IP Verse

Outdoor Cooking Station With Griddle, System And Method Thereof

Patent No. US12185873 (titled "Outdoor Cooking Station With Griddle, System And Method Thereof") was filed by Bank Of America Na on Oct 27, 2023.

What is this patent about?

’873 is related to the field of outdoor cooking stations, specifically addressing the problem of managing grease and food byproducts during griddle cooking. Traditional griddles often have drain systems on the side or front, which can be unsightly and lead to spills and splatters onto the cooking station and the user. The patent aims to provide a more effective and cleaner solution for grease management.

The underlying idea behind ’873 is to create a griddle with an integrated grease management system that directs unwanted food byproduct away from the user and cooking area. This is achieved by incorporating a trough with a sloped surface at the rear of the griddle, leading to a rear opening in the splash guard. This allows grease to be easily pushed into the trough and funneled into a container positioned below the opening.

The claims of ’873 focus on a griddle and an outdoor cooking station incorporating the griddle, both designed to manage food byproduct. The griddle features a flat cooking surface surrounded by a splash guard. Critically, the splash guard along the rear end is taller than the front, and includes a grease opening. A sloped surface extends from the cooking surface near the rear end, positioned to drain into the grease opening.

In practice, a user cooking on the griddle can simply push excess grease and food particles towards the rear of the cooking surface. The sloped trough, shaped like a 'V', guides the waste towards the centrally located rear opening. This opening is positioned at a lower point in the splash guard, allowing gravity to assist in the drainage process. A grease container is then placed beneath the opening to collect the waste, keeping it out of sight and preventing spills.

This design differentiates itself from prior art by strategically positioning the grease management system at the rear of the griddle. Unlike traditional front or side drain systems, this rear placement minimizes the risk of grease splattering onto the user or the front of the cooking station. The taller rear splash guard further enhances this protection. The V-shaped trough and centrally located rear opening ensure efficient and complete drainage, contributing to a cleaner and more user-friendly cooking experience.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the mid-2010s when ’873 was filed, outdoor cooking appliances were commonly implemented using gas or charcoal fuel sources to heat a grill or griddle surface, at a time when managing grease and food byproduct was typically addressed with drain systems positioned on the side or front of the griddle, when hardware or software constraints made alternative grease management solutions non-trivial.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The claims were rejected for nonstatutory double patenting over several related patents. The examiner indicated that claims 1-11 and 13-24 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the double patenting rejections, or with a timely filed terminal disclaimer. The prosecution record does describe the technical reasoning and specific claim changes that led to allowance.

Claims

This patent includes 24 claims, with independent claims numbered 1, 7, 13, and 19. The independent claims are directed to outdoor cooking stations and griddles configured to manage unwanted food byproduct. The dependent claims generally add further details and limitations to the features described in the independent claims.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Flat cooking surface
(Claim 1, Claim 7, Claim 13, Claim 19)		“The griddle includes a flat cooking surface, a splash guard, and a trough. The flat cooking surface extends between a front end and a rear end and extends between left end and a right end such that each of the front end and rear end of the flat cooking surface corresponds with the respective front side and the rear side of the frame and each of the left end and right end of the flat cooking surface corresponds with the respective left side and right side of the frame.”A broad, flat area on the griddle used for cooking food. It has a front end, rear end, left end, and right end.
Grease opening
(Claim 1, Claim 7, Claim 13, Claim 19)		“The splash guard extends along the rear end of the cooking surface defines a rear opening therein, the rear opening extending between the interior surface and the exterior surface of the splash guard and positioned at a lower mid-portion of the splash guard adjacent the rear end of the cooking surface. The trough is defined in the cooking surface at a rear central portion of the cooking surface and adjacent the rear end of the cooking surface such that the trough includes a sloped surface extending toward the rear opening defined in the splash guard.”An aperture in the griddle, at least partially defined by the splash guard, positioned near the rear end of the cooking surface, through which grease and food byproduct are drained.
Sloped surface
(Claim 1, Claim 7, Claim 13, Claim 19)		“The trough is defined in the cooking surface at a rear central portion of the cooking surface and adjacent the rear end of the cooking surface such that the trough includes a sloped surface extending toward the rear opening defined in the splash guard. In another embodiment, the sloped surface of the trough defines a top edge that directly extends and depends from the cooking surface of the griddle, the top edge of the trough extending to generally exhibit a v-shape.”A surface that inclines downward from the flat cooking surface towards the grease opening, facilitating the flow of grease and food byproduct.
Splash guard
(Claim 1, Claim 7, Claim 13, Claim 19)		“The griddle includes a flat cooking surface, a splash guard, and a trough. The flat cooking surface extends between a front end and a rear end and extends between left end and a right end such that each of the front end and rear end of the flat cooking surface corresponds with the respective front side and the rear side of the frame and each of the left end and right end of the flat cooking surface corresponds with the respective left side and right side of the frame. The splash guard extends upward from the flat cooking surface along each of the left and right ends and the front and rear ends of the cooking surface such that the splash guard extends upward to define an interior surface and an exterior surface of the splash guard.”A barrier extending upward from the flat cooking surface along the edges to prevent food and grease from splattering.
Splash guard top edge
(Claim 13, Claim 19)		“The splash guard extends upward from the flat cooking surface along each length of the left and right ends and the front and rear ends of the cooking surface, the splash guard extending upward to define a splash guard top edge such that the splash guard top edge extends above each of the left and right ends and the front and rear ends of the flat cooking surface.”The uppermost edge of the splash guard, which extends above the flat cooking surface along the left, right, front, and rear ends.

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case NumberFiling DateTitle
2:25-cv-02523Sep 4, 2025Brokenbrough v. Davison Design & Devel Inc.

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US12185873

BANK OF AMERICA NA
Application Number
US18384629
Filing Date
Oct 27, 2023
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Apr 29, 2037
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents