GRILL CLEANING CLAW
A grill cleaning apparatus is provided for scraping to the grooves of grill broiler plates to remove unwanted matter comprising of an elongated body having a handle portion at one end and a scraper portion at the other end, with a claw extending outward from the scraper portion. The claw is shaped to fit into the angled grooves of most grills, having a trunk with at least two side portions that widen outward from the scraper portion and terminates with a plurality of spaced apart teeth. Each tooth has at least one projection for accessing the depth of the grooves to grasp and release any unwanted matter.
The present invention relates generally to a grill cleaning apparatus and, more particularly, to a tool for scraping to clean grills.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONMany restaurants, and to some extent individuals, rely on grills that have grooved surfaces on their broiler grates for cooking items such as fish, chicken, steaks, ribs and many other food items thereon. Such grooved surfaces on the broiler grates are often designed with inward by angled grooves to prevent food items from falling into bottom of the grill. The grooves may be at right angles and have a depth of ½ to 1 inch or ¾ inch, which depth may not be consistent across the width of each groove. Depending on the broiler design, each groove may have multiple depths and each portion may be deeper. An example of this broiler grate design is the Vulcan® VCCB series gas char-broiler. While grilling, food particles, grease and the like separate from the food and fall into the grooves. Residual food particles may stick to surfaces in and around the grooves.
To maintain a consistent grilling surface and sanitary cooking conditions the grill must be regularly cleaned. Oils from the food being grilled run down the grooved of the broiler grates to the bottom of the grill. Cleaning of the oils, carbonaceous char, and other matter, is most commonly performed using wire brushes having bristles of uniform length. However the unique topographical features of such grooved grills make them particularly challenging to clean using uniform lengths of bristle. The bristles prove incompatible with the grooved surface of the grill. The depth of the grooves, typically ¾ inch, and particularly the angle further prevent the bristles from reaching into between the grooves for cleaning. Typical bristle brushes can only effectively clean the top of the grill surfaces, but not in between the grooves for sufficient cleaning.
Bristle brushes as well as various other scraping implements do not offer an adequate solution for cleaning the broiler grate in its entirety, including the surfaces and in between the grooves. Consequently, a need exists for an effective cleaning tool for adequately cleaning broiler grates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to a grill cleaning apparatus that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art and provides benefits to the art of grill cleaning. The invention provides a grill cleaning apparatus comprising an elongated body having a handle portion at one end and a scraper portion at the other end, and a claw extending outward from the scraper portion. The outwardly extending claw is shaped to fit into the angled grooves of most grills. The claw has a trunk with at least two side portions that widen outward from the scraper portion, and terminates with a plurality of spaced apart teeth. Each tooth has several edges and at least one projection for accessing the depth of the grooves.
The unique shape and contour of the present invention enables it to reach between and down into the depths of grill grooves to grasp and release any unwanted food particles, grease, and the like. It also provides the benefit of not becoming too hot for use and having a long enough handle to minimize or prevent injury to the user. Other advantages include its ease of use and inexpensive manufacturing cost.
Having briefly described the present invention, these and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
A grill cleaning apparatus 10 comprises a generally elongated body 11 having a handle portion 12 and a scraper portion 14, as shown in
Handle portion 12 is of any graspable shape and, preferably, has an elongated cylindrical shape, as can be seen in
Claw 16 is associated with scraper portion 14 opposite handle portion 12, as shown in
The claw 16 of the present invention can be made out of a variety of any suitable materials, such as stainless steel, woods, plastics, or other materials that provide the benefits described herein. The claw should be sufficiently strong to avoid buckling while scraping and adaptable to having a relatively sharp edge. It is also preferable to use a material suitable for being cleaned or sterilized as necessary. The claw 16 is comprised of multiple teeth 30, as can be seen in
Claw 16 has a trunk 22 with at least two side portions 23 and 24, examples of which are shown in
As shown in
Any number of teeth 30 can be used.
In an example of an embodiment of the present invention as shown in
As can be seen in
Also as depicted in
In an example as illustrated in
In use, the person using the grill cleaning claw of the present invention to scrape the grill will grab the device in the palm of his or her hand and apply a generally downward force against the broiler grate on the grill and slide it along the grooves of the grill to scrape the surfaces and push the grease and other materials through the small troughs in the grooves.
Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a grill scraper which can be inexpensively made and easily utilized as a scraping tool for use with cleaning the grooves of this particular style of grill. Another important objective of the present invention is to provide a grill scraper having a handle of sufficient length to help prevent or minimize splashing of grease or food onto the user of the present invention during scraping operation.
The aforementioned and further objects of the present invention will be explained in greater detail by reference to the attached figures and the following description of the preferred embodiment. As set forth herein, the present invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, mode of operation, and combination of parts presently described and embodied by the claims.
Claims
1. A grill cleaning apparatus comprising:
- an elongated body having a handle portion at one end and a scraper portion at the opposite end, and a claw extending outwardly from said scraper portion, wherein said claw has a trunk with at least two side portions widening outward from said scraper portion and terminating with a plurality of teeth, each said tooth having a first edge provided away from said trunk creating a first angle relative to a horizontal axis of said trunk and a complementary second angle relative to a vertical axis of said trunk, a second edge provided inward from said first edge to form at least one projection, a third horizontal edge provided from said second edge extending along said horizontal axis of said trunk, and a fourth edge provided inward from said third edge to said trunk creating a third angle relative to said horizontal axis of said trunk, wherein an end wall connects an end of said fourth edge of a first tooth and an end of said first edge of a second tooth to create an indent.
2. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said handle portion and is made of wood, ceramic, plastic, composite material or a combination thereof.
3. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said handle portion is constructed to withstand the downward pressure applied by a user for scraping without buckling said handle portion.
4. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said handle portion comprises an elongated cylindrical shape.
5. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said claw comprises a rigid molded body fixedly or detachably connected to said scrapper portion.
6. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said claw fixedly or detachably connects to said scrapper portion using a connecting means selected from the group consisting essentially of bolts, nails, screws, snaps, clamps, straps, adhesive, and combinations thereof.
7. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said claw is made of a material selected from the group consisting essentially of metal, stainless steel, wood, plastic, and combinations thereof, wherein said claw material is adaptable, wherein said third horizontal edge is relatively sharp, and fit within the grooves of a broiler grate.
8. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first angle relative to said horizontal axis of said trunk is of less magnitude than said third angle relative to said horizontal axis of said trunk, wherein said magnitude is measured from a horizontal axis along the width of said plurality of teeth.
9. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said indent is large enough to permit said teeth to fit into the grooves of a broiler grate.
10. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein each said projection fits into the depths of grooves of a broiler grate for scraping out unwanted particles, liquids or other material.
11. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said claw has a width that is greater than the width of said handle portion.
12. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plurality of spaced apart teeth, includes number of teeth selected and configured according to size of said elongated body as determined by the grilling application of a user, wherein said teeth are of a similar, same, or substantially same size and shape, and wherein each said indent has substantially similar dimension.
13. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein each said projection has a substantially similar said second angle and said fourth angle, wherein said second angle and said fourth angle are based upon individual grill groove widths of said grooves of said broiler grate as determined by the grilling application of said user.
14. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said projection has a substantially similar said fourth angle and said fifth angle.
15. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein each successive tooth length is of increasing length.
16. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said successive tooth length is within the range of about ½ inch to about 1½ inches.
17. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first angle is within the range of about 20 to about 26 degrees, and wherein said third angle is within the range of about 13 to about 17 degrees.
18. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said end wall is parallel or curved in shape.
19. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said projection is within the range of about ⅙ inch to about 2 inches.
20. The grill cleaning apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the width of said handle portion is within the range of about ⅜ inch to about 1½ inches, and wherein the width of each of said teeth is within the range of about 4 inches to about 8 inches; wherein said elongated body is within the range of about 20 inches to about 38 inches; and, wherein said claw is within the range of about 4 inches to about 8 inches.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 9, 2004
Publication Date: Mar 9, 2006
Inventor: Michael McIlree, (Oakdale, PA)
Application Number: 10/937,601
International Classification: A47L 13/02 (20060101);