WO2000006415A1

WO2000006415A1 - Multipurpose wheeled cooking apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2000006415A1
Application number: PCT/FR1998/001675
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lucien Baillon
Original assignee: Lucien Baillon
Priority date: 1998-07-28
Filing date: 1998-07-28
Publication date: 2000-02-10
Also published as: AU8983998A

Abstract

The invention concerns a multipurpose wheeled cooking apparatus, characterised in that it comprises: a body (1) mounted on a rolling frame (2-3), the resulting assembly capable of advantageously consisting of a standard baggage trailer; a firebox (5) comprising a base (5a) and four vertical side walls (5b, 5c, 5d, 5d) designed to be housed, preferably removable, in said body (1); means for preserving a space between the walls set opposite said firebox and said body; cooking utensils (14), dimensioned, shaped or arranged to be installed removable above the firebox (5).

Description

Versatile cooking vehicle.

The present invention relates to a versatile cooking vehicle, for outdoor cooking.

When you have to cook meat outdoors, for a large number of guests, the traditional domestic barbecue, as sophisticated and impressive as it is, is not enough. In this situation, the hosts, the organizing community or the caterer offering dishes, such as barbecue, grilled meats or fish, paella, etc., cooked over a wood fire, use heterogeneous equipment, very often dangerous in terms of to their implementation and most of the time not corresponding to European standards of food hygiene and safety.

In document US Pat. No. 3,025,782, a cooking vehicle is described comprising a fire box, consisting of a bottom and four heat-insulating side walls and a set of cooking grids capable of being positioned above this box. fire. It is a simple rolling barbecue, intended for outdoor barbecues. This device requires the manufacture of a special vehicle (trailer) with insulated walls and therefore, relatively expensive; it is devoid of any means favoring the draft of the hearth and of means contributing to improving the cooking process; Finally, it can only be used for one type of cooking (grilling).

In document US Pat. No. 4,364,310, a mobile barbecue is described comprising a fire box installed on a rolling chassis and essentially comprising a bottom, transverse end vertical walls and longitudinal vertical walls the upper edges of which are provided with notches for receiving the axes of rotating cooking baskets. This device also requires the manufacture of a rather expensive special vehicle (trailer); it is also devoid of means favoring the draft of the hearth and of means contributing to improving the cooking process, and it can only be used for one type of cooking (grilling). Another drawback of the barbecue vehicles described in documents US Pat. No. 3,025,782A and US Pat. No. 4,364,331 lies in the fact that it is very difficult to clean them after use.

An object of the invention is to remedy the shortcomings of mobile cooking appliances, such as the cooking vehicles described in the abovementioned documents.

According to a first characteristic arrangement, the versatile cooking vehicle according to the invention comprises:

a box installed on a rolling chassis, this box being made up of a bottom, two vertical end walls and two vertical side walls, the assembly thus produced can advantageously be constituted by a baggage trailer of the standard type;

- a fire tank with a bottom and four vertical side walls, intended to be housed, preferably removably, in said box, this tank having external dimensions significantly smaller than the internal dimensions of the box, so that a space is provided between the walls placed opposite said fire tank and said box;

means making it possible to reserve this space, these means being for example constituted, on the one hand, by studs of refractory material integral with the bottom of the fire tank, as regards the space formed between the bottom of the box and the bottom of said fire tank, and, on the other hand, by an insulation or insulation material being housed, preferably removably, between the front and side vertical walls of said box and said fire tank;

- cooking utensils comprising in particular, for example, one or more lattice frames sized to be able to be installed, in a removable manner, above the fire tray, covering the upper opening of the latter. Thanks to this construction, it is possible to realize an extremely simple and inexpensive mobile cooking appliance.

According to another characteristic arrangement of the invention, the rear vertical wall or rear drop side of the box can be moved, for example by tilting towards the ground, and the rear wall of the fire box is provided with one or more openings air inlet.

With this arrangement, it promotes the draft of the hearth, while having access to the embers housed in the fire tray, for example through a poker or a scraper.

According to another characteristic arrangement of the invention, the cooking utensils comprise a cover intended to close the upper opening of the fire tray, this cover being provided with a rim over its entire periphery, so that said cover, can be used as a baking tray (for pancakes for example), or after turning, as a baking dish for the preparation of certain dishes such as paella, couscous, etc.

Thanks to this arrangement, the cooking vehicle according to the invention makes it possible to cook a wide variety of foods according to different cooking methods; it is therefore versatile. Four types of cooking are indeed possible with a compact and mobile unit, allowing in particular artisans or communities to carry out these types of cooking without harm to the environment and without risk for the safety of professional or amateur cooks.

According to another arrangement of the invention, a vaulted reverberation plate is arranged above and at a distance from the fire tank.

This vaulted plate has the advantages of acting as a spark arrester, drain and reflector of thermal radiation activating cooking, allowing use in a roasting pan.

The invention brings significant improvements to existing devices thanks to its reduced cost price (the vehicle itself, can be constituted by any type of existing baggage trailer which does not require any significant transformation for the reception of the fire tank), the good draft of the hearth is perfectly ensured by the circulation of air authorized by the forecast of the gills of entry of air in the rear wall of the firebox, the cooking times are significantly shortened thanks to the reverberation device and the quality of the cooking is very good, it is possible to cook various preparations using different cooking methods: grilling, roasting (as explained in the following description), baking on a plate, cooking in a container.

As a purely indicative example, the versatile cooking vehicle according to the invention allows, with a firebox of 150 cm x 120 cm x 40 cm, to simultaneously roast three mutton of 25 kg each, and three half-mutton 12 kg each, in about 120 minutes, safely, above the fire tank. At the same time, it allows you to prepare grills on a lattice frame placed on the fire tank. The lid of this tank used for transport, also allows, when it is turned over on the hearth and positioned upside down, to cook in safety and hygiene, a paella for about 200 people.

The implementation and release of cooking equipment for use, can be done conveniently, without dirt, safely and in compliance with rules or standards of hygiene and fire safety.

The device according to the invention takes into account the quality of professional food hygiene standards of the various elements in contact with the foodstuffs during the cooking phases.

This device makes it possible, by using wood as fuel, to reduce the cooking time by 2/3, compared to the times normally required, by combining the radiation of the hearth, its constituent elements and the positioning of the foodstuffs to be treated.

The aims, characteristics and advantages above, and others still, will emerge more clearly from the description which follows and from the appended drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of the versatile cooking vehicle according to the invention, seen from the front.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of this versatile cooking vehicle, seen from the rear, the rear wall or side wall of the box being shown in the open position unmasking the air inlet vents of the fire tank.

Figure 3 is a partial perspective view showing the fire tray, before positioning in the box or outer casing of the cooking appliance.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a utensil for covering the fire tray shown in its position of cover or hob.

Figure 4B is a perspective view of the same utensil shown turned over, in a position allowing its use as a baking pan or pan.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a spindle and a drip pan positioned on one of the longitudinal sides of the trunk, in a storage position for transport.

Figure 6 is a top view of the cooking vehicle arranged to constitute a roasting pan.

Figure 7 is a side view of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is an axial sectional view showing one of the spindle drive mechanisms.

Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the drive motor of the spindles.

FIG. 10 shows two transverse half-sections of the cooking vehicle showing in particular the two positions of the cooking utensil usable as a cover; on the right half-cup, this cover can be used as a baking sheet, while on the left half-cup it can be used as a paella dish, couscous, or other culinary preparation.

Reference is made to said drawings to describe an advantageous, although in no way limiting, embodiment of the multipurpose cooking vehicle according to the invention.

This vehicle comprises a body 1 installed on a chassis 2 fitted with wheels 3. The rolling body-chassis assembly can be constituted by a trailer of the current type, for example of the type commonly called

"baggage trailer" comprising, at the front, an arrow 4 allowing its coupling to a self-propelled tractor vehicle.

The body 1 has a bottom 1 a and four vertical or side walls, that is to say two transverse walls 1b, 1c at the end and two side walls or longitudinal walls 1d, if one considers that said body has, preferably, the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.

In the box 1, is housed a fire tank 5, of shape similar to that of the said box but the dimensions of which are much smaller than that of the latter, this fire tank comprising a bottom 5a, a rear transverse wall 5b, a anterior transverse wall 5c and two longitudinal side walls 5d. In this way, the volume of the fire container 5 is integrated into the volume of the box 1 and a space is provided between the internal faces of the bottom and of the walls of the box and the external faces of the fire container.

Means are provided to maintain this space. For this purpose, the bottom 5a of the fire tank 5 can be equipped with feet or tocs 6 made of refractory material and by means of which, said tank rests on the bottom of the box. On the other hand, a thermal insulation material such as glass wool

30 is arranged between the various vertical walls placed opposite the body 1 and the fire tank 5, with the exception of the rear vertical walls.

The fire tank 5 can be made of 8/10 mm sheet steel and its rear wall 5a is provided with openings or openings 7 intended to favor the draft of the hearth. To allow this draw, the rear wall or side wall 1b of the body 1 is mounted with the ability to move, for example by tilting towards the ground, so as to unmask the openings 7 of the fire tank. The external surface of the tilting rear drop side 1b can be usefully arranged to serve as a support for part of the kitchen equipment.

The firebox 5 can be used such as to contain a brazier fueled by a fuel such as wood or charcoal, or a gas train for burning coke can be installed in the bottom of said firebox.

At least one of the side walls or drop sides 1d of the trailer, and preferably these two drop sides, are arranged and / or provided with means to allow the fixing of different utensils that can be used for cooking certain dishes, such as spit pins. roasting for example.

For example, each side wall 1d is provided, externally and near its ends, with hooks 8 or similar members intended to support the pins 9 when they are not in use or during transport

(figure 5).

At its upper part, externally and in the vicinity of its opposite ends, each side wall 1d is provided with vertical sleeves 10 disposed above the hooks 8. These vertical sleeves allow the engagement of the assembly arms 11, of which the one of the longitudinal edges of a universal pan 12, for example made of food-grade stainless steel.

The drip pans 12 have the function of recuperators of cooking juices and also of heat deflectors improving cooking.

In addition to the spits 9, the versatile cooking vehicle according to the invention comprises several specialized cooking utensils, sized, shaped or arranged so that they can be positioned, in use, above the box 1-fire tray 5, this assembly itself being dimensioned and equipped to support said cooking utensils. The device according to the invention notably comprises at least one, and preferably two grids or lattice frames 13, made of food-grade stainless steel.

These lattice frames are dimensioned to be able to rest on the upper edge of the firebox 5, in a removable manner, in order to allow the loading of fuel. These lattice frames are used for making grills (meat, fish or others).

The cooking utensils also include a cover 14 having a peripheral rim 15 and provided with handles 16, for example fixed on the longitudinal portions of said rim, substantially halfway up the latter.

This cover, for example made of food-grade stainless steel, is dimensioned to fit together, in width, with little play, in the fire container 5, the handles 15 resting, in this case, on the upper edge of said fire container , and thus opposing the descent of said cover into the bottom of the latter.

The cover advantageously has a length corresponding to only part of the length of the fire container; it may have, for example, a length corresponding to 8 / 10ths of the length of the fire tank 5, the remaining 2 / 10ths, being able to be covered by a panel 17 resting, in a removable manner on the upper edge of said fire tank. It can be made in one piece or in two twin parts.

When its bottom 14a is oriented upwards, this bottom can serve as a baking tray, while when it is oriented downwards, the cover 14 can serve as a baking dish, for example a paella pan.

The removable cover panel 14 is removed for cooking, so as to maintain the draft.

FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment of the cover 14, according to which the latter has, on the outside, on two of its parallel sides, support legs 31, by means of which it can rest on the top of the longitudinal walls of the box 1-firebox 5 assembly, these legs 31 being arranged, preferably, at a level closer to the bottom than the upper opening of said cover. According to this embodiment, the cover has a much greater depth, and it is preferably executed in two twin parts. Its bottom 14a is provided, externally, with handles 16a, while its edges parallel to the longitudinal walls of the body 1-firebox 5 assembly, are also provided with handles 16b.

As indicated above, the cooking utensils include, in particular, spits 9. On the towing arrow 4 of the trailer, is installed a device for rotating these spits or rotisserie.

This device, designated as a whole by the reference 28, comprises (FIGS. 8 and 9), a casing 18 fixed, for example by bolting, on the coupling arrow 4 and in which are housed:

a motor 19, for example constituted by an electric geared motor of

1 / 5th of CV;

- drive nuts 20 of pins 9, three in number according to the example illustrated;

a transmission device consisting of reduction gears 21 and at least one transmission chain 22, making it possible to transmit the motor movement to said drive nuts 20.

The drive device 19-21-22 is arranged so as to allow the nuts 20 and the pins 9 to be driven at a speed of the order of 4 revolutions / minute.

The pins 9 are secured to the drive nuts 20 via one of their ends provided with a hole 9a. The pins 9 can be engaged in the drive nuts 20 having a diametrical hole 20a and secured to the latter by means of a pin 22 passing through said holes 9a and 20a. The other end of the pins rests, during the use of the latter, in bearings constituted by notches 23 formed in the upper edge of a support piece 24, installed, in a removable manner, above the 'rear of the body 1, said support piece and the rear of the body being arranged to allow this removable mounting.

The front face of the casing 18 can be closed by a door 29, solid or latticed so as to protect the members housed in said casing.

The spits and their driving device make it possible to roast various pieces of meat, of different sizes or types. Each spit 9 can be provided with a double blocking system 9b allowing the rotational driving of the skewered pieces of meat.

Above the cooking tray 5 and at a distance from the latter, is placed a vaulted plate 25, for example constituted by a sheet of stainless steel with a thickness of 3 / 10ths of a millimeter, and with an axis parallel to the main axle of the trailer.

This arched plate is supported by a frame 26 comprising four uprights 27 fixed, preferably removably, by means of their lower end, in sockets 32 supported, externally, by the side walls 1d of the body 1. The sockets 32 supporting the uprights 27 can be equipped with means known per se (for example pressure screws), making it possible to adjust the height of the roof, relative to the fire tank 5.

The vault 25 fulfills the functions of drain, spark arrester and reflector of heat waves, this latter function being very advantageous when using the roasting cooking device, the radiation from the brazier is activated by the combined action of the side drip pans 12 and the arched plate 25.

The chassis 2 of the trailer can be equipped with a rack (not shown) intended to receive the tools for implementing the fuel (saw, poker, shovel, etc.), as well as the fire safety equipment (fire extinguisher, bucket ...).

Claims

1.- Multipurpose cooking vehicle, characterized in that it comprises:

- a box (1) installed on a rolling chassis (2-3), this box (1) consisting of a bottom (1a), two vertical end walls

(1b, 1c) and two vertical side walls (1d), the assembly thus produced can advantageously be constituted by a standard type baggage trailer;

- a fire container (5) comprising a bottom (5a) and four vertical side walls (5b, 5c, 5d, 5d), intended to be housed, preferably removably, in said box (1), this container fire (5) having external dimensions significantly smaller than the internal dimensions of the box, so that a space is formed between the walls placed opposite said fire tank and said box;

- Means for reserving this space, these means being for example constituted, on the one hand, by studs (6) of refractory material integral with the bottom of the fire tank, as regards the space formed between the bottom of the body and the bottom of said fire tank, and, on the other hand, by an insulation or insulation material which is housed, preferably removably, between the front and side vertical walls of said box and said fire tank ;

- cooking utensils comprising, in particular, for example, one or more lattice frames (13), dimensioned, shaped or arranged, in order to be able to be installed, removably, above the fire tank (5).

2.- multipurpose cooking vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear vertical wall or rear drop side (1b) of the body (1) can be moved, for example by tilting towards the ground, and the wall posterior (5b) of the firebox (5) is provided with one or more air intake vents (7).

3.- Multipurpose cooking vehicle according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the cooking utensils include a cover

(14) intended to close the upper opening of the fire container (5), this cover being provided with a rim (15) over its entire periphery, so that said cover can be used as a cooking plate (of pancakes for example), or after turning, as a baking dish for the preparation of certain dishes such as, for example, paella, couscous.

4. Multipurpose cooking vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a vaulted reverberation plate (25) is disposed above and at a distance from the fire tank (5).

5. Multipurpose cooking vehicle according to one of claims 1 or 4, using roasting spits (9), characterized in that it comprises, on the one hand, a rotisserie (28) installed on the arrow d 'hitch (4) of the vehicle, this rotisserie (28) comprising drive nuts (20) arranged to allow their coupling to one of the ends of the pins (9) shaped in a complementary manner and, on the other hand, a support piece (24), provided with notches or bearings (23) for receiving the opposite end of the pins, the rear of the body (1) and said support piece (24) being arranged so complementary to allow the removable mounting of the latter on said body.

Multipurpose cooking vehicle, according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the side panels (1d) of the box (1) are provided, externally, with means (8) allowing the attachment of various accessories (9) usable for cooking.

7 ^' .- Multipurpose cooking vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises side drip pans (12) fixed to the side rails (1d) of the box (1), for example by means of assembly arms (11) integral with said drip pan (12), engaging in sleeves (10) integral with the side walls (1d) of the body (1).

8.- Multipurpose cooking vehicle, according to claim 3, characterized in that the cover (14) is dimensioned to fit, in width, in the fire tank (5), said cover being provided, externally, on two on these parallel sides, support members (16, 31) by means of which it can rest on the top of the longitudinal sides of the body assembly

(1) - fire pit (5).

9.- Multipurpose cooking vehicle, according to one of claims 3 or 8, characterized in that the cover (14) has a length corresponding to only part of the length of the fire tank (5).

10.- Multipurpose cooking vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that the vaulted plate (25) is supported by a frame (26) comprising four uprights fixed in sockets (11) supported by the side walls (1d) of the body (1).