Wire Roasting Frame

Abstract

A pair of brackets are integrally secured about a roast to aid in handling. One of the brackets includes at least one hook integral with the bracket body for cooperating with parts on the other bracket to temporarily secure the brackets to one another about the roast, permitting the entire assembly to be handled as a unit.

Description

The present invention relates generally to a device for aiding in the roasting and grilling of beef, lamb, pork and fowl, referred to herein by the generic term meats.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,889, entitled TURKEY TURNER by Virginia M. Young and Garth L. Young, Jr., issued on Dec. 26, 1967, there is disclosed a culinary device aiding in the handling of meats of all kinds during roasting and grilling thereof. The patented device comprises generally a pair of frames, each having spaced longitudinal frame members with spaced interconnecting cross members. Handles are provided on opposite ends of the frames in paired sets which can be handheld to secure the frames to the meat during manipulation. A further aspect is use of spring hooks to interconnect adjacent frame members of the two frames.

Although the patented handle version is usually satisfactory, in the case of relatively heavy meat there is a certain hand strength requirement on the part of the user to hold the brackets onto the meat during movement. And, in the further aspects of the patented turner apparatus swinging hooks carried by the bracket side frame members interconnect the bracket frames via helical springs. The provision of such spring hooks adds significantly to manufacturing costs, as well as necessitating additional manipulative effort by the user in assembling and disassembling the frames with the meat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND DRAWINGS

A pair of brackets are provided, each consisting generally of longitudinally extending frame members braced by cross members. At least one of the brackets includes integral extensions of the cross members that are formed into hooks for securingly engaging the longitudinal frame members of the other bracket during assembly.

In the Drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the roasting device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational partially sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 shown assembled.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the device of the invention depicted with the brackets nested together for storage.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now particularly to FIG. 1, the roasting and grilling aid device of this invention, identified generally as 10 is seen to include an upper bracket 11 and lower bracket 12 which are secured about the meat 13 in a manner to be described.

Lower bracket 12 is generally rectangular in plan view, with the frame outline being defined by a solid tubular frame member 14. The frame member includes a pair of elongated parallel sides and the ends are formed into outwardly extending handles or grips 15.

A plurality of cross braces 16 of flat, rectangular metal stock interconnect the parallel sides of the frame member providing support and rigidity to the bracket as well as forming a bed on which the meat rests. As shown best in FIGS. 2 and 3, the braces are arranged with their flat surfaces upwardly directed and are each formed into a generally V-shape as viewed along the long dimension of the bracket collectively forming a concave upward bed for the meat. Although a number of satisfactory securing techniques may be used, it is contemplated that the braces are to be spot welded to the frame member 14.

The endmost braces include portions extending outwardly beyond the frame member 14 which are formed upwardly at substantially 90 degrees to the plane of the frame member. These extensions have their respective termina formed into curved hooks 17 and 18. As will be described, these hooks engage the long side of the upper bracket frame member for temporarily relating the two brackets to one another permitting a clamping engagement of the meat.

A pair of rectangular supporting feet 19 and 20 are secured to the lower surface of the cross braces which include the hooks 17 and 18.

Upper bracket 11 is of generally similar construction as the lower bracket except that no hooks are included. Also, as a further aspect of this invention, the cross braces of the upper bracket are secured to the associate frame member at points different than those of the lower bracket. By this construction, the entire device may be stored conveniently when not in use by inverting the upper bracket and nesting it with the lower bracket as shown in FIG. 4. With the cross braces arranged in staggered relation nesting in a compact manner can be accomplished since the braces do not interfere with one another.

Although the primary utility in the present invention is the cooperative use of the upper and lower brackets for retaining meat therebetween and transporting or manipulation of the meat by gripping members 15 of each of the brackets, a further manner of use of the invention is the support of the meat on one of the brackets. In this latter case, the meat may be moved or repositioned within the oven or actually removed from the oven by gripping the handles 15.

Although only one specific embodiment of the present invention has been described and illustrated herein, many changes and modifications will, of course, suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. This single embodiment has been selected for this disclosure for the purpose of illustration only. The present invention, therefore, should not be limited to the embodiment so selected, the true scope of the invention being defined only in the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A roasting aid device, comprising an upper bracket and a lower bracket, each bracket including a pair of spaced longitudinal frame members and a pair of end members attached to the ends of the frame members, handles integral with said end members, and flat rigid braces connected to said frame members, said braces being spaced apart from each other along said frame members and end portions of certain of said cross members of one of the brackets extending beyond said frame members and formed into hooks for cooperative engagement with the frame members of the other bracket, and in which the braces of the upper bracket interconnect the frame members at longitudinal positions different than those of the lower bracket whereby nesting of the brackets can be accomplished without obstruction of the braces.

2. In a meat roasting device comprising an upper bracket and a lower bracket, each bracket having an outer frame member arranged in a closed path and flat metal cross braces interconnecting opposite sides of the frame members at spaced intervals, and handles connected to the frame members the improvement comprising: the end portion of at least one of the cross braces extending outwardly of the frame member and formed at substantially ninety degrees to the plane of the frame member with the terminus of said end portion being folded back over itself to form a hook for being removably received about the frame member of the other bracket and the braces of the upper bracket interconnecting the frame members at positions different from those at which the braces interconnect the lower bracket frame members.

3. A pair of brackets for use as a roasting aid, comprising:

each bracket including spaced longitudinal frame members connected at the ends thereof by a pair of members;

handles integral with said end members;

a plurality of flat rigid braces connected to said frame members in spaced apart relation along said frame members, the braces of the one bracket connected to the frame members at a relative spacing different from that of the braces of the other bracket;

end portions of at least one of said cross members extending beyond the frame members for cooperative engagement with the frame members of the other bracket to secure meat therebetween during manipulative movement of the meat; and

said brackets further including leg members for supporting the bracket in such manner that the braces form a surface on which the meat is restingly received during disengagement of the two brackets.