Patent ID: 7347197

Claim:
A food roasting apparatus, comprising: an elongate rigid rod having a first end and a second end opposite said first end, said rod defining a rod longitudinal axis; a handle attached to said first end of said rod, said handle being constructed of a material that is slow to conduct heat; a basket removably attached to said second end of said rod and defining a basket longitudinal axis, said basket having a wire-frame construction; wherein said rod includes an offset portion at said second end connecting said rod to said side wall of said basket such that said rod longitudinal axis is inline with said basket longitudinal axis during rotation of said rod about said rod longitudinal axis; a sleeve coupled to said rod for slidable movement therealong, said sleeve including a pair of hemispherical sections hingedly coupled to one another for selective movement between open and closed configurations; wherein said sleeve defines an axial bore for receiving said rod when said hemispherical sections are at said open configuration such that said sleeve is slidably movable along said rod; wherein said sleeve defines a secondary bore parallel to said axial bore; a stake having a pointed end for ground penetration; a clamp coupled to said stake for slidable vertical movement therealong, said clamp having means for releasably capturing said sleeve, whereby said rod is slidably movable relative to said sleeve to a desired horizontal position; wherein said basket includes: a first basket member and a second basket member hingedly coupled to said first basket member; a trigger coupled to said rod adjacent said handle; a linkage operatively connecting said trigger with said first and second basket members for selectively moving said first and second basket members between open and closed configurations; wherein said linkage includes: a pushrod connected to said trigger such that operation of said trigger moves said pushrod between a first position and a second position, said pushrod being received in said sleeve secondary bore when said hemispherical sections are at said open configuration such that said sleeve is slidably movable along said pushrod; a rotating arm connected to said pushrod and pivotally connected to said rod, such that movement of said pushrod causes said rotating arm to rotate; a fork with a track coupled to said rotating arm such that said rotating arm slides in said track, a rotation of said rotating arm causing said fork to move perpendicular to said rod longitudinal axis; a link connected to said first and second basket members and releasably connected to said fork, such that movement of said fork away from said rod longitudinal axis causes said link to move away from said rod longitudinal axis and separate said first and second basket members; and a spring connected to said trigger for normally biasing said pushrod toward said first position when said trigger is not being operated by a user.