Patent Publication Number: US-2020297163-A1

Title: Grill handle

Description:
FIELD 
     This disclosure relates generally to a handle for a cover of a grilling or cooking apparatus, such as an outdoor barbecue grill. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Outdoor and indoor barbecue grills have been in residential and commercial use for many years. Fuels such as propane, natural gas, charcoal, and others are typically used to provide heat for cooking. Conventional barbecue grill products include a cooking surface with a hinged cover portion that can be positioned in a closed position over the cooking surface and in an open position to provide access to the cooking surface. The cover typically has one or more handles for use in moving the cover between the open position and the closed position. However, the handles are typically positioned on the cover in a manner that exposes a user to the heat. flame, or grease spatter from the cooking surface when opening or closing the cover because the user is forced to reach over the cooking surface to grip the handles as the cover moves to or from a fully open position. This risk can be significantly increased when a user is not tall in stature or has shorter arms. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1A , a conventional grill has a cover  10  that is positioned over a cooking surface (not shown) in base  20 . A side-shelf  16  is provided adjacent to each side of the cooking surface. Control knobs  22  are provided in a control panel  21 . Caster wheels  23  are provided to support base  20 . Handle  14  is fastened to the grill cover  10  with brackets  12  that are positioned inset from the front edges of the front surface of grill cover  10 .  FIG. 1B  shows a prior art grill having a handle  15  that spans the full width of the front surface of cover  10 , with the brackets  12  positioned directly adjacent to the front edges of the front surface of grill cover  10 .  FIG. 1C  shows a prior art grill having a curved handle  18  that is directly connected at each end thereof to the front surface of cover  10 . The positions of handles  14 ,  15 , and  18  each require a user to reach over the cooking surface when opening or closing grill cover  10 . The need to reach over the cooking surface exposes the user to heat, flames, and/or grease spatter emitted from the cooking surface. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for an improved grill handle that overcomes the problems stated above. 
     SUMMARY 
     In a first aspect, a handle for a barbeque grill cover includes a central portion adapted to be mounted to a front surface of the barbeque grill cover that has a width approximately equal to a width of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover. The handle also includes a first end portion extending from a first end of the central portion beyond a first side periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover to provide a first gripping surface that is beyond the first side periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover. 
     In one further embodiment, the handle has a second end portion extending from a second end of the central portion beyond a second side periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover to provide a second gripping surface that is beyond the second side periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover. In another further embodiment, the first end portion extends below a bottom periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover to provide an extended first gripping surface that is beyond the first side periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover and below the bottom periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover. In a still further embodiment, the second end portion extends below a bottom periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover to provide an extended second gripping surface that is beyond the second side periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover and below the bottom periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover. The first and second end portions may curved and form a u-shape. Alternatively, the first and second end portions may be curved and form a closed loop. Still further, the central portion may be straight. The central portion and the first and second end portions may be formed from one of a metal material, a durable plastic material, or a wood material. A thermally insulated material may cover the first gripping surface of the first end portion and the second gripping surface of the second end portion. 
     In a second aspect, a handle for a barbeque grill cover has a straight central portion adapted to be mounted to a rear surface of the barbeque grill cover that has a width greater than a width of the rear surface of the barbeque grill cover. The handle also has a first end portion extending forward from a first end of the central portion to a point beyond a plane formed by the front surface of the barbeque grill cover and then extending downward to form a u-shape to provide a first gripping surface at the base of the u-shape that is beyond a first side periphery of a front surface of the barbeque grill cover and below a bottom periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover. 
     In a further embodiment, the handle has a second end portion extending forward from a second end of the central portion to a point beyond a plane formed by the front surface of the barbeque grill cover and then extending downward to form a u-shape to provide a second gripping surface at the base of the u-shape that is beyond a second side periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover and below a bottom periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover. 
     In a third aspect, a handle for a barbeque grill cover has a vertical member adapted to be attached at a proximal end thereof to a side surface of the barbeque grill cover. The vertical member extends below a bottom periphery of the side surface of the barbecue grill cover. The handle also has a horizontal handle portion secured to a distal end of the vertical member. The horizontal handle portion provides a gripping surface that is beyond a side periphery of a front surface of the barbeque grill cover and below a bottom periphery of the side surface of the barbecue grill cover. 
     In a fourth aspect, a retrofit handle for a barbeque grill cover having an integral handle has a vertical member extending below a bottom periphery of a front surface of the barbecue grill cover. The retrofit handle also has a horizontal handle portion secured to a distal end of the vertical member. The horizontal handle portion provides a gripping surface that is beyond a side periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover and below the bottom periphery of the side surface of the barbecue grill cover. The retrofit handle also has a clamping mechanism for securely attaching the vertical member to the integral handle of the barbeque grill cover at a proximal end of the vertical member. 
     In one further embodiment, the clamping mechanism has a first horizontal plate securely attached to the vertical member at the proximal end thereof, a second horizontal plate adapted to be positioned between the integral handle and an exterior surface of a front surface of the barbeque grill cover, and hardware for securely fastening the first horizontal plate to the second horizontal plate. The hardware may be mating nuts and bolts. In addition, a spacer may be positioned between the first horizontal plate and the vertical member to ensure that the vertical member is positioned beyond the side periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover. 
     In another further embodiment, the clamping mechanism has a first vertical plate securely attached to the vertical member at a proximal end thereof and adapted to be positioned above or below the integral handle, a second vertical plate adapted to be positioned below or above the integral handle, and hardware for securely fastening the first vertical plate to the second vertical plate. The hardware may be mating nuts and bolts. 
     The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can be achieved independently in various embodiments or may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following detailed description, is given by way of example and not intended to limit the present disclosure solely thereto, will best be understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C  are each diagrams showing a perspective view of three different versions of conventional grills; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a perspective view of a first embodiment of a grill handle according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram showing a perspective view of a second embodiment of a grill handle according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4A  is a diagram showing a perspective view of a third embodiment of a grill handle according to the present disclosure, and  FIG. 4B  is a diagram showing a rear view of the third embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram showing a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a grill handle according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6A  is a diagram showing a front view of a fifth embodiment of a grill handle according to the present disclosure, and  FIG. 6B  is a diagram showing a side view of the fifth embodiment; 
         FIG. 7A  is a diagram showing a front view of a sixth embodiment of a grill handle according to the present disclosure,  FIG. 7B  is a side view of the sixth embodiment, FIG.  7 C is a top view of the sixth embodiment, and  FIG. 7D  is a diagram showing an enlarged detail of top plate of the sixth embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the present disclosure, like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the drawings, which illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments illustrated below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. These embodiments are chosen and described to best explain the principle of the disclosure and its application and practical use and to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure. 
     The embodiments of the grill handle of the present disclosure are intended to either be incorporated into a new grill product, or be retrofit onto existing products. All of the embodiments feature a grill handle which includes a handle portion which extends beyond the front outside edge (or edges) of the front surface of the cover and below the lower edge of the front surface of the cover in order to make the cover easier and safer to use. When the grill handle includes a handle portion in this manner, the user is able to open and close the cover without any exposure to the cooking surface. The handle and associated parts are preferably made from a metal (e.g., stainless steel), and may also include portions formed from a durable thermoplastic material or wood. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , in a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a grill cover  10  includes a handle  250  coupled to grill cover  10  via brackets  252 . Handle  250  preferably includes a central (preferably straight) portion  256  and two end portions  254  which are each curved into a sideways u-shape and extend beyond the respective front edge of the front surface of grill cover  10  (i.e., outside of the plane of the cooking surface) and preferably below the plane of the horizontal surface of the grill cooking surface when grill cover  10  is in a closed position over the cooking surface. The central portion  256  is approximately equal to a width of the front surface of grill cover  10  and each of the two end portions  254  extend beyond the respective side periphery of the front surface of grill cover  10  defined by the width and, preferably, also extend below the lower front edge (bottom periphery) of the front surface of grill cover  10 . By relocating the gripping surface of handle  250  to a position outside (i.e., outside of the side periphery of the front surface of grill cover  10 ) and, preferably, below the plane of the cooking surface (i.e., below the bottom periphery of the front surface of grill cover  10 ) when the grill cover is in the closed position, a user is able to avoid reaching over the heated cooking surface then opening and closing the grill cover  10 . The formation of end portions  254  into a u-shape avoids any sharp edges that could be a risk to the operator or others in the vicinity of the grill. The end tip portions  258  of the handle  250  are preferably angled slightly inwards towards the grill cover  10  to avoid catching clothing or other items during use. In a further embodiment, the gripping portions of the end portions  254  may be covered with (or formed from) a thermally insulated material in order to protect the user from excessive heat during use. Although two end portions  254  are shown in  FIG. 2 , in some cases only one end portion  254  may be required and the other end may simply be terminated close to but beyond the associated bracket  252 . Furthermore, in some cases each end portion  254  of handle  250  may only need to extend beyond the outside edge of the front panel of cover  10  to provide acceptable usage. 
     A second embodiment of the grill handle of the present disclosure is shown in  FIG. 3 . In particular, grill handle  350  is coupled to grill cover  10  via brackets  352  and preferably includes a central (preferably straight) portion  356  and two curved end portions  354 . Here, however, the curved end portions  358  form a closed loop (or nearly closed loop) so that each end tip portion  358  is closely adjacent to a portion of a portion of respective end portion  354  beyond the respective side periphery of the front surface of grill cover  10 . Since a bottom portion of each closed loop curved end portion  358  is beyond the respective side periphery of the front surface of grill cover  10  and below the bottom periphery of the front surface of grill cover  10 , a gripping surface is provided that ensures that a user is able to avoid reaching over the heated cooking surface when opening and closing the grill cover  10 . The closed loop nature of the curved end portions  358  of grill handle  350  ensures that there are no edges available to catch on clothing or other items. A further embodiment may be provided in which the gripping portions of the curved end portions  354  are covered with (or formed from) a thermally insulated material in order to protect the user from excessive heat during use. 
     A third embodiment of a grill handle  450  is shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B . Grill handle  450  is coupled to the grill cover  10  via brackets  452  on side portions of the grill cover  10  and brackets  453  on a rear portion of cover  10  (via a straight central portion  457 ). Grill handle  450  also preferably has two curved members  458  and  459  each providing a gripping surface to the side of and lower than the plane of the grilling surface. In some cases, one of the two curved members  458  and  459  may be omitted. The straight central portion  457  is adapted to be mounted to a rear surface of the barbeque grill cover and has a width greater than a width of the rear surface of the barbeque grill cover. Each end portion  458 ,  459  extends forward from a first end of the central portion  457  to a point beyond a plane formed by the front surface of the barbeque grill cover  10  and then extends downward to form a u-shape to provide a respective gripping surface at the base of the u-shape that is beyond a first side periphery of a front surface of the barbeque grill cover  10  and below a bottom periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover  10 . Each end portion  455  is positioned to terminate at associated bracket  452  in order to avoid catching clothing or other items. Central portion  457  is coupled to the rear portion of cover  10  via brackets  453 . Central portion  457  is preferably elevated above the height of bracket  452  to ensure that handle  450  does not interfere with items which may be placed on the side shelves. Given that the gripping surfaces provided by curved members  458  and  459  are outside of the respective side periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover  10  and below a bottom periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover  10  (i.e., outside of and below the plane of the grill cooking surface), a user can open and close the cover  10  without being exposed to the cooking surface. A further embodiment may be provided in which the gripping portions of the curved members  458 ,  459  are covered with (or formed from) a thermally insulated material in order to protect the user from excessive heat during use. 
     A fourth embodiment of a grill handle is shown in  FIG. 5  which preferably includes two separate grill handles  550 , each coupled to a respective side portion of cover  10 . In some situations, only one grill handle  550  may be required. Each grill handle  550  consists of a vertical member  560  having a horizontal handle portion  538  coupled thereto at a first (distal) end thereof. Each vertical member  560  is adapted to be attached at a proximal end thereof to a side surface of the barbeque grill cover  10 . Vertical member  560  has a length so that the distal end thereof extends below a bottom periphery of the side surface of the barbecue grill cover  10 . Horizontal handle portion  538  is secured to the distal end of vertical member  560 . Horizontal handle portion  538  provides a gripping surface that is beyond a side periphery of a front surface of the barbeque grill cover  10  and below a bottom periphery of the side surface of the barbecue grill cover  10 . Each vertical member  560  is preferably coupled to two separate brackets  525  at the second (proximal) end thereof and is positioned in a vertical or near vertical position. In this embodiment, each side shelf  562 ,  563  is modified with a respective cut-out  564 ,  565  to allow the horizontal handle portion  538  to be positioned below the plane of the cooking surface when cover  10  is closed (which is approximately planar to the upper surface of each side shelf  563 ,  563 ) and preferably recessed under associated side shelf  563 ,  565  when cover  10  is a closed position. Since each horizontal handle portion  538  is outside of and below the plane of the cooking surface when the cover  10  is closed, a user can open and close cover  10  without being exposed to the cooking surface. A further embodiment may be provided in which each horizontal handle portion  538  is covered with (or formed from) a thermally insulated material in order to protect the user from excessive heat during use. 
     The present disclosure is also addressed to embodiments of a retrofit grill handle for a barbeque grill cover. The retrofit grill handle is adapted to be attached to a barbeque grill cover having an integral handle. The retrofit grill handle has a vertical member extending below a bottom periphery of a front surface of the barbecue grill cover, a horizontal handle portion secured to a distal end of the vertical member which provides a gripping surface that is beyond a side periphery of the front surface of the barbeque grill cover and below the bottom periphery of the side surface of the barbecue grill cover, and a clamping mechanism for securely attaching the vertical member to the integral handle of the barbeque grill cover at a proximal end of the vertical member. 
     A fifth embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B  which includes a retrofit grill handle  660  that is adapted to be attached to a conventional grill handle  14  (as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B ). Grill handle  660  includes a vertical member  636 , a handle  638  mounted at a distal end of vertical member  636 , an optional spacer  634 , and a clamp mechanism  640  mounted to a proximal end of vertical member  636  (either directly or via spacer  634 ). Vertical member  636  may be slightly curved, as shown in  FIG. 6B , in order to provide a more ergonomic solution, but in some cases may be completely straight. Spacer  634  is provided when bracket  12  is positioned away from the edge of front panel of grill cover  10  and is sized to ensure that handle  638  is positioned outside of and below the plane of the cooking surface when cover  10  is closed. Clamp mechanism  640  securely holds grill handle  660  to handle  14 /bracket  12 . Clamp mechanism  640  includes a first horizontal plate  632 , a second horizontal plate  630 , and securing hardware  650  (e.g., paired nuts and bolts) used to hold first horizontal plate  632  to second horizontal plate  630 . Since handle  638  is positioned outside of and below the plane of the cooking surface when the cover  10  is closed, a user can open and close cover  10  without being exposed to the cooking surface. A further embodiment may be provided in which handle  638  is covered with (or formed from) a thermally insulated material in order to protect the user from excessive heat during use. 
     A sixth embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in  FIGS. 7A-7D  which includes a retrofit grill handle  780  that is adapted to be attached to a conventional grill handle  18  (as shown in  FIG. 1C ). Grill handle  780  includes a vertical member  736 , a handle  738  mounted at a distal end of vertical member  736 , and a clamp mechanism  760  mounted to a proximal end of vertical member  736 . Vertical member  736  may be slightly curved, as shown in  FIG. 7B , in order to provide a more ergonomic solution, but in some cases may be completely straight. Clamp mechanism  760  securely holds grill handle  780  to handle  18 /bracket  12 . Clamp mechanism  760  preferably includes a first vertical plate  740 , a second vertical plate  742 , and securing hardware  750  (e.g., paired nuts and bolts) used to hold first vertical plate  740  to second vertical plate  742 . Upper vertical plate  740  is directly and fixedly (e.g., by welding or permanent adhesive, depending on the material composition of upper vertical plate  740  and vertical member) attached to vertical member  736 . Lower vertical plate  742  is separate from vertical member  736  and can move vertically during the installation process to accommodate different cross sectional thicknesses for handles  18 . In some cases it may be desirable to alternatively make lower vertical plate  742  fixed to handle  738  and upper vertical plate  740  separate. Since handle  738  is positioned outside of and below the plane of the cooking surface when the cover  10  is closed, a user can open and close cover  10  without being exposed to the cooking surface. A further embodiment may be provided in which handle  738  is covered with (or formed from) a thermally insulated material in order to protect the user from excessive heat during use. Spacers  746  may also be provided between the front surface of cover  10  and plates  740 ,  742  to avoid excessive heating of retrofit grill handle  780 . Spacers  746  may be an insulated material such as a ceramic or heat-resistant plastic, or they may be a metal. Spacers  746  reduce the surface area of grill handle  780  in direct contact with the grill cover  10 , thereby reducing any heat transfer from cover  10  to grill handle  780 . 
     To provide flexibility in attaching grill handle  780  to existing grills, a plurality of holes  751  are located strategically in plates  740  and  742  to ensure that bolts  750  may be positioned within certain of the holes  751  to securely hold grill handle  780  to the existing handle  18 . This is shown in  FIGS. 7C and 7D  where three bolts  750  are shown installed in holes not shown and with a number of holes  751  not used. In other applications (e.g., a grill having a handle  18  with a different diameter), bolts  750  may be installed in different positions. Preferably, two or more bolts  750  are installed interior to a space between grill cover  10  and handle  18 , and one or more bolts  750  are installed exterior to that space in order to provide an even distribution of pressure on the existing handle  18  and to constrain any freedom of movement of grill handle  780  should any of the bolts  750  become loose. As evident, the same hole pattern is used for the two vertical plate  740 ,  742  so that the mating holes for a particular bolt  750  are vertically aligned. Note that there are alternate methods of achieving the design goal of clamping securely to the existing (prior art) grill handles. For example, bushings of various external diameters could be installed on the bolts ( 50 ) and fewer holes provided. 
     Although the present disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments and various aspects thereof, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. It is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including the embodiments described herein, the alternatives mentioned above, and all equivalents thereto.