Patents by Inventor John D. McLemore
John D. McLemore has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 10478016Abstract: A gas-fired smoker constitutes a cabinet for holding food products to be cooked. A gas burner in the cabinet is connected to a source of flammable gas by means of a valve. The gas burner heats the cabinet and thereby cooks the food products. In one embodiment a pilot light ignites the flammable gas at the gas burner. A control circuit powered by a DC source controls the operation of the gas-fired smoker including igniting and extinguishing the gas burner in order to maintain a cooking temperature in the cabinet. A battery powers the control system. In another embodiment a rechargeable battery is recharged by a Seebeck thermal electric generator that is exposed to the heat from the gas burner.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2016Date of Patent: November 19, 2019Assignee: Masterbuilt Manufacturing, Inc.Inventors: John D McLemore, Joseph L Turner, Adam Carter, Robert Terrell, Daniel Mercer
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Patent number: 10021887Abstract: A stand-alone gas-fired smoker constitutes a cabinet for holding food products to be cooked. A gas burner in the bottom of the cabinet is connected to a source of flammable gas by means of a variable gas valve. The gas burner heats the cabinet and thereby cooks the food products. An oil filled temperature sensing bulb is connected by means of a capillary tube to the variable gas valve in order to modulate the gas delivered through the variable gas valve to the gas burner and thereby modulate the temperature within the cabinet. A safety/ignition valve is connected between of the gas source and the variable gas valve. The safety/ignition valve is connected to a flame sensor, and the safety/ignition valve closes if the flame sensor senses that the gas burner has been extinguished.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 2016Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: Masterbuilt Manufacturing, LLCInventors: John D. McLemore, Joseph L. Turner, Adam Carter, Robert Terrell, Daniel Mercer
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Publication number: 20180184675Abstract: A smoker with a low temperature bottom heat source for cooking and smoking a food product and a high temperature top heat source for subsequently browning the food product.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 5, 2018Publication date: July 5, 2018Inventors: Adam Carter, John D. McLemore
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Publication number: 20180125083Abstract: A smoker with a low temperature bottom heat source for cooking and smoking a food product and a high temperature top heat source for subsequently browning the food product.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2017Publication date: May 10, 2018Inventors: Adam Carter, John D. McLemore
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Publication number: 20160353756Abstract: A stand-alone gas-fired smoker constitutes a cabinet for holding food products to be cooked. A gas burner in the bottom of the cabinet is connected to a source of flammable gas by means of a variable gas valve. The gas burner heats the cabinet and thereby cooks the food products. An oil filled temperature sensing bulb is connected by means of a capillary tube to the variable gas valve in order to modulate the gas delivered through the variable gas valve to the gas burner and thereby modulate the temperature within the cabinet. A safety/ignition valve is connected between of the gas source and the variable gas valve. The safety/ignition valve is connected to a flame sensor, and the safety/ignition valve closes if the flame sensor senses that the gas burner has been extinguished.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 3, 2016Publication date: December 8, 2016Inventors: John D. McLemore, Joseph L. Turner, Adam Carter, Robert Terrell, Daniel Mercer
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Publication number: 20160353929Abstract: A gas-fired smoker constitutes a cabinet for holding food products to be cooked. A gas burner in the cabinet is connected to a source of flammable gas by means of a valve. The gas burner heats the cabinet and thereby cooks the food products. In one embodiment a pilot light ignites the flammable gas at the gas burner. A control circuit powered by a DC source controls the operation of the gas-fired smoker including igniting and extinguishing the gas burner in order to maintain a cooking temperature in the cabinet. A battery powers the control system. In another embodiment a rechargeable battery is recharged by a Seebeck thermal electric generator that is exposed to the heat from the gas burner.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 1, 2016Publication date: December 8, 2016Inventors: John D. McLemore, Joseph L. Turner, Adam Carter, Robert Terrell, Daniel Mercer
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Publication number: 20120107476Abstract: Cooking apparatus having a shell structure with a reception cavity and a base bottom. The base bottom includes an essentially solid funnel wall extending down and in toward a lower fluid outlet. A leg support assembly is secured to the shell structure and a holder device is positioned within a reception cavity of the shell structure. The holder device has an upper portion secured to the shell structure and a lower catch support portion. The food holder defines a food reception recess and a food holder base bottom. The food holder base bottom has an essentially solid, sloped wall extending down and in from a lower end portion of said main body portion. The food holder is supported in a state of suspension by the catch device and is configured with a lower portion that extends below the lower catch support portion and above an underlying region of the shell base bottom. A heating device extends into heat transfer proximity to the food holder.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 2, 2010Publication date: May 3, 2012Applicant: Masterbuilt Manufacturing, Inc.Inventors: Don McLEMORE, Brian Urquhart, John D. McLemore
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Publication number: 20120009317Abstract: A domestic fryer assembly and method of using which includes interconnected shell and cooking pot with the shell having an interior cavity receiving the cooking pot. A heating unit as in a resistance bar heater unit is supported by the combination shell and cooking pot and extends down into the cooking pot and features a generally horizontal portion suspended above the cooking pot bottom and preferably having a configuration of a horse-shoe with outer curved sides that generally follow the curvature of the supporting pot. The cooking pot is designed to hold sufficient cooking fluid to provide for deep frying relatively large single item food pieces as in a whole turkey of, for example, 8 to 18 pounds. The food item is preferably retained in a cooking basket that is dimensioned for insertion into the cooking pot. The cooking pot also preferably includes one or more volume reduction step-ins such as a bottom or lower one for doubling as a cooking basket support and/or an upper annular ledge step-in in the pot.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 8, 2011Publication date: January 12, 2012Applicant: MASTERBUILT MANUFACTURING, INC.Inventor: John D. McLemore
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Patent number: 7981459Abstract: A domestic fryer assembly and method of using which includes interconnected shell and cooking pot with the shell having an interior cavity receiving the cooking pot. A heating unit as in a resistance bar heater unit is supported by the combination shell and cooking pot and extends down into the cooking pot and features a generally horizontal portion suspended above the cooking pot bottom and preferably having a configuration of a horse-shoe with outer curved sides that generally follow the curvature of the supporting pot. The cooking pot is designed to hold sufficient cooking fluid to provide for deep frying relatively large single item food pieces as in a whole turkey of, for example, 8 to 18 pounds. The food item is preferably retained in a cooking basket that is dimensioned for insertion into the cooking pot. The cooking pot also preferably includes one or more volume reduction step-ins such as a bottom or lower one for doubling as a cooking basket support and/or an upper annular ledge step-in in the pot.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2005Date of Patent: July 19, 2011Assignee: Masterbuilt Manufacturing Inc.Inventor: John D. McLemore
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Publication number: 20110081471Abstract: A cooking apparatus which includes a shell assembly having a cover assembly that has two cover parts that are pivotally connected to each other with one of the two pivotally connected to a shell body of the cooking apparatus such that the cover parts can be adjusted from a cooking pot cover position to a cooking pot access position where the cover parts are collapsed with opposing pot cover faces arranged in an over center location. The shell body includes a recessed section which is filled in with a heating device support structure as in a corner filling support structure that is frictionally mounted on a common base as that of the shell. A rectangular shaped cooking apparatus includes a corner filled in with the heating support tower and a spigot access cover at another corner along a common side as the support structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2009Publication date: April 7, 2011Inventors: Don McLemore, John D. McLemore, Adam Carter, James R. Carden
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Patent number: 7703389Abstract: A cooking apparatus with an information exchange system that involves an assembly featuring a cooking apparatus such as a smoker or an electric turkey fryer and an information exchange system that provides for local and/or remote monitoring of cooking characteristic that preferably includes food item temperature probing that is displayed externally on the cooking appliance as in a local remote cooking characteristic information conveyance device that are preferably either in unidirectional of bi-directional.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2006Date of Patent: April 27, 2010Inventors: John D. McLemore, Don McLemore
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Publication number: 20090087534Abstract: A cooking apparatus, as in a domestic fryer, includes a stacked shell, cooking pot and basket combination. A heater element extends into the cooking pot and has a generally horizontal portion suspended above the pot bottom and supported by a support platform as in a volume reduction step-in region in the cooking pot and/or a removable basket support platform. The pot holds sufficient cooking fluid to provide for deep frying large food items as in a whole turkey (e.g., 3.63 Kg to 8.16 Kg). An embodiment includes a drain spigot with adjustable drain spigot cover assembly. The heating device includes a combination control unit and heating element that is releasably supported by the shell with a fail-safe electrical disconnect connection. The basket support platform and one or more temperature sensors are connected to the heating element and thus removable as well. The cooking pot has an edge recess for receipt of the heating element and for pot drainage.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 22, 2008Publication date: April 2, 2009Inventor: John D. McLemore
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Publication number: 20090078127Abstract: A smoker having a smoke generating material loader which preferably is insertable and retractable through a housing aperture and is adjustable between a no dump state and a dump state once inserted, preferably relative to a receiver tray that is closer to a heat source, as in an electric heat resistance bar, to cause smoke generation of smoke generating material received from the loader when placed in a dump state. The loader preferably has one or more seal off end caps or sections relative to the receiving housing aperture to provide a heat retention function. A preferred embodiment features a nested arrangement between the inserted loader and receiver tray and preferably the receiver tray is in a sliding supported relationship with the loader as in a semi-cylindrical loader main body in contact with one or more concave supporting surfaces of the receiver tray. The receiver tray also preferably has opposing shielding walls extending up from opposite sides of an apertured base receiving tray.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 18, 2008Publication date: March 26, 2009Inventors: Don McLemore, John D. McLemore
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Patent number: D615798Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2009Date of Patent: May 18, 2010Inventors: Don McLemore, John D. McLemore
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Patent number: D616243Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2009Date of Patent: May 25, 2010Inventors: Don McLemore, John D. McLemore
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Patent number: D625545Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2009Date of Patent: October 19, 2010Assignee: Masterbuilt Manufacturing, Inc.Inventors: Don McLemore, John D. McLemore, Adam Carter, James R. Carden
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Patent number: D629244Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2009Date of Patent: December 21, 2010Assignee: Masterbuilt Manufacturing Inc.Inventors: Don McLemore, John D. McLemore, Brian Urquhart
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Patent number: D644475Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2010Date of Patent: September 6, 2011Assignee: Masterbuilt Manufacturing, IncInventors: Don McLemore, John D. McLemore, Adam Carter, James R. Carden
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Patent number: D731229Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2013Date of Patent: June 9, 2015Assignee: Masterbuilt Manufacturing, Inc.Inventors: John D. McLemore, Adam Carter, James Carden
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Patent number: D935840Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2019Date of Patent: November 16, 2021Assignee: Masterbuilt Manufacturing, LLCInventors: Adam Carter, Caitlin McNulty, Daniel John Mercer, Ian Lee, Robert V. Terrell, John D. McLemore