Claims
- 1. An apparatus for producing a sustained flame comprising:
an inner wick with a hollow center; an outer wick disposed around the inner wick, wherein the region between the inner wick and the outer wick defines an inter-wick region, and wherein the region around the outer wick defines an outer wick peripheral region; at least one fuel reservoir, for containing a flame-fueling liquid, in communication with at least one of the wicks; a first air container; a first air channel connecting the first air container to the center of the inner wick; a second air container; and a second air channel connecting the second air container to the inter-wick region.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first valve for controlling the flow of air into the first air container.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a drain valve in fluid communication with a lower portion of the first air container.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a third air container; and a third air channel connecting the the third air container to the outer wick peripheral region.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first end of the first air channel is generally disposed within the center of the first wick and the first end of the second air channel is located between the first wick the second wick.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a collar disposed at the outer wick peripheral region, the collar having an inner and an outer surface; and a plurality of pins protruding from the inside surface of the collar.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:
a cap adapted to be inserted into the collar; and a plurality of L-shaped channels located on an outside surface of the cap, each channel having a vertical leg and a horizontal leg, each vertical leg adapted to slidably receive one of the pins, and each horizontal leg adapted to slidably receive one of the pins.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a separation wall dividing the fuel reservoir into a first portion and a second portion; a tube connecting the first portion and the second portion; and a valve located in the tube, for controlling the flow of fuel through the tube, wherein a lower portion of the inner wick is disposed within the first portion.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:
a filler cap located on an exterior surface of the second portion for filling the second portion with fuel; and an air valve located on the exterior surface of the second portion for controlling the flow of air into the second portion.
- 10. An apparatus comprising:
a fuel reservoir with a bottom surface, a front surface, and a back surface; an air channel extending through the fuel reservoir between the front surface and the back surface; a wick assembly comprising:
a wick with a hollow center; and a wick sleeve conforming to the wick, the wick sleeve comprising an inner wall and an outer wall, wherein the inner wall and the outer wall are apart at a first end of the wick sleeve, and are joined at a second end of the wick sleeve, wherein the wick sleeve is adapted such that the wick is slidably received by the first end of the wick sleeve and wick travel is stopped by the second end of the wick sleeve, wherein the the wick assembly mounted within the air channel; a fuel tube connecting the fuel reservoir and the second end of the wick sleeve through a fuel opening in the second end of the wick sleeve, such that the wick is in fluid communication with the fuel reservoir; and a fuel valve for controlling the flow of fuel through the fuel tube, the fuel valve comprising a handle and a gate.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the hollow center of the wick is coaxial with the air channel.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second end of the wick sleeve is flush with the back surface of reservoir.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the gate is located within the fuel tube.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the handle is located on the exterior of the fuel tube, and is operable to open and close the gate.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising an air valve for controlling the flow of air into the air channel.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a membrane located between the second end of the wick sleeve and the wick, wherein the membrane is in close proximity to the fuel opening in the second end and is in contact with the wick.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the membrane contains pores and is semi-permeable, and wherein the size of the pores decreases with the temperature of the membrane.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the wick comprises a plurality of glass fibers.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the wick further comprises a plurality of optical fibers.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the wick comprises a plurality of glass fibers, wherein the wick is oriented in a first direction, wherein the glass fibers are oriented in a second direction different than the first direction.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the glass fibers are wound in a spiral pattern.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/336,316, filed Jan. 3, 2003.
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10336316 |
Jan 2003 |
US |
Child |
10890342 |
Jul 2004 |
US |