Abstract:
A grill grate cleaning tool has a handle portion and a metal blade portion secured to the handle portion. The blade portion has a shape that contours to at least a top portion of rods forming the grate. The blade portion has a beveled scraping end that presses against the rod as the blade portion is moved along the rod at an angle. In one embodiment, the blade portion is rounded with straight sides that form a U-shape to enable the tool to be tilted with respect to the rods to clean a portion of an underside of the rods. The blade portion may be pivotable with respect to the handle. The tool allows the user to press down on the rod at a variety of angles to scrape food remnants from the top, sides, and bottom of the rods.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/552,407, entitled BBQ Grill Cleaner, filed Oct. 27, 2011, by Michael Leis, incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a tool for cleaning a grate of a barbeque grill. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A barbeque grill typically has a grate that had cylindrical rods connected together by crossbars welded to the rods. After cooking meat, fish, or other foods, there are typically burned remnants of the food that adhere strongly to the rods. Such remnants need to be cleaned off the rods before the next use of the grill. 
         [0004]    The most common tool for cleaning the rods is a wire brush. However, the resilience of the wires prevents applying a strong scraping force on the rods. Further, the wires are typically round and do not scrape off all the remnants from the rods. 
         [0005]    What is needed is an improved tool for cleaning the grill of a barbeque. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    A barbecue grate rod cleaning tool is disclosed that has a unique blade design for maximizing leverage, angles, and strength for optimal cleaning of grate rods with minimal effort. Blade components can be made of stainless steel and/or aluminum. In some cases both would be optimal, where a stainless steel blade is first used for removing most of the food remnants, and the softer aluminum blade would be used as a finisher. A stainless steel blade may not be suitable for coated grate rods (enamel, nickel, chrome, etc.) since the scraping of the hard steel blade against the coating may chip the coating. 
         [0007]    The handle body can be made using injection molding of a material like Nylon which has high heat tolerance and is structurally strong enough for the intended use. 
         [0008]    The blade may be fixed to the handle body, pivotable, or interchangeable. 
         [0009]    The blade is contoured to match the particular shape (e.g., circular diameter) of the rod, and a set of interchangeable blades may include a different blade for each standard grate rod shape. 
         [0010]    If the rods are cylindrical, the blade has an end with a circular top portion to scrape the top half of the rods, and the sides of the blade are extended to be substantial parallel to each other to form a U-shape. The U-shape also provides strength to the blade. The blade may be first moved along a rod at a, for example, left sideways angle (e.g., about 45 degrees) so that the circular top portion of the blade scrapes the top and part of the left side of the rod, and the extended left side of the blade scrapes a left underside portion of the rod. The blade may then be moved at a right sideways angle to scrape the top and right side of the rod and to allow the extended right side edge to scrape the right underside portion of the rod. 
         [0011]    The sides are short enough to not be blocked by the crossbars welded to the bottoms of the rods when the center of the blade is directly over the center of the rod. If the blade is tilted sideways, one side of the blade may contact the crossbars and would have to be lifted or un-tilted as the blade is moved over the crossbars. 
         [0012]    The sides of the blade may terminate in wide fins, perpendicular to the sides, to clean the cross-bars as the tool is moved over the rods. 
         [0013]    The end of the blade is sharpened to dig under the food remnants and scrape the top half of the rod. Therefore, at least the top half of the rods may be substantially cleaned of food remnants. 
         [0014]    For non-cylindrical rods, the blade is formed to contour to the rod. For example, the rods may be trapezoidal shaped with a narrow flat or curved top and sloping out sides. Thus, the blade will have the same shape. Other blade shapes are envisioned for all standard rod shapes. 
         [0015]    The metal blade may extend from a much wider portion that is of a size larger than the openings between the rods to prevent the tool from plunging between the rods and to prevent the user&#39;s hand from contacting the rods. This wider portion may be part of the handle or part of a shaft extending from the handle that holds the blade. 
         [0016]    The shaft or blade is connected a large handle for ease of controlling the blade. The shaft/blade and the handle can be in-line or form an obtuse angle up to and including a 90 degree angle. The angle formed by the handle and shaft/blade makes it easier to apply pressure to the tip of the blade. 
         [0017]    Various other embodiments are described. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the tool having a blade angled with respect to the handle. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the tool of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the tool of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the tool of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the tool having a blade secured to the sides of the handle. 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the tool having a collapsible blade for storage and increased safety. 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the tool having a handle at about 90 degrees with respect to the blade. 
           [0025]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the tool having an integral blade, shaft, and handle. 
           [0026]      FIG. 9  illustrates some of the angles that should be considered when forming the scraping edge of the blade. 
           [0027]      FIG. 10  illustrates the same angles as  FIG. 9  but the grate rod is a different shape. 
           [0028]      FIG. 11  illustrates the same angles as  FIG. 9  but the blade body shape and the grate rod profile are of differing shapes. 
           [0029]      FIG. 12  illustrates a variety of angles of the blade to the rod during scraping, where the centerline through the blade body is shown as it moves along the grate rod during use. Also shown are some possible angles of rake. 
           [0030]      FIG. 13  illustrates cross-sections of different shaped grate rods welded to cross-bars to show various cutting edges and the effects of angling the blade with respect to the rod. 
           [0031]      FIG. 14  illustrates more detail of certain scraping angles and measurements for making a blade body with a cutting edge. 
           [0032]      FIGS. 15A and 15B  are side and front views, respectively, of an embodiment of the blade body formed as single forged piece. 
           [0033]      FIGS. 16A ,  16 B, and  16 C are bottom, side, and front views, respectively, of another embodiment of the blade body. 
           [0034]      FIGS. 17A ,  17 B, and  17 C are bottom, side, and front views, respectively, of another embodiment of the blade body. 
           [0035]      FIGS. 18A ,  18 B, and  18 C are bottom, side, and front views, respectively, of another embodiment of the blade body. 
           [0036]      FIG. 19 : illustrates a nested set of different sized blade bodies that could be used in a multi-tool version of the present invention. 
           [0037]      FIG. 20  is a perspective view of the tool being used to clean a grate rod. 
           [0038]      FIG. 21  is a side view of another possible embodiment of the tool. 
           [0039]      FIG. 22  is a perspective view of the blade body used in  FIG. 21 . 
           [0040]      FIG. 23  is a perspective view of another possible embodiment of the tool. 
           [0041]      FIG. 24  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the tool in which the blade body is separate from the shaft, and the blade body is interchangeable. 
           [0042]      FIG. 25  is a side view of the tool of  FIG. 24 . 
           [0043]      FIG. 26A-26E  show various views of the blade body of  FIG. 24  including:
       A. a flat blade body side view prior to the blade body being pressed into its final shape;   B. a flat top view;   C. a flat top view with different possible sizes of the cutting edge  5 ;   D. a formed side view, after the blade body has been pressed into shape; and   E. a formed front view.       
 
       
    
    
       [0049]    Elements that are the same or equivalent are labeled with the same numeral. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0050]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the tool. A blade body  1  has a bevel  2  which forms its cutting edge  5  on the leading edge of the blade body  1 . The trailing end of the blade body  1  is fixed to the leading end of the handle body  3  with an ergonomic grip  4 . As is visible in the diagram, the handle body  3  and blade body  1  form an obtuse angle which provides better leverage for the operator of the tool. The blade body  1  and handle body  3  may form an angle of up to 90 degrees or may also be in-line. 
         [0051]      FIG. 2  shows a side view of this tool. The obtuse angle formed by the blade body  1  and the handle body  3  is illustrated. The length and shape of the blade body  1  can vary for hot or cold grill usage applications. Also note the enlarged leading end of the handle body  3  to prevent the operator&#39;s hand from slipping and also allows for a thumb rest  17 . 
         [0052]      FIG. 3  shows a bottom view of this tool. A centerline  16  shows the path along which alternate locations of the blade body  1  could be fixed to the handle body  3 . Also shown is the ergonomic grip  4  which allows for easy handling of the tool. A larger handle body  3  diameter provides stable handling of the tool. Also, the blade body  1  may project outward from the handle body  3  from any point along the centerline  16  of the underside of the handle body  3 . 
         [0053]    As the fixation point of the blade body  1  to the handle body  3  moves from the leading end toward the trailing end of the handle body  3 , the angle formed by these parts would change from obtuse to acute. 
         [0054]      FIG. 4  shows a front view of the tool. 
         [0055]      FIG. 5  shows another possible embodiment of this tool where the blade body  10  is connected to the handle  13  with pins, screws, bolts, or other fasteners. The blade body  10  has a bevel  2  that forms the cutting edge  5 . The handle body  13  has an ergonomic grip  4 . 
         [0056]      FIG. 6  shows another possible embodiment of this tool. In this case, the tool can be a multi-tool which could have several fold-out blade bodies, such as blade body  18 , to fit different grate rods. The handle  20  has grooves that receive the blade body  18 . 
         [0057]      FIG. 7  shows another possible embodiment of this tool. In this embodiment the blade body  1  and handle body  22  form a right angle. 
         [0058]      FIG. 8  shows another possible embodiment of the tool. This diagram shows a single piece of material, such as stainless steel, that has been formed to make both a blade body  24  and a handle body  26 . This diagram also shows the bevel  2  that forms the cutting edge  5  and an ergonomic grip  28 . 
         [0059]      FIG. 9  shows some of the angles that should be considered when forming the cutting edge  5 . The blade body shape  30  can be of any size and shape. The blade body shape  30  here is a half circle, an appropriate shape for a round grate rod  32 , in various sizes that contour to the grate rod profile  34 . A more preferred blade body shape has parallel extensions to the half circle as shown in  FIG. 1 . The grate rod profile  34  shape is determined by the intersection of a plane  36  that is perpendicular to the grate rod  32  and projects through the grate rod  32  at some angle, the intersection of the plane  36  and the grate rod  32  determines the grate rod profile  34 . The plane  36  can pass through the grate rod  32  at any angle of rake E. Notice how the shape of the grate rod profile  34  changes as the angle of rake E changes. 
         [0060]      FIG. 10  shows the same angles as  FIG. 9  but in this case the grate rod  38  is a trapezoidal shape. The blade body shape  40  and grate rod profile  42  are shown for different angles. 
         [0061]      FIG. 11  shows the same angles as  FIG. 9  but in this diagram the blade body shape  30  and the grate rod profile  43  are of differing shapes, so poor cleaning results. The blade body shape  30  is not limited to what is shown in these diagrams. 
         [0062]      FIG. 12  highlights the angle of attack A, which is the centerline through the blade body as it is presented to the grate rod  32  during use. Also shown are some possible angles of rake E. 
         [0063]      FIG. 13  illustrates a grate rod support  44  (a cross-bar) on top of which are the cross-sections of some angular grate rods  38  and some round grate rods  32 . The purpose of this diagram is to show some other aspects of the design of the blade body and cutting edge  5 . Note the different thickness of materials. Of importance here is the blade contact area  46  which is how much of the grate rod  32 / 38  the cutting edge  5  can make contact with during use. With round grate rods  32 , the cutting edge  5  can rotate around the grate rod  32  to maximize the surface area of the grate rod  32  that can be cleaned. 
         [0064]    Another possible feature of the cutting edge  5  could be the addition of cross-member cleaning fins  48 , whose widths would be half of the space between grate rods  32  (much wider than shown). The cross-member cleaning fins  48  would remove the debris built up on the top surface of the grate rod supports  44  as the blade body moves along the rods  32 . 
         [0065]    The available blade shapes would match standard rod shapes. 
         [0066]      FIG. 14  illustrates more of the important angles and measurements for making a blade body  1  with a cutting edge  5 . Shown is a grate rod support  44  with a grate rod  32 , on top of which are two blade bodies  1 . Angle A is the angle of attack, described in  FIG. 12 . The measurement B is the clearance of the blade body  1  and cutting edge  5  over the grate rod support  44 . Angle C is the clearance between the blade body  1  and the grate rod  32 . Angle D is the angle of the bevel  2 . Angle E is the angle of rake E. 
         [0067]      FIGS. 15A and 15B  show a side and front view of another embodiment of the blade body  50  being a single forged piece. The blade body  50  is then secured to a handle, or the blade body  50  can be formed to end in a handle. 
         [0068]      FIGS. 16A ,  16 B, and  16 C show a bottom, side, and front view of another embodiment of the blade body  52 . This may be an extrusion or stamped sheet product. 
         [0069]      FIGS. 17A ,  17 B, and  17 C show a bottom, side, and front view of another embodiment of the blade body  54 . This version may be solid stock (cast/machined/etc.) or tubing stamped to form the cutting edge  5 . 
         [0070]      FIGS. 18A ,  18 B, and  18 C show a bottom, side, and front view of another embodiment of the blade body  56 . This version may be solid stock (cast/machined/etc.). 
         [0071]      FIG. 19  shows a nested set of different sized blade bodies (looking straight at their different cutting edges  5 ) that could be used in a compact, collapsible, multi-tool version of the present invention similar to  FIG. 6 . 
         [0072]      FIG. 20  shows a perspective view of the tool of  FIG. 1  being used to clean a grate rod  32 . 
         [0073]      FIG. 21  shows another possible embodiment of the tool. In this case, the blade body  60  has two cutting edges  5  to make a dual action tool, where the tool cleans the grate rod  32  in both directions. This design uses the same cutting edge  5  as the previous embodiments but the mount has a pivot point  62  to allow the cutting edges  5  to rotate and self-position themselves on the grate rod  32 . This design also has a shank  64  to connect the blade body  60  to the handle body  3 . 
         [0074]      FIG. 22  shows a perspective view of the blade body  60  used in  FIG. 21 . The key features are the bevels  2  to create the cutting edges  5 . Also shown are the pivot points  62  which can be holes, tabs, etc. 
         [0075]      FIG. 23  shows another possible embodiment of the tool. This is a hex bit version of the blade body  68 . This tool would fit into existing hex drivers via the hex bit shank  70  to be made in various sizes and shapes. 
         [0076]      FIG. 24  shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the tool in which the blade body  72  is separate from the shaft  74 , and the blade body  72  is interchangeable. A second blade body  73  is shown. Here the handle body  76  and the shaft  74  form a  90  degree angle, with the shaft  74  extending from the handle body  76  approximately a third of the way from the top, the handle body  76  being long enough to place the entire hand below the shaft  74  or with two fingers place over the shaft  74 . The shaft  74  in this preferred embodiment is a tube of stainless steel, in which the distal end of the shaft  74  has been pressed in on itself at an angle to create a curve that tapers from approximately  1 . 5  inches in from the distal end of the shaft  74  to the end of the shaft  74  to form a crescent shaped opening  78  into which the blade body  72  is inserted. The crescent shaped opening  78  will be the standard shape for the proximal end of the blade body  72  where the cutting edge  5  can be shaped to fit any shape of grate rod (e.g., rods  32  and  38  in  FIG. 13 ). The blade body  72  has stops  80  which keep the blade body  72  from being inserted too far. A hole  82  in the shaft allows for a screw  84  to be inserted into a threaded hole  86  in the blade body  72 / 73  to hold the blade body  72 / 73  firmly in place. Other methods of holding the blade body  72 / 73  in place are also available such as a magnet, spring clips, etc. 
         [0077]    A plurality of identical replaceable blade bodies  72 / 73  may be supplied for replacement when one gets dulled. 
         [0078]      FIG. 25  shows a side view of the tool of  FIG. 24  to show how the elements fit together. 
         [0079]      FIG. 26A-26E  show various views of the blade body  72  of  FIG. 24  including:
       A. a flat blade body side view prior to the blade body being pressed into its final shape;   B. a flat top view;   C. a flat top view with different possible sizes of the cutting edge  5 ;   D. a formed side view, after the blade body has been pressed into shape; and   E. a formed front view.       
 
         [0085]    Other embodiments are envisioned. 
         [0086]    While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications that are within the true spirit and scope of this invention.