Patent Application
20210123260
The present invention relates to campfire reflective barriers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a campfire reflective barrier having heat reflecting material on a first side of a panel and a living hinge that joins adjacent panels. Further, the campfire reflective barrier is reconfigurable and modular with other similar campfire reflective barriers.
In cool weather camping conditions, parts of a person's body not facing the radiant heat from a campfire will feel cold and uncomfortable. Further, many people typically congregate around the campfire and inadvertently prevent the radiant heat from reaching all of the congregates. As an attempt to overcome this, some people choose to wear more clothing or to wrap oneself in a blanket. However, there are situations where campers or other outdoor enthusiasts wish to not be burdened with bulky coats and blankets. Alternatively, less bulky thermal underclothing can be worn. However, wearing thermal underclothing has the disadvantage of not being easily removed once fully dressed. As a result, fluctuation in temperature causes excess warmth, leading to sweating and other uncomfortable body adaptations.
When using an open fire for warmth, the body absorbs heat where exposed to the fire, but radiates heat where unexposed portions of the body are unprotected. Attempts have been made to solve this problem. However, these devices fail to adequately provide for an easy-to-use modular setup and a workable arrangement. For example, one of these existing campfire reflective barriers provides a reflective panel that is mountable to the backrest of a chair and to the bottom rail between the two front legs of the chair thereby reflecting the radiant heat in an upward direction warming those parts of a person's body not normally receiving heat. Unfortunately, these existing devices fail to provide a more comprehensive solution as much radiant heat is not directed to the reflective portions which is blocked by the chair and seated user. Additionally, these devices require an additional structure, such as a chair, to mount thereon.
In view of the above concerns, there is a need to provide a campfire reflective barrier for mounting in any configuration about a campfire so as to reflect heat towards the user when oriented toward the campfire. The campfire reflective barriers include a flexible hinge that joins adjacent panels forming a continuous interior side and provides for securement to the ground via stakes that pass through the hinge. This will allow for assembly in any shape and size about a campfire, which will not only reduce the need for extraneous structures for mounting thereto but will reduce setup time by being reconfigurable in any position around the campfire. The exterior of the panels shields the user from wind chill and provides a barrier that keeps a user within the confines of the campfire area.
In addition, there is a need for a device that joins with other substantially similar campfire reflective barriers to selectively adjust the number of panels. In this way, the campfire reflective barrier is usable for any number of users and campfire area sizes.
In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements and methods from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement for a campfire reflective barrier. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of campfire reflective barriers now present in the known art, the present invention provides a new campfire reflective barrier wherein the same can be utilized for encompassing a campfire to reflect and retain heat within the protected area.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a campfire reflective barrier having a first panel affixed to an adjacent second panel via a hinge. The panels are configured to form a heat reflecting and wind deflecting shield. Each panel comprises a first side having a heat reflecting element configured to reflect heat and a second side for deflecting wind. In one embodiment, the heat reflecting element is Mylar® formed in a bubble arrangement. The Mylar® material provides a highly reflective surface so as so reflect the heat generated by the campfire.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a modular campfire reflective barrier that is reconfigurable and joinable with other campfire reflective barriers to form a continuous shield.
It is yet another embodiment of the present invention to provide a campfire reflective barrier comprising the heat reflecting element in a bubble arrangement, wherein the bubble arrangement does not focus an excess of radiant heat to a single area. The radiant heat from a point source, such as a fireplace, is scattered and provides for even thermal distribution within the enclosed area.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved campfire reflective barrier.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide that has all of the advantages of the known art and none of the disadvantages.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.
Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the campfire reflective barriers. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for retaining campfire heat within a protected area formed by the campfire reflective barriers. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.
Referring now to
In the shown embodiment, the hinge 1300 comprises a sleeve 1700 extending along an entirely length thereof and formed by a pair of fabric members. In the illustrated embodiment, the sleeve 1700 comprises a first fabric member extends between the first and second panels 1100, 1200 along the first side 1400 and a second fabric member extends between the first and second panels 1100, 1200 along the second side 1500. The sleeve 1700 is hollow and adapted to receive a stake 1800 through an open upper end 1710 and traverse the entire length of the sleeve 1700 so as to extend past a lower open end 1720. In this way, the stake 1800 is selectively driven into the ground to secure the campfire reflective barrier 1000 in a vertical position. In the vertical position, the campfire reflective barrier 1000 is perpendicular to the ground surface and thereby provides the most effective wind deflection and heat reflecting. The hinge 1300 allows a user to selectively alter the angle of each panel 1100, 1200 relative to each other about the hinge 1300, and relative to the ground. Thus, the campfire reflective barrier 1000 is reconfigurable so as to provide the most effective wind deflection and heat reflecting. In one embodiment, the campfire reflective barrier 1000 comprises at least three panels arranged so as to completely encompass a campfire and forming a protected interior area.
In the shown embodiment, each panel 1100, 1200 comprises a rectangular shape. However, in alternative embodiments, the shape of each panel 1100, 1200 may be any size or shape known in the art, such as, but not limited to squares, circles, or trapezoids. In the shown embodiment, each panel 1100, 1200 measures four feet by four feet. However, in alternative embodiments, each panel 1100, 1200 may have any dimension. Additionally, in the shown embodiments, each panel 1100, 1200 is a rigid planar member. However, in alternative embodiments, the panels 1100, 1200 are arcuate so as to form a concave and/or convex shape.
In some embodiments, the present invention is configured as a single row of panels 1100, 1200, generally arranged in wall. However, in other embodiments, the present invention forms one or more connected rows of panels. In such embodiments, any configuration of panels, such as, but not limited to, an arc or a zig-zag pattern (alternating “V” shaped sections). In the shown embodiments, the first panel 1100 forms a selective angle 1150 with the second panel 1200, wherein the selective angle 1150 is formed about the hinge 1300. Moreover, although generally contemplated to be configured to connect lateral side to lateral side, one or more campfire reflective barriers 1000 may be configured to be stackable, or to be connected vertically. In this way, the sleeves 1700 would be aligned so as to receive a stake 1800 of double length and that the first side 1400 of the multiple campfire reflective barriers are oriented in the same direction. In some embodiments, the various barrier panels may not be of uniform size.
As seen in
In one exemplary use as seen in
Referring now to
As heat radiates from the campfire, the heat is redirected at an angle equal to the angle of incidence. The bubble arrangement of the Mylar® causes a scattering of the heat within the enclosed area. In this way, the bubble arrangement does not focus an excess of radiant heat on a single area. The scattering of the radiant heat throughout the area provides for even thermal distribution within the enclosed area.
In the shown embodiment, the second side 1500 of the panel 1100 is adapted to deflect wind from passing through to the enclosed area on the first side 1400. In one embodiment, the panel 1100 comprises an impermeable material. In another embodiment, the layer of the heat reflecting element 1600 comprises more than half of the width of the panel 1100, wherein the width is measured as the distance between the lateral sides of the panels 1100 or is the width measured as a distance between the first and second side.
Referring now to
In the embodiment shown in
It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
