US 8,505,444 B2Granted

Marshmallow roaster

OwnerMichael B McGuiganinventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Abstract

A marshmallow roasting unit is provided that comprises an enclosure having a roasting chamber and a side defining an enclosure opening below the roasting chamber, a skewer disposed in the roasting chamber and configured to hold a marshmallow, a heating element disposed relative to the skewer in the roasting chamber, and a removable tray configured to be inserted into the enclosure opening and hold a cracker in the enclosure under the roasting chamber. The heating element is disposed a predetermined range from the skewer such that the heating element is effective to roast the marshmallow on the skewer until the marshmallow becomes pliable and falls on to the cracker or contents disposed on the cracker held on the removable tray.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A marshmallow roasting unit, comprising:

an enclosure having a roasting chamber and a side defining an enclosure opening below the roasting chamber;
a skewer disposed in the roasting chamber and configured to hold a marshmallow;
a removable tray configured to be inserted into the enclosure opening and hold a cracker in the enclosure under the roasting chamber;
and
a heating element disposed within a predetermined range from a central axis of the skewer so that the heating element is effective to roast the marshmallow on the skewer until the marshmallow becomes pliable and falls off the skewer on to the cracker or contents disposed on the cracker held on the removable tray,
wherein, the removable tray includes a bottom having a front end and a rear end, and a plurality of alignment elements disposed between the front end and rear end, an adjacent pair of the alignment elements defining a respective cracker placement area relative to the bottom and configured to position the cracker between the alignment elements on the bottom of the removable tray below the marshmallow on the skewer when the removable tray is inserted into the enclosure opening such that when the marshmallow is roasted, becomes pliable and falls off the skewer, the marshmallow falls on to the cracker or contents disposed on the cracker, and
wherein each alignment element corresponds to a raised divider spaced apart laterally on the tray in a direction corresponding to the axis of rotation of the skewer when the skewer is disposed in the roasting chamber, at least one of the adjacent pair of alignment elements being disposed internally on the tray to hold the cracker laterally in place on the tray relative to the other one of the adjacent pair of alignment elements,
wherein the removable tray further includes a backstop element and a rib, the backstop element is disposed relative to the adjacent pair of alignment elements to inhibit the cracker positioned in the cracker placement area from moving towards the front end of the tray, and
wherein the rib rises less than a thickness of the cracker above the bottom of the tray, and is disposed between the adjacent pair of alignment elements and the rear end of the tray such that the rib inhibits the cracker positioned in the cracker placement area from moving towards the rear end unless the bottom of the tray is tilted the front end towards the rear end at a predetermined angle at which gravity enables the cracker to slide over the rib.

6 more elements

A marshmallow roasting unit comprising:

an enclosure having a roasting chamber and a side defining an enclosure opening below the roasting chamber;
a skewer disposed in the roasting chamber and configured to hold a marshmallow having a diameter of approximately 1.25 inches before being held on the skewer;
a rotation unit rotatively coupled to the skewer and having a predetermined angular speed;
a heating element disposed relative to the skewer in the roasting chamber and the heating element radiates heat at a pre-determined temperature in a range between 350°F. m 500°F. ;
and
a removable tray configured to be inserted into the enclosure opening and hold a cracker in the enclosure under the roasting chamber, the removable tray including:
a plurality of alignment elements configured to position the cracker below the marshmallow on the skewer when the removable tray is inserted into the enclosure opening, a bottom having a front end and a rear end, and the plurality of alignment elements are disposed between the front end and rear end, an adjacent pair of the alignment elements defining a respective cracker placement area relative to the bottom and configured to position the cracker between the alignment elements of the bottom of the removable tray below the marshmallow on the skewer when the removable tray is inserted into the enclosure opening, wherein each alignment element corresponds to a raised divider spaced apart laterally on the tray in a direction corresponding to the axis of rotation of the skewer when the skewer is disposed in the roasting chamber, at least one of the adjacent pair of alignment elements being disposed internally on the tray to hold the cracker laterally in place on the tray relative to the other one of the adjacent pair of alignment elements, and a rib that rises less than a thickness of the cracker above the bottom of the tray, and is disposed between the adjacent pair of alignment elements and the rear end of the tray such that the rib inhibits the cracker positioned in the cracker placement area from moving towards the rear end unless the bottom of the tray is tilted the front end towards the rear end at a predetermined angle at which gravity enables the cracker to slide over the rib,
wherein, the heating element is disposed relative to the skewer and within a predetermined range of 1 to 3 inches from a central axis of the skewer such that, when the heating element is radiating at the predetermined temperature and the rotation unit is rotating at the predetermined angular speed, the heating element and the rotation unit are effective to roast the marshmallow on the skewer so that the marshmallow becomes pliable and falls on to the cracker or contents disposed on the cracker held on the removable tray and to evenly brown a circumferential surface of the marshmallow before the marshmallow falls from the skewer.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

A marshmallow roasting unit, comprising:

an enclosure having a roasting chamber and a side defining an enclosure opening below the roasting chamber;
a skewer disposed in the roasting chamber and configured to hold a marshmallow;
a removable tray configured to be inserted into the enclosure opening and hold a cracker in the enclosure under the roasting chamber;
and
a heating element disposed within a predetermined range from a central axis of the skewer so that the heating element is effective to roast the marshmallow on the skewer until the marshmallow becomes pliable and falls off the skewer on to the cracker or contents disposed on the cracker held on the removable tray,
wherein, the removable tray includes a bottom having a front end and a rear end, and a plurality of alignment elements disposed between the front end and rear end, an adjacent pair of the alignment elements defining a respective cracker placement area relative to the bottom and configured to position the cracker between the alignment elements on the bottom of the removable tray below the marshmallow on the skewer when the removable tray is inserted into the enclosure opening such that when the marshmallow is roasted, becomes pliable and falls off the skewer, the marshmallow falls on to the cracker or contents disposed on the cracker, and
wherein each alignment element corresponds to a raised divider spaced apart laterally on the tray in a direction corresponding to the axis of rotation of the skewer when the skewer is disposed in the roasting chamber, at least one of the adjacent pair of alignment elements being disposed internally on the tray to hold the cracker laterally in place on the tray relative to the other one of the adjacent pair of alignment elements,
wherein the removable tray further includes a backstop element and a rib, the backstop element is disposed relative to the adjacent pair of alignment elements to inhibit the cracker positioned in the cracker placement area from moving towards the front end of the tray, and
wherein the rib rises less than a thickness of the cracker above the bottom of the tray, and is disposed between the adjacent pair of alignment elements and the rear end of the tray such that the rib inhibits the cracker positioned in the cracker placement area from moving towards the rear end unless the bottom of the tray is tilted the front end towards the rear end at a predetermined angle at which gravity enables the cracker to slide over the rib.

6 more elements