Flame simulating assembly and components therefor

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6363636
  • Patent Number
    6,363,636
  • Date Filed
    Friday, November 19, 1999
    25 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 2, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
An electric fireplace is provided having an improved flame simulating apparatus. In one aspect, the flame simulating apparatus includes a light source, a flame effect element for reflecting light to produce a flame effect, and a flicker element having reflective strips for reflecting light from the light source for subsequent reflection by the flame effect element. A screen having a partially reflecting surface and a diffusing member is positioned with the flame effect element extending proximate to the diffusing member. A fuel bed is positioned immediately adjacent to the partially reflecting surface of the screen to produce an image of the fuel bed on the screen with the image of moving flames appearing to emanate between the fuel bed and its reflected image. An alternate screen is provided having a non-planar diffusing member which causes the image of moving flames to appear to emanate from behind the reflected image the fuel bed. A fire wall simulating apparatus is also provided to provide a reflection of a simulated fire wall on the partially reflecting surface which appears to be a fire wall behind the fuel bed.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Electric fireplaces are popular because they provide the visual qualities of real fireplaces without the costs and complications associated with venting of the combustion gases. An assembly for producing a realistic simulated flame for electric fireplaces is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,707 (Butterfield). The Butterfield assembly uses a system of billowing ribbons and a diffusion screen for simulating flames. The simulated flames are surprisingly realistic, although the effect resembles a flame from a coal fuel source (which is popular in Europe), rather than a log fuel source (which is more popular in North America). The flames for burning logs tend to be more active and extend higher above the fuel source. Also the log flame tends to be less red (and more yellow) in color than the coal flame.




There is a need for an assembly for producing a simulated flame that more realistically resembles the flame from a burning log. Also, there is a need to improve the light intensity of the simulated flame to more realistically resemble the intensity of real flames.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention is directed to an improved flame simulating assembly that produces a realistic appearing flame.




In one aspect, the invention provides a screen, for use in a flame simulating assembly, comprising:




a partially translucent diffusing element sized to extend substantially across the area where a flame effect is desired, said partially translucent diffusing element having a thickness adapted to diffuse light through said thickness; and;




a partially reflecting element sized to substantially oppose sad diffusing element, said reflecting element having a partially reflecting surface which faces away from said diffusing element;




wherein light passing through said diffusing element is visible through said partially reflecting surface.




In a second aspect, the invention provides a screen, for use in a flame simulating assembly, comprising:




a translucent diffusing element sized to extend substantially across the area where a flame effect is desired, said diffusing element being substantially non=planar; and;




a partially reflecting element sized to substantially oppose said diffusing element, said reflecting element having a partially reflecting surface which faces away from said diffusing element;




wherein light passing through said diffusing element is visible through said partially reflecting surface.




In a third aspect, the invention provides a flame simulating assembly comprising:




a light source;




at least one flicker element having at least one reflective surface;




a flame effect element formed of a piece of a substantially reflective material sized to extend substantially fully across the area of where a flame effect is desired;




a screen having a light diffusing element sized to extend substantially fully across the area of where a flame effect is desired, said flame effect element extending proximate to said light diffusing element, wherein light from said light source is reflected from said flicker element to said flame effect element, and reflected from said flame effect element to said screen; and




means for moving said light reflected from said light source to produce an image on said screen which resembles moving flames.




In a fourth aspect, the invention provides a fireplace assembly comprising:




a substantially transparent front wall having an inner surface;




a reflective surface facing said inner surface of said front wall; and




a pattern applied to said inner surface of said front wall, said pattern being substantially invisible to an observer looking through said substantially transparent front wall but visible as a reflection in said reflective surface.




In a fifth aspect, the invention provides a flicker element for use in a flame simulating assembly comprising a plurality of reflective strips protruding radially from a rod, said strips being non-rectilinear in shape.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show preferred embodiments of the present invention, in which:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of an electric fireplace incorporating a flame simulating assembly in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a side view of the assembly of

FIG. 1

showing elements behind the side wall;





FIG. 3

is a front view of the assembly of

FIG. 1

showing elements below the top wall;





FIG. 4

is a top view of the assembly of

FIG. 1

showing elements behind the front wall;





FIG. 5

is a front view of a flame effect element for the assembly of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 6

is a perspective view of the upper flicker element for the assembly of

FIG. 1

, as viewed along direction arrow


6


in

FIG. 3

;





FIG. 7

is a partial plan view of a length of material defining a plurality of radial strips for the upper flicker element of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 8

is a perspective view of the lower flicker element for the assembly of

FIG. 1

, as viewed along direction arrow


8


in

FIG. 3

;





FIG. 9

is a top view of a fuel bed light assembly for the assembly of

FIG. 1

in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 10

is a side view of a second embodiment of the flame simulating assembly showing an alternative orientation of the flicker elements;





FIG. 11

is a front view of a second embodiment of the vertical screen showing the partially reflecting surface divided into regions;





FIG. 12

is an exploded detail view of a second embodiment of the fuel bed;





FIG. 13

is a side view of a third embodiment of the flame simulating assembly showing an alternative flame effect element;





FIG. 14

is a front view of the flame effect element for the assembly of

FIG. 13

;





FIG. 15

is a perspective side view of a fourth embodiment of the flame simulating assembly, showing an alternative flame effect element and an alternative vertical screen;





FIG. 16

is a perspective side view of an alternative vertical screen assembly for the assembly of

FIG. 1

or

FIG. 15

;





FIG. 17

is a front view of the flame effect element for the assembly of

FIG. 15

;





FIG. 18

is a front perspective view of an electric fireplace incorporating a fire wall simulating assembly;





FIG. 19

is a perspective side view of the fireplace of

FIG. 18

;





FIG. 20

is an enlarged perspective view of the inner surface of the front wall of the assembly of

FIG. 18

; and





FIG. 21

is a partial plan view of a length of material defining a plurality of radial strips for an alternative embodiment of the upper flicker element of

FIG. 1

or FIG.


15


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




A flame simulating assembly in accordance with the present invention is shown generally at


10


in the figures. The assembly is incorporated within an electric fireplace which is depicted generally at


12


with an electrical connection


13


for connecting to a power source (not shown).




The electric fireplace


12


includes a housing


14


that defines a simulated firebox having top, bottom, front, rear and side walls


16


,


18


,


20


,


22


and


23


, respectively. A portion of the front wall is defined by a transparent front panel


24


that is removable to permit access to the contents of the housing


14


. A control unit


21


is located above the top wall of the housing. The control unit


21


includes a heater unit


25


, a thermostat


27


for controlling the heat output and a main power switch


29


for actuating the flame effect.




Referring to

FIG. 2

, a simulated fuel bed


26


is supported on a platform


28


located at a lower front portion of the housing


14


. The fuel bed


26


comprises a plastic shell that is vacuum formed and colored to resemble logs and embers for a log burning fire.




Portions of the shell are translucent to permit light from a light source


30


located beneath the fuel bed


26


to shine through. For instance, the shell may be formed from an orange translucent plastic. The top side of the plastic shell may be painted in places to resemble the surface of logs. The underside of the plastic shell may be painted black (or some other opaque color) and then sanded in portions where it is desired for light to pass. For instance, the protruding points on the underside of the shell (corresponding to indents in the top side) may be sanded to allow light passage. These points would thus resemble the embers of a fire. Also, the crotch area between simulated logs may be sanded (or left unpainted) to resemble embers at the intersection of two logs.




The light source


30


comprises three 60 watt light bulbs that are supported in sockets


34


below the fuel bed


26


. Alternatively, one or more quartz halogen lights may be utilized. The sockets


34


are supported by vertical arms


36


that are connected with fasteners


38


to the bottom wall of the housing


14


. A parabolic reflector


40


is located below the light source


30


at the lower front end of the housing


14


to direct light toward the rear of the housing


14


. The intensity of the light can be varied with a dimmer switch


41


that is electrically connected to the light source


30


and located on the control unit


21


.




In a further embodiment of the invention as shown in

FIG. 9

, a fuel bed light assembly


100


may be arranged beneath the underside of the fuel bed


26


. The fuel bed light assembly


100


includes a support element


102


that supports a string of lights


104


beneath the fuel bed


26


. The lights


104


are adapted to flicker at different times to give the impression of increases and decreases in heat (as depicted by differences of light intensity) in the embers of the fuel bed. It has been found that conventional Christmas lights are suitable for this purpose. It has also been found that a realistic ember effect may be generated by positioning four regular light bulbs beneath the bed and randomly varying the intensity of the lights using a micro-processor (not shown).




Located immediately behind the fuel bed


26


is a vertical screen


42


. The screen


42


is transparent and has a partially reflecting surface


44


and a diffusing surface


46


. The screen


42


is seated in a groove


48


defined in a lower horizontal support member


50


. The lower horizontal support member


50


is fastened to the side walls


23


of the housing


14


with fasteners


52


. The screen


42


is supported on its sides with side frame members


54


that are fastened to the side walls


23


with fasteners


56


. The screen structure is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,707 which is incorporated herein by reference.




The screen


42


is positioned immediately behind the fuel bed


26


so that the fuel bed


26


will be reflected in the reflecting surface


44


to give the illusion of depth. As will be explained further below, the image of simulated flames appears to be emanating from between the fuel bed


26


and the reflection of the fuel bed


26


in the screen. Also, simulated flames appear to be emanating from the reflected image of the fuel bed


26


. An upper light source


57


is located at the top front portion of the housing for illuminating the top of the simulated fuel bed


26


and enhancing the reflected image in the screen


42


.




Referring more closely to the flame simulation assembly


10


, the assembly includes a flame effect element


58


, a blower


60


and upper and lower flicker elements


62


and


64


.




As shown in

FIG. 5

, the flame effect element


58


is formed from a single thin sheet of a light-weight, substantially opaque, material such as polyester. The element


58


extends across substantially the full width of the screen


42


. A plurality of slits


66


are cut into the flame effect element


58


to permit passage of light through the flame effect element


58


as it billows under the influence of air currents from the blower


60


. Longer sized slits


66


are located at the lower end of the flame effect element


58


to simulate longer flames emanating from the fuel bed


26


. Smaller slits


66


are located at the upper end of the flame effect element


58


to simulate the licks of flames that appear above the large main flames emanating from the fuel bed


26


. The slits


66


are arranged in a pattern that is symmetrical about a center axis


68


of the flame effect element


58


to give a balanced appearance to the flame effect. The element


58


may be coated with plastic film (such as polyurethane) to retard fraying about the edges of the slits. Alternatively, the flame effect element could comprise a plurality of discrete flame effect elements


58


as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,707 that is incorporated herein by reference.




The flame effect element


58


is supported at its bottom end by fasteners


70


that connect to the lower horizontal support member


50


. The flame effect element


58


is supported at its upper end by fasteners


72


that connect to an upper horizontal support member


74


. The upper horizontal support member is connected by fasteners


76


to the side walls of the housing


14


.




The flame effect element


58


is supported relatively loosely between the horizontal supports so that it will billow or ripple with the air currents from the blower


60


. The blower


60


is supported by a mounting bracket


78


that is supported with fasteners


80


to the bottom wall of the housing


14


. An airflow control switch


83


is provided on the control unit


21


to vary the blower airflow to a desired amount. The greater the airflow, the more active the flame will appear. Alternatively, the flame effect element


58


may be moved mechanically to produce sufficient billowing or rippling to give the flame effect.




In use, light is transmitted from the light source


30


through the slits


66


of the flame effect element


58


to the diffusing surface


46


of the screen


42


. The flame effect element


58


billows in the airflow from the blower


60


to vary the position and size of the slits


66


. The resulting effect is for the transmitted light to resemble flames licking from a fire. As will be explained further below, the transmitted light is at least partially colored due to its reflecting from a colored reflecting surface


82


of a flicker element


62


,


64


prior to passing through the slits


66


.




The upper and lower flicker elements


62


,


64


are located rearwardly from the flame effect element


58


proximate to the rear wall of the housing


14


. As shown in

FIGS. 6 and 8

, each flicker element comprises an elongate rod


81


having a plurality of reflective strips


82


extending radially outwardly therefrom. The flicker elements


62


,


64


preferably have a diameter of about two to three inches. The strips


82


are formed from a length of material having a width of approximately one and a half inches. A series of transverse slits are cut along one elongate side of the length of the material


83


to define each individual strip


82


. The length of material


83


is then wrapped bout the rod


81


so that the strips


82


protrude radially about the full circumference of the rod


81


. Alternatively, the strips


82


may be cut to lengths of around two to three inches and clamped at their centers by spiral wound wires that form the rod


81


. Alternatively, the reflective surfaces of the flicker elements could be mirrored glass pieces arranged about the surface of a cylinder.




The rods


81


are supported at one end in corresponding recesses


84


defined in a vertical support arm


86


that is connected by fasteners


88


to the bottom wall of the housing


14


. The rods


81


are connected at their other end to corresponding rotors


90


for rotating each rod


81


about its axis. The rotors


90


are rotated by electric motors


91


as shown. The rotors


90


are supported by a vertical support member


92


that is connected with fasteners


94


to the bottom wall of the housing


14


. Alternatively, the rotor


90


may be rotated by air currents from the blower


60


engaging corresponding fins on the rotors. Preferably, the rotors


90


rotate the flicker elements


62


,


64


in the direction indicated by arrow


93


in

FIG. 2

so that an appearance of upward motion is imparted on the reflected light images. This simulates the appearance of upwardly moving gasses from a fire. It is contemplated that other means for simulating the appearance of upwardly moving gasses may be used. For instance, a light source (not shown) may be contained within a moving, partially opaque, screen (not shown) to produce the desired light effect. It is also contemplated that the flicker elements


62


,


64


or the above described gas simulating means may be used alone without the flame effect element


58


. It has been found that the use of the flicker elements


62


,


64


alone produces a realistic effect although not as realistic as when used in combination with the flame effect element


58


.




Referring to

FIG. 2

, it may be seen that the lower flicker element is positioned slightly below the horizontal level of the upper end of the fuel bed


26


. This facilitates the appearance of upwardly moving gasses and colored flames emanating from near the surface of the fuel bed when viewed by a person in front of the fireplace. Similarly, the upper flicker element is positioned at a horizontal level above the fuel bed


26


to give the appearance of upwardly moving gasses and colored flames emanating a distance above the fuel bed when viewed by a person in front of the fireplace. In addition, the upper and lower flicker elements


62


,


64


improve the light intensity of the simulated flame and gasses.




Referring more closely to

FIG. 7

, the strips


82


for the upper flicker element


62


are shown. Each strip


82


is formed from a reflective material such as MYLAR™. The strip


82


is preferably colored with either a blue or red tip


96


and a silver body


98


, although a fully silver body has been used successfully as well. A length of material


83


with red tipped strips


82


and a length of material


83


with blue tipped strips


82


may both be wrapped about the rod


81


. As shown in

FIG. 6

, a combination of blue and red tipped strips


82


protrude radially from the rod


81


over the entire length of the flicker element


62


. As a result, the upper flicker element


62


reflects white, red and blue light that is subsequently transmitted through the flame effect element


58


.




The lower flicker element


64


, as shown in

FIG. 8

, comprises a dense arrangement of thin strips


82


that are formed from a reflective material such as MYLAR™. The strips


82


are either substantially gold in color, or substantially red in color. A combination of lengths of material


83


with red strips


82


and gold strips


82


may be wrapped around the rod


81


to produce an overall red and gold tinsel appearance. As a result, the lower flicker element


64


reflects yellow and red light that is subsequently transmitted through the flame effect element


58


.




In use, the flicker elements


62


,


64


are rotated by the rotors


90


so that the reflective surfaces of the strips


82


reflect colors through the slits


66


of the billowing flame effect element


58


and produce the effect of upwardly moving gasses. The colors reflected by the lower flicker element


64


resemble the colors of flames located near the surface of the fuel bed


26


. The colors reflected by the upper flicker element


62


resemble the colors of flames that are located further from the surface of the fuel bed


26


. The upper flicker element


62


has a less dense arrangement of strips


82


in order to produce more random reflections that simulate a more active flickering flame at a distance above the fuel bed


26


. The more dense arrangement of strips


82


in the lower flicker


64


produces relatively more constant reflections that simulate the more constant flame activity adjacent to the fuel bed


26


.




Referring to

FIG. 10

, an alternative orientation for the flicker element


62


,


64


is shown. The upper flicker element


62


is positioned slightly below the horizontal level of the upper end of the fuel bed


26


. The lower flicker element


64


is positioned slightly above the horizontal level of the lower end of the fuel bed


26


. The lower flicker element


64


is positioned slightly above the horizontal level of the lower end of the fuel bed


26


.




Referring to

FIG. 11

, an improved vertical screen


42


′ is depicted. The front of the screen includes a partially reflecting surface


44


′ that is divided into a matte region


200


, a transition region


202


and a reflecting region


204


. The reflecting region


204


is located at the lower end of the vertical screen


42


′ and is sufficiently sized for reflecting the fuel bed


26


to produce the simulated effect. At the same time, the reflecting region


204


is not overly sized so as to reflect unwanted images such as the floor covering located immediately in front of the fireplace. For this reason, the vertical screen


42


′ includes the matte region


200


at its middle and upper end. The matte region


200


has a matte finish that does not reflect images while still permitting visibility of the simulated flame image through the vertical screen


42


′. The transition regions


202


comprises a gradual transition between the non-reflective matte region


200


and the reflecting region


204


.




Referring to

FIG. 12

, an improved fuel bed


26


′ is shown. The fuel bed


26


′ includes a first portion


206


cmposed of a ceramic material and formed and colored to simulate logs. The bed


26


′ also includes a second portion


208


composed of a plastic material and formed and colored to simulate an ember bed. The ember bed


208


is preferably translucent to permit the passage of light from the light source


30


or fuel bed light assembly


100


as described earlier. It has been found that a more accurate simulation of logs


206


can be accomplished using ceramic materials and flexible molds. The ember bed


208


can still be formed realistically from plastic using a vacuum forming method. The bed is formed to receive the ceramic logs


206


. The ceramic logs


206


are then glued to the ember bed


208


to form the fuel bed.




Referring to

FIGS. 13 and 14

, a third embodiment of the flame simulating assembly


10


is depicted. For convenience, the same reference numbers have been used to refer to the same elements. The third embodiment does not include the blower


60


or the light-weight flame effect element


58


which was adapted to billow in the airflow of the blower. Instead, an improved flame effect element


58


′ is positioned behind and substantially across the full width of the screen


42


. The improved flame effect element


58


′ is similar in appearance to the flame effect element


58


depicted in FIG.


5


. However, the improved flame effect element


58


′ is positioned preferably in a generally vertical plane approximately three inches behind the screen


42


(and about {fraction (1/2+L )} inch from the flicker elements


62


,


64


). The element


58


′ is preferably formed of a more rigid material (e.g. plastic or thin steel) so that it will remain generally stationary in its vertical position. However, a light-weight material such as polyester may be used instead with the element


58


′ being stretched taut into a vertical position. Furthermore, it should be understood that a vertical position for the element


58


′ is not critical, so long as light passage is possible as described below.




A plurality of slits


66


′ are cut into the flame effect element


58


′ to permit passage of light from the light source


30


through the flame effect element


58


′ to the screen


42


. While the improved flame effect element


58


′ remains relatively stationary, the flame simulation effect is nonetheless observable due to the reflection of light from the flicker elements


62


and


64


as the light passes through the slits


66


′.




The improved flame effect element


58


′ is sandwiched between upper and lower support elements


210


and


212


to support the flame effect element in a generally vertical position. The lower horizontal support member


50


acts as one of the lower support elements. In addition, lower horizontal support member


50


acts as a horizontal opaque screen


214


to block light from passing below the screen


42


and flame effect element


58


′. In this manner, substantially all of the light reaching the screen


42


has been reflected by flicker elements


62


and


64


and passes through slits


66


′ in the flame effect element


58


′. The upper and lower support elements


210


and


212


are fastened to the side walls


23


of the housing


14


with fasteners


216


.




Alternatively, the element


58


′ could be formed with a horizontal living hinge at its lower end. The portion below the living hinge could be connected to the screen


42


and act as the horizontal opaque screen


214


. The portion above the screen should be supported at least at its upper end by the upper support element


210


. The living hinge allows the element


58


′ to be moved up or down as described below.




The flame effect element


58


′ is preferably movable upwardly or downwardly relative to the screen


42


in the direction of arrows


218


. This is accomplished by a height adjustment mechanism shown generally at


220


. The mechanism


220


includes a wire


222


connected to the top of the flame effect element


58


′. The wire


222


extends over a pin


224


and connects at its other end to the end of a height adjusting knob


226


. The height adjusting knob


226


protrudes from the front of the control unit


21


and is capable of being moved inwardly and outwardly relative to the front face of the control unit


21


in the direction of arrows


228


. The height adjusting knob


226


includes a plurality of teeth


230


that engage the front face


232


of the control unit


21


to permit the knob


226


to be secured inwardly or outwardly relative to the control unit


21


in one of a plurality of positions. It has been found that, by raising or lowering the flame effect element


58


′ by a predetermined amount, the perceived intensity of the simulated flame (both the brightness and size of the flame) effect can be increased or decreased. It is believed that this change in intensity is due to the different sized slits


66


′ defined in the flame effect element


58


′ being more or less visible to an observer positioned in front of the fireplace


12


. It will be appreciated that alternative height adjustment mechanisms may be chosen. For instance, the knob


226


, may be connected to the flame effect element


58


′ by a cam arrangement for mechanically moving the element


58


′ up or down.




The embodiment depicted in

FIG. 13

further includes a simulated fire screen


234


covering the front face


232


of the transparent front panel


24


. The simulated fire screen


234


is preferably a woven mesh such as is known for blocking sparks for conventional fireplaces. The woven mesh fire screen


234


is supported at its top and bottom ends by pins


236


protruding from the front wall


20


of the housing


14


. Alternatively, the simulated fire screen


234


can be defined directly on the transparent front panel


24


using a silk screen process or the like. It has been found that the simulated fire screen


234


reduces any glare or reflection that otherwise might be visible on the transparent front panel


24


.




Referring to

FIG. 15

, a further improved vertical screen


42


″ is shown. The screen


42


″ is generally transparent and has a partially reflecting surface


44


″ and a diffusing region


46


″ through its thickness. The screen


42


″ is fabricated from a generally transparent but partially translucent material preferably having a slightly clouded or milky appearance through its thickness, such that light passing through the screen


42


″ is partially transmitted and partially diffused. A satisfactory material is a polystyrene which is given a slightly milky appearance by the addition of an amount of a powdered white pigment, such as titanium dioxide. The particle size of the pigment material is preferably microscopic so that a uniformly clouded or milky appearance is imparted to the diffusing region


46


″. The amount of diffusion achieved by diffusing region


46


″ can be controlled by the amount of pigment added to the plastic composition of diffusing region


46


″. The amount of diffusion achieved by diffusing member


46


″ should be such that a three-dimensional flame appears through the thickness of diffusing member


46


″, when viewed through partially reflecting member


44


″.




By diffusing the projected light of the simulated flame gradually through the thickness of the screen


42


″, the improved screen


42


″ gives an apparent thickness to the simulated flame, creating the illusion of a three dimensional flame. Furthermore, the improved screen


42


″ does not rely on a sandblasted or etched surface for its diffusing effect and therefore simplifies construction of assembly


10


.




Referring to

FIG. 16

, a further improved vertical screen assembly


42


′″ is shown. The screen


42


′″ is composed of a reflecting member


44


′″ and a diffusing member


46


′″. The reflecting member


44


′″ is fabricated from a partially transparent, partially reflective material, such as semi-silvered glass. Diffusing member


46


′″ is fabricated from a translucent material that partially transmits and partially diffuses light passing through the diffusing member


46


′″. Diffusing member


46


′″ may be made from a transparent material similar to that used in screen


4


, and given an etched or sand blasted diffusing surface, similar to diffusing surface


46


. Alternatively, translucent materials, such as white polystyrene and polypropylene, have also been found to be suitable for diffusing member


46


′″. Where a translucent material is used, the thickness of a particular material used for diffusing member


46


′″ is chosen to allow diffusing member to be self-supporting and yet remain translucent enough that a flame effect is observable thereon through partially reflecting member


44


′″. Diffusing member


46


′″ does not necessarily embody the elements of diffusing screen


46


″, described above.




Diffusing member


46


′″ is not planar but rather curved along its length and width, the direction and amount of the curvature varying both vertically and horizontally along diffusing member


46


′″. Diffusing member


46


′″ may be conveniently formed by vacuum-forming a sheet of plastic to the desired shape. The curvature, in the vertical direction, of the lower portion of diffusing member


46


′″ preferably follows the apparent location of fuel bed


26


in reflecting member


44


′″ (indicated at


26


′) to give the appearance that the simulated flames projected thereon are emanating from behind the reflection


26


′ of fuel bed


26


. For example, if fuel bed


26


included simulated wood logs, the simulated flames projected on diffusing member


46


′″ would appear to be emanating from behind the reflection


26


′ of the simulated logs in fuel bed


26


. The curvature of the lower portion diffusing member


46


′″, in the horizontal direction along fuel bed


26


, preferably tracks the particular angle at which a simulated log appears to lay in fuel bed


26


and follows the apparent location of the log in reflecting member


44


′″ (indicated at


26


′). At a horizontal position on fuel bed


26


where no simulated log appears, diffusing member


46


′″ is locally curved to be adjacent reflecting member


44


′″ to give the appearance that the simulated flames projected thereon are emanating from the embers between the simulated logs of fuel bed


26


.




As diffusing member


46


′″ rises vertically away from fuel bed


26


, it preferably then curves generally closer to reflecting member


44


′″ to create the illusion that simulated flames projected thereon are licking over the logs of fuel bed


26


. The curvature of the upper portion of diffusing member


46


′″ may be appropriately chosen to further simulate the turbulent and random pattern of a real flame.




The vertical screen assembly


42


′″ adds an additional three-dimensional effect to the simulated flame. When viewed through partially reflecting member


44


′″, the simulated flame appears to emanate from behind the simulated logs of fuel bed


26


and subsequently travel a three-dimensional path as it appears to rise from fuel bed


26


, which more accurately simulates the appearance of a real wood fire.




Referring to

FIGS. 15 and 17

, a fourth embodiment of flame simulating assembly


10


is depicted. For convenience the same reference numbers have been used to refer to the same elements. The fourth embodiment does not include a blower


60


or a light-weight flame effect element


58


adapted to billow in the airflow of blower


60


. Instead, an improved and simpler flame effect element


58


″ is positioned behind and substantially across the full width of the screen


42


″ (a screen


42


, as shown in

FIG. 2

, may equally be used), and in front of back wall


300


. The improved flame effect element


58


″ has a reflective surface


302


and generally has a flame-like profile, as depicted in FIG.


17


. Back wall


300


has a non-reflective surface. In a preferred embodiment, the element


58


″ is a reflective decal applied to the surface of back wall


300


. To simulate the colors of a natural flame, flame effect element


58


″ is preferably colored with a bluish or greenish base portion


304


and a silver body


306


. The transition between the blue portion


304


and the silver


306


is made gradually as the intensity of the blue color in portion


304


is faded into silver portion


306


.




Referring again to

FIG. 15

, a single flicker element


62


, rotating in direction


93


, is positioned below the fuel bed


26


and generally in front of flame effect element


58


″. Adjacent and behind the flicker element


62


is positioned the light source


30


. A light block


310


is provided to prevent light from light source


30


from reaching the flame effect element


58


″ directly. Hence, substantially only light reflected from flicker element


62


reached flame effect element


58


″ and is subsequently reflected to, and transmitted through screen


42


″. The apparent intensity of the simulated fire is proportionate to the speed at which flicker element


62


turns. A variable speed control (not shown) for flicker element


62


may be provided to allow the user to alter the apparent intensity of the simulated fire.




The introduction of a fixed flame element


58


″ removes previous problems of silk element


58


clinging to screen


42


″. Further, the improved design removes the need for blower


60


and lower flicker


64


, making assembly


10


simpler to manufacture and maintain. Furthermore, by repositioning the flicker element


62


beneath fuel bed


26


, a more compact flame simulating assembly


10


may be achieved or, alternatively, fuel bed


26


may be moved further back, away from front panel


24


, giving assembly


10


the look of a deeper, more realistic fireplace. Also, the repositioning of flicker element


62


further simplifies the invention by removing the need for a light source


30


with flickering intensity.




The embodiment depicted in

FIG. 15

may further include a transparent light randomizing panel


312


, positioned between fuel bed


26


and flicker element


62


. The panel


312


is preferably made of glass or optical grade plastic and has non-planar surfaces


314


and


316


. The surfaces


314


,


316


each have convex and concave regions which smoothly and contiguously blend into one another, resulting in a panel


312


having a varied thickness. In use, panel


312


acts as a complex lens, with regions of varied focal length, to light reflecting towards fuel bed


26


from flicker element


62


, which is rotating in direction


93


. The effect of the complex lens-like characteristics of panel


312


is to intermittently reverse the direction of the reflected light from flicker element


62


as it crosses fuel bed


26


. The result is that the simulated coals of fuel bed


26


appear to flicker in a random direction, and not only in the direction of rotation of flicker element


62


.




Referring to

FIGS. 18

,


19


and


20


, a further improved flame simulating assembly


10


with a simulated brick or rock fire wall


400


is depicted. For convenience, the same reference numbers have been used as previously to refer to the same elements. Referring to

FIG. 19

, simulated fire wall patterns


402


,


404


are applied to the inner surfaces of transparent front panel


24


and each of side walls


23


, respectively. Fire wall pattern


404


is applied by painting, or similar method, the pattern


404


on the inner surface of each side wall


23


. The pattern


402


, as will be explained further below, is applied to the inner surface of transparent front panel


24


preferably by applying, using a silk-screening method, a series of small colored dots in a random pattern. The dots are applied in such a manner that an observer positioned in front of transparent front panel


24


will not readily notice the dots applied to the inner surface of the panel


24


but will, however, notice the reflection of the dots in the reflecting surface


44


. The effect gives the illusion of a fire wall appearing behind the image of the simulated flames emanating from the fuel bed


26


. A light source


57


is provided beneath top wall


16


to light the pattern


402


to strengthen its reflection in surface


44


. To create a more realistic lighting of patterns


402


,


404


, light source


57


may be made to flicker randomly to simulate lighting on the simulated fire wall


400


by a real flame. The flicker in light source


57


could be achieved by integrated circuit control (not shown) of the electricity supplied to light source


57


.




Referring to

FIG. 20

, a preferred method of applying pattern


402


to the interior surface of front panel


24


is shown. First, a random pattern of small dots


406


is applied to the inner surface of front panel


24


. Although random, the pattern of dots


406


has a constant dot density per square inch across the entire inner surface of front panel


24


. Dots


406


are preferably all the same size. The dot density and a size of dots


406


are preferably chosen such that the presence of the dots


406


is not readily noticeable to an observer and the only effect imparted to the glass by the presence of dots


406


is a smoked or tinted appearance to transparent front panel


24


. This effect is best achieved if the dots


406


are black in color. Preferably the dots


406


are applied to the inner surface of panel


24


using a silk screening process. Once the dots


406


have been applied, a set of colored dots


408


, of slightly smaller diameter than dots


406


, is applied on top of dots


406


. Dots


408


are of slightly smaller diameter than, and located concentrically on, dots


406


to ensure that an observer positioned in front of assembly


10


will not notice the presence of dots


408


on the inner surface of transparent panel


24


. The dots


408


are also preferably applied using a silk screening process. Dots


408


preferably appear in two colors, the two colors being the color of the simulated brick and the color of the simulated mortar between the simulated bricks. The color of a particular dot


408


is preferably chosen such that an overall brick and mortar pattern is formed on the inner surface of front panel


24


.




In use, the presence of the dots


406


and


408


on the inner surface of transparent front panel


24


is not readily noticed by an observer positioned in front of flame simulating assembly


10


, however, the reflection of the colored dots


406


in reflecting surface


44


is readily apparent to the observer. The simulated fire wall


400


appears to the observer to be behind fuel bed


26


at twice the distance of front panel


24


to the back of fuel bed


26


. By locating dots


406


randomly across the inner surface of front panel


24


, a visible interference pattern is avoided. This interference pattern would appear if the dots were regularly located on the inner surface of front panel


24


, the interference pattern being caused between the presence of dots


406


,


408


on the inner surface of panel


24


and the reflection of dots


406


,


408


on reflecting surface


44


. Dots


406


are applied with a constant dot density per square inch to ensure that the smoked or tinted appearance which dots


406


impart to front panel


24


is constant across front panel


24


. The colors chosen for pattern


402


are also the colors used for pattern


404


on side walls


23


. The patterns


402


and


404


are positioned on the inner surface of front panel


24


and side walls


23


, respectively, such that the apparent brick and mortar features of the two patterns intersect and mate in a realistic fashion.




It will be apparent that the simulated fire wall pattern


402


can also be achieved using alternate means. For example, a CLEAR FOCUS™ one-way vision display panel (not shown), as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,177, may be used. Simulated fire wall pattern


402


can be applied to the display surface of a CLEAR FOCUS™ panel which is, in turn, applied to the inner surface of front panel


24


, such that an observer positioned in front of flame simulating assembly


10


cannot see pattern


402


directly but can view the reflection of pattern


402


in reflecting surface


44


. In another embodiment, the transparent front panel


24


is replaced by a mesh front fire screen


24


(not shown), and the simulated fire wall pattern


402


is applied, with paint or similar means, to the inner surface of fire screen


24


. If care is used to ensure that the pattern


402


is applied only to the interior surface of fire screen


24


, the pattern


402


will not be directly visible to an observer standing in front of flame simulating assembly


10


. The observer will, however, be able to view the reflection of pattern


402


on reflecting surface


44


.




It is readily apparent that the apparatus to produce simulated fire wall


400


could be used successfully with any fireplace having a front panel


24


and reflecting surface


44


. In particular, it will be apparent that the inclusion of a simulated fire wall


400


would greatly enhance the appearance of a natural gas or propane fireplace. By using the disclosed apparatus to create a simulated fire wall


400


, the depth of a fireplace may be decreased as a space-saving measure, however, an observer will not notice that the depth of the fireplace has been decreased.




Referring to

FIG. 21

, improved strips


82


′ for the upper flicker element


62


are shown. Since the sharp, straight lines of previous flicker element


62


gave sharp, straight reflections of light, which reduced the realism of the flame simulation, each improved strip


82


′ is given a series of curvilinear cuts


82




c


. The result is an improved upper flicker element


62


which reflects non-rectilinear patterns of light that are subsequently transmitted through the flame effect element


58


. The non-linear nature of the reflected light patterns improves the realism of the flicker in the simulated flame by causing the flickering patterns of reflected light to appear more random and therefore more natural.




It is to be understood that what has been described is a preferred embodiment to the invention. The invention nonetheless is susceptible to certain changes and alternative embodiments fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as described above, and the scope of the claims set out below.



Claims
  • 1. A flame simulating assembly for providing an image of flames transmitted in a fluctuating light, comprising:(a) a simulated fuel bed; (b) a light source; (c) a screen having a partially reflective front surface disposed behind the simulated fuel bed for reflecting and transmitting light, and a diffusing member disposed behind the partially reflective front surface for diffusing and transmitting light, the diffusing member having a non-planar back surface; and (d) a flicker element for creating the fluctuating light, wherein the non-planar back surface is sufficiently spaced from the partially reflective front surface that the fluctuating light transmitted through the diffusing member is attenuated and a three-dimensional image of flames appears through the screen.
  • 2. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the non-planar back surface includes a first curvature in a vertical direction and a second curvature in a horizontal direction.
  • 3. A flame simulating assembly for providing an image of flames transmitted in a fluctuating light, comprising:(a) a simulated fuel bed; (b) a light source; (c) a screen having a partially reflective front element disposed behind the simulated fuel bed for reflecting and transmitting light, and a diffusing element disposed behind the partially reflective front element for diffusing and transmitting light, the diffusing element being non-planar; and (d) a flicker element for creating the fluctuating light, the diffusing element being sufficiently spaced from the partially reflective front element that the fluctuating light transmitted through the diffusing element is attenuated and a three-dimensional image of flames appears through the screen.
  • 4. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the non-planar diffusing element includes a first curvature in a vertical direction and a second curvature in a horizontal direction.
  • 5. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the diffusing element has a non-planar back surface.
  • 6. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the diffusing element has a non-planar inner surface disposed facing the front element.
  • 7. A flame simulating assembly for providing an image of flames transmitted in a fluctuating light, comprising:(a) a simulated fuel bed; (b) a light source; (c) a screen having a partially reflective front surface disposed behind the simulated fuel bed for reflecting and transmitting light, and a diffusing member disposed behind the partially reflective front surface for diffusing and transmitting light, the diffusing member having a non-planar back surface; (d) a flicker element for creating the fluctuating light; and (e) a flame effect element positioned in a path of the fluctuating light between the light source and the diffusing member, to configure the fluctuating light, wherein the non-planar back surface is sufficiently spaced from the partially reflective front surface that the fluctuating light transmitted through the diffusing member is attenuated and a three-dimensional image of flames appears through the screen.
  • 8. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the non-planar back surface includes a first curvature in a vertical direction and a second curvature in a horizontal direction.
  • 9. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the flame effect element is reflective and is positioned on a back wall of the flame simulating assembly disposed behind and spaced from the diffusing member, the back wall being relatively less reflective than the flame effect element, such that the fluctuating light is reflected by the flame effect element to the diffusing member.
  • 10. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the flame effect element has a first part which transmits light and a second part which blocks light.
  • 11. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 10 wherein the flame effect element has apertures defining said first part.
  • 12. A flame simulating assembly for providing an image of flames transmitted in a fluctuating light, comprising:(a) a simulated fuel bed; (b) a light source; and (c) a screen having a partially reflective front element disposed behind the simulated fuel bed for reflecting and transmitting light, and a diffusing element disposed behind the partially reflective front element for diffusing and transmitting light, the diffusing element being non-planar; (d) a flicker element for creating the fluctuating light; and (e) a flame effect element positioned in a path of the fluctuating light between the light source and the diffusing element, to configure the fluctuating light, the diffusing element being sufficiently spaced from the partially reflective front element that the fluctuating light transmitted through the diffusing element is attenuated and a three-dimensional image of flames appears through the screen.
  • 13. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 12 wherein the non-planar diffusing element includes a first curvature in a vertical direction and a second curvature in a horizontal direction.
  • 14. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 13 wherein the diffusing element is composed of polystyrene.
  • 15. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 14 wherein the polystyrene is pigmented with white powder.
  • 16. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 15 wherein the white powder is titanium dioxide.
  • 17. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 12 wherein the diffusing element has a non-planar back surface.
  • 18. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 12 wherein the diffusing element has a non-planar inner surface disposed facing the front element.
  • 19. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 12 wherein the flame effect element is reflective and is positioned on a back wall of the flame simulating assembly disposed behind and spaced from the diffusing element, the back wall being relatively less reflective than the flame effect element, such that the fluctuating light is reflected by the flame effect element to the diffusing element.
  • 20. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 12 wherein the flame effect element has a first part which transmits light and a second part which blocks light.
  • 21. The flame simulating assembly as claimed in claim 20 wherein the flame effect element has apertures defining said first part.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 08/868,948, filed Jun. 4, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,011, which was a continuation-in-part application of prior application Ser. No. 08/649,510, filed May 17, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,580. The present invention relates generally to simulated fireplaces and, more particularly, to flame simulating assemblies for electric fireplaces and the like.

US Referenced Citations (7)
Number Name Date Kind
2285535 Schlett Jun 1942 A
2708114 Hancock May 1955 A
2963807 Relph et al. Dec 1960 A
3797934 Miller et al. Mar 1974 A
4965707 Butterfield Oct 1990 A
5195820 Rehberg Mar 1993 A
5648827 Shaw Jul 1997 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number Date Country
426887 Apr 1935 GB
9502867.6 Feb 1995 GB
Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 08/649510 May 1996 US
Child 08/868948 US