the best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment , herein depicted within fig1 through 4 , with an alternate embodiment within fig5 . however , the invention is not limited to the described embodiment , and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention and that any such work around will also fall under the scope of this invention it is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention , and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope . the terms “ a ” and “ an ” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity , but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items . the present invention describes an adjustable grilling platform ( herein referred to as the “ apparatus ”) 10 , which provides an adjustable height surface for cooking foods over an open fire when the source of the heat may be at a variable height . referring now to fig1 , a perspective view , and fig3 , an exploded view , of the apparatus 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention , is disclosed . the apparatus 10 includes a platform assembly 30 supported on two ( 2 ) leg assemblies 20 , a removable upper bar assembly 60 , and a hoist assembly 80 . each leg assembly 20 is configured generally as an inverted “ t ” with an upright 24 attached perpendicularly to the midpoint of a horizontal stabilizer 22 . the upright 24 and the stabilizer 22 preferably compose square steel tubes which are coated , or plated , with a material to inhibit corrosion . an upper end 26 of the upright 24 is left open to accept an insert tube 64 of the upper bar assembly 60 to be slid into the upper end 26 . disposed along an upper side of each upright is a winch aperture 28 . only the winch aperture 28 on one ( 1 ) upright will be utilized for the attachment of a winch 82 , however , a greater uniformity is achieved when a winch aperture 28 is included in both uprights 24 . the platform assembly 30 , as more clearly seen in fig2 , preferably comprises a planar , rectangular frame 32 with guides 48 attached to arms 46 on each side . the frame 32 is configured to be two ( 2 ) parallel , opposing first tubes 34 welded to two ( 2 ) perpendicular opposing second tubes 36 . the first tubes 34 and the second tubes are preferably steel tubes with a square or rectangular cross - section . other materials , and other shapes , may be used in the fabrication of the frame 32 . the ends of all first tubes 34 and all second tubes 36 are preferably cut on a forty five degree ( 45 °) miter and welded together such that the internal surfaces of all tubes 34 and 36 are sealed . a plurality of lateral tubes 38 are uniformly positioned between the first tubes 34 and continuously welded , with appropriate bead , around the perimeter of each end to permanently secure the lateral tubes 38 . the lateral tubes 38 span the distance between the first tubes 34 . the grate 42 is preferably a piece of expanded metal sheeting configured to be attached to the upper surface of the frame 32 . other materials , such as a plurality of rods , may be used in the construction of the grate 42 without limiting the scope of the apparatus 10 . a plurality of skewers 44 is attached to at least one ( 1 ) of the first tubes 24 at a non - zero angle 45 . the skewer 44 is a small diameter metal rod upon which an item of food may be impaled for cooking . the preferred angle 45 of orientation for the skewers 44 would be within a range from thirty degrees ( 30 °) to forty five degrees ( 45 °) with respect to the horizontal . the first tube 24 to which the skewers 44 are attached will be defined as the back , or rear , of the platform assembly 30 . attached to each side of the rectangular frame 32 , preferably by welding , is an arm 46 . the arms 46 are square steel tubes configured to be attached at a first end to an exterior side of each second tube 36 . attached to a second end of each arm 46 is a guide 48 . the guide 48 is a sleeve configured to have a profile necessary to encompass a single upright 24 of the leg assembly 20 . the guides 48 restrict the lateral movement of the platform assembly 30 as the platform assembly 30 is raised or lowered above a fire . disposed in the upper and the lower faces of each arm 46 is an aperture ( not shown ) into which an eyebolt 56 is fastened . the eyebolt 56 is configured with a closed eye and a threaded shank . the eyebolt 56 may be provided with a shoulder between the eye and the shank ; however this is not a defining point of the apparatus 10 . the eyebolts 56 are secured in each arm 46 by means of a threaded retainer 58 . disposed along a front side of at least one ( 1 ) of the guides 48 is a threaded aperture 54 into which a locking pin is inserted . the constituent material of the guide 48 may be of a sufficient thickness to permit an adequate thread depth , or alternately a threaded retainer may be attached to the guide 48 over an aperture . the locking pin 52 is configured to be a threaded rod to which a tee handle 53 is attached to increase the moment arm , thus permitting more torque to be developed on the locking pin 52 . the locking pin 52 is intended to prevent relative motion between the guide 48 and an upright 24 inserted therein . the upper bar assembly 60 includes an upper tube 62 having insert tubes 64 attached perpendicularly at either end . the upper tube 62 and the insert tubes 64 preferably comprise square tubing of a size which can be inserted into the upper ends 26 of the uprights 24 of the leg assembly 20 . the ends of the upper tube 62 and the conjoined ends of the insert tubes 64 are preferably cut on a forty five degree ( 45 °) miter and welded together . disposed along the upper bar 62 are a first pulley 66 configured to be mounted in a first pulley bracket 67 , a second pulley 68 mounted in a second pulley bracket 69 , and a third pulley 72 mounted a third pulley bracket 73 . each of the pulleys 66 , 68 , and 72 is retained in the respective brackets 67 , 69 , and 73 by means of mounting pin 74 which is in each case secured with a pin retainer 76 . the mounting pins 74 also act as axles for each of the pulleys 66 , 68 , and 72 to allow rotational motion . the first pulley bracket 67 is similar to the second pulley bracket 69 . the first pulley bracket 67 is attached to a first end of the upper bar 62 by means of at least one ( 1 ) bracket fastener 78 inserted through the first pulley bracket 67 and an aperture ( not shown ) in the upper bar 62 and retained with a threaded retainer 79 . the second pulley bracket 69 is attached in a generally similar manner to a second end of the upper bar 62 . the third pulley bracket 73 is attached to the upper bar 62 in proximity to , but laterally opposed to , the second pulley bracket 69 . this third pulley bracket 73 is configured to retain the third pulley 72 at a somewhat greater elevation above the upper bar 62 than either the first pulley 66 or the second pulley 68 . the hoist assembly 80 includes a winch 82 , a first cable 102 , and a second cable 104 . the winch 82 is attached to an upright 24 by means of a threaded winch fastener 96 inserted through a winch aperture 28 and the winch 82 . the winch 82 can be any manually operated hoisting mechanism having a crank 92 , which can be manipulated by means of a handle 94 , to directly , or through a series of reduction gears , turn a drum 84 , or other reel mechanism , to gather the first ends of the first cable 102 and the second cable 104 simultaneously in order to shorten the operable length of those cables 102 and 104 . the winch 82 is preferably configured to have a wire rope guide 86 disposed on the drum 84 as seen in fig4 . the wire rope guide 86 is a spiral groove , or a pair of spiral grooves , formed into the material of the drum 84 which cause the cables 102 and 104 to align in sequential adjacent wraps as the winch 82 is turned . the winch 82 is also configured to have a drum latch mechanism 88 comprising a spring - biased latch engaging in a toothed wheel to retain the cables 102 and 104 in a preferred position to maintain the platform assembly 30 at a desired height . the first cable 102 and the second cable 104 are each configured to have a cable loop 106 at a second end . the first cable 102 is inserted through the eye 114 of a snap hook 112 and doubled over on itself to form the cable loop 106 and secured in that position by means of at least one ( 1 ) cable clamp 122 . the second cable 104 is configured similarly with another snap hook 112 engaged in a cable loop 106 . the second end of first cable 102 is extended from the drum 84 of the winch 82 and routed over the third pulley 72 and then the first pulley 66 and then is attached to the farthest eyebolt 56 in the platform assembly 30 by means of engaging the hook 118 of the snap hook 112 into the eyebolt 56 . the second end of the second cable 104 is similarly extended from the drum 84 of the winch 82 and routed over the second pulley 68 and then is attached to the nearest eyebolt 56 in the platform assembly 30 by means of engaging the hook 118 of the snap hook 112 into the eyebolt 56 . referring now to fig5 , a perspective view of the apparatus 10 , showing a fire box 130 , according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention , is disclosed . this embodiment is envisioned to use the platform 10 as described above and illustrated in fig1 through 4 . a fire box 130 is alternately provided for the apparatus 10 in the eventuality that a fire pit , or other such camp fire , is not conveniently available . the fire box 130 is configured to be a rectangular polyhedron having four ( 4 ) planar peripheral sidewalls 132 meeting at a bottom 134 to form an interior . the sidewalls 132 and the bottom 134 are preferably composed of steel plate continuously welded along all conjoined edges . suspended from the interior of the sidewalls 132 is a coal bed 138 upon which a fire is built . the coal bed 138 preferably comprises expanded sheet metal . the fire box 130 is provided with at least one ( 1 ) handle 142 on an exterior of at least one ( 1 ) of the narrow sides for manipulating the fire box 130 . it is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention , and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope . the preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized in a simple and straightforward manner with little or no training . after initial purchase or acquisition of the apparatus 10 , it would be assembled as indicated in fig1 , or alternately as shown in fig5 with a fire box 130 . the method of installing and utilizing the apparatus 10 may be achieved by performing the following steps : acquiring a model of the apparatus 10 ; inserting the uprights 24 of each leg assembly 20 into the guides 48 of the platform assembly 30 ; tightening the locking pins 52 ; sliding the insert tubes 64 of the upper bar assembly 60 into the upper ends 26 of the uprights 24 ; attaching the winch 82 to the upright 24 in closest proximity to the second pulley 68 and the third pulley 72 ; threading the first cable 102 over the third pulley 72 and then over the first pulley 66 ; attaching the hook 118 of the snap hook 112 into the eyebolt 56 on the far side of the platform assembly 30 ; threading the second cable 104 over the second pulley 68 ; attaching the hook 118 of the snap hook 112 into the eyebolt 56 on the near side of the platform assembly 30 ; position the apparatus 30 over a fire pit or camp fire ; and , placing food on the upper surface of the grate 42 of the platform assembly 30 or on the skewers 44 and cooking the food to the desired doneness . alternately if a fire pit or other camp fire is not available a fire can be started in the fire box 130 by placing the desired fuel on the coal bed 138 ; igniting the fuel ; and , placing the fire box 130 under the platform assembly 30 between the leg assemblies 20 . the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit to the precise forms disclosed and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain principles and practical application to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated .
an apparatus is adapted to be placed over an open flame source and employed as a grilling surface for cooking . the apparatus further has a flat grilling platform , a support frame , and a hoist assembly . the grilling platform is operatively suspended from the support frame by the hoist assembly such that the hoist assembly can raise and lower the grilling platform as desired . an embodiment of the apparatus provides for a fire box to facilitate construction and containment of a fire for use with the apparatus .