Patents by Inventor Alex Gafford

Alex Gafford 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).

  • Publication number: 20230094193
    Abstract: A control system for a pellet fueled cooking device includes at least two adjustable smokestacks selectively allowing combustion gases to escape from a cooking chamber, and an air adjustment mechanism being adjustable between a first position where air flow into a firepot is substantially blocked and a second position where airflow into the firepot is allowed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Inventors: RAMIN KHOSRAVI RAHMANI, Alex Gafford, BRUCE ROBERTS, DAN CORSO, SLEIMAN ABDALLAH, ANTHONY HAMILTON
  • Publication number: 20220395138
    Abstract: An electric cooking grill includes a firebox having a first and second heating elements, first and second cooking surfaces positioned over the first and second heating elements respectively, a household power connection, and a power dividing circuit that apportions power from the household power connection to one or both of the first and second heating elements. At least of the first and second heating elements receives up to 100% of the power from the household power connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2022
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Inventors: SLEIMAN ABDALLAH, WILLIAM DIXON, Alex Gafford, JAMES D. KRING
  • Publication number: 20220031107
    Abstract: A cooking apparatus includes a first electric heating element, a reflective surface below the first electric heating element, and a cooking surface above the first electric heating element. The cooking surface is heated by radiant energy from the electric heating element and becomes heated to emit heat to food on the cooking surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: WILLIAM DIXON, ALEX GAFFORD, RAMIN KHOSRAVI RAHMANI, SLEIMAN ABDALLAH, THOMAS KESSLER
  • Publication number: 20200378615
    Abstract: A cooking apparatus has a cooking chamber, a cooking grate in the cooking chamber, and a combustion chamber within the cooking chamber below the cooking grate. The apparatus includes an electric heating element below the cooking grate, and a baffle interposing the cooking grate and the combustion chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventor: Alex Gafford
  • Publication number: 20200214501
    Abstract: A system includes a cooking chamber defining a space for food to be cooked, a firepot inside the cooking chamber that is configured to utilize pelletized fuel to provide heat or smoke within the cooking chamber for cooking the food, and a fuel hopper defining a storage space for the pelletized fuel before delivery to the firepot. A battery powered auger interposes the fuel hopper and the firepot and is configured to selectively convey the pelletized fuel from the fuel hopper to the firepot for combustion. A rechargeable battery selectively provides power to the auger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: ALEX GAFFORD, RAMIN KHOSRAVI RAHMANI
  • Patent number: 10660474
    Abstract: An outdoor system for cooking and/or smoking food in which a smart phone, remote or other hand-held wireless device can be used to start the cooking and/or smoking unit. To allow the unit to he started remotely, or to permit one or more other operations to he remotely activated, the system first determines whether the hand-held device is within a predetermined geo-fence boundary distance of the cooking an or smoking unit and/or determines whether one or more other status criteria are met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: W.C. BRADLEY CO.
    Inventor: Alex Gafford
  • Patent number: 10485379
    Abstract: An outdoor gas cooking system having multiple burners in which, if the individual manual control valves for all of the burners are placed on a high heat setting or some other specified or recognized activation position, a single electronic master control valve can be activated to control the total gas fuel rate to all of the burners in the cooker based, for example, upon a cooking or operational control set point or upon a target flow rate equaling the sum of the design flow rates of all of the burners at the current operating set points of the manual valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: W.C. BRADLEY CO.
    Inventors: Chris Bennett, Alex Gafford
  • Publication number: 20180125296
    Abstract: An outdoor system for cooking and/or smoking food in which a smart phone, remote or other hand-held wireless device can be used to start the cooking and/or smoking unit. To allow the unit to he started remotely, or to permit one or more other operations to he remotely activated, the system first determines whether the hand-held device is within a predetermined geo-fence boundary distance of the cooking an or smoking unit and/or determines whether one or more other status criteria are met.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Inventor: Alex Gafford
  • Publication number: 20180084946
    Abstract: An outdoor cooking system having at least one temperature sensor which senses an internal temperature of the cooking chamber or a temperature of the cooking chamber exhaust gas stream and transmits the temperature reading to a control unit which determines whether an over-temperature condition exists and then transmits an over-temperature alert and/or reduces or stops the heat output of the cooker heating elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Alex Gafford, Chris Bennett
  • Publication number: 20180008095
    Abstract: An outdoor gas cooking system having multiple burners in which, if the individual manual control valves for all of the burners are placed on a high heat setting or some other specified or recognized activation position, a single electronic master control valve can be activated to control the total gas fuel rate to all of the burners in the cooker based, for example, upon a cooking or operational control set point or upon a target flow rate equaling the sum of the design flow rates of all of the burners at the current operating set points of the manual valves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Inventors: Chris Bennett, Alex Gafford
  • Patent number: 9226568
    Abstract: A brush having bundles of wire bristles which extend from a retaining base wherein the brush also includes deflection support guides for the bundles with openings which surround and contact the active portions of the bundles when the bundles flex during use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: W.C. Bradley Co.
    Inventors: Alex Gafford, Mallik Ahmed
  • Publication number: 20150150364
    Abstract: A brush having bundles of wire bristles which extend from a retaining base wherein the brush also includes deflection support guides for the bundles with openings which surround and contact the active portions of the bundles when the bundles flex during use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2014
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: W.C. BRADLEY CO.
    Inventors: Alex Gafford, Mallik Ahmed
  • Publication number: 20140341254
    Abstract: A food temperature probe having a skewer for inserting into a food product, a plurality of temperature sensors within the skewer that detect a temperature at each temperature sensor location of the food product, and a single connector communicatively coupled to the plurality of temperature sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: W.C. Bradley Co.
    Inventors: JOSE RAUL MENDEZ, ANDREW WOLF KAHLER, ALEX GAFFORD
  • Patent number: 8776775
    Abstract: An apparatus for cooking comprising a cooking cavity for receiving a food item and a burner positioned within a bottom portion of the cooking cavity for delivering a combustion gas in the cooking cavity which will flow upwardly to heat the vertically-extending interior surface of the cooking cavity. The upward flow of combustion gas within the heating cavity is operable for heating the vertically extending interior surface in a manner such that the food item positioned in the cooking cavity will be cooked at least predominantly by infrared radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: W.C. Bradley Co.
    Inventors: Mallik Ahmed, Alex Gafford
  • Publication number: 20110155118
    Abstract: An apparatus for cooking comprising a cooking cavity for receiving a food item and a burner positioned within a bottom portion of the cooking cavity for delivering a combustion gas in the cooking cavity which will flow upwardly to heat the vertically-extending interior surface of the cooking cavity. The upward flow of combustion gas within the heating cavity is operable for heating the vertically extending interior surface in a manner such that the food item positioned in the cooking cavity will be cooked at least predominantly by infrared radiation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2010
    Publication date: June 30, 2011
    Inventors: Mallik Ahmed, Alex Gafford
  • Publication number: 20050098168
    Abstract: A barbecue grill is disclosed, including a firebox, a cooking surface disposed within the firebox, at least one burner element disposed within the firebox beneath the cooking surface, and at least one burner shield disposed between the burner element and the cooking surface. The firebox has a vertical depth A, the vertical distance between the cooking surface and the vertical shield is B, and the vertical distance between the burner shield and the burner elements is C. The value of B is between 0.6×C and 1.67×C, and the ratio A/(B+C) is between 0.40 and 0.60.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2004
    Publication date: May 12, 2005
    Inventors: Benjamin Williams, Alex Gafford
  • Patent number: D314777
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 19, 1991
    Assignee: The Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Joe Crabtree, Alex Gafford, Richard D. Williams