GB2365322A

GB2365322A - Cleaning apparatus especially for cooking grills

Info

Publication number: GB2365322A
Application number: GB0018879A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Anthony Wilkinson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-08-01
Filing date: 2000-08-01
Publication date: 2002-02-20
Also published as: GB0018879D0

Abstract

Cleaning apparatus 10 for cleaning a cooking grill 12, such as that used on a barbecue. The apparatus 10 includes a housing 20 and a scrubber 14. The housing 20 is box-shaped with a lid 24 pivotally mounted along an edge thereof. One end wall 32 of the housing 20 includes two holes 40. The scrubber 14 has a scrubber head 50 and a handle 52, the scrubber head 50 including a rectangular frame with two opposite rows of inwardly-facing bristles 54 mounted thereon. In operation, the cooking grill 12 and the scrubber head 50 are placed inside the housing 20, with the grill 12 projecting through the scrubber head 50. The scrubber head 50 is arranged with the handle 52 thereof projecting through the holes 40. Detergent is introduced into the housing 20 and the lid 24 is closed. The handle 52 is then be reciprocated by an operator to move the scrubber head 50 over the grill 12 so as to dislodge any culinary detritus adhering thereto.

Description

<Desc/Clms Page number 1> "Cleaning Apparatus" This invention relates to cleaning apparatus and particularly, but not exclusively to apparatus for cleaning cooking grills.

Grills are used widely for cooking in the home, in commercial kitchens and on barbecues. A problem associated with such grills is that they are difficult to clean, the large size of many grills precluding the use of a conventional sink or dishwasher. Thorough cleaning often requires time- consuming scrubbing of the surface of the grill, much of which is difficult to access with conventional cleaning equipment due to small gaps between the strands of metal wire that make up the grill. This can be a messy process.

It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus for facilitating the cleaning of grills, particularly cooking grills.

The invention provides cleaning apparatus for cleaning an item having substantial opposed planar surfaces, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for said item and a cleaning fluid, and being arranged such that a mechanical contact force may be applied over substantially all of at least one of said planar faces, whereby substantially all of the or each said face can be subjected to a scrubbing action.

The receptacle may comprise a substantially rigid housing and further comprising a scrubbing device housed in said housing, said scrubbing device

including scrubbing elements contactable with the or each said face and being movable in said housing.

The scrubbing device may be provided with at least one member which protrudes from said housing and is operable by a user to provide movement of the scrubbing device and said at least one member may define a substantially U-shaped handle. The housing may be provided with support surfaces on which opposed side portions of said U-shaped handle are supported and along which said side portions can be reciprocated.

The housing may be provided with opposite end walls provided with a plurality of spaced apart projections for supporting said item.

Alternatively, the receptacle may comprise a flexible container which has at least one inner surface contactable with a said face. The or each face may be textured to define a plurality of scrubbing features.

A frame may be provided to support the flexible container and the fr _ie may be provided with a securement device cooperable with the frame such that an upper portion of the container can be releasably secured between the securement device and the container. The securement device may comprise a closure member arranged for closing an opening to the container through which an item to be cleaned is inserted and removed.

The receptacle has an opening for insertion of an item to be cleaned and is preferably provided with a closure device whereby the opening can be closed

during a cleaning operation.

Advantageously, the receptacle is at least partially transparent.

The invention includes apparatus for cleaning a cooking grill having a first side and a second side, the apparatus comprising a housing arranged to receive and locate the grill and scrubbing means operable to move over and scrub substantially all of one or both said surfaces of the grill when it is in the housing, thereby assisting in the removal of any food adhering to the grill.

The housing may completely enclose the grill and have a portion that is a pivotally mounted lid, moveable between an open position and a closed position to allow insertion of the grill into the housing and removal of the grill from the housing.

To further assist in the removal of food adhering to the grill, a cleaning fluid may be placed in the housing.

The housing may include one or more apertures adapted to act as a conduit for the cleaning fluid. Preferably the housing includes two apertures, one adapted to receive cleaning fluid from a source external to the housing and one adapted to expel cleaning fluid from the housing.

The grill may be located inside the housing by a support structure that supports an underside of the grill or by a clamping structure that exerts a clamping force on all or part of a periphery of the grill.

The scrubbing means may include a plurality of scrubbing elements

which in operation are in contact with the grill. The scrubbing elements may be replaceable so as to prolong the useful life of the scrubbing means. Preferably these elements are bristles.

The scrubbing means may include a protruding structure that, in operation, protrudes from one or more holes in the housing such that movement of the protruding structure moves the scrubbing means inside the housing.

The invention also includes a brush for cleaning cooking grills, the brush comprising a head portion and a handle portion, the head portion including two arrangements of scrubbing elements arranged to receive the grill therebetween, whereby the brush is operable by an operator gripping the handle to be moved so that the scrubbing elements periodically contact substantially all of the surface area of the grill, thereby assisting in the removal of any food adhering thereto.

In order that the invention may be well understood, some embodiments thereof, which are given by way of example only, will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded schematic diagram showing a cleaning apparatus and a grill to be cleaned; Figure 2 is a schematic representation of another scrubber for the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a frame for another cleaning

apparatus; Figure 4 shows a side elevation of a bag-like container for use with the frame of Figure 3; Figure 5 is an illustration of texturing for the inner surface of the container of Figure 4; and Figure 6 shows a side elevation of yet another cleaning apparatus. Figure 1 shows a cleaning apparatus 10 in the context of cleaning a cooking grill 12 to which culinary detritus is adhered (not shown). The grill 12 is of the kind that may be found in a domestic kitchen, a commercial kitchen or on a barbecue. The cleaning apparatus comprises a scrubber 14 and a housing 20.

The housing 20 is a box of six generally rectangular sides. In plan form the housing 20 is an oblong with sides of similar lengths. The third dimension, the height, of the housing 20 is very much less than the first two dimensions. One side of the box is formed with a lip 22 which extends around three of its edges and is pivotally mounted along its fourth edge so as to constitute a lid 24. The internal dimensions of the housing 20 are such that it can accommodate the grill 12. The housing 20 may be formed as a one-piece plastics moulding with a integral hinge for the lid.

One vertical endwall 26 of the housing is provided with a row of projections 28 disposed in a regular spaced apart relationship. A similar row of

projections, indicated by dashed line 30, is provided on the opposite endwall 32. The projections 28,30 define a mounting for the grill 12 as described in more detail below.

The endwalls 26,32 are interconnected by sidewalls 34,36 which each have a ledge 38 running along the length thereof. The ledges are positioned opposite and parallel to one another so as to define a guideway for the scrubber 14.

The endwall 32 defines two apertures 40 through which the scrubber 14 protrudes, as described in more detail below. The sidewalls 34,36 are each provided with an aperture in which are fitted respective hose connectors 42,43. The hose connectors 42, 43 are advantageously positioned at opposite ends of the housing as shown in Figure 1.

The scrubber 14 comprises a scrubber head 50 and a handle 52. The scrubber head 50 comprises an oblong frame of rigid material such as plastic or metal. The handle 52, which is a generally U-shaped and made of similar rigid material, is joined to the scrubber head so as to lie in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the scrubber head. The scrubber head includes a large number of bristles 54 which are secured to the scrubber head frame so as to define two opposed rows of bristles. The bristles 54 are of a resiliently bendable material that is abrasive.

The U-shaped handle 52 is a three-piece construction consisting of

respective arms 52(1), 52(2) connected with the sides of the scrubber head 50 and a hand grip portion 52(3) which interconnects the arms and is snap-fittingly engageable therewith at joints 56.

The scrubber head has two pegs 58 projecting one from each side thereof. The pegs 58 are arranged to seat on the ledge 38 so that the scrubber is supported thereon for reciprocating movement between the endwalls 26,32.

The apertures 40 are preferably provided with seals (not shown) which seal around the arms 52(1),52(2). The seals may comprise sheet rubber provided with an aperture to permit passage of the handle arms.

To load the apparatus 10, the grill 12 is inserted into the scrubber head 50 so that the head is positioned over the lefthand end region 12(l) of the grill. At this stage, the hand grip portion 52(3) is not connected with the arms 5l(2),52(2). The free ends of the arms are then pushed through the apertures 40, from inside to outside, and the grill and attached scrubber head manoeuvred into the housing 20 so that the ends of the grill seat on the respective sets of projections 28 and the pegs 58 rest on the ledges 38. The lid 23 is then closed to substantially seal the housing 20 and the hand grip portion 52(3) is snapfitted to the arms 52(l),52(2) to ready the apparatus for use.

In operation, cleaning fluid (not shown) is supplied to the housing via the hose connector 42. The cleaning fluid substantially replaces any air inside the housing so as to immerse the grill in cleaning fluid, the air leaving via the

other connector 43. The supply of cleaning fluid is maintained throughout operation: fresh fluid enters the housing via connector 42 and leaves via the other connector 43 thereby providing a continuous flow of fluid through the housing 20. The handle 52 of the scrubber 14 is then moved by an operator (not shown) so as to cause the scrubber head 50 inside the housing 20 to move repeatedly over substantially all of the grill 12. The bristles 54 move with the scrubber head 50 and have the effect of scrubbing the grill 12. This scrubbing tends to loosen and remove the culinary detritus from the grill 12 and is facilitated by the continuous flow of cleaning fluid which carries the detritus out of the housing 20. The operator continues to move the handle 52 of the scrubber 14 until satisfied that the grill 12 is clean. The supply of cleaning fluid is then stopped and all the cleaning fluid remaining in the housing 20 is removed from the housing 20 via the connector 43. The grill 12 is then removed from both the housing 20 and scrubber 14.

It will be appreciated that by seating the grill 12 on a discontinuous ledge defined by the projections 28, it is possible to clean substantially the entire surface area of the grill since the scrubber head can be moved against each of the endwalls 26,28 with the upwardly projecting bristles 54 moving into the spaces between the projections as the head approaches the endwalls.

Although the foregoing description discloses a continuous flow of cleaning fluid, an alternative embodiment is envisaged in which the housing 20

is filled via the hose connector 42 with a volume of cleaning fluid and the same volume remains in the housing until the operator is satisfied that the grill is clean. For this embodiment a valve or tap may replace the connector 43 and it may be desirable to provide a small relief aperture 60 above the intended water level in the housing. The aperture 60, which is preferably provided in the lid, may be fitted with a one-way valve.

In another alternative embodiment the housing 20 does not include apertures and the associated connectors/valves. Instead, a volume of cleaning fluid is introduced into the housing 20 from above with the lid 29 open. It is envisaged that this cleaning fluid is a solution of water and a household detergent. When the operator is satisfied that the grill 24 is clean, the lid 21 is opened and the housing 20 is tilted by the operator so that the cleaning fluid pours out of the housing 20.

In a further alternative embodiment the grill 12 is secured by two batons (not shown) which each have an elongate slot in which an end of the grill can be inserted. These batons are clamped into place after the grill 12 has been inserted into the scrubber head 50, the scrubber head being between the two batons and a11 three components being parallel. The grill 12, the batons and the scrubber are then inserted into the housing 20 and the grill 12 is cleaned as described above. For this embodiment, the projections 28 could be omitted.

In yet another alternative embodiment, instead of the hinged lid 24, the

endwall 32 may be hinged or removable to permit the insertion and removal of the grill. It will be appreciated that with this arrangement, if the housing is stood on the endwall 26 for a cleaning operation so that the scrubber is reciprocated in essentially vertical directions, seals for the endwall and/or apertures 40 would not be essential.

The configuration of the scrubber may be varied as required. One alternative configuration, which is shown in Figure 2, has a scrubber head 64 comprising a rectangular frame 66 provided with opposed banks of bristles 68. The scrubber head is provided with two spigots, one on each side, which project perpendicular to the plane of the head. The handle comprises a single generally U-shaped member 72. The two side arms of the U-shaped member each include a long portion 72(l), a shorter portion 72(2) and a connecting portion 72(3) connecting the portions 72(l),72(2). The spacing between the long portions 72(1) is such that, in use, those portions seat on the ledges 38. The shorter portions 72(2) are positioned closer together and are adapted to be releasably secured to the spigots 70, preferably by a snap fitting arrangement. The width of the scrubber head is selected so that it is freely received between the ledges 38 so that it can be reciprocated by operation of the handle.

It will be understood that whilst the scrubber advantageously has bristles for assisting in the removal of material adhering to the grill, other materials may be used. For example, wiry plastics or metallic scouring pads could be

used. Referring to Figures 3 and 4, another cleaning apparatus comprises a receptacle for the grill, in the form of a bag 100, and a frame 102 for supporting the bag.

The frame 102 comprises a rectangular base portion 104, four upright members 106 positioned one at each corner of the base portion and a rectangular upper support 108, the corners of which are connected with the upright members 106. The frame may be of solid construction or, alternatively may be jointed at points 110 to permit the frame to be collapsed for storage.

The upper support 108 has the same external dimensions as the base portion 104, but is preferably constructed with a larger upper surface area to define a support surface 112 for the bag 100 and a lid 114.

The lid is connected to the frame by a hinge, or hinges, so that it can be pivoted between open and closed positions as indicated in Figure 2. The underside of the lid has an upstanding lip 116 which is a close fit in the opening 118 defined by the upper support 108. A hose connector 120 is fitted into an aperture in the lid 114.

The bag 100 is made of a waterproof material and in side elevation is generally rectangular. At one corner, the bag is provided with a drainage valve 122, which may be in the form of a push-type tap. The bag may be configured such that its lower end is inclined toward the drainage valve 122, as indicated

in Figure 3 by dashed line 124. Gusseting (not shown) is provided to give the bag depth in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing sheet to permit the upper edges 126 of the bag to be splayed against the support surface 112.

In use, the grill is placed in the bag 100, which is then inserted into the frame 102 with the upper edges 126 being spread over the support surface 112. The lid is then closed so that the bag is trapped between the inner edges of the upper support 108, which define the opening 118, and the lip 116. A detergent may be added to the bag before the insertion into the frame or prior to closing the lid. Water is then admitted to the bag. The drainage valve 122 may be partially open to permit a continuous throughflow of water. The bag is then pressed and rubbed against the grill by the user, in order to provide a scrubbing action and loosen the material carried by the grill.

Once the cleaning process is deemed complete, the drainage valve is opened to empty the bag; the frame may be tipped to aid this process. Once the bag has been emptied and, if desired flushed with clean water, the grill can be removed by the reverse of the loading process described above.

As shown in Figure 5, the inner surface 130 of the bag is preferably textured to create an enhanced scrubbing action. For example, the inner surface may be contoured, ribbed or provided with small conical projections. The texturing may be integral or a substrate fixed to the bag inner surface.

Yet another cleaning apparatus 150 is shown in Figure 5. The cleaning apparatus 150 comprises a bag 152 generally similar to the bag 100, but equipped to be used without the frame 102. For this purpose, in addition to a drainage valve 154, the bag 152 has an inlet valve or hose connector 156. At the end remote from the drainage valve 154, the bag has an opening for insertion of the grill, which is provided with a press seal or zip arrangement 158, whereby the bag can be sealed before water is fed in through the valve 156.

The bags 100,152 and housing 20 are preferably made of a material which is at least partially transparent in order that the user may see whether the grill has been satisfactorily cleaned without having to remove it from the cleaning apparatus. Partial transparency may be provided by selection of an appropriate material or by providing one or more windows in the receptacle.

In the foregoing description, the cleaning apparatus has been described in the context of cleaning a grill. It will be understood that the apparatus could also be used for cleaning other planar items, such as, for example, baking trays, and is not limited to use in cleaning cooking equipment. The cleaning apparatus could, for example, be used for cleaning drip trays or some reusable filter elements.

It will be understood that the embodiments of the invention provide a receptacle in which the item to be cleaned can be enclosed and allowing a

scrubbing action to be applied over a11 of at least one planar face of the item so that, for example, a grill can be readily cleaned without creating a mess.

Claims

Claims 1. Cleaning apparatus for cleaning an item having substantial opposed planar surfaces, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for said item and a cleaning fluid, and being arranged such that a mechanical contact force may be applied over substantially all of at least one of said planar faces, whereby substantially all of the or each said face can be subjected to a scrubbing action.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said receptacle comprises a substantially rigid housing and further comprising a scrubbing device housed in said housing, said scrubbing device including scrubbing elements contactable with the or each said face and being movable in said housing.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said scrubbing device is provided with at least one member which protrudes from said housing and is operable by a user to provide movement of the scrubbing device.
4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said at least one member defines a substantially U-shaped handle and said housing is provided with support surfaces on which opposed side portions of said handle are supported and along which said side portions can be reciprocated.

<Desc/Clms Page number 16>
5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein said housing has opposite end walls provided with a plurality of spaced apart projections for supporting said item.
6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, where said receptacle comprises a flexible container.
7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said container has at least one inner surface arranged to be contactable with a said face, said inner surface being textured to define a plurality of scrubbing features.
8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or 7, further comprising a frame for supporting said flexible container.
9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said frame is provided with a securement device cooperable with said fram.: such that an upper portion of said container can be releaseably secured between said securement device and said frame.
10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said securement device comprises a closure member, arranged such that an opening to said container

<Desc/Clms Page number 17>
ii for insertion of said item can be closed during a cleaning operation. 11. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims I to 8, wherein said receptacle defines an opening for insertion of said item and is provided with a closure device whereby said opening can be closed during a cleaning operation.
12. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said receptacle is at least partially transparent.
13. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said receptacle has at least one inlet for admitting fluid for a cleaning operation.
14. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said receptacle is provided with an outlet for drainage of fluid contained in the receptacle.
15. Apparatus for cleaning a cooking grill having a first side and a second side, the apparatus comprising a housing arranged to receive and locate the grill and scrubbing means operable to move over and scrub substantially a11 of one or both said surfaces of the grill when it is in the housing, thereby assisting in the removal of any food adhering to the grill.

<Desc/Clms Page number 18>

ix
16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the housing is arranged to completely enclose the grill and has a portion that is a pivotally mounted lid, s al 'd I'd I being I moveable between an open positi ion and a closed positi i ion to allow insertion of the grill into the housing and removal of the grill from the housing.
17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein the housing has one or more apertures adapted to act as a conduit for a cleaning fluid.
18. Apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the housing includes two said apertures, one arranged to receive cleaning fluid from a source external to the housing and one arranged to release cleaning fluid from the housing.
19. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the claims 15 to 18, wherein said scrubbing means comprises a plurality of scrubbing elements which in operation contact the grill.
20. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein said scrubbing means include a protruding structure that, in operation, protrudes from one or more holes in the housing such that movement of the protruding structure moves the scrubbing means inside the housing.

<Desc/Clms Page number 19>
21. A brush for cleaning cooking grills, the brush comprising a head portion and a handle portion, the head portion including two arrangements of scrubbing elements arranged to receive the grill therebetween whereby the brush is operable by an operator gripping the handle to be moved so that the scrubbing elements periodically contact substantially all of the surface area of the grill, thereby assisting in the removal of any food adhering thereto.
22. Cleaning apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, 3 to 5 and 6 of the drawings.