Turkey Fryer Wind Block: Keeping Your Bird Crispy in Windy Conditions

Abstract A wind screen device for an outdoor grill is provided, which comprises a horizontal bottom plate and a series of vertical side plates. The vertical side plates contact each other and the bottom plate to form an enclosure or windscreen. The enclosure is capable of housing a variety of types and sizes of outdoor cooking units, thereby screening out the wind from the outdoor cooking unit. The rigid plates are hooked together by split rings, which are threaded through slotted holes located near the edges of the plates. The side plates are held in place by angled clips when the windscreen device is assembled. The side plates are also capable of being alternately folded down with all of the plates stacked together for storage. The windscreen device includes an additional opening in one of its side plates, which is designed to admit a gas hose therethrough.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• This invention is related to outdoor barbecues and grills, specifically a wind and fire guard that goes with the turkey fryer/outdoor cooker.
• 2. Description of the Prior Art
• Gas fired barbecues have become very popular. Typically, a gas barbecue consists of a cabinet or housing that holds the grill above the combustion chamber. As a fuel source, a burner in the combustion chamber is attached to a gas bottle. These gas-fired barbecues are becoming more and more popular as an alternative to charcoal barbecues because they’re simple to operate, don’t require ash disposal, and require little cleanup after each use.
• Over the past few years, a number of very appealing features for gas and charcoal-fired barbecues have developed. It’s crucial that the combustion chamber of barbecues powered by gas or charcoal functions dependably under a range of wind circumstances.
• Grease drips from meat that has been cooked on the grill get into the barbecue housing, which is one of the main issues with using gas barbecues. The drippings could catch fire if they come into contact with the burners or the open flame, creating a hazardous scenario.
• U. S. Pat. No. 1,238,142, issued Aug. gives Hitchcock a straightforward and effective collapsible camp stove on October 28, 1917. Because of its lightweight design and ability to fold into a relatively flat shape, the device is portable and easy to carry. The device consists of four side members that are hingedly connected and preferably made of thin sheet metal.
• U. S. Pat. No. 2,469,885, granted to Molla on May 10, 1949, depicts a collapsible fire-box unit that can be shipped and stored in a relatively thin, substantially flat package. The fire-box is compatible with collapsible or knockdown barbecues, allowing the entire appliance to be packed up or stored.
• U. S. Pat. 2,556,365, issued Jun. 6, 1951 to McKnight, Jr. asserts the existence of a very straightforward portable outdoor cooking stove and barbecue combo. The apparatus can be easily folded into a small package for transportation and storage. The appliance can also be easily opened to function as a portable barbecue and cooking stove that can be used outdoors.
• U. S. Pat. No. A foldable sheet metal charcoal burner with four trapezoidal side walls that are hinged to form a truncated pyramid is described in patent 3,384,066 that was granted to Tufts on May 21, 1968. A grate is releasably attached to the opposite wall and pivoted horizontally against one wall, slightly above the base of the pyramid. This allows the grate to be released to fall and release the fire. To fold the device or arrange it with the two sides next to the hinge pin parallel and a grill extending between such two sides, the device’s one detachable hinge pin can be used. The device’s sides then form a fire shield and grill support with an open side.
• U. S. Pat. No. 3,494,349, issued Feb. 10, 1970 to Allen, reveals a windshield that is specifically designed to be installed on a grill bowl. The windshield is preferably composed of two or more panels that are connected to provide the desired configuration. At least one panel can be moved between two configurations: (a) the windshield configuration, in which all panels are substantially flush with the grill bowl’s rim; and (b) the chimney configuration, in which the chimney sides define an area on the bottom of the grill bowl that is significantly smaller than the bottom area overall.
• U. S. Pat. No. 4,256,080, issued Mar. 17, 1981 to Seach, presents a grill with a cover or lid that is hinged to it, similar to a Hibachi or barbecue grill. Additionally, the grill features a mechanism for precisely shutting the lid at a chosen angle in relation to the grill to block wind and control the rate of cooking.
• U. S. Pat. No. 5,333,540, issued Aug. The subject of patent 2, 1994 to Mazzocchi is a freestanding, foldable, portable barbecue designed to be moved from an open/assembled to a closed/folded configuration and vice versa, taking on the characteristics of a portable suitcase. The barbecue consists of a roughly cubic container held up by legs that are pivotally fastened to the container’s underside and fold inward to form a plane parallel to the container’s base. A lid that pivotally attaches to the container serves as both a cover and a rear baffle when it is closed. The barbecue features a well-formed interior that serves as a cooking waste trap, as well as first and second side baffles that are designed to move independently of the lid and are pivotally attached to the base and between the receptacle’s sidewalls. Supporting means to allow for the adjustable support of one or more cooking trays and/or a rotisserie on the first and second side baffles Within the container, there are ports that allow gas to be injected into a gas-operated heat source or a section that can hold dry combustibles for use as a heat source. When the barbecue is in the folded position, the lid can be secured to the container using the fastener mechanisms on it.
• U. S. Pat. No. 5,495,845, issued Mar. 5, 1996 to Hait, shows a small outdoor cooking device with two modes: cooking and transport and storage. The outdoor cooking unit has a foldable stove. The stove is in the extended state when it is in the cooking mode. A foldable stove features a releasable locking flange along the lower end of its end wall, and a firebox base plate has a hook flange. When the foldable stove is extended for the cooking mode, its locking flange is releasably fastened to the base plate’s hook flange. A base, a pan, and a griddle are also included with the outdoor cooking unit. When the pan is being transported or stored, it is positioned inside the base’s elevated walls. A griddle sits on the pan while it is being transported or stored, with the griddle’s movable walls encircling the pan. The handle hooks on the pan, griddle, and base are positioned vertically. In order to keep the outdoor cooking unit compact while in transport or storage, a strap wraps around the base, the pan, and the griddle and passes through their vertically aligned handle hooks.
• U. S. Pat. No. 4,829,975, granted to Hait on May 16, 1989, is for a fire grate with a slot designed to hold a briquette section with a narrow diameter. The briquette is supported vertically by the walls encircling the slot, with its narrowly dimensioned section extending upward. The slot allows combustion air or gas to pass through it, exposing the briquette to it.
• U. S. Pat. No. 4,531,505, issued Jul. 30, 1985 to Hait, supplies a cooking appliance with a drawer-mounted oven. A folded, truncated pyramidal support member, a diffuser, a grill, a griddle, a windbreak, and a cover are placed over the oven for storage and transportation purposes. The top of the oven has a cover that can be removed, and inside are the folded truncated pyramidal firebox, folded truncated pyramidal support member, diffuser, grill, griddle, and windbreak, all of which are kept compact. When the oven is in use, it can be used as the cooking unit’s base with the drawer attached, or it can be placed above the diffuser, the extended truncated pyramidal support member, and the firebox. In the other configuration, the cooking unit’s base is the cover.
• U. S. Pat. No. 5,979,428, issued Nov. 9, 1999 to Greene, Jr. , shows a retrofitable wind screen for portable gas cookers. The sheet metal device fits around the outside of the cooker frame and extends at least three inches above the cooker grate. It is easily adjustable to fit practically any portable gas cooker. The appliance improves a gas cooker’s overall cooking efficiency by protecting the gas flame from wind. Lastly, by preventing the unintentional removal of a cooking tool from the cooking surface, the device adds a layer of safety because it extends above the surface.
• U. S. Pat. No. 5,682,872, issued Nov. 4, 1997 to Whitted, talks about a camping furnace that’s used to warm or cook food outside. The apparatus surrounds the burning fuel and directs smoke upward. The risk of a fire spreading is reduced and fuel and heat are used effectively. The equipment is easily movable when it’s safe to do so, leaving spent fuel and ash in its wake. The furnace’s enclosure wall should ideally be composed of sections that can be separated and/or hinged to allow the furnace to be folded into a flatter, more portable shape for storage.
• What is required is a windscreen that is affordable, efficient, and simple to assemble, disassemble, clean, and store. It should be compatible with a range of outdoor grill models and sizes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

• The goal of the current invention is to create a wind screen that is affordable, efficient, and simple to assemble, disassemble, clean, and store. It can be utilized with a range of outdoor grill models and sizes.
• The creation of a windscreen for an outdoor grill with access for a gas hose hookup is another goal of the current invention.
• Another goal of the current invention is to create an outdoor grill windscreen that reduces oil splashes and helps to avoid accidents brought on by slick walkways.
• The current invention also aims to add a safety feature that will aid in containing any potential fire that may arise while using an outdoor cooker.
• Making the wind screen from fire-resistant materials, like sheet metal or a collapsible foil-covered card board, is another goal of the current invention.
• To put it briefly, an outdoor grill wind screen device is offered, consisting of a set of vertical side plates and a horizontal bottom plate. An enclosure is formed by the vertical side plates coming into contact with the bottom plate. The stiff plates have the ability to be connected in an alternate manner to create a windscreen that can contain an outdoor cooking device and block wind from the device. Two slotted openings that are next to the side plates’ bottom edges are present in each side plate. There are four slotted pairs of mating openings through the bottom plate, one pair next to and parallel to each of the plate’s four edges. The bottom connecting means are made up of a number of rings that fit through neighboring mating openings between the side plate and bottom plate. Each ring is made up of a split metal ring that can be opened to fit through the openings in the plates and closed to keep the plates together.
• Angled clips are fitted to a neighboring pair of side plates during assembly to keep the side plates aligned and upright in relation to the bottom plate and each other. To enable the side plates to fold down onto the bottom plate for storage, the right-angled clips can be taken off of them. The angled clips are made of a heat-resistant material that can be bent and cut from sheet metal or molded from a synthetic material that is heat-resistant.
• One of the side plates of the windscreen device has an extra aperture that is intended to allow a gas hose to pass through.
• The fact that the current invention offers an outdoor grill’s windscreen is one of its benefits.
• An additional benefit of the current invention is its ability to be conveniently collapsed for transportation or storage.
• One more benefit of the current invention is that it allows for gas hookup access.
• The affordability of manufacturing the current invention is another benefit.
• The ease of assembly of the current invention is yet another benefit.
• The current invention also has the benefit of keeping the outdoor cooking area cleaner.
• An additional benefit of the current invention is that, in the event that a fire breaks out on the grill, it helps contain the fire.
• The current invention also has the benefit of preventing oil splashes on walkways.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

• These and other specifics of my invention will be explained in relation to the drawings that are attached, which are provided solely for illustration purposes and do not constitute a restriction on the invention. The drawings in question include the following:
• FIG. 1 is a perspective picture of the fully assembled outdoor grill windscreen device;
• FIG. 2 shows the outdoor grill windscreen from a perspective angle when the sides have been folded down to store on the bottom;
• FIG. The outdoor grill windscreen device is shown in top plan view in figure 3, with the sides collapsed out and away from the bottom;
• FIG. A perspective view of an alternative design for the outdoor grill windscreen device is shown in figure 4, which has two opposing pliable sides that can bend along a vertical centerline and a covering over its four vertical sides;
• FIG. A cutaway perspective view of the device’s front corner is shown in FIG. 4A. 4 showing the covering over the plates; .
• FIG. 5 shows the alternate embodiment of FIG. in perspective. The grill windscreen device can be folded up for flat storage by bending the two opposing bendable sides inward, as demonstrated by the covering covering the four vertical sides.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

• In FIG. 1-3, an outdoor grill 30’s windscreen device 20 is made up of a set of rigid plates 21–25, comprising four vertical side plates 22–25 and a horizontal bottom plate 21. The bottom plate 21 and the vertical side plates 22–25 come into contact to create an enclosure that holds a grill 30 inside, protecting it from the wind and collecting grease spills. As shown in FIG., the stiff plates 21–25 can be connected in an alternating fashion to create a wind screen 20. 1, which can accommodate an outdoor cooking means (30) and block the wind from the outdoor cooking means (30) and can be folded down alternately on top of the bottom plate (21) and stacked with the other plates (21–25) for storage, as illustrated in FIG. 2.
• Additionally, the windscreen device 20 has a number of bottom connecting mechanisms that join each of the side plates 22–25 to the bottom plate 21. The side plates 22–25 can alternately align themselves upright and orthogonally with the bottom plate 21 thanks to the bottom connecting means’ ability to form a flexible pivoting connection, as shown in FIG. Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 1, it is able to be folded down onto plate 21’s bottom in a stacked array. 2 or opened outwardly as shown in FIG. 3. One pair of slotted openings 26 is present in each of the side plates 22–25 and runs parallel to one of the side plates’ bottom edges. There are four pairs of slotted mating openings 26A through the bottom plate 21. Between a side plate 22-25 and the bottom plate 21, the series of bottom connecting means consists of a series of rings 27, each of which can be inserted through neighboring mating openings 26 and 26A. As seen in FIG., the rings 27 are made up of a split metal ring that can open to fit through the plate openings 26 and 26A and close to fasten the plates 21–25 together. 1. When folding the side plates down onto the bottom plate for storage, the ring 27 in slot 26 connections are sufficiently slack.
• In order to keep the side plates 22–25 upright and in contacting alignment with the bottom plate 21 and each other, the windscreen device 20 also has a series of top connecting means that link each side plate 22–25 to each adjacent side plate 22–25. For example, each top connecting means can be installed on an adjacent pair of side plates, 22 and 23. As illustrated in FIG., the side plates 22–25 can fold down upon the bottom plate 21 by removing the series of top connecting means from them. 3. Every set of upper connecting methods includes an angled clip 28. The wind screen device 20’s bottom plate, 21, is rectangular, and its four side plates, 22, 25, and 28 intersect at right angles. The angled clip 28, which matches and conforms to the angles of the adjacent side plates that intersect, is formed with a right bend angle (22 and 23 for example). On either side of the bend angle of the angled clip 28, there is an outer and an inner tab. The angled clip 28 fits over the top edges of the two adjacent side panels at the point of contact with a tight friction fit because the outer and inner tabs are spaced apart by a distance that is slightly less than the thickness of the side plates 22–25. The top connecting means’ angled clips 28 are made of a heat-resistant material that can be molded from a synthetic material or created by cutting and bending sheet metal.
• Additionally, one of the side plates 24 of the windscreen device 20 has an additional opening 29 that is intended to let a gas hose 40 pass through. The side plates may further comprise air vent openings 19.
• In FIGS. A different version of the outdoor grill windscreen device 20A, shown in FIGS. 4, 4A, and 5, has side plates 22A, 23A, 24A, and 25A covered by a single piece of material 50, bendable corners, and two opposite bendable sidewalls 23A and 25A with a bendable vertical centerline 18 that can bend inward. 5, to collapse the four side plates for storage. A cheap material, like cardboard plates, could be used to create the piece that forms the four panels. The foil cloth could then be used to cover the plates, creating a hinge for the panels.
• Aluminum, galvanized steel, textured aluminum, tin, or foil cloth covered cardboard panels are possible materials for the windscreen device 20. The panels’ thickness can range from, say, 20 to 22 gauge for aluminum and 24 to 26 gauge for steel. The bottom panel 21 needs to be manufactured from metal. The top connecting means’ angled clips 28 are made of a heat-resistant material that can be molded from a synthetic material or created by cutting and bending sheet metal.
• The slotted openings 26 of the first side panel 22 and the slotted openings 26A of the bottom panel 21 must be lined up in order to assemble the outdoor grill windscreen 20. After that, the user would open the split ring 27 and thread it through openings 26 and 26A. The remaining side panels 23–25 would require repeating this process. Raised to an upright position and perpendicular to the bottom plate 21 and at right angles to one another, the first side panel 22 and the second side panel 23 would be joined by an angled clip 28. At the point where the two adjacent side panels 22 and 23 come into contact, the angled clip 28 secures itself snugly over their upper edges. To create the enclosure 20 depicted in FIG., this procedure would subsequently be repeated with the remaining side panels 23 to 24, 24 to 25, and 25 to 22. 1. In order to prevent the user’s skin from being cut by the sharp metal edges of side panels 22–25, plastic sleeves (not shown) may be added.
• Once the device 20 is assembled, the additional opening 29 in the side plate 24 can be used to insert a gas hose 40 from the outdoor cooking unit 30 to connect to an external gas tank.
• The user would take out the angled clips 28 from the side plates 22–25 in order to disassemble the outdoor grill windscreen 20 by folding the side plates 22–25 down onto the bottom plate 21, as illustrated in FIG. 3.
• It is acknowledged that the description that comes before it serves only as an example and does not limit the invention, and that changes can be made to it without losing the essence of the invention as claimed.

Waring Pro Turkey Fryer Rotisserie

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