Cooking system including wind guard device and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12419461-B2
Application number	US-202217750628-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2022
Priority date	May 24, 2021
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

A cooking system configured to minimize cross-winds while cooking a food product. The cooking system includes a cooking station, a griddle and a wind guard. The wind guard extends to define a barrier portion and an engaging portion, the engaging portion coupled to legs of the griddle so that, upon the griddle being placed onto the cooking station, the barrier portion blocks a gap between the griddle and a top side of the cooking station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooking system configured to minimize cross-winds while cooking a food product, the cooking system comprising:
a cooking station having a main body extending from an upper side toward a lower side to define a front side, a rear side, a left side and a right side, the cooking station having one or more flame burners supported by the main body;
a griddle extending to define a cooking surface and an oppositely facing underside surface, the underside surface including griddle legs extending therefrom, the underside surface extending to define a front periphery, a rear periphery, a left periphery and a right periphery, the front periphery extending parallel relative to the rear periphery, the left periphery extending parallel relative to the right periphery; and
a wind guard extending to define a barrier portion and an engaging portion, the engaging portion being coupled to at least two of the griddle legs such that, upon the griddle being positioned over the main body and the one or more flame burners, the barrier portion of the wind guard extends to at least partially block a gap between the underside surface of the griddle and the upper side of the main body.

2. The cooking system of claim 1 , wherein the wind guard extends with a u-shaped configuration such that the barrier portion is configured to at least partially block the gap along the rear periphery of the griddle and extends to at least partially block the gap along the left and right peripheries of the griddle.

3. The cooking system of claim 1 , wherein the barrier portion includes a rear barrier, a left barrier, and a right barrier, the left and right barriers extending from opposing ends of the rear barrier.

4. The cooking system of claim 3 , wherein the left and right barriers are fixedly coupled to the opposing ends of the rear barrier.

5. The cooking system of claim 3 , wherein the engaging portion extends inward relative to the left and right barriers to define left and right extensions, respectively.

6. The cooking system of claim 1 , wherein the engaging portion comprises holes defined therein, the holes sized and configured to receive at least two of the griddle legs therein to couple the engaging portion to the griddle.

7. The cooking system of claim 6 , wherein at least two of the griddle legs are configured to be positioned through the holes of the engaging portion and through recesses defined in the upper side of the main body.

8. The cooking system of claim 6 , wherein the upper side of the main body comprises a ledge along at least the left and right sides of the main body, the ledge including at least two recesses defined therein such that the at least two recesses are sized and configured to receive the at least two of the griddle legs of the griddle.

9. The cooking system of claim 1 , wherein the griddle legs comprise a leg base and a leg end portion, the leg base defining a height that corresponds with the gap.

10. The cooking system of claim 3 , wherein the left and right barriers are pivotably coupled to the rear barrier such that the left and right barriers are configured to pivotably rotate so that the wind guard is moveable from a use position to a storage position.

11. The cooking system of claim 3 , wherein the rear barrier comprises an adjustment portion such that the rear barrier is longitudinally adjustable to move between a first length and a second length.

12. A wind guard for blocking a cross-wind while cooking a food product on a griddle with griddle legs positioned on a cooking station such that a gap is defined between an upper side of the cooking station and an underside of the griddle, the wind guard comprising:
a barrier portion and an engaging portion, the engaging portion configured to be coupled to at least two of the griddle legs such that, upon the griddle being positioned on the upper side of the cooking station, the engaging portion is configured to be positioned over the upper side of the cooking station so that the barrier portion extends vertically from the engaging portion to at least partially block the gap between an underside surface of the griddle and the upper side of the cooking station so that the barrier portion is configured to extend along a rear periphery of the griddle and extend along left and right peripheries of the griddle;
wherein the barrier portion includes a rear barrier, a left barrier, and a right barrier, the left and right barriers extending from opposing ends of the rear barrier.

13. The wind guard of claim 12 , wherein the left and right barriers are fixedly coupled to the opposing ends of the rear barrier.

14. The wind guard of claim 12 , wherein the left and right barriers are pivotably coupled relative to the rear barrier such that the left and right barriers are configured to pivotably rotate so that the wind guard is moveable from a use position to a storage position.

15. The wind guard of claim 12 , wherein the rear barrier comprises an adjustment portion such that the rear barrier is longitudinally adjustable to move between a first length and a second length.

16. A method for substantially blocking wind between a gap of a griddle cooking station, the method comprising:
providing a griddle with griddle legs configured to be positioned on an upper side of a cooking station such that the gap is defined between an underside of the griddle and the upper side of the cooking station; and
coupling an engaging portion of a wind guard to at least two of the griddle legs such that, upon the griddle being positioned on the upper side of the cooking station, a barrier portion of the wind guard extends vertically from the engaging portion to at least partially block the gap between the underside surface of the griddle and the upper side of the cooking station along a rear periphery of the griddle and along left and right peripheries of the griddle.

17. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising removing the wind guard from the griddle legs of the griddle such that the barrier portion includes at least a rear barrier, a left barrier and a right barrier, the left and right barriers being fixedly coupled to opposing ends of the rear barrier.

18. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising removing the wind guard from the griddle legs of the griddle such that the barrier portion includes at least a rear barrier, a left barrier and a right barrier, the left and right barriers being pivotably coupled to the rear barrier such that the left and right barriers are configured to pivotably rotate so that the wind guard is moveable from a use position to a storage position.

19. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising removing the wind guard from the griddle legs of the griddle such that the barrier portion includes at least a rear barrier, a left barrier and a right barrier, the left and right barriers being coupled to opposing ends of the rear barrier, the rear barrier having an adjustment portion such that the rear barrier is longitudinally adjustable to move the rear barrier to extend between a first length and a second length.

Assignees

• North Atlantic Imp Llc

Inventors

• Graham Gary E
• Bush Iii James C
• Smith Jared M
• Christensen Alexander J

Classifications

• A47J37/0704

  with horizontal fire box · CPC title

• A47J37/0786 Primary

  Accessories · CPC title

• A47J37/0682 Primary

  gas-heated · CPC title