Tiltable pannini grill
AssigneeProducts of Tomorrow, Inc.
InventorsJuan Fernandez, Paul Mc Grath, Raymond Lam
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electric grill for use to create healthier meals is disclosed. The electric grill comprises a support structure which holds a top heating section and a bottom heating section connected by a hinge. The hinge allows for a wide range of movement whereby the top heating section may be face to face with the bottom heating section, may be perpendicular, or may be at a 180 degree angle. Moreover, the top and bottom heating sections may be tilted such that excess grease, oils and juices may be separated from the food being cooked. The electric grill disclosed herein also may include a digital read-out display and a user input keypad.
Claims31
An electric grill, comprising:
- a support structure;
- a top heating section having a top cooking surface and a bottom heating section having a bottom cooking surface, said sections being connected to the support structure and at least one section being pivotally associated with the support structure to move between a closed position at which the cooking surfaces are facing one another and an open position at which the surfaces are at an angle to one another that is approximately 180 degrees;
- and
- said support structure including a tilting mechanism, said tilting mechanism supporting said sections in a plurality of angular positions.
An electric grill, comprising:
- a support structure;
- a top heating section having a top cooking surface and a bottom heating section having a bottom cooking surface, said sections being connected to the support structure and being pivotally associated with one another to move between a closed position at which the cooking surfaces are facing one another and an open position at which the surfaces are at an angle to one another that is equal to or greater than about 90 degrees;
- and
- the sections can be maintained separate from one another at a distance such that food on the bottom cooking surface is not touched by the top cooking surface while said sections remain parallel to one another, or the top heating section can be lowered towards the bottom heating section so that food on the bottom cooking surface is touched by the top cooking surface.
An electric grill, comprising:
- a support structure;
- a top heating section having a top cooking surface and a bottom heating section having a bottom cooking surface, said sections being connected to the support structure and at least one section being pivotally associated with the support structure to move between a closed position at which the cooking surfaces are facing one another and an open position at which the surfaces are at an angle to one another that is approximately 180 degrees;
- and
- an independent heat intensity control for the top heating section and an independent heat intensity control for the bottom heating section such that the top and bottom heating sections may have the same heat intensity or may have different heat intensities.
A method of using an electric grill, comprising:
- raising a top heating section to a position approximately 90 degrees to a bottom heating section;
- placing food on the bottom heating section;
- lowering the top heating section such that the top heating section is parallel to the bottom heating section;
- adjusting the height of the top heating section a desired distance from the bottom heating section;
- tilting the top and bottom heating sections to a discrete angular position such that grease, oils and juices may be separated from the food being cooked.
A method of using an electric grill, comprising:
- raising a top heating section to a position approximately 90 degrees to a bottom heating section;
- placing food on the bottom heating section;
- raising heat intensity of the top heating section;
- lowering heat intensity of the bottom heating section;
- extending at least one set of tabs such that the tabs may interact with the top heating section;
- lowering the top heating section such that it rests on the tabs and remains parallel to the bottom heating section.
An electric grill, comprising:
- a support structure;
- a top heating section having a top cooking surface and a bottom heating section having a bottom cooking surface, said sections being connected to the support structure and at least one section being pivotally associated with the support structure to move between a closed position at which the cooking surfaces are facing one another and an open position at which the surfaces are at an angle to one another;
- and,
- first magnetic material in said top surface and second magnetic material in said bottom surface;
- wherein said magnetic material pulls said top surface and said bottom surface together.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.