Barbecue grill and support frame assembly

• US 6,976,485 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Weber-Stephen Products LLC (Weber-Stephen Mexico Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Weber-Stephen Products Co (Weber-Stephen Products)
• Inventors: Bruno, Adrian A., Johnson, Mark, DeMars, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Basichas, Alfred
• Application Number:
  US11/098,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20050166767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 260 Days
• Field of Search: 126/41.R, 126/39.B, 126/50, 126/40, 126/39.R, 126/9.B
• US Class Current: 126/41.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 2037/0777 with foldable construction for storage or transport purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0704 with horizontal fire box
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0713 with gas burners
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0763 Small-size, portable barbecues
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0786 Accessories

Abstract

The present invention provides a barbecue grill assembly with a grill body having a firebox and a cover and a burner element. The firebox is supported on a frame structure having a first frame member assembly and a second frame member assembly. The frame assemblies are secured together by combination of at least one cross member secured to the upper portion and being secured to the firebox at a lower region, without the need for additional cross members at the lower region. The invention further provides a frame with pivoting shelves secured to the frame, adapted to move from a use position to a storage position within the grill cooking chamber. The present invention further provides a frame assembly having a lateral slot for receiving and supporting a heat shield positioned below the firebox.

Claims

1. A portable barbecue grill assembly comprising:

a grill body comprising at least one cooking chamber having at least one lower firebox, said firebox comprising a base and at least two sidewall;

a frame assembly comprising at least two supporting frame members;

at least one shelf being directly and pivotally attached to said frame assembly, at least a portion of said shelf being foldable into said cooking chamber during a stowage position and extendable from said cooking chamber during said usage position and having a distance between said shelf and said cooking chamber to avoid heat damage to said shelf when the cooking chamber is in use; and

a mounting assembly comprising at least two mounting members being attached to said firebox, said first mounting member being directly connected to said first supporting frame member and said second mounting member being directly connected to said second supporting frame member to thereby create a distance between said cooking chamber and said frame assembly to avoid heat damage to said frame assembly when the cooking chamber is in use and said mounting assembly creating a fixed special relationship between said first and second frame members without the need of a cross member between said frame members.

2. The grill assembly of claim 1 wherein said mounting assembly comprises at least four mounting members, each of said frame members having opposing ends, at least one of said mounting members being attached to each one of said opposing ends of said frame members.

3. The grill assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of said mounting members is attached to said base of said firebox.

4. The grill assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of said mounting members is attached to at least one sidewall of said firebox.

5. The grill assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said frame members comprises at least one leg.

6. The grill assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said frame members having opposing ends, said grill assembly further comprising at least one handle, said handle being connected to at least one of each of the opposing ends of each of the frame members.

7. The grill assembly of claim 1 further comprising at least one removable collection chamber, said collection chamber being situated below said base of said firebox and being designed to capture grease and debris from said cooking chamber, said base of said firebox having at least one aperture situated above said collection chamber.

8. The grill assembly of claim 7 wherein said collection chamber further comprising at least one heat shield and there is a distance between said collection chamber and said base of said firebox.

9. The grill assembly of claim 7 wherein each of said frame members comprises at least one groove, said frame members being arranged so that said grooves are aligned on a parallel horizontal plane, said collection chamber being designed to be slideably attachable to and removable from said grooves, said grooves creating a distance between said collection chamber and said firebox to thereby avoid heat damage to said collection chamber when the cooking chamber is in use.

10. The grill assembly of claim 1 wherein said frame members are arch-shaped, each of said frame members having two opposing ends and a central section, each of said frame members having upper and lower portions, at least one of said opposing ends of said frame members being adjacent to said upper portion and said central section being adjacent to said lower portion of said frame members, said lower portion of said frame members being adjacent to said lower firebox.

11. The grill assembly of claim 1 wherein said base of said firebox is arch-shaped, said base having opposing ends, each of said sidewalls being connected to said opposing ends of said base.

12. A portable barbecue grill assembly comprising:

a grill body comprising at least one cooking chamber having at least one lower firebox, said firebox comprising at least two opposing sidewall and a base with at least one aperture;

a frame assembly comprising at least two supporting frame members, said frame assembly being attached to said firebox, each of said supporting frame members being attached adjacent to each of said opposing sidewalls of said firebox, each of said frame members having at least one collection chamber supporting member;

at least one shelf being directly and pivotally attached to said frame assembly, at least a portion of said shelf being foldable into said cooking chamber during a stowage position and extendable from said cooking chamber during said usage position and having a distance between said shelf and said cooking chamber to avoid heat damage to said shelf when the cooking chamber is in use; and

at least one collection chamber for collecting grease and debris from said cooking chamber, said collection chamber being located below said base of said firebox adjacent to said aperture, said collection chamber being designed to be slideably attachable to and removable from said collection chamber supporting member, said collection chamber supporting member creating a distance between said collection chamber and said firebox to thereby avoid heat damage to said collection chamber when the cooking chamber is in use.

13. The grill assembly of claim 12 wherein said collection chamber supporting member comprises at least one groove, said frame members being arranged so that said grooves are aligned on a parallel horizontal plane.

14. The grill assembly of claim 12 wherein said collection chamber further comprising at least one heat shield.

15. The grill assembly of claim 12 wherein said frame assembly is connected to said base of said firebox.

16. The grill assembly of claim 12 wherein said frame assembly is connected to said sidewalls of said firebox.

17. The grill assembly of claim 12 further comprises a mounting assembly comprising at least two mounting members being attached to said firebox, said first mounting member being directly connected to said first frame member and said second mounting member being directly connected to said second frame member to thereby create a distance between said cooking chamber and said frame assembly to avoid heat damage to said frame assembly when the cooking chamber is in use and said mounting assembly creating a fixed special relationship between said first and second frame members without the use of a cross member.

18. The grill assembly of claim 17 wherein said mounting assembly comprises at least four mounting members, each of said frame members having opposing ends, at least one of said mounting members being attached to each one of said opposing ends of said frame members.

19. The grill assembly of claim 12 wherein said collection chamber supporting member comprises at least one slot for securing said collection chamber to said frame members.

20. A portable barbecue grill assembly comprising:

a grill body comprising at least one cooking chamber having at least one lower firebox, said firebox comprising a continuous base, at least two sidewall and an open top;

a grill located in said firebox and a lid pivotally mounted to said grill body and designed to cover said open top of said firebox;

a frame supporting assembly comprising first and second frame members;

at least one shelf being directly and pivotally attached to said frame supporting assembly, at least a portion of said shelf being foldable into said cooking chamber during a stowage position and extendable from said cooking chamber during said usage position and having a distance between said shelf and said cooking chamber to avoid heat damage to said shelf when the cooking chamber is in use; and

a mounting assembly being attached to said firebox, said mounting assembly being directly connected to said first frame member and said second frame member to thereby create a distance between said cooking chamber and said frame assembly to avoid heat damage to said frame assembly when the cooking chamber is in use and said mounting assembly creating a fixed special relationship between said first and second frame members without the need of a cross member between said frame members.

21. The grill assembly of claim 20 wherein said mounting assembly comprises at least two mounting members being attached to said firebox, said first mounting member being directly connected to said first frame member and said second mounting member being directly connected to said second frame member.

22. The grill assembly of claim 20 wherein said mounting assembly comprises at least four mounting members, each of said frame members having opposing ends, at least one of said mounting members being attached to each one of said opposing ends of said frame members.

23. The grill assembly of claim 20 wherein at least one of said mounting members is attached to said base of said firebox.

24. The grill assembly of claim 20 wherein at least one of said mounting members is attached to at least one sidewall of said firebox.

25. The grill assembly of claim 20 wherein each of said frame members comprises at least one leg.