Patent Application
20140318529
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to any reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to furniture, and more particularly to a fireplace having an entertaining assembly, wherein a user only has to plug a single cable from a player to the entertaining assembly to enjoy movies or music in a warm and comfortable atmosphere in a convenient location.
2. Description of Related Arts
A 3D surround sound system is a common home appliance. In general, when someone wants to play a video or audio with a 3D surround sound effect, they have to electrically connect the player to the 3D surround sound system to transmit the electrical signal from the player to the 3D surround sound system to achieve a good audio-visual quality. With the development of technology, sound systems have become increasingly more complex to install as well as operate. For a user to receive the intended sound from the system, they need to correctly connect the complex cables and wires from the sound system, a multitude of speakers, the player, and even possibly a digital system such as a cable box, a video game system, or even a streaming video player. Only then can the user achieve the desired result of a three-dimensional surround sound.
It can be difficult for many people to correctly connect the cables and wires of the sound system. It is no wonder why many businesses advertise for a technician to come into your home to install an entertainment system upon purchase. In addition, for a the placement of the plurality of speakers associated with a 3D surround sound system can greatly influence the sound effect produced by the 3D surround sound system. If the 3D surround sound system is misplaced, the user will experience poor quality adding to the frustration and an eventual need to reinstall the plurality of speakers of the 3D surround sound system. Current furniture is generally lacks the corresponding structural design which can help the user to correctly position the speakers from the 3D surround sound system.
In addition to enjoying the crisp sound of a 3D surround sound system while watching a movie or listening to music, atmosphere comfortable environment can further increase the enjoyment and sense of fulfillment for the user. For instance, the enjoyment sitting with the family or enjoying a glass of red wine reminiscing about the past, while listening relaxing or classic songs in a warm and comfortable atmosphere can bring someone to a level of enjoyment and relaxation far beyond just listening to music. This is especially true in the winter.
This above sense of comfort and warmth can be achieved if a user has a fireplace. Yet many people who have fireplaces are reluctant to use them because of the associated pollution and preparation involved. Burning logs not only can produce pollutants that are harmful to the environment, but the burning logs produce ash and soot along with heat that can adversely affect any electronics in a close proximity to the fireplace. On the other hand, not everyone has a fireplace in their living environment but that should not mean that they cannot be able to enjoy the same comforts of having one. Portable electric heaters exist to bridge this gap. The mobility of a portable electric heater to be able to be brought to any room the user would like to enjoy this warmth and entertainment experience is an advantage over a traditional fireplace. Despite their mobility, portable heaters don't solve the problem of certain size constraints for some rooms. This can create space issues when trying to house an entertainment system and a heater within a small room.
Many products on the market seek to solve one of the aforementioned problems, but never truly seek to solve all. Despite the development in technology in sound systems, manufacturers are more inclined to focus on increasingly more powerful sound systems with a focus on sound quality and sound tone, rather than instilling an enhancement in the emotional quality music can evoke. A greater enjoyment of music can be instilled when feelings and moods are realized rather than pure sounds. In contrast, many fireplace manufacturers focus on the heating function of these devices and habitually ignore how warmth in combination with triggered memories can instill an enjoyment that is greater than the sum of its parts.
The invention is advantageous in that it provides a multimedia fireplace console, wherein the multimedia fireplace console is able to provide a suitable position for a user to enjoy movies or music in a warm and comfortable atmosphere.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a multimedia fireplace console, wherein the multimedia fireplace console has a general circuit board such that the user only has to connect one cable from a player to the multimedia fireplace console to enjoy movies or music.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a multimedia fireplace console, wherein the multimedia fireplace console comprises a heating unit, an entertaining assembly, and a supporting device defining a air chamber, wherein the heating unit is detachably provided within the air chamber such that when the heating unit is removed from the multimedia fireplace console, the multimedia fireplace console can be used as a storage and display area for the user.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a multimedia fireplace console, wherein the multimedia fireplace console comprises a fireproofing layer provided between the supporting device and the heating assembly to prevent the entertainment assembly and the supporting device catching fire and inhibit the transmission of heat from the heating unit.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a multimedia fireplace console, wherein the multimedia fireplace console comprises a heat-proofing layer provided between the supporting device and the heating assembly to prevent the entertainment assembly and the supporting device being overheated.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a multimedia fireplace console, wherein the multimedia fireplace console comprises a surround sound system having at least one speaker, wherein the speakers define a suitable position in front of the multimedia fireplace console for a user to enjoy the surround sound effects produced by the multimedia fireplace console.
Additional advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the description which follows, and may be realized by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particular point out in the appended claims.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained by an entertaining fireplace comprising:
a heating unit;
a supporting device defining an air chamber, wherein the heating unit is adapted to be provided within the air chamber; and
an entertainment assembly, wherein the entertaining assembly is supported at a position by the supporting device, wherein the entertaining assembly comprises a sound system facing towards the front of the entertaining fireplace and defines a suitable position in front of the entertaining fireplace for a user,
wherein the supporting device has at least one air outlet communicated with the air chamber such that the heated air inside the air chamber is able to flow out of the air chamber through the air outlet.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
The following description is disclosed to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the present invention. Preferred embodiments are provided in the following description only as examples and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The general principles defined in the following description would be applied to other embodiments, alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Referring to
The heating unit 10 comprises an electrical heating element 11 for heating air in the air chamber 200 to create heated air, a fan 12 for blowing this heated air away from the electronics housed within the entertainment assembly, and a remote control 13 to activate, deactivate, or control the settings of the heating unit 10 from a distance of no less than 40 feet. Fan 12 is adapted for blowing the heated air out of the air chamber 200 through the air outlet 201. Remote control 13 communicates with the electrical heating element 11 through transmission of a signal which can be infrared, cellular, radio frequency (RF), Bluetooth, or any method of wireless signal transmission. Upon receiving the transmitted signal from the remote control 13, the electrical heating element 11 is able to modify its settings, activate, or deactivate upon the desires of the user.
The supporting device 20 comprises a top panel 21, two side panels 22, and a base 23, wherein the top panel 21 has a top side 211 and a bottom side 212, and the side panels 22 are provided on the bottom side 212 of the top panel 21 to support the top panel 21 at a position. It is worth mentioning that this top side 211 is able to support a displayed element 90 such as a television 91 at a optimum height for the viewer to enhance the overall viewing experience. This displayed element is not meant to limit the functionality of the furniture arrangement and can support a variety of such elements such as aquariums, sports or collectable memorabilia, or books. Preferably, the supporting device 20 further has an air inlet 202 communicated with the air chamber 200 such that when the fan 12 blows the heated air out of the air chamber 200, the air outside of the air chamber 200 can flow into the air chamber 200. This air chamber 200 is a predetermined height and width and is able to communicate with the outside air of the environment through the exposed front face and exposed back face of the supporting device 20. It is worth mentioning that the heating unit 10 is housed within the rear portion of the air chamber 200. Preferably, each of the side panels 22 of the supporting device 20 has an inner side 221. In this present embodiment of the present invention an additional plurality of cavities 23 are disposed within the supporting device 20 that are exposed via the front face of the supporting device 20. In this present embodiment, the cavities 23 are embodied as a lateral cavity 231 disposed above the air chamber 200 with an exposed front and back area. This lateral cavity 231 is able to support a plurality of multimedia consoles such as a cable television receiver, digital disk player, video game console, or a surround sound system controller. Externally, the furniture arrangement is of a predetermined height so that when the television is viewed, it is at a proper visual level for the viewer to create an optimal viewing experience.
Additional on the support device 20 are a left and right swing out compartment 24 and 25 respectively. These swing-out compartments are rotatably connected to each of the left and right sides of the support device 20 by a door hinge 241 and 251 on corresponding side panels of the support device 20 and the swing out compartments 24 and 25 respectively, which allow for a 90 degree range of movement. In other words, the support device is connected to a swing out compartment via a door hinge which will allow the swing out compartment to open up to 90 degree with respect to its longitudinal axis. These swing-out compartments 24 and 25 give the user an easy way of storing digital disks such as DVDs, Blu-ray disks, or CDs. When the user swings out the compartment it exposes a storage cavity 242 and 252 respectively, for the disks and also gives you more area behind to store accessories for garners, like remote controls and any other gaming accessories.
The entertainment assembly 30 comprises a sound system 31, wherein the sound system 31 comprises a sound body 311 and at least one speaker 312 electrically connected to the sound body 311. Preferably, the sound system 31 comprises two speakers 312. These speakers are housed and integrated into the support device 20 so that the user does not have to worry about setting up the equipment and can just plug a displayed element such as a television into the multimedia fireplace console, and in term plug the multimedia fire place console into a power source to enjoy a 3D surround sound experience while enjoying the warmth and beauty of a fireplace.
It is worth mentioning that when the sound system 31 comprises two or more speakers 312, each of the speakers 312 faces towards the front of the multimedia fireplace console and defines a suitable position in front of the multimedia fireplace console, wherein the user is able to receive the best sound effects produced by the sound system 31. In other words, the speakers 312 of the sound system 31 are provided towards the front of the entertaining fireplace to define a suitable position in front of the entertaining fireplace for the user to enjoy optimal sound from the sound system.
As shown in
It is worth mentioning that the fire-proofing layer 50 is preferably provided between the supporting device 20 and the heat proofing layer 60 for reducing the heat transmission from the air chamber 200 to the supporting device 20 to maintain a room temperature for the entertainment assembly 30.
One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. The embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
