Vertical grill

A vertical grill (11) for cooking food items is disclosed wherein the vertical grill is comprised of a body (12) containing at least one vertical grilling area disposed between at least two sources of radiant heat energy (24), and wherein the body (12) is adapted to direct fats and breakaway solids generated during the cooking of the food into an external receptacle (32) via the external opening (22). It achieves this by including (Evacuation Slides) guides (28) and (30) which are contained within the body (12) of the grill (11) and arranged in various shaped assemblies such that food and fats falling on (Evacuation Slide) guide 28 travels down until it is collected by (Evacuation Slide) guide (30) which delivers the food and fats to the external receptacle (32) where they are not in any danger of catching fire.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to cooking appliances for use in domestic and commercial kitchens. The invention relates particularly to electric grills that can be used to cook food in a way that removes fat from the food that is cooked. In particular the invention relates to a vertical electric grill.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Obesity together with heart disease has been linked to high consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol found in most meat products. The American Heart Association (“AHA”) has recommended that individuals should, in order to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, reduce their daily intake of saturated fats and cholesterol.

Grills in which the radiant cooking elements and grilling space have been arranged vertically are particularly well adapted to remove fats from meat that is being cooked. As the food is suspended between the cooking elements gravity and pressure of a holding clasp act on liquefied fats and oils such that they drip out of and away from the food being cooked. Vertical grills have been recommended by heart physicians as a suitable device to help patients and the public reduce their intake of saturated fats that would otherwise be ingested with conventionally cooked meats. The vertical radiant heat grilling configuration was much favoured by the public as a real grill over ‘grilling’ on or frying on flat metal, Teflon or other fire resistant surfaces.

However, there were problems associated with prior art vertical grills. The prior art vertical grill used an internal drip tray to retain fats and oils that drip down from the food being grilled between two radiant cooking elements. Unfortunately, the prior art vertical grill with an internal drip tray is prone to fire flare-ups and smoke.

As a result if the internal drip tray is not cleaned thoroughly before each use to ensure there are no combustible fats or solids present in the tray, there is a good chance that the contents of the tray will combust. Further, users were also recommended to add a small quantity of cold water to the internal drip tray to reduce the volatility of the liquefied fats and oils that accumulated in the tray.

Because the drip tray was internal to the device some people were unaware of the requirement to clean out the drip tray and/or to add water and as a result the device would sometimes catch fire.

As a result of fire risk, some prior art vertical grill designs employed an internal drip tray that features a fire suppressing perforated metal cover. However this design had its drawbacks. First, the perforated cover actually makes it more likely that a user of the device will forget to empty the contents of the drip tray as the retained oils and fats will be mostly obscured by the internal drip tray cover. In such a case where the internal drip tray is hidden from view within the body of the vertical grill, dangerous reserves of retained fats and oils could easily go unobserved. Further, the use of a perforated metal fire suppressing shield resulted in solid spoils and embers from above, coming to rest on the protective fire shield. These solids sometimes blocked the perforations resulting in an accumulation of fats and oils on its surface which, along with the solids themselves, can often result in smouldering embers and ignited fats entering into the internal cavities of the device, and/or cause the fats in the drip tray to ignite despite the presence of the fire suppressing shield. It is a common complaint by users of the vertical grill that a blocked or inappropriately prepared internal drip tray can permit smouldering embers to activate kitchen fire alarms.

It is an object of the present invention to improve on the design of prior art vertical grills and/or to substantially ameliorate some of the shortcomings of the prior art vertical grills.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the invention comprises an electric grill for cooking food items, wherein the electric grill is comprised of a body containing at least one vertical grilling area disposed between at least two sources of radiant heat energy, and wherein the body is adapted to direct fats and breakaway solids generated during the cooking of the food away from the cooking element down through the body of the electric grill and out into an external receptacle.

Preferably the body is adapted to direct fats and breakaway solids generated during cooking to an external drip tray by means of one or more slides that define a path to the external receptacle via an external opening formed in the body.

A first embodiment of the first aspect of the invention provides a electric grill with a body containing at least two slides that are disposed between sides of the body and the at least two sources of radiant heat, wherein the slides direct fats and breakaway solids generated during cooking to an external receptacle via the external opening.

Still more preferably the two slides are disposed in a y shaped assembly wherein the lower end of the longer slide in the y shaped assembly terminates near the external opening.

A second embodiment of the first aspect of the invention provides a electric grill with a body containing one vertical grilling area and a single angled slide which is disposed below the grilling area and is pitched at an angle sufficient to direct fats and breakaway solids that drop down upon it to an external receptacle via the external opening.

Preferably the angled slide is planar and is adapted to be inserted and removed from the body of the vertical grill.

Still more preferably, the angled slide is adapted to be inserted from an upper portion of the side of the electric grill that is opposite the side that has the external opening.

Alternatively, in a third embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the angled slide of the second embodiment is adapted to be inserted and removed from the body via the external opening.

In a fourth embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, an electric grill with a body that has one vertical grilling area and wherein the one or more slides is comprised of a wedge inserted into the body so that it is situated below the one vertical grilling area and wherein a top surface of the wedge is pitched at an angle sufficient to direct fats and breakaway solids generated during the cooking of the food that drop down upon it to an external receptacle via the external opening.

In a fifth embodiment of the first aspect of the invention there is provided a electric grill with a body in which there are two vertical grilling areas disposed between at least three sources of radiant heat, such that there is at least a source of radiant heat on each side of each vertical grilling area and wherein the body of the electric grill is adapted to direct fats and breakaway solids generated during the cooking of the food away from the cooking element down through the vertical grill and out into an external receptacle.

Preferably the body is adapted to direct fats and breakaway solids generated during the cooking of the food away from the cooking element down through the vertical grill and out into an external receptacle by the inclusion of slide means which direct and/or guide splattered fats to the external receptacle from a position within the body.

Preferably the slide means comprises a single angled slide which is disposed below the grilling areas and is pitched at an angle sufficient to direct fats and breakaway solids generated during the cooking of the food that drop down upon it to the external receptacle via the external opening.

Still more preferably the single angled slide is introduced via a slot formed in the side of the body which is opposite to the side of the body which has the external opening.

Preferably, with respect of all of the embodiments of the invention, the external receptacle is adapted to engage with the external opening.

More preferably the external receptacle may be covered or partially covered by a protective hood.

Preferably the protective hood is connected to the grill and is also semi transparent.

Still more preferably with respect to all of the embodiments of the first aspect of the invention, the electric grill has a timer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

From time-to-time, the present invention is described herein in terms of example environments. Description in terms of these environments is provided to allow the various features and embodiments of the invention to be portrayed in the context of an exemplary application. After reading this description, it will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art how the invention can be implemented in different and alternative environments.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, these figures depict a prior art vertical electric grill10in which the following components are visible:12: body14: heat reflector and splatter shields16: food clasp handle/grill18: power switch20: internal drip tray22: external opening24: cooking element26: perforated cover

The prior art vertical grill10had the major disadvantage of collecting splattered fat and bits of food directly under the cooking area of the grill, either in the internal drip tray20, or just above the perforated cover26. These areas are subject to high radiant heat and high temperatures and as a result, the contents of the internal drip tray20or the food and fat that may sit on the perforated cover26, may catch fire or generate large amounts of smoke.

A potential solution provided herein to ameliorate the above stated problem involves providing a electric grill in which the fats and breakaway solids are channeled to a receptacle or drip tray that sits outside of the body of the grill, away from high heats.

The first embodiment of the invention is shown inFIGS. 3 and 4. In this embodiment the two heat reflector and splatter shields14ofFIGS. 1 and 2have been replaced by multi-purpose evacuation slides28and30. Evacuation slide30is longer and larger than evacuation slide28. The evacuation slides30are inserted into the space between the side walls of the body12and the cooking elements24. Evacuation slides28and30are also arranged in a y shaped assembly such that any splattered fat collected on evacuation slide28drops off the lower end of evacuation slide28onto evacuation slide30which then delivers it to the external opening22for collection into the external receptacle or drip tray32. The external drip tray32is adapted to have a small portion attach to or ride against the external opening22. When inserted, food and fats that fall onto either of the evacuation slides28or30exit the external opening22and are received into the open top of the external drip tray32. Grips42provide for the ability to handle the hot fats safely whilst at the same time, providing a stop mechanism to prevent the external drip tray32from being over inserted into the external opening22. Grips42can also be adapted to engage external opening22by way of a mechanism, magnets or other means which allow the external drip tray32to remain in close association with the body12whilst remaining easily removable.

A hooded external drip tray34is shown inFIG. 3. This hooded external drip tray34is similar to external drip tray32except that it may have a tinted and transparent hood36which covers the top of the tray so as to prevent users from touching the hot contents. The hood36is pivotally connected to the tray base34via hinges38and features an aperture at the front of the hood40that communicates with the external opening22so that fats and food can enter the tray for collection. The hooded external drip tray34may be used wherever the external drip tray32is shown with respect to all of the embodiments of the invention. As an alternative (not shown) an external drip tray32can be used with a grill body that has a connected hood which covers the external drip tray32.

Depicted inFIGS. 5 and 6is a second embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment the two slides28and30fromFIGS. 3 and 4are replaced with flat slide44incorporating handle52. This slide44is inserted at an angle into the rear side of the body12of the vertical grill11which is opposite the side of the body12which has the external opening22.

The flat slide44is inserted between base element48and top guides46and comes to rest such that its lower edge54sits slightly higher than the top edge of external drip tray32so that food and fats that fall on the flat slide44fall into the external drip tray32where they are not subjected to high heat and accordingly will not catch fire.

A third embodiment depicted inFIG. 11is very similar to the second embodiment depicted inFIGS. 5 and 6. The substantial difference between them is that the flat slide44has a pair of split handles to facilitate its insertion up into the body12of the vertical grill11where it sits between base48and top guides46.

A fourth embodiment depicted inFIG. 7is similar to the third embodiment depicted inFIGS. 5 and 6in that the flat slide44is replaced with a pitched wedge58which is inserted into the external opening22. After insertion into the body12of the vertical grill11, a portion of the external drip tray32is inserted into the external opening22so that it receives all of the food and fat collected on the surface of pitched wedge58.

A fifth aspect of the invention depicted inFIGS. 8-10comprises a electric grill15with a body12featuring two vertical grilling areas64divided by a removable reflector/splatter screen62. Besides the oversized external drip tray60which can be used when both grilling areas are being used at the same time, the arrangements of base48, flat slide44, top guides46and external opening22are the same as the invention depicted inFIGS. 5 and 6. The electric grill15has at least 3 sets of cooking elements24(with one central, common cooking element24), however the preference is for there to be 4 sources of radiant energy, with one set of cooking elements24on each side of each cooking area.

In a sixth embodiment of the invention (not shown), the single flat slide which is installed at an angle is replaced with an inverted V shape slide which is centered under the removable reflector/splatter shield62such that each of the vertical grilling areas64sits over an angled portion of the inverted V slide, wherein the angled portion delivers splattered fats and breakaway solids to two external drip trays which are located at either side of the vertical grill. In this embodiment the inverted V slide is formed in one piece and is inserted and removed via one of the short sides via a V shaped slot formed in the short sides of the grill. Alternatively, the inverted V slide may be formed by introducing two flat slides into the body of the vertical grill, through one or more sides, including the ends and the longer front or back sides. In this embodiment top guides and base elements may be used to guide the individual flat slides into place where they form the inverted V structure when both are inserted.

All of the embodiments described feature a power switch18and at least one separate timer knob42. The heat emitted by the elements24may be controlled with a rheostat or other similar component. The second, third, fourth and fifth embodiments also feature space50for a cord storage area if desired, through the installation of a door, aperture, recess or compartment (not shown).