US2365390A - Adjustable frame for barbecue structures and the like - Google Patents

Description

De 19, 1944- R. M. BURMEISTER 2,365,390

ADJUSTABLE FRAME FOR BARBECUE STRUCTURES AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 25, 1941y Patented Dec. 19, 1944 ADJUSTABLE FRAME FOR BARBECUE STRUCTURES AND THE LIKE Robert M. Burmeister, Pasadena, Calif., assignor to Universal Buyers, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application October 25, 1941, Serial No. 416,492

7 Claims.

My invention relates to adjustable supporting devices for exposing food or other articles and materials to heat in a nrebox. The invention is being initially incorporated in an adjustable frame for barbecue structures and will be so described herein. It will be apparent that such a disclosure is suicient guidance for employing the y invention wherever it may have utility.

The general object of the invention is to provide an efficient adjustable barbecue frame of durable and inexpensive construction. Prior art devices have largely employed such expedients as chains, cables, gears and racks to adjustably support a frame or other food-holding member.

vVarious disadvantages inherent in such prior art arrangements may be mentioned: usually essential supporting elements are exposed to direct and intense heat of combustion; chains and cables being of small cross section. and having relatively extensive surfaces tend to weaken rapidly by rust under prolonged exposure to the-Weather; locking devices must be manipulated at the cost of convenience to retain the adjustable frame at selected positions, and such locking devices are subject to mechanism difliculties; the manually operable members for changing adjustment commonly become too hot to touch; the frame and associated structure commonly extend above the rebox in the way of the operator; and the frame and support structure interfere with other uses for the barbecue structure, for example, use of the barbecue structure as an incinerator.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate such disadvantages as listed above. I propose to eliminate all chains, cables, racks, and gears to protect moving parts from direct heat,

yto employ only sufciently massive structure to endure for indenite periods of service. to employ a self-locking adjustment of simple and foolproof design, to employ manually operable members that may be kept apart from the rest of the structure in a relatively cool environment when not in actual use, to substantially eliminate mechanical structure above the level of the rim of the flrebox, to provide an apparatus that may be entirely removed as a unit from the rebox either for the purpose of permitting the firebox to be used for purposes other than barbecuing or for the purpose of storing the unit out of thev weather.

Ar special object of the invention is to provide a frame that may not only be adjusted in elevation relative to the rebox but also may be swung away from the rebox to a relatively cool and 'smoke-free location.

Afurther object in mind is to provide a frame and associated adjustable supporting mechanism that may be sold as a unit for incorporation by the purchaser in barbecue structures of masonry or other construction.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the detailed description to follow, taken with the acompanying drawing.

In the drawing, which is to be considered as illustrative only:

' y Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a barbecue structure incorporating the preferred form of my invention; A

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan View taken as indicated by the arrow2 of Fig. 1;` and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the frame assembly apart from the masonry of Fig. 1.

Broadly described, the invention comprises a barbecuev frame in a rebox suppo-rted by a carriage that travels vertically on a rotary screw, the screw being by preference in a recess adjacent the rebox. In the preferred form of the invention the screw is provided with an adjustable handle and the whole combination of frame, carriage,

and screw may be lifted away as a unit.

Fig. 1 shows in transverse section a barbecue pit of brick constructionthat includes side walls l0, a rear wall Il, and a horizontal wall l2, the horizontal wall being laid on transverse metal supports i3 to form the top of a lower storage .chamber I5 and the floor of an upper open-top iirebox I6. The rear wall Il has a draft opening l1 from the rebox I6 that leads to a chimney I8 extending upward at the rear of the structure. Such a draft opening is usually provided with a damper plate 2l) mounted on a transverse rod 2l and controlled by an exterior handle 22.

In the particular embodiment of my invention shown in the drawing the principal parts are: a well member or vertical housing 25; a vertical shaft 26 which may be termed a screw or worm figuration with a longitudinal slot 32 on one side,

the slot being open from above and being de.; finedl by two longitudinal flanges 33 of the well member. To facilitate mounting the well member 25 in masonry, the well member may beprovided with' a lower anchor plate 35 having adownwardly extending ange 36 and an upper anchor plate 3l having an upwardly extending flange 38. As indicated in Fig. 3, each of the anchor plates 35 and 31 may be provided with apertures r slots 40 to serve as mortar locks. When the masonry is built up around the well member 25, the masonry in effect formsa recess or well 4| enclosing the well member and also forms a masonry slot in which the pair of flanges 33 defines the previously mentioned metal slot 32 of the well member.

The shaft or screw 26 may be rotatably mounted in the well member 25 in any suitable manner, for example, the lower end of. the shaft 26 may be formed as a ball 42 engaged by asuitabley foot piece or thrust bearing 43, the thrust bearing minimizing friction and centering the lower end of the shaft in the well member 25. Various expedients may be employed to hold the upper portion of the shaft 26 in upright alignment. The particular expedient employed in the present structure consists of giving the carriage 29 a configuration to maintain sliding contact with the inner wall of the well member 25. Preferably the crank 28 is a removable member adapted to seat in a socket or bore (not shown) inthe end of the shaft 26, the crank having a cross pin 44 adapted to engage a pair of diametrically opposite slots 45 in the end of the shaft'.

The carriage 29 shown in the drawing is a tubular body with. suitable lugs 46'in sliding engagement with the threads 21 of' the screw 26. Integral` with the carriage 29. is a laterally extending arm 47 to serve the variousv purposesof supporting the framet. guiding the framein its upward and downward movement in the rebox, and preventing rotation of the carriage with ro# tation of thescrewl 26.

The particular frame 3|)k that is shown. in the drawing as of angle-iron construction and rectangular in configuration is reinforced by a longitudinal tubular member 48 underlying one side andA by an underlyingbar 49 at each end. A suitable grill 50 constructed of heavy wire or light rod is shown removably seated in the frame 30. If a spit is to be used withk the frame 30 the grill 50 is removed and the spit (not shown) is seated in suitable brackets l at opposite ends of the frame.

The manner in which the invention is used and operated may be readily understood from the foregoing description. The crank 28 is normally placed to one side in a relatively cool environment isolated from any heated structure whatsoever. or lower the frame 30, the' handle 28 is inserted in the socket in the upper end of the shaft 26 and the operator simply cranks the handle 26 to rotate the shaft 26 as desired and then again lays the handle to one side. An important feature of the illustratedv construction is that the frame r30 may be cranked to an elevated position at which thev transverse arm 41 clears the slot 32 of the well member, whereupon the frame may be swung about the shaft 26 as a pivotv to a position away from the firebox indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l. The fact that this optional position is remote from the heat and smoke of the firebox is a considerable convenience to the operator whenever it is desirable to handle or manipulate food on the frame. l

At the end of a barbecuing period it is merely necessary to lift the frame 30' upward to remove from the barbecue structure the unit comprising the frame, carriage, and screw; This unit is rela- Wheneverl the operator desiresl to raise tively light and may be stored away out of the weather. It will be noted that except for inconsequential communication through the slot 32 of the well member, the screw 26 and the carriage 29 are completely shielded from direct heat.

The specific form of my invention described herein for the purpose of disclosure and to illustrate the principles involved will suggest various modications and substitutions under my general concept, and I reserve the right to all such departures from my specic structure that properly come within the scope of my appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a barbecue structure, the combination of: walls forming an open-top lrebox and a Well communicating with the interior of said i-lrebox through an upright slot; an upright shaft mounted in said well with an upper portion of the shaft extending above the well and above the level of the rebox, said shaft being formed with screw threads and being adapted for manual rotation. a support for food products normally positioned in said rebox, said support having a portion normally extending through said slot into said weli and being rotatably mounted on said shaft in engagement with said screw threads, whereby the support may be raised to said upper portion of the shaft by rotation of the shaft and then swung about the shaft away from the rebox.

2. A barbecue means for use with a firebox structure, said means including: a well member having a longitudinal side opening; a screw rotatably extending into said well member; a carriage member slidingly mounted in said well member in engagement with the threads of said screw; an arm 'extending laterally from said carriage through said longitudinal opening of the Well member, the walls of said longitudinal opening normally preventing rotation of said arm about the axis of said screw; a barbecue frame mounted on said arm; andi manual means to rotate said. screw to raise and lower said frame.

3. A barbecue means as set forth in claim 2 in which said opening extends to the top of said well member to permit said screw, carriage, arm and frame to be lifted' as a unit from the well member.

4. A barbecue means for combination with a iirebox structure, said means including: a well member adapted for mounting in the firebox structure, said well member having a longitudinal slot opening on the upper end of thek well member; a screw adapted for mounting longitudinally in said well member; a grid to support food products within the rebox structure; and an arm extending from said grid through said slot into threaded engagement with said screw tosupport the grid, said slot normally prevent ing rotation of said arm, said screw'being of a length to extend substantially beyond the upper end of said well member, whereby said screw may be rotated to carry said arm out of said slot to permit the grid to be swung away from the rebox structure about the axis of the screw.

5. A barbecue means as set forth in claim 4 in which said screw is longitudinally removable from 'said well member, whereby said screw, grid, and

arm may be lifted as a unit away from said firebox structure while said grid isv at any position in its range of positions relative to said screw.

6. A barbecue means for use with a 'rebox structure, said means including: a well member having a longitudinal side opening; a screw ro'- tatably extending into said well member; a crank relea'sably secured to said screw and adapted for rotating said screw; a carriage member slidingly mounted in said well member in engagement with the threads of said screw; an arm extending laterally from said carriage through said longitudinal opening of the well member, the walls of 5 said longitudinal opening normally preventing rotation of said arm about the axis of said screw; and a barbecue frame mounted on said arm.

'7. A barbecue means for use with a rebox tatably extending into said well member; a carriage member slidingly mounted in said well member in engagement with the threads of said screw; an arm extending laterally from said carriage through said longitudinal opening of the well member, the walls of said longitudinal opening normally preventing rotation of said arm about the axis of said screw; a barbecue frame mounted on said arm; and a food supporting grid structure, said means including: a Well member 10 removably mounted upon said frame.

having a longitudinal side opening; a screw ro- ROBERT M. BURMEISTER.

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