Patent Application
20240053022
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For approximately 70 years, people have used portable propane burners for outdoor cooking. Portable stoves provide reliable and controllable heat for various purposes. They can also be highly portable. Various gas and liquid fuels are available for portable stoves. Due to their convenience pressurized gas, and especially propane, is a popular fuel for portable stoves. A significant amount of energy can be stored in a propane bottle and various sizes of tanks are available based on a user's needs. Due to their convenience tabletop cook stoves have been standard camping equipment for generations.
In improved campgrounds where tables are available, portable stoves are often easy to set up and use. In unimproved campgrounds, users may set up a stove on an improvised surface such as a stump or on rocks. This can pose safety risks since a burning stove on an insecure surface is prone to fall, especially when cooking with a heavy pot. For this reason, people may bring a portable table to use for cooking, food preparation, eating, and other purposes. Portable tables are often collapsible to at least some degree so they are more transportable. Tables with folding legs are readily and widely available but may be too large to easily transport in the back of a car, on a boat, in an airplane, or carry to a remote location. For that reason, further collapsible tables, including roll tables have been created to provide desirable combinations of portability, stability, size, and cost.
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A compact propane stove with an integrated roll table. The table surface stows rolled around the propane stove with the table legs inside the table.
The present invention is a cook stove with an integrated collapsible table 100. The apparatus generally comprises: 1) a front assembly with cooking features 304, 2) a rear assembly 500, 3) legs 114, and 4) table features 102. In an extended configuration, the apparatus comprises a flat table surface 102 with extended legs 114 and a cook stove 1000 attached to the table. In a stowed configuration, the element(s) 204 comprising the table surface 102 are oriented/rolled around the front assembly 700 and the legs 114 are stored inside the outer circumference defined by the table surface elements 204.
In a preferred embodiment, the rear assembly 500 comprises a collection of substantially flat members (502, 504, and 514). In an extended configuration, the substantially flat members are oriented into a rigid triangular assembly 500. The rear assembly 500 is preferably held in an extended configuration by a series of knob head bolts 510 such that no tools are required to assemble the assembly 500 into the extended configuration, or disassemble the assembly into a stowed configuration. In a preferred embodiment, the rear assembly 500 further comprises bolt retention assemblies 518. In a preferred embodiment, the bolt retention assemblies are attached to a nut retention member 516. In a preferred embodiment a spacing member 514 of the rear assembly 500 is configured with slots 606 to aid in tool-less assembly and disassembly. In certain embodiments, flat members 502 and 504 may be separated by a biasing member 602 to separate flat members thereby easing insertion of legs 114 and tale support members 108. In preferred embodiments, elements of the rear assembly 500 are configured with weight reduction and rigidity elements 604.
In a preferred embodiment, the front assembly is comprised of the following elements: 1) a stove frame 700, 2) a plurality of burners 304, 3) a fuel storage system 404, 4) a fuel distribution system 1002, 5) a burner control system 402, 6) a grate 104, 7) a reflector 118, and 8) a bottom tray 112. The stove frame 700 is substantially an assembled unit which is not routinely assembled and disassembled with the exception of the fuel storage system 404 and grate 104. In a preferred embodiment, the stove frame comprises means to attach, directly or indirectly, the other elements of the front assembly. The fuel storage system 404 is preferably installed outside the bottom tray 112. The fuel distribution system 1000 is preferably located between the bottom tray 112 and the reflector 118. Control features 402 of the burner control system are preferably located outside the bottom tray 112 in a recess of the bottom tray 112 which protects the control features 402 from impact and accidental manipulation. The plurality of burners 304 are preferably disposed inside the reflector 118. The reflector 118 preferably reflects heat up toward the plurality of burners 304 and simplifies cleaning by containing spills. The reflector 118 is preferably a formed or a stamped metal with concave and convex sides. The grill is preferably recessed in the concave side of the reflector 118. The front assembly preferably comprises means by which legs 114 and table surface support(s) 108 may be attached. In a preferred embodiment, the legs 114 and table surface support(s) 108 are attachable to the stove frame 110. When the stove frame 110 is placed inside the bottom tray 112, the bottom tray 112 is attached to the stove frame 110 by a series of screws.
In a preferred embodiment, the stove frame 700 comprises leg and table support attachment elements 702, heat insulators 710, and stove tray support elements 708. In a preferred embodiment, legs 114 and table surface support(s) 108 are attachable to the front and rear assemblies 500 using a bushing system. In a preferred embodiment, the bushing system comprises a cylindrical member 802 attachable to a cavity (704 and 706) in the chassis using a bolt 806. The cylindrical members 802 are preferably configured with a plurality of grooves. O-rings 804 are preferably installed in the grooves of the cylindrical members 802. The legs 114 are preferably hollow. In a preferred embodiment, the hollow legs 114 are slid into the cavities over the bushings. The cavity (704 and 706), bushing system, and leg 114 are sized to provide a limited amount of “slop” or “play” between the interior of the cavity (704 and 706) and exterior of the leg 114. The o-ring(s) 804 is/are preferably sized to provide a friction fit between the o-ring(s) 804 and the inside of the leg 114. The friction fit is preferably sufficient to support the weight of the leg 114 such that picking up the table also lifts the legs 114. In certain embodiments, the legs 114 are configured with end caps 116 to prevent the legs from working into the ground.
In an alternative embodiment, the legs 114 are connected to the front and rear assemblies 500 using hinges. In a preferred embodiment, the legs 114 are canted out such that the legs 114 are closer to the other legs 114 at the stove/table then at the ground. In a preferred embodiment, the legs 114 do not lie in any plane orthogonal to the table surface. This leg 114 cant causes the stove/table to be more stable than if the legs 114 were parallel. In one configuration, the length of the legs 114 is fixed. In another configuration the length of the legs 114 is adjustable. In a preferred embodiment of this configuration the legs 114 are telescoping. In certain embodiments the legs 114 are comprised of multiple connectable segments which may be connected with telescoping clamp components, by an internal cord, or hinges.
In a preferred embodiment, the table surface 102 is comprised of a plurality of substantially rigid members 204 (slats). In a preferred embodiment, each slat 204 is flexibly connected to the adjacent slat(s) 204. In a preferred embodiment, the flexible connection is significantly elastic. In a preferred embodiment, the table subsurface comprises a plurality of width-wise lateral members 108. In a preferred embodiment, the length-wise lateral members 108 are tubes (table surface support(s)). In a preferred embodiment, the table surface supports 108 are connectable at a rear assembly 500 and a stove frame assembly at their respective ends.
In a preferred embodiment, the rear assembly 500 is configured with an indexing member configured to indicate the optimal position of the rear assembly relative to the table surface support(s). The indexing member preferably limits the minimum distance of the rear assembly from the stove frame along the length of the table surface support(s). In an alternative embodiment, the rear assembly is securable to the table surface support(s) at a plurality of locations along the length of the table surface support(s). In a preferred embodiment, the rear assembly 500 is configured with a plurality of channels 508 configured to accept the table surface support(s) and the rear assembly 500 is further configured with members configured to clamp the rear assembly 500 to the table surface support(s) 108 creating a friction-lock at a desired position along the length of the table surface support(s) 108. In a preferred embodiment, the rear assembly 500 is attachable to a plurality of slats 204 using slat attachment members 506 such that adjustment of the position of the rear assembly 500 relative to the table surface support(s) 108 adjusts the tension of the slats. In a preferred embodiment, the rear assembly 500 is configured with a plurality of channels 512 configured to accept the legs 114 and the rear assembly 500 is further configured with members configured to clamp the rear assembly 500 to the legs 114 creating a friction-lock at a desired position along the length of the legs 114.
In a preferred embodiment, the stove frame 700 is securable to the table surface support(s) 108 at a plurality of locations. In a preferred embodiment, the stove frame 700 is configured with channels 704 configured to accept the table surface support(s) 108 and the rear assembly 500 is further configured with members configured to clamp the rear assembly 500 to the table surface support(s) 108 creating a friction-lock at a desired position along the length of the table surface support(s) 108. In a preferred embodiment, the stove frame 700 is installed in a bottom tray 112 and a stove tray 106 is installed on the stove frame assembly. In certain embodiments, the stove tray 106 extends beyond the stove frame and is configured with depressions 302 which provide rigidity and/or a plurality of locations to place cooking utensils and other items when using the stove or table.
In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of the slats 204 are attachable 202 to, and detachable from, the table surface support(s) 108. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus is configured with a hook-and-loop closure system(s) to attach slat(s) 204 to the table surface support(s) 108. In an alternative embodiment, the apparatus is configured with flexible loops of material configured to permit the passage of table surface support(s) through the flexible loops of material.
In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus is configured for tool-less assembly and disassembly. In a preferred embodiment, bolts 510 are configured with over-sized heads to allow a user to apply sufficient torque, by hand, to achieve the required tightness. In an alternative embodiment, the apparatus is configured with a system of levers to allow a user to achieve the required tightness.
For purposes of this disclosure, including claims, plurality means one or more unless otherwise explicitly indicated. Unless otherwise explicitly indicated, quantities are exemplary and other quantities are within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63398004 | Aug 2022 | US |
