Patent Application
20160040875
The present invention generally relates to a wood or combustion stove or furnace installation, and more particularly, to a double wall insulated chimney flue pipe, cap, that when used, saves energy both summer and winter, and entails a double wall feature which accepts all standard sized flue openings.
Combustion heating units, such as furnaces or stoves, whether utilizing wood or other forms of fuel to generate heat, all require a smoke evacuation conduit, a flue pipe leading to a chimney, is common place. It is such that these are popular devices for heating in residential and commercial buildings.
When such a unit is not in use, however, the opening within the unit, connected to a flue leading outside forms a passage, through which heated air or cooled air can escape from the interior of the building.
A Double Wall Insulated Cap installed anywhere along the flue but most effectively at the exterior wall opening to the chimney bottom would be so much more effective than just leaving that open hole.
Few innovations for a quick and easily used flue plug or cap have been previously put forth in prior art. For example, : 2009/0223504A1 to Michael A. Williams Douglasville, Ga. Discloses a “device of preparing for an inner fireplace flue plug, that is, it is installed inside a fireplace and also as a result of its hanging vertical spring loaded locking tubular handle, it is limited to vertical installation and use. For example one cannot use it to plug a flue wall hole because the protruding handle would stick out horizontally and the weight of the shaft and cylinder would always stress downward leading to inefficiency. Also there is no insulation present. Its limited applications make it very unlike the unique double wall insulated cap with its universal fitting on or in any and all standard sized flue openings. And there are no moving parts within.
Another example, in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,494 to Cyril Wagner, Deerfield, Ill., discloses a device of preparing for (quote) “a fireplace during periods of non-use, the plug has a body, for obstructing the throat, which carries a magnetic means for securing the body to the throat. The plug further provides a handle for ease in inserting the plug into the throat and an indicating means for the indicating that the plug has been inserted into the throat of the fireplace.” (end quote)
Note, this particular device works reasonably well in its limited capability or intended use to plug inside the metallic throat of a flue opening inside a fireplace, only. (quote U.S. Pat) “an indicator means depending downwardly from the body indicating that the body is in active position” (end quote). This featured indicator means is present precisely for that reason, that is that it's meant to be placed inside a fireplace.
Also, the use of magnetic tape or strip employed to hold and affix the plug in place, limits its adaptability and compatibility to ferrous metals only and not non-ferrous materials like copper, concrete, brick, and stainless steel . . . Also magnets loose magnetism when placed in hot conditions. Who's to say for sure, that when one installs the plug inside the apparent cooled fireplace, that the chimney flue itself is cold? One also notes the presence of polyethylene insulation within the plug, whereas the double wall insulated cap has fire resistant insulation. Also this unit, this fireplace plug, has a male fitting end, that fits in the flue opening, in the fireplace only. It does not fit over a male fitting that exist outside of a fireplace, such as at the exterior flue wall opening, where the protruding end is crimped and male, or elsewhere along the line. The Double Wall Insulated Cap fits over and into all standard size flue openings. The double walls create an enveloping effect with the opposing flue pipe end either crimped or not, wedged in and seals the connection.
The Double Wall Insulated Cap clearly has a more universal and expanded applications and usefulness. It is intended and created for general flue pipe capping outside the burn unit and not in the fireplace. It's intended use is at the exterior wall flue opening where it is most effective. A hooked hanging handle is also included.
Without significant modifications the two U.S. patents stated here as prior art cannot do what the Double Wall Insulated Cap does. It is unique in the industry. One might compare those two devices as foot scooters, whereas the Double Wall Insulated Cap is a 10 speed bicycle. They both have wheels and ride forward, but are of significant difference in what they are, what they do and how they do it.
The Double Wall Insulated Cap has a broader use and is useful, efficient and unique.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need still exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.
In one aspect the present invention relates to a stove or combustion unit flue pipe cap or plug device, to be installed over a flue pipe open end, when the combustion unit is not in use. In one embodiment, the “Double Wall Insulated Cap” device includes a hooked style metal handle for hanging and storage purposes. It also embodies an inner concentric metal wall cavity or core, containing two and one half (2 ½) inches of fire resistant insulation, and capped with a concentric metal cover plate. A space or gap in between the core and the outer cap wall creates a channel way, where the metal open flue pipe end, slides in and sort of wedges in and seals the connection.
In one embodiment the “Double Wall Insulated Cap” includes, one standard size metal, concentric cylindrical unit capped at one end, in other words a regularly sold chimney cap (18). Attached is a hooked metal handle (12) protruding outward from the center. Attached within, is another concentric cylindrical core wall part (16), of a slightly, smaller diameter, using rivets (17) to secure it inside the cap (18). Two and one half (2 ½) inches of fire resistant insulation (15) is slid into the core (16) and a concentric end plate (14) caps the core (16) part of the double wall insulated cap (3).
A hole (19) is drilled through the center of both end plates allowing for a bolt to be inserted through the center of the concentric cylindrical unit, end to end, attaching and tightening all the parts together by tightening down a few nuts (13) present, all materials used consist of high temperature and low rust endurance metals.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings, although variations and modification there in may be affected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.
The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the written description serve to explain the principle of the invention. Whenever possible the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements of an embodiment, and where in:
The present invention is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only. Since numerous modifications and variations there in will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Various embodiments of the invention are now described in detail. Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claim that follows. The meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the”, includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also as used in the description herein and throughout the claim that follow, the meaning of “in”, includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, in the construction of the invention, all parts are of heat resistant material and are attached by way of either rivets and/or center bolt and nuts.
The description shall be made as to the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in
An inner concentric metal cylinder (16) is fitted within the cap (18), being of smaller diameter than the standard cap (18) it forms the core body walls (16) in which fire retardant insulation (15) is inserted. The inner core wall (16) enables the double wall featured characteristic of the double wall insulated cap, and provides a channel gap of air in between this inner wall (16) and the regular standard outer cap wall (18) which in turn enables the opposing flue connection end, to slide in enveloping and seals the connection wall.
A concentric cover plate (14) is fitted on the long bolt (21) over the core (16), only covering the insulation (15) but revealing the surrounding gap channel in between the double walls, which accepts the insertion of the opposing flue pipe end. This is unique and has a much wider scope and usefulness than a single wall cap.
The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application so as to enable others skilled embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its scope. Accordingly the scope of the present invention is defined by the intended claim rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2858528 | Aug 2014 | CA | national |
