MXPA97004026A - Combination of stove and grill for barba - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooking appliance comprising: a housing, a burner placed in the housing, a food supporting surface in the housing on the burner, and a heat diffuser mounted rotatably in the housing for movement between a first position, in which the heat diffuser is placed between the food support surface and the burner in a region in which the diffuser diffuses the heat that passes from the burner to the food support surface, so that the heat diffuses along the food support surface, and a second position in which the heat diffuser is placed outside the region so that the crust can pass from the burner to the food support surface without obstruction by the diffuser of lime

Description

COMBINATION OF STOVE AND GRILL FOR BARBECUE BACKGROUND Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to a kitchen appliance and, more specifically, to a portable kitchen appliance that operates either as a stove or as a barbecue grill.

Description of the Prior Art Advances in portable outdoor cooking grills have been aimed at trying to taste the desirable flavor imparted to food when fat drips from roasted food falls into a hot surface, vaporizes and imparts flavor to food without the substantial cleanup required from heat sources, such as coal or lava rock. Another objective has been to minimize the collection of grease drips on metal surfaces within the grills to reduce the hazards of grease fires and also facilitate cleaning. The prior art teaches that the use of a steel plate on a barbecue grill is an intermediate layer between a grill for cooking and a burner can impart the desired flavor to foods provided by more conventional heat sources. As the drips of fat fall from the food onto the steel plate, "they vaporize, as they would when they hit the coal lava rock and the released gases help to flavor foods such as steaks, hamburgers or" hot dogs " (hot dogs) A problem with outdoor grills that has not been adequately solved by advances in the prior art is that when people camp they do not want to cook steaks, hamburgers or "hot dogs" for each meal. , particularly breakfast foods such as oatmeal or eggs, taste better when cooked directly over direct heat from a stove.Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a portable outdoor cooking appliance that is capable of operating both as a grill barbecue and like a stove, although it uses only one burner, some attempts have been made to provide a multi-purpose cooking appliance that can be used as a grill and as a stove. One such device has two cooking surfaces separated side by side in a housing, with a cooking surface used as a stove and one used as a barbecue grill. Another device uses a single heat source, although it does provide upper and lower cooking surfaces, with the upper surface used for broiling and the lower surface inside the stove cooking hob. However, none of the grills of the prior art shows a device that uses an individual burner and is operable both as a heater and as a grill.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a portable outdoor stove and barbecue grill combination that does not utilize lava rock or charcoal. Another object of the present invention is to eliminate the need for hikers to transport separate stoves and portable grills. A further object of the present invention is to provide a cooking apparatus that is easy to clean. Another object of the invention is to provide a cooking appliance that is less hazardous to the environment than conventional barbecue grills. An elongated burner having small equidistanced openings or burn ports in a row along its length is mounted in the housing of a portable cooking appliance. Below the burner is a parabolic baffle that sits in the housing with its concave side facing up. A removable cooking grill is mounted on top of the cooking appliance to provide a surface for cooking. A heat diffuser having a parabolic shape is pivotally mounted to the side walls of the housing of the cooking apparatus. The heat diffuser includes several rows of openings that increase in size as they approach the outer edges of the heat diffuser. There are no rows of openings provided near or in the center of the heat diffuser. The openings in the heat diffuser allow heat to pass through the diffuser and even the food onto the cooking grate, although the combination of the parabolic shape of the diffuser and the position and size of the openings prevent the cooking grease from falling directly on the burner and clogging the burner ports. A user can rotate the heat diffuser between a vertical position where the concave surface of the diffuser covers the burner and the convex surface opposes the grill for cooking to roast the barbecue and, in an inverted position where the heat diffuser does not cover the burner and substantially aligns with the parabolic baffle to allow stove cooking. The parabolic deflector serves several purposes. First, when the cooking appliance is in barbecue grilling mode, the deflector collects excess drips of fat as they fall from the food through the cooking grill or off the sides of the pivotally mounted heat diffuser . Second, when the cooking appliance is in the stove cooking mode the baffle cooperates with the concave surface of the heat diffuser to provide a substantially uniform and efficient flow of convective heat to the food on the cooking grate by diverting the heat from the oven. the burner resting on the grill for cooking. The grill for cooking, the heat diffuser, the burner and the parabolic deflector of the combination of stove and barbecue grill are easily removable to simplify cleaning. These and other benefits of the present invention are made clear by reference to the drawing figures, the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portable cooking appliance utilizing a barbecue and grill combination of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the cooking apparatus shown in Fig. 1 taken along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1, with a heat diffuser mounted pivotally in its upright position for grilling that shows in continuous line and, the heat diffuser in its inverted position for stove cooking that is shown in separate lines. Fig. 3 is a right side view of a parabolic baffle for the barbecue and grill combination of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a top view of the parabolic baffle shown in Fig. 3, taken in the direction of lines 4-4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a right side view of the pivotally mounted heat diffuser shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the pivotally mounted heat diffuser of FIG. 5, taken in the direction of lines 6-6 of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a front view of a burner for the combination of stove and barbecue grill of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a top view of the burner shown in FIG. 7. Fig. 9 is a rear view of the burner shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 10 is a left side view of the burner shown in Figs. 7-9. Fig. 1 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the interface of the burner tube shown in Figs. 7- 10 and a fuel tube. Fig. 12 is a top perspective view of the parabolic baffle shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 13 is a perspective view, partially cut away, of the barbecue stove and grill combination of the present invention, with the tube of partially burned burner, the grill for cooking pivoted upwards and the pivotally mounted heat diffuser rotated in its inverted position for stove cooking. Fig. 14 is a perspective, partially cut-away view of the barbecue stove and grill combination of the present invention, with the cooking grate pivoted upwards and the pivotally mounted heat diffuser rotated into its vertical position for roasting grilled.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a portable kitchen appliance made in accordance with the present invention, generally referred to as 10, includes a housing 12 having a front wall 13, a rear wall 14, side walls 15 and 16 (Fig. 14) and a bottom wall 17. A cover 18 is mounted with hinges 19 to the rear wall 14. The upper portions of the front and rear walls terminate in L-shaped flanges. they look in 20 and 21, respectively. A removable cooking grill 22 is supported by the tabs of the front and rear walls to provide a surface for cooking. An intermediate wall 23 extends between the front and rear walls and forms the right side of a heat chamber 24 below the grate. An upper wall 25 extends between the intermediate wall 23 and the right side wall 15. The upper wall is provided with an opening for conventional top burner 26. The stove and the burner do not form part of this invention and the details of the As they are unnecessary, it is recognized that in the embodiments where the stove top burner 26 is not used, the right side wall 1 5 becomes unnecessary and the intermediate wall 15 serves as the right side wall. A heat deflector 27 is also supported by the flanges 20 and 21 of the front and rear walls. The heat deflector includes a portion of parabolic heat deflection 28, portions extending up front and rear 29 and 30 and, tabs or tongues that extend outwards 31 and 31. The tabs 31 and 32 (Figs 3, 12) intercut with the corresponding grooves in the front and rear walls of the locker (not shown) to secure the heat deflector 27 in place. As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 12, the baffle may further include tabs extending upward 33 over the right and left edges of the parabolic portion. The tabs extending upwardly 33 from the side walls of a collection tray at the bottom of the baffle for collecting grease and debris, without spilling on the side wall 16 and the intermediate wall 23 of the housing. The upwardly extending tabs or tabs (not shown), preferably centrally located, may be provided on the front and / or rear portions 29 and 30 of the heat deflector to aid in the removal of the housing baffle. Pushing the tabs inward will cause the horizontal tabs 31, 32 to separate from the grooves in the front and rear walls of the housing. It is recognized that the upwardly extending tabs 33 can also be used to facilitate removal of the baffle from the cleaning housing, by holding the tabs against the walls of the housing as long as a superior force is exerted. An elongated burner tube 35 (see also Figs 7-11) is mounted within the housing above the heat deflector. One end of the burner tube terminates in an upwardly extending flange 36 which is secured to the side wall 16 of the housing by screw 37. The other end of the burner tube terminates at an open inlet end 38 extending to through an opening 39 in the intermediate wall 23. The intermediate wall supports the burner tube. Therefore, the diameter of the opening 39 in the intermediate wall is slightly larger than the diameter of the burner tube. A pair of air ports 40 extend through the burner tube adjacent the open end. A plurality of burner ports 41 extend through the front and rear sides of the burner tube along the length of the burner tube. When the fuel, for example, liquefied petroleum fuel such as propane, is injected into the open end of the burner tube by means of a fuel pipe 51, the combustion air is sucked through the air ports 40. A Fuel / air mixture flows through the rows of burner ports 41, where it is ignited. The horizontal rows of the burner ports disperse the flame evenly on both sides of the tube.The horizontal positioning also prevents the burner from prematurely degenerating due to overheating A parabolic heat diffuser 42 is pivotally mounted to the side wall 1 5 and the intermediate wall 23 by conventional methods, such as using bolts 44. A bracket or flange 43 on each side of the heat diffuser is pivotally mounted to the side wall and the intermediate wall of the housing by bolts 44. The fastening with The heat diffuser bolts to the housing is desirable as it allows for the removal of the diffuser for cleaning.The heat diffuser 42 is rotatable between an inverted position, as shown in Fig. 1 3, for stove cooking and in position. vertical, shown in Fig. 14, for barbecue grilling, when in vertical position, the heat diffuser is placed on top of the 35. When in the inverted position, the heat diffuser leaves the burner exposed to the cooking grate and is tilted in substantial alignment with the parabolic baffle 27. At least part of the heat diffuser can be placed under the burner when the diffuser is in the inverted position. The concave surface of the parabolic heat deflector portion 18 of the heat diffuser cooperates with the parabolic baffle to reflect the radiant heat from the burner to the cooking grate. The pivot pins 44 preferably provide sufficient friction to retain the heat diffuser in the desired position. As shown in Fig.6, the heat diffuser 42 preferably includes several rows of openings 45, 46, 47, 48 that increase in size as they approach the outer edges of the diffuser. The heat diffuser openings or holes are designed to disperse the hot combustion products that leave the burner ports toward the edges of the cooking grate, rather than upwards. No openings are provided in the vertex region near or in the center of the diffuser. When the heat diffuser is in the vertical position, this non-perforated area of the diffuser is directly above the burner tube 35. The openings allow heat to pass through the diffuser towards the cooking grate 22. The increased size of the opening allows That convection heat escapes upwards, although it forces most of the heat outwards where necessary. The rows of openings are preferably spaced apart, so that the successive rows of openings are not in alignment, although each third row of openings is aligned. In the preferred embodiment, there are four rows of openings on either side of the non-perforated vertex region of the heat diffuser 42. The non-perforated portion of the diffuser protects the burner from the food and spillage of grease when the diffuser is in its upright position. Advantageously, when in the vertical position, the convex surface of the diffuser provides a hot surface on which the dripping of fat that falls from the meat onto the cooking grate evaporates, releasing smoke that rises back to the food above. the grill for cooking r, thus providing the meat with a desirable smoky flavor typically associated with grilling barbecue on the grill. In order to provide a heat diffuser that can withstand the extreme heat conditions that exist within the grate, the diffuser 42, which includes the mounting brackets 43, is made of cold rolled steel and has a porcelain finish. The porcelain finish is also easier to clean than aluminized steel or stainless steel. Advantageously, the parabolic shape of the bottom or of the heat deflecting portion 28 of the heat deflector 27 helps the dripping of grease and other debris that falls from the cooking grate or off the sides or through the openings of the cooker. heat diffuser, anywhere on the heat deflector to gravitate to the lowest point of the deflector, directly under the burner tube. The grease will evaporate more likely because it is closer to the burner tube and therefore to a relatively hotter portion of the bottom of the heat deflector. Even if it does not vaporize completely, the grease or debris is collected in the collection tray formed by the bottom of the parabolic heat deflector portion 28 and the flanges 33 so they will not spill on the walls of the housing when the heat deflector It is removed for cleaning. In the illustrated embodiment, the fuel is supplied to the cooking apparatus by means of a disposable tank 49 of liquefied petroleum (LP) such as propane. The tank is connected to a conventional regulator and the assembly valve 50 and, the fuel pipe 51 supplies fuel to the stove top burner 26 and the burner tube 35. The control knobs 52 and 53 of the front wall 13 control the flow to the burner 26 and the burner tube 35. As shown in Fig. 11 the end of the fuel pipe that supplies fuel to the burner tube is equipped with a conventional orifice or jet that is positioned at the open inlet end. of the burner tube. The fuel is injected from the orifice into the inlet end at high speed. The parabolic baffle 27 reflects the radiant heat from the burner tube 35 back up to the cooking grate 22, similar to the way a curved mirror reflects light. The parabolic shape tends to direct radiant heat away from the front and back edges of the cooking surface for even distribution of heat over the cooking grate. Therefore, the combination of small burner ports on the linear tube burner 24 and the parabolic baffle 26 evenly distributes the heat over the entire cooking surface. Although the invention has been written with respect to certain embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that it is not intended to be limited thereto and that changes and modifications may be made thereto within the scope of the claims. annexes.

Claims (16)

1. A cooking appliance comprising: a housing; means in the housing to support the food; burner means in the housing below the means for supporting the food; and a heat diffuser rotatably mounted in the housing for movement between a first position in which the heat diffuser is positioned between the food support means and the burner means and a second position in which the heat diffuser is placed so that it can pass from the burner means to the food support means without obstruction of the heat diffuser.

The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the heat diffuser has a substantially parabolic shape when the heat diffuser is in the first position.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 2, wherein the heat diffuser includes a plurality of openings therethrough.

The cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein the heat diffuser includes a non-perforated portion that is placed on the burner means when the heat diffuser is in the first position.

5. The cooking apparatus of claim 2, wherein the concave surface of the heat diffuser reflects the heat from the burner to the food support means when the diffuser is in the second position.

The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the burner means comprises an elongated tube having front and rear portions, each of the front and rear portions being provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced burner orifices.

The cooking appliance of claim 1, including a baffle mounted in the housing under the burner means and having a substantially ra-raholic shape with a concave surface facing the food support means.

The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the diffuser is positioned below the burner when in the second position.

9. A cooking appliance comprising: a housing having a front wall, a rear wall, and left and right side walls; a removable cooking grill mounted on top of the housing; an elongated burner tube extending between the left and right side walls; a deflector mounted in the housing below the burner and extending between the front wall and the rear wall; and a heat diffuser pivotally mounted to at least one of the side walls, the heat diffuser being rotatable between a first position in which the heat diffuser is placed between the cooking grate and the burner tube for the roast of barbecue on the grill and a second position in which the heat diffuser leaves the linear tube burner exposed to the grill to cook for the cooking of the stove.

The cooking appliance of claim 9, wherein the burner tube having front and rear portions, each of the front and rear portions being provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced burner orifices. eleven .

The cooking apparatus of claim 9, wherein the deflector has a substantially parabolic shape with a concave surface facing the cooking grate.

12. The cooking appliance of claim 1, the baffle further comprising vertical positions in the front and rear walls of the housing.

13. The cooking appliance of claim 12, the baffle further comprising mounting tabs extending from the vertical portions to support the baffle on the front and rear walls of the housing.

14. The cooking appliance of claim 9, the diffuser having a substantially parabolic shape, first and second edges., a convex surface and a concave surface, the convex surface that opposes the grill for cooking when the heat diffuser is in the first position.

15. The cooking appliance of claim 14, wherein the diffuser includes a non-perforated portion that is positioned over the burner when the heat diffuser is in the first position and a plurality of rows of openings extending between the non-perforating portion. perforated and the first and second edges, the rows of openings having increasing diameter with proximity to the first and second edges.

16. The cooking appliance of claim 15, the rows of openings being separated.