Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a Continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 14/732,855, filed Jun. 8, 2015, which is a continuation of 14/203,965, filed Mar. 11, 2014 and is based on, and claims the benefit of priority to, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/776,132, filed Mar. 11, 2013, the entire contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention related generally to a cooking apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for adapting conventional hinged-lid cooking grills, especially typical gas grills, to cook pizzas and other foods in an improved manner. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    People often wish to cook on their outdoor cooking grills foods, such as pizza, that are not necessarily traditionally considered grill foods. An exemplary hinged-lid grill  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The grill  10  is exemplary in that it includes a frame  12  supporting a lower base portion  14  to which an upper lid  16  is hingedly attached, typically toward the rearward edge of the base portion  12 , by hinges  17 , as best shown in  FIG. 2 . The base portion  14  and lid  16  cooperate to define therebetween a cooking chamber  18 . The cooking chamber houses a grilling surface such as grate  20 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0004]    A heat source is housed below the grate  20 . The cooking chamber may be heated by charcoal, wood or even an electric heating element placed in the bottom of the cooking chamber, or more typical for this particular style of grill, by liquid fuel, such as natural gas or propane. 
         [0005]    With respect to pizza, the desired cooking temperature for many pizza recipes is very high, on the order of about 600 to 750° Fahrenheit or more. It is important that the temperature within the cooking chamber be particularly consistent, both spatially (the temperature is substantially the same everywhere within the cooking chamber) and temporally (the temperature does not fluctuate significantly with time). 
         [0006]    First, the temperature should be spatially consistent so all of the ingredients cook properly. A common problem with cooking pizza, particularly in grills, is that the crust cooks too fast relative to the ingredients on top of the crust such that the crust becomes too dry or even burns before all of the ingredients on top of the pizza are fully cooked or properly melted. Thus, temperature uniformity as a function of height above the heating element (e.g., charcoal, wood, or flame burners) is desired. Furthermore, if the temperature is not uniform in the horizontal direction, some sections of the crust may burn before other sections of the crust are fully baked. 
         [0007]    Even further, maintaining a consistent temperature over time also is often important to cooking pizza (as well as many other foods). First, a consistent, proper temperature will, of course, cause the food to cook faster than a fluctuating temperature and temperature fluctuations can lead to the food not cooking properly all the way through to the center. 
         [0008]    Often, it is particularly difficult to maintain consistent temperature in cooking grills for several reasons. First, in a conventional hinged-lid grill, such as many conventional gas grills, the grill must be opened (by pivoting the hinged lid upwardly to an open position) to place food on the grill, to remove food from the grill, and to observe the cooking food. Since heated air rises relative to surrounding cooler air, each time the grill&#39;s lid is opened, essentially all of the heated air in the cooking chamber rises and escapes, requiring the chamber to heat up again after the lid is pivoted downwardly to close the grill&#39;s cooking chamber. Not only could this cause it to take longer to cook the food, but it could lead to uneven cooking since the air in the space beneath the food is likely to remain much hotter or at least heat up much more quickly than the air in the space above the pizza after each opening of the lid. This is particularly problematic with respect to cooking pizzas because the pizza dough and/or the solid surface on which the pizza must sit (such as a pizza stone) forms a large uninterrupted barrier between the air space below the pizza and the air space above the pizza. Also, since pizza recipes often require extremely high temperatures, temperature differentials can be significant. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    The present invention pertains to an accessory for adapting cooking grills, especially grills including a hinged lid, for improved cooking of pizzas and other foods. The accessory includes a body adapted to be disposed between the base and lid portions of the cooking grill, the body being configured to mate with an inner surface of the lid and to cooperate with the base and lid portions to define therebetween a substantially-enclosed cooking chamber when the lid is positioned in a partially-closed position between the open and closed positions. 
         [0010]    A hinged-lid grill including the accessory is provided also. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0011]    An understanding of the following description will be facilitated by reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  shows a conventional hinged-lid grill exemplary of the prior art, showing the grill with the lid in a closed position; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows the hinged-lid grill of  FIG. 1 , showing the grill with the lid in an open position; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a front view of a grill accessory in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a rear view of the grill accessory of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of the grill accessory of  FIG. 3   
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a side perspective view of the grill accessory of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the grill accessory of  FIG. 3 , shown mounted on the grill of  FIG. 1 , showing the grill lid in an open position; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of the grill accessory of  FIG. 3 , shown mounted on the grill of  FIG. 1 , showing the grill lid in a closed position; 
           [0020]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a supplemental fuel basket for use in conjunction with the grill accessory of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the accessory of  FIG. 3 , show with a hinged door for closing the window; 
           [0022]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a C-shaped grill accessory of the present invention shown in a conventional kamado grill exemplary of the prior art; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a novel combination including a pizza peel of the prior art, and a cooking surface of the prior art. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]    The present invention provides an accessory that may be used in conjunction with a conventional hinged-lidded grill, such as grill  20  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . An exemplary accessory  50  is shown in  FIGS. 3-5  that is compatible with the grill  20  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Generally, the accessory  50  is constructed in a shape complementary to the grill structure to bridge a gap between the lower base portion  14  and the upper lid  16  when the lid is in a partially open position, to support the lid and to define a substantially-closed cooking chamber, as discussed in greater detail below and as will be appreciated from  FIG. 8 . The accessory can be used to convert a hinged-lid grill  150  into a pizza oven providing more consistent temperature variability, thereby yielding better cooking results. 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3-5 , the exemplary accessory  50  is constructed as a unitary body. In this example, the accessory  50  is formed of stainless steel from substantially planar stainless steel sheet stock, and then bending the accessory blank to form a front wall  52  and side walls  54 ,  56  extending generally transversely to the front wall  50 . By way of example, the accessory blank may be formed by die cutting, laser cutting or any other suitable method. In alternative embodiments, the accessory  50  may not be a unitary body and/or may not be so formed. By way of example, the accessory can be made of any material that is sufficiently heat resistant to withstand the maximum temperatures conventionally generated in a pizza oven or grill (it should probably be able to withstand at least 750 degrees Fahrenheit) and sufficiently strong to support the weight of the grill&#39;s lid  16 . Steel or another metal or ceramic material are preferred. Any suitable construction method may be employed to form the accessory  50 . 
         [0026]    The accessory  50  has a lower edge  51  that is configured to cause the accessory  50  to rest in a stable manner on the grate  20  of the grill  10  and/or on support structure of the grill, e.g., supports for the grate  20 . In this exemplary embodiment, each of the front and side walls  52 ,  54 ,  56  has lower edges  51   a,    51   b,    51   c  that are substantially flat and co-planar, to cause the accessory to rest in a stable manner on a substantially planar support surface, such as the grill&#39;s grate, as will be appreciated from  FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 . 
         [0027]    The accessory  50  has an upper edge  53  that is configured to cause the accessory  50  to mate with a partially-open lid  16  of the grill. Preferably, the upper edge  53  is contoured to mate with any irregular structure of the lid, so as to conform to any contours of the inner portion of the lid  16 , and thus to avoid large gaps likely to release excessive amounts of hot air from the cooking chamber  18  during cooking. Accordingly, each accessory may be constructed to specifically mate with a corresponding grill/grill type. In this exemplary embodiment, each of the side walls  52 ,  56  has upper edges  53   a,    53   c  that are substantially flat and co-planar, to cause the accessory to mate with substantially-planar lid structure, as will be appreciated from  FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 . In this exemplary embodiment, portions of the upper edges  53   a,    53   b,    53   c  are contoured out of plane to mate with corresponding portions of the grill&#39;s lid structure, as will be appreciated from  FIGS. 3, 4, and 6 . 
         [0028]    As will be appreciated from  FIG. 6 , the accessory  50  has a generally wedge-shaped profile when viewed from the side, to substantially close a wedge-shaped opening between the lower base  14  and lid  16  when the hinged lid is partially open. 
         [0029]    As best shown in  FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 , the front wall  52  of the accessory  50  defines a window  60 . The window is dimensioned to be large enough both in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction to allow easy insertion and removal of a pizza from the cooking chamber. Thus, the window  60  allows a pizza to be removed from the cooking chamber  18 , e.g., using a pizza peel, without having to further open the grill&#39;s lid  16 , which would allow essentially all of the heat to escape. Preferably, the window is also dimensioned to be small enough so as not to allow a significant amount of heat to escape through the opening. Since heated air tends to rise, the vertically oriented side window  60  will not let excessive amounts of heat escape from the cooking chamber  18  through window  60 . The window permits constant visual access to the food cooking inside the cooking chamber without the need to remove the food from the cooking chamber. 
         [0030]    Optionally, a cover or door  75  ( FIG. 10 ) may be provided to selectively close the window  60 . By way of example, the door may be hingedly attached to the front wall  52 . Optionally, the front wall may define an opening  78  for supporting a conventional thermometer  73 . This may be particularly useful when the accessory  50  is designed for a grill that does not already include its own thermometer. 
         [0031]    The insert accessory may be sold in a kit along with a cooking surface  90 , such as a pizza stone, pizza pan and/or a conventional pizza peel  95 . For cooking foods other than pizzas and the like, the apparatus may be sold with a skillet (not shown) or other or additional cooking apparatus. 
         [0032]    In a certain embodiment, the apparatus further includes a secondary fuel basket. Optionally, certain hardwoods may be employed or added to charcoal in the secondary fuel basket to impart additional flavor to the pizza. Alternatively, such hardwoods or liquid “smoky” flavoring agents may be added to a smoking basket. An exemplary secondary fuel basket  80  is shown in  FIG. 9 . The basket includes a sidewall  82  and a floor  84  for supporting a supply of fuel in the basket  80 . In this example, the basket further includes an attachment member  86  for mounting the basket to the accessory  50 . In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 9 , the attachment member is provided as flange dimensioned to permit the basket  80  to hang from an upper edge of the accessory  50 . Alternatively, the basket may omit the attachment member and may simply be placed on the grill&#39;s grate. The basket  80  is configured to support a secondary supply of fuel above the primary supply of fuel in the fuel chamber beneath the grate  20 , and more particularly, is positioned to be open and to vent heat directly to a space above the cooking surface. In this manner, heat rising from the basket  80  tends to heat only (or primarily) the air above the grate  20  and/or any cooking surface, and tends to balance the heat distribution above and below grate  20 , and thus promotes temperature uniformity as a function of height above the lower fuel chamber. 
         [0033]    In use, the exemplary embodiment of the accessory of  FIGS. 3-6  may be used in conjunction with a conventional hinged-lid grill described above by opening the grill&#39;s lid and placing the accessory  50  onto the grill&#39;s grate  20  and/or supports for the grate  20 , as shown in  FIG. 7 , so that the accessory  50  is supported in a stable manner relative to the grate  20 . The lid  16  of the grill  10  may then be moved from the open position (as shown in  FIG. 7 ) toward a closed position into a partially-closed position, at which point an inner surface of the lid comes to rest against the upper edges  53   a,    53   b,    53   c  of the accessory  50 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . At this point, the accessory  50  supports the lid  16  and cooperates with the lid  16  and lower base portion  14  to define a substantially-closed cooking chamber  18 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . In this exemplary embodiment, the accessory effectively closes a gap between the lid  16  and base portion  14  on three sides of a generally-rectangular-shaped grill, and the fourth side is substantially closed by mating of the lid and base portion adjacent the hinge(s). Thus, the accessory can be used to convert a hinged-lid grill into an oven  100  providing more consistent temperature variability, thereby yielding better cooking results. 
         [0034]    In embodiments including the secondary fuel basket  80 , the basket  80  may be mounted to the accessory  50  or placed on the grate and be loaded with secondary fuel/smoking agents prior to movement of the lid  16  to the partially closed position. 
         [0035]    The apparatus described herein may be implemented in any number of ways, including, but not limited to (1) as an aftermarket add-on, (2) as a removable feature of an original grill, or (3) as a permanent part of the grill. 
         [0036]    While the exemplary embodiment described in detail herein is configured to work with a generally rectangularly-shaped grill grate, and thus is generally U-shaped, such as those of many conventional gas grills, this is merely exemplary. The accessory may be otherwise shaped, such as in generally arcuate fashion and thus may be generally C-shaped, e.g., to accommodate a grill grates and/or grills having a generally circular shape and a hinged lid, as is typical of a kamado-style grill.  FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a C-shaped grill accessory of the present invention shown in a conventional kamado grill exemplary of the prior art. 
         [0037]    Having thus described a few particular embodiments of the invention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements as are made obvious by this disclosure are intended to be part of this description though not expressly stated herein, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only, and not limiting. The invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and equivalents thereto.

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