GB1594295A

GB1594295A - Electric grill comprising two articulated hot-plates

Info

Publication number: GB1594295A
Application number: GB1930778A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: SEB SA
Current assignee: SEB SA
Priority date: 1977-06-14
Filing date: 1978-05-12
Publication date: 1981-07-30
Also published as: FR2394278B1; DE2825404A1; BE866499A; NL177652B; NL177652C; FR2394278A1; DE2825404C2; NL7805197A

Description

(54) AN ELECTRIC GRILL COMPRISING TWO ARTICULATED HOT-PLATES (71) We, SEB S.A. a French Body Corporate, of 21260 Selongey, France, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to an electric grill for household use and comprising two hotplates pivotally coupled to each other about an axis which is parallel to the adjacent edges of the hot-plates.

By means of known grills of this type, food products such as meat can be grilled on the two opposite faces at the same time, thus resulting in very rapid cooking.

In a typical grill, the articulation of the hot-plates is so designed that these latter can be brought into position at 180 with respect to each other and that the grilled food can consequently be removed with ease. The pivotal axis of the hot-plates is located at a predetermined distance between their adjacent edges, with the result that a certain space necessarily exists between the hotplates in the open position of the grill.

In some designs, the articulation provided in a grill of this general type is constituted by pivot-pins engaged in guide grooves which extend at right angles to the hot-plates. It is thus possible by means of the articulation to modify the distance between the plates according to the thickness of the food to be grilled.

In order to permit the cooking of food which has a soft consistency or which is not capable of withstanding any bearing pressure, certain grills are provided with abutment members or supporting legs which serve to maintain the two hot-plates in oppositely-facing relation at a predetermined distance of separation which is greater than the thickness of the food product. It is thus possible to grill foods such as fish, for example, without crushing these latter.

Another type of grill which is also known consists of a single hot-plate and is particularly suitable for cooking foods which have to be grilled only on one side such as eggs, "croque-monsieur" (toasted ham sandwich sprinkled with grated cheese), quiches or egg and bacon tarts, pizzas and so on.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a grill having two articulated hotplates and designed for rapid cooking of food which has a firm consistency such as meat and at the same time for the cooking of food which has a soft or fluid consistency such as fish, eggs and the like.

According to the invention there is provided an electric grill comprising two hotplates articulated with respect to each other about an axis parallel to the adjacent edges thereof, these plates being pivotable about said axis between two operative positions, one of these positions being a closed position in which the hot-plates are facing each other, the other operative position being an open position in which the operative surfaces of the plates lie substantially in the same plane, characterized in that, in the open position, the two hot-plates lie without any discontinuity between the adjacent edges thereof, the two hot-plates being extended at least to the aforesaid axis.

The grill thus has two distinct service positions. In a first position, the two hotplates extend in oppositely-facing relation as in conventional grills. This position is best suited to rapid cooking of meat or other foods which are of relatively firm consistency and are intended to be grilled simultaneously on their two opposite sides.

In a second position, the hot-plates are disposed at 180 with respect to each other and form together a substantially continuous cooking surface which is suitable for the cooking of food articles of relatively substantial length such as fish or food of soft or fluid consistency such as eggs, quiches or egg and bacon tarts, pizzas and the like.

The grill can consequently be converted to two cooking appliances which are suitable for different purposes without resulting in a more complex constructional design than conventional grills in which a relatively large gap exists between the adjacent edges of the hot-plates when these latter are placed flatwise at an angle of 180t with respect to each other.

In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, those edges of the hot-plates which are adjacent to the pivotal axis extend beyond the said axis and overlap in the open position of the grill, that edge of one hot plate which is covered by the overlapping edge of the other hot-plate being provided with a trough for collecting gravy.

In consequence, the said trough makes it possible to prevent the flow of gravy between the two hot-plates while constituting a convenient means for collecting said gravy.

In accordance with a preferred embodi ment of the invention, the articulation com prises two pivot-pins rigidly fixed to one of the hot-plates and engaged in guide grooves secured to the other hot-plate at right angles thereto and in the closed position of the grill, the opposite extremities of the guide grooves being located at an equal distance from the nearest hot-plate.

An articulation of this type makes it possible to bring the cooking hot-plates in the line of extension of each other after rotation through an angle of 180 while making it possible as a result of sliding displacement of the pivot-pins within the guide grooves to vary the distance of separation between the hot-plates when these latter are located in oppositely-facing relation.

Further distinctive features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which is given below.

In the accompanying drawings which are given by way of example and not in any sense by way of limitation: -Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing the grill in accordance with the invention, the hot-plates being placed in oppositely-facing relation in the position of maximum separation; -Fig. 2 is a view in perspective showing the grill of Fig. 1 in the fully open position of the hot-plates; --Fig. 3 is a plan view of the grill in the fully open position; -Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the plane IV IV of Fig. 3; --Fig. 5 is a view in perspective showing the rear portion of the grill of Fig.I; -Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the plane VI-VI of Fig. 5; -Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the articulation of the hot-plates in the fully closed position; Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the articulation of the hot-plates in the position of maximum separation; Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the articulation of the hot-plates in the half-open position; -Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the articulation of the hot-plates in the fully open position.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the grill in accordance with the invention comprises two hot-plates 1 and 2 which are removably fitted on substantially parallelepipedal casings 3 and 4 respectively.

The casing 3 which is placed beneath the casing 4 in a closed position of the grill shown in Fig. I is provided with feet 5. The hot-plate I which is mounted on the said bottom casing 3 will be designated hereinafter as the bottom hot-plate 1. Similarly, the other hot-plate 2 will be designated as the top hot-plate.

The top casing 4 is provided with a projecting handle 6 which serves to open the casings 3 and 4 by rotating these latter about their two articulations 7 in order to bring the two hot-plates 1 and 2 into a position in which they are placed 180 with respect to each other as indicated in Fig. 2.

In this position, the handle 6 performs the function of a foot for supporting the top casing 4.

It is also apparent from Fig. 1 that a supporting leg 6a serves to maintain the casings 3 and 4 at a predetermined distance from each other when they are in the closed position as shown. The leg 6a is pivotally mounted on the upper casing 4. When the grill is in a position with the plates 1, 2 against each other, the leg 6a is pivoted against the upper casing 4 and located in a recess 6b of the bottom casing 3.

The casings 3 and 4 contain shielded electric heating resistors 20 which are connected to the supply cord 21 (as shown in Fig. 3) by means of leads 22. Heating of the said resistors 20 is controlled by means of a conventional thermostat 23. The leads 22 are protected by a flexible sheath 24 (see Figs. 4, 5 and 6) which extends to a certain distance on each side of the axis X-X of the articulations 7. Said flexible sheath 24 is engaged within openings 25 formed in the rear faces 3a and 4a of the casings 3 and 4 (see Fig. 5), thus permitting engagement of the said sheath 25 in the casings 3 and 4 when these latter are moved from the closed position to the open position.

In accordance with the invention, the articulations 7 of the casings 3 and 4 which carry the hot-plates 1 and 2 comprise means for bringing the said hot-plates into the line of extension of each other and substantially without any discontinuity between the adjacent edges 8 and 9 of these latter.

In the example shown (Figs. 2, 3, 4, 10), the adjacent edges 8 and 9 of the hot-plates 1 and 2 extend beyond the axis X-X of the articulations 7 and overlap in the fully open position of the grill.

The two hot-plates 1 and 2 thus form a continuous cooking plane providing a cooking area which is substantially equal to double the area of each hot-plate 1 and 2.

It is further apparent, especially with reference to Fig. 4 and to the diagram of Fig.

10, that the edge 8 of the bottom hot-plate 1 which overlaps the edge 9 of the other hotplate is provided with a trough 10 for collecting the gravy or the juice which is produced at the time of cooking. The adjacent edge 9 of the top hot-plate 2 is also slightly curved towards the trough 10 in order to facilitate the flow of cooking juice into this latter.

In the embodiment which is illustrated in the drawings, the articulations 7 comprise cheek-plates 14 and 15 which are mounted on each side of the extremities of the edges 8 and 9 of the hot-plates 1 and 2. The cheekplate 14 is rigidly fixed to the bottom casing 3 which carries the hot-plate 1 and the cheekplate 15 is rigidly fixed to the top casing 4 which carries the hot-plate 2.

As can be seen more especially in the diagrams of Figs. 7 to 10, the articulations 7 are provided with two pivot-pins 16 which are attached to the two cheek-plates 14 and engaged within guide grooves 17 formed in the other cheek-plates 15. Said two guide grooves 17 are at right angles to the top hotplate 2. In the closed position of the grill as shown in Fig. 7, the opposite extremities 17a, 17b of the guide grooves 17 are located at an equal distance d from the nearest hot-plate 1 or 2.

Moreover, the aforesaid extremities 17a and 17b of the guide grooves 17 have elbowed extensions 17c and 17d which are slightly inclined towards the top hot-plate 2 and serve to lock the pivot-pins 16 in position with respect to the cheek-plates 15 as will be explained in greater detail in the description given hereinafter with reference to the operation and different modes of utilization of the grill in accordance with the invention.

In the closed position, the hot-plates 1 and 2 are located at a short distance from each other as shown in the diagram of Fig. 7.

The extremities 17a of the guide grooves 17 formed in the cheek-plates 15 of the casing 4 which carries the top hot-plate 2 are applied against the pivot-pins 16 of the cheek-plates 14 which form part of the bottom casing 3.

In order to adjust the distance of separation of the hot-plates 1 and 2 according to the thickness of the food to be grilled, it is only necessary to lift the top casing 4 in such a manner as to cause the sliding displacement of the guide grooves 17 with respect to the pivot-pins 16 in the direction of the arrow F of Fig. 7. The position of maximum separation is reached when the pivot-pins 16 are abuttingly applied against the lower ends 17b of the guide grooves 17. This position of maximum separation is maintained on the one hand by means ofthe supporting leg 6a shown in Fig. 1 and on the other hand by means of the elbowed groove extension 17d (Fig. 8) which locks the pivot-pin 16 in position after a translational displacement of the top casing over a short distance in the direction of the arrow F1.

In order to open the grill when cooking has been completed or in order to bring the hotplates 1 and 2 in the line of extension of each other, the pivot-pins 16 are locked in position within the elbowed groove extensions 17c after slight translational displacement of the top casing which carries the hot-plate 2 in the direction of the arrow F2 (Fig. 7), whereupon the top casing is displaced in pivotal motion about the axis X-X of the articulations 7 in the direction of the arrow R as shown in Fig.

9. During this pivotal displacement, sliding of the guide grooves 17 with respect to the pivot-pins 16 is prevented by means of the elbowed groove extensions 17c, with the result that the edge 9 of the hot-plate 2 stops short of a plane P which passes through the axis X-X and is at right angles to the bottom hot-plate 1. Thus the gravy or cooking juice formed in contact with the top hotplate 2 falls onto the bottom hotplate 1 and flows into the trough 10 of this latter.

In the fully open position as shown in Fig.

10, the extremities 1 7b of the guide grooves 17 formed in the cheek-plates 15 are applied against the pivot-pins 16, thus maintaining the hot-plates 1 and 2 in the line of extension of each other and practically without any discontinuity between the adjacent edges of the said plates.

In accordance with the invention, a grill having two hot-plates which can be used for cooking food of relatively firm consistency such as meat can consequently be converted in a simple manner to a grill having a single hot-plate. thus offering a large continuous surface which is suitable for cooking a very wide range of food products and especially food having a soft consistency.

The grill in accordance with the invention consequently combines in a very effective and simple manner the advantages inherent in conventional two-plate grills with the advantages inherent in portable single-plate grills of known type.

It is readily apparent that the invention is not limited to the example described in the foregoing and that many modifications can accordingly be contemplated without thereby departing either from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended

Claims

claims. From this it follows that the edges 8 and 9 of the hot-plates I and 2 can be disposed substantially in the plane of the axis of the articulations 7 in order to be juxtaposed in the fully open position of the grill. In this position, leak-tightness between the adjacent edges of the hot-plates can be improved by means of a seal temperature of the grill. Moreover, a trough which is independent of the hot-plates could be placed beneath the juxtaposed edges of these latter in order to collect the gravy or cooking juice which is liable to flow between these edges. Furthermore, the overlapping of the adjacent edges of the hot-plates or the juxtaposition of the said edges in the fully open position of the grill could be achieved by means of elements which serve to displace the hot-plates and/or the casings in translational motion towards each other. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. An electric grill comprising two hotplates articulated with respect to each other about an axis parallel to the adjacent edges thereof, these plates being pivotable about said axis between two operative positions, one of these positions being a closed position in which the hot-plates are facing each other, the other operative position being an open position in which the operative surfaces of the plates lie substantially in the same plane, characterized in that, in the open position, the two hot-plates lie without any discontinuity between the adjacent edges thereof, the two hot-plates being extended at least to the aforesaid axis.

2. An electric grill in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the adjacent edges of the plates extend beyond the said axis and overlap in the open position of the grill.

3. An electric grill in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the hot-plate edge which is covered by the overlapping edge of the other hot-plate is provided with a trough for collecting the gravy or cooking juice.

4. An electric grill in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the edge of the other hot-plate is curved towards the trough of the first hot-plate in the open position of the grill.

5. An electric grill in accordance with any one of claims I to 4, the articulation being provided with two pivot-pins rigidly fixed to one of the hot-plates and engaged in guide grooves secured to the other hot-plate at right angles thereto so that the opposite extremities of each guide groove are located at an equal distance from the nearest hotplate in the closed position of the grill, each opposite extremity of the guide grooves being provided with means for locking the pivotpins in position within the corresponding guide grooves, characterized in that the locking means are constituted by elbowed groove extensions inclined towards the hotplate which is provided with the said guide grooves.

6. An electric grill in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that the hot-plate provided with guide grooves has the aforesaid overlapping edge which covers the edge of the other hot-plate in the open position of the grill.

7. An electric grill comprising two articulated hot-plates, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.