AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE GRIDIRON OR INSTRUMENT, COMPE
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Richards Robinson, of Charlestown,
in the State of Massachusetts and United States of America, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE GRIDIRON OR INSTRUMENT,
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Frederick Richards
Robinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition and Declaration, on the 20th October 1852, pursuant to
the 9th section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
FREDERICK RICHARDS ROBINSON, of Charlestown, in the State of
Masachusetts and United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I have petitioned Her Majesty the Queen of Great
Britain, by Her Letters Patent to give and grant unto me, the said
Frederick R. Robinson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her
special license that I, they, or such others as I or they should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term of fourteen years from the date of such Letters
Patent, should lawfully make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United

page_text: Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the. Channel Islands, the Isle
of Man, and all the Colonies of Her Majesty in which such or the
like Letters Patent would not be invalid by the law or laws in force in
any of the same for the time being, an Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN THE GRIDIRON OR INSTRUMENT FOR COOKING STEAK OR OTHER ARTICLES
BY BROLLING;" and whereas by law it is provided that the sanic shall
depend on condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick R.
Robinson, by an instrument of writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner of performance of the same, and should cause the
said instrument of writing to be filed in the High Court of Chancery,
or left at the Office of Her Majesty's Commissioners of Patents for
Inventions, to be transferred-to-and- kept in-such-Office of the Court of
Chancery as the Lord Chancellor shall appoint.
13
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Richards Robinson,
do hereby declare, that the following, taken in connection with the
accompanying Drawings, is a Complete Specification of my said In-
*vention, setting forth the nature thereof and the manner in which the
same is to be performed.
Of the said Drawings Figure 1, represents a top view of my im-
proved gridiron Figure 2, a side elevation of it; Figure 3, a central,
vertical, and longitudinal section of it; Figure 4, a transverse section of
it; Figure 5, a top view of its lower part or gravy catcher, as separated
from the upper part or grating for sustaining the meat to be cooked.
In the said Drawings A, represents a metallic frame formed of a
series of spouts a, a, a, and a surrounding spout b. The several spouts
a, a, a, are arranged parallel to one another, and at suitable distances
asunder, as seen in the Drawings, and they are connected with the
external or circumscribing spout 6, aud made to open at their two ends
into the same. Between each two of the transverse and parallel sponts
there is a space or distance c, whose width is made somewhat less than
the width of either of the two adjacent spouts.
Directly over each of these openings there is a fluted or other proper
shaped bar d, having a width a little greater than the width of the
opening, and curved transversely, and channelled 'lengthwise, as seen

page_text: in the Drawings, or in any other proper manner. These bars d, d;
have spaces or openings e, e, between them, and they are placed parallel
to one another like the bars of a cominon gridiron, and are connected
to a frame f, which has feet y, g, extending down from it, and resting
upon the gravy catcher, below it. Said gravy, catcher is constructed
with handles, as seen at h, h, and supporting feet, as seen at 'i, i,
said feet being sufficient in number to sustain it on a stove, or any
article or surface on which it may be placed. Besides the above,
the gravy catcher is provided with two projections or lips k. !, which
extend above it, as seen in the Drawings, each of these lips being
formed with a hole to receive one of two pins or studs m. n, made
to extend from the ends of the gridiron, as seen in the Drawings,
These two studs or projections last mentioned are provided withi
shoulders, as seen at o, p. The distance between said shoulders, added
to the length of the shortest stud projecting from one of the shoulders,
is a little less than the distance between the two lips before mentioned,
the same being for the purpose of enabling a person, after inserting
the longer of these projections through its lip. to do the same with the
shorter one. When the shoulder of the shorter projection is moved
up against its lip it determines the exact position for the gridiron to
have over, the gravy catcher below it when the two are put in use, such
position being represented in the Drawings, wherein it will be seen that
cach.of the bars of the gridiron is placed directly over a space between
two of the spouts immediately beneath it.
I am aware that a gridiron has been made like what I term the
grayy catcher, or composed of a frame of bars connected with a spout
to receive the gravy. In all such gridirons' the peculiar exposure of the
meat to the heat radiated from the fire and through the spaces between
the bars of the article renders the meat very liable to be burned when
it comes directly over the said spaces. Besides, the juices and fat of
the meat that exude from those parts of it which are immediately over
such spaces fall into the fire, and are more or less wasted. This is not
the case with my improved gridiron, as the meat is not only protected
in a great degree from being burned, but all or nearly all the fat and
juices from those parts of it that are over the spaces between the bars,

page_text: instead of dropping into the fire, fall into the transverse spouts of the
gravy catcher, and by them are conveyed into the circumscribing spout
thereof. The juices and fat from the remainder of the meat, or those
parts of it which rest directly on the bars of the gridiron, will run
into and through the channels of the bars, and fall into the gravy
catcher.
In the use of a common gridiron the fat that falls through its bars
and upon the coals often takes fire, and blazes up so as to smoke or
burn the meat. This difficulty is completely avoided by my improved
article, as will be easily seen.
Now I do not intend to confine my improved gridiron to the precise
form as represented in the Drawings, but mean to vary the same,
while I do not change the principle on which my Invention is based.
I do not claim the Invention of a gridiron composed of a combination
of a grating or frame of bars with a spout placed against the end or
around the ends thereof; but what I do claim as my Invention is, my
improved gridiron or broiling apparatus, as made of the gravy catcher,
constructed essentially as specified (viz., of a collection of parallel
spouts, and a circumscribing spout, or their equivalents), and a grating
or frame of bars, or their equivalents, placed directly over and above
such gravy catcher, and having each of its bars wider than and arranged
immediately over one of the spaces between the bars of the gravy
catcher, all substantially as herein above described, and as exhibited in
the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Richards Robinson,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of October.
FREDERICK R. ROBINSON. (L.S.)