US20060207042A1

US20060207042A1 - Grill scrubbing device

Info

Publication number: US20060207042A1
Application number: US11/371,079
Authority: US
Inventors: Brett Di Paolo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-03-09
Filing date: 2006-03-09
Publication date: 2006-09-21

Abstract

A scrubbing device for use on a barbeque grill having a plurality of spaced rods, the scrubbing device including an elongate handle member having a first end and an opposite second end, a head member provided on the second end of the elongate handle member, and one or more scrubbing means releasably secured to the head member, wherein the one or more scrubbing means include a first scrubbing means and a second scrubbing means, and wherein the second scrubbing means extends substantially beyond the first scrubbing means.

Description

PRIOR APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/659,418, filed Mar. 9, 2005, entitled ULTIMATE SCRUBBER DEVICE.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a device for scrubbing grills, and more particularly to a device for scrubbing the grills on a barbeque.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Outdoor barbequing is an increasingly popular cooking technique which produces foods, such as steak, chicken and vegetables, having unique flavors and textures which cannot be easily duplicated in a traditional kitchen. Unless cleaned regularly, the remnants from cooked foods, such as food fragments and fat, become lodged on and in between the rods forming the barbeque grill(s). Failure to remove the accumulated food remnants can result in a barbeque that produces excessive amounts of smoke and poor tasting cooked foods. Moreover, the food remnants may become dislodged from the grill during cooking and be ingested by the barbeque user or their guests.
To facilitate the removal of these remnants, barbeque users are commonly instructed to heat the barbeque at a high temperature for several minutes prior to cooking foods. Using a prior art abrasive tool, the barbeque user must then attempt to scrub or scrape the top surface of the rods forming the grill. These abrasive tools are problematic because they fail to remove the food remnants that have become lodged along the sides of the rods of the barbeque grill. As a result, the food remnants accumulate more rapidly on the barbeque grill, thereby making it increasingly more difficult to clean the barbeque. Moreover, prior art abrasive devices consisting of a small handle connected to a wire brush are often very dangerous for the barbeque user to use. After the heating the barbeque at a high temperature, a barbeque user using a small handled prior art abrasive device may accidentally burn their hand or wrist on the barbeque grill or an upper rack within the barbeque. Lastly, the use of the prior art abrasive devices does not provide the barbeque user with sufficient leverage to dislodge the food remnants from the top and side surfaces of the spaced rods on a barbeque grill.
Accordingly, there is a need for a barbeque grill scrubbing device for removing food remnants from the top and side surfaces of the spaced rods on a barbeque. There is a further need for a barbeque grill scrubbing device having an elongate handle member that maintains the barbeque user's hands and wrists at safe distance from the grill when cleaning the barbeque.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a scrubbing device for use on a barbeque grill having a plurality of spaced rods, the scrubbing device including an elongate handle member having a first end and an opposite second end, a head member provided on the second end of the elongate handle member, and one or more scrubbing means releasably secured to the head member, wherein the one or more scrubbing means include a first scrubbing means and a second scrubbing means, and wherein the second scrubbing means extends substantially beyond the first scrubbing means. The first scrubbing means includes a base having a cavity formed in one side thereof, and wherein the base is provided with a plurality of bristles extending generally vertically therefrom. The first scrubbing means is adapted to engage at least an upper portion of the spaced rods of the barbeque grill.
The second scrubbing means includes an insert and one or more shafts extending from one side of the insert. The one or mores shafts are provided with a plurality of bristles extending generally horizontally therefrom. The second scrubbing means is adapted to engage at least a side portion of the spaced rods of the barbeque grill 8. Each of the one or more scrubbing means are independently replaceable.
A scraping means is releasably secured to a distal end of the head member. The scraper is formed with one or more scraping notches, and wherein the one or more scraping notches are adapted to engage at least an upper portion of the spaced rods of the barbeque grill.
The plurality of bristles are made of a metallic material, wire or polypropylene. The first end of the elongate handle member is provided with a heat-resistant sleeve. The first end of the elongate handle member is provide with a hook means. The first end of the elongate handle member is disposed in an offset alignment to the second end thereof.
The present invention is also directed to a scrubbing device for use on a barbeque grill having a plurality of spaced rods, the scrubbing device including an elongate handle member having a first end and an opposite second end, a head member provided on the second end of the elongate handle member, and one or more scrubbing means releasably secured to the head member. The one or more scrubbing means including a first scrubbing means and a second scrubbing means, wherein the first scrubbing means is adapted to engage at least an upper portion of the spaced rods of the barbeque grill, and wherein the second scrubbing means is adapted to engage at least a side portion of the spaced rods of the barbeque grill.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a grill scrubbing device made in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the grill scrubbing device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the grill scrubbing device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is bottom perspective view of the head member of the grill scrubbing device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the body housing of the head member of the grill scrubbing device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the grill scrubbing device of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the grill scrubbing device of FIG. 1 showing the hook means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 which illustrate a scrubbing device 10 for use on a barbeque grill 12 having a plurality of spaced rods 14 made in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. Scrubbing device 10 has an elongate handle member 16 having a first end 18 and an opposite second end 20, a head member 22 and one or more scrubbing means 24. The head member 22 is provided on the second end 20 of the elongate handle member 16. The one or more scrubbing means 24 are releasably secured to the head member 22, and preferably include a first scrubbing means 26 and a second scrubbing means 28. The first end 18 of the elongate member 16 may have an optional hook means 30 to allow the scrubbing device 10 to be attached to a barbeque or the barbeque user's belt. It should be understood that the first and second scrubbing means 26 and 28 may be combined to form an integral, single scrubbing means 24.
Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the first scrubbing means 26 includes a generally rectangular base 32 having an operative surface 34 with a plurality of bristles 36 extending generally vertically outwardly therefrom. In use, the plurality of bristles 36 are adapted to engage with at least a portion of the top surface 38 of the rods 14 forming the barbeque grill 12. A cavity portion 40 is formed in the base 32 through the operative surface 34.
The second scrubbing means 28 includes an insert portion 42 which is adapted to be inserted into the cavity portion 40 of the base 32 of the first scrubbing means 26. The insert portion 42 of the second scrubbing means 28 includes an outer surface 44 having one or more first openings 45 therethrough which align with corresponding one or more second openings 47 provided in the operative surface 34 of the first scrubbing means 26. When the insert portion 38 is inserted and received in the cavity portion 40 of the base 32, the outer surface 44 of the second scrubbing means 28 and the operative surface 34 of the second scrubbing means 28 together form a generally planar surface. The insert portion 42 of the second scrubbing means 28 may be releasably secured to the first scrubbing means 26 by inserting any suitable fasteners (not shown) through the first and second openings 45 and 47.
The insert portion 42 of the second scrubbing means 28 is provided with one or more shafts 46 that extend generally vertically outwardly from the outer surface 44. In an embodiment of the present invention, the one or more shafts 46 are adapted to extend vertically outwardly substantially beyond the bristles 36 on the first scrubbing means 26 The shafts 46 are preferably spaced sufficiently apart to enable the shafts 46 to extend between the rods 14 of the barbeque grill 12, as shown in FIG. 3. The shafts 46 are provided with a plurality of bristle elements 48 that extend generally perpendicularly from the one or more shafts 46. By this design, the plurality of bristle elements 48 are adapted to engage with at least a portion of the side surface 50 of the rods 14 in use.
The bristles 36 and the bristle elements 48 may be manufactured from a metallic material, such as wire or steel wool. In an alternative embodiment, the bristles 36 and/or the bristle elements 48 may be manufactured from a suitable heat-resistant material, such as polypropylene. The bristles 36 and the bristle elements 48 may have various cross-sections and lengths. It should be understood that the first and second scrubbing means 26 and 28 may be independently replaceable in the event the bristles 36 and/or the bristle elements 48 become worn.
Referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the head member 22 comprises a housing body 52 having a top surface 54 and a bottom surface 56. The housing body 52 is generally rectangular having side portions 58 and rounded corners 60 that define a channel 62 on the bottom surface 56 thereof. The opening 62 is dimension and adapted to receive the first scrubbing means 26 therein. The top surface 54 of the housing body 52 may be provided with one or more apertures 64 that align with corresponding one or more second apertures formed in first scrubbing means (not shown). Any suitable fastener may be inserted through the one or more apertures 64 to releasably secure the first scrubbing means 26 to the housing body 52.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, a scraping means 68 may be secured to receive and engage at least an upper portion of the spaced rods 14 of the barbeque grill 12 so as to forcible remove the accumulated food remnants therefrom. The scraping means is manufactured from a metallic material, such as stainless steel, for example, and includes middle flange 70 and a pair of side flanges 72. Each of the middle flange 70 and the side flanges 72 may be provided with one or more scraping notches 74 that are dimensioned to engage with at least the upper portion of the spaced rods 14 of the barbeque grill 12. Each of the scraping notches 74 may be sufficiently dimensioned to be used with the majority of conventional barbeques.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the elongate handle member 16 is formed with a sloped middle portion 76, such that the first end 18 of the elongate handle member 16 is disposed in an offset alignment to the second end 20 thereof. First end 18 of the elongate handle member 16 is raised upwardly away from the hot barbeque grill 12, thereby ensuring that the barbeque user will not burn their hands or wrists when removing the food remnants. Furthermore, the offset alignment of the first end 18 of the elongate handle member 16 relative to the second end 20 provides the barbeque user with greater leverage when using the scrubbing device 10.
In a further embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7, the first end 18 of the elongate handle member 16 may be provided with a heat-resistant sleeve 78 to minimize the transmission of heat from the scrubbing device 10 to the hand of the barbeque user. The heat-resistant sleeve 78 may be made of any suitable material such as, for example, polypropylene. It should be understood that the elongate handle member 16 and the head member 22 may be manufactured from any suitable material known by persons skilled in the art. For example, the elongate handle member 16 and the head member 22 may be manufactured from stainless steel or polypropylene.
The present invention has been described with regard to specific embodiments. However, it will obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of variants and modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A scrubbing device for use on a barbeque grill having a plurality of spaced rods, the scrubbing device comprising:

an elongate handle member having a first end and an opposite second end;

a head member provided on the second end of the elongate handle member; and

one or more scrubbing means releasably secured to the head member, wherein the one or more scrubbing means include a first scrubbing means and a second scrubbing means, and wherein the second scrubbing means extends substantially beyond the first scrubbing means.

2. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first scrubbing means includes a base having a cavity formed in one side thereof, and wherein the base is provided with a plurality of bristles extending generally vertically therefrom.

3. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first scrubbing means is adapted to engage at least an upper portion of the spaced rods of the barbeque grill.

4. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second scrubbing means includes an insert and one or more shafts extending from one side of the insert, and wherein the one or mores shafts are provided with a plurality of bristles extending generally horizontally therefrom.

5. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second scrubbing means is adapted to engage at least a side portion of the spaced rods of the barbeque grill.

6. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a scraper is releasably secured to a distal end of the head member.

7. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the scraper is formed with one or more scraping elements, and wherein the one or more scraping elements are adapted to engage at least an upper portion of the spaced rods of the barbeque grill.

8. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the each of the one or more scrubbing means are independently replaceable.

9. The scrubbing device as claimed in claims 2 or 4, wherein the plurality of bristles and bristle elements are made of a metallic material.

10. The scrubbing device as claimed in claims 2 or 4, wherein the plurality of bristles and bristle elements are wire.

11. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle member and the head member are made of a metallic material.

12. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle member and the head member are made of polypropylene.

13. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end of the elongate handle member is provided with a heat-resistant sleeve.

14. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end of the elongate handle member is provide with a hook means

15. The scrubbing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end of the elongate handle member is disposed in an offset alignment to the second end thereof.

16. A scrubbing device for use on a barbeque grill having a plurality of spaced rods, the scrubbing device comprising:

an elongate handle member having a first end and an opposite second end;

a head member provided on the second end of the elongate handle member; and

one or more scrubbing means releasably secured to the head member, the one or more scrubbing means including a first scrubbing means and a second scrubbing means, wherein the first scrubbing means is adapted to engage at least an upper portion of the spaced rods of the barbeque grill, and wherein the second scrubbing means is adapted to engage at least a side portion of the spaced rods of the barbeque grill.