GB2343835A

GB2343835A - Portable barbecue

Info

Publication number: GB2343835A
Application number: GB9825230A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Brendan Lyons
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-11-18
Filing date: 1998-11-18
Publication date: 2000-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 2018-11-18
Also published as: GB2343835B; GB9825230D0

Abstract

A barbecue, when fully packed away, takes the form of a suitcase with a base unit 2 having a handle and a lid 6 which is completely removable and forms a leg support. The barbecue includes a grill carrier 10, in which the grill (8 Fig 7) is arranged to be nested. The grill carrier 10 is arranged to be raised out of or lowered into the base unit 2 by a pair of scissor jacks 12 located one each side of the carrier 10 coupled to a jack mechanism (20 Fig 3) located in the bottom of the base unit 2. The jack mechanism (20) is covered by a protective cover (18) and an ash box (16) is supported on the cover (18). Supported within the ash box is a raised grate having a plurality of apertures thereon to allow ash from any charcoal it supports to fall into the ash box. A crank key (36) is provided to operate the jack mechanism (20).

Description

PORTABLE BARBECUES The present invention relates to portable barbecues.

Barbecues are generally bulky items which are difficult to transport. Some portable barbecues have been proposed but these generally lack compactness and leave parts which have become dirty during use, exposed so that dirt and grease may inadvertently transfer to other adjoining items when being transported.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved barbecue.

According to the present invention there is provided a portable barbecue comprising a base unit having a carrying handle and a lid removably coupled thereto. The base unit housing a grill carrier for carrying a cooking grill and a pair of jacks coupled to the carrier and operable to raise and lower the carrier out of and back into the base unit.

Preferably, the base unit houses an ash box and a grate for supporting combustible material above the floor of the ash box.

Coupling means are provided to couple the ash box to the carrier to allow both the grill and the grate to be raised out of the base unit together.

Advantageously, legs are provided which can engage the base unit to support the base unit above the ground.

Means are provided to couple the lid to the legs to provide a shelf and to stabilise the legs. Each leg may be in two or more parts or of a telescopic nature so as to fit into the base unit when stored away.

The jacks for elevating the carrier can comprise scissor jacks and the base unit can house a jack operating mechanism. The jack operating mechanism can take the form of a transversely extending arm engaging the two scissor jacks at opposite axial ends thereof.

An elongate drive member extending at right angles to the arm is coupled to the arm to displace the arm along the floor of the base unit.

The drive member is held captive on the floor of the base unit for longitudinal displacement only. The drive member may support a screwthreaded member engageable by an elongate screw which screw, when rotated, will cause longitudinal displacement of the drive member.

A portable barbecue embodying the present invention, will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the barbecue when packed away; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the barbecue of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an exploded view of the barbecue' Figure 4 is a plan view of the base unit of the barbecue with a scissor jack drive mechanism exposed; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a grill carrier; Figure 6 is a perspective view of an ash box; Figure 7 is a plan view of the grill ; Figure 8 is a plan view of the grate; and Figure 9 is a front elevation of the barbecue when fully assembled for use.

The barbecue shown in Figures 1 and 2, when fully packed away, takes the form of a suitcase with a base unit 2 having a handle 4 and a lid 6 which is completely removable.

The lid 6 may be held on the base unit 2 by indentations 8 in the side wall of the lid 6 engaging corresponding recesses (not shown) on the side wall of the base unit. The lid 6 and base unit 2 are of steel sheet and the side walls slightly flexible to allow the indentations in the lid to engage and disengage the recesses in the base unit.

Figure 3 is an exploded view of the barbecue. As shown, the components comprise the lid 6, a grill 8 and a grill carrier 10 in which the grill 8 is arranged to be nested.

The grill carrier 10 is arranged to be raised out of or lowered into the base unit 2 by a pair of scissor jacks (located one each side of the carrier 10) coupled to a jack mechanism 20 located in the bottom of the base unit 2. The jack mechanism 20 is covered by a protective cover 18 and an ash box 16 is supported on the cover 18. Supported within the ash box is a raised grate having a plurality of apertures thereon to allow ash from any charcoal it supports to fall into the ash box.

A crank key 36 is provided to operate the jack mechanism 20.

The underside of the base unit has a pair of parallel guides 24 for being engaged by the lips running along the opposite side edges of a drawer unit 22. The draw unit 22 is of stainless steel and is arranged to store food already cooked on the barbecue. Its proximity to the heated area of the barbecue keeps the food warm.

The base unit 2 is supported above the ground by four legs. Each leg comprises an upper leg 26 and a lower leg 28. Opposite ends of each upper leg 28 are of reduced crosssection and screwthreaded to allow the leg 26 on the one hand to screwthreadedly engage a nut 38 welded to the floor of the base unit 2 adjacent a corresponding corner thereof. The nut may be welded on each face of the floor but if welded on the inner face as shown in Figure 3, an opening on the floor is provided to allow access to the nut. On the other hand, the opposite screwthreaded end of the upper leg 26 can be made to screwthreadedly engage a screwthreaded recess in one end of a lower leg 28.

Each upper leg 26 is provided with a radially outwardly extending pin 30 which is turned upwardly at its radially outer extremity. The pins 30 on the four upper legs 26 are arranged to engage corresponding apertures 32 at the four corners of the lid 6. The lid 6, when locked in this position (see Figure 9) provides two functions namely it provides a stabilising brace for the legs and it provides a convenient shelf below the cooking area.

The jacking mechanism 20 is more clearly shown in Figure 4. As shown, a rod 34 is held slidably captive adjacent one side of the base unit 2 by a pair of brackets 40. The rod 34 carries at one end a nut 42 which is slidably engaged by an elongate screw 44. The other end of the screw 44 is enlarged and held captive in a sleeve 46. The enlarged end of the screw 44 is profiled at its free end to have a square shape so that it can be engaged and rotated by the crank key 36 which can access the screw through an opening 50 (see Figure 2) in a side wall of the base unit 2.

The distal end of the rod 34 is rigidly connected to one end of an arm 52 extending at right angles thereto and a bracing member 54 rigidly connected to the other end of the arm 52 to an intermediate part of the rod 34. Opposite ends of the arm 52 have projecting pins 56 which engage an aperture 58 in the lower end of one of the two legs of a respective scissor jack 12. The lower end of the other leg of the two scissor jacks is held pivotally captive (by means not shown) elsewhere on the base unit 2.

In operation, when the key 36 engages the screw 44 to rotate it, the rod 34 is driven leftwardly as viewed in Figure 4. This movement is communicated to the two scissor jacks so that the two legs of each jack move together and so the upper ends of the two jacks are raised upwardly out of the base unit. Rotation of the screw in the opposite sense will achieve the opposite effect.

The upper ends of the two scissor jacks are coupled to the grill carrier 10. One upper end of each jack has a pin which engages a slot 60 in a flange 62 extending from the underside of the carrier 10 while the other upper end of each jack has a pin which engages an opening 64 in another flange 66 extending from the underside of the carrier 10. The two flanges 62 and 66 are spaced apart along the corresponding side of the carrier.

It will thus be seen that, as the two legs of each scissor jack move together, the grill carrier 10 and therefore the grill will rise upwardly to distance itself from the ash box and grate so as to vary the heat to which it is subjected.

The ash box 16 is more clearly shown in Figure 6. As shown, the underside of the floor is supported by reinforcing struts. Opposite side walls are provided with finger openings 72 to allow the ash box to be engaged and lifted out.

Below each finger opening 72 there is provided a hinged latch member 74. Each latch member 74 has an aperture 76 which, when the latch member 74 is swung upwardly, can be engaged by an outwardly projecting pin 78 on the carrier 10. In this way, the two latches 74 can be used to couple the ash box to the grill carrier so that as the grill carrier is raised, the ash box 16 will rise with it out of the base unit 2 for purposes of cooling or better ventilation.

The sleeve 46 of the jack mechanism may be boxed in to prevent ingress of foreign bodies. A corner of the ash box 16 will need to be suitably profiled for this purpose (see Figure 6) and a corresponding cut-out 80 punched in the grate.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A portable barbecue comprising a base unit having a carrying handle and a lid removably coupled thereto, the base unit housing a grill carrier for carrying a cooking grill and a pair of jacks coupled to the carrier and operable to raise and lower the carrier out of and back into the base unit.
2. A portable barbecue according to Claim 1, wherein the base unit houses an ash box and a grate for supporting combustible material above the floor of the ash box.
3. A portable barbecue according to Claim 2, including coupling means for coupling the ash box to the carrier to allow both the grill and the grate to be raised out of the base unit together.
4. A portable barbecue according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, including legs engaging the base unit to support the base unit above the ground.
5. A portable barbecue according to Claim 4, including means for coupling the lid to the legs to provide a shelf and to stabilise the legs.
6. A portable barbecue according to Claim 4 or to Claim 5, wherein each is leg in two or more parts or of a telescopic nature so as to fit into the base unit when stored away.
7. A portable barbecue according to any preceding claim, wherein the jacks for elevating the carrier can comprise scissor jacks and the base unit can house a jack operating mechanism.
8. A portable barbecue according to Claim 7, wherein the jack operating mechanism is in the form of a transversely extending arm engaging the two scissor jacks at opposite axial endsthereof.
9. A portable barbecue according to Claim 8, including an elongate drive member extending at right angles to the arm, coupled to the arm to displace the arm along the floor of the base unit.
10. A portable barbecue according to Claim 9, wherein the drive member is held captive on the floor of the base unit for longitudinal displacement only.
11. A portable barbecue according to Claim 10, wherein the drive member supports a screwthreaded member engageable by an elongate screw which screw, when rotated, will cause longitudinal displacement of the drive member.
12. A portable barbecue substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.