Patent Application
20230184522
This novel technology relates generally to the field of explosives, and, more particularly, to a cake firework assembly that may be ignited by non-contiguous identical cake firework assembly, and that may ignite another non-contiguous identical cake firework assembly.
Fireworks are a part of celebration culture and tradition going back thousands of years. In addition to the more common firecrackers, skyrockets, and sparklers, fireworks include fountains which shower sparks from the ground into the air, missiles, and mortars which are explosive shells propelled into the air from one or more tubes. Cakes are multiple mortar tubes connected by a fuse that when lit, fires the mortar shells in sequence.
Because fireworks by their explosive nature can be dangerous, they tend to be fairly tightly regulated. Cakes are regulated to have a maximum weight of 500 grams, such that 500 gram cakes are the most powerful multi-shot repeaters on the market. 500 grams is the maximum amount of pyrotechnic powder allowed in a multi-shot repeater. Further, if two cakes are physically connected, they are regulated as if they were a single cake.
Consumers tend to like firework cakes because each cake device lasts for a relatively long time and fires a few big shots or a lot of smaller ones. Cakes can offer a wide variety of different effects, including colors, sounds, and patterns. Consumers with bigger fireworks budgets gravitate towards cakes as they can be combined to put on a dazzling display. However, each cake must be lit individually, meaning the presenter must actively time the lighting of each firework, which keeps the presenter at ground zero in case of an accident and also deprives the presenter of the ability to sit back and enjoy the show.
Thus, there is a need for a cake design that would allow for an effective combining of cake devices while avoiding a direct physical connection of the same. The present novel technology addresses this need.
For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the novel technology, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the novel technology is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the novel technology as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the novel technology relates.
The mortar tubes 105 are typically all of equal length and dimension, and have bottom ends 125 resting on a flat member 130 or ground and have top ends 135 terminating flush with one another. The proximal end of the fuse 115 is connected to a first partial tube 140. The first partial tube 140 is positioned adjacent one or more mortar tubes 105 and has a top end 145 extending flus with the mortar top ends 135 and a bottom end 150 that terminates about midway between the top and bottom ends 135, 125. The fuse 110 extends into the bottom end 150 and from there extends sequentially to each mortar tube 105.
A second partial tube 160 is likewise connected to the assembly 100, this time having a bottom end 165 positioned flus with the bottom ends 125 and a top end 170 terminating below the bottom end 150 of the first partial tube 140. The first and second partial tubes 140, 160 are spaced from on another, such as positioned on opposite sides of the cake assembly 100. The fuse 110 has a distal end 175 that terminates in the second partial tube 160. The second partial tube 160 does not contain a mortar load, but instead contains a fountain-type firework 180. The second partial tube 160 is ignited last, after all of the mortar loads have been fired, and sprays a jet of flame and sparks upwardly from the top end 170.
When two similar or identical cake assemblies 100′, 100″ are positioned adjacent one another, the top end 170 of the second partial tube 160 of one assembly 100′ may be positioned directly under the bottom end 150 of the first partial tube 140 of the other assembly 100″ (without either assembly 100′, 100″ directly contacting or touching the other 100″, 100′), such that when the first assembly 100′ is ignited, its second partial tube 160 will sequentially fire and its fountain will extend into the bottom 150 of the first partial tube 140 of the second assembly 100″, igniting its fuse 110 and thus initiating sequential firing of its mortar tubes 105. Any number of assemblies 100 may likewise be positioned, or ‘chained’, to sequentially fire after the first device 100 is ignited.
In some implementations, the cake device 100 may include a plurality of second partial tubes 160 connected thereto and spaced from one another. The fuse 110 is bifurcated such that all partial tubes 160 are connected to a distal end 175 and are ignited more or less simultaneously so as to ignite the first partial tubes 140 of additional cake devices 100 positioned above each respective partial tube 160.
While the novel technology has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It is understood that the embodiments have been shown and described in the foregoing specification in satisfaction of the best mode and enablement requirements. It is understood that one of ordinary skill in the art could readily make a nigh-infinite number of insubstantial changes and modifications to the above-described embodiments and that it would be impractical to attempt to describe all such embodiment variations in the present specification. Accordingly, it is understood that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the novel technology are desired to be protected.
