Stoves and furnaces – Stoves – Cooking
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-20
2001-11-13
Price, Carl D. (Department: 3743)
Stoves and furnaces
Stoves
Cooking
C126S0250AA, C126S038000, C126S00900B, C126S30400R, C126S305000, C126S306000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314955
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention: The present invention relates generally to outdoor cooking devices that use charcoal briquettes, wood, or other solid fuels as a source of energy. Specifically, the present invention relates to a portable, collapsible cooking stove that can be adapted for use with various cooking utensils, such as a barbeque grill, frying pan, pot, steamer, Dutch oven, wok, or rotisserie.
State of the Art: Outdoor cooking devices, such as charcoal and gas barbeques, have been widely used for many years and numerous designs exist in the prior art. Typically, these devices consist of a grill located above a fuel source that is contained within some form of a fuel chamber. Food is then placed on the grill for cooking. Conventional outdoor cooking stoves share a number of common weaknesses including lack of portability, lack of utility, inadequate control of air flow to the fuel, and inadequate venting and cooling of the outer stove surfaces resulting in a burn hazard.
Portability can be an important feature of an outdoor stove, as these devices are often transported away from the user's home to recreation areas and camping sites. Many prior art cooking devices have attempted to overcome the lack of portability. U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,386 to Orr; U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,704 to Lerch et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,352 to Gillam et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,087 to Jean; U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,864 to Kent, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,208 to Hottenroth et al.; U. S. Pat. No. 4,909,235 to Boetcker; U.S. Patent No. 4,140,099 to Newport; and U.S. Patent No. 4,046,132 to White all disclose portable, outdoor cooking devices.
A volume-efficient method of achieving portability is the utilization of a collapsible stove structure. Prior art cooking stoves such as the Newport and Kent devices provide portability using a collapsible stove structure. However, in order to collapse the stove for transportation or storage, all of these devices must be manually disassembled. Furthermore, after being collapsed for storage, manual reassembly is required before any of these stoves can be used again for cooking. Thus, a need exists for a volume-efficient, collapsible stove that is simple to both assemble for cooking and collapse for storage. In addition, such a collapsible stove should be easily adapted to different cooking methods and utensils, provide adequate control of air flow to the fuel, and allow for adequate cooling of the outer stove surfaces to reduce the potential burn hazard.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a collapsible outdoor cooking stove that is simple to use, adaptable to various cooking methods, provides the user with adequate control over air flow to the fuel, provides for adequate cooling of the exterior surfaces, and is space-efficient, in terms of both overall volume and aspect ratio (ratio of height over diameter). Note that, while other conventional devices may have a small volume, volume is not the only factor affecting portability. A low-volume stove may lack portability due to its shape and configuration, exterior protrusions, and high aspect ratio.
The collapsible cooking stove of the present invention is comprised of an upper housing, a fire chamber assembly, a lower housing, a cooking plate, and a plurality of collapsing leg mechanisms. Located within the fire chamber assembly is a fire housing and a fuel pan, both of which include vent holes. Rotational interaction between the fire housing vent holes and fuel pan vent holes allows the user to effectively control the flow of air to the fuel. An annular air space, located in a region bounded by the fire housing, the upper housing, and the lower housing, facilitates the convective cooling of the outer surfaces of both the upper and lower housings. Air holes in the outer walls of the upper and lower housings serve as air intakes for both the annular air space and the (fuel) air flow control system.
An individual collapsing leg mechanism is comprised of a leg rotatably attached to the upper housing and a linkage rotatably attached to the lower housing. In the collapsed condition, each leg of the plurality of collapsing leg mechanisms is folded underneath the lower housing. Also, the upper housing collapses into, and rests entirely within, the lower housing. Thus, the collapsed stove is characterized by minimum volume and a low profile (small aspect ratio).
In the uncollapsed condition, the upper housing is raised above, and adjacent to, the lower housing, and the leg and linkage of each collapsing leg mechanism are rotated outward away from the housings until the linkage is fully extended. Uncollapsing the stove can be achieved by simply pulling upwards on the upper housing, a task that can be facilitated by attaching a handle or bail to the upper housing. In the fully extended position, the leg mechanisms act, in conjunction with a series of interlocking flanges disposed on the upper, fire, and lower housings, to lock the cooking stove in the uncollapsed position. Applying a downward force to the stove will not cause the stove to collapse. Collapsing the stove may be effected by pulling upwards on the lower housing until the leg of each collapsing leg mechanism is positioned underneath, and the upper housing is resting within, the lower housing.
The dimensions and orientation of the collapsible cooking stove, while in the uncollapsed condition, are such that numerous cooking methods and utensils can be easily integrated with the stove. For example, the cooking stove is easily adapted for use with a Dutch oven, a wok, a frying pan, a pot, a steamer, or a rotisserie. Additional flexibility may be added to the present invention by combining the collapsible stove with a second identical, but smaller, collapsible stove. The smaller stove, while collapsed, may be stowed within the interior of the larger stove, when also in the collapsed position.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 379900 (1997-06-01), Gillam et al.
patent: D. 387240 (1997-12-01), Simmonds et al.
patent: 2397766 (1946-04-01), Tullis
patent: 2607334 (1952-08-01), Pearlman
patent: 3791368 (1974-02-01), Hunt
patent: 4026265 (1977-05-01), Spadaro
patent: 4046132 (1977-09-01), White
patent: 4069806 (1978-01-01), Landry
patent: 4140099 (1979-02-01), Newport
patent: 4508024 (1985-04-01), Perkins
patent: 4909235 (1990-03-01), Boetcker
patent: 5024208 (1991-06-01), Hottenroth et al.
patent: 5094223 (1992-03-01), Gonzalez
patent: 5179932 (1993-01-01), Decarlo
patent: 5299931 (1994-04-01), Lee
patent: 5404864 (1995-04-01), Kent, Jr.
patent: 5413087 (1995-05-01), Jean
patent: 5425352 (1995-06-01), Gillam et al.
patent: 5687704 (1997-11-01), Lerch et al.
patent: 5797386 (1998-08-01), Orr
patent: 1017762 (1957-10-01), None
Catalog page, “Folding Portable Stainless Steel Cooker For Easy Toting”,Absolute Amenities, p. 23, (No Date).
Price Carl D.
TraskBritt
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