Abstract:
The invention is directed towards a burner shield for placement between a grill&#39;s heat source and cooking surface. The burner shield comprises two sides connected to form a radiused peak. The burner shield includes protrusions that extend outwardly from at least one of the sides for inhibiting the flow of grease down one of the sides, increasing the time that the grease is in contact with the burner shield and thus the amount of grease that is vaporized. Vents may be defined by the protrusions and at least one of the sides for providing convection heating. The burner shield may include a upper arrangement of protrusions and a lower arrangement of protrusions that are off set from the upper arrangement so that grease flowing from or between the protrusions in the upper arrangement will contact at least one of the protrusions in the lower arrangement.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority on provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/625,641, entitled A COOKING APPLIANCE, filed Nov. 5, 2004. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention is directed towards a burner shield for use with a cooking appliance and more specifically, a burner shield that can enhance the flavor of cooking foods.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     It is well known that drippings, such as grease, make foods taste better when grilled. This fact is known for charcoal, gas, and other fueled grills. By collecting and vaporizing the excess grease that drips from the cooking food, the individual is able to enhance the flavor of the meal. It is advantageous to trap grease on a surface capable of vaporizing the grease to increase the amount of vapors that reach the meat being grilled. However, when using grills, temporarily trapping the grease on a surface hot enough to vaporize the grease can be difficult. Further, it is advantageous to protect the heat source, such as the burners, from being splattered with grease.  
         [0004]     Traditionally, burner shields are used to provide some vaporization and protect the burners. Typically, these burner shields have a first and second side which define at least one peak, thereby creating generally an inverted “V” shape. However, these burner shields can accelerate the dripping grease and speed the grease flow reducing the amount of grease vaporized. Because the current burner shields lack a design that is aimed at slowing the rate at which the grease travels down the burner shield, much of the flavor from the grease vapor is lost.  
         [0005]     Therefore, it is desirable to have a burner shield which is designed to keep the grease on the burner shield&#39;s surface for as long as possible before draining into the debris tray so that the maximum amount of grease is vaporized, thereby maximizing the flavor of the meat being grilled.  
         [0006]     It is further desirable to have a burner shield that can be provided originally with a cooking appliance or can be provided subsequently to obtaining a cooking appliance and added to the cooking appliance.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     This invention is directed towards a burner shield for placement between the heat source a grill and the cooking area comprising a first side and a second side connected to form a radiused peak having generally an inverted V shape, the sides sloping outwardly from the radiused peak. The burner shield also includes a protrusion extending outwardly from at least one of the sides to help inhibit the flow of grease down at least one of the sides, increasing the time the grease is in contact with the burner shield and to help prevent grease from dripping on the heat source.  
         [0008]     The burner shield may also include a vent defined by the protrusion and at least one of the sides allowing heat from the heat source to escape through the vent and into the cooking area. The protrusion may include a front portion partially obstructing the vent to help prevent grease from dripping on the heat source and may also include a left portion and a right portion for directing grease away from the vent.  
         [0009]     The burner shield may include an upper arrangement of protrusions in generally a horizontally spaced configuration and a lower arrangement of protrusions in generally a horizontally spaced configuration and offset from the upper arrangement of protrusions so that grease traveling between protrusions of the upper arrangement of protrusions will contact at least one protrusion of the lower arrangement of protrusions.  
         [0010]     The burner shield may include a flange carried by the first side and arranged generally upward from the slope of the first side. The first side of the burner shield may have a length less than the second side of the burner shield.  
         [0011]     The invention may also include a plurality of integral sides angled to define a plurality of peaks and troughs and arranged generally in an undulating shape and having a protrusion extending outwardly from at least one of the plurality of integral sides to help inhibit the flow of grease down at least one of the integral sides, increasing the time the grease is in contact with the burner shield and to help prevent grease from dripping on said heat source. A vent may be defined in the burner shield by the protrusion and at least one of the plurality of integral sides.  
         [0012]     The burner shield may further include at least one opening defined in the plurality of troughs for allowing grease that reaches one of the plurality of troughs to drain from the burner shield.  
         [0013]     The burner shield may include a first exterior integral side and a second exterior integral side having a length less than the first exterior integral side. Additionally, the burner shield may have a first exterior integral side, a second exterior integral side, a plurality of interior integral sides wherein the first and second exterior integral sides have a length less than the plurality of interior integral sides.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a grill having a burner shield;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a burner shield;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of a burner shield; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 4   a  is an end view of one embodiment of a burner shield; and,  
         [0018]      FIG. 4   b  is an end view of one embodiment of a burner shield. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     Typically, cooking appliances comprise a housing, a burner assembly, a cooking area, a heating area, a debris trap, and a heating source, such as charcoal or gas. The cooking assembly housing or frame may be a standard grill housing having four sides, a bottom, and a flip-top lid.  
         [0020]     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a cooking appliance is shown generally as  10  and includes an upper-lid flip-top lid  12  that is hingeably connected to frame  14  in such a fashion that the flip-top lid is able to be easily opened and closed. The cooking appliance can include a burner assembly  16  that includes at least one burner  18  having a plurality of ports for the excretion of gas. The burner assembly is carried by frame  14  in such a fashion that at least one burner  18  extends into the heating area shown generally as  20 . Burner assembly  16  can be connected to a gas tank by a gas line. The gas tank may have a variable setting knob, which controls the rate at which the gas exits the gas tank to the burner assembly through the gas line. The cooking appliance may also employ charcoal as a heat source or other fuels.  
         [0021]     Located above one burner  18  of burner assembly  16  is a burner shield  22 . The burner shield is located below cooking surface  24 , but above burner  18 . The burner shield comprises a first side  22   a  and a second side  22   b  that are connected at an angle to form a radiused peak. First side  22   a  and second side  22   b  slope away from the radiused peak  30  to define a generally inverted “V” shape. Located at the outer edge of either or both of the first and second side is a flange  23 , that is angled upward from one or both of the downward sloping sides  22   a  and  22   b.  In at least one embodiment, the flange is angled so that is generally parallel to cooking surface  24 .  
         [0022]     When placed adjacent to one another, several burner shields can define a plurality of peaks. Further, when arranged in such a horizontally spaced relation, flanges  23  provide a space that can be located over drip openings  26  that are disposed between burners  18  of burner assembly  16 . Because the burner shields need not be integral with one another, the excess grease that is not vaporized by burner shield  22  is allowed to drain off of flanges  23  and into drip openings  26 . In such an arrangement, burner shield  22  is carried by the frame and may be attached to the frame via hooks, slots, snaps or the burner shield may rest on a lip that extends from the frame or may be carried by other means known by those skilled in the art.  
         [0023]     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , an alternate embodiment of burner shield  28 , integrates a plurality of burner shields  22  by connecting a plurality of burner shields to define a plurality of peaks  30  and troughs  32 , giving this embodiment of the burner shield an undulating or generally “W” shape. Because this embodiment connects the burner shields rather than placing the burner shields adjacent to one another as shown in  FIG. 1 , openings  33  can be formed in trough  32  to allow grease that has flowed down from peak  30  to drain from the burner shield and into the drip openings, shown as  26  in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0024]     As can be seen in this embodiment, burner shield  28 , regardless of the embodiment used, may be carried by hooks formed in the frame of the grill. The hooks may extend out from the frame and pass through the openings  36  defined in the peaks so that the burner shield rests on the hooks. However, any means generally known in the art for carrying the burner shields may be used for any of the embodiments disclosed.  
         [0025]     Regardless of whether the burner shields are integral with one another as shown in  FIG. 2  or are arranged in a horizontally spaced relation to one another as shown in  FIG. 1 , each burner shield  22  includes a protrusion, coined flavor steps,  34  that help to direct the flowing grease and help slow the velocity at which the grease flows down one of the sides of the burner shield, so as to help increase vaporization of the grease.  
         [0026]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a side view of the burner shield showing protrusions or flavor steps  34 ()-( q ). In the shown embodiment, the flavor step comprises a top side  36 , a first side  38 , and a second side  40 . Each side extends outwardly from the burner shield to help inhibit the flow of grease and increase vaporization of the grease. While it need not be, in at least one embodiment, the top side  36  of the flavor step, protrudes from the burner shield so that it is generally parallel to the cooking surface (shown as  24  in  FIG. 1 ). In alternate embodiments, the top side  36  of the flavor step may protrude from the burner shield  22  so that an angle less than 180 degrees is formed between one of the sides of the burner shield (shown as  22   a  or  22   b  in  FIG. 1 ) and top side  36  of protrusion  34 .  
         [0027]     As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , in at least one embodiment, a vent  42  is formed by top side  36 , first side  38  and second side  40  of the flavor step and at least one of the sides of the burner shield. This vent promotes convection heating of the items being grilled. In this embodiment, the flavor step may further include a front portion  44  that extends downwardly from top side  36 , at least partially obstructing the opening  42  that is defined by one of the sides of the burner shield (shown as  22   a  or  22   b  in  FIG. 1 ) and flavor step  34 .  
         [0028]     In alternate embodiments, flavor step  34  need not define an opening  42  in one of the sides  22   a  and/or  22   b  of burner shield  22 . Further, while the flavor step in the shown embodiment includes a top side  36  a first side  38  and a second side  40 , alternate embodiments include steps having alternate configurations. Essentially, all that is required of flavor step  34  is an upper portion that is defined by a protrusion that can slow the velocity or alter the direction of the grease flowing down one of the sides of the burner shield. Such embodiments include a first and second side that protrude from one of the sides of the burner shield and connect to form a radiused peak extending from the burner shield. Also included in such embodiments is a ledge that protrudes from one of the sides of the burner shield at an angle less than 180 degrees as well as a dome that protrudes from the burner shield.  
         [0029]     Regardless of the type of flavor step used, in one embodiment, at least two arrangements of flavor steps are carried by at least one side of the burner shield and arranged so that each flavor step in an upper arrangement  46  is positioned so that it may direct the flowing grease to a flavor step in a lower arrangement  48 . The angle at which first side  38  and second side  40  of the flavor step are connected to top side  36  of the flavor step is determined in conjunction with the position of each flavor step  34  so that when grease flows down from the peak of the burner shield, the flavor steps in upper arrangement  46  help to direct the grease generally to a flavor step in lower arrangement  48 . In at least one embodiment, the rows of flavor steps are arranged so that upper arrangement  46  of flavor steps help direct the flowing grease specifically to top side  36  of a flavor step  34  located in lower arrangement  48 .  
         [0030]     Referring now to  FIG. 4   a,  a first side  22   a  and a second side  22   b  of the burner shield  22  define a peak  30 . The first and second side extend away from the peak in order to promote the flow of grease towards the flanges  23   a  and  23   b  formed at the outer edges of first and second sides  22   a  and  22   b  of the burner shield  22 . The top side of each flavor step, generally shown as  34   a,    34   b,    34   c  and  34   d,  extends outward from the first and second sides and can be generally parallel to the primary path formed by the cooking grid (shown as  24  in  FIG. 1 ) such that a step is created. This step serves as a stopping or slowing point for grease which drips onto the burner shield.  
         [0031]     Referring now to  FIG. 4   b,  first side  22   a  of burner shield  22  may have a length that is less than the length of second side  22   b.  In this embodiment, the length of first side  22   a  may be such that only one arrangement of flavor steps may be disposed on first side  22   a.  Such an arrangement allows the burner shield to be positioned more closely to the burner (shown as  18  in  FIG. 1 ). For example, if flange  23   a  is carried by or engaged by the frame to hold burner shield  22  in place, opposite flange  23   b  is allowed to extend below the portion of the frame which carries flange  50   a.  Such an arrangement places burner shield  22  in a closer proximity to the flame and exposes the burner shield to a greater degree of heat, thus increasing the vaporization of the grease that drips onto the burner shield.  
         [0032]     Typically, this embodiment is used in combination with the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  as a means for disposing the burner shield on the frame (shown as  14  in  FIG. 1 ). In one embodiment, both of the outer edges that are carried by the frame (shown as  14  in  FIG. 1 ) have shorter lengths than the interior sides, thus allowing troughs  32  to be located more closely to the heat source of the grill. However, in an alternate embodiment, burner shield  28  may have only one outer side that is carried by the frame and shorter in length than the interior sides. This embodiment allows burner shield  28  to be sectional, where more than one section is required to cover the entire heat source. In this embodiment, the burner shield may be carried by the frame by hooks that pass through the openings  36  formed in the peaks or by other means generally known in the art.  
         [0033]     Modifications to the present invention may occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclose herein, but rather is intended to cover all modifications within the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.