Teppanyaki grill

• US 8,020,546 B1
• Filed: 07/09/2008
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metal Fusion Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Metal Fusion Incorporated
• Inventors: Bourgeois, Barbara, Bourgeois, Michael, Bourgeois, Norman
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister; Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAMAY, DANIEL ELLIOT
• Application Number:
  US12/170,167
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 126/25.R, 126/9.R, 126/33, 126/37.R, 126/39.B, 126/39.H, 126/39.R, 126/50, 126/211, 126/212, 126/214.A, 126/214.R, 126/215, 126/217, 126/218, 126/261, 993/57, 994/22, 108/50.11, 108/50.12, 219/218, D73/35
• US Class Current: 126/25.R
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 5/10 General methods of cooking foods, e.g. by roasting or frying
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 37/04 Tables specially adapted for use in the garden or otherwise in the open air, e.g. with means for holding umbrellas or umbrella-like sunshades
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0682 gas-heated
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0781 Barbecue tables, e.g. central grilling areas surrounded by an eating table
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/06 Ornamental features, e.g. grate fronts or surrounds
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/08 Foundations or supports plates; Legs or pillars; Casings; Wheels tops, e.g. hot plates F24C15/10
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/108 Mounting of hot plate on worktop
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 3/08 Arrangement or mounting of burners

Abstract

An outdoor grill of a teppanyaki style provides a grilling surface fueled with a propane/butane canister and burner arrangement. The grilling surface is surrounded by cool zones, one of which is in the form of easily removable tiles or plates. The pedestal and top are uniquely configured to provide multiple sitting areas with knee areas in between the pedestal and top periphery.

Claims

1. An outdoor cooking apparatus comprising:

a) a pedestal having a periphery, the pedestal including one or more pedestal walls, an upper end portion, a lower end portion and an interior with a receptacle space that enables a fuel canister to be contained within the pedestal;

b) a rectangular top supported upon the upper end portion of the pedestal, the top having a top periphery that is larger than the pedestal periphery, said top periphery including four sides and four top corners;

c) three of said walls being concave to provide a plurality of three knee space areas under the top and in between the pedestal periphery and top periphery, each knee space enabling a user to occupy a seat next to the top and to extend their legs under the top and within the top periphery, and wherein each knee space area includes one side of the top periphery, one pedestal wall, and the area under the pedestal top in between the said one side of the top periphery and the said one pedestal wall;

d) wherein each knee space area is separated from another of the knee space areas by a said top corner;

e) the top having an upper surface, a part of said upper surface being a cooking surface that can be heated to a cooking temperature, said cooking surface having four cooking surface sides;

f) a plurality of tiles that partially surround the cooking surface, the tiles extending less than 360 degrees around the cooking surface, each tile being not adhered to the top and removable, enabling a user to remove a tile and replace it with another tile;

g) one side of the top periphery being generally aligned with a side of the cooking surface periphery;

h) wherein one of the walls is not a knee space area, providing a chef'"'"'s station for a chef wherein there are no tiles and the cooking surface extends to the top periphery; and

i) the chef'"'"'s station having one or more control knobs that enable a chef to control the cooking surface temperature when the chef is occupying the chef'"'"'s station;

j) wherein the rectangular top comprises a unitary frame supporting the plurality of tiles and the cooking surface.

2. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein the top is rectangular and the cooking surface is rectangular, a side of the top being generally aligned with a side of the cooking surface.

3. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a cool zone surface that is not a tile and that is not a part of the cooking surface.

4. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cool zone surface is in between the cooking surface and at least two of said tiles.

5. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein there are multiple tiles immediately above the knee area.

6. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cooking surface is a generally flat griddle with burner element under the flat griddle, said burner element being fueled with a gaseous fuel canister stored inside the pedestal.

7. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pedestal walls are perforated.

8. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pedestal is generally cylindrically shaped.

9. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pedestal has a generally rectangular transverse cross section.

10. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein the top has four sides, and three of said sides have a knee area in between the pedestal and said side, a fourth side of the top providing a cooking station for a cook who is standing next to the fourth side, and wherein there is not a knee area next to the cooking station.

20. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein the top has four sides, and three of said sides have a knee area in between the pedestal and the top periphery, a fourth side of the top providing a cooking station for a cook who is standing next to the fourth side, and wherein there is not a knee area next to the cooking station.

23. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein one or more of the walls is perforated.

25. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the side walls has flanges, the flanges of one side wall connecting to the flanges of other said side walls.

27. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a canister support that spans from a convex surface of one wall to another wall.

11. An outdoor cooking apparatus comprising:

a) a pedestal having a periphery, the pedestal including one or more pedestal walls, an upper end portion, a lower end portion and an interior with a receptacle space that enables a fuel canister to be contained within the pedestal, multiple of the walls having an outer concave surface;

b) a rectangular top supported upon the upper end portion of the pedestal, the top having a top periphery that is larger than the pedestal periphery, the top periphery having four top sides and four top corners;

c) three of said walls being concave to provide a plurality of three knee space areas under the top, each knee space area including a pedestal wall, a top periphery side and the area under the top and in between the said pedestal wall and the said top periphery side, each knee space enabling a user to occupy a seat next to the top and to extend their legs under the top and within the top periphery;

d) wherein each knee space area is separated from another of the knee space area by a said top corner;

e) the top having an upper surface, a part of said surface being a cooking surface having cooking surface sides, and part of the upper surface being a serving surface;

f) a part of the top periphery being generally aligned with a part of the cooking surface periphery; and

g) wherein one of the top periphery sides is next to the cooking surface so that there is no knee space area to provides chef'"'"'s station for a chef wherein the cooking surface extends to a side of the top periphery;

h) wherein the rectangular top comprises a unitary frame supporting the serving surface and the cooking surface.

12. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 wherein the top is rectangular and the cooking surface is rectangular, a side of the top periphery being generally aligned with a side of the cooking surface.

13. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a cool zone surface that is not part of the cooking surface.

14. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 13 wherein the cool zone surface is in between the cooking surface and the top periphery.

15. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 wherein the concave surface defines in part the knee area.

16. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 wherein the cooking surface is a generally flat griddle with burner element under the flat griddle, said burner element being fueled with a gaseous fuel canister stored inside the pedestal.

17. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 wherein the pedestal walls are perforated.

18. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 wherein the pedestal is comprised of multiple walls, a majority of the walls having an outer facing concave shape.

19. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 wherein the pedestal has a generally rectangular transverse cross section.

21. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 wherein each wall has flanged ends and wherein each wall connects adjacent to other walls by abutting flange ends of adjacent walls.

22. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 wherein each wall has multiple flanges and each wall is connected to the flanges of two other walls at joints that include a flange of each of two walls.

24. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 wherein one or more of the walls is perforated.

26. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 wherein each of the side walls has flanges, the flanges of one side wall connecting to the flanges of other said side walls.

28. The outdoor cooking apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a canister support that spans from a convex surface of one wall to another wall.