WO2004008927A1

WO2004008927A1 - Smoke-free meat roaster with internal heat isolation structure

Info

Publication number: WO2004008927A1
Application number: PCT/KR2002/001484
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jung-Shin Kim
Original assignee: Is Digital Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2002-07-23
Filing date: 2002-08-06
Publication date: 2004-01-29
Also published as: AU2002321856A1; KR20020067463A; KR100491336B1

Abstract

A meat roaster suitable for roasting meat skewered on a skewer bar by rotating the meat. A roaster body has disposed therein a driving means for rotating the skewer bar. A pair of support brackets are mounted to both sides of the roaster body to support the skewer bar. A drip fan is assembled to a lower end of the roaster body. A grill plate is composed of a pair of grill plate halves which are provided at an upper end of the roaster body so that they can be slidingly moved forward and backward, to allow the roasted meat to be placed thereon and thereby keep the roasted meat warm. A pair of collapsible legs are collapsibly installed on the lower end of the roadster body to support the roaster body after movement of the roaster body is completed.

Description

SMOKE-FREE MEAT ROASTER WITH INTERNAL HEAT ISOLATION STRUCTURE

Technical Field

The present invention relates, in general, to a meat roaster which allows meat such as chicken, pork, etc., cut to an appropriate size and skewered on a skewer bar, to be roasted by indirect heat, with oil substantially removed from the meat, and, more particularly, to a meat roaster capable of removing fumes through an internal heat isolation structure, wherein, when a heating means arranged in a roaster body is fired in a state in which an upper end of a roasting space defined in the roaster body is fully closed by a sliding type grill plate, as heat moving upward due to a difference in temperature between the inside and outside of the roaster body is circulated by a convection phenomenon, the meat skewered on a skewer bar is roasted to a desired degree, and the smoke generated while the meat is roasted is completely burned by a high temperature developed in the roasting space, wherein the roasted meat can be placed on the grill plate which is formed to have several step portions, to be eaten while being kept warm, and wherein collapsible legs are installed on a lower surface of the roaster body so that the meat roaster can be conveniently and easily used both indoors and outdoors.

Background Art

Generally, when roasting meat such as pork, beef, etc., it is the norm that a grill or baking plate is first installed above a charcoal or gas fire, and then, the meat is placed on the grill or baking plate to be roasted by direct heat from the charcoal or gas fire. However, in this case that the meat is roasted by direct heat, the meat is likely to get scorched. If the meat is eaten as it is scorched, a problem is caused in that the probability of a person to be caught by an adult disease is increased. Therefore, to cope with this problem, a skewered food roaster has been disclosed in the art, in which meat cut to a size appropriate to eating and skewered on a skewer bar is roasted by indirect heat so as not to be scorched. Nevertheless, in the conventional skewered food roaster, since it is integrally affixed to a table by defining in the table a cavity, receivmg the skewered food roaster in the cavity and fixedly mounting the skewered food roaster to the table, a defect is caused in that it is difficult to properly used the skewered food roaster in a place other than a commercial establishment such as a cafeteria where the skewered food roaster is continuously used. Also, when the skewered food roaster is to be purchased, because it is necessary to purchase the table to which the skewered food roaster is integrally affixed, a required cost is increased.

Further, due to the fact that charcoal or city gas supplied through a pipe connected to the skewered food roaster is used as a heating source in the skewered food roaster, it is inconvenient to use the skewered food roaster both indoors and outdoors.

That is to say, in the case that charcoal is used as the heating source, since a great amount of charcoal should be separately prepared, a means for storing or keeping the charcoal is additionally needed, whereby it is inconvenient to use and carry the skewered food roaster, and a substantial amount of time is required to fire the charcoal. In the case that city gas is supplied through the pipe connected to the skewered food roaster to be used as the heating source, it is inconvenient to move the skewered food roaster, a separate connection work must be conducted, and a safety measure must be set.

Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a meat roaster capable of removing fumes through an internal heat isolation structure, wherein, when the heating means arranged in a roaster body is fired in a state in which an upper end of a roasting space defined in the roaster body is fully closed by a sliding type grill plate, as heat moving upward due to a difference in temperature between the inside and outside of the roaster body is circulated by a convection phenomenon, the meat skewered on a skewer bar is roasted to a desired degree, and the smoke generated while the meat is roasted is completely burned by a high temperature developed in the roasting space.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a meat roaster capable of removing fumes through an internal heat isolation structure, wherein the grill plate is formed to have several step portions so that the meat skewered on the skewer bar and roasted by the heating means can be placed on the grill plate to be eaten while being kept warm or being heated selectively by adjusting an intensity of flame or in conformity with a desired roasting degree, and wherein collapsible legs are installed on a lower surface of the roaster body so that the meat roaster can be conveniently and easily used in a stabilized state both indoors and outdoors.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a meat roaster capable of removing fumes through an internal heat isolation structure, wherein a pair of grill plate halves constituting the grill plate cooperatively define a sight opening when they are brought into contact with each other to close the upper end of the roasting space, and the sight opening can be opened and closed by a transparent closure element, so that a degree to which the meat is roasted in the roasting space can be conveniently checked through the transparent closure element from the outside in a state in which the upper end of the roasting space defined in the roaster body is fully closed by the grill plate.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a meat roaster wherein a plurality of grooves are defined in a pair of support plates so that a plurality of skewer bars can be supported by the support plates to allow a great amount of meat to be roasted at a time. Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide meat roaster wherein a portable gas container is used as a heating source, so that the meat roaster can be conveniently and easily used irrespective of place, such as both indoors and outdoors. In order to achieve the above objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a meat roaster suitable for roasting meat skewered on a skewer bar by rotating the meat, including a roaster body which has disposed therein a driving means for rotating the skewer bar, a pair of support brackets which are respectively mounted to both sides of the roaster body to support the skewer bar, and a drip fan which is slidably assembled to a lower end of the roaster body to collect oil dripping while the meat is roasted, the meat roaster comprising: a grill plate composed of a pair of grill plate halves which are provided at an upper end of the roaster body so that they can be sldingly moved forward and backward, to allow the roasted meat to be placed thereon and thereby keep the roasted meat warm; a heating means arranged in the roaster body to heat the meat skewered on the skewer bar using indirect heat; an adjustment means provided at a side of the roaster body to adjust an amount of fuel supplied to the heating means and thereby heating power of the heating means; and a pair of collapsible legs collapsibly installed on the lower end of and adjacent to both side edges of the roaster body to support the roaster body after movement of the roaster body is completed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, each of the grill plate halves is formed to have several step portions.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the heating means comprises a gas container reception space which is defined in a side surface of the roaster body to allow a gas container for supplying fuel gas to the roaster body to be inserted therein, and at least one gas supply pipe which is arranged in the roaster body, connected to the gas container and defined at an upper end thereof with a plurality of gas injection nozzles. According to still another aspect of the present invention, the pair of grill plate halves constituting the grill plate cooperatively define a sight opening when they are brought into contact with each other to close an upper end of a roasting space which is defined in the roaster body, and a transparent closure element is removably fitted in the sight opening so that a degree to which the meat skewered on the skewer bar is roasted can be checked, and smoke is not generated and foreign substances are prevented from entering the roasting space while the meat is roasted.

According to yet still another aspect of the present invention, a casserole pot is fitted in the upper end of the roasting space in place of the grill plate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a meat roaster in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2a is a plan view illustrating a state wherein a grill plate is closed in the meat roaster according to the present invention;

Fig. 2b is a plan view illustrating a state wherein the grill plate is opened in the meat roaster according to the present invention; Fig. 3 is a front view of the meat roaster according to the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an out-of-use state of the meat roaster according to the present invention; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a meat roaster in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a meat roaster in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2a is a plan view illustrating a state wherein a grill plate is closed in the meat roaster according to the present invention. Fig. 2b is a plan view illustrating a state wherein the grill plate is opened in the meat roaster according to the present invention. Fig. 3 is a front view of the meat roaster according to the present invention. Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an out-of-use state of the meat roaster according to the present invention.

The meat roaster according to the present invention has a roaster body 10 which has substantially a box-shaped configuration. A pair of support brackets 12 are respectively mounted to both sides of the roaster body 10 so that skewer bars 20 can be fitted into a plurality of grooves defined in the support brackets 12. A driving means (not shown) is disposed in the roaster body 10 to rotate the skewer bars 20 when roasting the meat skewered on the skewer bars 20.

At this time, the driving means for rotating the skewer bars 20 comprises the conventional main and sub gears which are driven through separate power supply.

As described above, each of the support brackets 12 mounted to both sides of the roaster body 10 to allow the skewer bars 20 to be fitted therein are defined with the plurality of grooves so that an increased amount of meat can be roasted at a time. In consideration of a volume of the roaster body 10 and an increase in weight and cost due to addition of parts such as main and sub gears for rotating the skewer bars 20, it is preferred that about three grooves are defined in each support bracket 12.

A heating means is arranged in the roaster body 10 to heat the meat skewered on the skewer bars 20 using indirect heat. At this time, the heating means comprises a gas container reception space 14 which is defined in a side surface of the roaster body 10 to allow a gas container for supplying fuel gas to the roaster body 10 to be inserted therein, and gas supply pipes 30 which are arranged in the roaster body 10, connected to the gas container and defined at an upper end thereof with a plurality of gas injection nozzles 32.

The gas container which is used as a heating source for roasting the meat skewered on the skewer bars 20 can be conveniently carried and purchased anywhere. Therefore, in this consideration, it is preferred that a disposable gas container be used to allow the roaster body to be conveniently moved. However, in a commercial establishment such as a cafeteria where a great amount of gas is used, the meat roaster according to the present invention can be used in a state wherein it is connected to a gas container of a large volume.

An adjustment means is provided at a side of the roaster body 10 to adjust an amount of fuel supplied to the heating means and thereby heating power of the heating means .

While, in this preferred embodiment of the present invention, an adjustment lever 40 adopted in the conventional portable heating mechanism is used as the adjustment means for adjusting heating power of the heating means, a person skilled in the art will readily recognize that the present invention is not limited to the adjustment lever 40, and instead, any means capable of adjusting a amount of fuel supplied and thereby heating power of the heating means may be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

A grill plate 50 which is composed of a pair of grill plate halves are provided in such a way as to finish an upper end of the roaster body 10. Each of the grill plate halves is formed to have several step portions so that the roasted meat can be placed on the grill plate 50 and thereby kept warm. The grill plate halves are installed so that they can be sldingly moved forward and backward. A pair of first handles 54 are provided to the grill plate halves, respectively, to be grasped by hands upon sliding the grill plate halves forward and backward. The pair of grill plate halves constituting the grill plate 50 cooperatively define a sight opening 52 when they are brought into contact with each other to close an upper end of a roasting space which is defined in the roaster body 10.

A transparent closure element 60 is removably fitted in the sight opening 52 so that a degree to which the meat skewered on the skewer bars 20 is roasted can be checked, and smoke is not generated and foreign substances are prevented from entering the roasting space while the meat is roasted. At this time, while the meat is roasted, a bean-paste pot can be fitted in place of the transparent closure element 60 into the sight opening defined in the grill plate 50 to boil bean-paste.

A drip fan 16 is slidably assembled to a lower end of the roaster body 10 to collect oil dripping while the meat skewered on the skewer bars 20 is roasted.

A pair of second handles 18 are provided on both sides of the roaster body 10 to be grasped upon moving the roaster body 10.

A pair of collapsible legs 70 are collapsibly installed on the lower end of and adjacent to both side edges of the roaster body 10 so that the roaster body 10 is securely supported by the collapsible legs 70 against fluctuation or shaking after movement of the roaster body 10 is completed.

At this time, while, in place of the collapsible legs 70, conventional wheels can be attached to the lower end of and adjacent to both side edges of the roaster body 10 so that the roaster body 10 can be conveniently moved, it is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to this alternative, and instead, various members capable of freely moving the roaster body 10 can be adopted without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Describing operations of the meat roaster capable of removing fumes through an internal heat isolation structure according to the present invention, constructed as mentioned above, as shown in Figs. 1 through 4, the roaster body

10 is moved to a desired place such as on a dining table or outdoors where the meat is to be taken, and the collapsible legs 70 which are collapsibly installed on the lower end of and adjacent to both side edges of the roaster body 10 is erected with respect to the lower end of the roaster body 10. Then, meat cut to an appropriate size to be roasted is skewered on the skewer bars 20, and the gas container for supplying gas to the heating means is inserted and fixed into the gas container reception space 14 which is defined in the side surface of the roaster body 10.

Thereafter, the grill plate 50 which is composed of the pair of grill plate halves provided to the upper end of the roaster body 10 to be sldingly moved forward and backward and each formed to have several step portions, is opened, and the skewer bars 20 on which the meat is skewered are fitted into the grooves defined in the pair of support brackets 12 mounted to both sides of the roaster body 10. Next, by applying power, the skewer bars 20 are rotated, and as the gas supply pipes 30 arranged in the roaster body 10 are ignited, the meat can be roasted by indirect heat while being rotated by the driving means.

By this fact, the heat of gas fired in the roaster body 10 flows vertically upward inside the roaster body 10. The heat of fired gas vertically moved upward in this way collides against the grill plate 50 to heat the grill plate 50, and at the same time, is decreased in its temperature due to a temperature above the grill plate 50 and flows downward toward the inside of the roaster body 10. At this time, the heat of the fired gas flowing downward roasts the meat on the skewer bars 20 while having a temperature of about 280~290°C, whereby it is possible to prevent the meat from being scorched and prevent or minimize smoke generation.

For this reason, it is not necessary to separately prepare a duct for discharging smoke, which is otherwise needed to discharge smoke generated in the conventional skewered food roaster to the outside.

Heating power for roasting the meat can be adjusted through the adjustment means, whereby it is possible to roast the meat to a desired degree appropriate to eating. The transparent closure element 60 is removably fitted into the sight opening 52 cooperatively defined by the grill plate halves, so that a degree to which the meat skewered on the skewer bars 20 is roasted can be checked, and smoke is not generated and foreign substances are prevented from entering the roasting space while the meat is roasted. At this time, while the meat is roasted, a bean-paste pot can be fitted in place of the transparent closure element 60 into the sight opening defined in the grill plate 50 to boil bean-paste.

If the meat is roasted to a desired degree through the above-described procedure, the meat skewered on the skewer bars 20 are removed and then placed on the grill plate 50 installed on the upper end of the roaster body 10 to be continuously kept warm, and another amount of meat is skewered on the skewer bars 20 to be roasted in a new roasting cycle.

As can be readily seen from Fig. 4, in the case that the meat roaster according to the present invention is not used, in order to prevent foreign substances from entering the inside of the roaster body 10, the meat roaster is stored with a cover 80 fitted around the upper end of the roaster body 10.

Meanwhile, in another embodiment of the present invention as shown in

Fig. 5, when the meat roaster is not used to roast meat skewered on the skewer bars 20, a casserole pot 50a having a depressed configuration may be fitted in the upper end of the roasting space defined in the roaster body 10, so as to boil spicy mixed meat and vegetable stew.

Industrial Applicability

As apparent from the above description, the meat roaster according to the present invention provides advantages in that, since meat skewered on a skewer bar is roasted in a state in which an upper end of a roasting space defined in a roaster body is fully closed by a grill plate, the meat can be roasted to a desired degree due to a convection phenomenon in which heat is circulated in a roasting space defined in the roaster body, and smoke generation is prevented.

Further, in the present invention, the meat skewered on the skewer bar and roasted can be placed on the grill plate formed to have several step portions, to thereby be eaten while being kept warm, and collapsible legs are installed on a lower surface of the roaster body so that the meat roaster can be conveniently and easily used in a stabilized state both indoors and outdoors. Moreover, a plurality of grooves are defined in a pair of support plates so that a plurality of skewer bars can be supported by the support plates to allow a great amount of meat to be roasted at a time. Also, a portable gas container is used as a heating source of the meat roaster, so that the meat roaster can be conveniently and easily used irrespective of place, such as both indoors and outdoors. Consequently, according to the present invention, efficiency and reliability of a meat roaster is significantly improved.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A meat roaster suitable for roasting meat skewered on a skewer bar by rotating the meat, including a roaster body which has disposed therein driving means for rotating the skewer bar, a pair of support brackets which are respectively mounted to both sides of the roaster body to support the skewer bar, and a drip fan which is slidably assembled to a lower end of the roaster body to collect oil dripping while the meat is roasted, the meat roaster comprising: a grill plate composed of a pair of grill plate halves which are provided at an upper end of the roaster body so that they can be sldingly moved forward and backward, to allow the roasted meat to be placed thereon and thereby keep the roasted meat warm; heating means arranged in the roaster body to heat the meat skewered on the skewer bar using indirect heat; adjustment means provided at a side of the roaster body to adjust an amount of fuel supplied to the heating means and thereby heating power of the heating means; and a pair of collapsible legs collapsibly installed on the lower end of and adjacent to both side edges of the roaster body to support the roaster body after movement of the roaster body is completed.

2. The meat roaster as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the grill plate halves is formed to have several step portions.

3. The meat roaster as set forth in claim 1, wherein the heating means comprises a gas container reception space which is defined in a side surface of the roaster body to allow a gas container for supplying fuel gas to the roaster body to be inserted therein, and at least one gas supply pipe which is arranged in the roaster body, connected to the gas container and defined at an upper end thereof with a plurality of gas injection nozzles. 1484

4. The meat roaster as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pair of grill plate halves constituting the grill plate cooperatively define a sight opening when they are brought into contact with each other to close an upper end of a roasting space which is defined in the roaster body, and a transparent closure element is removably fitted in the sight opening so that a degree to which the meat skewered on the skewer bar is roasted can be checked, and smoke is not generated and foreign substances are prevented from entering the roasting space while the meat is roasted.

5. The meat roaster as set forth in claim 1, wherein a casserole pot is fitted in the upper end of the roasting space in place of the grill plate.