WO1993001450A1

WO1993001450A1 - A cross-lighter for a multi-burner cooking apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1993001450A1
Application number: PCT/AU1992/000336
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gary Leon Parrant
Original assignee: G.L.G. Australia Pty. Limited
Priority date: 1991-07-10
Filing date: 1992-07-09
Publication date: 1993-01-21

Abstract

A cross-lighter (4) for a multiple burner cooking apparatus where the cross-lighter comprises a hollow elongated body defining a chamber with a first part (19) of greater cross-sectional area than a second part (20), the second chamber part (20) is located below said first chamber part (19) when the cross-lighter is in the use condition and is in communication with said first part (19), notches (18) in a top part (9) of the cross-lighter (4) are shaped to laterally receive burners (2) to the extent that gas discharging ports in the burners (2) will discharge into the chamber first part (19), and air way means (17) in said cross-lighter (4) extending in the length direction of the cross-lighter (4) to admit air into the first chamber part (19).

Description

A CROSS-LIGHTER FOR A

MULTI-BURNER COOKING APPARATUS

This invention relates to multi-burner cooking apparatus which has a separate gas control for each burner. The invention has particular relevance to apparatus of the above type which is used in barbeque type cooking. With cooking apparatus as designed for barbeque type cooking the lighting of more than one burner has hitherto been achieved by either, turning on each burner in turn and applying an igniting device to the gas flow therefrom, or by igniting one burner and then turning on adjacent burners so that there will be a "flash-over" of flame to ignite the gas issuing from the adjacent burner (s). This process is called cross-lighting.

Liquified petroleum or natural gas as used in gas fuelled barbeques is heavier than air and tends to settle. Whilst this does not present a problem when adjacent burners are lit it can be dangerous where cross-lighting is attempted between burners which are separated by one or more other burners. In such cases ignition can occur with a large noise and there is a danger that the accumulation of gas in the barbeque can be of such magnitude that a damaging explosion can occur. The purpose of this invention is to provide a simple and efficient device for igniting barbeque burners using the cross-lighting principle with the ignition being carried out in a controlled manner. Broadly, the invention can be said to comprise a cross-lighter for a multiple burner cooking apparatus where the burners are of elongated form and have edge located gas ports, said cross-lighter comprises an elongated body with a hollow chamber extending in the length direction of the body and made up of a first part and a second part, said first chamber part has a cross-sectional area considerably greater than that of said second chamber part and the cross-lighter in service will have the first chamber part disposed above the second chamber part, the body has a top which will be uppermost when the cross-lighter is in service, lateral notches across said top which extend into said first chamber part, said notches are equal in number to the number of burners to be used in the cooking apparatus and are shaped to respectively receive and closely embrace portions of the burners and allow said burners to extend into said first chamber part sufficiently to place some of the gas ports of the burners in communication with the first chamber part and air ways in said cross-lighter extending in the length direction of the cross-lighter to admit air into the first chamber part. Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig.1 is a perspective schematic view of a typical multi-burner cooking apparatus,

Fig.2 is a perspective view of a cross-lighter for the burners of the cooking apparatus illustrated in Fig.1,

Fig . 3 is an enlarged end view of the cross- l ighter illustrated in Fig.2 and

Fig.4 is a view similar to Fig.3 showing an alternate cross-sectional shape for the cross-lighter.

The cooking apparatus as herein described is of the type used for barbeque cooking but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this type of cooking apparatus. In Fig.1 the barbeque plate or grille normally covering the burners of the cooking apparatus have been removed to facilitate the description. The barbeque of Fig.1 comprises a frame 1 with five supported burners 2 each provided with a gas flow control valve indicated 3. The burners are supported at their forward ends in known manner with the burners in communication with gas outlet ports of the valves 3. As this forms no part of the invention there is no detailed description of this arrangement. Adjacent their rear ends the burners are supported on the cross-lighter 4. It is to be understood that this is a matter of design convenience and the burners can be supported at their rear ends in other ways. From Figs.2 and 3 it will be seen that the cross-lighter 4 comprises two folded sheet metal members b and 6 which are joined at 7 to provide an elongated hollow tube-like member defining a chamber with first (upper) and second (lower) chamber parts. The member 5 is of L shape with one leg forming a back wall 8 which is common to both chamber parts and the other leg forms a top 9 for the cross-lighter and it has a downturned flange 11 along its edge. The free end the back 8 is turned over to form a ϋ shaped slot 10 with a width approximating the thickness of the member 6. The member 6 is of stepped form. It has three laterally spaced panel parts parallel to each other and to the plane of the back 8. The panels part 12 is the front of the first chamber part, the panel 14 is the front of the second chamber part, the panel 16 is mounted in the U shaped slot 10. The land 15 is the bottom of the second chamber part and the land 13 forms the bottom of the first chamber part.

The connection between the panel 16 and the U shaped slot 10 can be of any suitable form, for example a slid in fit or there can be securement as by spot welding. It is to be noted that the flange 11 of the top 9 extends forwardly of the panel 12 and is spaced therefrom to provide an air way gap 17.

The ends of the cross-lighter 4 are respectively supported in the preferred arrangement in U shaped sockets 18 fixed to the inner faces of the respective ends 24 and 25 of the frame 1. The ends of the cross-lighter 4 lie closely adjacent the inner surfaces of the frame ends 19 and 20 thereby substantially closing off the ends of the cross-lighter 4. It is to be understood that this is a design detail and the ends of the cross-lighter can be closed off by integral end parts. The foregoing is a commercially expedient design for the cross-lighter and its support and will be readily understood there can be variations to the actual mode of manufacture outlined above whilst still providing the advantages of the invention as will now be detailed. The cross-lighter 4 include notches 21 in the top 9 and in the panel 12. The contour of the notches 21 is such as to provide a cradle mounting for the profiled underface of the burners 2. The depth of the notches 21 is such that when a burner 2 rests therein gas exit holes in the burner lie below the top 9 and the spacing between the gas exit holes is such that preferably more than one will discharge into the first chamber part 19 of the cross-lighter 4. As the specific gravity of gas is heavier than air the gas discharged into the first chamber part 19 will fall into the lower chamber part 20. As the cross-section of the chamber part 20 is quite small with a relatively narrow width dimension the gas will rapidly fill it and disperse along it towards adjacent burners.

If one of the burners of the barbeque is alight and another burner is turned on there will be cross-lighting to the unlit gas discharging burner by means of the small quantity of gas in the chamber part 20. The slot 17 provides an air vent and a flame track for the cross-lighting. The length of time required for the gas to travel from the unlit burner to the lit burner through the lower chamber part 20 is rapid and as the volume of gas involved is quite small cross-lighting back from the lit burner to the unlit burner is rapidly achieved without the dangers inherent in the known cross-lighting techniques which can involve a substantial accumulation of gas within the barbeque before cross-lighting will occur. From the foregoing it is apparent that the object of the invention has been achieved in a simple and efficient manner.

Another feature of the invention is an aperture 22 in at least one end of the barbeque frame 1 which is aligned with the chamber of the cross-lighter so that manual ignition of gas in the chamber part 20 can be achieved in the first instance with a cross-lighting to a gas discharging unlit burner. This is preferably a burner which lies adjacent the ignition aperture 22.

To facilitate the manual ignition of the gas in the cross-lighter 4 a supply of combustion air is available to the cross-lighter through a cutout indicated 23 at least at one end of the cross-lighter 4. The cutout 23 also allows the escape of any pressure build up at the time of ignition. The foregoing is a presently preferred embodiment of the invention and it will be understood that details of the construction described and illustrated can be varied without departing from the inventive concept on which the invention is based. By way of example only, one change could be in the cross-sectional shape of the cross-lighter. As illustrated and described, there is an upper and a lower chamber part which are of generally rectilinear shape, other cross-sectional shapes are possible, for example as illustrated in Fig.4.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A cross-lighter for a multiple burner cooking apparatus where the burners are of elongated form and have edge located gas ports, said cross-lighter comprises an elongated body with a hollow chamber extending in the length direction of the body and made up of a first part and a second part, said first chamber part has a cross-sectional area considerably greater than that of said second chamber part and the cross-lighter in service will have the first chamber part disposed above the second chamber part, the body has a top which will be uppermost when the cross-lighter is in service, lateral notches across said top which extend into said first chamber part, said notches are equal in number to the number of burners to be used in the cooking apparatus and are shaped to respectively receive and closely embrace portions of the burners and allow said burners to extend into said first chamber part sufficiently to place some of the gas ports of the burners in communication with the first chamber part and air ways in said cross-lighter extending in the length direction of the cross-lighter to admit air into the first chamber part.

2. A cross-lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body is rectilinear in cross-sectional shape and includes a back wall shared by the first and second chambers parts, the second chamber part is of channel form with a front wall of lesser height than the back wall and a bottom connecting its front wall to said back wall, the first chamber part is of channel form with a front wall spaced further from the back wall then the front wall of the second chamber part and a bottom connecting the front wall of the first chamber part to a top edge of the front wall of the second chamber part, said air ways are provided by a gap between an upper edge of the front of said first chamber part and said top which extends laterally from said back wall and overlies a top edge of the front wall of said first chamber part.

3. A cross-lighter as claimed in claim 2 comprised of two members made of sheet metal where on member is of generally L shape with one leg of the L forming said back and the other leg of said L forming the said top, the free end of said one leg is turned over to form a U shaped slot with a width approximating the thickness of the material from which said other member is made and the free end of said other leg is inturned to form a flange, said other member is of stepped form with three laterally spaced panels in planes parallel to that occupied by said back and connected through two joining panels, the panels parallel to said back respectively comprise the front wall of the first chamber part, the front wall of the second chamber part and a leg which is engaged in said U shaped slot, the joining panels respectively comprise the bottoms for said channels.

4. A cross-lighter as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 including air access apertures in the front wall of said first chamber adjacent at least one end of said cross-lighter.

5. A cross-lighter as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 3 in combination with a support means for said cross-lighter and burners to form a cooking apparatus, where said support means includes a frame with a front and ends, cross-lighter supports on said frame ends for end engagement by said cross-lighter, valve means on said frame front equal in number to the number of burners, end mounts on said frame front for said burners to position inlet ends said burners respectively in gas flow communication with gas discharge outlets from said valve means and with said burners supported adjacent their other ends in the notches in the top of said cross-lighter.

6. A cross-lighter as claimed in the combination of claim 5 including an igniting aperture through at least one of the frame ends and aligned with the chamber of the cross-lighter.