Stoves and furnaces – Stoves – Cooking
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-20
2001-10-23
Yeung, James C. (Department: 3743)
Stoves and furnaces
Stoves
Cooking
C126S04100R, C099S447000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305368
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to plates used in a barbecue grill for preventing fire flare-ups; and more particularly, to such grill plates having adjustable lengths.
A prior art product known as the “Flare-Up Tamers,” commercially available from Vance Industries, Inc., includes fixed-length, longitudinal metal plates that are folded longitudinally through the center-line thereof at an angle of approximately 120°. These plates are adapted to be placed concave-side-down in a side-by-side fashion along the “rock grate” of a barbecue grill (in place of the lava rock, volcanic rock or grill tiles commonly provided on the rock grate), which is in turn positioned over the gag burners. The grill plates arc adapted to become heated by the gas burners and vaporize the meat juices dripping down from the meat positioned on the cooking surface thereabove; thereby, reducing flare-ups caused by the ignition of such juices. Furthermore, some of the vapors produced by such vaporization of the meat juices will rise back into the food being cooked on the cooking surface; thereby, improving the flavor of such foods.
A disadvantage with the prior art grill plates is that not every natural gas or propane barbecue grill is made such that the burner unit is covered by a metal structure such as rock grate, which can receive the grill plates thereon. Accordingly, there is a need for a grill plate that can be used with barbecue grills that do not have grates positioned over the burners to seat the grill plates thereon.
SUMMARY
The present invention provides an adjustable-length grill plate assembly intended to prevent fire flare-ups in a barbecue grill. The ability to adjust the length allows the grill plate to be supported by the tapered walls of the gas grill if, for example, the grill does not include a rock grate.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides for an adjustable-length flare-up preventing plate for a barbecue grill comprising at least two elongated metallic plates. Each elongated metallic plate includes a pair of longitudinal wings and at least one fastener; where the longitudinal wings are folded downwardly approximate a middle longitudinal centerline to form a concavity. The fastener is designed to couple at least two of the elongated metallic plates together in a longitudinal or over-lapping fashion, such that at least one of the plates will extend longitudinally from a longitudinal end of another one of the plates—providing an extended grill plate. Once coupled together, this extended grill plate is placed into the barbecue grill concave-side-down so that the longitudinal ends of the, extended grill plate rest against the tapered walls of the barbecue grill. Of course, it is preferred that pluralities of such extended grill plates are placed in the barbecue grill in a side-by-side fashion to provide an array of the extended grill plates below the cooking surface.
Preferably, the longitudinal wings are folded downwardly from a flat longitudinal middle section extending along the longitudinal centerline of the grill plate, where this flat longitudinal middle section includes a plurality of the fasteners longitudinally distributed therealong to provide for a corresponding number of optional lengths for the extended grill plates. The FPS fasteners are preferably in the form of male and female fasteners. Such male and female fasteners are preferably formed by punching out a plurality of rectangular (preferably square) tabs into flat longitudinal middle section such that the rectangular tabs (male fasteners) extend substantially perpendicularly downward into the concave side of the plate, leaving a corresponding plurality of square holes (female fasteners) along the flat longitudinal middle section. With such fasteners, two over-lapping plates are coupled together by inserting the tabs of the top plate into the holes of the bottom plate.
Alternatively, the tabs could be punched outwardly, extending perpendicularly from the convex side of the plate. With such alternative fasteners, two over-lapping plates are coupled together by inserting the tabs of the bottom plate into the holes of the top plate.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a plate for preventing fire flare-ups in a barbecue grill comprising an elongated metallic plate, the lateral ends of which are folded down at an angle along the length of the plate to provide a substantially concave surface and a substantially convex surface, the plate including a plurality of female fasteners uniformly distributed longitudinally across one of the concave and convex surfaces, and the plate further including a plurality of male fasteners uniformly distributed longitudinally across the other one of the concave and convex surfaces. Preferably, the plate is adapted to adjustably mate with an identical plate, by coupling at least some of the female fasteners of a first one of the plates with at least some of the male fasteners of the other one of the plates, to provide an adjustable-length grill plate.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of adjusting the length of a flare-up preventing plate for a barbecue grill. The method comprises the steps of (a) overlapping at least two plates longitudinally with respect to one another; (b) extending the overlapping plates longitudinally outward with respect to each other until the plates reach a desired length; and (c) securing the overlapping plates together at the desired length. To obtain the desired length, it would be preferred that the grill plates be extended outwardly until the ends rest on the inside walls of the grill, Preferably, the method further comprises the step of (d) placing the adjusted grill plate such that each end rests on the inside walls of the grill. It would also be preferred that the method further comprises the steps of (e) repeating steps (a) through (d) for a plurality of grill plates, and (f) uniformly positioning the plurality of grill plates across a portion of the length or width of the grill in a side-by-side fashion.
An additional aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of fabricating a flare-up preventing plate for a barbecue grill. The method comprises the steps of (a) providing an elongated metallic plate; (b) folding the lateral ends of the elongated metallic plate downward from a middle longitudinal section at an angle along the length of the plate to provide a substantially concave surface and a substantially convex surface; and (c) punching out a plurality of rectangular preferably square) tabs along the middle longitudinal section so that they extend substantially perpendicularly into the concave portion of the plate, thereby leaving a corresponding plurality of rectangular holes along the middle longitudinal section. The tabs form a plurality of male fastening components and the holes forming a plurality of female fastening components. Therefore the plate is adapted to be coupled to another of the plates in an overlapping fashion by inserting the tabs of the top plate into the holes of the bottom plate, providing an adjustable-length flare-up preventing plate for a barbecue grill.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide an additional method of fabricating a flare-up preventing plate for a barbecue grill. The method comprises the steps of (a) providing an elongated metallic plate; (b) folding the lateral ends of the elongated metallic plate downward from a middle longitudinal section at an angle along the length of the plate to provide a substantially concave surface and a substantially convex surface; and (c) punching out a plurality of rectangular (preferably square) tabs along the middle longitudinal section such that the rectangular tabs extend substantially perpendicularly into the convex portion of the plate thereby leaving a plurality of holes along the middle longitudinal section. The tabs form a plurality of male fastening components and the holes form a plurality of female fastening components. Therefore the plate is adapted to be coupled
Hanover Direct, Inc.
Thompson Hine LLP
Yeung James C.
LandOfFree
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