Abstract:
A combination barbecue, smoker and fire pit assembly having removable and changeable components to selectively put the assembly in a barbecue mode, a food smoker mode, and a fire pit mode. While in the barbecue mode, the assembly includes a base for defining a heat source and a grid above the heat source for supporting food to be cooked. A lid is secured on top of the body. While in the fire pit mode, the assembly includes a non-enclosed housing between the lid and the base which defines the heating area. The heat source is moved to the top of the base. While in the smoker mode, an enclosed housing defining the smoker area replaces the non-enclosed housing. In this mode, the grid for supporting food is moved to the top of the enclosed smoker housing and the heat source support is at the bottom of the base. At least one additional support for supporting smoke-generating components is secured between the grid and heat source support.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a combination barbecue grill, smoker and fire pit device. More particularly, the present invention relates to device that is easily changeable between a barbecue grill mode, a smoker mode and a fire pit mode.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Outdoor cooking and barbecue devices have been in existence for many years and are commonly used throughout the world. In addition, outdoor food smoker devices and outdoor fire pit devices have been in existence for many years and are also commonly used throughout the world. Assemblies combining any two of these devices into one assembly have been in existence for many years and are commonly used. Most of these devices include common, fundamental components, such as a body and/or housing for supporting and containing a heat source and for supporting and containing food items to be grilled, barbecued, smoked, etc.  
         [0005]     One significant problem with the prior art devices is that none are able to accommodate all three of a barbecue grill mode, a smoker mode and a fire pit mode in a single compact, easy-to-use assembly. Moreover, none are able provide a combination assembly that can be easily transformed from one mode to another or that is easily transportable.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,130 (Walker) discloses a barbecue apparatus having a housing. The apparatus can be adapted to be used with a smoker device, however the apparatus does not include a fire pit.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,154 (Perez, III) discloses a combination outdoor cooker and smoker having a cooker assembly, a smoker enclosure detachably mountable on the cooker assembly and retention assembly comprising a plurality of retention brackets for alternate use as an outdoor cooker or smoker. The assembly does not include a fire pit assembly.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,046 (Colla) describes a collapsible fire pit having a structure including two foraminous front and rear panels. The structure can also be used as a barbecue grill, but does not include a smoker capability.  
         [0009]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,768 (Atwood) teaches a portable multi-purpose outdoor fire container and hot water storage system. The structure can be used to grill food or as a smoker, but does not include the capability of being a fire pit. The system is connected to a hot water storage container for providing a heat source to the structure.  
         [0010]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,770 (Whitefield) teaches a barbecuing and smoking device for smoking and cooking meats and other foods. The device includes&#39; a housing with a base, a removable lid, at least one food rack mounted within the housing and a chimney mounted to the lid. The device also includes a heat shield positioned beneath a heat source, but does not have the ability to provide a fire pit.  
         [0011]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,795 (McLemore et al.) describes a cooking apparatus which is adaptable as either a smoking or grilling device. The reference does not include adaptability as a fire pit apparatus.  
         [0012]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,792 (McDonald) discloses a compact, multipurpose cooking apparatus for outdoor use. The apparatus lacks the versatility to also serve as a smoker and a fire pit apparatus.  
         [0013]     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0189603 A1 (Hsu) teaches a grill comprising a body and two lids. The grill is advantageous in that two sets of food items can be simultaneously grilled, even at two different temperatures, but also lacks the ability to be transformed into either a fire pit assembly or a smoker.  
         [0014]     There is a need for an improved assembly having the ability and versatility to be easily transformed between any one of a smoker, a barbecue grill and a fire pit assembly.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]     The present invention is a barbecue grill, smoker and fire pit combination assembly. The assembly includes a base, a housing thereon, except in the barbecue grill mode, and a lid secured to the base for the barbecue grill mode or to the housing, the combination defining the smoker, grilling or heating compartment. Moveable grids are provided within the body for supporting food to be grilled or smoked and for supporting a heat source and smoke generating components. The combination assembly of the present invention is able to be easily transformed from one mode to another, can be easily stored and can be easily transported.  
         [0016]     It is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly having a barbecue grill mode, a food smoker mode and a fire pit mode.  
         [0017]     It is another object of the present invention to provide an assembly that can easily be transformed from any one of a barbecue grill mode, a food smoker mode and a fire pit mode to another of the foregoing modes.  
         [0018]     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a three-in-one assembly of the foregoing three modes that is compact, efficient to use and easily stored and transported.  
         [0019]     It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a three-in-one assembly of the foregoing three modes that is inexpensive.  
         [0020]     The present invention can be easily transformed from any one of three operational modes to any other operational mode. In other words, the present invention can be used as any one of a smoker, a barbecue grill or a fire pit, and can easily and quickly be changed into any other operational mode. The present invention is advantageous in that it is easy to assemble and store, and can be easily transported to a different location.  
         [0021]     These and other objects of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art from the description to follow and from the appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the present invention in its barbecue grill assembly mode.  
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the barbecue grill assembly of the present invention with the lid in a raised position.  
         [0024]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the present invention in its fire pit assembly mode.  
         [0025]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the fire pit assembly of the present invention with the central housing in a raised position.  
         [0026]      FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of the present invention in its smoker assembly mode.  
         [0027]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the transition between the fire pit assembly of the present invention and the smoker assembly of the present invention.  
         [0028]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the smoker assembly of the present invention with the cover in a raised position.  
         [0029]      FIG. 8  is a side, cut away view of the heat source basin support of the assembly of the present invention.  
         [0030]      FIG. 9  is a top view of the heat source basin support of the assembly of the present invention.  
         [0031]      FIG. 10  is a top view of the lid of the assembly of the present invention, in one operational mode.  
         [0032]      FIG. 11  is a top view of the lid of the assembly of the present invention, in an alternative operational mode.  
         [0033]      FIG. 12  is an exploded front perspective of the fire pit assembly of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0034]     The present invention is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.  
         [0035]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1, 3  and  5 , the three-in-one assembly according to the present invention is shown generally at numeral  10 . Assembly  10  includes a base  12 , a lid  14  and may further include either a central housing  16  or an alternative central housing  18 , depending on the particular mode that is being employed. As demonstrated in the figures and explained in greater detail below, three-in-one assembly  10  includes three different operational assemblies or modes: a barbecue grill assembly  20  ( FIG. 1 ), a fire pit assembly  22  ( FIG. 3 ) and a smoker assembly  24  ( FIG. 5 ). It should be appreciated that base  12 , lid  14  and housing  16  and  18  can have any conventional shape known in the art. However, for purposes of explanation, base  12 , lid  14  and housing  16  and  18  are demonstrated having a substantially cylindrical shape with base  12  and lid  14  having appropriate closing components for closing the cylindrical shapes.  
         [0036]     Turning now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , barbecue grill assembly  20  will be explained in greater detail. As set forth above, barbecue grill assembly  20  includes base  12  and lid  14  secured thereon. Base  12  includes a body  26  having a substantially cylindrical wall  28  and a lipped annular rim  90  from which wall  28  downwardly extends, a plurality of support legs  30  extending downwardly from body  26 , an access door- 32  for providing access into the interior of body  26  and a bottom surface annular orifice  82 . Of course it should be appreciated that orifice  82  may be omitted so that the bottom surface of body  26  is a continuous surface. There are preferably three legs  30  to provide stability to assembly  10 . Access door  32  may either be pivotable relative to body  26  or removable from body  26  and preferably includes a rotatable handle or knob  34  for facilitating the opening and closing of access door  32 . Access door  32  is able to be secured closed by rotating door  32  about a hinge apparatus  33  on cooperating portions of body  26  and door  32  through the urging of knob  34  in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction to a closed position, and thereby securing an interior latch (not shown) to maintain door  32  in the closed position.  
         [0037]     Barbecue assembly  20  further includes a movable recessed heat source tray, support or basin  36  placeable inside base  12  at a first level A, which is preferably towards the bottom of body  26 . A heat source basin support  76  is provided at the bottom of body  26  for supporting heat source basin  36  thereon. Alternatively, basin  36  may be supported within body  26  by way of any other manner conventional in the art, such as a plurality of supports extending inwardly from wall  28  or from the bottom of base  12 , a plurality of grooves formed on the inside of wall  28 , etc. Basin  36  supports a heat source within base  12 , such as wood, charcoal or other combustible material. Basin  36  includes an annular rim  84  with a curved bottom wall  86  extending downwardly from rim  84  ( FIG. 4 ).  
         [0038]     As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , heat source basin support  76  includes a flat upper face  82  defined by an annular rim  83  and a plurality of support legs  80 . Each support leg  80  includes a raised support portion  84  raised above the level of face  82 . Raised support portion  84  provides a support surface for heat source basin  36  thereon. Each raised support portion  84  radiates outwardly from about the center of heat source basin support  76 , curves over and around rim  83  and extends downwardly into a leg portion  78  for supporting heat source basin support  76  inside body  26 .  
         [0039]     Referring back to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , lid  14  includes a generally cylindrical sidewall  38 , a curved top  40  and an annular rim  96  from which sidewall  38  upwardly extends. An accessible handle  42 , a thermometer  68  and a ventilation apparatus  70  are also provided on lid  14 . Although lid  14  is shown having a domed cylindrical shape, it should be appreciated that lid  14  can have any shape conventional in the art, but it should be coordinated so that base  12  and housing  16  or  18  have mating shapes so that lid  14  can be secured to base  12  or housing  16  or  18  by way of a flanged engagement, one or more clips, or other manner known in the art. The flanged engagement will be explained in greater detail below. It should be appreciated that thermometer  68  can be any device known in the art for gauging the internal temperature of assembly  10 .  
         [0040]     Ventilation apparatus ( FIGS. 10 and 11 ) includes a rotatable door  71  having a plurality of spaces  75  thereon. A graspable tab or notch  72  secured to door  71  is provided for facilitating the manual rotation of door  71 . A plurality of ventilation holes  74  are included on lid  14  which correspond in shape and placement to spaces  75 . When ventilation apparatus  70  is in a closed position ( FIG. 11 ), spaces  75  and ventilation holes  74  are not in alignment. In other words, ventilation holes  74  are fully covered by door  71 . If the user of assembly  10  rotates door  71  so that ventilation apparatus  70  is in an open position ( FIG. 10 ), spaces  75  and ventilation holes  74  are in alignment. Door  71  can also be rotated so that any portion of ventilation holes  74  is exposed in order to allow varying degrees of ventilation to lid  14 . Ventilation apparatus  70  is included on lid  14  in order to provide a mechanism for ventilating assembly  10  of excess heat, smoke, etc. For example, if the user, by reading thermometer  68 , feels that the temperature inside assembly  10  is too high, ventilation apparatus  70  can be placed in a more open position to allow release of excess heat, thereby cooling down the internal temperature of assembly  10 . Alternatively, if a higher internal temperature is desired, ventilation apparatus  70  can be rotated in a more closed position, or closed altogether, thereby creating a build-up of heat inside assembly  10 .  
         [0041]     Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , barbecue grill assembly  20  further includes a grid  44  for supporting food to be grilled, cooked barbecued, etc. Grid  44  is removable and able to be placed within base  12  at a second level B, which is preferably towards the top of body  26 . Grid  44  is supported within base  12  by any manner known in the art, such as by a plurality of supports secured to wall  28  by a set screw and nut assembly. It should be appreciated that grid  44  can be placed at any distance above heat source support  36  in order to provide variable cooking temperatures for the food items being cooked. Food items to be grilled are easily placed onto grid  44  for grilling. While grilling, lid  14  can be secured in place on top of base  12  in order to enclose food items therein in the manner set forth above.  
         [0042]     Turning now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , assembly  10  will be described having been transformed from barbecue grill assembly  20  to fire pit assembly  22 . For assembly  10  to be used as a fire pit assembly  22 , lid  14  is removed and a fire pit housing  16  is secured on base  12  by way of, for example, a flanged engagement. Fire pit housing  16  includes a cylindrical foraminous wall  46 , an accessible door  48  which can be pivotable or removable relative to fire pit housing  16 , an open, flanged upper end  50 , an open, flanged lower end  52 , a lower flange  92  ( FIG. 12 ) and an upper flange  94  ( FIG. 12 ). To form the aforementioned flanged engagement, lower flange  92  rests on lipped rim  90 , the lip of lipped rim  90  preventing housing  16  from sliding off base  12 . Rim  96  of lid  14  rests on flanged upper end  50 , upper flange  94  preventing lid  14  from sliding off housing  16 . It should be appreciated that while in barbecue assembly  20  mode, rim  96  rests securely on lipped annular rim  90  of base  14  and is unable to slide off base  14 . In regard to accessible door  48 , a hinge assembly  65 , or a plurality of hinges, is provided about which door  48  can be rotated relative to housing  16 , hinge assembly  65  having cooperating portions on both housing  16  and door  48 . A latch assembly  64  is provided opposite from hinge assembly  65 , latch assembly  64  having a latch  66  and a securing portion  67 . Latch  66  may be secured to door  48  and securing portion  67  to housing  16 , latch  66  and securing portion  67  able to cooperate to secure door  48  in a closed position.  
         [0043]     As demonstrated in  FIG. 3 , fire pit housing  16  is preferably foraminous, or includes a plurality of spaces, pores, orifices or foramen, so as to facilitate the flow of warmed air out of fire pit assembly  22  into the immediate surrounding environment.  
         [0044]     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , base  12 , while used with fire pit assembly  22 , includes movable heat source basin  36 . Grid  44  is removed from base  12  and heat source basin  36  is moved from its location at point A to point B, the former location of grid  44 , towards the top of base  12  to replace grid  44 . Once moved into place at point B, fire pit housing  16  is secured onto base  12  above heat source basin  36  and lid  14  is placed on top of fire pit housing  16  and secured by a flanged engagement, clips, clasps and the like, but preferably in the same manner lid  14  is secured to base  12  in barbecue assembly  20 , as explained above. A heat source, such as wood or coals, are placed into heat source basin  36  where they may be lighted.  
         [0045]     Turning now to  FIGS. 5, 6  and  7 , assembly  10  is shown having been transformed from fire pit assembly  22  to smoker assembly  24 . As smoker assembly  24 , fire pit housing  16  is removed and a smoker housing  18  is placed on top of base  12  in place of fire pit housing  16  by way of, for example, a flanged engagement. The bottom end of housing  18  securely rests on lipped annular rim  90 , in the same manner as housing  16  does above. As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , smoker housing  18  includes a cylindrical wall  54 , a pair of oppositely disposed handles  56 , an open upper end  58  ( FIG. 6 ) and an open lower end  60  ( FIG. 6 ). As shown in  FIG. 7 , heat source basin  36  is moved from point B at the top of body  26  to the bottom of body  26  at point A, the same location heat source support  36  is in while assembly  10  is in barbecue grill assembly  20  mode. Grid  44  is secured at the top of smoker housing  18  at point C by way of, for example, a plurality of supports secured to smoker housing wall  54  by a set screw and nut assembly. Lid  14  can then be secured on top of smoker housing  18  in the same manner as lid  14  is secured to fire pit housing  16 , such as a flanged engagement.  
         [0046]     Smoker assembly  24  further includes at least one additional support basin  62  disposed within base  12 , preferably at the top of base  12  at point B. Although more than one additional basin can be employed, smoker assembly  24  is shown with just one additional basin. Additional support basin  62  is preferably of the same configuration and structure as heat source support basin  36  and is placed inside base  12 , below grid  44  but above heat source support basin  36 . Additional basin  62  is able to support any other necessary or desirable material for facilitating the smoking of food, such as water or smoke generating wood chips, such as hickory or mesquite wood chips (not shown).  
         [0047]     It should be appreciated that assembly  10  can further include any other components and features commonly employed with barbecue grills, smokers and fire pits, such as heat shields, chimneys, vents, or heat absorbers.  
         [0048]     It should also be appreciated that smoker assembly  24  can be used as a steamer assembly for steaming clams, mussels, shrimp, vegetables, etc.  
         [0049]     What has been described above are preferred aspects of the present invention. It is of course not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the present invention, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alterations, combinations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.