Cooking device and associated methods

• US 8,261,731 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brian E. Marsh
• Original Assignee: Brian E. Marsh
• Inventors: Marsh, Brian E.
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Namay, Daniel E
• Application Number:
  US12/330,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20090314285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 126/9.R, 126/9.B, 126/38, 126/19.R, 126/25.R, 126/29, 126/59, 110/239, 206/546, 206/547, 206/577, 994/49
• US Class Current: 126/25.R
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0763 Small-size, portable barbecues

Abstract

A cooking device comprises a center assembly including a rear panel and a pair of opposing side panels hingedly connected to the rear panel. The center assembly may be movable between an expanded position and a collapsed position. The cooking device also includes a front panel, a top panel and a diffuser plate carried by the center assembly when the center assembly is in the expanded position, and a cooking surface carried by the center assembly when the center assembly is in the expanded position. The center assembly, front panel, top panel, diffuser plate and cooking surface collapsed so that the center assembly, front panel, top panel, diffuser plate and cooking surface may be transported in a substantially flat configuration.

Claims

1. A cooking device comprising:

a center assembly including a rear panel and a pair of opposing side panels hingedly connected to said rear panel, said center assembly being moveable between an expanded position and a collapsed position;

a front panel that is removably connected to said center assembly;

a top panel removably connected to said center assembly and said front panel;

a diffuser plate carried by said center assembly when said center assembly is in the expanded position; and

at least one cooking surface carried by said center assembly when said center assembly is in the expanded position, said at least one cooking surface positioned to overlie said diffuser plate when said center assembly is in the expanded position;

wherein said center assembly, said front panel, said top panel, said diffuser plate and said at least one cooking surface collapse so that said center assembly, said front panel, said top panel, said diffuser plate and said at least one cooking surface may be transported in a substantially flat configuration;

wherein said rear panel is formed from a single plate and includes at least one vent formed therein; and

wherein the at least one vent formed in said rear panel includes at least one first rear panel vent formed on a bottom end of the rear panel and a plurality of second rear panel vents positioned to overlie the at least one first rear panel vent; and

wherein the at least one first rear panel vent and the plurality of second rear panel vents are positioned so that the diffuser plate overlies the at least one first rear panel vent and the plurality of second rear panel vents; and

wherein the at least one first rear panel vent is substantially centered on the bottom end of the rear panel and is in the shape of an inverted v-shape with a rounded apex; and

wherein the plurality of second rear panel vents are each a substantially circular shape and are substantially equally spaced laterally between a left side of the rear panel and a right side of the rear panel; and

wherein said rear panel is unvented above the diffuser plate;

wherein each panel of said pair of opposing side panels is formed from a single plate and includes at least one vent formed therein; and

wherein the at least one vent formed in each of said pair of opposing side panels includes at least one first side panel vent formed on a bottom end of each of said pair of opposing side panels and a plurality of second side panel vents positioned to overlie the at least one first side panel vent; and

wherein the at least one first side panel vent and the plurality of second side panel vents are positioned so that the diffuser plate overlies the at least one first side panel vent and the plurality of second side panel vents; and

wherein the at least one first side panel vent is substantially centered on the bottom end of each of the opposing pair of side panels and is in the shape of an inverted v-shape with a rounded apex; and

wherein the plurality of second side panel vents are each a substantially circular shape and are substantially equally spaced laterally between a left side of each of the pair of opposing side panels and a right side of each of the opposing pair of side panels; and

wherein each of said opposing side panels is unvented above the diffuser plate;

wherein said front panel is formed from a single plate and includes at least one vent formed therein; and

wherein the at least one vent formed in said lower front panel includes at least one first front panel vent formed on a bottom end of the lower front panel and a plurality of second front panel vents positioned to overlie the at least one first front panel vent; and

wherein the at least one first front panel vent and the plurality of second front panel vents are positioned so that the diffuser plate overlies the at least one first front panel vent and the plurality of second front panel vents; and

wherein the at least one first front panel vent is substantially centered on the bottom end of the front panel and is in the shape of an inverted v-shape with a rounded apex; and

wherein the plurality of second front panel vents are each a substantially circular shape and are substantially equally spaced laterally between a left side of the front panel and a right side of the front panel; and

wherein said front panel is unvented above the diffuser plate; and

wherein said top panel includes at least one top panel vent formed therein substantially centered in the top panel; and

wherein the top panel vent is a substantially circular shape; and

further comprising a respective at least one top vent cover positioned to overlie the at least one top panel vent formed in said top panel; and

wherein said respective at least one top vent cover is moveable between an opened position and a closed position.

2. A cooking device according to claim 1 further comprising a respective plurality of supports connected to said respective pair of opposing side panels;

and wherein said diffuser plate and said at least one cooking surface are carried by said respective plurality of supports when said center assembly is in the expanded position.

3. A cooking device according to claim 1 further comprising at least one handle carried by said front panel, and a thermometer removably carried by one of said pair of opposing side panels.

4. A cooking device according to claim 1 wherein said front panel comprises an upper front panel and a lower front panel hingedly connected to said upper front panel so that said upper front panel defines a door.

5. A cooking device comprising:

a center assembly including a rear panel and a pair of opposing side panels hingedly connected to said rear panel, said center assembly being moveable between an expanded position and a collapsed position, each of said rear panel and pair of opposing side panels including at least one vent formed therein;

a front panel that is removably connected to said center assembly, said front panel comprising an upper front panel and a lower front panel hingedly connected to said upper front panel so that said upper front panel defines a door, said lower front panel including at least one vent formed therein;

a top panel removably connected to said center assembly and said front panel;

a diffuser plate carried by said center assembly when said center assembly is in the expanded position and a plurality of cooking surfaces carried by said center assembly when said center assembly is in the expanded position, said plurality of cooking surface being positioned to overlie said diffuser plate when said center assembly is in the expanded position;

wherein said center assembly, said front panel, said top panel, said diffuser plate and said plurality of cooking surfaces collapse so that said center assembly, said front panel, said top panel, said diffuser plate and said plurality of cooking surfaces may be transported in a substantially flat configuration;

wherein the rear panel is formed from a single plate; and

wherein the at least one vent formed in said rear panel includes at least one first rear panel vent formed on a bottom end of the rear panel and a plurality of second rear panel vents positioned to overlie the at least one first rear panel vent; and

wherein the at least one first rear panel vent and the plurality of second rear panel vents are positioned so that the diffuser plate overlies the at least one first rear panel vent and the plurality of second rear panel vents; and

wherein the at least one first rear panel vent is substantially centered on the bottom end of the rear panel; and

wherein the plurality of second rear panel vents are substantially equally spaced laterally between a left side of the rear panel and a right side of the rear panel; and

wherein said rear panel is unvented above the diffuser plate;

wherein each panel of the pair of opposing side panels is formed from a single plate; and

wherein the at least one vent formed in each of said pair of opposing side panels includes at least one first side panel vent formed on a bottom end of each of said opposing pair of side panels and a plurality of second side panel vents positioned to overlie the at least one first side panel vent; and

wherein the at least one first side panel vent and the plurality of second side panel vents are positioned so that the diffuser plate overlies the at least one first side panel vent and the plurality of second side panel vents; and

wherein the at least one first side panel vent is substantially centered on the bottom end of each of the pair of opposing side panels; and

wherein the plurality of second side panel vents are substantially equally spaced laterally between a left side of each of the pair of opposing side panels and a right side of each of the pair of opposing side panels; and

wherein each of said pair of opposing side panels is unvented above the diffuser plate;

wherein the lower front panel is formed from a single plate, and wherein the at least one vent formed in said lower front panel includes at least one first front panel vent formed on a bottom end of the lower front panel and a plurality of second front panel vents positioned to overlie the at least one first front panel vent; and

wherein the at least one first front panel vent and the plurality of second front panel vents are positioned so that the diffuser plate overlies the at least one first front panel vent and the plurality of second front panel vents; and

wherein the at least one first front panel vent is substantially centered on the bottom end of the front panel; and

wherein the plurality of second front panel vents are substantially equally spaced laterally between a left side of the front panel and a right side of the front panel; and

wherein said front panel is unvented above the diffuser plate; and

wherein said top panel includes at least one top panel vent formed therein substantially centered in the top panel; and

wherein the top panel vent is a substantially circular shape; and

further comprising a respective at least one top vent cover positioned to overlie the at least one top panel vent formed in said top panel; and

wherein said respective at least one top vent cover is moveable between an opened position and a closed position.

6. A cooking device according to claim 5 further comprising a respective plurality of supports connected to said respective pair of opposing side panels;

and wherein said diffuser plate and said plurality of cooking surfaces are carried by said respective plurality of supports when said center assembly is in the expanded position.

7. A cooking device according to claim 5 further comprising a plurality of fasteners to fasten said front panel to portions of said center assembly and to fasten said respective plurality of supports to said respective side panels.

12. A cooking device according to claim 5 wherein the at least one first rear panel vent is in the shape of an inverted v-shape with a rounded apex and wherein the plurality of second rear panel vents are each a substantially circular shape.

13. A cooking device according to claim 5 wherein the at least one first side panel vent is in the shape of an inverted v-shape with a rounded apex and wherein the plurality of second side panel vents are each a substantially circular shape.

14. A cooking device according to claim 5 wherein the at least one first front panel vent is in the shape of an inverted v-shape with a rounded apex and wherein the plurality of second front panel vents are each a substantially circular shape.

8. A method of using a cooking device, the cooking device comprising a center assembly including a rear panel and a pair of opposing side panels hingedly connected to the rear panel, a front panel that is removably connected to the center assembly, a top panel that is removably connected to the center assembly and the front panel, at least one diffuser plate, and at least one cooking surface, wherein each of the rear panel, each panel of the panel of the pair of opposing side panels, and the front panel is formed from a single plate, wherein each of the opposing side panels, the rear panel and the front panel is unvented above the at least one diffuser plate, wherein the rear panel, the pair of opposing side panels, the front panel and the top panel each includes at least one vent formed therein, wherein the at least one vent formed in the rear panel includes at least one first rear panel vent formed on a bottom end of the rear panel substantially centered on the bottom end thereof in the shape of an inverted v-shape with a rounded apex, wherein the at least one vent formed in the rear panel includes a plurality of second rear panel vents positioned to overlie the at least one first rear panel vent substantially equally spaced laterally between a left side of the rear panel and a right side of the rear panel each with a substantially circular shape, wherein the at least one vent formed in each of the pair of opposing side panels includes at least one first side panel vent formed on a bottom end of each of the pair of opposing side panels substantially centered on the bottom end thereof in the shape of an inverted v-shape with a rounded apex, wherein the at least one vent formed in each of the side panels includes a plurality of second side panel vents positioned to overlie the at least one first side panel vent substantially equally spaced laterally between a left side of each of the side panels and a right side of each of the side panels each with a substantially circular shape, wherein the at least one vent formed in the front panel includes at least one first front panel vent formed on a bottom end of the front panel substantially centered on the bottom end thereof in the shape of an inverted v-shape with a rounded apex, wherein the at least one vent formed in the front panel includes a plurality of second front panel vents positioned to overlie the at least one first front panel vent substantially equally spaced laterally between a left side of the front panel and a right side of the front panel each with a substantially circular shape, and wherein the at least one top panel vent is of a substantially circular shape and is substantially centered in the top panel with a respective at least one top vent cover positioned to overlie the at least one top panel vent moveable between an opened position and a closed position, the method comprising:

moving the center assembly from a collapsed position to an expanded position, the collapsed position being defined as the pair of opposing side panels being folded inwardly to be adjacent the rear panel, and the extended position being defined as the pair of opposing side panels being extended outwardly to be positioned substantially normal to the rear panel;

connecting the front panel to the center assembly;

connecting the top panel to upper portions of the center assembly; and

disassembling the top panel and front panel from the center assembly;

collapsing the center assembly and arranging the collapsed center assembly, the front panel and the top panel in a substantially flat configuration.

9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising connecting a plurality of supports to interior portions of the opposing side panels, the supports being positioned to support the at least one diffuser plate and the at least one cooking surface when the center assembly is in the extended position.

10. A method according to claim 8 wherein the front panel comprises an upper front panel and a lower front panel hingedly connected to the upper front panel so that the upper front panel defines a door.

11. A method according to claim 10 further comprising engaging a handle on the door to move the upper front panel between an opened position and a closed position.