Stoves and furnaces – Ovens – Wagon
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-17
2001-07-10
Yeung, James C. (Department: 3743)
Stoves and furnaces
Ovens
Wagon
C126S305000, C126S04100R, C248S129000, C248S439000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257229
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally directed to a barbecue grill and cart assembly and, more specifically, to a collapsible cart for a barbecue grill that may be partly assembled for ease of shipping, packing, assembly and disassembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Barbecue grills come in many sizes and configurations, ranging from the very small and portable hibachi type grills to the more elaborate gas type grills. As a general rule, the more elaborate the grill, the more assembly that is typically required by the ultimate consumer of these products. Because larger grills contain more components, including a cart, side burners, side trays and other miscellaneous parts requiring assembly, it has been found that it is more cost effective to ship the barbecue grill and its components in a disassembled state.
Often the degree of assembly required is a disincentive to purchasing one of the more elaborate grills. Ideally, at least in the mind of the consumer, grills would be packaged and shipped in a partly assembled state to minimize the amount of assembly. Thus the consumer could be spared the trouble and sometimes aggravation associated with the assembly of a barbecue grill.
However, from the perspective of the manufacturer, the packaging and shipment of a fully assembled, or even partly assembled, barbecue grill presents a number of problems including a significant increase in the dimensions of the shipping container and consequently the shipping costs. Additionally, a fully or partly assembled grill is more susceptible to damage during shipment than a grill which is disassembled and has its components packed individually. Consequently, in order to package and ship an assembled grill special consideration would have to be given to protecting the assembled grill from damage during shipment which would further increase the costs.
One solution known in the prior art is to provide a barbecue grill having a stand with foldable legs. However, such prior art designs use a conventional scissors-leg designs which can result in excess length, even in the folded or collapsed position. Thus even collapsed these grills tend to have a longer profile. Additionally, these prior art designs fail to consider the damage which may result from shipping a partly assembled barbecue grill.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a barbecue grill and cart assembly that overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies in the prior art.
It is another object to provide a barbecue grill and cart assembly that requires little or no assembly by the end user.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a barbecue grill and cart assembly having a collapsible cart which is partly assembled prior to shipping thereby minimizing the amount of assembly required by the end user.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a barbecue grill and collapsible cart assembly which permits a more compact design for shipping, packing and storage.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a collapsible or foldable cart for supporting a barbecue grill assembly comprises a generally u-shaped support assembly comprising a frame assembly for mounting thereto at least one of a barbecue grill casting, grill controls, a side burner and a side table. The collapsible cart further comprises a first leg assembly pivotally mounted to a first end of the frame assembly and a second leg assembly pivotally mounted to a second end of the frame assembly for pivoting the first and second leg assemblies between fully open and fully closed positions such that the second leg assembly extends adjacent a bottom side of the frame assembly in the fully closed position and the first leg assembly extends adjacent the closed second leg assembly in the fully closed position thereby forming a compact design.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the bottom casting of the barbecue grill casting is securely pre-mounted to the frame assembly prior to shipping the barbecue grill and cart assembly.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, the first leg assembly includes skid resistant feet and the second leg assembly includes wheels or vice versa.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2559710 (1951-07-01), Danielsen
patent: 4131261 (1978-12-01), Shy
patent: 4238100 (1980-12-01), Shy
patent: 4949701 (1990-08-01), Krosp et al.
patent: 5241948 (1993-09-01), Thibodeau
patent: 5572983 (1996-11-01), Schlosser
patent: 5947007 (1999-09-01), O'Grady et al.
Akinrele Dylan
Giebel Michael R.
Lamond Donald R.
Stewart Daniel M.
Whitehall Richard
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP
Sunbeam Products Inc.
Yeung James C.
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