Patent Publication Number: US-2004055590-A1

Title: Barbeque apparatus

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for barbequing food items, preferably outside barbecues, and, more specifically to a barbeque including a grill structure which is manually moveable toward and away from a heat source which may be housed in a container included in the barbeque.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002] Barbeques for cooking food items come in many shapes and sizes. Commonly, outside barbeques include a container or base structure for supporting or containing a heat source such as wood, charcoal or a gas or electric burner. Located above the container is a horizontal grill structure for supporting food items to be cooked by heat from the heat source.  
       [0003] Custom cooking of food items on such barbeques to the taste of different persons is always a challenge. For, example, some like their meat “rare”, others “medium” and still others “well done”. Since the grill structures associated with such barbeques are not readily moveable, the cook for such food items has limited options when it comes to such custom cooking. The cook can physically move the food items on the grill closer and further away from the heat source. However, such movement options are limited due to the proximity of the heat source to the food items. Also, it is very difficult to simultaneously cook food items to the different (e.g. “rare” to “well done”) preferences of others.  
       [0004] Usually this results in the cook controlling the cooking times in an attempt to differentiate between “rare” to “well done” food items. Unfortunately, such cooking time control does not allow for near simultaneous serving of food items, requires the constant attention of the cook and at best is a catch-as-catch-can proposition.  
       [0005] Accordingly, there is a need for a barbeque which is capable of simultaneously cooking different food items to different preferences (“rare” to “well done”). The barbeque of the present invention satisfies such needs by providing a grill structure that is easily moveable relative to the heat source contained in the barbeque.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006] In a basic form, the barbeque of the present invention comprises a heat source container having an open top and a grill structure supported to extend horizontally over the open top of the container. The support for the grill includes structure that allows the grill to be easily moved by a cook away from and toward the container to control the amount of heat that different portions of the grill and food items located thereon are exposed. Such movement of the grill may be in horizontal and well as vertical planes as desired by the cook to control the degree to which different food items are simultaneous cooked. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
     [0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a barbeque according to the present invention with a grill structure pivoted over a top of a heat source container.  
     [0008]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the barbeque of FIG. 1 with the grill structure pivoted away from the heat source container.  
     [0009]FIG. 3 is a side view of the heat source container included in the barbeque of FIG. 1 having a heat shield around the container.  
     [0010]FIG. 4 is a top view of the grill structure for the barbeque of FIG. 1.  
     [0011]FIG. 5 is side view of the grill structure of FIG. 4.  
     [0012]FIG. 6 is a partial side view of a pivot structure for the grill structure of the barbeque of FIG. 1.  
     [0013]FIG. 7 is a partial side sectional view of a releasable locking mechanism for the grill structure of the barbeque of FIG. 1.  
     [0014]FIG. 8 is a partial side view of an alternate grill locking mechanism for the barbeque of FIG. 1.  
     [0015]FIG. 9 is a top view of the heat source container and heat shield of FIG. 1 illustrating radial supports extending inward from the container for supporting either or both a charcoal or wood supporting grid in the container adjacent a top or bottom thereof. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION  
     [0016] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a basic form of the present invention is illustrated comprising a barbeque apparatus  10 . The apparatus comprises a heat source container  12  having an open top  14 . Preferably, the container  12  comprises a vertically extending open metal cylinder having a plurality of lower side air vents  13  surrounded by a screen-like vertically extending tubular heat screen or shield  16  which is supported by radial arms  18  extending outwardly from the metal cylinder.  
     [0017] In addition to the heat source container  12  and heat shield  16 , the barbeque  10  shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a grill structure  20  supported by a support structure  22 . Generally speaking, the support structure  22  supports the grill structure  20  so as to extend over the open top  14  of the container  12  and for horizontal as well as vertical movement away from and toward the container between user selectable and releasably lockable positions to control the amount of heat from a heat source (not shown) in the container reaching different portions of the grill. A variety of heat sources may be housed within the container  12  including without limitation wood, charcoal and electric and gas heat sources.  
     [0018] In the barbeque  10  shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support structure  22  includes a pivot structure  24  for swinging the grill structure  24  away from and towards the container  12  about a vertical axis  26 .  
     [0019] Where as shown, the container  12  comprises a vertically extending metal cylinder and the illustrated grill structure  20  comprises a grid  28  extending horizontally within a circular metal rim  30  and supported by a horizontal diametric support rod  32  and rectangular framework  34 , the pivot structure  24  comprises (1) a vertically extending sleeve  36  secured to an inner surface of the heat shield  16  and relative to the container  12  and (2) a vertically extending rod  38  secured to extending downwardly from the horizontal grill support rod  32  into the sleeve  36  to support the grill structure for horizontal swinging movement over the open top  14  of the cylinder  12 . In particular, such horizontal swinging movement is effected by a user grasping a heat insulated handle  40  extending outward from the horizontal support rod  32  and secured to the vertical rod  38  for turning the rod  38  in the sleeve  36  to swing the grill  20  over the open top  14  of the cylinder  12 .  
     [0020] Preferably, the pivot structure  24  includes releasable locking means  42  for securing the grill over the open top  14  of the cylinder  12 . Such locking means may take a variety of forms and may be utilized in combination or separate from means  44  for adjusting the vertical height of the grill structure  20  above the heat source container  12 .  
     [0021] In the embodiment of the releasable locking means  42  shown in FIG. 6, the releasable locking means includes a cam surface  46  on the sleeve  36  and a cam follower  48  on the rod  38  for riding on the cam surface. Specifically in FIG. 6, the cam follower  48  comprises a removable metal pin  50  extending horizontally from the rod  38  to ride on the cam surface  46  on a top of the sleeve  36 . In the illustrated version, the cam surface  46  comprises a horizontal top of the sleeve having diametrically opposing slots  52  into which the pin  50  will ride upon a turning of the handle  40  to position the grill  20  directly over the open top  14  of the cylinder  12  thereby releasably locking the grill in place. When it is desired to release the means  42  and swing the grill  20  to a different location relative to the cylinder  12 , the user lifts up on the handle  40  and grill  20  to release the pin from the slots  52  and swings the grill about the axis  26 .  
     [0022] Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the rod  38  includes a plurality of vertically spaced horizontally extending holes  54  and  56  for selectively receiving the pin  50  to provide vertical adjustment of the height of the grill  20  above the open top  14  of the cylinder  12 . In these regards, the metal pin  50  may be a conventional spring wire retained removable metal pin which is easily removable from one of the holes  54 ,  56  for selective and releasable placement in the other to adjust the height of the grill over the open top  14  of the cylinder  12 .  
     [0023] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the releasable locking means  42  may comprise a locking cam member  58 . As shown, the cam member  58  is carried by and turnable on a pivot  60  secured to the sleeve  36  so as to selectively engage and lock against an outer surface of the rod  38 . In this manner, the cam member  58  will releasably secure the rod  38  within the sleeve  36  and the grill structure  20  relative to the container  12 . Specifically, as shown, the cam member  58  extends from a handle  62  and is supported for turning in a vertical plane on the pivot  60  which extends between two support arms  64  (only one of which is shown). Thus supported, a nose portion  66  of the cam member  58  extends through a side opening  68  in the sleeve  36  to engage and releasably lock against the rod  38  with a downward movement of the handle  62 . By selective operation of the cam member  58  both the vertical height and rotational position of the grill  20  over the cylinder  12  may be controlled.  
     [0024] Still further, as shown in FIG. 8, the sleeve  36  may include an internally threaded portion  70  engaging an externally threaded portion  72  of the rod  38  whereby a turning of the rod relative to the sleeve moves the grill structure vertically relative to the heat source container. Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, the releasable means  42  includes a locking nut  74  on the rod for engaging and locking the rod relative to the sleeve to selectively secure the grill in place over or away from the container  12 .  
     [0025] While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described hereinabove, it should be appreciated that changes and modifications may be made in the described embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention.  
     [0026] For example, as previously stated, a variety of different heat sources may be housed within the container  12 , e.g wood or charcoal. FIG. 9 depicts a number of radially extending horizontal support rods or arms  76  secured to and extending inward from an inner surface of the metal cylinder  12  and supporting a grid structure  78  (partially shown). The vertical location of the arms  76  may be preselected depending upon whether they are to only support the grid  78  adjacent the open top  14  of the cylinder  12  to provide support for charcoal or only adjacent a lower end of the cylinder so that the grid will support wood, or both.  
     [0027] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, an upper edge of the cylinder  12  may include a series of circumferentially spaced slots  80  for supporting skewers or other food supporting utensils.  
     [0028] Accordingly, the present invention is to be limited in its scope only by the following claims.