CA1264795A - Two-sided cooking device for a grill - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A compact two-sided cooking device is disclosed for use with an existing grill to permit two-sided cooking of food products, such as hamburger patties, on a relatively limited basis. The device includes a cooking assembly having an electrically-powered cooking platen which can be selectively positioned on food products on the grill for effecting accelerated two-sided cooking thereof.
The present cooking device has been particularly configured for use in conjunction with, and for rocking movement on, a commercially-sized restaurant grill, and provides greatly reduced cooking times so that a customer's order can be freshly and efficiently prepared even during relatively slow business hours.

Description

TWO-SIDED COO~ING DEVICE FOR A GRILL
Technical Field The pre~ent invention relates generally to arrangements for ef~ecting two-~ided cooking of food products, and more particularly to a relatively compact cooking device for u~e with an e~isting grill to permit efficient two--ided cooking of food products ~uch a~ hamburger pattie~
Background of the Invention The ~enQory appeal of food products ~uch as hamburger pa~tie~ and the like i8 ~ignificantly enhanced when the product~ are ~erved ~ soon a8 po~sible after their proparation Accordingly, many commercial re~taurant ~thbli-hment~ carefully monitor the ti~e period betw~en preparation of food products and their ~ervice to cu-to~er- to a~ure the sensory appeal of the products and cu~tomer sati~faction During relativ-ly bu~y hour~ of oporation in a re~taurant, it i5 u~ually po~ible to maintain a generally continuous flow of cooked food product~ 80 that customers can be ~erved quicXly and ~fficiently, with the food products being ~rv~d very hortly after their preparation ~ow~v~r, durin~ relatively ~low hour- of opQration, ~uch a~ betw~en cu~tomary me~l time~, it i- generally not po~ible to ~aintain such a continuou- flow of food product~ if the product~ are to be ~erved within th~ dc-ir~d ti~e after th~ir preparation A~ such in order to a~ure that only high guality pro~uct~ are gerved, it i8 frequently nece--ary that product preparation only be initiated after a cu-tomer'~ ord-r i- r-ceived Such product propar~tion i~ al-o gen-rally nece~ary when a customer requ~t~ a ~pec~alU~ non--tandard order While cu~tomer- are thu3 a~sur~d of receiving food ~X~79~i

- 2 - 27710-1 products of the desired high quality and sensory appeal, some customer dissatisfaction can result from the additional time a customer must wait for individual preparation of the customer's order.
It is thus desirable to provide an arrangement by which the cooking time for food products such as hamburger patties can be significantly reduced to permit quick and efficient preparation of a customer's order during periods of operation when a continu-ous flow of cooked products is not being maintained. Customer satisfaction is greatly enhanced since only products which are freshly prepared are served, with a customer's order being filled in a relatively short time as compared to the time required for preparing food products by conventional one-sided grilling.
ummary of the Invention The cooking device of the present invention is in the nature of an accessory for addition to an existing grill to permit two-sided cooking of hamburger patties and like food products on a relatively limited basis. The device is particularly suited for use in conjunction with a commercially-sized grill, and can conveniently be placed in an out-of-the-way disposition adjacent or on top of the grill when the grill is used in a normal manner for one-sided cooking. When it is desired to minimize the cooking time for relatively small batches of the hamburger patties, the patties can be placed on the grill and the cooking device of the present invention conveniently disposed on top of them, thus effecting highly efficient two-sided cooking of the patties.

~'~64~795 _ 3 - 27710-l Specifically, the present invention provides a cooking device for two-sided cooking of food products such as hamburger patties on a grill, comprising: electrically-powered platen means defining an expansive cooking surface and adapted to be located at any one of a horizontal range of positions on said grill;
flexible electrical cable means supplying power to said platen means and for permitting selective positioning of said platen means at any one of said horizontal positions on said grill; spacing means joined to said platen means but free of said grill for main-taining a predetermined spacing between said expansive cookingsurface and said grill when said cooking surface is positioned in closely spaced, generally parallel relation to said grill, whereby said platen means is positionable above food products on said grill at any one of said horizontal positions for effecting two-sided cooking of said food products; and support means for support-ing said platen means with said cooking surface in at least two positions, said positions including a first, active position having said cooking surface disposed above said food products for effecting two-sided cooking thereof, and a second, inactive position having said cooking surface positioned away from said grill in a generally upright position.
The invention also provides a cooking device for two-sided cooking of food products such as hamburger patties on a grill, comprising: a housing; electrically-powered platen means joined to said housing and defining an expansive cooking surface;
spacing and support means operatively joined to said platen means D

12647~i - 3a - 27710-1 for maintaining a predetermined spacing between said cooking sur-face and said grill when said cooking surface is positioned in a first, active, lowered position generally parallel relation to said grill with said food products positioned between said cooking surface and said grill, and for supporting said platen in a second, inactive, position, said spacing and support means including an arcuate portion about which said housing and said platen means can be rocked between said first lowered and said second upright positions without lifting said housing and said platen means off of said grill; control means remote from said housing for regulat-ing said platen means; and flexible electrical cable means operatively joining said control means and said platen means.
The invention further provides a cooking device for two-sided cooking of food products such as hamburger patties on a grill, comprising: heatable platen means defining an expansive cooking surface; means for supplying energy to said platen means and for permitting selective positioning of said platen means on said grill through a range of horizontal positions; a pair of spacing rail means joined to said platen means for maintaining a predetermined spacing between said expansive platen cooking sur-face and said underlying grill when said cooking surface is positioned in closely spaced, generally parallel relation to said grill, whereby said platen means is positionable above food products on said grill for effecting two-sided cooking ofsaid food products; and a pair of support rail means for supporting said platen means with said cooking surface positioned away from said ~2~7~i - 3b - 27710-1 grill in an inactive position.
In the preferred embodiment, the present device includes a control assembly which is positioned remote from the cooking assembly (such as on an exhaust hood or the like above the grill), with the heat-resistant, flexible electrical cable operatively joining the control assembly and the cooking platen for regulation of the platen. The control assembly is thus desirably positioned away from the heat of the grill, with the flexible cable permitting the cooking assembly to be selectively positioned on the grill as desired.
To effect two-sided cooking of hamburger patties or other food products, the cooking assembly is positioned above the patties after they have been placed on the grill. In this regard, it has been found that food products such as hamburger patties exhibit enhanced sensory appeal when a predetermined spacing is maintained between the cooking surface of the heated platen and the associated grill. To this end, the cooking assembly includes the spacing means operatively joined to the cooking platen for maintaining the desired predetermined spacing between the cooking surface of the platen and the grill.
In the illustrated embodiments of the present invention, the arrangement for spacing the cooking surface of the platen from the grill is provided by a pair of support rails positioned on respective first opposite sides of the platen cooking surface.
By this arrangement, the second opposite sides of the cooking surface are "open" so that meat 1~6~7~

juices are not tr~pped, which could otherwi~e re~ult in "stewing" of th~ ha~burger pattiQ~.
In one illustrated e~bodi~ent of the inv~ntion, e~ch ~upport rail i- generally L-~haped, and includes a pacing porti~n ~d~ac-nt to the platen ~ookinq surf ce for providing the ~pacing means of the a~embly. ~ch upport rail further include~ a ~upport portion which e~tend- away fro~ the re~p~ctive ~pacing portion, and which i- preferably join~d to the ~pacing portion by an arcuate corner port~on.
By thi~ arrang~nt, th~ cooking a~ae~bly can b~ ea~ily ~nipul~t~d b~tw~n ~ fir~t lower~d or active cooking po~ition wh-r~in it- cooking ~urface i~ po-ition~d in g~n~rally p~sallel r~lation to the grill for two-Qid~d cooking, and a ~cond upright po~ition wh~re~n th~ a--o~bly ~- upported by tho upport portion- of the two upport rail-. ~n this ~cond inactiv~ p~ition, th- cooking urface of thQ
plat-n i- po-ition~d ~way from th~ grill in a gen~rally v~rtic~l ori-nt~tion. Th~ pr~f~rrcd arcuate configuration of thc corn-r- of th~ upport rail~ per~it~ th~ a---mbly to b~ r-adily ~anipulatea betw~en it- f$r-t and ~cond po-ition~ by rock~ng or pivoting th~ A--~Dbly about th- ~rcuate corner portion~ without lifting th~ A-~-mbly fro~ the surface of th- gr$11. ThiB pr~ferred arrangemRnt p~rmit- conveni-nt ~roll ov-r~ of th~ cooking a~s~bly b-twe~n lt- active use ~nd inactiv~ non-u~e po~ition-, and furth-r permit~ th- cooking a---mbly to b~ l-ft on top of the grill wh-n th- a--qmbly i~
not being u~-d for ~wo--ided cooking.
Additional f~atur-- of th- pr~ent cooking device facilitate ~t- ffici-nt and conv~niont u-e.
In the pr~ferr~d form, low-friction ~oano sre -s- 1~64795 provided in a300ciation with the cooking ~urfa~e of the platen ~or contact with the hamburger pattie~ or other food pr~duct~. While such low-friction ~ean~
can b~ provid~d in the form of ~ uit~ble low-friction compo~ition applied and bonded dire~tly to the cookin~ Rurfa~e, th~ illustrated e~bodi~ents include a low-friction, h~at-tr~n~ferring sheet ju~tapo~ed wlth the cooking ~ur~ace ot the plat~n for contact with th- h~nburger pattie~. The cooking ass~mbly pref~rably $nclude~ an arrangement of attachm~n~ r~ and clips at th~ s~cond oppo3it~
~ide~ of the cooking aurface for re~ovably mountin~
the low-friction h~t in ju~t~po~ition with the platen cooking eurface.
While on~ illustsated ~bo~im-nt of th2 pr~nt invsntion includ~- gen~r~lly L--h~ped ~uppor~
r~ or ~aineaining t~ de~ir-d pr-d~termined ~pacing b-tw~n th- pl~t~n coo~ng ~urfac~ and the ~-ociat~d grill, a furth-r illu-trat~d ~mbodl~nt includos di~r-ntly configur0d ~uppor~ rail~ which ~r~ ~rrang~d to provid~ th~ r-~ovabl~ ~ounting of th~
low friction ~ho~t in ~ddition to th~ attac~ent clips and rail~. A p~ir of pring clip- arc provided ~or re~ovably ~oinins th~ two upport rail- of thi~
furthor ~sbodi~nt eO ~h- cooking pl~t~n, with ~arginal ~dg~ portion- of low-friction h~t h~ld captiv~ betw--n th- cvoking pl~t-n and th~ ~upport rail-. m u-, t~ low-friction ~hH~t i- r~ovably re~ain~d in po-itlon at fir-t oppo-it- id~ and eecond oppo-it~ ide~ of ~he ~pan~iv~ cooking ~ur4acc, thu~ de~irably i~olating th~ cooking urfac-fro~ n6at ~uic-~ and th~ like on th- grill.
Oth~r f~atur-- and ~dvantag-s of th~ prerent inv~ntion will b~cone ro~dily appar~nt fro~ the ~v -6- 12~79~
following detailed description, the ~ccompanying drawing~, and the appended clai~.
Brief Description o~ the Dr~wing~
FIGURE 1 i~ a p-rspective view of the pre~ent two-Hided cooking device hown in an active po~ition of u~e with an a4~0eiated grill:
FIGURE 2 i~ a p~r~pectivo view of a cooking a~embly of the present cooking devie- ~hown in an inactive, non-u~e po-ition on the a-Dociated grill:
FIGURE 3 i- a ero~s--~etlonal view of the cooking a-n~bly ~hown in FIGURE 2 t~ken g~nerally along line- 3-3 of FIGUPE l;
FIGVRE 4 illu~trat~a a ~odifi-d form of the preaent cooking dovie~ whieh p~r~it- ~leetive adjust~ent of the r~l~tive paeing of th~ devie~ with r~p~et to ~h~ a--oeiated grill: .
FXGURE S i- a furth~r ~odifisd ~bodi~ent of the pr~nt eooking d2viee whie~ p-rmit- ~lec~ive adjustmont of th~ p~eing of tho d-viee relativ~ to the a-~ociAt~d grill;
FIGU~E 6 i- a p~rti~lly-o~plod-d p~r-pective view of an alternate e~bodi~ent of tho eooking a~e~bly of tho pr--ent a~vie~;
FIGU~E 7 iJ a eros~ etional vi-w of the ~lternate e~oking A-80~bly ~hown in FIGURE 6; and FIGU~E 8 i~ a furth~r, r-lativ~ly nlarged ero~a-seetion~l vi-w o~ th~ alt-rnat~ eooking a~sembly ~hown ~n FIGU~S 6 ~n~ 7.
Detail~d D~-~ri~tion While th~ pr---nt $nvent~on ~ u-eept$ble of embodi~-nt in variou- ~orm~, there i- ahown in the drawingJ and will h-reina~t-r b- d--erib-d pr~-ontly preferred ¢~bodi~-nt-, a~d modiflcation~ ~h-reof, with the und-r~tanding that th- pr-~ent di~clo-ur~ i~
to be considered ~- an ~x~mpl~fication of th~

~26~7~3~
, invention, and i8 not intended to limit the invention ~o the ~pecific e~bodimento illustrated With reference firot to FIGURE 1, therein i9 illu~trated a two-~ided cooking device 10 e~bodying the priciples of the praoent inventlon Cooking device 10 i~ ~hown in conjunction with a grill 12 having a planar, horizontal cooking surface, and an ~xhaust hood 14 po~ition-d above grill 12 Such a grill and e~hau-t hood arrange~ent ~re typical of the equipment provid-d in a co~rcial r~otaurant e~tabli~hment for preparation of ~ood product~ ouch ao haLburger patties, designated a8 patties P in the drawings, with the pre~ent cooking d~vice being p~rticularly configured for U8e in conjunction with ouch a co~rcially--iz~d grlll In th- proferrad form, th~ pr~-ent cooking davice includo~ a cosking a~ bly 16 which io po~itionablo on top of grill 12, a control a~-~bly 10 po~itioned r~ote fro~ th~ cooking a---mbly uch ~o on hood 14, and a h~at-r~ tant fl-sible electrical cablo 20 which op~rativ~ly ~oin~ ~he cooking and control a--~mbli~ oat-r~ t~nt cable 20 ~y be in the nature of a a~tal-clad or armored electrical cablo, which not only pro~ct~ the electrical wiring th-rein fro~ th~ h-at of grill 12, but which furth~r r~ t~ da~ag- from inadv-rtant contact fro~ ~etal patul or the like typically used on th~ grill. ~hiB preferr~d provioion of heat-re-~t~nt c~ 20 for tho pro-~nt cooking device por~ito the cooXlng a--~bly 16 to be positionod on th~ grill 12 during both p~riod~ of activ~ u~- and inactive non-uoe, whil- d~irably positioning th~ control a-~-obly 18 a~ay from grill 12 o that the controls ar~ not adv~roely affected by the h-~t of th- grill With particular reference to FIGURES 2 and

3, the preferred configuration of the cooking a~sembly 16 i8 illustrated~ The cooking aJ~embly include~ a suitably ~etallic box-like housing 22 having depending side~ which define an open bottom (referring to the orientation of FIGURE 3), with a cast aluminum cooking platen 24 joined to and positioned within the hou~ing 22 An electrically-powered heating ~ ent 26 i8 provided within the ca~t platen for effocting heating thereof, with the plat-n defining a pr~f~rably generally rectangular planar e2p~nsive cooking urface 28 (FIGURE 2) which i~ po~itionable abov- pattie3 P on the grill for effscting two--ided cooking of the patti~
The eooking plat~n 24 prcf~rably include~ an integral t~mp~rature ~nsor 30 ~-uch a~ a thermocoupl~), with tho temp~r~ture ~enJor 30 and the heatins element 26 op~ratively ~oined with conSrol as-embly 18 via fle~ible cabl~ 20 ~he control a~¢mbly pref~rably includ-- ~uitabl~ ther~o~tatic controlR and ~i~$ng devic~- ~or r~gulating the electrical pow~r uppli~d to he~ting ~ ent 26 In ord~r to ~inimiz- h-~ting of hou~ing 22 during op~ration of cook$n~ plat~n 24, cooking assembly 16 proef~rably includ-- uitabl~ in-ulation - di~po~ed betw~on th~ cooking plat~n ~nd the hou-ing AB b~t ~hown in FIGURE 3, uch inJulation ~ay include ~uitabl~ ~h-~t in~ulation 32 poDitioned betwo~n ~h~ id~ of cooking plat-n 24 and the dep-nding ide- of hou~ing 22, and uitabl- fibrou~
in~ulation 34 po-ition~d on top of cooking platen 24 within housin~ 22~
T~ acilitat~ conv-nient cleaning of cooking as~embly 16, th~ e~pan-iv~ cooking ~urfac¢ 28 of 9 ~ 26~795 CoQkin9 plAten 24 i8 pr~ferably provid~d with a ~uitable low-fri~tion, Nnon-~tick" mat~ri~l in a~ociation thorewith 80 that pattie~ P and meat juice~ do not ~dhere to the cooking urfac~. While such low-friction ~aterial (~uch a6 compri~ing polytetrofluoroethylen~) can be appli~d and bonded dir~ctly to cooking ~urf~c~ 28, it i~ pr~-ently preferr~d that cooking a~ne~bly 16 b~ provided with a r~movabl~ ~non-~tick~ low-friction ~haet 36, uch a~
compri~ing polytetrafluoroethylen~, ~uxt~po~ed with the cooking ~urface 28. Suitable polyt~trafluoro-ethylen2 ~h--t matcrial iB available fro~ Che~ical Fabric~ Corporation, ~orth B~nnington, V~rmont. It will be not-d th~t low-frict$on ~hoet 36 i- not ~hown in FIGURE 2, ~nd thu~ cooking surfac~ 28 of plat~n 24 i~ vi~ible.
Becau-e ~t i~ ordin~rily n~c~ ry ee p-riodically repl~e thc low-fr~ction h-~t 36, cooking a~s~bly 16 pr~ ~rably includ~ an arr~ng~ent for r~o~ably ~ounting the he~t 36 in ~uxtapo-ition to the cooking urface of platen 24.
Sp~cifically, a p~ir of ntt~chD~nt ~ail- 38 are join~d to houaing 22 at r~-p~ctiv- opposite sid~
ther-of, with a pair of ~ttach~nt clip- 40 provid-d for r~p~c~iv~ int~r-ng~g~n-nt with attachm~nt rail~
38. Sheet 36 i- thu~ ~ounted by po~tioning the sh~et adj~cent to eh~ ~oo~ing urface 28 of plat~n 24, with th~ oppo-it~ ~nd- o th~ h~t r~p~ct~vely fittod about attachm~nt ra 38. Attachnent clips 40 ar~ then reJp-c~v~ly f$tt~d to thc attachm~nt rail- 38 ~uch that the h~t 36 i- di-po-ed b~tween each attachm~nt clip and it- r--poctive rail. The illu~trated "dov-tail" configuration of the attach~ent ralls and clip~ firmly ~ecureo the oheet 1~64795 36 in justapoHition with cooking surfa~e 28 of platen A~ not-d two-sid~d cooking of patties P i8 ~ffoct~d by ~anipulation of cooking a~o~nbly 16 such S that the cooking ~urface of the platen 24 iB
po~itioned AbOV~ the pattie-, wit~ low-friction sheet 36 in contact with the upper ~urface of the patties In thi- regard, te-ting ha~ ~hown that tho -n~ory app~al of ha~burg~r patti-~ and lik~ food product~ i~
~nhanc~d when a prod~ter~in~d pacing i- ~aintained b~tween th~ cooking surface of plat-n 24 and the grill 12 ~ccordingly, cooking a~ bly 16 includes a pair of upport rail- 42 ~oinsd to hou-ing 22 on r~-p~ctiv~ f iE-t oppo-it~ id-~ o~ th- cook~ng ~urfac~ of plat~n 24 (with a~tach~nt r~ and clip8 3a and 40 thu- b~ng po~ition~ g-n-rally at r~p~ctiv~ econd oppo-lt~ ia-. O th- ~ooking ~urface~ ~ach ~upport ~a~l 42 i- pr-f~rably of a gen-rally L--hap-d configuration, with ach including a ~pncing portion 44 di-po~-d ad~ac~nt to th~ cooking ~urface of plat~n 24, and a upport portion 46 which ~xtend~ at a pr~f-rably acut- an~l- a~ay fro~ apacing portion 44. Th~ pacing portion 44 and tho upport portion 46 of ach rail 42 ~r~ pre~rably join-d by an arcua~ corn~r port$on 48 A~ t ~llu~trat-d in FIGURE 3, the pacing portion 44 of ach upport rail 42 ~aintain~ ~h~
de~ir-d pr~d~t~r~in-d ~pacing b~tw~-n cooking plat~n 24 and grill 12 aur~ng two-~id~d cooking of patties wh~n eooking ~o-~bly 16 i~ di-po~ed in thi- fir-t low~r~d po-ition A~ will b- r-eognir-d, th-provioion of paeing portion~ 44 only at r~p-etiv~
fir-t oppo-it- id-~ of eooking ~urfw- 28 eonfigure~
eooking a~ bly 16 ~ueh that th~ c~eond oppo-it2 id-s of cooking urfae- 28 ~r- ~open~ during two-~ided cooking ThuR, the region ben~ath the cooking ~urface i8 not "closed", which could otherwiee undesirably re~ult in "-tewing" of pattie~
P during two-~id~d cooXing of the pattie~
Support rails 42 additionally function to ~upport the cooking asae~bly 16 in a ~econd upright position (FIGURE 2) wh~rein the cooking urf~ce of platen 24 i~ di~po-ed g3nerally vertically and aw~y from grill 12 a~ cooking d~vico 16 i~ ~upported by portion~ 46 of bupport rails 42 m e provi-ion of arcuate corner port$ons 48 in each support rail 42 facilitates conv~nient manipulation of cooking a~mbly 16 between $ts fir-t and ~cond po~ition~
Spccifically, thi- pr~f~rr-d configuration of the support rail- p-rmit- th~ cooking a---nbly 16 to be rock~d or ~roll-d ov~r" or pivot~d about tho corner portion~ 48, without lifting th- cooking a~-e~bly ofr of th~ grill, ~ th0 cooking ~ bly i- ~anipulated between itA activ~ u-~ and ~ nactive, non-u~e po~i~io~a ~andle 50 go$ned to hou~ing 22 fac$1ita~e- manipulat$on in thi- uann~r, with the handl- 50 prcf-rably di-po-~a abovo hou-$ng 22 wh-n the cooking a-~mbly 16 iA in it- lowar~d cooking po-ition, thu~ ~ln~iæing hcating of th- handle by grill 12 Support rail~ 42 p rnit th- cooking a--~mbly 16 to bo left on grill 12 ~v~n wh-n the cooking a~c~bly 1- ~n ~t~ upr$ght, non-u-~ po~ition, thu- d-~irably ~$ni~izing pr~ad of m-at ~uico~ and the l$ke away fro~ th~ grill whil~ prev~nting e~ce--iv~ h-at lo~ fro~ t~e cooking a~ bly for en-rgy ~ f fic$~ncy ThQ accol-rat-d two--ided cook$ng prov$ded by the pr~ent lnv~ntion i8 particularly advantag~ous for r~ducing th- cooking ti~ for food product- which cannot be qu$ckly pr~parQd by conv~ntional one-~ided ~2~479~

eooking. For example, conventional one-~ided cooking of frozen one-quarter pound ground b~ef hamburger patti~ norm~llY on the ord~r of four ~nd one-half ~inutes. In the context of ~ffici-nt rs~taurant servi~e, this tim~ period ~n be unaccept~bly long if a cu~tom~r'- ord~r is to b~ fr~hly prepAred. In compari~on, th~ pr~s~nt d~vice p~rmit~ two-~ided cooking of fro~en on~-quart~r pound pattie~ ~n Appro~im~tely ~wo minute~.
Sinc~ two-~ided cooking i8 to be porfor~ed on ~ r~lativ~ly li~ited ~iY, the abov~-de~cribed em~odim~nt of th~ pre~nt invention hA~ been relatively di~n-ioned to ~i~ult~nou~ly cook a pair of one-quart~r pound m-at p~tti~-. A 1500 watt lS hea~ing el~m~nt 26 h~ bo~n uc~ fully u--d, with platen 24 b~ing ~intuin~d in ~ t~mp~raeuro rang~ of obou~ 375 - 450- F. In thi~ curr-nt e~bodiment, the ~pacing b~tw-en th~ cooking urf~c~ of plat~n 24 and grill 12 which i- provid~d by pA~ing portion~ 44 of rail~ 42 i8 pr~fcr~bly on the ord~r of 0.4 to 0.5 inch, with 0.42 inch b~ing ~o~t pr~fcrr-d. ThiB
spacing i~ lightly 1~8 th~n tho nor~l thickn~ of I commercially ava~la~le onh-quar~-r pound meat 1 pattiQ-, thu~ a-~uring enhanc~d ini~ial cont~ct b~tw~en low-friction ~h~et 36 of th~ cooking a--embly and the patti~ for ~ffecting gocd ~-ear" of th- meat.
A- two ided cook$ng progr~-se-, th- woight of cooking a--o~bly 16 act~ to r~due~ th- thickne-~of tho patti-~ until the cooking urfac- of th-a~mbly 1~ ~inta$n-d in $t- pr~d-ter~$n-d ~pac-d relation by ~pac$ng portionr 44. Ma$nta$n$ng thi~
pr-dsterm~nod ~p~cing prev-nt~ undu- compaction of the ~eat patt~--, wh$ch could other~ adv~r-ely affect the enrory appeal of the cook~d produc1:. The cooking a~sombly 16 $~ pr-f-rably confiyured to e~ert -13- ~6~795 sufficient pre~ur~ on the pntties during the initial ~tages of two-oided cooking for ~ff~cting the de~ired ~sear" of the pattie3. For e~ample, a current embodiment of the pre~ent inv~ntion having a cooking a3~mbly 16 ~ized to cook a pair of one-quarter pound pattie~ i~ pr~f~rably provid~d with a weight on the order of 10-12 pound~. ~aturally, it i- decired that th~ cooking a~-c~bly 16 not b~ ~xce~ively heavy ~o as to not detract fro~ conv~ni~nt m~nipulation by hand.
FIGURE 4 illuJtr~te~ a modified for~ of the pacing portionY of ~upport rail~ 42 of cooXing a~embly 16, the~e ~pacing portion~ b~inq de~ignat~d 144 in FIGURE 4. Thi~ configuration of pacing portion~ 144 per~it~ the pr-d~ter~in~d 6p~cing betwe~n the cooking ~urface of ~ Dbly 16 and the grill 12 to be ~ otiv~ly ~d~u-t~d~ Sp-cifically, each ~pacing portion 144 d~flno~ a pair o~ ledg~s 145 and 147. ~h~ dge~ 145 and 147 arc configur~d to receive th~ low~r cornar- of hou~ing 22 of a~mbly 16, and provide twc dif~ren~ ~pacing~ ~or the cooking ~urfac~ of the a~e~bly rolativc to grill 12.
ft-hand ~ide of FIGURE 4 illu~trate~
houAing 22 po-ition~d on l~dgos 145 of upport portion~ 144, ~hu- po~i~ioning th- cooking urface of the a~e~bly 16 in relativ~ly clos~ly rpac-d relation to the grill 12 (-uch a- for two-~ided cooking of one-t~nth pound ~at pat~ y conera~t~ the ri~ht-h~nd portion of FIGUR~ 4 illu-tr~ee~
30 positioning of hou~ing 22 on ledg~s 147 of ~upport portion~ 144, thu~ providing r-lativ~ly groater pacing b-tw--n tho cooking urface of th- platcn within the hou~ing and the grill 12.
Pr~viou-ly d-~erib~d ~upport rail~ 42 can be configurod to includo aupport portion~ 144 ~uch a~

126~795 shown in FIGURE 4, with suitable removable fa~teners or the like being e~ployed for removably securing the ~uppcrt rails to the houQing 22 ~he Aupport rails 42 having ~upport portion~ 144 can be ~electively appropriately po~ition~d with re-pect to hou~ing 22 ~o that the pair of ledges 145 or 147 to be u~ed for supporting the hou~ing 22 are po~itioned in inwardly facing relation to each other FIGURE 5 illu~erate~ an altern~te embodi~ent for maintaining the dasircd pr~de~er~ined pacing between the cooking urface of the platen within housiny 22 and the grill 12, with the arrangement of FIGURE 5 b~ing infinitely ~olectiv~ly ad~uJtable within a pr~d~ter~inod rang~ The p~cing arrangemcnt ~hown in P$GURE 5 can ba u~2d in place of proviou~ly do3cribed pacing portion~ 44 of ~upport rail~ 42 The arrang~ment ~howa in FIGURE 5 incluaes a ~el~ctiv-ly adju~table, thr~aded ~paeing meuber 244 preferably having a round~a h~ad portion for contact 20 with grill 12 Th- throadod ~-~ber 244 i~ held by a ~uitable lock nut 249 in fix~d r~lation with r~-pect to a thr~adod block 251 through which th~ m~mber 244 ; e~t~nd~
By providing th~ ad~u~table pacing a-~-mbly of FIGURE 5 g-n-rally ~t ach of th- four corner~ of the housing 22 of cooking as-e~bly 16, the d~-irod predetermin~d pacing bbtw~-n th~ ~ooking ~urface of the plat~n within hou-ing 22 and the a-~ociat~d grill i~ maintained ~ur~ng two-sid~d cooking With r-f~rence now to FIGURES 6-~, th~roin i8 illu-trat~d a further mbodim-nt o~ the cooking a-~embly, pr-viou-ly do-ignat~d 16, of tho pr-~ent inv~n~ion In ~ny r~-p~cts, thi- further cmbodiment is l~ke tho pr~viou- embodimQnt, and accordingly, corresponding component~ of thi~ fur~h-r mbodi~ent ~6~795 are designated with like reference num~ral~ in the three-hundred serie~. Thi~ further embodiment of the cooking a~sembly, de3ignated 316, has been configured to include a removable, low-friction ~non-sti~k"
sh~et ju~tapo-~d with th~ cooking urface of th-assembly, with the cooking surface i~olated from the a3~0~iated grill by the low-friction sheet.
With particular rQfQr~nce to FIGURES 6 and 7, cooking a-~ombly 316 ia opRratively ~o$ncd with a~ociated control~ ~uch a~ 18 by ~ heat-r~ai-t~nt electrical cable 320. The cooking a--e~bly includes a suitably metallic hou~ing 22 joined ~o a Ch8t alu~inum cooking plat~n 324, with a uit~ble heat-re3i~tant g~sket 325 int~rpo~e~ betwaen the hou~ing and the ~oking plat~n. An el~ctr$cally-pow-rod h~ting ~ nt 326 i- provid~d wi~hln the ca-t platen ~or ~f~cting h~ating thcreof, with the plat~n defin~ng B pr-f~r~bly g~nerally rectangular planar e~p~nsiv~ cook~ng urfac~ 328 (FIGURE 8) which i- po~itionable ~bovo patti~ P on the grill for ef~cting two--$d-d cooking of t~e pattie~. An intogral te~p-rature -n-or 330 iB
provided within thQ cooking pla~n, with th~
temp~rature ~n~or 330 an~ th~ hcating ~ nt 326 operativ~ly ~oin-d w~th pr-viou~ly-d~cri~-d control a-~embly 18 v~a fl~ibl- h-at-r2-i~tant cabl~ 320.
Suitable fibrou~ ~n~lat$on 334 i~ providcd b~tw-~n hou~iny 322 and platsn 324 to minim~z~ h-ating of the housing by th~ coDking plat~n, with the ga~kot 325 acting to r~ t p-n~tration of n~at ~uic-~ and the like into in-ulation 334 within the hou~ing.
A8 not~d, thi- ~bodim-nt of the cooking a~embly of ~h~ pr--ent inv-ntion include- a low-~riction sh~t ~u~t~poe-d to cooking surfac- 328 of th~ cooking pl~ten uch th~t the coo~ing ~urface is isolated from the as~ociated grill Accordingly, low-friction ~heet ~aterial 336 i8 provided, with the illu~trated arrangement ineluding m~an3 for remsvably mounting the low-friction ~h~et ~t the fir~t oppo~ite side~ and the se~ond oppo~ite ~ide~ of the cooking surface 328 Like the pr~viou~ly-de~crib-d ~mbodi~ent 16 of the cooking aa~embly, eooking a--o~bly 316 include4 a palr of attaehm-nt rail~ 338 ~nd attachment elip- 340 which ~re po~ition-d on platen 324 generally at ro~p~ctive ~cond oppoaite ide~ of the platen'- eooking urf~ce for removably eeuring corre~ponding marginal ~dge portionn of hoet 336 in ju~tapo-ition to cooking ~urfaeo 328 ~n di~tinction from the pr~viou-ly-da~crib~d ~bodime~t, eooking a~s~mbly 316 includ~J modi~i-d upport rail~ 342 which are eonfigur~d to further r-~o~bly ~ount h-et 336 ~t rc-p-ctiv~ first oppo-itQ ~ o~ eooking surfaee 328 To thi- ~nd, ~eh of ~h~ ~upport rails 42 i8 provid~d w~th a gon~rally longat-d configur2tion, with ~aeh incluaing a pae$ng portion 344 for maintaining the dc-ircd pr~d~er~incd p~cing betwee~
the eooking ~ur~a~ 328 and th~ a--o~i~t~d grill during two--id-~ eook~ng of patti-~ P
R~ovabl~ mounting of low-frietion sh~et 336 i~ f~cilitat~d by ~on~iguring aeh ~upport r~il 342 to d~fin~ an ~long~t-d r-ce~- 345, with ~ch r~c~-~345 dimon-ion~d to r~e-ive ~ rc~p~etiv- odge portion of eook~ng pl~t~n 324 A r--p~et$v~ ~arginal odge portion of sh-et 336 i~ thu~ h-ld eaptiv- botw-on the platen 324 and aeh upport rail 342 (-oo FIGURE 8) ~o permit romovabl~ mounting of ~h-et 336 in thi-manner, ~upport rail- 342 ar- arrang-d for r-movable mounting by r~movably -curing th~ ~upport rail~ to the cooking platen 324. A p~ir of attachment ~pring clips ~47 are provided for this purpo~e, with ~ach clip 347 configured to fit over a r-spective att~chment rail 347' mouneed on platen 324 ~nd a re~p~ctive ono of th~ ~upport rail~ 342. As illustrated, the outw~rdly f~cing surface of ea~h ~upport rail 342 pr~ferably defin~ a groove for coaction with ita r-~p~ctive pring clip 347 o that th~ support rails ~r~ ~cur~ly, y~t ra~ovably, ~oined to th~ cooking platen 324. It will be noted that in th~ illustr~t~d cdbodim~nt, each ~upport rail 342 include~ ~ pair of groove~ on i~ outwardly facing surfac-, thuA f~cilitating int¢rchange~bility of the two upport rail~.
15A3 in the pr~viou~ly-d~-cribed ~mbodi~nt of the cooking a~ bly o~ ~h- pr--~nt 1nvention~
cooking a~ bly 316 ho~ b~n configured for rocklng or pivoting ~ov-~ent botwcen it~ lower~d~ us-pos~tion ~nd a g~n~r~lly upright, non-u-~ po-ition.
To facilitat- uch rocking ~ov-~-nt without lifting the cooking a~ bly from th~ sc$~ted gr~ ach of th~ ~upport rail- 342 inelud-- an arcuat- ~nd I portion 348 about which th~ a-~-mbly can b~ rockod, with handl~ 350 ~oin~d to hou-inq 322 ~cilitating convcniant rocking ~o~ nt o~ th~ cooking a---ibly.
In thi~ ~mbodi~n~, upport of th~ cooking a~ bly 316 In i~ g~n-rally upright, non-u~- po-~tion i-acco~odat-d by ~ pair of ~upport trut- 352 provided on th- hhndl~ 350, with the upport ~trut- thu~
functioning in th- naturc of upport portion~ 46 of ~upport rail- 42 of th~ pr~Yiou-ly-de~crib~d ombodimont.
FIGURE 6 goncrally illu-tr~t~- removabl~
~ounting of low-fric~ion h~t 336 ~n ~uxtapo~ition to the cosking surf~cc of cooking platon 324.

1;~6~795 Oppo~ite marginal edge portions of th~ ~h~et 336 are wrapped around attach2ent rails 338, with attachment clip~ 344 fitt~d to the attachment rail3 ~o that the-e edge por~ion~ of the ~he~t 336 are securely retained. The ~h~et 336 i~ further mounted on cooking platen 324 by wrapping the ~he~t upwardly about the oppo~ite odg~ of cooking platen 324, with the support rail~ 342 then fitt~d to the cooking platon ~o that the ~h~gt 336 i~ held in captive relation. Spring clipe 347 are then re~pectiv~ly fitted to th~ ~upport rail~, with the re~ultAnt configuration being ~uch th~t thQ ~ooking ~urfaee of the plat~n 324 i- i~olated from th¢ asJocinted grill by th~ ~h~t 336. Thi- ~rr~ng~nt c n b~ de-irabl~
for minim~zing ~ny cont~t of ~e3t ~uice~ of th~ lik~
with the cooking ur~ac~ o~ the h~atod pl~t~n.
From the for-golng, it will b~ ob~arv~d th~t numerou~ modifications and v~r~tion~ can b~ effocted by tho~e killod in th- art w$t~out departing fro~
the tru~ ~pirit and COp8 of the ~ov-l soncept of the pro~ent invo~tion. It i~ to bo und~r~tood th~t no limitation with r~p-ct to th~ p~c$fie e~bcdi~ents I disclo-ed h~r2in ar~ intsnd~d or hould be inferred.
The illu~tr~tod ~bcdim-n~s, of cour~ r~ intonded to covor by th~ app-nd~d claim~ all uch modificaeion~ ~ fall within the cope of the claims.

Claims (22)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A cooking device for two-sided cooking of food products such as hamburger patties on a grill, comprising:
electrically-powered platen means defining an expansive cooking surface and adapted to be located at any one of a hori-zontal range of positions on said grill;
flexible electrical cable means supplying power to said platen means and for permitting selective positioning of said platen means at any one of said horizontal positions on said grill;
spacing means joined to said platen means but free of said grill for maintaining a predetermined spacing between said expansive cooking surface and said grill when said cooking surface is positioned in closely spaced, generally parallel relation to said grill, whereby said platen means is positionable above food products on said grill at any one of said horizontal positions for effecting two-sided cooking of said food products; and support means for supporting said platen means with said cooking surface in at least two positions, said positions including a first, active position having said cooking surface disposed above said food products for effecting two-sided cooking thereof, and a second, inactive position having said cooking surface positioned away from said grill in a generally upright position.

2. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 1, including means for selectively adjusting said predetermined spacing provided by said spacing means.

3. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 1, including low-friction means provided in association with said expansive cooking surface of said platen means for contact with said food products.

4. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 3, wherein said low-friction means comprises low-friction sheet means juxtaposed with said cooking surface of said platen means for contact with said food products, and means for removably mounting said sheet means in juxtaposition to said cooking surface.

5. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 4, wherein said support means and said spacing means are provided by a pair of support rails positioned on respective opposite sides of said platen means, each said support rail including a spacing portion disposed adjacent said cooking surface to provide said spacing means, each said support rail further including a support portion joined to said spacing portion to provide said support means.

6. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 5, wherein each said support rail includes an arcuate corner portion respectively joining said spacing and support portions to permit manipulation of said platen means between said first and second positions by rocking said platen means about said arcuate corner portions of said support rails without lifting of said platen means off of said grill.

7. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 4, wherein said means for removably mounting said sheet means comprises support rail means and means for removably securing said support rail means to said platen means, said support rail means providing said spacing means for maintaining said predetermined spacing between said expansive cooking surface and said grill.

8. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 4, wherein said means for removably mounting said sheet means is configured to mount said sheet means such that said expansive cooking surface of said platen means is isolated from said grill by said sheet means.

9. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 1, including control means remote from said platen means for regulating said platen means, said flexible cable means comprising a heat-resistant flexible cable operatively joining said control means and said platen means.

10. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 1, including a housing within which said platen means is positioned, and insulation means for minimizing heating of said housing by said platen means.

11. A cooking device for two-sided cooking of food products such as hamburger patties on a grill, comprising:
a housing;
electrically-powered platen means joined to said hous-ing and defining an expansive cooking surface;
spacing and support means operatively joined to said platen means for maintaining a predetermined spacing between said cooking surface and said grill when said cooking surface is positioned in a first, active, lowered position generally parallel relation to said grill with said food products positioned between said cooking surface and said grill, and for supporting said platen in a second, inactive, position, said spacing and support means including an arcuate portion about which said housing and said platen means can be rocked between said first lowered and said second upright positions without lifting said housing and said platen means off of said grill;
control means remote from said housing for regulating said platen means; and flexible electrical cable means operatively joining said control means and said platen means.

12. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 11, including means for adjusting said predetermined spacing between said cooking surface and said grill.

13. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 11, including means on said housing for rocking said housing and said platen means between said first lowered and second upright posi-tions without lifting said housing and said platen means off of said grill.

14. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 11, including low-friction sheet means juxtaposed to said cooking surface for contact with said food products, and means for remov-ably mounting said sheet means in juxtaposition to said cooking surface.

15. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 14, including handle means for manipulating said housing and said platen means between said first and second positions.

16. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 14, wherein said means for removably mounting said sheet means is configured to mount said sheet means such that said expansive cooking surface is isolated from said grill by said sheet means.

17. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 16, wherein said expansive cooking surface is generally rectangular, said means for removably mounting said sheet means comprising a pair of support rails and spring clip means for removably securing said support rails to said platen means on respective first opposite sides of said cooking surface, with said sheet means held captive between said support rails and said platen means, each said support rail including a spacing portion, said spacing portions providing said spacing means for maintaining said predetermined spacing between said cooking surface and said grill, said means for removably mounting said sheet means further comprising attachment rails and clip means for removably mounting said sheet means generally at second opposite sides of said cooking surface, whereby said sheet means can be mounted to isolate said generally rectangular cooking surface of said platen means from said grill.

18. A two-sided cooking device in accordance with claim 17, wherein said support means comprises support strut means joined to said housing for supporting said housing and said platen means in said second inactive upright position;
each of said support rails including an arcuate end portion about which said housing and said platen means can be rocked between said first lowered and second upright positions without lifting said housing and said platen means off of said grill.

19. A cooking device for two-sided cooking of food products such as hamburger patties on a grill, comprising:
heatable platen means defining an expansive cooking surface;
means for supplying energy to said platen means and for permitting selective positioning of said platen means on said grill through a range of horizontal positions;
a pair of spacing rail means joined to said platen means for maintaining a predetermined spacing between said expan-sive platen cooking surface and said underlying grill when said cooking surface is positioned in closely spaced, generally parallel relation to said grill, whereby said platen means is positionable above food products on said grill for effecting two-sided cooking of said food products; and a pair of support rail means for supporting said platen means with said cooking surface positioned away from said grill in an inactive position.

20. A cooking device for two-sided cooking of food products such as hamburger patties on a grill, comprising:
electrically-powered platen means defining an expansive cooking surface and adapted to be located at any one of a hori-zontal range of positions on said grill;
flexible power supply means of sufficient length to supply power to said platen means at any one of the horizontal range of positions of said platen means on said grill; and support means for supporting said platen in either of two positions, the support means including spacing means affixed to said platen means but free of said grill for maintaining a predetermined spacing between said platen cooking surface and said grill when said platen cooking surface is positioned in closely spaced, generally parallel relation to said grill, said platen means thus being positionable above food products on said grill at any one of a range of horizontally spaced positions in a first, active position for effecting two-sided cooking of said food products, the support means further including means extending from said device for supporting the platen in a second inactive posi-tion having said cooking surface positioned away from said grill in a generally upright position.

21. A cooking device according to claim 19 wherein said support means further includes arcuate portions about which the device can be rocked, when the device is being moved between said first and second positions.

22. A cooking device according to claim 19 wherein said support means extending from said device includes at least one support strut extending from a device handle.