachment pintle(s)  42 . The difference between the central tine row  36  and the other tine rows  16  is that the central tine row attachment arms  38  are straight or linear from their proximal end to their distal end in order to allow the central tine row  36  to fold completely flat against the surface or plane of the grill  12 . In this manner, none of the components of the central tine row  36  protrude from the plane of the grill  12  to any significant extent when folded against the grill  12 . This allows a larger article of food, e.g., a chicken C as shown in  FIG. 1 , to be placed directly atop the grill  12 . The central tine row  36  may be prevented from passing through the plane of the grill by a central tine row retraction stop or stops  44  extending across the central tine row, which may serve as the retraction stop(s) for the adjacent tine row  16  when the central tine row  36  is retracted adjacent to the grill  12 . 
         [0025]    The folding rack  10  may optionally be provided with folding legs  46 , as shown in  FIG. 3  of the drawings. The legs  46  are preferably configured similar to the grill attachment arms  20  of the tine rows  16 , i.e., having a proximal grill extension leg portion  48  and a distal leg portion  50  with a leg bend  52  defining an obtuse angle therebetween. The attachment end of the grill extension leg portion  48  includes a leg attachment loop  54  formed therein, which secures about a leg attachment pintle or pintles  56  disposed across adjacent grill elements  14  and/or the peripheral frame member of the grill  12 . 
         [0026]    A leg extension stop  58  is attached to each leg forming the support leg assembly pair at each end of the rack  10 . The leg extension stop  58  serves two functions: (1) connecting the two corresponding legs  46  at each end of the grill  12  so they extend and retract as a unit; and (2) contacting the grill elements  14  when the legs  46  are fully extended (as shown in  FIG. 3 ) to position the distal leg end portions  50  at least generally normal to the plane of the grill  12 . The legs  46  may be prevented from retracting through the plane of the grill when folded by the attachment pintle  30  of the adjacent tine row  16 , or by a separate stop, e.g., similar to the central tine row stop  44  shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0027]      FIGS. 4A through 4C  illustrate various modifications or embodiments of the folding rack  12 .  FIG. 4A  provides a detail, partial perspective view of an exemplary tine row end portion showing the distal tine portion  24  of one grill attachment arm, one tine  18 , and a portion of the corresponding tine support element  28 . In  FIG. 4A , the distal tine portion  24  is broken away to show its end coated with a non-stick coating  60 , e.g., Teflon® or other suitable coating material, permanently applied thereto. Such non-stick coating may optionally be provided over the entire wire rack  10 . Alternatively, the rack  12  may be provided in bare metal, preferably a corrosion-resistant steel, or may be plated with a suitable metal (e.g., chrome, etc.). 
         [0028]    It will also be noted that the tips  62   a  of the distal tine portion  24  and tine  18  are flattened in the embodiment of  FIG. 4A , as well as in the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 through 3 . Such blunt or flattened ends or tips may be suitable for use when materials are not to be impaled upon the tines  18 , but rather placed upon them or wedged between them, as shown in  FIG. 1 . However, it may be desirable in some circumstances to sharpen the tines  18  to permit materials (e.g., food to be cooked, etc.) to be impaled upon the tines  18 . Accordingly,  FIG. 4B  illustrates a distal tine portion  24  and tine  18  having conically pointed ends or tips  62   b , while  FIG. 4C  illustrates a distal tine portion  24  and tine  18  having bladed ends or tips  62   c . The exact shape or configuration of the tips is not critical to the folding rack  10 , except that it is preferable that the tips be sharpened in some manner if they are to be used to impale food or other articles thereon. 
         [0029]    In conclusion, the folding rack  10  in its various embodiments is well suited for use in cooking or grilling innumerable types of food, due to its configuration for holding the food more upright than a conventional grill. This allows more articles of food to be placed upon the rack during cooking, thereby making the cooking operation more efficient and reducing the number of batches of food which must be prepared and the number of grill or oven cycles needed. 
         [0030]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.