Patent Publication Number: US-2007101869-A1

Title: Portable rotisserie oven having a removable food holding device with an external handle

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The invention relates generally to portable cooking and heating devices, and more particularly to a portable rotisserie oven having a removable food holding device with an external handle.  
     DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
      Rotisserie cooking devices are used for cooking food articles such as meats and vegetables. Rotisserie cooking devices allow the food articles to be slowly cooked while the grease or fat is being drained off the food articles. Generally, the food articles are inserted through a front door and placed on a spit for cooking. The front door is closed to allow the food to be cooked. The food articles rotates on the spit while grease or fat is drained off.  
      Several drawbacks of conventional rotisserie cooking devices include difficulty in cleaning, difficulty in inserting and removing food articles, difficulty in moving and lack of ability to view the food articles as the food is being cooked.  
      Thus, it should be appreciated that there is a need for a portable rotisserie oven having a removable food holding device with an external handle. The invention fulfills these needs as well as others.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In particular, and by way of example only, one embodiment of the invention is a rotisserie oven including a housing defining a cavity and having a slot, a heating element positioned within the cavity, a removable food holding device for holding food, and an external handle connected to the removable food holding device and positioned to fit through the slot when the removable food holding device is positioned within the cavity.  
      One embodiment of the invention is a rotisserie oven including a housing having a plurality of removable walls defining a cavity and having a slot, a heating element positioned within the cavity, a skewer for holding food, and an external handle connected to the skewer and positioned to fit through the slot when the skewer is positioned within the cavity.  
      One embodiment of the invention is a rotisserie oven including a housing having a plurality of removable walls defining a cavity and having a slot, a heating element positioned within the cavity, a basket for holding food, and an external handle connected to the basket and positioned to fit through the slot when the basket is positioned within the cavity.  
      These and other features and advantages of the embodiments of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a rotisserie oven having a housing defining a cavity for receiving a removable food holding device according to an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a front view of the rotisserie oven of  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a top view of the rotisserie oven of  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the rotisserie oven of  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional front view of the rotisserie oven of  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the rotisserie oven of  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIGS. 7 and 8  are perspective views of the removable food holding device, the external handle and the slot cover according to an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIGS. 9A, 9B  and  9 C are perspective views of a removable food holding device that includes a plurality of skewers and a cap according to an embodiment of the invention;  
       FIGS. 10A, 10B  and  10 C are perspective views of a removable food holding device that includes a sealed cylindrical basket and a cap for closing one end of the basket according to an embodiment of the invention; and  
       FIGS. 11A, 11B  and  11 C are perspective views of a removable food holding device that includes a meshed cylindrical basket and a cap for closing one end of the basket according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Devices and methods that implement the embodiments of the various features of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” is intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least an embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used to indicate correspondence between referenced elements. In addition, the first digit of each reference number indicates the figure in which the element first appears.  
      Referring now more particularly to the drawings,  FIGS. 1-4  are perspective, front, top and side views respectively of a rotisserie oven  100  having a housing  105  defining a cavity  110  for receiving a removable food holding device  115 . The removable food holding device  115  may be a basket, a skewer or any other device capable of holding or securing food. Food may be placed on or in the removable food holding device  115 . The removable food holding device  115  has a first end  116  and a second end  117 . The first end  116  is connected to an external handle  120  for making the rotisserie oven  100  much easier and safer to use. The second end  117  is connected to a motor (not shown) that is located in the housing  105  and that is used to rotate the removable food holding device  115  when it is positioned in the cavity  110 . In one embodiment, the external handle  120  has a length of about 120 millimeters (mm). The removable food holding device  115  and the external handle  120  are washable and dishwasher safe.  
      The rotisserie over  100  may include a top cover  125  with a handle  130  that can be opened to allow the removable food holding device  115  to be inserted into and removed from the cavity  110 . During cooking or heating of the food, the removable food holding device  115  may be placed in the cavity  110  and the top cover  125  may then be closed to retain the heat within the cavity  110 . The top cover  125  can be made of a see-through material (e.g., glass) to allow a user to view the food while it is being cooked or heated. The top cover  125  is removable, washable and dishwasher safe.  
      The housing  105  may be formed in the shape of a rectangle and has a front portion  135 , a rear portion  140 , a left portion  145 , and a right portion  150 . In one embodiment, the housing  105  may have a length L of about 376 mm, a width W of about 160 mm, and a height H of about 170 mm. The rotisserie oven  100  may include a timer knob  155  to control the amount of time the heating elements (shown in Figure ) located inside the cavity  110  are operating. The timer knob  155  may be positioned on the left portion  145  of the housing  105 .  
      The left portion  145  of the housing  105  may include a slot  160  positioned above the timer knob  155 . The slot  160  may be a U-shaped slot, a V-shaped slot or any other shaped slot capable of receiving the external handle  120 . The external handle  120  protrudes through the slot  160  and is located outside the cavity  110 . Hence, a user may remove the removable food holding device  115  by grabbing the external handle  120  without a glove (if desired) and lifting straight up. Because the external handle  120  is located outside the cavity  110 , it is not subject to heating like the removable food holding device  115 . The external handle  120  may be made of an insulating material so that it does not heat up and may be covered with a gripable material  162  such as rubber to provide a non-slip surface.  
      A slot cover  165  may be attached to the external handle  120  and positioned to cover the slot  160  when the removable food holding device  155  is located within the cavity  110 . The slot cover  165  is generally formed in the shape of the slot  160  so that the heat within the cavity  110  does not escape through the slot  160 . The slot cover  165  may be made of a metallic material (e.g., aluminum) or an insulating material so that it does not heat up. In one embodiment, the slot cover  165  includes a first portion or plate  165   a  that extends upward from the external handle  120  to the top cover  125  and a second portion or plate  165   b  that extends inward toward the cavity  110 . The slot cover  165  may also act as a support for the top cover  125 .  
      The housing  105  may include an opening  170  that allows a removable drip tray  175  to slid into and out of the cavity  110 . The removable drip tray  175  defines the bottom surface of the cavity  110  and is used to hold drippings (e.g., marinades, fat or grease) from the food or food that drops from the removable food holding device  115 . The removable drip tray  175  is washable and dishwasher safe.  
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional front view of the rotisserie oven  100  of  FIG. 1 . In one embodiment, the rotisserie oven  100  may include removable inner walls  500  and  505  that are washable and dishwasher safe. The removable inner walls  500  and  505  are positioned within the cavity  110  and can be fastened to the housing  105 . The removable inner walls  500  and  505  are made of a material (e.g., aluminum) that can withstand high oven temperatures. The rotisserie oven  100  includes one or more heating elements  510  positioned below the removable food holding device  115  and coupled to the removable inner walls  500  and  505 . The amount of time the heating elements are on is determined by the setting of the timer knob  155 . The timer knob  155  can also be used to automatically shut off the heating elements.  
      A motor  515  can be removably coupled to the inner wall  505  and can be used to rotate the removable food holding device  115  within the cavity  110 . The external handle  120  generally does not rotate with the removable food holding device  155 . The motor  515  may include a shaft  520  that is removably coupled to the second end  117  of the removable food holding device  115 . In one embodiment, the motor  515  can rotate the removable food holding device  155  without the heating elements  510  being on. The timer knob  155  can also be used to automatically shut off the motor  515 .  
       FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the rotisserie oven  100  of  FIG. 1 . In one embodiment, the rotisserie oven  100  may include removable inner walls  600  and  605  that are washable and dishwasher safe. The removable inner walls  600  and  605  are positioned within the cavity  110  and can be fastened to the housing  105 . The removable inner walls  600  and  605  are made of a material (e.g., aluminum) that can withstand high oven temperatures.  
       FIGS. 7 and 8  are perspective views of the removable food holding device  115 , the external handle  120  and the slot cover  165 . The removable food holding device  115  is shown as a wire basket where food can be placed inside the basket and can move around freely as the removable food holding device  115  rotates about a central axis. The wire basket can be configures for various types of food. That is, the wires can be close together for small food pieces and can be far apart for large food pieces.  
       FIGS. 9A, 9B  and  9 C are perspective views of a removable food holding device  900  that includes a plurality of skewers  905  and a cap  910 . The plurality of skewers  905  are used for holding food (e.g., chicken, fish, beef, vegetables, etc.) as it rotates within the cavity  110 . After the food is stabbed with the skewers, the cap  910  is attached to the ends of the plurality of skewers  905 .  
       FIGS. 10A, 10B  and  10 C are perspective views of a removable food holding device  1000  that includes a sealed cylindrical basket  1005  and a cap  1010  for closing one end of the basket  1005 . The cap  1010  can be secured to the sealed cylindrical basket so no food or juices within the basket  1005  can escape. The sealed cylindrical basket  1005  is used for holding food as it rotates within the cavity  110 . The sealed cylindrical basket  1005  allows the food and any. juices to be cooked together within the basket. The sealed cylindrical basket  1005  is made of a conductive material so that the food inside the basket  1005  can be heated. The cylindrical shape of the basket allows the food to rotates therein.  
       FIGS. 11A, 11B  and  11 C are perspective views of a removable food holding device  1100  that includes a meshed cylindrical basket  1105  and a cap  1110  for closing one end of the basket  1105 . The cap  1110  can be secured to the meshed cylindrical basket  1105 . The meshed cylindrical basket  1105  is used for holding food as it rotates within the cavity  110 . The meshed cylindrical basket  1105  allows the food to be exposed to the heat through the holes in the basket  1105 . The meshed cylindrical basket  1105  is made of a conductive material so that the food inside the basket  1105  can be heated. The cylindrical shape of the basket allows the food to rotates therein.  
      Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, many other changes, combinations, omissions, modifications and substitutions, in addition to those set forth in the above paragraphs, may be made by one having skill in the art without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Accordingly, the invention is not intended to be limited by the preferred embodiments, but is to be defined by reference to the appended claims.