Abstract:
Grill brushes and methods of use thereof are disclosed. A representative grill brush includes a cleaning head. The cleaning head includes an abrasive pad and a plurality of bristles on a bottom side of the cleaning head. The plurality of bristles extends through the abrasive pad.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application claims priority to copending U.S. provisional application entitled, “DUAL CLEANING ACTION BARBECUE GRILL BRUSH,” having Ser. No. 60/296,050, filed Jun. 05, 2001, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0002]    The present invention is generally related to a barbecue grill brush and, more particularly, is related to a dual action grill brush.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The outdoor barbecue has become very popular in modem society and it is used daily, throughout the world, for preparation of a variety of meals. In general, the typical barbecue utilizes gas or burning charcoal to heat a grill to cooking temperatures.  
           [0004]    Frequently, after food has been cooked, a charred, sometimes greasy residue remains on the grill surface. Often, the residue is left on the grill only to be removed at the next time the barbecue is to be used. Removal of such residue is desirable, not only for aesthetic reasons, but also because some evidence suggests that, at least in some cases, its ingestion may be injurious to health. Thus, it has been recognized that it is desirable to have a technique for cleaning barbecue grills efficiently and effectively.  
           [0005]    In some cases, a barbecue grill may be cleaned relatively easily shortly after the food has been cooked and while the grill is still hot. Generally, however, cleaning does not take place at this time since the emphasis is on enjoyment of the barbecued food, not on housekeeping. Thus, the task of grill cleaning is postponed and the grill residue hardens and adheres tenaciously to the grill grate. This, of course, makes the cleaning job more difficult prior to the next use.  
           [0006]    Hand-held brushes for removing cooked-on meat, vegetable matter, grease, oils, and the like from barbecue grills have been developed in convenient and efficient forms. A wide variety of barbecue grill brushes are available that include a one-piece hard plastic body. One end serves as a hand-grip, while the other end has a brush and/or scraper. Generally, from the hand-grip, the piece narrows slightly in width and angles downward forming an intermediate section. From the intermediate section, the piece terminates in a flat, wide rectangular cleaning head section. Anchored to the underside of the head section are rows of bristles or alternatively a scrubbing pad. In addition, a scraper may be embedded in and extending from the end of the cleaning head, which can be a thin, flat, narrow piece of steel. These features enable the user to scrape or brush off cooked-on food matter. Often the intermediate section is angled such that the head section is disposed below the hand-grip. This design feature increases clearance between the user&#39;s hand and the grill to prevent the user&#39;s hand from contacting the hot grill surface.  
           [0007]    Other styles of barbecue grill brushes are available. They vary in size, shape, and materials of construction. Some are equipped with various types of scrapers and the handles vary in length. To various degrees of success, all styles of barbecue grill brushes somewhat accomplish the task of cleaning grill surfaces. However, using only the bristles and the scraper to clean the grill grate is often inadequate because a residue, such as pieces of food and grease, is still present on the grill grate. In order to clean the residue off the grill grate, a separate scrubber must be purchased and used to clean the grill grate, which is inconvenient and costly. Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
           [0008]    Briefly described, the present invention provides for grill brushes and methods of use thereof. A representative grill brush includes a cleaning head. The cleaning head includes an abrasive pad and a plurality of bristles on a bottom side of the cleaning head. The plurality of bristles extends through the abrasive pad.  
           [0009]    As indicated above, the present invention provides methods of using grill brushes. A representative method of removing a material adhered to a grill grate includes: contacting a grill brush with a first portion of the grill grate having the material disposed thereon, wherein the grill brush includes a cleaning head having an abrasive pad and a plurality of bristles on a bottom side of the cleaning head, wherein the plurality of bristles extends through the abrasive pad, and wherein the abrasive pad and the plurality of bristles engage the first portion of the grill grate; applying pressure to the grill brush in a downward direction, wherein the plurality of bristles contacts the top and side of the grill grate, and wherein the abrasive pad contacts the top of the grill grate; pushing the grill brush in a forward direction and in a backward direction until the material is substantially removed from the first portion of the grill grate.  
           [0010]    Other methods, features, and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1A is a side view of a dual action barbecue grill brush.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1B is a side view of a dual action barbecue grill brush having the cleaning head removed. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]    An embodiment of the present invention provides for a dual cleaning action barbecue grill brush for cleaning grill grates. The dual cleaning action barbecue grill brush includes, among other things, a handle, a cleaning head, an abrasive pad, a plurality of bristles, and a scraper. In addition, the cleaning head can be replaced by removing it and installing another cleaning head onto the handle of the barbecue grill brush. An advantage of the present invention is that only one brush is needed to clean a grill grate. The plurality of bristles function to remove the burnt on food material from the top and sides of the cooking grate, while at the same time the abrasive pad functions to remove grease and the remaining residue. Therefore, the cost of cleaning a grill grate is reduced since only one brush is needed to accomplish dual cleaning action. In addition, the time and energy required to clean the grill grate is reduced because the burnt food material and grease, residue, etc. are removed by the plurality of bristles and the abrasive pad in one combined operation.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1A illustrates a representative dual cleaning action barbecue grill brush  10  that includes a handle  20 , a removable cleaning head  30 , an abrasive pad  40 , and a plurality of bristles  50 . The bottom surface of the handle  20  is capable of securely engaging the cleaning head  30  by mechanisms known in the art that function to securely attach the handle  20  to the cleaning head  30 . As indicated above, the cleaning head  30  can be releaseably engaged to the handle  20 , so that the cleaning head can be replaced if necessary, as shown in FIG. 1B. Attached to the bottom surface of the cleaning head  30  is an abrasive pad  40  and the plurality of bristles  50 . The abrasive pad  40  can be attached to the cleaning head  30  using an adhesive material or other attachment mechanism that functions to securely attach the abrasive pad  40  to the cleaning head  30 . The abrasive pad  40  functions to remove grease, residue, and other material that the plurality of bristles  50  do not remove. The abrasive pad  40  may be made of any cleaning medium that is capable of removing grease, residue, and other materials. The abrasive pad  40  may include fibrous or foam materials that are well known in the scrubbing and cleaning arts. Non-limiting examples include, but are not limited to, a fibrous metal or plastic pad formed of any appropriate material such as aluminum or nylon, a pad made of a pumice type material, a sponge pad, etc.  
         [0016]    A plurality of bristles  50  is also attached to the bottom surface of the cleaning head  30 . The plurality of bristles  50  extends through the abrasive pad  40  a pre-determined distance. The pre-determined distance can be defined as the distance where the plurality of bristles  50  are capable of functioning to substantially clean a particular grill grate. Therefore, the pre-determined distance that the plurality of bristles  50  need to extend can vary depending upon the type of grill grate that is being cleaned. Thus, various pre-determined distances are possible and are included within the scope of the embodiments of the present invention. The plurality of bristles  50  can be made of any material that is capable of substantially removing burnt-on food and vegetable matter from a grill grate. In contrast to prior art grill brushes, the dual cleaning action barbecue grill brush  10  spaces the bristles to accommodate the abrasive pad and also to allow the bristles to extend between the wires or ribs of the cooking grate. Non-limiting examples of material that the plurality of bristles  50  can be made of include, but are not limited to, metal, metal composite, plastic, etc.  
         [0017]    The dual cleaning action barbecue grill brush  10  is capable of being used to substantially remove material (i.e., food and grease residue) from a grill grate by placing the plurality of bristles  50  and abrasive pad  40  of the barbecue grill brush  10  onto a portion of the grill grate. Pressure is applied to the barbecue grill brush  10  in the downward direction. Thereafter, the brush  10  is pushed forward and backward until the material is substantially removed from the grill grate. The process is repeated for the entire grill grate. The present barbecue grill brush  10  works synergistically in that the bristles  50  engage the top and sides of the wires or ribs of the cooking grate as the bristles  50  are forced through the wires or ribs of the grate during the cleaning operation. The abrasive pad  40  further engages the upper surfaces of the wires or ribs of the cooking grate to enhance and complete the cleaning operation. As noted hereinabove, if necessary the cleaning head  30  can be removed and replaced with a new cleaning head  30 , as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1B, in a manner known in the art.  
         [0018]    Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) of the invention without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the invention. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the present invention.