AU2005202318A1 - Table with cooking apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2

SAUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

(N

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION o0 FOR A STANDARD PATENT

S(ORIGINAL)

o..

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: Tabachi Pty Ltd Werner Kaiser DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, 1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000.

"Table with cooking apparatus" Details of Associated Provisional Application No: 2004903182 10 June 2004 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: P:\OPERfRSH I 2614170-CAP do-26510M5 S-1- TABLE WITH COOKING APPARATUS The present invention relates to a table including a cooking apparatus and more 0 particularly to a table which is convertible from a dining table into a table or other facility at which cooking and possibly related activities can take place.

In Although, traditionally, outdoor eating/cooking involves the use of a separate outdoor Sdining table and a barbeque unit, the present inventor has determined that it would be of benefit to provide a single unit incorporating the functions of a dining table and cooking station, particularly for use in small backyards or on balconies of apartments.

According to the present invention there is provided a dining table having cooking apparatus mounted within the tabletop and a cover for covering the cooking apparatus when the apparatus is not in use, wherein in the operative condition of the cover an upper surface of the cover lies substantially flush with the upper surface of the tabletop so as to form an extension of the tabletop, and one side of the tabletop adjacent one side of the cooking apparatus is able to fold-down to facilitate access to the cooking apparatus from that side during cooking.

Advantageously, one side of the tabletop adjacent one side of the cooking apparatus is able to fold-down to facilitate access to the cooking apparatus during cooking.

The cooking apparatus is preferably in the form of a cooking grill. While, preferably, the grill is either gas powered or electrically powered, nevertheless it may also be powered by a solid combustible fuel.

In a particularly preferred form of the invention the tabletop is mounted on underlying support structure in the form of a cabinet which can be used for storage purposes. When the cooking apparatus is powered by bottled gas, the gas bottle is stored within the cabinet while connected to the cooking apparatus. To facilitate placement and removal of the gas bottle, the cabinet includes a sliding support by which the gas bottle is carried when in the P:\OPERRSH\U26141 70-CAP.dm.26/05A5 -2interior of the cabinet. The support together with the gas bottle is withdrawable from the interior of the cabinet to facilitate replacement of the bottle.

00In the form in which the cooking grill lies within the tabletop between two sides which have been folded down, the table will have the general form and function of a barbeque and may act as a barbeque trolley if wheels are fitted to the underlying support structure.

Preferably the grill unit sits on a support such that the grill unit can be removed from the table by lifting. When the grill unit has been removed it can be replaced by another article which can sit within the tabletop and preferably on the support, for example a container for drinks. The support may be movable between lowered and raised positions to permit the grill unit to be moved between a lowered, stowed, position for application of the cover, and a raised, operative, position for cooking.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a dining table having cooking apparatus mounted within the tabletop and a cover for covering the cooking apparatus when not in use, wherein one side of the tabletop adjacent one side of the cooking apparatus is able to fold-down to facilitate access to the cooking apparatus during cooking.

Advantageously, a second side of the tabletop at the opposite side of the cooking apparatus can also be folded down.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a table in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the table being shown in a condition in which cooking can take place by means of a grill unit within the tabletop; Figure 2 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1 and showing a cover part of a grill surround raised to expose the controls of the grill unit; P:\OPER\RSH I 2614170-CAP.dc-26/0 105 -3- Figure 3 is a view corresponding to Figure 1 and showing a door of a lower support cabinet open to reveal a gas bottle; Figure 4 shows to a larger scale a detail of Figure 2; 0 Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing a grill cover in place over the grill; Ni Figures 6 and 7 show different configurations of the tabletop when one or more sides of the tabletop are folded down; SFigure 8 shows diagrammatically one form of lifting/lowering system for the grill N unit, Figure 8 illustrating the system in a raised, operative, position of the unit; Figure 9 shows a detail of the system when the grill unit is in the raised position; Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 8 but showing the system when the grill unit is in the lowered position; Figure 11 shows a guide slot for an operating pedal of the system and by which the grill unit can be locked in its raised and lowered position; Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 11 and showing a detail of the lower part of the cabinet from which the operating pedal projects; Figure 13 is an exploded perspective view showing the removable cover, the grill unit, and a removable grill surround; Figure 14 is a plan view showing the grill unit within the tabletop but with the grill surround removed to permit lifting of the grill unit out of the table for replacement by a container such as a drinks container; and Figure 15 is an exploded perspective view similar to Figure 13 but showing the container in conjunction with the cover and grill surround which acts as a container surround when the container is in position.

As shown in the accompanying drawings a dining table for outdoor use has an octagonal top 2 mounted on a support which is, in the form shown, a rectangular cabinet 4. The central zone of the tabletop 2 is formed with a rectangular aperture in which a grill unit 6 can fit. The grill unit 6 is of rectangular form with a cooking surface which lies substantially flush with the surface of the tabletop 2 and the unit can be fuelled by gas, electricity, charcoal briquettes, or any other suitable fuel source. The grill unit 6 is P:\OPER\RSHAI 2614170-CAP doc-2605A)5 -4basically a self-contained unit which can be inserted into, and removed from, the table as a whole, except that when the grill unit is gas powered, a separate gas bottle 8 will be housed within the interior of the support cabinet 4 to be connected to the unit via a gas hose 00 extending from the underside of the unit; alternatively, however, the grill unit can be connected to a supply of Town gas. In the case of gas powered or electrically powered IC units, controls are mounted on an upper part of the unit so that control knobs 10 are N directed upwardly for easy access. The control knobs 10 may be seated within a recessed zone beneath a removable surround 14 of the grill unit 6. Preferably the control knobs are concealed beneath a hinged cover 16 built into the surround 14, the cover 16 being raised to expose the control knobs 10 for use; when raised, the inside of the cover 16 may carry appropriate warning and operation instruction labels as may be mandatory in some circumstances.

The table is provided with a removable cover 18 for the grill unit which is applied when the unit is not in use. The configuration is such that when the cover 18 is applied, its upper surface lies substantially flush with the upper surface of the tabletop 2 to form a continuation thereof via the grill surround 14 which is also flush with the tabletop 2 whereby the entire surface area of the tabletop 2 becomes functional as a regular dining table. Although in principle, the grill cover 18 could be formed by a relatively thin metal sheet which could fit over the perimeter of the grill unit and, indeed, this simple form of cover would fall within the broad scope of the invention, nevertheless that does not represent the preferred solution. In practice an outdoor dining table of this type is likely to be constructed from wood and, aesthetically, is it desirable for the cover, when in place, to provide a surface which matches or complements that of the remainder of the tabletop and it is unlikely that the requisite structure to achieve this could be accomplished within a cover of only small thickness.

To overcome this problem, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention, the grill unit 6 is mounted for movement between a raised, operative, position in which it is substantially flush with the surface of the tabletop and a lowered, stowed, position beneath the surface so that there is sufficient depth available to fit a cover of suitable construction.

P:\OPERRSH\M 2614170-CAP.doc26M05A The range of movement between the operative and stowed positions does not need to be particularly large and it is envisaged that a lowering movement of about 3cm is likely to be sufficient in most circumstances. Preferred ways of achieving the movement of the grill 00unit will be described later. In other preferred embodiments, the grill unit may be mounted in a fixed position somewhat more recessed beneath the surface of the tabletop sufficiently N, to permit the use of a cover of increased thickness, but without adversely affecting the I functionality of the unit when cooking.

In one typical form, the grill cover 18 consists of a flat plate of stainless steel carrying wooden cladding which matches the structure of the tabletop itself, with a small air gap being provided between the plate and the cladding to allow the cover to be placed over the grill unit even if it still hot, without burning the grill cover or the user's hands. A handle is recessed into the top of the cover so that the surface of the cover is still flat.

In addition to its primary function of completing the tabletop to enable the entire tabletop area to be used, the grill cover also acts as a protective waterproof cover for the grill unit itself.

In order to facilitate better access to the grill unit during cooking, the tabletop 2 has one, and preferably two fold-down sides 22 at opposite sides of the grill unit 6. One of those sides will be at the side of the grill unit 6 at which the controls are situated. The structure of the tabletop 2 includes retractable supports for holding the sides 22 in their raised position. The supports can be of any suitable form as well known in the construction of tables with fold-down sides.

When the table is provided with two fold-down sides, when both sides are lowered as shown in Figure 6, the arrangement will correspond to that in a typical barbeque with a centrally located grill unit and surfaces at either side of that for plates of food and the like.

If the support cabinet 4 is mounted on a pair of wheels by which the entire table can be pushed along the ground, the configuration in this mode will to a large extent replicate the configuration present in a standard barbeque trolley. If the other side of the tabletop is P:\OPER\RSHM12614170-CAP.dc-26/05A)5 -6tq kept raised (see Figure 7) or is not capable of being lowered, diners can sit around the raised side and the ends while cooking takes place from the lowered side.

0 Although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown as applied to a tabletop 2 of octagonal shape it will be understood that all of the aspects described would be applicable to tables of other shape such as circular, oval, oblong, or rectangular with at 0 N least one fold-down side and preferably two fold-down sides. Although one, and Spreferably two, fold-down sides are preferred to provide maximum versatility, it is not essential for the tabletop to have any fold-down sides. For example, with an oblong tabletop, the widthwise dimension may be such that reasonable access can be obtained to the grill unit from one of the two longer sides of the tabletop without the need to have that side folded down. Alternatively, with an underlying support structure of appropriate configuration it is possible that the grill unit could be positioned asymmetrically within the tabletop so that it is relatively close to one of the two ends from which access can be obtained.

As discussed above, the grill unit is preferably movable between its operative and stowed positions. This can be achieved in a variety of different ways, preferably none of which require the table to be coupled to an external power source.

In the preferred embodiment, the cabinet 4 beneath the tabletop 2 includes a support cradle (see Figure 8) onto which the lower part of the grill unit 6 is fitted. The cradle 30 is raised and lowered under the influence of force applied by the user. In one form, the cradle 30 may be supported by gas springs which maintain the cradle and grill unit in a raised, operative, position, with the grill unit and cradle being pushed down into the lowered position (the stowed position of the grill unit) against the force of the gas springs to be latched in that position. When the grill unit is next required for use, the latch is released whereby the gas springs then gently raise the cradle and grill unit into the operative position. In one alternative form, the cradle 30 is linked to a pulley and cable system which is manually operated by a handle externally of the cabinet 4 to move the cradle and grill unit between the raised and lowered positions. In another alternative form P:\OPER\RSH\I 261417O-C AP.d-26/555 -7the cradle is raised and lowered by a manually operated scissor action linkage. However in the particular form shown, the cradle and grill unit carried thereby is moved by a springloaded lever system operated by a pedal which projects from the lower part of the cabinet and this will now be described in detail with reference to Figures 8 to 12.

oO NI The cradle 30 is guided for vertical movement by co-operation between downwardly NI projecting legs 30a of the cradle and brackets 32 in the cabinet and within which the legs slide. Compression springs 34 mounted on the legs 30a and seated against the N brackets 32 bias the cradle 30 into an upper position (as shown in Figure 8) defined by the engagement of pins 36 at the lower end of the legs 30a with the underside of the brackets 32. An operating lever 38 is connected to the cradle 30 via an intermediate link 40, an outer end of the lever 38 projecting from the cabinet 4 to form a pedal 38a accessible from the outside of the cabinet 4. In the arrangement shown, depression of the pedal 38a by foot pressure will lower the cradle 30 from the raised position (Figure 8) to the lowered position (Figures 9 and 10) against the bias of the compression springs 34. The legs 30a of the cradle also carry caps 39 which limit the extent of downwards movement and define the lowered position of the cradle. They also ensure that the springs 34 are never fully compressed. The pedal 38a (and hence lever 38) is retained in its lowered position to thereby also retain the cradle and grill unit in their lowered positions. Subsequent release of the pedal will then allow the cradle and grill unit to be raised by the springs 34.

The pedal/lever 38a/38 can be retained in the lowered position in a number of different ways, for example by using a releasable spring-loaded latch lever which locks the main lever 38 when it moves into its lowered position. However in the embodiment shown, the lever 38 moves along a shaped vertical slot 40 (see Figures 11 and 12) having a locking portion at its upper and lower ends and within which the lever sits when in its raised and lowered positions, the lever 38 being subject to a lateral bias which will cause it to move into the locking portion whenever it reaches the level of the locking portion after it has moved through the vertical part of the slot. Accordingly, to lower the lever 38 and thereby to lower the cradle and grill unit, the foot pedal 38a is depressed and moved sideways (to the left as shown in Figure 11) until the lever 38 enters the upper end of the vertical slot P:\OPER\RSHlI 2614170-CAP.doc26A)A)5 -8along which it can then move in order to lower the cradle/grill unit. When the lever 38 reaches the lower end of the vertical slot, the bias will displace the lever to the right as shown, into the locking portion at the lower end in which the lever will be retained in order to hold the cradle/grill unit in the lowered position. The reverse action is required to raise oO the cradle/grill unit. It will be understood that the pedal 38a at the end of the lever 38 is (Ni therefore held in either one of its two end positions corresponding to the raised and lowered positions of the cradle/grill unit and that deliberate action is required on the part of Sa user to operate the pedal to raise or lower the cradle/grill unit, thereby avoiding the risk of accidental movement.

In an alternative arrangement, the pedal 38a can operate to raise the cradle/grill unit by application of force by the foot of the user. This action will occur against a gravity bias and possibly also a spring bias which will act to subsequently return the unit to its lowered position.

It is preferred that the grill unit 6 is fitted in such a manner that the unit can be lifted off the cradle 30 and removed from the table, and for this purpose lifting handles 42 (see Figure 13) are preferably provided in the outer peripheral part of the unit to be easily accessible when the surround 14 has been removed (see Figure 14). Alternatively, if the peripheral space is too restricted for easy insertion of the hands, detachable lifting handles can be fitted to the unit when removal is required; this also has the advantage that the unit can be removed while it is still warm. When the unit has been removed it can be replaced by a watertight open-topped container 50 of similar dimension. This can be used for example as a drinks cooler and in this mode the table can be converted into a serving bar for drinks with one or both of the sides of the tabletop folded down. The container 50 is supported by the cradle 30 and lies within the removable surround 14. The container 50 can be moved by the cradle 30 between raised and lowered positions. When lowered, the cover 18 can be applied to be flush with the surround 14 and the tabletop.

Even if the grill unit is mounted in a fixed position rather than being movable between raised and lowered positions, it is still preferred for the grill unit to be fitted in such a P:\OPER\RSH\I 2614170-CAPdoc-26105)5 -9manner that it can be lifted and removed to be replaced by an open-topped container as described above.

As previously indicated, the lower support of the table is formed by the cabinet 4 in which oO a gas bottle 8 for the burner is housed. The gas bottle 8 is preferably mounted on a slidable Ni tray for ease of insertion into and removal from the cabinet. Although it is preferred for N the lower support to be in the form of a cabinet which conceals the bottle and other components when the door of the cabinet is closed, to provide a neat and attractive appearance for the entire table, nevertheless it is not essential that the structure is in that form and other structure of a more open type and which is capable of supporting the grill unit and associated components such as cradle and lifting/lowering mechanism (if provided) could alternatively be provided.

Although it is envisaged that most practical forms of the invention will use one of the described arrangements in which, when the grill unit is not in use, it can be covered by a cover which will sit flush with the tabletop so as to form, effectively, part of the tabletop, in some situations, an arrangement may be acceptable in which the grill unit is always flush with the tabletop and the cover is raised, albeit not substantially, from the tabletop.

In this case, the configuration with one and preferably two fold-down sides at opposite sides of the grill unit will provide significant versatility in use to facilitate both cooking and eating.

The embodiment has been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

Throughout this specification and claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Claims (13)

1. A dining table having cooking apparatus mounted within the tabletop and a cover for covering the cooking apparatus when the apparatus is not in use, wherein in the operative condition of the cover an upper surface of the cover lies substantially flush with the upper surface of the tabletop so as to form an extension of the tabletop, and one side of the tabletop adjacent one side of the cooking apparatus is able to fold-down to facilitate Saccess to the cooking apparatus from that side during cooking.

2. A table according to claim 1, wherein a second side of the tabletop at the opposite side of the cooking apparatus is able to be folded down to facilitate access to the cooking apparatus from the said opposite side during cooking.

3. A table according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the cooking apparatus is in the form of a cooking grill.

4. A table according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tabletop is mounted on underlying support structure in the form of a cabinet including a door which can be opened to permit access into the interior of the cabinet for storage purposes.

A table according to claim 4, wherein the cooking apparatus is powered by bottled gas, and the gas bottle is stored within the interior of the cabinet while connected to the cooking apparatus.

6. A table according to claim 5, wherein the cabinet includes a sliding support by which the gas bottle is carried when in the interior of the cabinet, the support together with the gas bottle being withdrawable from the interior of the cabinet when the door is open to facilitate replacement of the gas bottle.

7. A table according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cooking apparatus is removably mounted within the tabletop and includes handles to facilitate its removal by P:\OPERRSH\I 2614170-CAP.doc-26/05A)S -11- lifting from the tabletop, the table further including a separate open-topped container which can be mounted within the tabletop when the cooking apparatus has been removed.

8. A table according to claim 7, wherein when the container is in place, the said cover is able to be applied over the container to close the container from above with the upper Ssurface of the cover lying substantially flush with the upper surface of the tabletop so as to N form an extension of the tabletop.

9. A table according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooking apparatus is mounted within the tabletop so as to be moveable between a raised, operative, position for cooking and a lowered, stowed, position in which it lies beneath the level of the upper surface of the tabletop for application of the cover.

A table according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the cooking apparatus is mounted to a support which is moveable between a lowered position in which the cover can be applied over the cooking apparatus such that the upper surface of the cover lies substantially flush with the upper surface of the tabletop, and a raised position in which the cooking apparatus is in an operative position for cooking.

11. A table according to claim 10, wherein the support is biased into one from its raised and lowered positions and is moved into the other from its raised and lowered positions against the bias by force applied by the user.

12. A dining table with a tabletop and cooking apparatus mounted within the tabletop such that a cooking surface of the apparatus lies adjacent to the surface of the tabletop during use of the apparatus, and a cover for covering the cooking apparatus when not in use, wherein one side of the tabletop adjacent to one side of the cooking apparatus is able to fold down to facilitate access to the cooking apparatus from that side during cooking, and the cover has an upper surface which lies adjacent to the tabletop when the cover is applied. P:\OPERRSH\I2614170-CAP doc.26/05A5 S-12-

13. A dining table substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 5 DATED this 2 7 th day of May 2005 Nc Tabachi Pty Ltd In by their Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE (N,