Camping tube grill

Abstract

The camping tube grill is a grill that is quickly assembled to create a grilling surface over a fire pit and may be collapsed into a compact carrying case. The camping tube grill includes two tubular rails, several grill rods, a pair of U-shaped spacing bars, and a storage case into which the rails, rods and bars are placed for storage and transport. The grill rods and spacing bars are inserted within holes defined in the rails, forming a grilling surface. One rail has a greater diameter than the other rail so that when the camping tube grill is disassembled, the smaller rail is able to fit within the larger rail. The spacing bars and grill rods are then inserted within the smaller rail, and the assembly is packed together into the compact carrying case.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to camping grills, and particularly to a compactable camping tube grill.

2. Description of the Related Art

Campers, hikers and other individuals that go on outdoor recreational excursions will necessarily need to cook meals for themselves. Such meals are often cooked over a pit fire or campfire set up near the individual's campsite or break site. These campers generally carry the necessary cooking equipment and utensils in their backpacks. The minimization of weight in the packs is of high concern to these individuals, especially when they are hiking or traveling for long periods of time. Backpacks also are not particularly spacious, and therefore large or rigid items take up space that may be used to hold other, more essential items.

Many outdoor enthusiasts carry portable grills that may be used when permanent grills are not easily accessible. A portable grill needs to fit within the individual's backpack, and conventional portable grills tend to take up a great amount of space within the pack. As campers are often facing decreased natural light when setting up for their dinner meals, it is desirable that a portable grill requires a minimum setup time. Also, minimum breakdown time is preferred by campers or hikers eager to get moving. Conventional portable grills, once used, are dirty and require substantial cleanup time to avoid soiling the camper's backpack when stored.

Accordingly, there is a need for a compact portable camping grill that uses minimal storage space, assembles quickly, eliminates substantial cleanup after cooking and includes a clean storage container for transport. Thus, a camping tube grill solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The camping tube grill is a tubular grill that may be quickly set up in a fire pit at a campsite. After use, the grill may be collapsed into a compact carrying case small enough to fit in a backpack. The camping tube grill includes two tubular rails, several grill rods, a pair of U-shaped spacing bars, and a storage case into which the rails, rods and bars are placed for storage and transport.

The grill rods are inserted within blind rod holes spaced along the length of both of the tubular rails. The grill rods are removably and slidably disposed in the rod holes to form a grid in which the rails are parallel to each other and the rods are normal to the rails and parallel to each other. The spacing bars are inserted within spacing holes that are defined in the opposite ends of each of the rails and aligned substantially normal to the rod holes. The spacing bars lock the rails together and retain the grill rods between the rails. Once the grill rods and spacing bars are put into place, the assembly may be placed over a pit fire to be used as a grilling surface.

One tubular rail has a greater diameter than the diameter of the other rail. When the camping tube grill is disassembled, the smaller rail slides within the larger tubular rail. The spacing bars and grill rods are then inserted within the smaller rail, and the assembled combination is packed together into the compact carrying case, which may be easily placed into a backpack. Thus, the required storage space is minimized, as the grill is entriely held within the single rail.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a camping tube grill according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the camping tube grill according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an elevational side view of the camping tube grill according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the camping tube grill disassembled and packed together for storage according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the carrying case open at the middle with the rails, rods and bars exposed.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is a camping tube grill that may be assembled to create a grilling surface to be set up in a fire pit at a campsite. The camping tube grill, designated generally as 10 in the drawings, may be collapsed into a compact carrying case small enough to fit in a backpack for storage and transport after use.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an environmental, perspective view and an exploded view of the camping tube grill 10 are shown. The camping tube grill 10 includes a first 12 and a second 14 elongated tubular rail, a plurality of grill rods 16 and a pair of spacing bars 18. Additionally, the camping tube grill 10 may include a storage case 50, shown in FIG. 5 and discussed below.

One end of each of the grill rods 16 is inserted within blind rod holes 20 that are longitudinally spaced along the length of the first tubular rail 12. The other end of each of the grill rods 16 is inserted within blind rod holes 20 (the holes are “blind” since they are formed through one wall of the tube, but not through the opposite wall of the tube) longitudinally spaced along the length of the tubular rails 12 and 14. The grill rods 16 are removably and slidably disposed in the rod holes 20, forming a grid. The rails 12 and 14 are parallel to each other, and the rods 16 are normal to the rails 12 and 14 and parallel to each other.

A spacing hole 22 is defined in the opposite ends of each of the rails 12 and 14. The spacing holes 22 defined in the rails 12 and 14 are aligned substantially normal to the rod holes 20. When the camping tube grill 10 is assembled and placed over a pit fire, the rod holes 20 are defined in the interior lateral surface of the rails 12 and 14, and the spacing holes 22 are defined in the top surface of the rails 12 and 14.

The spacing bars 18 are U-shaped and are removably and slidably disposed in the spacing holes 22. Once the spacing bars 18 are put in place, the spacing bars 18 temporarily lock the rails 12 and 14 together in parallel relation. Additionally, the spacing bars 18 stably retain the grill rods 16 between the tubular rails 12 and 14 until the grill 10 is ready to be broken down. By applying the use of the spacing bars 18, the need for drilling rod holes in both walls of each of the tubular rails 12 and 14 is eliminated, as the spacing bars 18 provide the necessary stability for the grill 10.

The tubular rails 12 and 14, the grill rods 16, and the spacing bars 18 are made from a metal, for example, steel or stainless steel. Although stainless steel may be more expensive, it does have the advantage of permitting a smaller gauge steel to be used, thereby making the grill 10 more lightweight, in addition to resisting corrosion and being easier to clean.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an elevational side view of the camping tube grill 10 is shown. The first tubular rail 12 has a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the second tubular rail 14, allowing the second rail 14 to fit within the first rail 12 when the camping grill 10 is packed together into the case 50. When the grill 10 is assembled for use, the ends of the spacing bars 18 are inserted within the spacing holes 22. The grill rods 16 are inserted within the blind rod holes 20 in the first 12 and the second 14 tubular rails.

FIG. 4 shows the camping tube grill 10 disassembled and packed together for storage and transport. Once the user is finished with the grill 10, the grill 10 is disassembled so that the grill 10 may be packed away. The second tubular rail 14 is first inserted into the hollow first tubular rail 12. The grill rods 16 and the spacing bars 18 are then placed inside the hollow second rail 14, providing a compact assembly. After the rods 16, spacing bars 18 and rails 12 and 14 are assembled together, the combination is placed inside a carrying case 50, shown in FIG. 5, formed from a pair of telescoping tubular containers. The carrying case 50 is slidable and has an adjustable length. The carrying case 50 may be made from a plastic or a metal, for example, aluminum, and instead of telescoping members, may be formed from two halves joined by a twist lock.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A camping tube grill, comprising:

a first and a second elongated tubular rail, each of the rails having a plurality of rod holes longitudinally spaced along the length of each of the rails and a spacing hole defined in opposite ends of each of the rails, the spacing holes being aligned substantially normal to the rod holes;

a plurality of grill rods removably and slidably disposed in the rod holes, forming a grid having the rails parallel to each other and the rods normal to the rails and parallel to each other; and

a pair of spacing bars removably and slidably disposed in the spacing holes in order to temporarily lock the rails together in parallel relation and to stably retain the rods between the rails.

2. The camping tube grill according to claim 1, further comprising a carrying case having a pair of telescoping tubular containers.

3. The camping tube grill according to claim 2, wherein the carrying case is made from plastic.

4. The camping tube grill according to claim 2, wherein the carrying case is made from aluminum.

5. The camping tube grill according to claim 1, wherein the rod holes are blind rod holes.

6. The camping tube grill according to claim 1, wherein the spacing bars are U-shaped bars.

7. The camping tube grill according to claim 1, wherein the tubular rails, grill rods and spacing bars are made from metal.

8. The camping tube grill according to claim 7, wherein the metal is stainless steel.

9. A camping tube grill, comprising:

a first and a second elongated tubular rail, each of the rails having a plurality of blind rod holes longitudinally spaced along the length of each of the rails and a spacing hole defined in opposite ends of each of the rails, the spacing holes being aligned substantially normal to the blind rod holes;

a plurality of grill rods removably and slidably disposed in the rod holes, forming a grid having the rails parallel to each other and the rods normal to the rails and parallel to each other; and

a pair of spacing bars removably and slidably disposed in the spacing holes in order to temporarily lock the rails together in parallel relation and to stably retain the rods between the rails.

10. The camping tube grill according to claim 9, further comprising a carrying case having a pair of telescoping tubular containers.

11. The camping tube grill according to claim 10, wherein the carrying case is made from plastic.

12. The camping tube grill according to claim 10, wherein the carrying case is made from aluminum.

13. The camping tube grill according to claim 9, wherein the spacing bars are U-shaped bars.

14. The camping tube grill according to claim 9, wherein the tubular rails, grill rods and spacing bars are made from stainless steel.

15. A camping tube grill, comprising:

a first and a second elongated tubular rail, each of the rails having a plurality of rod holes longitudinally spaced along the length of each of the rails and a spacing hole defined in opposite ends of each of the rails, the spacing holes being aligned substantially normal to the rod holes;

a plurality of grill rods removably and slidably disposed in the rod holes, forming a grid having the rails parallel to each other and the rods normal to the rails and parallel to each other; and

a pair of U-shaped spacing bars removably and slidably disposed in the spacing holes in order to temporarily lock the rails together in parallel relation and to stably retain the rods between the rails.

16. The camping tube grill according to claim 15, further comprising a carrying case having a pair of telescoping tubular containers.

17. The camping tube grill according to claim 16, wherein the carrying case is made from plastic.

18. The camping tube grill according to claim 16, wherein the carrying case is made from aluminum.

19. The camping tube grill according to claim 15, wherein the rod holes are blind rod holes.

20. The camping tube grill according to claim 15, wherein the tubular rails, grill rods and spacing bars are made from stainless steel.