Portable outdoor cooker

Abstract

A portable cooker for outdoor use having one or two side shelves which can be moved to a compact upright stowage position for carrying, storage or transport and can then be deployed to a horizontal position when using the portable cooker for cooking at a campsite, at a park, on a boat, at a tail-gate party, or at any other location. In the upright stowage position, the side shelves are located outside of the cooking chamber so that the shelves do not come into contact with the cooking grate and do not pick up food particles, grease, or other cooking residues which are present on the cooking grate or elsewhere in the cooking chamber. Also, because the side shelves are not folded into the cooking chamber during carrying or transport, the portable cooker can additionally include an interior warming rack and other features which are used in “non-portable” grills but would interfere with the operation of the side shelves of the portable grill if the shelves were required to be folded into the cooking chamber.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A portable cooker for outdoor use comprising:
 a housing having at least one heating source positioned therein, the housing having a top opening;   a lid positionable over the housing for opening and closing the top opening;   a lifting handle adjacent to a lateral side of the housing; and   a side shelf mounted adjacent to the lateral side of the housing,   the side shelf being selectively positionable in an upright stowage position and in a horizontally extending deployed position, and   in the upright stowage position, the side shelf being positioned between the lifting handle and the lid such that the side shelf is located outside of the lid and the housing.   
     
     
         2 . The portable cooker of  claim 1  wherein:
 the lifting handle is a left side lifting handle, the lateral side of the housing is a left lateral side, and the side shelf is a left side shelf; 
 the portable cooker further comprises a right side lifting handle, positioned adjacent to a right lateral side of the housing, and a right side shelf mounted adjacent to the right lateral side of the housing; 
 the right side shelf being selectively positionable in an upright stowage position and in a horizontally extending deployed position, and 
 in the upright stowage position of the right side shelf, the right side shelf is positioned between the right side lifting handle and the lid such that the right side shelf is located outside of the lid and the housing. 
 
     
     
         3 . The portable cooker of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a pair of projecting mounting structures for the side shelf on the lateral side of the housing; 
 each of the mounting structures including a guide track; 
 the side shelf having a pair of guide elements projecting outwardly therefrom; and 
 the side shelf being mounted between the pair of mounting structures such that the guide elements of the side shelf are slideably and rotatably received in the guide tracks of the mounting structures. 
 
     
     
         4 . The portable cooker of  claim 3  wherein each of the guide tracks of the mounting structures extends upwardly in a straight line that is either vertical or is angled toward the lid. 
     
     
         5 . The portable cooker of  claim 4  wherein each of the guide tracks of the mounting structures extends upwardly in a straight line at an angle toward the lid which is in a range of from 15° to 25° from vertical. 
     
     
         6 . The portable cooker of clam  3  wherein:
 each of the guide tracks of the mounting structures has a bottom end and a top end; 
 when the side shelf is in the upright stowage position, the guide elements of the side shelf are positioned in the bottom ends of the guide tracks; and 
 when the side shelf is in the horizontally extending deployed position, the guide elements of the side shelf are positioned in the top ends of the guide tracks. 
 
     
     
         7 . The portable cooker of  claim 6  wherein, in the horizontally extending deployed position, the side shelf rests upon and is supported by the lifting handle. 
     
     
         8 . The portable cooker of  claim 1  further comprising a support frame or cabinet having an upper end upon which the portable cooker is removably placeable. 
     
     
         9 . The portable cooker of  claim 8  further comprising a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted on a bottom of the support frame or cabinet. 
     
     
         10 . The portable cooker of  claim 8  wherein:
 the portable cooker further comprises a plurality of support legs extending from a bottom of the portable cooker and 
 the upper end of the support frame or cabinet includes a plurality of well structures in which the support legs of the portable cooker are removably receivable.