Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Opposed heated mold or surface type
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-20
2002-04-02
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Opposed heated mold or surface type
C099S379000, C099S380000, C099S400000, C099S425000, C099S445000, C099S446000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06363839
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a grill device, more particularly to a grill device with a connecting unit for preventing wobbling of an upper grill unit relative to a lower grill unit during movement from a closed position to an open position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a conventional grill device
9
is shown to include a lower grill unit
91
with a rear side
913
, an upper grill unit
92
with a rear side
923
, and a connecting unit which interconnects the rear sides
923
,
913
of the upper and lower grill units
92
,
91
in such a manner that the upper grill unit
92
can be turned rearward relative to the lower grill unit
91
from a closed position to a horizontal fully open position, in which the upper and lower grill units
92
,
91
are generally coplanar (not shown) and upper and lower cooking members
921
,
911
of the grill units
92
,
91
face upward, and a half-open position, in which a surface of the upper grill unit
92
abuts against a corner edge of the lower grill unit
91
so as to position the upper grill unit
92
on the lower grill unit
91
, as best shown in FIG.
1
.
As illustrated, the connecting unit includes a pivot seat
93
which is fixed on and which extends upwardly from the rear side
913
of the lower grill unit
91
and which has opposite left and right sides
930
formed with a pair of vertical slots
931
, and left and right cylindrical pivots
924
which are fixed on the rear side
923
of the upper grill unit
92
and which extend laterally into the slots
931
in the lower grill unit
91
. Under this condition, the upper grill unit
92
can be vertically raised along the slots
931
relative to the lower grill unit
1
by virtue of a piece of meat confined between the upper and lower grill units
92
,
91
when the upper grill unit
92
is at the closed position.
Some disadvantages encountered during use of the aforesaid conventional grill device
9
are as follows:
1. When moving the upper grill unit
92
from the closed position to the half-open position, the upper grill unit
92
wobbles relative to the lower grill unit
91
in the vertical direction due to unrestricted movement of the pivots
924
in the slots
931
.
2. In addition, the upper grill unit
92
also wobbles in left and right directions relative to the lower grill unit
91
since no movement-restricting member is provided between the upper and lower grill units
92
,
91
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of this invention is to provide a grill device with a connecting unit that can eliminate the occurrence of the aforesaid disadvantages which result during use of the conventional grill device.
Accordingly, a grill device of the present invention includes a horizontal upper grill unit with a rear side, a horizontal lower grill unit with a rear side, and a connecting unit. The upper grill unit is superposed on the lower grill unit, and has a bottom that is provided with an upper cooking member. The lower grill unit has a top that is provided with a lower cooking member. The connecting unit interconnects the rear sides of the upper and lower grill units in such a manner that the upper grill unit can be turned rearward from the lower grill unit to an open position, in which the upper and lower grill units are generally perpendicular to each other. The connecting unit includes a pair of spaced apart left and right pivot seats, an intermediate pivot seat, and left and right cylindrical pivots. The left and right pivot seats are fixed on and extend upward from the rear side of the lower grill unit. The intermediate pivot seat is fixed on and extends upwardly from the rear side of the lower grill unit between the left and right pivot seats. Left and right sides of the intermediate pivot seat are formed with a pair of vertical slots. The left and right cylindrical pivots are fixed on the rear side of the upper grill unit between the left and right pivots, and extend laterally into the slots in the intermediate pivot seat, thereby strengthening pivotal coupling between the upper grill unit and the lower grill unit. The intermediate pivot seat further has a front curved wall between the left and right sides, and a limiting member which is fixed on the intermediate pivot seat and which has two parallel curved guide rails surrounding the front curved wall. The rear side of the upper grill unit has a pair of spaced apart limiting holes that permit the curved guide rails to extend fittingly therethrough so as to be turnable therealong and so as to enable smooth rotation of the cylindrical pivots within the slots in the intermediate pivot seat, thereby preventing left and right movement of the upper grill unit relative to the lower grill unit during rotation of the cylindrical pivots within the slots in the intermediate pivot seat.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4088067 (1978-05-01), Kaebitzsch et al.
patent: 4178500 (1979-12-01), Brindopke
patent: 5363748 (1994-11-01), Boehm et al.
patent: 5606905 (1997-03-01), Boehm et al.
patent: 5845562 (1998-12-01), Deni et al.
patent: 5848567 (1998-12-01), Chiang
patent: 6012380 (2000-01-01), Hermansson
patent: 6170389 (2001-01-01), Brady
Simone Timothy F.
Tsann Kuen USA Inc.
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