Gas grill with insect deterrent

A gas burner includes a burner tube that has a gas supply tube extending into one end and an air intake orifice adjacent thereto. A perforated shield is clamped onto the tubes to enclose the air intake orifice.

DESCRIPTION 
1. Technical Field 
The present invention relates generally to gas barbeque grills and more 
particularly to an anti-clog device for the air intake of the gas burner. 
2. Background Art 
Gas barbeque grills have been in existence for a number of years. These 
grills usually include one or more burner tubes that have gas supplied 
thereto through a valve having its outlet extending into one end of the 
tube. The burner tube also has an air intake located adjacent the end of 
the tube and a venturi spaced from the gas and air inlet to draw a 
predetermined amount of air through the inlet to mix with the supply of 
gas and provide a proper mixture for combustion. 
One of the problems that has been encountered is that nocturnal insects, 
such as spiders, tend to be attracted to the air inlet to the tube. These 
insects, and in particular spiders, will crawl into the tube through the 
inlet and nest in the venturi restriction while building webs which will 
severely restrict the flow of the gas and air mixture to the remainder of 
the tube. As the tube becomes clogged or obstructed, gas is forced out of 
the air inlet where it can ignite and create a severe fire hazard. 
Furthermore, any ignition of gas outside of the burner tube can melt the 
control knobs since they are located in close proximity to the burner tube 
inlet. 
In order to minimize this problem, specific instructions are provided in 
gas grills for periodically dissembling the components and cleaning out 
the burner tube, particularly in the restricted venturi area. This is time 
consuming and often not done by the typical homeowner. 
Thus, there remains a need for simplified solution to the problem discussed 
above. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the present invention, a simplified solution to the clogging 
problem has been developed and existing burner tubes can readily be 
retrofitted with the device. 
More specifically, a perforated sleeve has been developed that can be snap 
fitted over the area surrounding air inlet to prevent foreign objects from 
entering the burner tube through the air inlet and yet provide ample air 
to admix with the gas in the burner tube. The sleeve or shield means 
consists of a perforated member, preferably formed of plastic and 
consisting of two halves that are interconnected along one edge by an 
integral hinge and at an opposed edge by suitable connecting means, such 
as a latch, detent or the like. The perforated member is preferably 
circular and has inwardly directed flanges at opposite ends that 
respectively engage the burner tube and the gas inlet tube to 
substantially seal the area surrounding the air inlet orifice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, 
there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a 
preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the 
present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the 
principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect 
of the invention to embodiment illustrated. 
FIG. 1 of the drawings discloses a gas barbeque grill generally designated 
by reference numeral 10. The grill that has been depicted is of the type 
that is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,964, incorporated herein by 
reference. 
Gas grill 10 includes a cart 12 that supports a fire box 14 that has gas 
burner tubes 16 extending through openings 20. Each burner tube 16 is 
circular in cross section and has a restricted venturi 22 defined adjacent 
an inlet opening 24. 
An air intake orifice or means 26 is located on the periphery of burner 
tube 16 and is located between inlet opening 24 and venturi 22. A valve 
outlet tube 28 is part of a control valve 30 and extends into the opening 
24 to supply gas from a manifold 32. A control knob 34 located on a 
console 36 connects to the valve stem 38 to control the flow of gas to the 
burner tube. 
According to the present invention, a shield means is provided to surround 
and enclose the air inlet means. The shield means is identified by 
reference numeral 40 and consists of a generally circular member 42 that 
has a plurality of small perforations 44. The perforations are sized to 
prevent entry of insects while being large enough to admit air to the 
burner. The total area of the perforations will exceed the area of the 
burner vent 26 to assure an adequate supply of air. Preferably, the total 
area of the openings is at least twice the area of the air intake openings 
so that there is an adequate supply of air even if some perforations 
become clogged. 
The shield 40 may be formed of any suitable material, such as plastic, and 
consists of two halves 40A and 40B that are interconnected along one edge 
by an integral hinge 46. The integral hinge is preferably produced by 
forming a weakened area in the plastic body member 42. 
The shield 40 also has first and second inwardly directed flanges 50 and 52 
extending inwardly from opposite edges of member 42. The respective 
flanges 50 and 52 have openings 54 and 56 defined therein that are 
respectively sized to snugly engage the burner tube 16 and the valve tube 
28. The flanges could also be perforated to provide more open area. If 
desired, the wall thickness of the flanges 50 and 52 may be reduced at 
their inner margins to allow them to flex to conform with any 
irregularities in surface they engage. 
The integral hinge 46 forms part of a connection means that interconnects 
the member halves 40A and 40B. The connecting means 60 may consist of a 
latch member 62 connected to one shield halve 40B with openings 64 for 
receiving pins 66 on the other shield halve 40A. 
In use of the novel mechanism, the burners are assembled in their normal 
manner and the shields are snap fitted over the burner tubes and the valve 
tubes to enclose the orifice 26. In the assembled condition, the shield 40 
has its flanges 50 and 52 in clamping engagement with the adjacent tubes 
to prevent an insect from gaining access to the interior of the shield. 
It will be appreciated that the novel anti-clog means is inexpensive to 
manufacture and can readily be retrofitted on burners of existing grills 
by the owners to eliminate the need for periodic cleaning. 
Of course numerous modifications come to mind without departing from the 
spirit of the invention. For example, the shape of the unit could easily 
be changed to an oval or rectangular configuration. Also, the shield could 
be formed as one piece and telescoped onto the burner tube before the 
valve tube is inserted into the end of the burner tube. 
While the air intake has been shown to be on the periphery of the burner 
tube, it could be on the end of this tube. 
While the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, 
numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from 
the spirit of the invention and the scope of protection is only limited by 
the scope of the accompanying claims.