Abstract:
A food cooking grill with a housing which includes a horizontally disposed grate which is secured to a front frame plate, opposing side walls and rear wall. A front access door is hingedly mounted on the front frame plate. A payment device and a digital display are mounted on the access door and are electrically connected to a control circuit. A solenoid-actuated shut-off valve is interposed in a gas conduit between the burner and a propane or LPG tank coupling in one embodiment of the invention. The shut-off valve is responsive to the control circuit which receives inputs from the payment device and a flame detector and which also controls a flame ignitor and the digital display.

Description:
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/856,347 filed Mar. 23, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,596 entitled OUTDOOR COOKING GRILL PROVIDED WITH VENDING APPARATUS. This continuation-in-part claims the priority benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 07/856,347 under 35 U.S.C. Section 120. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to outdoor cooking grills, and more particularly to those provided with, or connected to, a source of cooking fuel or electricity. 
     Fuel-connected outdoor grills typically include a cooking chamber defined by relatively deep base and cover portions, one or more food positioning racks disposed between the base and the cover, a burner disposed below the positioning rack, and a source of cooking fuel. The fuel for these grills is typically natural gas from a metered house supply or propane gas or the like from a portable refillable storage tank. 
     While a grill is technically portable, the standard size is, as a practical matter, too large to take on a picnic or camping trip without a truck or large recreational vehicle in which to transport it. As a result, most campers and picnickers must provide charcoal or wood with which to build cooking fires in rustic campground grills if they want to cook food directly over an open flame. The usual drawbacks of charcoal or wood fires, e.g., fuel replenishment and long delay before cooking, are frequently augmented by the inadequacies of public campsite grills. While some campers may find such minimal amenities enjoyable, others do not. Thus, it occurred to the present inventor that the presence of fuel-connected or electric outdoor cooking grills at campgrounds would be considered desirable by a substantial number of campers. However, due to the public nature of such facilities and the frequent unavailability or absence of attendants or authorities at these sites, there was a need to make the proposed grill vandal and theft resistant, simple, reliable and safe to operate. In addition, there was a perceived need to pass the costs of the grill and its use directly to the end user, rather than to all campers and/or the taxpaying public. 
     Another drawback of gas grills has been the relative inability to know the exact fuel level in the tank at any given time. Without knowing the fuel level a user could start preparing a meal on the grill and not be able to finish cooking if the tank runs out of fuel. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention addresses the foregoing needs by improving upon a conventional outdoor cooking grill equipped with a food positioning rack, a burner disposed below the rack for distributing a flame, a conduit for conveying a cooking fuel to the burner, and a coupling for connecting the conduit to a source of cooking fuel. The improvement basically comprises the combination of an electrically actuated fuel shut off valve interposed on the conduit between the coupling and the burner, an electrical control circuit for opening and closing the valve, a money-receiving, token-receiving, card-receiving, or keypad payment (or user control) device for actuating the control circuit, a conductive member for connecting the control circuit to a source of electricity and a housing adapted to protect the aforesaid components from theft and vandalism. 
     A primary object of the present invention is to control the amount of and/or the length of time the cooking gas flows to the burner and/or electricity flow to the cooking grid. Another primary object is to stop or prevent gas flow if there is no flame at the burner. Yet another object is to provide a money-receiving, token-receiving, card-receiving, or keypad device for initiating operation of the present gas grill. A further object is to provide a housing that protects the grill from vandalism and theft. Another object is to provide a means to measure fuel level in a tank connected to a grill. Further objects and advantages may be more readily understood in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor grill according to the present invention: 
     FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the operative components of the present outdoor grill; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the grill illustrated in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4A and 4B comprise a flow chart illustrating the logic sequence of the control program for the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the operative components of another embodiment of the present invention with an electric cooking grid; and 
     FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the logic sequence of the control program for the invention as shown in FIG. 5. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it should be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, an outdoor grill, generally designated 10, according to the present invention is provided with a housing 12 having a pair of laterally spaced apart side walls 14, 16, a rear wall 18 rigidly connected to the side walls, a relatively shorter front wall 20 and a generally L-shaped cover 22. The cover includes a rearwardly extending portion 22A hingedly connected to an upper end of the rear wall 18 and a front portion 22B disposed at approximately a right angle to the rearwardly extending portion 22A. Preferably, the housing 12 is constructed of 14 gauge galvanized steel and is mounted upon a concrete slab 24. A number of bolts 25 are partially embedded in the slab 24 and project upwardly therefrom. The threaded free ends of the bolts 25 project through bores formed in base members 26 of the housing, and nuts 27 are threadably mounted thereon. In this manner, the housing is preferably anchored to the slab and cannot be disconnected therefrom unless entry is gained through the steel walls of said housing. Advantageously, the side walls 14, 16, rear wall 18 and front wall 20 are welded together, although it would also be possible to provide a vertically elongated angle iron at the internal corners of the housing 12 to which the various walls are welded or otherwise rigidly mounted. 
     Extending horizontally within the housing 12 at the level of the upper edge of the front wall 29 is a food-receiving rack 28, which is welded at perimeter edges thereof to adjoining portions of the front, side and rear walls. Alternatively, the rack 28 may be fastened to the housing 12 so as to be vertically adjustable therein. In any event, the rack 28 is preferably securely mounted in the housing 12 so that it serves as a barrier which protects the lower components. Advantageously, the side walls 14, 16 and the rear wall 18 are taller than the front wall 20 by a distance approximately equal to the height of the front portion 22B of the cover. In this manner, a cooking chamber 24 is defined when the cover 22 is closed and, when opened, access to the food-positioning rack 28 is facilitated by the relatively lower front wall 20. Air flow through the cooking chamber 30 is preferably provided by ventilation bores 32 in the base portions of the side panels 14, 16 and by an adjustable vent 34 mounted upon the cover 22. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 3, the housing is also preferably provided with a horizontally disposed grate 36 mounted below the food-receiving rack 28. The grate is preferably welded at perimeter edge portions thereof to adjoining portions of the front, side and rear walls thereby providing an additional barrier to prevent vandalism. Mounted on the grate 36 are a plurality of closely spaced, randomly arranged lava rocks, ceramic briquets or similar articles 38 adapted to be heated directly by a burner 40 disposed therebelow and to diffuse and radiate heat over a relatively large portion of the food-receiving rack 28. The housing 12 is also provided with an intermediate steel plate 42 horizontally disposed below the burner 40 and mounted along perimeter edge portions thereof to the front, side and rear walls. The intermediate plate 42 separates the cooking chamber 30 from a tank-receiving lower chamber 44 and prevents flames, hot ashes, grease and other debris from the cooking chamber 30 from entering said tank-receiving chamber 44. Preferably, the intermediate plate 42 is removably mounted in the housing to provide access to the burner 40 through the tank chamber 44. Further, the intermediate plate is provided with a plurality of openings 46 through which air may pass between the tank-receiving chamber 44 and the cooking chamber 30. 
     The front wall 20 includes a frame plate 48 and an access door 50 hingedly mounted upon and disposed forwardly of the frame plate 48. The frame plate 48 extends above the access door 50 and defines the rack-receiving portion of the front wall 20. That portion of the frame plate 48 which is covered by the access door 50 is formed with an enlarged opening 51 through which at least one cooking fuel tank 52 may be inserted into and removed from the tank chamber 44 of the housing. The access door 50 is preferably formed from 14 gauge galvanized steel and is pivotally mounted along one vertical edge to an adjoining portion of the frame plate 48 by means of hidden hinge members 53 of conventional design. 
     As indicated in FIG. 1, preferably, a lock assembly 52, typical of those found on vending machines, releasably connects the opposite side of the access door 50 to the frame plate 48. A recessed fuel flow control knob 56 is mounted upon the frame plate 48 above the access door. The access door 50 includes an inclined upper surface 54 upon which are mounted a printed instruction plate 58 and a display panel 60. A coin/bill or token or card acceptor and validator 62 and a change cup 63 are also preferably mounted upon the access door 50. 
     As indicated in FIG. 3, a cable 64 extends from the fuel control knob 56 to a baffle 66 pivotally mounted in a gas supply pipe 68 which feeds the burner 40. An aperture 70 is provided in the gas supply pipe 68 to permit the admixture of air with the cooking gas. If desired, a control assembly (not shown) may be provided to vary the size of the air inlet 70. 
     As illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 2, the gas supply pipe 68 is connected to a solenoid-actuated valve 72 via a conduit 75. Preferably, two cooking gas tanks 52 are provided in the lower chamber 44 and are connected to a crossover valve 73 by suitable conduits 75 and couplings 76. The crossover valve 73 automatically switches to the second tank 52 when the first tank 52 is empty. A conventional flow regulator 74 is interposed between the valve 73 and the solenoid valve 72. The solenoid-actuated valve 72 is electrically connected to a circuit board 76 which houses a hard-coded program and a timer for controlling the ignition, flow of gas, safety features and visual display, as described in some detail below. 
     A 12-volt battery 78 is mounted at the base of the lower chamber 44 of the housing and is connected, via a conventional voltage regulator or transformer 80 and conductor 81 to the control circuit 76. The battery 78 may be assisted by a solar cell 90. In the electric grill embodiment of the present invention a 120V or 220V power supply 92, for example, may replace the battery 78. 
     The hard-coded program of the control circuit 76 is preferably electrically connected to the acceptor 62 or keypad 91, a flame detector 77 mounted adjacent to the burner 40, a lid proximity switch 78 mounted on the front wall 20 and the lid 22B adjacent to the rack 28, a timer or integral clock 82 on the circuit board 76 and the battery 78 via the voltage regulator 80 and conductor 81. The circuit board 76 is also equipped with conventional switching mechanisms for controlling the flow of current from the battery 78 to the solenoid valve 72 and to an ignitor 84 adjacent to the burner 40 in response to signals from the hard-coded program. In addition, the control circuit 76 is connected to the digital display 54. 
     The control program for the present cooking grill 10 operates in the preferred manner illustrated in flow chart 4A-4B. The user lifts the lid 22 by a handle 86 thereby activating the proximity switch 78, and either places the food to be cooked on the rack 28 or waits to do so until the cooking chamber 30 has reached a suitable temperature. The user then inserts a required amount of money or tokens, or card into the acceptor/validator 62, whereupon the acceptor 62 provides a signal to the control circuit 76 which, in turn, displays the accumulated amount of money (either literally received, or received in the form of tokens or in the form of a credit or debit card) on the digital display 60. If the cover 22 is left unopened when the money is inserted, an audio alert will be emitted and a &#34;lid closed&#34; message will be presented on the display 60. If the user fails to open the lid within a selected period of time, the user&#39;s money will be returned. 
     If the lid 22 is opened prior to or shortly after inserting money, the circuit board 76 signals the solenoid valve 72 to open, and gas flows to the burner 40. Shortly thereafter, the circuit board 76 activates the ignitor 84. If the detector 77 is activated by a flame on the burner 40, a signal is sent to the circuit board 76 to turn off the ignitor 84. If no flame is detected, the ignitor and solenoid valve 72 remain open for a selected period of time, whereupon a &#34;no gas&#34; or &#34;no ignition&#34; message is presented on the display 60 and the solenoid-actuated valve 72 is closed, the user&#39;s money is returned, and the ignitor 84 is shut off. As may be readily understood, the foregoing portion of the program prevents unignited gas from continuing to flow from the tank 52 in the event that the ignitor 84 fails to create a flame at the burner 40 within a selected period of time. 
     If a flame is created at the burner 40, the flame detector 77 signals the control circuit 76 to that effect, and the control circuit turns the ignitor 84 off. The solenoid-actuated valve 72 remains open and gas continues to flow to the burner for a selected period of time which may be reset by the insertion of additional money into the acceptor 62. During the time in which a flame is present at the burner, the user can control the size of the flame and, hence, the temperature in the cooking chamber 30 by manipulating the flow control knob 56. The butterfly valve or baffle 66 is mounted in the gas pipe 68 so that the operator can, by manipulating the control knob 56, effectively restrict or open the throat of the pipe 68 to the flow of gas, without shutting the gas off entirely. While the gas is flowing and a flame is present, the user places food on the rack 28 and can close the lid 22, if desired, without extinguishing the flame, provided the vent 34 is opened. The amount of time remaining in a given cooking cycle is displayed periodically or continuously so that the user is able to gauge whether the food is properly cooked before additional money is added. Once the cooking cycle has timed out, the control program closes the solenoid actuated shut-off valve 72 and the present grill is ready to initiate the next cooking cycle upon insertion of the required amount of money. 
     The use of money receiving means other than coins or paper currency are the best means of deterring vandalism. Therefore, money receiving means should include, but not be limited to, coin, bills, token, debit card, and credit card acceptors and activation of the grill by entering an account or security code on an alphanumeric touch keypad. For example, an apartment complex may have grills installed for their tenants&#39; use, and each tenant may be assigned a unique code to enter via the touch keypad on the grill each time the tenant wishes to use a grill. Required entering of an access code would restrict unauthorized use of the grills and could also serve as a means to accomplish monthly billings for use of the grills if so desired. 
     Another preferred method of operation of the grills of the present invention is to electronically control fuel flow and cooking temperature by having the user press a high, medium, or low key, for example, on a keypad. The electronic control, depending on the keypad depressed, will preferably initiate a cycle of terminating gas flow to the burner by turning off the electrically controlled valve for a preset time interval and then restoring gas flow to the burner by opening the electrically controlled valve and turning on the igniter to re-ignite the gas, or by adjusting the electrical current to an electric cooking grid. The electronic control will continue this sequence until the user&#39;s time is expired. 
     The electric grill embodiment of the present invention preferably includes a thermostat 94, heating elements 95, and cooking grid 96, arranged in several possible configurations, one of which is shown in FIG. 5, and further described by FIG. 6. The grid 96 is controlled by the electronic control which forms a part of the acceptor 62. 
     Another primary objective of the present invention is to prevent use of a tank fueled grill when insufficient fuel remains for cooking a food completely. This is accomplished by having the electronic control calculate a minimum acceptable fuel level. When the minimum acceptable fuel level is reached, the electronic control and its operating program will automatically shut down the grill and can be programmed to display a message that the grill is out of fuel. At this point, the grill is locked out and can not be used until the tank is replenished or replaced. 
     The minimum acceptable fuel level is calculated by integrating a standardized gas storage tank with a known volume of gas, holding the gas flow rate and gas pressure constant by use of the regulator 74 to provide a known fuel level or capacity in units of time. The electronic control then calculates when the grill reaches the preset minimum acceptable fuel level by subtracting the cumulative time of operation of the electrically operated valve from the known tank fuel level or capacity in units of time by using a microprocessor in the electronic control. The electronic control is reset by service personnel each time the tank is replenished. 
     While a single preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described in some detail, the foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit unduly the spirit or gist of the invention, nor the scope of the following claims.