Abstract:
A cooking fluid injector including a barrel with a plunger operably moved by a trigger. The amount of movement of the trigger is controlled by a selector switch that provides for a preselected ejection of fluid with each depression of the trigger.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/002,642 filed Nov. 9, 2007, incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention is directed to a device for injecting fluids into foodstuff, especially meat, prior to cooking. 
         [0003]    Chefs often encounter situations where additional fluid is required in cooking foods, especially meats, or such fluids are beneficial to the process or carry added ingredients such as seasonings, marinades, broths and the like. 
         [0004]    Many chefs also like to be able to control the addition of fluid in order to add the same amount each time they cook a particular cut of meat or the like or they want to be able to accurately keep track of the amount of total fluid added. 
         [0005]    The present invention is designed to allow a chef to both easily inject fluid into food being cooked and to control the specific amount being injected. The invention also allows the amount injected to be easily varied with each injection. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    A fluid injector for injecting cooking fluids into foods, especially meats. The injector include a barrel for holding the fluid to be injected that receives a plunger at one end and terminates in a thin hollow tube at the opposite end. The tube has apertures or outlets spaced therealong to allow exit of the fluid from the tube at multiple axially spaced sites. 
         [0007]    The injector includes a handle attached to the barrel and a trigger that is pivotally attached to the handle and biased to a forward position by a spring. 
         [0008]    The plunger is secured to an actuator that extends generally axially and rearwardly from the plunger. The actuator has a series of spaced teeth forming a linear ratchet like structure on the underside thereof. 
         [0009]    The trigger has a pivotal pawl at the top thereof that selectively engages the teeth of the ratchet. The pawl has a rearward extending thumb release. The position of the pawl along the ratchet, when the trigger is in the forward position, is controlled by a selector switch on the rear of the injector. In particular, the trigger has a rearward arm projecting from the upper end thereof. The arm engages different abutments or structures of the switch which in turn limits the amount that the trigger can be depressed. In this way, when a particular position is chosen and the trigger is fully depressed to a rearward position thereof, the pawl acting through the ratchet propels the activator and plunger forward a preselected distance to eject a preselected amount of fluid through the tube (for example, one eighth, one fourth or one half ounce) depending upon the selected position of the switch. Thus, a preselected amount of fluid is ejected with each full depression of the trigger. 
       OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    Therefore, the objects of the invention are: to provide a cooking fluid injector that allows a user to inject a preselected quantity of fluid into food, especially meat, with each complete depression of a trigger; to provide such an injector wherein the amount of fluid injected can be easily varied; and to provide such an injector that is easy to use, inexpensive to produce and especially well suited for the intended purpose thereof. 
         [0011]    Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. 
         [0012]    The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a fluid injector in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the injector. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the injector. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the injector, taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a rear elevational view of the injector. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of the injector. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the injector similar to  FIG. 4 , showing the injector set so as to have ejected a first quantity of fluid. 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the injector similar to  FIG. 4 , showing the injector set so as to have ejected a second quantity of fluid. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a cross sectional view of the injector similar to  FIG. 4 , showing the injector set so as to have ejected a third quantity of fluid. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
         [0023]    The reference numeral  1  generally indicates a cooling fluid injector in accordance with the present invention for injecting cooking fluids  4  into foodstuff, especially meat. Various liquids can be used with the injector including liquids with seasoning mixed into the fluid, marinades, broth or the like. 
         [0024]    The injector  1  includes a barrel  5  joined by a frame  6  to a handle  7 . The barrel  5  has a cylindrical shaped interior cavity  9  and is constructed so as to hold the fluids  4 . A plunger  10  is received in and is coaxially aligned with the barrel  5 . The plunger  10  is sized to seal with the side walls of the cylindrical cavity  9 . A rear of the barrel  5  has an opening  12  that slidably receives an actuator  14 . The actuator  14  is joined at a front end to the plunger  10  and axially aligned with the barrel  5 . 
         [0025]    The front of the barrel  5  has a forward and axially aligned outlet  17  that flow communicates with the cavity  9 . Mounted on the outlet  17  is a thin elongate tube  18  that flow communicates with the outlet  17  to receive fluid from the cavity  9  into an interior passageway  19  thereof. 
         [0026]    Located along the tube  18  are a series of axially spaced openings apertures or outlets  20 , especially near the front end of the tube  18  that flow communicate with the passageway  19 . 
         [0027]    The actuator  14  extends rearward of the barrel  5  and has a ratchet like structure  25  with a plurality of evenly spaced teeth  26  extending axially along the underside of the actuator  14 . 
         [0028]    Mounted on the handle  7  by a pivot  29  is a trigger  30 . The trigger  30  has a forward position seen in  FIG. 4  and a rearward position that is seen in  FIG. 9 . The trigger  30  is biased to the forward position by a spring  31 . 
         [0029]    Pivotally mounted near the top of the trigger  30  is a pawl  35 . The pawl  35  has a forward engagement end  36  that is received against the ratchet teeth  27  and a rearward thumb release  38 . 
         [0030]    Also mounted on and extending rearward of the trigger  30  is a stop or positioning arm  40 . Mounted on the rear of the handle  7  is a selector switch  41 . The selector switch  41  has three positions: left, center and right. When in each of the positions there is an abutment structure  44  on the switch that engages or does not engage the arm  40 . The left position engages the arm  40  in such a way as to limit forward movement of the trigger  30  such that the pawl  35  pushes the actuator  14  and plunger  10  only a first distance that ejects a first quantity of the fluid  4  (for example, one eighth ounce), as seen in  FIG. 7 . When in the second position, the trigger  30 , when fully depressed, is limited so that the pawl  35  pushes the actuator  14  and plunger  10  to a second position that ejects a second greater quantity of the fluid  4  (for example, one fourth ounce), as seen in  FIG. 8 . When the switch  41  is in the third position, the trigger  30 , when fully depressed, can depress to its full range and the pawl  35  pushes the actuator  14  and plunger  10  to a third position relative to the barrel  5  that ejects a third still greater quantity of the fluid  4  from the barrel  5  (For example, one half ounce), as seen in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0031]    When released, the trigger  30  returns to the forward position and the pawl  35  is positioned the same number of teeth  26  from the barrel  5  with each repetition, although the number of teeth  26  that move forward with each depression of the trigger  30  depends on the setting of the switch  41 . 
         [0032]    In use the tube  18  is inserted into meat or other foodstuff and the trigger  30  is depressed to inject the liquid  4  into the foodstuff. 
         [0033]    It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.