Vertical Grill External Drip Tray With Airflow Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art vertical grills with internal drip trays are prone to fire flare-ups and smoke due to combustible fats and solids, as the trays are difficult to clean and often concealed within the grill, leading to increased fire and smoke risks.
Innovation Solution
A removable slide and drip tray module with an external receptacle that directs liquefied fats and breakaway solids away from the grill, utilizing airflow to cool and dispose of waste externally, eliminating the need for an internal drip tray and reducing fire risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an internal drip tray is used to collect fats and solids, then the grill can cook food effectively, but the risk of fire and smoke increases due to concealed combustible materials
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the drip tray from the internal concealed space and relocates it to an external position where it is visible and accessible. The tray is positioned outside the main grill body, allowing fats and solids to be collected away from the heat source and cooking elements, thereby eliminating the fire hazard while maintaining cooking functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary cooling channel between the drip tray and the grill interior. This channel allows air flow to cool the collected fats and solids before they could potentially ignite, serving as a protective mediator that prevents direct thermal contact between combustible materials and the heat source.
2Device complexity
If the drip tray is concealed within the grill body, then the grill design is compact, but users cannot observe or easily clean the tray contents
Solution Approach 1:
The drip tray is extracted from the concealed internal position and placed in an external location that is clearly visible and easily accessible to users. This allows users to monitor the tray contents continuously and perform cleaning operations without disassembling or opening the grill body, significantly improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of hiding the drip tray inside the grill body as in conventional designs, the invention inverts the arrangement by positioning the tray outside the grill. This reversal makes the tray prominently visible and accessible, transforming it from a hidden maintenance burden to an easily monitored and cleaned component.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a perforated metal fire suppressing cover is added to the internal drip tray, then fire risk is reduced, but the tray contents become obscured and cleaning becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the need for a perforated metal cover by extracting the drip tray from the internal space entirely. Without the cover, the tray contents remain fully visible and accessible for cleaning, while the external position of the tray itself provides fire protection by separating combustible materials from the heat source.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding a cover to protect against fire, the invention inverts the approach by relocating the tray outside the grill body. This eliminates the need for protective covers while maintaining fire safety, and simultaneously improves visibility and cleanability by removing the obscuring cover entirely.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces the risk of fire inside the grill by cooling and disposing of waste externally, eliminating the need for internal drip tray maintenance and fire suppressant shields, thereby enhancing user safety and grill operation.
Implementation Method 1
the slide which guides the separated hot, liquified fats and breakaway solids generated by the grilling of the food to the external collection receptacle positioned at the lowest point of the module for cooling and disposal outside the body of the grill
Implementation Method 2
The drip tray includes one or more channels configured for enabling passage of air therethrough and enabling the airflow to contact the slide. In this manner, the discarded waste of the grilled food is cooled while they are located inside the grill and as they slide toward the external receptacle.
Data Source
AI summary
A vertical grill comprises a back chimney within the housing having an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is in the form of one or more first openings in the back frame member, and the outlet being a second opening which is higher than the inlet. A first air intake located in at least one of the grill's panels. A removable tray module comprises a slide positioned at an incline between the front and back sides, configured to direct fats and break away solids to the front side of the tray. At least one channel is covered by the slide and configured for air flow. An external receptacle is positioned at the front side of the tray, wherein the slide leads into the receptacle so that fats and break away solids may be channeled into the external receptacle after traveling downwards along the incline of the slide.