Convertible rotisserie and grill

Details Convertible rotisserie and grill Convertible rotisserie and grill

2000-01-07

2002-08-20

Walberg, Teresa (Department: 3742)

Electric heating

Heating devices

Combined with container, enclosure, or support for material...

C219S386000, C219S403000, C099S340000, C426S523000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06437291

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to barbecues and more particularly to a convertible rotisserie and grill which includes separate heating elements for grill-style cooking and rotisserie-style cooking.
2. Description of the Related Art
Outdoor charcoal or gas barbecuing is a popular method of cooking and preparing various foods such as meats, poultry, fish and vegetables and manufacturers have enjoyed great commercial success providing outdoor barbecues and accessories in the United States and elsewhere. Part of the popularity of outdoor barbecuing can be attributed to the unique blend of smell, flavor and look the briquettes convey to the meat, fish, and/or vegetables which is often referred to as “barbecue” or “charcoal” flavor. However, due to the obvious safety concerns of burning briquettes indoors, barbecuing has typically been recognized as an outdoor cooking activity.
Recently, however, manufacturers have been looking for ways to manufacture grills for barbecuing indoors which imitate the various cooking advantages of outdoor barbecues, e.g., the smell, taste and look of barbecued food. For example, electric indoor barbecues provide one method of safely barbecuing indoors and some of these designs include electric hotplates with grill-like surfaces for conveying a grill-like look to the food and for allowing the fat/grease to drip from the food onto the heating element to flavor the food. Other designs include rotisserie units for rotating a spit for cooking meat and vegetables. Unfortunately due to the convenience of other cooking methods and appliances such as ovens and stoves which offer a wider range of cooking options, e.g., baking, broiling, frying, etc., indoor electric barbecuing is not commonplace.
As a result, some barbecue manufacturers have attempted to design indoor barbecue units with dual cooking capacities, e.g., grilling and rotisserie-style cooking. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,518 to Rummel, provides a convertible grill and rotisserie barbecue which includes a briquette tray which can be angled to effect rotisserie-style cooking. U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,517 to Huff et al. includes an electric barbecue having a heating element dimensioned to fit within a bowl-like cooking structure which is movable from a horizontal position for grill-style cooking to an angled position for rotisserie-style cooking. U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,475 to Murphy et al. includes a universally adaptable rotisserie assembly which can be used to support a rotating spit for grilling meat and vegetables.
However, for the most part and by and large, these units are overly complicated and/or include heating elements which must be moved to change the cooking style. Further, many of these heating elements should not be moved during cooking (or shortly thereafter) and/or have parts which are subject to breakage. Thus, there exists a need to develop a convertible grill and rotisserie barbecue which includes separate heating elements for grill-style and rotisserie-style cooking which is not overly complicated in design and which is readily convertible from one cooking style to another without having to move the heating element.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates to a convertible rotisserie and grill which includes a base or housing having a first mechanical interface for removably receiving a grill plate and second mechanical interface for removably receiving a rotisserie spit. The convertible rotisserie and grill also includes a first heating element for heating the grill plate for grilling meat, fish and vegetables and a second heating element for heating an area in close proximity to the spit for rotisserie-style cooking. A probe activates and controls the temperature of one of the heating elements depending upon the desired cooking style.
In one embodiment, the convertible rotisserie and grill further includes a motor for rotating the spit. Preferably, the motor is speed controlled, i.e., variable speed, and allows a user to selectively control cooking. In another embodiment, the housing includes a step for supporting the motor.
Preferably, the convertible rotisserie and grill includes a multi-positionable cover which removably engages the housing. Advantageously, the cover includes a window for viewing the food during cooking.
In other embodiments, the housing includes a removable drip pan for collecting grease, a pair of recesses for supporting the spit atop the housing and/or a jack which supports the probe for rotisserie-style cooking. The grill plate can also include a jack for supporting the probe for grill-style cooking.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5536518 (1996-07-01), Rummel
patent: 5934180 (1999-08-01), Lin
patent: D423280 (2000-04-01), Lin

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