U.S. patent application number 10/122162 was filed with the patent office on 2003-05-01 for barbecue grill assembly.
This patent application is currently assigned to Tsann Kuen USA Inc.. Invention is credited to Wu, Tsan-Kuen.
Application Number | 20030079737 10/122162 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 21884281 |
Filed Date | 2003-05-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030079737 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wu, Tsan-Kuen |
May 1, 2003 |
BARBECUE GRILL ASSEMBLY
Abstract
A barbecue grill assembly includes a grill member disposed in a
cooking base. The cooking base has left and right side walls
extending upwardly from a bottom wall. Atop cover is disposed on a
top side of the cooking base for covering the cooking base. A side
rack has one end portion pivoted to one of the left and right side
walls of the cooking base. The side rack is turnable inwardly into
the cooking base for moving to a folded position, and is further
turnable outwardly from the cooking base for moving to an unfolded
position. A fastening unit fastens releasably the top cover and the
cooking base when the side rack is disposed at the folded
position.
Inventors: |
Wu, Tsan-Kuen; (Tainan
Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OSTROLENK FABER GERB & SOFFEN
1180 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
NEW YORK
NY
100368403
|
Assignee: |
Tsann Kuen USA Inc.
|
Family ID: |
21884281 |
Appl. No.: |
10/122162 |
Filed: |
April 11, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10122162 |
Apr 11, 2002 |
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10035698 |
Oct 25, 2001 |
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6513515 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
126/41R ;
126/304R; 126/305; 126/40 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47J 37/0704 20130101;
A45C 5/14 20130101; A47J 2037/0777 20130101; A47J 37/0763
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
126/41.00R ;
126/40; 126/305; 126/304.00R |
International
Class: |
F24C 003/08; A47J
037/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A barbecue grill assembly comprising: a cooking base with a top
side, a bottom wall opposite to said top side, and left and right
side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall; a grill member
disposed in said cooking base; a top cover disposed on said top
side for covering said grill member and said top side of said
cooking base; a first side rack having a first end portion pivoted
to one of said left and right side walls of said cooking base, said
first side rack being turnable inwardly into said cooking base for
moving to a folded position in which said first side rack is
disposed within said cooking base above said grill member and is
covered by said top cover when said top cover is capped on said
cooking base, said first side rack being further turnable outwardly
from said cooking base for moving to an unfolded position in which
said first side rack is disposed horizontally and laterally
adjacent to said one of said left and right side walls of said
cooking base; and a fastening unit mounted on said top cover and
said cooking base for releasably fastening together said top cover
and said cooking base when said first side rack is disposed in the
folded position.
2. The barbecue grill assembly as claimed in claim 1, further
comprising a second side rack which has a first end pivoted to
another one of said left and right side walls, said second side
rack being turnable inwardly into said cooking base for moving to a
folded position in which said second side rack is disposed within
said cooking base above said grill member and is covered by said
top cover when said top cover is capped on said cooking base, said
second side rack being further turnable outwardly from said cooking
base for moving to an unfolded position in which said second side
rack is disposed horizontally and laterally adjacent to said
another one of said left and right side walls of said cooking
base.
3. The barbecue grill assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein each
of said first and second side racks further has a second end
portion extending from said first end portion of a corresponding
one of said first and second side racks in a first direction, said
barbecue grill assembly further comprising a pair of handle bars,
each of which is secured to said first end portion of a respective
one of said first and second side racks and extends in a second
direction transverse to said first direction, said handle bars
being oriented downward when said side racks are disposed in the
unfolded position and abutting against said left and right side
walls, respectively, for supporting said first and second side
racks in the unfolded position, said handle bars being oriented
upward, being disposed externally of said cooking base, and being
adapted to permit gripping thereat when said first and second side
racks are disposed in the folded position and when said fastening
unit fastens together said top cover and said cooking base.
4. The barbecue grill assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said
first end portion of each of said first and second side racks is
forked to form a pair of pivot portions that are pivoted to the
respective one of said left and right side walls of said cooking
base, said top cover having a rear edge hinged to said cooking
base, a front edge opposite to said rear edge and provided with
said fastening unit, and left and right edges interconnecting said
front and rear edges, each of said left and right edges of said top
cover having a pair of recessed portions for accommodating said
pivot portions of a respective one of said first and second side
racks when said side racks are disposed in the folded position such
that said top cover can be disposed fittingly on top of said
cooking base for covering said cooking base.
5. The barbecue grill assembly as claimed in claim 4, further
comprising a handle secured to said top cover adjacent to said
front edge of said top cover.
6. The barbecue grill assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said
fastening unit includes a pair of fastening members, each of which
includes inter-engageable fastening parts mounted respectively on
said front edge of said top cover and said cooking base.
7. The barbecue grill assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
first side rack has a second end portion opposite to said first end
portion and formed with a plurality of hook projections.
8. The barbecue grill assembly as claimed in claim 1, further
comprising a burner disposed in said cooking base, a fuel connector
disposed externally of said cooking base and mounted on said
cooking base, and a fuel pipe extending between said burner and
said fuel connector.
9. The barbecue grill assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein said
first end portion of said first side rack is forked to define a
pair of pivot portions that are pivoted to said cooking base and an
opening between said pivot portions, said fuel connector being
disposed in said opening when said first side rack is disposed in
the unfolded position.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 10/035,698, filed on Oct. 25, 2001, the
entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a barbecue grill assembly,
more particularly to a barbecue grill assembly having a cook unit
with a side rack which is foldable so as to be received in the cook
unit.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional barbecue grill device 10
which includes a leg unit 11 and a cook unit 13 supported on the
leg unit 11. The leg unit 11 includes four upright leg members 111.
A pair of horizontal side racks 113 extend laterally and
respectively from upper ends of two adjacent pairs of the leg
members 111. As shown, since the leg members 111 are not foldable
and since the side racks 113 are fixed to the leg members 111, the
barbecue grill device 10 occupies a relatively large storage space
when it is not in use. Moreover, a large packaging volume is
required when the barbecue grill device 10 is packed for transport
from a manufacturer to a retailer or a consumer.
[0006] In Applicant's co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.
10/035,698, there is disclosed a barbecue grill assembly with a
cook unit and a casing. The cook unit has a cooking base, a grill
member disposed in the cooking base, a top cover, and a handle
formed on the top cover. The casing includes front and rear casing
parts that have first edges hinged to each other, and second edges
fastened releasably to each other by a pair of fastening units. The
casing is formed with two handle openings at the second edges, and
is mounted with a wheel unit and a pull member above the wheel
unit. The casing confines a receiving space for receiving the cook
unit. The handle on the cook unit is extendible through the handle
openings. The pull member is operable for pulling the casing to
move along a ground surface by virtue of rolling contact of the
wheel unit with the ground surface. The casing is adapted to be
disposed uprightly on a ground surface for supporting the cook unit
thereon.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The main object of the present invention is to provide a
barbecue grill assembly having a cook unit with a side rack which
is foldable so as to be received in the cook unit when the cook
unit is not in use.
[0008] Accordingly, the barbecue grill assembly of the present
invention includes a cooking base, a grill member disposed in the
cooking base, a top cover, a side rack and a fastening unit. The
cooking base has a top side, a bottom wall opposite to the top
side, and left and right sidewalls extending upwardly from the
bottom wall. The top cover is disposed on the top side of the
cooking base for covering the grill member and the top side of the
cooking base. The side rack has one end portion pivoted to one of
the left and right side walls of the cooking base. The side rack is
turnable inwardly into the cooking base for moving to a folded
position in which the side rack is disposed within the cooking base
above the grill member and is covered by the top cover when the top
cover is capped on the cooking base. The side rack is further
turnable outwardly from the cooking base for moving to an unfolded
position in which the side rack is disposed horizontally adjacent
to said one of the left and right side walls of the cooking base.
The fastening unit is mounted on the top cover and the cooking
base, and fastens releasably the top cover and the cooking base
when the side rack is disposed in the folded position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings,
of which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional barbecue
grill device;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a
barbecue grill assembly of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating how a pair of side racks
are mounted on a cook unit of the barbecue grill assembly of FIG.
1;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the cook
unit with a grill member removed therefrom for the sake of
clarity;
[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates the cook unit when the side racks are
folded thereon;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a fragmentary schematic side view of the cook
unit, showing a folding operation of one of the side racks; and
[0016] FIG. 7 shows the cook unit in a folded state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0017] Referring to FIG. 2, the preferred embodiment of the
barbecue grill assembly of the present invention is shown to mainly
include a cook unit 3 and a casing 1. The casing 1 is adapted to
stand uprightly on a ground surface for supporting the cook unit 3
thereon.
[0018] The cook unit 3 may be installed removably on top of the
casing 1 when the casing 1 is disposed in the upright position, or
may be disposed at any other appropriate place. Referring to FIGS.
3 to 5, the cook unit 3 includes a hollow cooking base 31, a grill
member 34 disposed in the cooking base 31, a top cover 32 disposed
on a top side of the cooking base 31 for covering the grill member
34 and the top side of the cooking base 31, a handle 33 mounted on
the top cover 32, and a fastening unit including a pair of
fastening members 38 for releasably fastening together the top
cover 32 and the cooking base 31. A burner 371 is installed within
the cooking base 31 and is connected to a fuel connector 372
mounted on and disposed externally of the cooking base 31 via a
fuel pipe 43 that extends therebetween. The fuel connector 372 is
adapted to be connected to a fuel source (not shown) to permit the
supply of fuel to the burner 371 within the cooking base 31.
[0019] Each of the top cover 32 and the cooking base 31 is
generally rectangular in shape. The cooking base 31 has a bottom
wall 311, front and rear side walls 312, 317 and left and right
side walls 316 that extend upwardly from the bottom wall 311. The
top cover 32 has a rear edge 322 hinged to an upper edge of the
rear side wall 317 of the cooking base 31 by means of a pair of
pivot lobe units 325 secured to the rear side wall 317 and a pair
of pivot shafts 52. The top cover 32 further has a front edge 321
opposite to the rear edge 322, and left and right edges 323
interconnecting the front and rear edges 321, 322. The fastening
members 38 are provided on the front edge 321 of the top cover 32
and the front side wall 312 of the cooking base 31 for releasably
fastening together the front edge 321 of the top cover 32 and an
upper edge of the front side wall 312 of the cooking base 31. Each
fastening member 38 includes inter-engageable fastening parts 381,
382 fixed respectively to the front edge 321 of the top cover 32
and the front side wall 312 of the cooking base 31. The handle 33
is secured to the top cover 32 adjacent to the front edge 321. The
handle 33 has a pair of connecting end portions 331 connected to
the top cover 32, and a gripping portion 332 extending between the
connecting end portions 331 and spaced apart from the front edge
321 of the top cover 32 so as to define a finger opening 333. The
upper edge of the rear side wall 317 of the cooking base 31 is
formed with a draining notch 314 adapted for draining liquid, such
as oil generated during use of the cook unit 3, from the cooking
base 31.
[0020] A pair of side racks 35 are mounted on the left and right
side walls 316 of the cooking base 31. Each of the side racks 35
has a first end portion 351 and a second end portion 352 opposite
to the first end portion 351 and extending from the first end
portion 351 in a first direction. The first end portion 351 is
forked so as to form a pair of pivot portions 351a and an opening
351b between the pivot portions 351a. The pivot portions 351a are
mounted pivotally on an upper edge of a respective one of the left
and right side walls 316 of the cooking base 31 by means of a pair
of pivot shafts 36 that extend through a pair of pivot lobes 315
provided on the respective one of the left and right side walls 316
of the cooking base 31. The second end portion 352 of each of the
side racks 35 is formed with a plurality of hook projections 355
for hooking of various barbecue utensils (not shown) thereon. Each
of the side racks 35 is mounted with a respective handle bar 353 at
the first end portion 351 thereof. Each of the handle bars 353 is
substantially U-shaped, and has a pair of connecting sections 353a
connected fixedly and respectively to the pivot portions 351a of a
respective one of the side racks 35, and a gripping section 353b
interconnecting the connecting sections 353a. Each of the handle
bars 353 extends from the respective one of the side racks 35 in a
second direction generally transverse to the first direction. That
is, the handle bars 353 are generally transverse to the side racks
35. To use the cook unit 3, the top cover 32 is released from the
cooking base 31 and is turned upwardly for uncovering the top side
of the cooking base 31, and the side racks 35 are unfolded from the
cooking base 31 so as to be disposed in a substantially horizontal
orientation on left and right sides of the cooking base 31 and
adjacent to the left and right side walls 316 of the cooking base
31, respectively. At this time, the handle bars 353 are oriented
downwardly and abut against the left and right side walls 316 of
the cooking base 31 for supporting the side racks 35 in the
unfolded position, as shown in FIG. 6. The fuel connector 372 is
disposed in the opening 351b when the right side one of the side
racks 35 is turned to the unfolded position (see FIG. 4).
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 7, when it is desired to store the
barbecue grill assembly of the present embodiment after use, the
side racks 35 are turned inwardly into the cooking base 31 for
moving to a folded position, in which the side racks 35 are
disposed within the cooking base 31 above the grill member 34. The
top cover 32 is then turned toward the cooking base 31 for covering
the side racks 35 and the top side of the cooking base 31. Each of
the left and right edges 323 of the top cover 32 has a pair of
recessed portions 324 for accommodating the forked first end
portion 351 of a respective one of the side racks 35 such that the
top cover 32 can be disposed fittingly on top of the cooking base
31 for covering the same when the side racks 35 are disposed in the
folded position. At this time, the handle bars 353 on the side
racks 35 are oriented upwardly and are disposed externally of the
cooking base 31 and the top cover 32 to permit gripping thereat for
handling the cook unit 3. Then, the top cover 32 is fastened to the
cooking base 31 via the fastening members 38. The cook unit 3 can
be carried by gripping at the handle bars 353 using both hands of
the user or by gripping at the handle 33 using one hand of the
user.
[0022] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and
equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *