Patent Publication Number: US-2004040553-A1

Title: Vehicle mountable support for a grill

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] This invention relates to an apparatus for supporting recreational accessories such as grills and tables, and more particularly, to a novel accessory support system detachably mounted to a trailer hitch of a motor vehicle.  
       [0002] Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003] During many outdoor recreational activities, such as picnics, camping or tailgate parties, it is desirable to have a barbeque grill for preparing food. Frequently, there are no cooking facilities available for these occasions and activities, and it is therefore common to transport a conventional or portable stove or grill designed for outdoor cooking to the location of the activity.  
       [0004] There are certain disadvantages associated with transporting and using outdoor grills. Conventional outdoor grills can be bulky and heavy, and therefore difficult to store and transport. Many portable grills, while lighter in weight and smaller in scale, require support structures, such as grill stands or table bases.  
       [0005] Portable grill tops that do not require supporting structures have also been developed. They are better suited for storage and transport inside a vehicle due to their small size and reduced storage requirements. However, when removed from the vehicle and positioned for cooking, they must be adequately supported for safe operation. Accordingly, such a portable grill must be placed on the vehicle itself for support, or upon some other convenient support means. Locating such supporting means may be difficult, especially around campsites, sporting events or in other remote surroundings. Additionally, these types of grills can sometimes be overturned by wind unless securely anchored to the ground.  
       [0006] Many existing grills are too heavy to make them truly portable or convenient. In addition, existing grills require a significant amount of storage space within the vehicle during transport. While smaller portable grills and grill tops require less space in the transporting vehicle, in addition to the problems described above, their smaller size limits the quantities of food that can be cooked on the grill. Any size or type of grill that is used repeatedly becomes dirty with use, and can soil the interior of the transporting vehicle.  
       [0007] None of these types of grills offer a truly convenient manner of transporting and utilizing the grill without the inconvenience and mess of loading or unloading it from the vehicle.  
       [0008] Single axle two-wheel trailers that house a grill have also been developed. However, while these devices alleviate some of the problems associated with transporting conventional grills, they require a hitch-bearing vehicle having sufficient power and substantially increase the difficulty of driving and parking the pulling vehicle. In addition, they are quite expensive.  
       [0009] Therefore, a need exists for an outdoor grill that can be easily attached to and removed from a motor vehicle, while allowing full use of the vehicle&#39;s storage space. A need exists for a grill that requires little or no setup, and does not substantially affect handling, turning or parking of the vehicle.  
       [0010] Grills that attach directly to the hitch of a vehicle have been developed to meet this need. These grills are frequently known as “tailgating grills”. But for a number of reasons, existing-tailgating grills are difficult to use for a number of reasons. In particular, the size of known tailgating grills is usually limited, as the grills can become unstable during transportation due to the manner in which most tailgating grills are attached to the vehicle.  
       [0011] Accordingly, a need exists for a grill transportation apparatus that can be detachably mounted to any type of vehicle equipped with a trailer hitch or other hitch means; that allows full use of the vehicle&#39;s storage space; that provides sufficient support and stability for a grill or other accessory during transportation; and that can be easily converted to a free-standing grill.  
       [0012] The present invention provides for such a grill support apparatus.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0013] In view of the foregoing, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a grill support system that is adapted to be detachably mounted to a vehicle.  
       [0014] It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for connecting a grill or other accessory to the body of a vehicle and transporting the grill or other accessory to a remote location.  
       [0015] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for supporting an object on a vehicle hitch, wherein said apparatus is comprised of: an elbow support component; and a transportation bar; wherein a horizontal portion of the elbow support component detachably connects to the vehicle hitch; wherein a vertical portion of the elbow support component detachably connects to the transportation bar; and wherein the transportation bar is comprised of a vertical sleeve for detachably connecting to the elbow support component; a horizontal beam for detachably connecting to the object; and at least one stability-wing connecting the sleeve and the beam.  
       [0016] It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for supporting an object during the transportation of the object on the hitch of a vehicle, wherein said apparatus is comprised of a sleeve portion; a support beam; and at least one stability wing connecting the sleeve portion and the support beam, whereby said object is connected to the support beam.  
       [0017] Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the system particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0018] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention that together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
     [0019] In the drawings:  
     [0020]FIG. 1 is a front view of a grill attached to a vehicle using the grill transportation apparatus of the present invention.  
     [0021]FIG. 2 is a side view of a grill attached to a vehicle using the grill transportation apparatus of the present invention.  
     [0022]FIG. 3 illustrates the grill transportation apparatus of the present invention used to support a grill in free-standing operation.  
     [0023]FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the components of a preferred embodiment of the grill transportation apparatus of the present invention.  
     [0024]FIG. 5 is an angle view of the transportation bar and support elbow components of the inventive grill transportation apparatus.  
     [0025]FIG. 6 is a side view of the transportation bar and support elbow components of the inventive grill transportation apparatus.  
     [0026]FIG. 7 is a view of the transportation bar component.  
     [0027]FIG. 8 is a view of a side arm component. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     [0028] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough description of embodiments of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention.  
     [0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 &amp; 2, grilling apparatus  10  is attached to hitch  4  of a vehicle  5  for transportation. As shown, grilling apparatus  10  is preferably comprised of grill  11  and grill transportation apparatus  19 . In a preferred embodiment, grilling apparatus  10  may include side trays  12   a  and  12   b,  and storage rack  13 . Side trays  12   a  and  12   b  and storage rack  13  are not required.  
     [0030] As shown in FIG. 4, grill transportation apparatus  19  is comprised of transportation bar  20  and elbow support  30 . When grill transportation apparatus  19  is attached to hitch  4  of vehicle  5 , it supports grill  11  above ground level for transport as well as cooking. Alternatively, grill  11  can be detached from the vehicle and supported by foldout legs, whereby the apparatus can be used as a free-standing grill, as shown in FIG. 3.  
     [0031] In a preferred embodiment, grill  11  is comprised of grill body  14  and side tables  12   a  and  12   b.  Side tables  12   a  and  12   b  may be connected to grill body  14  by any method known to those skilled in the art. In the embodiment shown, side tables  12   a  and  12   b  are connected to grill body  14  by bolts. A more detailed view of a preferred embodiment of a side table is shown in FIG. 8.  
     [0032] As shown in FIG. 8, side table  12  is preferably comprised of arms  53   a,    53   b,  tabs  51   a,    51   b  and brace  52 . Not shown in FIG. 8 are the wooden slats between arms  53   a  and  53   b  that form a tabletop, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and  3 . Side arm tabs  51   a  and  51   b  are preferably welded onto arms  53   a  and  53   b  such that apertures in the tabs match up with predrilled apertures in the side of grill body  14 . Bolts may then be used to connect arms  53   a  and  53   b  to grill body  14  through side arm tabs  51   a  and  51   b.  In an alternative embodiment, arms  53   a  and  53   b  may be directly bolted to grill body  14 . Brace  52  connects arms  53   a  and  53   b.  Brace  52  may be welded to arms  53   a  and  53   b.  Other connection means are known to those skilled in the art, and are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, three apertures  54   a,    54   b  and  54   c  are drilled in brace  52 . More or fewer apertures may be used. The apertures may be equally sized, or may be of varying size.  
     [0033] As shown in FIG. 4, brace  52   a  and brace  52   b  of side tables  12   a  and  12   b  respectively, are connected to transportation bar  20  and grill body  14 . Preferably, transportation bar  20  has predrilled apertures that match up with apertures  54   a,    54   b  and  54   c  of braces  52   a  and  52   b.  The connection apertures in transportation bar  20  are shown in FIG. 7 as apertures  81 ,  82  and  83  on each side of the bar, and will be described in more detail. In a preferred embodiment, bolts are threaded through apertures  81 ,  82 ,  83  in transportation bar  20  into matching brace apertures  54   a,    54   b  and  54   c.  In a preferred embodiment, a bolt threaded through transportation bar aperture  81 ,  82  or  83  and a side arm aperture  54  is also threaded through matching connection apertures  72   a  or  72   b  in grill body  14 , thereby connecting all three components together.  
     [0034] In addition to the connection through the apertures  82   a  and  82   b,  transportation bar  20  is also preferably connected directly to grill body  14  at an additional central location. A preferred mechanism for connecting transportation bar  20  to grill body  14  is through transportation bar tabs  25   a  and  25   b  welded onto transportation bar  20 . Transportation bar tabs  25   a  and  25   b  are shown in more detail in FIGS. 5, 6 and  7 . As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and  7 , transportation bar tabs  25   a  and  25   b  are connected to transportation bar  20  at an angle, such that when grill body  14  is placed on top of transportation bar  20 , transportation bar tabs  25   a  and  25   b  are in direct contact with grill body  14 . Grill body  14  may then be directly connected to transportation bar  20  through bolts placed through predrilled apertures in grill body  14  that match up with transportation bar tab apertures  26   a  and  26   b,  located in transportation bar tabs  25   a  and  25   b  respectively.  
     [0035] As shown in FIG. 4, grill body  14  also has a large aperture  71  centrally located in the bottom of the body that is coupled with the large central aperture  27  in transportation bar  20 . As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, transportation bar  20  has a large central aperture  27  located on the top, and large central square sleeve  21  extending from the bottom. Preferably, the diameter of large central aperture  26  and the width of the square sleeve  21  should be approximately the same. In addition, the inside perimeter of square sleeve  21  should accommodate elbow support  30 . Preferably, elbow support  30  is manufactured from standard steel sheet, and therefore square sleeve  21  and central aperture  27  are sized accordingly.  
     [0036] In one alternative embodiment, transportation bar  20  is only directly connected to grill body  14  through side arms  12  as described above, and transportation bar tabs  25   a  and  25   b  are not used. In another alternative embodiment, transportation bar  20  is only directly connected to grill body  14  through transportation bar tabs  25   a  and  25   b  and grill body connection aperture  71 . In a preferred embodiment, transportation bar  20  is connected to grill body  14  through both transportation bar tabs and side tables.  
     [0037] As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and  7 , transportation bar  20  is comprised of sleeve  21 , beam  22 , stability wings  23   a  and  23   b,  transportation bar end connection pieces  24   a,    24   b,  and-transportation bar tabs  25   a,    25   b.  Stability wings  23   a  and  23   b  provide extra support to beam  22 . It is through these stability wings that the present invention is able to provide extra stability to the grill or other object during transportation. Because the object has strong horizontal support as well as vertical support, it is less likely to wobble to topple over during transportation. Stability wings  23   a  and  23   b  are typically of a right-triangle shape, with the 90 degree angle of the triangle placed at the point where the vertical sleeve connects to the horizontal support beam.  
     [0038] Vertical segment  32  of elbow support  30  connects to transportation bar  20  through sleeve  21 . Sleeve  21  is sized and configured to slidably receive the outer portion of vertical segment  32 . As shown in FIG. 5, the connection may be secured by fastening a bolt or a threaded pin  41  through apertures  28   a  and  28   b  in the wall of sleeve  21  and matching apertures in the outer end portion of vertical segment  32 . Alternatively, as shown by FIGS. 6 and 7, two bolts and corresponding apertures may be used. Other connection means are known to those skilled in the art and are intended to come within the scope of the present invention.  
     [0039] Elbow support  30  enables the grilling apparatus to be detachably secured to a vehicle  5  by means of a receiver hitch  4  or other connection means. The hitch may be any standard type of hitch and is securely attached to vehicle  5  by any means known to those skilled in the art. Other types of hitches and connection devices are known to those skilled in the art, and are intended to come within the scope of the present invention.  
     [0040] As shown in FIG. 6, elbow support  30  is comprised of a horizontal segment  31  and a vertical segment  32 . Horizontal segment  31  is sized and configured to slidably fit into receiver hitch  4 . In a preferred embodiment, the inner walls of hitch  4  define a channel of sufficient length to enable the entire apparatus to be securely supported thereby. Detachable connection between segment  31  and hitch  4  may be effected by fastening a bolt or threaded pin through aperture  34  in segment  31  of elbow support  30  and a matching aperture in hitch  4 . As will be obvious to one skilled in the art, segment  31  of elbow support  30  may contain more or fewer apertures through which a connection to hitch  60  may be made. In a preferred embodiment, elbow support also comprises triangular support  33 . This support provides extra stability to the object being transported during transportation.  
     [0041] In a preferred embodiment, reinforcing plate  33  is used to reinforce the connection between horizontal segment  31  and vertical segment  32  of elbow support  30 .  
     [0042] As will be obvious to those skilled in the art, the grill transportation apparatus of the present invention can be used to transport other objects. In particular, the transportation bar can be modified o customized to fit any number of objects. For example, the transportation bar could be modified to connect to a table or bar. The transportation bar could be used as an umbrella stand stabilizer It is intended that these modifications and alternative uses of the inventive grill transportation apparatus come within the scope of the present invention.  
     [0043] The foregoing description has been directed to specific embodiments of this invention. It will be apparent, however, that other variations and modifications may be made to the described embodiments, with the attainment of some or all of their advantages. Therefore, it is the object of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.