GRILL CANOPY AND REMOVAL SYSTEM
A grill canopy is removably mounted to a grill or cooking assembly over the cooking surface of the grill. The grill canopy includes a first or front half and a second or rear half adapted to fit together in a telescoping arrangement. The first and second canopy halves can be locked together and then rotated to a removal position, where they can be disengaged and removed from the cooking surface of the grill.
The present Patent Application is a formalization of previously filed, co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/331,075, filed May 4, 2010 by the inventor named in the present Application. This Patent Application claims the benefit of the filing date of this cited Provisional Patent Application according to the statutes and rules governing provisional patent applications, particularly 35 U.S.C. §119(a)(i) and 37 C.F.R. §1.78(a)(4) and (a)(5). The specification and drawings of the Provisional Patent Application referenced above are specifically incorporated herein by reference as is set forth in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure generally relates to a canopy for a grill and to a method of removing the canopy from the grill. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a two part canopy that is removably attached to a grill, with the two parts capable of being locked together, rotated to a removal position, and disengaged from attachment with the grill.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONConventional outdoor grills have become increasingly more sophisticated in terms of their cooking operations and features. Such outdoor grills have changed from simple charcoal fueled grills having a single cooking grate to much more sophisticated gas or electric grills having multiple burners and various level and type cooking racks or assemblies. Most higher end or sophisticated gas or electric grills typically include a cabinet or firebox in which a grilling surface is mounted, and typically further include a heavy-duty, recloseable lid that is pivotally attached to the grill for easy opening and closing, and designed to protect the grilling surface and to maintain heat within the grilling area to a greater extent than cheaper charcoal fueled grills. Such constructions, however, still provide limitations with respect to cooking options, and even if the grill cover is left open during cooking, it will still tend to limit access to the available cooking area and will generally radiate heat back toward the user.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a cooking assembly such as for outdoor grills that addresses the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONBriefly described, the present invention generally relates to a grill canopy for a cooking assembly, typically for an outdoor grill, and a method of removing the canopy from the grill as needed or desired. The grill canopy can be used with a variety of different type cooking assemblies, including gas, electric or other type grills and generally provides a cover for enclosing the cooking surface or cooking area of a grill that can be substantially securely mounted to the grill cook top and pivotable between closed and open positions to at least partially expose the cooking area of the grill, while further being completely removable from the grill to provide unrestricted and open access to the cooking area or surface of the grill.
The grill canopy generally includes a pair of substantially arcuate sections or halves, including a first, proximal or front half or section and a second, distal or rear half or section. The proximal and distal sections further generally will be arranged in a telescoping alignment such that one of the sections, e.g., the front or proximal section, can pass over and cover the other section, e.g., the rear or distal section, such that the canopy sections will telescope together when the front section is moved to an opened position. A lock generally will be mounted to the first or proximal section and will include a locking pin or member that engages a corresponding locking groove formed in the rear or distal section of the grill canopy so as to lock the proximal and distal sections together.
Additionally, each of the canopy sections or halves generally will include a hood or body portion extending between a pair of side walls. Attachment hardware for mounting the canopy halves to the grill cook top is located at the lower end of each of the side walls of each canopy section, and in one embodiment can comprise a substantially C-shaped catch or rotating tab that engages and rotates about pivot pins mounted on opposite sides of the cooking area. With the canopy sections or halves locked together, the canopy sections can be moved to an unlocking position wherein the C-shaped catches of each of the canopy halves or sections are rotated to a non-engaging position with respect to their pivot pins. Thereafter, the grill canopy then can be removed from the grill cook top by lifting it vertically by its handle to fully expose the cooking area of the grill as needed or desired.
For reinstallation of the canopy, the canopy is lowered onto the pivot pins, with the C-shaped recesses of each of the canopy sections or halves receiving and resting on top of the pivot pins. Thereafter, the canopy typically will be rotated to a rearward position such that the catches of at least the rear distal canopy section or half will pivot about and thus engage the pivot pins in a locking arrangement, after which the lock mechanism between the two canopy halves can be disengaged to enable the proximal or front half of the canopy to be moved between its opened and closed positions with respect to the cooking surface.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the above-stated advantages and other advantages and benefits of various additional embodiments upon reading the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the below-listed drawing figures.
According to common practice, the various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the disclosure.
Referring now to the drawings in which corresponding parts are designated by corresponding reference numbers throughout the drawings,
The canopy 20 (
When removal of the canopy 20 is desired, the front half 30 can be rotated to its fully opened position, which generally is at a full rotation of the front half 30 to the rear of the grill 10 and can be locked to the rear half 40 by engagement of lock mechanism 60. The locking mechanism 60 includes a lock activating or user engagement portion 62 (shown as a sliding latch) and an engaging portion 64 (shown in
When in an unlocked position, such as shown in
Additionally, a guide slot 70 (
The foregoing description of the disclosure illustrates and describes various embodiments. As various changes could be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. For example, in an alternative arrangement not shown, the rear half could be larger than the front half. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure covers various modifications, combinations, alterations, etc., of the above-described embodiments that are within the scope of the claims.
Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes only selected embodiments of the disclosure, but the disclosure is capable of use in various other combinations, modifications, and environments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein, commensurate with the above teachings, and/or within the skill or knowledge of the relevant art. Furthermore, certain features and characteristics of each embodiment may be selectively interchanged and applied to other illustrated and non-illustrated embodiments of the disclosure.
Claims
1. A cooking assembly, comprising:
- a base having a cooking area defined thereon;
- a canopy moveable between a closed position substantially covering said cooking area and an open position exposing and enabling access to said cooking area; and
- wherein said canopy comprises telescoping first and second canopy sections releasably mounted to said base, each of said canopy sections pivotable between a locked position secured to said base and an unlocked position for removal of said canopy sections from said base, and a locking mechanism mounted between said first and second canopy sections and engageable therewith for locking said first and second sections together for removal from said base as a unitary structure.
2. The cooking assembly of claim 1 and wherein said locking mechanism comprises a locking member including a lock activating portion projecting from said first canopy section and having an engagement portion extending inwardly, and a locking slot formed in said second canopy section, wherein as said first and second canopy sections are moved into a telescoped position, said engagement portion of said locking member is received within and is slideable along said locking slot to lock said first and second canopy sections together.
3. The cooking assembly of claim 1 and wherein the cooking assembly comprises a grill.
4. The cooking assembly of claim 1 and further comprising a handle mounted to said first canopy section.
5. The cooking assembly of claim 1 and wherein said locking mechanism comprises a sliding latch.
6. The cooking assembly of claim 1 and wherein each of said first and second canopy sections comprises a body extending between spaced side walls, each of said side walls further including attachment hardware at lower ends thereof for releasably attaching said first and second canopy sections to said base.
7. The cooking assembly of claim 6 and wherein said attachment hardware comprises rotatable tabs formed at said lower ends of said side walls of each of said canopy sections, each tab including a recess adapted to engage and receive a pivot pin therein.
8. A removable canopy for a cooking grill, comprising:
- a pivotable front canopy half and a pivotable rear canopy half, said front canopy half moveable to an opened position extending over and substantially covering said rear canopy half;
- wherein said front and rear canopy halves each include a body and spaced side walls at opposite ends of said body, said side walls having upper ends attached to said body and lower ends;
- attachment hardware located at said lower ends of said side walls for releasably engaging the cooking grill and providing pivotable movement for said front and rear canopy halves with respect to a cooking surface of the cooking grill; and
- a locking mechanism mounted along said front canopy half and having a locking member adapted to engage said rear canopy half when said front canopy half is pivoted to its open position substantially covering said rear canopy half for locking said front and rear canopy halves together in a locked together configuration;
- wherein with said front and rear canopy halves in this locked together configuration, the canopy can be rotated to a removal position whereby said attachment hardware of said side walls is disengageable from the cooking grill for removal of the canopy.
9. The removable canopy of claim 8 and wherein said attachment hardware comprises rotatable tabs formed at said lower ends of said side walls of each of said canopy halves, each tab including a recess adapted to receive and engage a pivot pin therein.
10. The removable canopy of claim 8 and wherein said locking mechanism comprises a sliding latch.
11. The removable canopy of claim 8 and wherein said locking mechanism comprises a locking member having a lock activating portion projecting from said front canopy half and an engagement portion extending inwardly, and a locking slot formed in said rear canopy half wherein, as said front and rear canopy halves are moved into a telescoped position, said engagement portion of said locking member is received within and is slideable along said locking slot to lock said front and rear canopy halves together.
12. The removable canopy of claim 8 further comprising a handle mounted to said front canopy half.
13. A method of removing a grill canopy, from about a cooking surface of a grill, comprising:
- moving a first canopy section to an open position extending over and substantially covering a second canopy section and at least partially uncovering the cooking surface;
- securing the first and second canopy sections in a locked together arrangement;
- rotating the locked together first and second canopy sections to a removal position wherein the attachment hardware of the first and second canopy sections is disengaged from a pivot pin adjacent the cooking surface; and
- raising the locked together first and second canopy sections and moving the first and second canopy sections away from the cooking surface.
14. The method of claim 13 and wherein securing the first and second canopy sections in a locked together arrangement comprises moving a locking member mounted in the first canopy section into a locking slot formed in the second canopy section as the first canopy section is moved over the second canopy section, and, after the locking member has been received within the locking slot, moving the locking member laterally to a locked position along the locking slot.
Type: Application
Filed: May 4, 2011
Publication Date: Nov 10, 2011
Inventor: Raymond Nilssen, II (Greenwood, MS)
Application Number: 13/100,666
International Classification: F24C 1/00 (20060101);