Removable gas burner unit for barbecue grill

Details Removable gas burner unit for barbecue grill Removable gas burner unit for barbecue grill

2002-05-15

2004-03-16

Basichas, Alfred (Department: 3743)

Stoves and furnaces

Stoves

Cooking

C126S00900B, C431S154000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06705307

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to removable gas burner units, and more specifically to gas barbecue grills and other gas cooking devices having removable gas burner units and methods of assembling and repairing such removable gas burner units in cooking devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Gas cooking devices, including gas barbecue grills, are very widely used today. Typically, gas cooking devices utilize natural gas or liquid petroleum gas as fuel. With respect to outdoor gas cooking devices, most of such devices generally include a cart or support frame, often with wheels, that supports a firebox or cooking chamber. The cooking chamber usually has a lower portion and a hinged upper portion or cover. One or more gas burners are located inside the lower portion of the cooking chamber, and a cooking grid is positioned above the burners. Further, a heat-transferring material or object is generally located between the gas burners and the cooking grid. In the past, the heat-transfer material was comprised of lava rock. The assignee of the present invention, however, developed a gas grill employing conductive sear bars which eliminate the need for lava rock. Such a grill is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,964. Finally, a fuel supply provides the burners with the fuel for burning. Typically, the fuel supply is a portable fuel tank which is supported on the support frame.
Generally, burners for gas cooking devices are separately fixed in place. As described in the '964 patent at column 6, lines 52-68, and as illustrated in FIG. 8 of the '964 patent, during assembly of the grill each of the burners are separately inserted into the grill and fixedly fastened to the grill with a threaded fastener. Fastening of the burners to the grill not only increases the complexity and duration of assembly, but it also makes disassembly and cleanup of the grill components more difficult and time consuming. Nevertheless, several cooking devices employing removable cooking means have been developed.
In an effort to provide cooking of food in two different modes, the inventors of U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,614, assigned to W.C. Bradley Company, developed a grill that may be used as an electric or gas-fired unit, with a suitable burner element, and which may also be used as a charcoal grill. In an effort to serve this purpose, the '614 patent discloses a removable tray having a plurality of semi-circular channels. The two surfaces of the semi-circular channels operate as a top and bottom of the removable tray. Because the tray is reversible, the tray serves as a combination charcoal receiving and retaining means, and as a heat radiant means. As shown in FIG. 3 of the '614 patent, a gas burner or electric heating element is fixedly mounted to the grill near the bottom of the firebox. In the charcoal mode, the semi-circular channels are positioned in the upper-facing concave position and are filled with charcoal, and the gas burner is fixedly mounted to the grill below the removable tray to ignite the charcoal. In the gas mode, the tray is removed from the grill and inserted back is the grill in an inverted or position (i.e., reversible). As such, the channels have an upper-facing convex surface which is used to shield the burner and incinerate substantially all of the grease and other liquids dripping from the food being cooked on the above cooking grid. While the charcoal holding tray of the '614 patent is removable from the grill, the gas and electric burners are not removable as they are not part of the tray, but rather the gas and electric burners are fixed to the grill.
A removable cooking grid design is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,027, assigned to The Alexander Oven Co., Inc. The '027 patent generally discloses a barbecue grill with a removable cooking grid positioned above a fixed primary heat source. A frame is used for supporting the cooking grid. Further, a drawer element is connected to and supports the frame of the cooking grid for rollably withdrawing the cooking grid from the main chamber. With the use of sliding elements, the cooking grid may be both elevated or lowered to adjust cooking speed of food atop the cooking grid. Additionally, the cooking grid may be withdrawn from over the main heat source to examine cooking progress or to remove food. The gas fueled heat source, however, is fixedly positioned in the lower portion of the main cooking chamber, and is maintained separate from the removable cooking grid.
Another cooking apparatus with a removable burner is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,494, assigned to Guaranteed Weather, Inc. The '494 patent discloses a cooking apparatus adapted for multi-purpose use as a grill, oven, stove or patio heater. The cooking apparatus comprises a lower housing with an open bottom and a hinged cover. Multiple cooking grids are positioned in the lower housing, and the housing has a door to allow a user to access the lower of the cooking grids. Below the lowest cooking grid is a grate, also positioned in the lower housing. A single gas burner extends about the lengthwise portion of the chamber of the lower housing adjacent the open bottom, and can be regulated for cooking to produce a flame to heat lava rock positioned on top of the upper portion of the grate. The upper portion of the grate is “positioned about 2 inches above the burner.” Two support bosses on the rear wall of the housing, and two support bosses on the front wall of the housing are located to support the grate at the desired elevation within the housing. The grate has a generally rectangular member with two intermediate longitudinal stringer wires. A series of short V-shaped formed wires are welded at their outer ends to the longitudinal member, and at their inner ends to the associated stringer. As such the grate is provided with a “gull wing configuration.” Additionally, a U-shaped yoke having a lateral extension support bracket is welded to and dependent from the raised center portion of the grate to provide a cradle support for the valve end of the gas burner. The burner is similarly supported by drop center struts at the center portion and at the opposite end of the grate so that no additional supporting structure is required for the burner.
The burner of the '494 patent is readily removable from the lower section of the housing and from the burner grate by disconnecting the quick disconnect, then tilting the closed end of the burner upwardly while simultaneously moving the burner endwise to draw the burner valve through a key-hole shaped side port in the grill. The grate can then be separately removed by a different means. Finally, the burner and the grate can be placed directly in a home fireplace for winter use to provide a gas-fired fireplace burner.
A barbecue grill employing a lower grill burner enclosure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,159. The '159 patent discloses a removable burner assembly that attaches to and below the lower portion of the grill housing. The lower portion of the grill housing has no bottom wall, however, the burner assembly has a closed bottom member that forms the bottom wall of the grill housing when the burner assembly is attached to the grill. The burner is attached to the burner assembly with a bracket fixedly connected to the bottom wall member of the burner assembly. The removable burner assembly attaches to the upper enclosure of the grill with the use of lip at the rear, and an L-shaped spring clip which engages and rests upon the front ledge of the upper enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,177 discloses a multi-fuel, fuel isolated cooker comprising a stainless steel box having side walls and a bottom, with a combustion chamber 13. The combustion chamber 13 is entirely enclosed and removable fuel drawer inserts may be inserted therein from the outside of the cooker. One fuel drawer insert, disclosed in FIG. 9, includes a gas burner assembly welded to the bottom of the fuel drawer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,643 discloses a charcoal grill with an optional gas assembly. The gas assembly inclu

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