Patent Publication Number: US-2006016348-A1

Title: Griddle top for portable field feeding

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to equipment for field feeding large numbers of people. Specifically, a griddle top is disclosed which can be used with any portable heat source to grill food.  
      In large scale field feeding applications, such as are found in the military or in emergency disaster feeding operations, it is necessary to establish a rapidly deployable cooking device. Usually these operations are carried out in locations where there are no permanent facilities, very few utilities and only a single fuel available such as diesel. Babington Enterprises, Inc. has made a number of devices useful for field feeding including a Tray Ration Heating System described more particularly in U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,071, a multi fuel powered burner for field cooking shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,233 and a portable field sanitation unit used for cleaning cooking utensils, described more particularly in U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,487. These facilities provide for broiling, baking and boiling liquids in a field environment. The powered multi fuel burner shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,233 generates heat from diesel fuel, or any other distillate fuel, which can be installed in U.S. Army M-59 field feeding cabinet or other cooking stove. Each of the foregoing Babington Enterprises, field feeding appliances utilize a common burner, also manufactured by Babington Enterprises, which has a variable firing rate and can use any distillate fuel.  
      The multi-fuel burner for field cooking supplies heat which can be used in various cooking applications. However, a satisfactory grilling application has not been heretofore developed. The powered multi-fuel burner puts out so much heat, in the nature of 60,000 BTU, at temperatures up to 2,000°, that any standard grill top surfaces would likely warp or fracture because of the intense heat which is localized at the top of the multi-fuel burner fire box.  
      The present invention provides a grilling appliance which is both portable, and which can sustain the high temperatures which are encountered using the empowered multi-fuel burner as a heat source. Additionally, the grilling appliance has a high heat recovery rate when cooking frozen foods.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      A griddle top for a portable field feeding unit is provided having a cooking surface made from a high temperature material. A rectangular enclosure has a top surface which forms a cooking surface for the griddle. Heat from a portable heat source is directed along the underside of the top surface through an opening in the bottom of the rectangular enclosure. The side surfaces each have openings for discharging the heated air directed along the under side of the surface from the heat source. One edge of the top surface has a grease trough for accumulating grease which forms during cooking and discharging the grease trough an opening. A heat diverting mass is centrally located on the under side of the cooking surface. The diverting mass enhances the heat distribution across the under side of the cooking surface by keeping the temperature of the central portion of the cooking surface from rising significantly higher than the remaining portion of the cooking surface. The heat diverting mass also prevents warpage of the cooking surface.  
      In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a grease receptacle is located under the grease trough to catch the grease which forms during cooking. The grease trough is recessed with respect to the cooking surface and has a discharge opening where accumulating grease may flow. The receptacle supported beneath the grease trough may be a drawer which can be expeditiously emptied. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of the griddle top positioned over a multi fueled powered heat source.  
       FIG. 2  illustrates the drawer which is used to accumulate grease during cooking.  
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the griddle top.  
       FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the griddle top of  FIGS. 1-3 .  
       FIG. 5  is a section view of the griddle top of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring now to the  FIG. 1 , the griddle top  11  is supported by a plurality of integral legs  12  over a heat source  13 . Heat source  13  may be a thermostatically controlled multi-fuel powered burner as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,233. The apertured surface of the multi-fuel burner  13  firebox supplies a heat temperature of approximately 2,000° F. and 20,000-60,000 BTUs to the underside of the cooking surface  18  of griddle top  11 . Heat is diverted across the underside of cooking surface  18 , and exits through a plurality of openings  19  along the lateral surfaces  21 ,  22  and  23  of the griddle top  11 .  
      A grease trough  26  is located at one edge of the cooking surface  18  and vertically recessed from cooking surface  18 . During a cooking operation, grease accumulating along the surface of the cooking surface  18  may be pushed with a spatula or other cooking tool into the grease trough  26 .  
      A discharge opening  27  is located at one end of trough  26  which permits the cooking grease to flow into a receptacle shown as drawer  28  supported below the grease trough  26 . The drawer  28  may be emptied by pulling on the handle  29 , which pulls the drawer horizontally from its&#39; supported position under grease trough  26  permitting it to be emptied.  FIG. 2  illustrates the drawer  28  being removed from the griddle top  11  and discarding the collected grease. A vertical ridge  31  is located around the periphery of the griddle top  11  so that grease is confined to the top surface of the griddle top.  
       FIGS. 3 and 4  are a top and bottom view of the griddle top. The griddle top rectangular enclosure is opened on the bottom thereof to receive heat from the multi fueled power burner  13 . The bottom edges  21   a ,  22   a , and  23   a  of the lateral surfaces  21 - 23  of the rectangular enclosure are shown bent or curved at an acute angle with respect to the underside cooking surface  18 . This results in an improved heating efficiency with hot gases being directed back into the rectangular enclosure and away from any personnel operating the system. A heat diverting mass  32  is shown welded to the underside of top surface  18 . The heat diverting mass  32  is centrally located along the underside of cooking surface  18 , and has four sides forming a pyramid structure. The base of the pyramid structure  32   a  is welded to the underside of cooking surface  18 , and the pyramid extends along an axis perpendicular to the cooking surface  18  to a point  32   b.    
       FIG. 5  shows how during a cooking operation, heat flows vertically from the top surface of the powered multi-fuel burner firebox  13  which is generally aligned with the heat diverting mass  32 . The diverting mass  32  tends to force the heat laterally, towards the four corners of the rectangular enclosure where it exits trough openings  19 . The diversion of heat flow away from the center towards the openings  19  tends to equalize the temperature distribution across the cooking surface. This results because the center of the cooking surface, while located over the heat source, is prevented from overheating by the diverting mass avoiding a surface temperature distribution which is significantly uneven. As a result of the even temperature distribution, the stress induced in cooking surface  18  does not permanently warp the surface as well as break any welds which have been made to cooking surface  18 .  
      The griddle top in accordance with the preferred embodiment is made from a hastalloy steel, which has a high temperature resistant properties. The griddle top has a size and weight which permits it to be set up, used and stored by single individual. The griddle top has a high heat recovery when grilling large quantities of frozen food. The large heat mass of the steel rectangular enclosure and heat diverting mass maintains the temperature of the griddle top surface substantially constant under all cooking conditions.  
      The foregoing description of the invention illustrates and describes the present invention. Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes only the preferred embodiments of the invention in the context of a griddle top for portable field feeding, but, as mentioned above, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of use in various other combinations, modifications, and environments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein, commensurate with the above teachings and/or the skill or knowledge of the relevant art. The embodiments described hereinabove are further intended to explain best modes known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or other, embodiments and with the various modifications required by the particular applications or uses of the invention. Accordingly, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form or application disclosed herein. Also, it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments.