Portable cooking apparatus

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to a portable cooking apparatus and more particularly, a cooking apparatus comprising a fire bowl having an exterior undersurface; a lid removably engagable with the fire bowl; and a stand located against the undersurface of the fire bowl during a usage position, and the stand being situated atop the lid, which is situated atop the fire bowl during a non-use position.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention. These drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

#FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the cooking apparatus of the present invention showing the first embodiment of the cooking apparatus in its most compact position with the lid being mounted on the fire bowl and the leg assembly of the supporting frame in a retracted position;

#FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the leg assembly of the supporting frame of the first embodiment of the cooking apparatus of the present invention taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

#Among those benefits and improvements that have been disclosed, other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.

#As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various forms. The figures are not necessary to scale, some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

#Referring particularly to the drawings, there is shown the first embodiment of the cooking apparatus 10 of the present invention, which has a fire bowl 12. The fire bowl 12 has a bottom 14. Typically, the fire bowl 12 will be constructed of steel or iron. The bottom 14 assumes a smooth, arcuate shape so that the bottom 14 is basically concave relative to the internal chamber 16 of the fire bowl 12. The fire bowl 12 also includes a front 18 and a back 20. The sides of the front and back, 18 and 20 respectively, of the fire bowl 12 are slightly curved being convex from the exterior. The bottom 14 is also curved arcuately in the direction from front 18 to back 20. This forming of the fire bowl 12 is to maximize the reflecting or application of heat from the heating unit 22 that is contained within the internal chamber 16. Mounted at the upper end of the internal chamber 16 is a cooking grill 24. It is to be noted that the upper edge of the front 18 and back 20 are substantially flush to the upper edge of the left side 26 and the right side 28 of the fire bowl 12.