Foods and beverages: apparatus – Cooking – Collapsible – expansible or sectional support
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-13
2001-08-28
Simone, Timothy F. (Department: 1761)
Foods and beverages: apparatus
Cooking
Collapsible, expansible or sectional support
C099S450000, C099S482000, C126S00900B, C126S00900B, C126S0250AA, C126S030000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279468
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to portable cooking grills used to cook food items. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lightweight portable cooking grill having an integral support frame, all of which may be rolled into a substantially cylindrical shape for convenient storage and transport.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A roll-up grill is a small grilling device having a flexible grilling surface that can be rolled into a substantially cylindrical shape. In a rolled-up configuration, a roll-up grill is compact and lightweight and is therefore easily stored and transported. Portable roll-up grills are thus useful in connection with such outdoor activities as camping, hiking, picnics, tailgate parties, and the like. However, prior art roll-up grills are limited in utility as either being subject to instability or as having too many parts.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,961 describes a roll-up campfire cooking grill. The roll-up campfire cooking grill comprises a grill surface constructed from a plurality of bars, each having a straight, stiff, longitudinally extending, central rod spaced from and mutually parallel with respect to every other central rod. Each bar further includes two generally “J-shaped” hook portions, one at each end of the central rod. The bars are assembled together such that the J-shaped hooks of a leading bar extend under the central rod of the next adjacent trailing bar with both J-shaped hooks of that leading bar extending outwardly over and above the J-shaped hooks of the trailing bar. Accordingly, the roll-up campfire cooking grill may be rolled-up and stored in a cylindrical container or bag.
The roll-up campfire cooking grill may be supported by table legs that are pivotally mounted to the corners of the grill surface. The leg members are described as being similar in shape to aluminum tent pegs, implying that they may be driven into the ground to support the grill surface. Of course, driving the table legs into a hard ground may be difficult and/or practically impossible. Aside from the table legs, the roll-up grill does not otherwise include a support frame and is thus susceptible to instability. The weight of food items placed atop of the grill surface may cause the grill surface to bend downward toward the heat source. Dealing with an instable grill is particularly troublesome when the grill surface is hot.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,706 describes a roll-up barbecue apparatus having a grill surface comprising a series of longitudinally extending, laterally spaced grill rods connected by laterally extending, longitudinally spaced flexible cables. The rods and cables of the grill surface may thus be rolled into a bundle for storage and transport. The grill surface may be supported by a frame structure comprising certain lateral frame elements, longitudinal frame elements and four legs, all of which are fastened together by way of nuts or the like. The longitudinal frame elements remain loosely assembled to the cables of the grill surface, while the lateral frame elements and the four legs must be dissembled and detached prior to rolling-up the grill surface. The need to assemble and disassemble portions of the support frame is an inconvenience to the user. Also, detached frame elements are subject to being lost. If the elements of the frame structure are lost, the grilling surface becomes unstable.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a roll-up grill that provides a stable grilling surface supported by a support frame that does not require disassembly for storage and transport.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention meets the above described need by providing a roll-up grill having an integral and foldable frame. The roll-up grill comprises a flexible grill surface, such as a wire-mesh grid. The integral frame of the roll-up grill comprises first and second end frame members that remain attached to the flexible grill surface in the rolled and unrolled configurations. Each end frame member is a foldable collection of components comprising an end support member, a side support member and two leg support members. The end support members each have a proximal end and a distal end and comprise a top flange and a side flange. The top flange of the end support member is oriented in plane parallel to that of the flexible grill surface and the side flange is oriented in a plane that is perpendicular to the flexible grill surface. The top flange and the side flange form a substantially right angle with respect to each other. The side support member is pivotally connected to one end of the top flange and is oriented in a parallel plane with respect to the top flange such that the side support member may be pivoted between a position that is parallel to the end support member to a position that is perpendicular to the end support member. The proximal leg support member and the distal leg support member are pivotally connected to the side flange of the end support member at the proximal end and the distal end, respectively. The proximal leg support member is oriented in a parallel plane with respect to the side flange such that the proximal leg support member may be pivoted from a position that is parallel to the end support member to a position that is perpendicular to the end support member. Similarly, the distal leg support member is oriented in a parallel plane with respect to the side flange such that the distal leg support member may be pivoted from a position that is parallel to the end support member to a position that is perpendicular to the end support member. The flexible grill surface may be attached to the end frame members, for example, by way of pins interwoven through the ends of the flexible grill surface and inserted into holes that are laterally spaced along each end frame member. After inserting the pins through the holes, the ends of the pins may be bent or crimped so that the pins may not be easily withdrawn from the holes.
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Simone Timothy F.
Sutherland & Asbill & Brennan LLP
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