Abstract:
A barbeque grill attachment assembly adapted and structured to secure a barbeque grill to the rear of a vehicle so that the grill may be used without detachment from the vehicle is disclosed. The grill assembly permits the barbeque grill to swing in a horizontal arc from its operational position farthest from the rear of the vehicle to a stowed position adjacent the rear of the vehicle.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     Under the provisions of 35 U.S.C.§ 119(e), priority is claimed from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/143,270, filed Jul. 12, 1999. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Support assemblies attachable to vehicle bumpers or trailer hitches, and especially to rotatable support assembles. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The instant invention relates to a barbeque grill assembly for attaching a barbeque grill to the rear of a vehicle, especially a recreational vehicle, such as a motor home, travel trailer, pickup truck or sport utility vehicle, in a manner such that the barbeque grill can be swung to an operable position, displaced from the rear of the vehicle by a safe distance, about 18 inches to about two feet or more, and then swung to a stored condition or position wherein the grill is substantially adjacent the vehicle. 
     The assembly comprises bumper attachment means, or if the vehicle is fitted with a trailer hitch, hitch attachment means, and a vertical support member attached to said bumper attachment means. The vertical support member is preferably a hollow, tubular member which is preferably round in cross-section so that said vertical support member, when fitted within a support member holder which is part of or attached to the hitch or bumper attachment means, may be rotated about a vertical axis coexistent with said support member holder. 
     The upper portion of the vertical member is preferably displaced horizontally from its lower portion which fits within said support holder. The upper portion of the vertical member is attached to or fitted with a grill attachment whereby a barbeque grill can be attached or secured to the upper portion of the vertical support member. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Drawings are appended hereto to illustrate certain embodiments of the instant invention. Reference to the drawings may facilitate an understanding of the invention. 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of a barbeque grill assembly which attaches to the bumper or trailer hitch of a vehicle, especially a recreational vehicle; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a mounting bracket for mounting an assembly of the type illustrated in FIG. 1 to the bumper of a recreational vehicle; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a vertical support member which is part of the assembly of FIG.  1  and interacts with the mounting bracket of FIG. 2 and a barbeque grill; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a grill mount which is fixed, for example, by a weld, to the top of the vertical support member illustrated in FIG.  2  and to the bottom of a barbeque grill; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a mounting bar for interacting with a female hitch mount to form a support member for the vertical support member; 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a structural variation to the mounting bar illustrated in FIG. 5; and 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a flat plate support member attachable to a bumper by a pair of U-bolts. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is described in detail by reference to the attached drawings wherein FIG. 1 is an elevational view of said barbeque grill assembly  10  wherein a barbeque grill  11  is attached to a vertical support member  12  in an operating position at a safe distance behind a vehicle  13 . The barbeque grill assembly  10  is attached to a rear bumper  14 , in this instance, a rear bumper of a motor home or trailer, wherein said bumper  14  has a substantially square cross-section. FIG. 1 illustrates the safe spacing between the grill and the rear of the vehicle when the grill is in an operational position. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a bumper attachment means comprising two right angle members  15  and  16  when attached to one another by bolts such as large U-shaped bolts (not shown) from a box-type bracket  17  which fits tightly and securely about a bumper with a substantially square cross-section. Useful U-shaped bolts have a width and length slightly greater than the width and height of said bumper  14 . The bolts pass through holes  18 ,  19 ,  20  and  21  in the right angle members. 
     A hollow, tubular support member  22  is secured, e.g., welded, in a vertical position to an outer face of the bumper attachment bracket  17 . The hollow, tubular support member  22  is sized and adapted to receive a straight, round rod or pipe (vertical support member) having the structure as illustrated in FIG.  3 . 
     The vertical member  12  has a lower portion  12   a , an angled mid-portion  12   b  and an upper portion  12   c . The vertical support member  12  of FIG. 3 generally has a height of about 1½ to 2½ feet. The top portion  12   c  is displaced horizontally from the bottom portion by a distance of from about 1½ to 2 feet. A bushing  23  is shown securely fixed to the lower portion  12   a  of the vertical member to ride upon the top of the support holder  22 . The lower portion  12   a  of the vertical support member is rotatable within said support holder. Locking means set screw or jack screw  24  is fitted to the tubular support holder  22  so that when said screw is tightened the vertical support member  12  is prevented from rotating thus fixing the barbeque grill in either an operating position or a travel position adjacent the rear of a vehicle. The bumper, however, may be round or other cross-sectional shape whereby a differently configured bumper attachment means is required. 
     A flat plate  25  (see FIG. 4) is welded to the top (terminus) of the upper or top portion  12   c  of the vertical support member  12 . Bolt holes  26 ,  27 ,  28  and  29  in the flat plate  24  (grill attachment plate) accommodates bolts or machine screws which can pass through the bottom of a barbeque grill to secure the grill to the plate  25  and thus to the entire grill assembly  10 . 
     If the vehicle is fitted with a female hitch mount  30 , the tubular support member is fitted (secured) to the rear of a square bar  31  (FIG. 5) wherein the square bar is sized and adapted to fit within the female hitch mount  30 . A tubular support member  32  is then fixed vertically to the rear end of said square bar  31  and in a proper position with respect to said bar and to said vehicle to receive the straight lower portion  12   c  of the vertical support member  12  to support properly the vertical support member and the barbeque grill assembly  10 . 
     Further, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the vertical support member may be a hollow pipe (tubular member)  34  which fits over and rotates about a round rod member  33  fixed to a bar  31  which fits snugly within a female trailer hitch mounting  30 . 
     A mounting plate of the type used in FIG. 7 may be used in place of the angled sheet metal brackets of FIG.  2 . The angled sheet metal brackets may be made with vertically opposed holes, top and bottom, so that straight bolts may be used to hold the angled brackets in place on a bumper. The flat support plate  35  is structured and sized to fit flat against the rear of a vehicle bumper. A support tube  22  with an appropriate locking screw is rigidly attached, e.g., by a weld, to the flat support plate  35 . Large U-bolts  36  and  37  which are sufficiently wide and long to enclose the width and height of a bumper are used to fasten the support plate securely to the bumper. 
     The barbeque grill assembly illustrated and described herein is intended for recreational vehicles having a trailer hitch female mount or an exposed bumper. The vehicle may be a motorized vehicle, e.g., a motor home, or a recreational trailer. 
     The barbeque grill may be a gas grill, e.g., propane or butane, which is commonly used with recreational vehicles for stoves, refrigerators, etc. The grill may be fixed directly to a support plate or the support plate may have a sufficiently large flat area that the grill may be merely set upon such a large support plate and, when cold, is stored elsewhere in said vehicle. Such a large support plate may be pivotally attached to the vertical support member so that it may be folded to fit flat against the rear of a vehicle to which the grill assembly is attached. 
     The grill assembly is structured and adapted to be fixed in an operational condition a safe distance to the rear of a vehicle, or if the mounting bracket is near one end of the bumper, to the side of such a vehicle. The grill assembly is designed to rotate about a vertical axis proximate the bumper or vehicle hitch so that the grill may be rotated to a storage position proximate to the rear surface of the vehicle. 
     The barbeque grill itself may be a regularly shaped grill or the grill may be narrow and elongated so that its longer length fits more flush with the rear surface of the vehicle and the width of the grill is such that the grill does not extend to the rear beyond the bumper. 
     The locking screws are provided to lock the grill in either the operational or storage position. 
     The grill attachment plate may be rotatably mounted on the vertical support member so that the barbeque grill may rotate with respect to the vertical support member. Thus, the grill may be rotated substantially horizontally vis-a-vis the vertical support member so that the grill may be opened to either side or to the rear. This feature may be desirable on windy days when it is desired to open the grill to leeward. 
     The vertical support member preferably has an extended angled mid portion since many recreational vehicles, including many SUJs, have a rear tire centrally mounted on or near the central rear portion of the vehicle. Thus, the lower portion of the vertical support member projects upward only a short distance before the angled mid-portion begins. Thus, angled mid-portion does not contact the spare tire of the vehicle when the assembly is in a stored position proximate the rate of the vehicle. 
     The scope of the invention, however, is intended to be such that the vertical support member may be any desirable shape which facilitates rotation of the whole support assembly and in operational position which places the barbeque grill a safe distance from the rear or from the side of the vehicle and then to a storage position essentially flush with the rear surface of the vehicle. 
     Having a grill mounted securely to a recreational vehicle has many advantages. The grill need not be stored in the vehicle, which means that the grill may be rotated to a storage (traveling) position while warm. Second, storage of a greasy, smoky grill within a vehicle may soil the vehicle. Third, the grill has its own support and is thus freestanding and may be quickly operated. These features are desirable especially when the grill is to be used in primitive camping areas without tables, fireplace or campfire facilities. Thus, the grill of the instant invention is at a convenient height for cooking and at a height where dirt, etc. will not be accidentally kicked onto the food on the grill nor will the grill get accidentally knocked over. 
     While the invention has been described herein as an assembly for attachment to the rear of a vehicle, the grill assembly could, if desired, be attached to the front of a vehicle having an appropriate bumper. 
     The grill assembly may be easily removed by loosening the locking screw sufficiently that the vertical support member may be removed from hollow, tubular support member or the support bar readily removed from a female hitch mount. Thus, if the recreational vehicle has only seasonal use, the barbeque grill assembly may be readily and easily removed from the vehicle.