Barbecue grill with enlarged firebox

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.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/518,497, filed Nov. 7, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to barbecue grills, and, more particularly, to a barbecue grill with an enlarged firebox, improved burners and improved radiant elements.

BACKGROUND

In the recent past, barbecue grills, both charcoal and gas, have become much easier to use and more efficient at cooking a wide range of food items. Although gas barbecue grills offer a number of advantages, there are still a number of disadvantages, that if addressed, could improve the overall cooking experience and the performance of the grills.

Existing barbecue grills generally utilize burner elements located in various locations beneath the cooking surface. The burner elements and cooking surface are normally fairly closely confined in relatively shallow fireboxes, i.e., the bottom casting or housing of the grill. Typical burner elements are a series of tubes with ports provided at discrete locations along the tube. Since fuel is burned only at those discrete locations where a port is present, hot and cold zones develop beneath the cooking surface. Hot zones develop directly over each individual flame, and cool zones develop at perimeter regions or regions with fewer ports.

Some gas barbecue grills place metallic burner shields or other radiant material above the burner elements. The surface of the radiant is heated by the burner element underneath, causing the surface to radiate heat, thus reducing somewhat the number and size of hot and cold zones. However, the heat distribution pattern underneath the cooking surface is not optimal and can vary widely depending on the size of the grill and burners, the type, amount, and placement of the radiant material, air flow patterns, and various other factors. Therefore, a need exists for an optimal combination of such factors for use in barbecue grills that provide more even heat distribution.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of a barbecue grill in accordance with the invention includes 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.

Other features and/or advantages in addition to, or in lieu of, those presented above will be or may become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional features and/or advantages be included herein within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an example embodiment of a grill with enlarged firebox and improved burner shields.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the grill of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a portion of the grill of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top cutaway view of the improved burner shield and burner element.

FIG. 5 is a side view of another embodiment of the improved burner shield and mounting element therefor.

FIG. 6 is a top view of another embodiment of the improved burner element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a grill with enlarged firebox and improved burners and burner shields. The grill 100 includes at least one burner element 110, firebox 112, and cooking grate 114. The firebox 112 is relatively deep compared to prior art designs, with the front-to-back depth at the top of the firebox 112 shown as dimension A. In a preferred embodiment, depth A is between 10″ and 16″. This deep design has been found to optimize heat distribution when combined with other grill dimensions, as will be discussed in more detail in connection with FIG. 2.

In some embodiments with multiple burner elements 110, the individual burner elements 110 are each separate and independently operable to produce heat in distinct parts of the firebox 112. The burner elements 110 can also all be used at the same time to provide a substantially uniform heat throughout the entire firebox 112. Burner elements 110 are supplied with fuel by manifold 116, which is connected at its other end to fuel tank 118. From the manifold 116, venturi tubes 120 deliver fuel to individual burner elements 110. The flow of fuel through the venturi tubes 120 is controlled by a valve (not shown).

Fuel is distributed through the interior of the burner element 110 and dispersed through a plurality of orifices (see FIG. 3) formed on the burner element 110. Once ignited by a typical ignition source, the fuel is delivered to the firebox through the orifices.

A burner shield 122 is located above each burner element 110 and held in position by a support mechanism. In one embodiment, the support mechanism comprises a pair of flanges 124A and 124B extending from the front and back sidewalls 126 of firebox 112 and engaging the ends 127 of each shield 122. In some embodiments, shield 122 includes vents 128 that are placed to evenly distribute heat along the length of shield 122.

In one embodiment, grill 100 has an additional external burner element 130, located outside firebox 112. Manifold 116 extends to external burner element 130 so that the external burner element 130 is supplied with fuel via the same manifold 116 that supplies the other burner elements 110. Prior art grills with this feature required a separate hose to supply the burner element 130, thus the current construction represents a substantial improvement in the art.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the grill of FIG. 1. This view illustrates the relative vertical placement of the burner element 110, the burner shield 122, and the cooking grate 114. The distance between cooking grate 114 and burner shield 122 is defined as dimension B. The distance between the burner shield 122 and the burner element 110 is defined as dimension C. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the depth of the firebox 112 at its top is A.

Improved heat distribution has been found when the dimensions A, B, and C are related as follows:
A/(B+C)=0.40 to 0.60, and B=0.6×C to 1.67×C.

The relationship between these dimensions allows increased air convection during cooking, which results in greater cooking efficiency compared to a conventional grill. In a preferred embodiment, A is between 10″ and 16″.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a portion of the grill of FIG. 1. This view illustrates the positioning of the burner shield 122 relative to the burner element 110. This example embodiment of burner shield 122 includes two sloped surfaces 301 and 302 which are adjacent each other and meet at a central ridge 303. Sloped surfaces 301 and 302 extend downwardly from central ridge 303, forming an inverted V-shape with edges 304 and 305.

Burner element 110 is located beneath burner shield 122. In this position, sloped surfaces 301 and 302 are heated by burning fuel flowing from orifices 306, producing radiant heat. In this example embodiment, orifices 306 are located on the top surface of burner shield 122. As is known in the art, this radiant heat from the burner shield 122 allows more efficient cooking than using the heat produced by burner element 110 alone. However, in prior art solutions the dimensions and relative placement of burner element 110 and burner shield 122 result in uneven heat distribution along burner shield 122.

In grill 100, burner shield 122 and burner element 110 are sized so that sloped surfaces 301 and 302 extend well past the edges 307 and 308 of burner element 110. Thus, two imaginary vertical planes 309, 310 intersecting edges 304 and 305 of burner shield 122 are outside of burner element 110, and are a substantial distance from burner element 110. In this example embodiment, an imaginary vertical plane 311 intersecting central ridge 303 also intersects the center of burner element 110.

FIG. 4 shows a top cutaway view of one embodiment of burner element 110, and its positioning relative to burner shield 122. In this embodiment, orifices 306 are arranged in two longitudinal rows 401 and 402. Burner element 110 can be viewed as having four equal-sized portions, marked by one-quarter line 403, half line 404, and three-quarter line 405. Row 401 is located between one-quarter line 403 and half line 404. Row 402 is located between half line 404 and three-quarter line 405. Thus, when the center 406 of burner element 110 is placed below burner shield 122, and vertically aligned with central ridge 303, each of the orifices 306 is located well within the edges 307 and 308 of burner shield 122.

FIG. 5 is a side view of another embodiment of burner shield 122. This example embodiment of burner shield 122 includes two sloped surfaces 501 and 502 connected by a substantially flat portion 503. Sloped surfaces 501 and 502 extend downwardly from flat portion 503 to edges 504 and 505. This embodiment of burner shield 122 is mounted to firebox 112 by a set of ledges protruding from the front walls of firebox 112 and another set of ledges protruding from the back walls of firebox 112. This view shows only the front set of ledges; the back set are similar. Lower ledge 506 contacts one end of the bottom surface 507 of flat portion 503 to support the burner shield above the burner element. Upper ledge 508 contacts the same end of the top surface 509 of flat portion 503 to limit upward motion of the burner shield.

FIG. 6 is a top view of another embodiment of burner element 110, which can be used with any of the example embodiments of burner shield 122 described herein. In this embodiment, orifices 601 are located on the top surface of burner shield 122, at or near the edges 602 and 603 of burner shield 122. In this embodiment, burner shield 122 and burner element 110 are sized so that the edges 602 and 603 of burner shield 122 extend well past the edges 604 and 605 of of burner element 110.

The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed, however, were chosen and described to illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variation are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly and legally entitled.

Claims

1. A grill comprising:

a firebox having a front-to-back depth A;

a cooking surface disposed within the firebox;

at least one burner element disposed within the firebox beneath the cooking surface; and

a fuel source for supplying fuel to the burner;

at least one burner shield disposed between the burner element and the cooking surface, the vertical distance between the cooking surface and the burner shield defining a dimension B, the vertical distance beween the burner shield and the burner elements defining a dimension C,

wherein 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.

2. The grill of claim 1, the burner shield comprising:

a first sloped surface;

a second sloped surface;

and a substantially flat portion joining the first and second sloped surfaces, the substantially flat portion having a top and a bottom surface,

the first sloped surface extending downwardly from the flat surface to form a first edge, the second sloped surface extending downwardly from the flat surface to form a second edge.

3. The grill of claim 1, the burner shield comprising:

a first sloped surface; and

a second sloped surface,

the first and second sloped surfaces being adjacent one another to form a central ridge, the first sloped surface extending downwardly from the central ridge to form a first edge, the second sloped surface extending downwardly from the central ridge to form a second edge.

4. The grill of claim 3, where the burner shield is disposed above the burner element such that a central vertical plane intersecting the central ridge also intersects the burner.

5. The grill of claim 3, the burner element comprising:

a plurality of orifices, where the burner shield is disposed above the burner element such that a vertical plane intersecting the first edge of the first sloped surface is outside of and a substantial distance from the plurality of orifices.

6. The grill of claim 1, the burner element comprising:

a plurality of orifices arranged around the periphery of a top surface of the burner element.

7. The grill of claim 1, the burner element comprising:

a first row of orifices disposed to one side of a longitudinal center line dividing the burner element into a first half and a second half; and

a second row of orifices disposed to the other side of the longitudinal center line,

the first row positioned within the first half such that the first row is between the longitudinal center line and a longitudinal one-quarter line dividing the first half into a first quarter and a second quarter,

the second row positioned within the second half such that the second row is between the longitudinal center line and a longitudinal three-quarter line dividing the second half into a third quarter and a fourth quarter.

8. The grill of claim 7, where the first row is arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal center line.

9. The grill of claim 7, where the first row is disposed on a top surface of the burner element.

10. The grill of claim 7, the burner shield comprising:

a first sloped surface; and

a second sloped surface,

the first and second sloped surfaces being adjacent one another to form a central ridge, the first sloped surface extending downwardly from the central ridge to form a first edge, the second sloped surface extending downwardly from the central ridge to form a second edge.

11. The grill of claim 10, where the burner shield is disposed above the burner element such that a vertical plane intersecting the first edge of the first sloped surface is outside of and is a substantial distance from the first row of orifices.

12. The grill of claim 11, where the burner element is disposed below the burner shield such that a first vertical plane intersecting the first row of orifices also intersects the burner shield.

13. The grill of claim 12, where the burner element is further disposed such that a second vertical plane intersecting the second row of orifices also intersects the burner shield.

14. The grill of claim 1, further comprising a manifold mounted within the firebox and configured to deliver fuel from the fuel source to the burner element.

15. The grill of claim 14, further comprising an external burner element disposed outside the firebox, where the external burner element is supplied with fuel via the manifold.

16. A grill comprising:

a firebox;

a cooking surface disposed within the firebox;

a first burner element disposed outside the firebox;

a fuel source for supplying fuel to the burner;

a manifold mounted within the firebox and configured to deliver fuel from the fuel source to the first burner element.

17. The grill of claim 16, further comprising a side shelf supporting the first burner element.

18. The grill of claim 17, further comprising a control disposed on the side shelf, the control configured to control the amount of fuel delivered to the first burner element.

19. The grill of claim 16, further comprising a second burner element disposed within the firebox.

20. The grill of claim 19, wherein the manifold is further configured to deliver fuel from the fuel source to the second burner element.