Drawer attachment for barbecue grills

An apparatus for use with a gas grill cart which comprises a cutting board and a drawer for preparation of food and storage of grilling accessories. The apparatus is adapted for use with grill carts having a base and a four-posted vertically extending structure having arms extending perpendicularly from each post. The invention is adapted to be placed between two of the arms previously having wooden slots extending therebetween and is comprised of a cutting board which has a length greater than the length of the space between the arms of the cart. The cutting board has guides attached to the underside thereof for engagement with a drawer which is similarly held on the cart via the engagement of the cutting board with the arms. The drawer has a locking device thereon for engagement with a cutout in one of the guides attached to the cutting board. As such, the drawer cannot be fully removed from the slots of the guides and, therefore, accidental spillage of the drawer and its contents is prevented. The cutting board can be permanently attached to the arms of the cart via screws or the like used to previously attach the slats. The cutting board can be used to cut and otherwise prepare food to be grilled and the drawer can be used to store grilling accessories such as brushes and spatulas.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention is directed toward barbecue grills and, more particularly to 
a combination of a drawer and cutting board which is adapted to be 
attached to the support arms of a standard grill cart. 
Gas grills are generally used for outdoor barbecuing. Many of these grills 
are of the transportable type wherein the grill is attached to a support 
structure having wheels and handles for pushing the support structure or 
cart into a storage area. Accordingly, the grill is kept out of inclement 
weather and is also kept out of the way when not in use. Typically, the 
carts or supports for holding the grills comprise a flat bottom with 
wheels whereon the grill is supported. For purposes of pushing the grill 
around, arms typically extend upward from the flat bottom to a height 
accessible to the average person and then extend outwardly on a horizontal 
plane for grasping by that person. The arms are frequently connected by 
wooden slats or the like which serve the purposes of stabilizing the cart 
while also acting as a table or the like for supporting grill accessories 
and/or food. 
It is frequently the nature of such slats that there are spaces 
therebetween. This can make the use of the slats problematic for holding 
the food and accessories. In place of these wooden slats or the like, flat 
boards or trays have been used for providing a flat and uniform surface on 
which to prepare or hold the food. However, for those persons owning the 
typical cart having the wooden slats, food preparation and the like remain 
problematic. While different carts have been proposed and invented, none 
of these inventions are directed toward retrofitting existing wooden slat 
carts with a flat-top cutting board and drawer for food preparation and 
accessory storage, respectively. 
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,541 to Stephen et al. discloses an 
attachment for a barbecue grill. Within this attachment, the patent shows 
a frame having a pair of parallel spaced-apart bars extending therefrom. A 
shelf or serving board is adapted to fit over the bars for providing a 
surface for food preparation. However, as can be seen from the drawing, 
the Stephen et al. invention is not adaptable for use with typical wood 
slat carts nor does it have a drawer for storage of grill accessories. 
Design patent No. D 185,035 to Murdoch discloses a portable barbecue unit. 
Similar to Stephen et al., the unit discloses parallel arms or legs 
extending from the barbecue cart and a flat surface extending therebetween 
for use in food preparation or the like. However, again, the unit 
disclosed in Murdoch is not adaptable for use with the typical wood slat 
arrangement nor does it appear to have an easily accessible drawer for 
storage of grilling accessories. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,788 to Schlosser et al. discloses a barbecue kettle 
cart. The kettle cart includes a wheeled cart member having handles for 
pushing the same and a grill integrally attached thereto. Arms extend 
parallel therefrom and have a flat tray or the like extending therebetween 
for use in food preparation. Again, and as discussed above, however, there 
is no drawer for storage of grill accessories and the kettle cart tray 
disclosed in Schlosser is not adaptable for use with the typical wooden 
slat-type arrangement. 
The patent to Meszaros, U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,413 discloses a barbecue grill. 
The grill has a wheeled cart attached thereto wherein several planar 
members extend therefrom for use in food preparation and/or the like. In 
addition, the barbecue in Meszaros includes a drawer attached to the 
underside of a support. Again, while a drawer and support member are 
disclosed, it is not adaptable for use with barbecues having the typical 
wood slat arrangement. 
Finally, additional patents to Berger, U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,080; Sampson et 
al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,751; and Baynes, U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,896 disclose 
grills or the like having platforms or storage-type means extending 
therefrom for use in food preparation and for holding the food. However, 
in each of these patents, a drawer is lacking and, as discussed above, 
none of the platforms are adaptable for use with the typical wooden slat 
cart arrangement. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is an apparatus for use with barbecue grills which 
comprises a cutting board and an attached drawer for use in preparing food 
and storing grill accessories. The invention is adapted to be used with 
gas grills having attached carts wherein the carts are generally of the 
wood slat variety. 
The invention is comprised of a planar of board or plastic having a drawer 
slidably attached to the underside thereof. The board is designed for use 
in cutting and preparing food items while the drawer is designed for 
storing the accessories for grills and the like. The invention is adapted 
to be attached to a grill cart arrangement wherein the cart comprises a 
base having posts extending substantially vertically from the corners 
thereof. At a point comfortable for engagement with a human, arms bend 
90.degree. and extend outwardly and horizontally from the posts. Wooden 
slats or the like are typically placed on top of the arms for securing the 
same together and for supplying a work surface. The problems with the work 
surface formed are the spaces between the slats and the lack of storage 
space. The present invention is adapted to cure these defects. 
The device of the present invention is adapted to be placed between the 
horizontally extending arms and rest thereon. The board extends a length 
greater than the space between the arms and the drawer is of a width to 
fit between the arms. Accordingly, the board or the like rests upon the 
arms and supports the device. Screws can be used to secure the board to 
the arms using the holes already existing in the arms. With the invention 
installed, a flat table top is provided to the grill for food preparation 
and support of the same while the drawer provides storage space for grill 
accessories and the like.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals 
have been used throughout the various figures to designate like elements, 
there is shown in FIG. 1 a perspective view of the combined drawer and 
work surface of the present invention attached to a gas grill cart and 
designated generally as 10. The invention is comprised essentially of the 
cutting board 12, the drawer 14 and the guides 16a and 16b. 
The cutting board or work surface 12 is preferably a wooden cutting board, 
although other materials can be used such as plastic, which extends a 
length greater than the length of the space 18 between the arms 20a and 
20b of the grill cart 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting board extends 
this length so that it may rest upon the arms 20a and 20b so as to support 
the invention on the cart. The upper surface of the board 12 has a groove 
21 running adjacent the perimeter thereof for the collection of juices and 
the like. By using the same holes 23a and 23b, as well as others, through 
the arms 20a and 20b and the screws 24a and 24b, the cutting board 12 can 
be rigidly secured to the cart 22. The cutting board 12 has drawer guides 
16a and 16b attached thereto on its underside 25 as shown in FIG. 4. 
The guides 16a and 16b are substantially U-shaped members wherein one side 
of the U extends slightly longer than the other, as shown in FIG. 3 and is 
attached to the board 12. The guides 16a and 16b are attached to the 
underside of the cutting board 12 via screws, again as shown in FIG. 3, 
passing through holes in the guides and into the cutting board. As shown 
in FIG. 5, the guides 16a and 16b are attached to the underside of the 
cutting board at three places for each guide via screws such as shown at 
26a-26c. The guides 16a and 16b are spaced apart so as to engage the 
drawer 14 within the slots 28a and 28b. For guides 16a and 16b, the 
shorter horizontal members 30a and 30b have cutouts 32a and 32b therein, 
respectively, located toward the free ends 31a and 31b thereof. The 
cutouts 32a and 32b are substantially rectangular in shape and are adapted 
to receive therein the locking devices 34a and 34b, respectively. 
The locking devices 34a and 34b are the same and therfore only one, 34a, 
will be described in detail, it being understood that the description 
applies equally to locking device 34b. Locking device 34a is essentially a 
spring-loaded tab extending from the underside of the flange 38a. The 
spring-loaded tab 34a is adapted to engage the rectangular cutout 32a for 
preventing accidental complete removal of the drawer from the guides 16a 
and 16b. As such, the locking device 34a will snap into the rectangular 
cutout 32a for locking the drawer in place and for avoiding full removal 
of the same when the drawer 14 is sufficiently opened. 
The drawer 14 is a typical box-shaped drawer having a handle 36 and flanges 
38a and 38b extending horizontally from the side walls 39a and 39b of the 
drawer. The flanges 38a and 38b are substantially rectangular in shape and 
are adopted to engage the slots 28a and 28b of the drawer guides 16a and 
16b. As shown in FIG. 6, the flanges 38a and 38b fit into the slots 28a 
and 28b in a sliding manner such that the drawer can be moved inwardly and 
outwardly within the grooves. 
The invention is used by first assembling the same as discussed in the 
foregoing description and then installing it. Accordingly, as shown in 
FIG. 4, the slats 40 must be removed from the side, for example at 41, at 
which the invention is to be installed. After removal of the slats as 
shown in FIG. 5, the cutting board 12 is placed onto the arms 20a and 20b 
and the screws 24a and 24b, for example, are used through the existing 
holes for securing the board 12 to the arms 20a and 20b. At this time, the 
board already has the guides 16a and 16b attached thereto. The drawer 14 
is simply slid into the slots 28a and 28b by inserting the flanges 38a and 
38b into the same. The invention is then ready for use as shown in FIG. 1 
and when the drawer is pulled outwardly, away from the grill, to use the 
same, the locking devices 34a and 34b will engage the rectangular cutouts 
32a and 32b, respectively, for preventing accidental removal of the drawer 
and potential spillage of its contents. The drawer is used by simply 
placing grill accessories into the same and shutting it during non-use 
while the cutting board can be used for preparation and support of food to 
be cooked on the grill. 
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without 
departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and accordingly 
reference should be made to the appended claims rather than to the 
foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.