MX2010011174A

MX2010011174A - Rigid grill structure.

Info

Publication number: MX2010011174A
Application number: MX2010011174A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Adrian A Bruno; Charles Choi; Sonny Siazon
Original assignee: Weber Stephen Products Co
Priority date: 2009-10-12
Filing date: 2010-10-11
Publication date: 2011-05-04
Also published as: CN102068117B; GT201000290A; RU2453258C1; RU2010141699A; AR078589A1; CL2010001118A1; CA2716638A1; AU2010227095A1; CN102068117A; ZA201007242B; CA2716638C; AU2010227095B2; BRPI1004007A2

Abstract

A cart suitable for supporting a grill, including a grill bowl. The cart has two union members with curved channels for receiving tubular, U-shaped frame members. The union members may be in the form of two similar (but not necessarily identical) halves joined together to enclose the frame members. The tubular channels of the union members resist movement (such as twisting and tilting) in at least two directions. The union members lock the frame members in place with internal protrusions that fit into mating depressions or holes in the frame members. Extra rigidity is added to the cart by one or more side tables which are structural members as well as functional tables. The side tables thus serve as cross-members between two frame assemblies. The grill's lid can easily be tilted back to rest in place on lid supports underneath the bottom edge and contact points on the side tables.

Description

Title Rigid grill structure.

Referral to Related Requests This is a partial continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 29 / 344,963, filed October 7, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Background and Summary of the Invention Grill cars are quite common and come in a wide variety of forms. Most of the cars used to hold barbecue grills are left outdoors, so they are exposed to extreme environmental conditions, even when left outdoors in extreme weather conditions during hard winters and hot summers. Likewise, grill cars can tolerate severe treatment, since they are designed to be moved throughout the owner's property.

The braziers supported by the grill carts in general are quite heavy and require strong structural supports. In addition, because the temperature inside a grill brazier can reach very high extremes, for the sake of greater safety, the structural stability of a grill car is of fundamental importance.

The grille car example described herein achieves great strength and structural rigidity with a minimum number of fasteners, and is very pleasing to the eye. These advantages are achieved, at least partially, by means of a pair of pieces embedded in an oyster shape which ensure tubular legs and elements of the upper structure, and by means of the incorporation of side tables that are not only functional, but also serve as structural elements that provide rigidity to the car without adding additional parts.

In an exemplary embodiment of the carriage, an oyster-shaped connecting element is used to connect an upper structure and a lower structure to form a first structure assembly. The upper structure and the lower structure can be U-shaped tubes, the lower structure is an "U" upside down and the upper structure one in the normal position. The joining element can be a fitting part in the form of two halves that are joined. Other materials and fabrication techniques can be used for the joining element. The two halves of each joint element can be joined through known fasteners, such as screws, bolts, or equivalent fasteners. The two halves can also be welded.

The joining element can be used to create an assembly of substantially rigid structure since its internal shape (a curved tubular channel) is adapted to the lower and upper structures, and thus avoid kinks and movements in various directions. In addition, the joining element can be formed with protuberances that join with holes or depressions in the upper and lower structures to hold or lock the elements of the structure in place. Said protuberances will also facilitate the assembly of the trolley, since they ensure that the elements of the upper and lower structures are properly located even without the two halves of the joining element being completely joined and fastened. The protuberances within the joining element may have different sizes - for example, the protrusion may be larger on the upper side of the joining element, such that only the upper structure can be joined to it. This prevents incorrect assembly of the grill car.

The exemplary embodiment may also include one or more transverse elements for connecting the first structure assembly with a second structure assembly. The second structure assembly can be substantially the same as the first structure assembly, or it can be different. Two brazier supports that extend between the two structure assemblies support the brazier of the grill to the assembled structure. One or more rigid side boards also act as transverse elements connecting the first structure assembly with the second structure assembly. It is not necessary that the lateral tables are subject to the brazier, but can be separated from the brazier by a space. The side tables (or alternatively, the grill brazier) can be installed with pivot points that hold the lip of the grill lid when the lid rises from the brazier and tilts back. In said embodiment, the rear edges of the side boards do not allow the lid to fall off, such that the lid can easily be opened and closed without any hook or other device attached to the lid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of the grill carriage and the grill with the brazier and the lid in place; Figure 2 is a close view of the first embodiment of the grille carriage joining member of Figure 1 with the upper and lower structures installed; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the joining element and the upper and lower structures; Figure 3b is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the joining element and the upper and lower structures; Figure 3c is a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the joining element and the upper and lower structures; Figure 4 is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the joining element and the upper and lower structures before being assembled; Figure 5 is an exploded view of Figure 5 from a different angle; Figure 6 is an exploded view of the upper structures and a side table; Y Figure 7 is a view of the grill with the lid in the open position.

Detailed description of the invention While the inventions demonstrated and described herein are capable of being practiced with numerous embodiments, one of them in particular is demonstrated and described in this document. However, the embodiment shown and described in detail is only one example of the many embodiments that can be carried out in accordance with the grill carriage included in the present claims, and which will be apparent to those experts in the field of grill car design.

As shown in Figure 1, a grill car 10 includes two lower structures that are generally U-shaped 12 and 14, and two upper structures that are generally U-shaped 16 and 18. The upper and lower structures can be metal pipes. . Each lower structure is fastened to each upper structure by a joining element 20, which can be made of a metal or other rigid material such as, for example, a thermosetting plastic. Each upper structure in the demonstrated embodiment is subject to its counterpart by two side tables, 22 and 24. The lower structures also maintain two brazier supports 26 and 28 in place. The two side tables can be fastened to the upper structures with bolts, screws, or other fasteners that pass through shelves that are rigidly fastened to the upper structures. As will be discussed below, each side table functions as a cross member in addition to providing a convenient surface for barbecue utensils, food, etc. The side tables can be made of thermosetting plastic or any other suitable rigid material, as well as metal.

To simplify construction and save on fasteners, the brazier supports 26, 28 can be easily inserted into the recesses of the upper structures 16, 18, and can be held in place since the two structures 16, 18 are held together fixed distance one from the other by the lateral tables 22, 24. Preferably, the brazier supports 26, 28 can be curved so that their shape holds the brazier. In this way, only one screw (instead of two) can hold the brazier, and the support can float between the upper structures 16, 18. More specifically, the brazier supports 26, 28 keep the brazier at two points, one at a time. each side of the screw. The brazier has contact with the brazier supports at two points due to the curved shape of the brazier supports 26, 28 and because they are under the large circle of the brazier, the brazier has no natural independence or tendency to rotate or move around the supports.

In addition to the brazier supports, a wire grid 30 mounted between the lower structures 12, 14 also "floats" - that is, not held in place by the fasteners but by the fact that the lower structures 12 , 14 are kept separated at a fixed distance by the general structure of the grill car. The terminations of the wire grid 30 are simply inserted into the holes in the lower structures during assembly, without the need for fasteners. Two wheels 32, 34 of the grill carriage also serve to hold the wire grill 30 in place, because the final "wire" of the wire grill extends along the lower structure and serves as the axis of the wire. the wheels 32, 34.

Figures 2 and 3a show the connecting element 20 and the lower and upper structures 12, 16 in greater detail. (Although the upper structures 12, 16 are shown in these figures, the rear part of the grill car is substantially similar, so that the figures could also represent the other side, with a connecting element 20 that joins the lower structure 14 and the upper structure 18). Figure 3a in particular shows a cross-sectional view of a structure assembly - that is, an upper structure and a lower structure joined by a joining element 20. The front half of the joining element 20, labeled 20f, is shown with internal protuberances which fit in the holes (or depressions) in the lower or upper tubes 12 and 16, respectively. Of course, the protuberances can be found in the rear part of the joining element 20 instead of the front part, or both the front and rear part may have protuberances. As shown in Figure 3 a, the protuberances can be of different sizes, which prevents incorrect assembly of the grill car. The protuberances also serve to hold the upper and lower structures in place during assembly. The protrusions also add rigidity to the grill car by helping to hold the upper and lower structures in place when the grill car is assembled - they prevent the structures from slipping or rotating within the joint 20.

Figure 3b shows an alternative embodiment, in which the protrusions are internally threaded to receive the screw fastening elements for joining the two halves of the fastening element 20. In this embodiment, the half of the connecting element 20f the threaded fastening elements 36 would be received while the joining element 20r would have additional holes through which the fastening elements 36 would fit. As a further alternative, shown in Figure 3c, a single piece joining element could be used to join the lower and upper structures. This embodiment could be carried out by internal threads in the protuberances of the piece 20f (or in another internal part 20f that does not protrude through the structure 12 or 16), which would receive the threaded fastening elements 36 that pass to Through holes in the lower structures 12 and upper 16. Of course, for greater strength and rigidity, more than one fastening element per structural element can be used, said fastening element may or may not fit in the protrusion as shown in FIG. Figure 3c.

Figure 4 shows the joining element 20 (represented by the pieces 20f and 20r) and a top and bottom structure prior to assembly. As shown, the two halves of the connecting element 20 may be joined by screws or bolts 36. Each half of the connecting element 20 has channels to receive the elements of the structure - an upper channel for the upper structure, and a lower channel for the lower structure. Due to the construction of the halves of the joining elements, channels are not shown as "solid" - that is, they are not continuously in contact with the structure, although such construction may be possible. Instead, the channels include a number of semicircular rods that are in contact with the elements of the structure to hold them firmly in place. Figure 4 shows a half of joining element 20 having three rods, but a channel comprising more or less rods is also possible, and would perform the same function of preventing twisting or unwanted movement of the frames within the joining elements .

Figure 5 is another view of the joining element 20 and two elements of the structure before assembly. In this view, the protuberances located on the middle of the connecting element 20f can be seen before being inserted into the connecting holes of the upper and lower structures.

Figure 6 is an exploded view of the upper part of the grill car. Figure 6 illustrates the manner in which the side board 22 is a structural part of the grill car, in addition to being a functional table. (It must be taken into account that the other side of the grid, which does not appear in Figure 6, can be constructed in a similar way). First, the side board 22 can be attached to the upper structures (also called table supports) by the shelves 38 and 40, rigidly joined to the upper structures. In the illustrated embodiment, the shelves 38, 40 are welded to the upper structures 16, 18, respectively. In addition, the side table 22 can be formed to have an internal rigid structure, such as the rods 42 in the embodiment shown. As also shown, each shelf may have holes or depressions that join with the protuberances of the side table 22. In the embodiment shown, each shelf has four holes. This construction ensures a rigid construction of the grill carriage with a minimum number of fasteners. As shown, only one fastener (44, 46) is needed for each shelf, since the holes in the shelves are joined to the protuberances of the side table, without a swaying or "parallelogram effect". To avoid confusion, the roller 48 and the spring clip 52 appear in this figure as well, but will be discussed in detail with Figure 7.

Figure 7 illustrates another feature of the grill pan: Since the side tables are separated from the grill brazier, the side tables can be used to hold the grill lid in place. As can be seen, the lower edge of the lid of the grill is supported in two places by rollers 48 and 50. To avoid the falling of the lid, spring clips 52, 54 fitted to the side tables are used. Alternatively, the side tables can be used to hold the lid in place. According to these modes of embodiment, the lid can be raised by the handle 56 and moved to the position shown. In this way, it is easier to open this grill than others that have a support inside the lid that should be hooked on the upper edge of the grill brazier to keep the lid in place. This embodiment results in being able to open the lid more easily since the lid rests on the rollers 48 and 50 as soon as the handle 56 is lifted, in such a way that the user does not need to support the weight of the lid.

Although the present shows and describes a specific example of the grill car structure, it will be up to persons with the technical skills for the design of trolleys that numerous modifications, variations and improvements in the embodiment described herein may be done without departing from the essence and scope of the following claims.

Claims

It is claimed:

1. A car that includes: a joining element, an upper and a lower structure rigidly connected by the joining element, wherein said joined upper and lower structures form a first assembly of structures, and at least one transversal element extended between the first assembly of structures and a second assembly of structures.

2. The carriage of claim 1, characterized in that the joining element is composed of two substantially similar halves joined to connect the upper structure and the lower structure.

3. The carriage of claim 2, characterized in that the connecting element comprises at least one protuberance for inserting into at least one depression of the upper or lower structure.

4. The carriage of claim 2, characterized in that the joining element comprises at least two protuberances, the first of which is inserted in a hole of the upper structure, and the second is inserted in a hole of the lower structure.

5. The carriage of claim 1, characterized in that the connecting element comprises at least one protuberance for inserting into at least one depression of the upper or lower structure.

6. The carriage of claim 1, characterized in that the joining element comprises at least two protuberances, the first of which is inserted in a hole in the upper structure, and the second is inserted in a hole in the lower structure.

7. The carriage of claim 4, further comprising a second transverse member.

8. The car of claim 5, further comprising: a second element of union, a second upper structure and a lower one rigidly connected by the second joining element, where said joined upper and lower structures form a second assembly of structures.

9. The carriage of claim 8, characterized in that at least one transverse element comprises a rigid board joined to the upper structures of the first assembly of structures and the second assembly of structures.

10. The carriage of claim 9, characterized in that the upper structure comprises a substantially "U" shaped tube, in which the joining elements are attached to the upper structures at a point substantially equidistant from the ends of the tubes in the shape of "OR".

The carriage of claim 10, further comprising at least two lateral boards rigidly joined to an upper part of the first assembly of structures and an upper part of the second assembly of structures, characterized in that the at least two lateral boards comprise structural components of the car.

12. The carriage of claim 1, further comprises at least two lid supports located between the at least two side tables and a grill brazier to hold one of the edges of the lid of the grill when it is open, characterized in that the lid the grill is held between the at least two lid supports and one part of each side table when the grill lid is open.

13. The carriage of claim 12, characterized in that the at least two supports of the lid are attached to the brazier of the grill.

14. The car of claim 1, further comprising: a second element of union, a second upper and lower structure rigidly connected by the second joining element, wherein said joined upper and lower structures form a second assembly of structures; a second joining element, characterized in that each of the joining elements comprises two substantially similar halves that can be joined to connect the assembled upper and lower structures, and characterized in that each joining element comprises at least two protrusions, and each of they are inserted into one of the associated depressions of the upper and lower structures. characterized in that the upper structure comprises a substantially "U" shaped tube, in which the joining elements are subject to the upper structures at a point substantially equidistant from the ends of the "U" shaped tubes; at least two substantially rigid boards connected to the upper structures of the first assembly of structures and the second assembly of structures, the at least two substantially rigid side boards comprise at least one transverse element, the at least two substantially rigid side tables further comprise the components structural of the car, at least two lid supports located between the at least two side tables and a grill brazier to hold the lid of the grill when it is open, characterized in that the The grill lid is clamped between the at least two lid supports and a part of each side table when the grill lid is open.

15. The carriage of claim 1, characterized in that the joining element comprises two "U" shaped channels to secure the upper and lower structures, the "U" shaped channels provide resistance to the movement of the upper and lower structures.

16. The carriage of claim 15, characterized in that the joining element resists the rotation of the upper and lower structures in at least about two points of each structure.

17. A car that includes: a joining element; an upper and a lower structure rigidly connected by the first joining element, wherein said joined upper and lower structures form a first assembly of structures, and at least one transverse element extended between the first assembly of structures and the second assembly of structures. a second element of union, a second upper and lower structure rigidly connected by the second joining element, wherein said joined upper and lower structures form a second assembly of structures; characterized in that the first and the second joining element is composed of two halves that can be joined to connect the assembled upper and lower structures, and where each joining element comprises at least two protuberances, each protrusion is inserted in one of the associated holes of the upper and lower structures, and where each joining element resists rotation of the upper and lower structure assembled in at least about two points, characterized in that the upper structure comprises a substantially "U" shaped tube, in which the joining elements are subject to the upper structures at a point substantially equidistant from the ends of the "U" shaped tubes; at least two substantially rigid boards connected to the upper structures of the first assembly of structures and the second assembly of structures, the at least two substantially rigid side boards comprise at least one transverse element, the at least two substantially rigid side tables further comprise the components structural of the car, at least two lid supports rigidly fastened to the brazier of the grill and located between the at least two side tables and a grill brazier to hold the lid of the grill when it is open, characterized in that the lid of the grill is held between minus two lid supports and one part of each side table when the grill lid is open.

18. A joining element comprising: a first piece having a first curved inner channel for receiving the first element of the structure and a second curved internal channel for receiving the second element of the structure. a second piece having a third curved internal channel for receiving the first element of the structure and a fourth curved internal channel for receiving the second element of the structure. The first and second pieces can be joined to hold, when they are joined, the first element of the structure and the second element of the structure in a fixed position with respect to each and each joint element.

19. The joining element of claim 18, characterized in that the first part includes at least one protrusion that can be inserted into at least one hole of the first or second element of the structure.

20. The joining element of claim 18, characterized in that the first part includes at least a first and a second protuberance, the first of them can be inserted into a hole of the first element of the structure and the second can be inserted into a hole of the first element. second element of the structure.

21. The joining element of claim 20 characterized in that the first protuberance has a different size than the second protrusion.

22. The joining element of claim 21, characterized in that the first and the second part are joined with threaded fasteners.

23. The joining element of claim 18, characterized in that the first and second pieces are substantially similar halves.

24. A joining element comprising: a first piece having a first curved inner channel for receiving the first element of the structure and a second internal curved channel for receiving the second element of the structure, the first part includes at least one first and a second protuberance, the first of them it can be inserted into a hole of the first element of the structure and the second can be inserted into a hole of the second element of the structure, and both protuberances have different sizes; a second piece, substantially similar in its general shape to the first piece and having a third curved internal channel for receiving the first element of the structure and a fourth curved internal channel for receiving the second element of the structure; the first and the second part can be joined with threaded fastening elements to hold, when they are joined, the first element of the structure and the second element of the structure in a fixed position with respect to each and each connecting element connected .

25. A joining element comprising: a first curved inner channel for receiving a first element of the structure, a second curved internal channel for receiving a second element of the structure, a first threaded fastening element for securing the first element of the structure to the joining element, Y a second thread clamping element for securing the second element of the structure to the joining element.

26. The connecting element of claim 25, further comprising at least one protrusion that can be inserted into at least one hole of the first or second element of the structure.

The joining element of claim 26, characterized in that the first protuberance also includes the first threaded fastening element.

28. The connecting element of claim 27 characterized in that the first threaded fastening element comprises a threaded hole in its internal part.

29. The joining element of claim 27, characterized in that the first threaded fastening element comprises a threaded element on its external part.

30. The joining element of claim 26, further comprising at least one second protrusion that can be inserted into at least one hole of the first or second element of the structure.

31. The connecting element of claim 30, characterized in that the first and second threaded fastening elements comprise a threaded hole in its internal part.