Patent Publication Number: US-2007101986-A1

Title: Grease Receptor

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60/732,921 filed on Nov. 2, 2005. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Commercial kitchens, such as in restaurants and fast food outlets, frequently have a ventilation hood over stoves, grills, broilers and the like for collecting and exhausting the smoke and fumes generated by cooking processes. Hot grease-laden air rises into the hood, and is drawn into a duct by means of a motor driven blower mounted on the kitchen roof or adjacent area. The contaminated air is exhausted to the outdoors.  
      A frequent problem with many kitchen exhaust units is the excessive accumulation of solid or semi-solid grease on various parts of the exhaust blower unit and on the adjacent roof and surrounding surface. This creates a significant fire hazard and also damages the roof over time. Also, rain water that flows off the roof is contaminated with the grease and gets into the gutters and soil.  
      Thus, one aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for collecting and containing airborne grease from an exhaust unit. Another aspect of the present invention enables proper disposal of the grease so that it does not accumulate on the roof or surface adjacent to the exhaust unit. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
      The present invention is better understood by a reading of the Detailed Description of the Invention along with a review of the drawing, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of the grease receptor according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a schematic view of an exhaust unit connected to a grease receptor according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      As shown in the Figures, the grease receptor  10  has a housing  14  with a removable tray  16  disposed therein. The removable tray  16  fits within the housing  14 , such as in a sliding engagement. In one aspect of the present invention, the housing  14  is waterproof and airtight when the tray  16  is disposed within the housing  14 . In another aspect of the invention, the tray  16  slides out of only one side of the housing  14  and a handle  24  is provided to enable the user to easily pull the tray  16  out of the housing  14 . In an additional aspect of the present invention, the tray  16  is almost as wide and deep as the housing  16  to maximize the amount of grease that may be collected in the tray  16 .  
      The receptor  10  also includes a drain tube  12  that communicates with the existing pipe  26  of an exhaust unit  22 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . A sleeve adaptor (not shown) may be provided to connect the exhaust unit&#39;s pipe  26  to the drain tube  12 . The bottom of the drain tube  12  is connected to the housing  14 .  
      During operation, grease from the exhaust unit  22  drips into the pipe  26  and then flows through the drain tube  12  into the housing  14  and collects in the tray  16 . A gauge  18  is provided on the housing  14  that indicates the quantity of grease that has collected in the tray  16 . When the tray  16  becomes full with grease, the user removes the tray  16  from the housing  14  to appropriately discard the grease. The grease receptor  10  also includes an automatic shut-off valve  20  that is provided on at base of the drain tube  12 . When the tray  16  is removed from the housing  14 , the shut-off valve  20 , which is a hinged flip/slide valve controlled by a spring according to one aspect of the present invention, automatically cuts off the flow of grease from the drain tube  12  into the housing  14 .  
      The grease receptor  10 , as described above, enables the efficient collection and containment of grease from exhaust units, particularly, roof-top exhaust units. The receptor also enables the user to properly discard of the collected grease.  
      Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. For example, the grease receptor  12  is not limited to being manufactured in any particular material, however, materials such as metals and plastics are suitable for the drain tube  12 , housing  14 , and tray  16 . All such modifications and improvements of the present invention have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the following claims.