AU2006252307A1 - Sausage cooker - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

(ORIGINAL)

Name of Applicant: SITRO GROUP AUSTR Actual Inventor(s): STEPHEN LIGHT Address for Service: SANDERCOCK COW 180B SLADEN STREET CRANBOURNE VICT( Invention Title: SAUSAGE COOKER Details of Associated Provisional Application(s): No(s): Australian Provisional Application No. 2005907297 ALIA PTY. LTD.

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3RIA 3977 Filed: 2 3 rd December, 2005 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 1 Fc2006-1 2-20,Z:\Filing\sitro. fie3wpd,I la- TITLE: SAUSAGE COOKER FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention concerns devices for grilling sausages and to barbecues containing such devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In our co-pending application no. 2005902231, we describe barbecues which have a collapsible cover for the cooking zone which allows either oven cooking with the cover 2006-12-20,Z:\Specifications\sitro-1296.cap.wpd, ID-2- O on or grilling with the cover folded away. In the mode where the cover is folded away, U the barbecue cooks meat by contact with a grill plate or hot plate which suspends the meat above gas burners or solid burning fuel. Sausages laid on such plates or grids cook Sby absorbing heat by conduction and radiation. Even if the sausages cook on a grid where they are subjected to useful radiation, their thickness is such that they are rotated frequently by hand during cooking to ensure uniform cooking and uniform colour.

Cc Sausages therefore require more attention than other meat products.

(Ni \This specification devises to improve the versatility of such barbecues.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One apparatus aspect of the invention provides a sausage cooker comprising means to rotate sausages axially while exposing them to a heat source and drive means to provide the rotation.

The means to rotate the sausages axially may be multiple, mutually parallel rotatable rollers with spacings between the rollers for supporting sausages and rotating them while allowing radiant heat to be absorbed by and also to pass between the rollers.

The rollers may be mounted in a box frame intended for support on a barbecue or on a shelf in an oven beneath an oven grille. The frame may be of such a size as to take the place of the cooking plate of a barbecue or if there are two or more to lie side by side with a second plate so that it provides a dedicated site for cooking sausages leaving adjacent space for cooking other barbecue food.

The rollers may be rotated by a common drive. The rollers may each be rotated by a crank driven by a common link.

The rollers may have an annular shed or flange at each end for confining molten fat to the zone between the sheds or flanges where it is likely to drop into a drip tray or into the burning fuel beneath. This keeps the fat away from the roller drive.

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The means to drive the rollers may be an AC or DC electric motor. As the torque Srequired is small, a battery driven dc motor suffices. The motor may have epicyclic reduction gearing so that the output shaft rotates at 0.25-2rpm. The output shaft may have a single crank which is connected to the link.

Accordingly the device may function as a stand alone accessory to a source of cooking Cc heat like a barbecue or an oven or the device may be included as an integral refinement t of a barbecue.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One embodiment of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of a fragment of the device showing the device.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a barbecue incorporating the device of Figure 1 and 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH RESPECT TO THE DRAWINGS Four channel-section, galvanised steel, stainless steel or aluminium cover members 2 are screwed together to make a box frame. The frame encloses a pair of upright roller mounts 4 joined by ties 6. The mounts each have a set of eleven side by side bores 8 (one set only shown) which take flanged wheels 10. The flanged wheels have spigots (not shown) which receive hollow aluminium or steel tubes 12 (25 x 250mm). These are separated from the adjacent rollers by about 2mm to 10mm gaps 14.

The rollers constitute a flat array capable of supporting twenty to forty sausages 16 at once. The sausages do not touch each other at this spacing.

The wheels 10 at the drive end (omitted for clarity) are attached to a die cast crank 18.

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The cranks are ganged for rotation by a strip link 20 which itself is reciprocated by a Ssingle crank 22. Crank 22 engages a metal coupling 24 with a square socket 26.

A sheet metal bracket 28 screwed to the front of the box frame carries a dc or 240v drive motor 30 with a square drive shaft 32. Bracket 28 spaces the motor from the rising heat of the barbecue. An ON/OFF switch 34 activates the motor. The device is accordingly self contained. A pad of heat insulating fibre (not shown) lies between the bracket and t the motor.

10 In Figure 3, the barbecue 36 has serving space 38 next to the grille plates 40. The end plate is removed and the device is positioned on top of the barbecue so that the heat from the gas burner rises through the device and cooks the sausages. The motor turns the sausages at about 2 rpm and accordingly once loaded, the device can be left alone by the barbecue operator who thereafter has only to check for browning.

We have found the advantages of the above embodiment to be: 1. Cooking time shortened.

2. Uniform cooking and browning.

3. Handles curved sausages.

It is to be understood that the word "comprising" as used throughout the specification is to be interpreted in its inclusive form, ie. use of the word "comprising" does not exclude the addition of other elements.

It is to be understood that various modifications of and/or additions to the invention can be made without departing from the basic nature of the invention. These modifications and/or additions are therefore considered to fall within the scope of the invention.

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Claims (10)

1. A sausage cooker comprising means to rotate sausages axially while exposing them to a heat source and drive means to provide the rotation.

2. A sausage cooker as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the means to rotate the sausages coaxially comprises multiple, mutually parallel rotatable rollers with spaces t(N between the rollers for allowing radiant heat to be absorbed by sausages spanning the spaces.

3. A sausage cooker as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the rollers are mounted in a frame intended for support on a barbecue as a stand alone cooker utilising barbecue heat.

4. A sausage cooker as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the rollers are mounted in a frame intended for support on an oven shelf as a stand alone cooker utilising oven grille heat.

A sausage cooker as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the rollers are mounted in a frame intended for exchange with the cooking plate of a barbecue.

6. A sausage cooker as claimed in any one of Claims 1-5, wherein the rollers are rotated by a common drive.

7. A sausage cooker as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the rollers are each rotated by a crank driven by a common link.

8. A sausage cooker as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rollers each have an annular flange at both ends for confining molten fat to the zone between the flanges.

9. A sausage cooker as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the means to drive the rollers is a battery driven dc motor.

2006-12-20,Z:\Specifications\sitro- 1296. I-0 O 10. A sausage cooker as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the motor drives the common 0 link through an epicylic reduction gearbox. 11. A sausage cooker as claimed in Claim 9 or 10, wherein the rollers rotate at 0.25- 2rpm. n 12. A sausage cooker as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the n rollers are made of aluminium or stainless steel tubes.

10 13. A sausage cooker substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1-3 of the drawings. 2006-1 2-20Z:\Specifications\sitro-1 296.capwpd,6