Portable outdoor steamer system

A portable outdoor steamer system comprising a hollow container with an open top and a closed generally inverted dome-shaped bottom with a cover in a dome-shaped configuration. The steamer also contains a hollow support with a circular upper end secured to the lower surface of the bottom of the container. Also provided are heating components including a burner secured in the upper extent of the support on a circular plate, a hook-up mounted externally on the base and operatively coupled to the burner and a heat control dial mounted externally of the housing on a control panel operatively coupled to the burner with air holes through the base above the plate and a door formed in the housing to provide access to the burner. Air ports extend through the container in a central extent thereof with at least one food supporting rack removably secured within the container on short radial fingers above the ports, the region of the container beneath the ports for retaining water to be heated and converted into steam for cooking food supported thereabove on the racks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a portable outdoor steamer system and more 
particularly pertains to steaming food with a portable outdoor system. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The use of devices to cook food of known designs and configurations is 
known in the prior art. More specifically, devices to cook food of known 
designs and configurations heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose 
of steaming food through various methods and apparatuses are known to 
consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural 
configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the 
crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of 
countless objectives and requirements. 
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,246 to Issod discloses a Truncated 
Kettle Adapted for Use as a Steamer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,531 to Brown 
discloses a Cooking Device. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 325,318 to Parent et al. 
discloses a Combined Kettle and Side Tables for a Barbecue Grill. U.S. 
Pat. No. 5,611,264 to Studer discloses a Dutch Oven Type Cooking Vessel 
With Combination Cooking Surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,542 to Scherer 
discloses a Cooking System With Closed Loop Heat Transfer Means. Lastly, 
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 381,553 to Candianides discloses a Food Steamer. 
In this respect, the portable outdoor steamer system according to the 
present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and 
designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily 
developed for the purpose of steaming food with a portable outdoor system. 
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a 
new and improved portable outdoor steamer system which can be used for 
steaming food with a portable outdoor system. In this regard, the present 
invention substantially fulfills this need. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of 
devices to cook food of known designs and configurations now present in 
the prior art, the present invention provides an improved portable outdoor 
steamer system. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, 
which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a 
new and improved portable outdoor steamer system and method which has all 
the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages. 
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a new and 
improved portable outdoor steamer system for steaming food with a portable 
outdoor system comprising a hollow cylindrical container with an open top 
and a closed generally inverted dome-shaped bottom with a cover in a 
dome-shaped configuration and with a hinge pivotally securing the cover to 
the top of the container and a handle extending from the upper center of 
the cover to radially exterior of the cover. Also provided is a hollow 
cylindrical support which has a circular base at its lower end and with a 
circular upper end secured to the lower surface of the bottom of the 
container. Heating components include a propane burner secured in the 
upper extent of the support on a circular plate. A propane hook-up is 
mounted externally on the base and operatively coupled to the burner and 
an ignition button and a heat control dial are mounted externally of the 
housing on a control panel operatively coupled to the burner with air 
holes through the base above the plate. A door is formed in the housing to 
provide access to the burner. Air ports extend through the container in a 
central extent thereof with three perforated food supporting racks 
removably secured within the container on short radial fingers above the 
ports. A water tap is in the lower extent of the container for the removal 
of water therefrom, the region of the container beneath the ports for 
retaining water to be heated and converted into steam for cooking food 
supported thereabove on the racks. 
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features 
of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that 
follows may be better understood and in order that the present 
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, 
additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter 
and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention 
in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its 
application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the 
components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the 
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being 
practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood 
that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose 
of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. 
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon 
which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the 
designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the 
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, 
that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions 
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present 
invention. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved portable outdoor steamer system which has all of the advantages 
of the prior art devices to cook food of known designs and configurations 
and none of the disadvantages. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved 
portable outdoor steamer system which may be easily and efficiently 
manufactured and marketed. 
It is further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved 
portable outdoor steamer system which is of durable and reliable 
constructions. 
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved portable outdoor steamer system which is susceptible of a low 
cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which 
accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming 
public, thereby making such portable outdoor steamer system economically 
available to the buying public. 
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a portable 
outdoor steamer system for steaming food with a portable outdoor system. 
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved portable outdoor steamer system comprising a hollow container 
with an open top and a closed generally inverted dome-shaped bottom with a 
cover in a dome-shaped configuration. The steamer also contains a hollow 
support with a circular upper end secured to the lower surface of the 
bottom of the container. Also provided are heating components including a 
burner secured in the upper extent of the support on a circular plate, a 
hook-up mounted externally on the base and operatively coupled to the 
burner and a heat control dial mounted externally of the housing on a 
control panel operatively coupled to the burner with air holes through the 
base above the plate and a door formed in the housing to provide access to 
the burner. Air ports extend through the container in a central extent 
thereof with at least one food supporting rack removably secured within 
the container on short radial fingers above the ports, the region of the 
container beneath the ports for retaining water to be heated and converted 
into steam for cooking food supported thereabove on the racks. 
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various 
features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with 
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this 
disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating 
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should 
be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there 
is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts through the various 
Figures. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1 thereof, 
the preferred embodiment of the new and improved portable outdoor steamer 
system embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and 
generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described. 
The present invention, the portable outdoor steamer system 10 is comprised 
of a plurality of components. Such components are individually configured 
and correlated with respect to each other so as to attain the desired 
objective. 
More specifically, the new and improved portable outdoor steamer system for 
steaming food with a portable outdoor system comprises, in combination a 
hollow cylindrical container 14 with an open top 16 and a closed generally 
inverted dome-shaped bottom 18. The container is preferably equipped with 
a pair of diametrically opposed handles mounted on a central extent 
thereof. Also included is a cover 20 in a dome-shaped configuration with a 
hinge 22 pivotally securing the cover to the top of the container. A 
handle 24 extends from the upper center of the cover to radially exterior 
of the cover. As shown in FIGS. 1 & 3, the handle has a horizontally 
oriented inboard extent and a downwardly angled outboard extent with a 
length twice that of the inboard extent. A ball is mounted on an end of 
the outboard extent of the handle. 
A hollow cylindrical support 28 is provided which has a circular base 30 at 
its lower end and a circular upper end secured to the lower surface of the 
bottom of the container. A height of the support is preferably equal to 
that of the container. As an option, the base may be equipped with wheels 
for transportation purposes. 
Heating components 34 include a propane burner 36 secured in the upper 
extent of the support on a circular plate 38 beneath the bottom of the 
container. A propane hook-up 40 is mounted externally on the base and 
operatively coupled to the burner. Further, an ignition button 42 and a 
heat control dial 44 are mounted externally of the housing on a control 
panel 46. The ignition button 42 and heat control dial 44 are operatively 
coupled to the burner for controlling the operation of the burner. 
Air holes 48 are formed through the base above the plate and beneath the 
container. A door 50 is formed in the housing to provide access to the 
burner. Air ports 54 extend through the container in a central extent 
thereof. The air ports and air holes are preferably spaced apart by 90 
degrees. Three circular perforated food supporting racks 56 removably 
rested within the container on short radial fingers 58 above or below the 
ports. When used, the food supporting racks are equally spaced. As an 
option, the racks may be equipped with diametrically opposed handles for 
facilitating removal. 
A water tap 60 with an associated spigot is mounted on the lower extent of 
the container above the bottom thereof for the removal of water therefrom. 
The region of the container beneath the ports is for retaining water to be 
heated and converted into steam for cooking food supported thereabove on 
the racks. 
As described hereinabove, the portable outdoor steamer system is a new type 
of outdoor cooking appliance that can be used to steam vegetables, 
shellfish and other foods. It consists of a 24 inch diameter by 
approximately 15 to 20 inch deep vessel with a hinged, latchable lid. 
Inside the steamer is a series of removable racks, as well as a lower 
portion that can be used to hold a volume of water. The steamer has side 
walls that feature a series of vent ports and a pair of carrying handles. 
The unit is mounted atop a cylindrical housing with a large flange on its 
lower end that acts as a base. Overall, the unit measures 38 inches high. 
One side of the cylindrical section features a window that provide access 
to a propane gas hookup and a burner similar to that of a gas-fired water 
heater. 
The appealing features of the portable outdoor steamer system are its large 
size, convenience, and ease of use. The system provides a fast, efficient 
means of steaming vegetables, shellfish, and other foods on a mobile 
basis, thereby potentially increasing the offerings capable of being 
prepared at a barbecue. It features a large capacity and is strong, 
durable and resistant to corrosion. 
As to the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same 
should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further 
discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the 
optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to 
include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of 
operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to 
one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those 
illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are 
intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and 
changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired 
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may 
be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.