Patent US3938494A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3938494A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cooking apparatus
Assignee: GUARANTEED WEATHER Inc
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Filing: 1974-06-12
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Granted: 1976-02-17
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Expires: 1994-06-12
Abstract
Abstract Cooking apparatus adapted for multi-purpose use as a grill, oven, stove or patio heater, and comprising a chamber formed by a lower housing section having upright walls and by a hinged cover for opening and closing the top of the chamber. The bottom of the chamber is open to admit a low velocity, large volume flow of fresh air into the chamber. A single gas burner extends lengthwise of the chamber adjacent the open bottom and can be regulated for cooking to produce a low, yellow-tipped blue flame which creates a narrow zone of incandescence in a much wider layer of incombustible bodies supported on a grate spaced above the burner. The cooking zone is spaced above the grate and contains one or more grills extending generally coextensive with the layer of incombustible material so that at least the major portion of the cooking area is horizontally offset out of vertical alignment with the zone of incandescence. The enclosure has a perimeter outlet smaller than the air inlet and located between the upper edges of the lower section walls and the overhanging side walls of the cover. The large volume air flow vertically upwardly through the vertically spaced zones is induced solely by convection currents generated by the burner and incombustible bodies, the latter serving as means for dispersing the heat, baffling the upward air flow and emitting radiant heat. Additional features include an exterior drip tray adapted to control admission of air to the chamber, an anti-flare grease diverter, a burner and grate subassembly which is readily removable and usable by itself as a fireplace heater, a cook-top cover and associated auxiliary cover.
Inventors
- 👤 Morton L. Clark
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 21:06
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47J; A47J37/00; A47J37/06; A47J37/07; A47J37/0704; A47J37/0713
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 44
Claim 1
Independent Claim
291 words
A cooking device comprising in combination an enclosure having upright walls defining a chamber having a top and a bottom, burner means in said chamber above said bottom, a perforate grate above said burner means, a layer of perforate incombustible material disposed on said grate adapted to be heated by said burner means to incandescence in at least a narrow portion thereof directly over said burner means, a cover for closing the top of said chamber, means for supporting food to be cooked above said grate and adapted to allow heated air to rise past the food, gaseous fluid outlet means extending along said upright walls of said enclosure spaced below the uppermost portion of said cover and above said food support means whereby said device is vented to atmosphere through said outlet means, and air inlet means in the vicinity of said bottom of said enclosure having an area greater than that of said outlet means and correlated therewith and said burner means such that atmospheric air is inducted from the outside atmosphere via said air inlet means solely by convection currents generated by operation of said burner means and is heated as it flows freely upwardly sequentially past said burner means and said layer of material, the heated air thence flowing upwardly past said food support means and outwardly via said outlet means to atmosphere, said inlet-outlet-burner correlation being such that said inducted air flows at low velocity but in sufficiently high volume to cause a constant circulation of heated air around the food cooking on said food support means whereby any stagnant cold layer of air adjacent the food is stripped away by said flowing air to thereby effect more efficient radiant and convection heating of the food.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
291 words
A cooking device comprising in combination an enclosure having upright walls defining a chamber having a top and a bottom, burner means in said chamber above said bottom, a perforate grate above said burner means, a layer of perforate incombustible material disposed on said grate adapted to be heated by said burner means to incandescence in at least a narrow portion thereof directly over said burner means, a cover for closing the top of said chamber, means for supporting food to be cooked above said grate and adapted to allow heated air to rise past the food, gaseous fluid outlet means extending along said upright walls of said enclosure spaced below the uppermost portion of said cover and above said food support means whereby said device is vented to atmosphere through said outlet means, and air inlet means in the vicinity of said bottom of said enclosure having an area greater than that of said outlet means and correlated therewith and said burner means such that atmospheric air is inducted from the outside atmosphere via said air inlet means solely by convection currents generated by operation of said burner means and is heated as it flows freely upwardly sequentially past said burner means and said layer of material, the heated air thence flowing upwardly past said food support means and outwardly via said outlet means to atmosphere, said inlet-outlet-burner correlation being such that said inducted air flows at low velocity but in sufficiently high volume to cause a constant circulation of heated air around the food cooking on said food support means whereby any stagnant cold layer of air adjacent the food is stripped away by said flowing air to thereby effect more efficient radiant and convection heating of the food.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
102 words
The cooking device set forth in claim 1 wherein said enclosure has a lower section open at the top thereof containing said burner means, grate, incombustible material and at least a portion of said food support means, and wherein said cover is openable and has a sidewall extending in the closed position of said cover in spaced relation with the top edge of the lower section to provide an open gap between the sidewall of the cover and the top edge of the lower section throughout at least the major extent of the perimeter of the open top of said lower section.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
The cooking device set forth in claim 2 including means for hinging said cover to the lower section and cooperating stop means on said cover and lower section for holding the cover in lowered position.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The cooking device set forth in claim 3 wherein the cover is made of metal and has a flat imperforate top with the sidewall depending downwardly from said top.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
33 words
The cooking device set forth in claim 4 wherein the depending sidewall of the cover in lowered position extends in spaced relation below and outwardly of the upper edge of the lower section.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
The cooking device set forth in claim 5 wherein said incombustible material comprises a bed of non-combustible bodies on said grate which are made incandescent by heat generated by said burner means to provide a source of radiant heat, and said food support means comprises a grill adapted to receive the food to be cooked above said grate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
107 words
The cooking device set forth in claim 6 wherein said burner means comprises a single gas burner in the form of a tube with gas outlets, said burner extending across said lower section below said grate such that the gas flames generated by said burner in the grill cooking mode thereof causes the noncombustible bed to have a zone of incandescence over the flame much narrower than said grill and the circulation of air and gaseous products of combustion upwardly through the lower section creates a generally uniform temperature laterally of the lower section at least in the vicinity of said grill when said cover is closed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
51 words
The cooking device set forth in claim 7 including a second grill spaced above said first-mentioned grill in the upper area of said lower section, said first grill serving as a support for food being grilled and said second grill serving as a support for food being grilled, roasted or baked.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The cooking device set forth in claim 1 wherein the flat imperforate top of the cover is heated and serves as an exterior cooking surface.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
46 words
The cooking device set forth in claim 9 wherein said device has an auxiliary cover open at the bottom resting at its lower edge of said cover to enclose a space above said flat top and to define therewith an auxiliary food warming or baking chamber.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
54 words
The cooking device set forth in claim 1 wherein said burner means is supported by the grate and provided with a disconnectable connection with its source of gas whereby said burner means, grate, and the bed of noncombustible bodies can be removed as a unit from the lower section when the cover is raised.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
90 words
The cooking device set forth in claim 1 wherein said air inlet means has approximately at least fifteen square inches of area and wherein said outlet means has approximately at least twelve square inches of area, said bottom has an area of approximately two hundres forty-seven square inches, said enclosure tapers upwardly and outwardly from said bottom to said outlet means and has a lateral area in the vicinity of said outlet means of approximately 300 square inches, and said outlet means is spaced approximately 10 inches above said bottom.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 12 wherein said air inlet means is approximately forty square inches in area and said outlet means is approximately twenty square inches in area.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bottom comprises a perforated wall with the perforations in said wall defining said air inlet means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
58 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the area in square inches of said air inlet means is at least about 1/267 of the cubic inch volumetric content of said chamber and the area in square inches of said outlet means is at least about 1/333 of the cubic inch volumetric content of said chamber.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
22 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 15 wherein said volumetric content of said chamber is approximately four thousand cubic inches.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
67 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said enclosure has a lower section with a door opening therein and a door in said upright wall thereof for closing said door opening, said door being movable between a closed position closing said door opening in said upright wall and an open position exposing via the door opening said incombustible material and said food support means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
118 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 17 wherein said cover is openable and has a side wall extending in the closed position of said cover outwardly above the upper edge of said door in the closed position thereof to form a weather shielding overhang for said door, the lower edge of said cover sidewall in the portion thereof extending adjacent said door being spaced from the upper edge of said door in the closed position thereof a distance just sufficient to clear the path of travel of said upper edge of said door when the door is moved between its open and closed position whereby said door can be opened and closed without opening said cover.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
34 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 18 wherein said cover has flat top adapted to serve as a cooking or warming surface and has a marginal bead extending about the perimeter thereof.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
33 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 19 wherein said bead has drain openings therein along one portion thereof to serve as run-off openings for rain water collecting on said top surface.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
37 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 20 including an auxiliary cover open at the bottom thereof and having a lower edge shaped to rest on said flat top and to nest closely within said bead.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
37 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 14 wherein said enclosure has a plurality of legs extending therefrom below said bottom adapted to support said cooking device on a supporting surface with said bottom spaced thereabove.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
76 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bottom has openings therein defining at least in part said air inlet means, and said device includes means forming a flat surface spaced below and extending parallel to said bottom, and wherein said device includes supports adapted to define with said flat surface a series of vertical air inlet openings leading to the space below said bottom to feed outside air to said bottom openings.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
27 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 23 wherein the area of said vertical air inlet openings is greater than the area of said bottom openings.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
50 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 23 wherein said means forming said flat surface comprises drip tray means supported on said supports and adapted to catch grease drippings falling downwardly from said food support means through said layer of incombustible material and through the openings in said bottom.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
34 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 25 wherein said bottom has a central portion with post connector means dependent therefrom adapted to connect to the upper end of an upright support post.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
75 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 26 wherein said drip tray means comprises a pair of trays removably received on said supports with one tray insertable from one side of said enclosure and the other tray insertable from the opposite side of said enclosure, said tray being shaped to encircle said post connector means and to abut one another to form a catch basin laterally generally coextensive with the openings in said bottom.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
41 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 27 wherein one of said trays has a horizontal flange along the inner edge thereof adapted to overhang the inner edge of the other one of said trays in the abutted condition thereof.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
77 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 25 wherein said tray means includes upright flange means extending adjacent one or more of said vertical air inlet openings defined vertically between said bottom and said tray means and horizontally between said legs, said flange means being dimensioned to regulate the communication of said chamber with atmosphere to thereby cause said vertical air inlet openings to function as the primary flow controlling orifice of said air inlet means.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
60 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 29 wherein said flange means includes an upright baffle extending along one edge of one of said trays and adapted to vertically overlap the associated one of said vertical air inlet openings in the inserted position of said one tray to serve as a windshield for said associated vertical air inlet opening.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
82 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said grate comprises a framework constructed of metal rods oriented to from a supporting surface having a generally upwardly arched configuration from the front to the rear thereof, and wherein said burner means is disposed to extend below the uppermost portion of said arched supporting surface, said grate having means for supporting said burner such that said burner means and said grate can be removed from said enclosure as a unitary subassembly.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
134 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said grate comprises a framework made up of metal rods including an outer peripheral mild steel rod having two longitudinally extending portions defining the front and rear edges of said grate and a pair of gull wire side edge portions each having two downwardly slanting wing sections and a drop center portion therebetween, a series of mild steel rods supported at their ends on said wing sections of said peripheral rod and extending longitudinally of the grate parallel to one another, said grate also comprising a center section made up of a series of stainless steel rods, means for detachably connecting said center section to said grate, said burner being supported on said drop center portions vertically below said center section of said grate.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
51 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 32 wherein said grate has a pair of rods defining handle portions at each of the opposite longitudinal ends thereof, said handles being spaced above said side edge portions of said peripheral rod to retain said layer of incombustible material on said grate.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
80 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 7 wherein said food support means includes an anti-flare grease diverter adapted to be positioned above and in horizontal alignment with said burner means, said diverter being generally coextensive in length with the length of said burner means and having a dimension transverse to its length generally coextensive with the narrow zone of incandescence of said incombustible material created when said burner means is being operated in the food grilling mode thereof.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
67 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 34 wherein said diverter comprises a sheet metal member adapted to extend horizontally above and rest on said food support means and having an upright flange extending along one longitudinal edge thereof to serve as a dam for grease collecting on said diverter whereby the grease runs off said diverter along the other longitudinal edge thereof opposite said flange.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
29 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 35 wherein said diverter comprises a sheet metal member having corrugations therein defining peaks and valleys extending transversely of said member.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
63 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 36 wherein said grill is made up of evenly spaced metal rods extending transversely to the longitudinal dimension of said burner, and said diverter corrugations are dimensioned to coincide with the spacing of said grill rods whereby each peak of said diverter member is adapted to rest on an associated one of said grill rods.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
175 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said upright walls of said enclosure comprise front and rear walls and a pair of oppositely disposed side walls, and said bottom is joined to the lower edges of said walls to form a box-like enclosure open at the top thereof, said cover comprising a flat top and side walls depending therefrom, said cover side walls comprising a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of oppositely disposed side walls respectively associated with the front, rear and side walls of said lower section of said enclosure, said walls of said lower section tapering outwardly and upwardly, said side walls of said cover tapering outwardly and downwardly, said cover having support means adapted to rest on the upper edges of said lower section walls in the closed position of said cover, said side walls of said cover overhanging at their lower edges the upper edges of said lower section walls and being spaced outwardly therefrom to define a perimeter gap therebetween forming said outlet means.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
62 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said zone of incandescence of said layer created in the cooking mode of operation of said burner means has a dimension transverse to the longitudinal dimension of said burner means approximately no more than one-third the dimension of said food support means taken transversely of the longitudinal dimension of said burner means.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
41 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least the major portion of the cooking surface of said food support means is horizontally offset out of alignment with said zone of incandescence of said layer of incombustible material.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
67 words
The cooking device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said burner means is fueled by gas and has control means for regulating the amount of gas fuel and primary air admitted to said burner means and capable of adjustment to produce a yellow-tipped blue flame to generate a slightly reducing atmosphere in said chamber to thereby inhibit corrosion of said burner, food support means and grate.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
257 words
A cooking device comprising in combination an enclosure defining a chamber having four vertically stacked zones therein comprising a heat generating first zone, a heat dispersing and radiating second zone disposed immediately above said zone and containing incombustible air permeable means comprising a layer of incombustible bodies extending in the aggregate laterally generally coextensive with said cooking zone, a cooking third zone disposed immediately above said second zone containing food support means and a heat collecting fourth zone spaced immediately above said third zone, air inlet means in said enclosure comprising a perforate wall extending laterally generally coextensive with said layer and below said heat generating zone communicating said heat generating zone with the outside atmosphere below said heat dispersing zone, means defining a gaseous fluid outlet in said enclosure at an elevation generally between said third and fourth zones, and heat generating means comprising a single element burner in said first zone occupying only a minor portion of the lateral extent thereof, at least the major portions of said second and third zones being offset horizontally out of vertical alignment with said burner, the area of said outlet means being less than that of said inlet means and being correlated with the heat output of said burner and the dimensions of said enclosure to allow a low velocity relatively large volume flow of air to flow upwardly sequentially through said zones, said air current being generated solely by convection currents induced by the heat given off by said burner and said heat dispersing and radiating means.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
257 words
A cooking device comprising in combination an enclosure defining a chamber having four vertically stacked zones therein comprising a heat generating first zone, a heat dispersing and radiating second zone disposed immediately above said zone and containing incombustible air permeable means comprising a layer of incombustible bodies extending in the aggregate laterally generally coextensive with said cooking zone, a cooking third zone disposed immediately above said second zone containing food support means and a heat collecting fourth zone spaced immediately above said third zone, air inlet means in said enclosure comprising a perforate wall extending laterally generally coextensive with said layer and below said heat generating zone communicating said heat generating zone with the outside atmosphere below said heat dispersing zone, means defining a gaseous fluid outlet in said enclosure at an elevation generally between said third and fourth zones, and heat generating means comprising a single element burner in said first zone occupying only a minor portion of the lateral extent thereof, at least the major portions of said second and third zones being offset horizontally out of vertical alignment with said burner, the area of said outlet means being less than that of said inlet means and being correlated with the heat output of said burner and the dimensions of said enclosure to allow a low velocity relatively large volume flow of air to flow upwardly sequentially through said zones, said air current being generated solely by convection currents induced by the heat given off by said burner and said heat dispersing and radiating means.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-02-16 | 1979-08-18 | 1980-02-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-02-16 | 1983-08-18 | 1984-02-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-02-16 | 1987-08-18 | 1988-02-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |