ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 9 -- United States Patent no. 12,285,135, issued on April 29.
"Football-themed cooking grill" was invented by April Lynn Wright (Pasadena, Calif.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A football-themed cooking grill is an apparatus utilizing an openable oblong enclosure, with dimensions approximately scaled from those of a standard National Football League (NFL) football, to both support various foods and retain heat and smoke while cooking. The cooking surface provides an indented portion optimized for enhanced retention of an appropriately-sized pot or other cooking receptacle. Furthermore, the shapes of different components of the apparatus reminds the user and guests of the...