1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of portable stoves and, more particularly, to portable stoves having wind baffles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable stoves are known generally in the prior art having a rectangular housing that includes a lid and a bottom housing pivotally connected together to fold up into a briefcase-style carrying case for the stove and that also act as a framework for the stove. Such stoves typically include wind baffles that can be erected at opposite ends of the stove to support or brace the lid in an upright position relative to the bottom housing when the lid is open, and to shield the burner flames from the elements. When erected, the wind baffles are typically secured to the lid by hinges, and they are typically secured to the bottom housing by wires, spring clips, or hooks, or simply by resting on the edges of the bottom housing. However, such securing means require the user to undertake additional actions after opening the lid, namely, securing both wind baffles to the bottom housing. Often, the user must use one hand to keep the lid erect while securing at least one wind baffle to the bottom housing. Such securing means also require added attention in cleaning, are prone to breakage, and require additional fabricated and formed parts, adding to the cost.
It should, therefore, be appreciated that there exists a need for a portable stove that provides ease of use, lessens the expense of fabrication, and reduces the risk of breakage. The present invention fulfills these and other needs.
Briefly, and in general terms, the invention resides in a portable stove having self-folding wind baffles that unfold as the lid is opened, thereby eliminating the need for the user to secure the wind baffles to the bottom housing in order to support or brace the lid in the open position. More particularly, the invention resides in embodiments of a wind baffle assembly that is configured for use with a stove having a lid pivotably coupled to a bottom housing. The wind baffle assembly includes an upper wind baffle pivotably coupled to the lid, and a lower wind baffle pivotably coupled between the bottom housing and the upper wind baffle.
In other, more detailed features of the invention, the upper wind baffle and the lower wind baffle are generally triangular or trapezoidal in shape. Also, the wind baffle assembly can further include a wind baffle shaft that is configured to couple the upper wind baffle to the lower wind baffle. In addition, the wind baffle assembly can further include an upper wind baffle hinge that is coupled between the lid and the upper wind baffle. Furthermore, the wind baffle assembly can further include a wind baffle support that is coupled between the lid and the upper wind baffle hinge.
When the lid and the bottom housing are folded together in a closed position, the upper wind baffle and the lower wind baffle lie adjacent to one another in a folded position. If a user raises the lid relative to the bottom housing from the closed position to an open position, the wind baffle assembly unfolds and moves into an open position where the wind baffle assembly maintains the lid in an open position relative to the bottom housing. When the wind baffle assembly is in its open position, the user applies a force against the wind baffle assembly to pivot the upper wind baffle relative to the lower wind baffle, and to allow the upper wind baffle and the lower wind baffle to move back into the folded position.
The present invention also resides in a stove that includes the previously discussed bottom housing, lid, and wind baffle assembly. Also, the combination of the wind baffle assembly in its open position, the lid, and the bottom housing define a shielded space, and the combination of the wind baffle assembly in its open position, the lid, and the bottom housing is configured to impede a flow of wind through the shielded space.
The stove can include a handle that is coupled to the lid. Also, the stove can further include a hinge assembly that couples the lid to the bottom housing. In addition, the stove can further include a mid-support board having a raised ridge, which defines a depression in the mid-support board. The mid-support board is configured to rest on the bottom housing. The mid-support board can include a hole, and the lower wind baffle can include a tab that projects through the hole in the mid-support board and that is hingably secured to the mid-support board. Furthermore, the stove can include a grate configured to rest on the mid-support board.
The lid can include a lid front panel, a lid rear panel, a lid first side panel, a lid second side panel, and a lid upper panel. The lid rear panel is spaced apart from, and positioned approximately parallel to, the lid front panel. The lid first side panel is coupled between the lid front panel and the lid rear panel. The lid second side panel is spaced apart from, and positioned approximately parallel to, the lid first side panel, and the lid second side panel is coupled between the lid front panel and the lid rear panel. The lid upper panel is coupled to the lid front panel, the lid rear panel, the lid first side panel, and the lid second side panel. The lid upper panel includes a slope between the lid rear panel and the lid front panel.
The bottom housing can include a housing front panel, a housing rear panel, a housing first side panel, a housing second side panel, and a housing bottom panel. The housing rear panel is spaced apart from, and positioned approximately parallel to, the housing front panel. The housing first side panel is coupled between the housing front panel and the housing rear panel. The housing second side panel spaced apart from, and positioned approximately parallel to, the housing first side panel, and the housing second side panel is coupled between the housing front panel and the housing rear panel. The housing bottom panel is coupled to the housing front panel, the housing rear panel, the housing first side panel, and the housing second side panel. All of the housing front panel, the housing rear panel, the housing first side panel, and the housing second side panel include an upper edge. Each of the upper edges of the housing front panel, the housing rear panel, the housing first side panel, and the housing second side panel include a flange configured to interface with the mid-support board. The housing bottom panel includes a vent.
The stove can further include a burner assembly configured to interface with the mid-support board, and a fuel delivery and ignition system coupled to the bottom housing. The fuel delivery and ignition system is configured to couple to a fuel supply and to interface with the burner assembly. The fuel delivery and ignition system can include the following: a knob frame coupled to the housing front panel; a knob rotatably coupled to the knob frame and configured to regulate the flow of fuel from the fuel supply to the burner assembly; an eduction tube coupled to the bottom housing and configured to interface with the burner assembly and to facilitate the flow of fuel from the fuel supply to the burner assembly; and an electrode coupled to both the bottom housing and the knob, and configured to ignite fuel flowing into the burner assembly. Also, the stove can further include a leg that is coupled to the bottom housing.
The present invention also resides in a stove including a bottom housing, a lid, a mid-support board, a wind baffle assembly, a burner assembly, a fuel delivery and ignition system, and a grate. The lid is pivotably coupled to the bottom housing. The mid-support board is configured to rest on the bottom housing. The wind baffle assembly is coupled between the lid and the mid-support board, and includes an upper wind baffle pivotably coupled to the lid, and a lower wind baffle pivotably coupled between the mid-support board and the upper wind baffle. When the lid and the bottom housing are folded together in a closed position in which the lid and the bottom housing define an interior space, the upper wind baffle and the lower wind baffle lie adjacent to one another in a folded position within the interior space. The burner assembly is coupled to the mid-support board. The fuel delivery and ignition system is coupled to the bottom housing, and configured to couple to a fuel supply and to interface with the burner assembly. The grate is configured to rest on the mid-support board.
For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have been described herein. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages need to or may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.
All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment disclosed.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings. The embodiments are not shown or described in more detail than necessary to explain the invention, and the manner and process of making and using it, by way of example to those skilled in the art.
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to
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The gas inlet support bracket 72 includes a hole 88 so that the threaded output nozzle (not shown) is coupled to the gas inlet support bracket through the hole 70 and is positioned to interface with the fuel supply (not shown). The feed tubing assembly 74 extends along the bottom housing 12 to couple to a valve (not shown) and to both the eduction tubes 82 and the knobs 78. The knobs are rotatably mounted to the knob frame 76, which, in turn, is secured to the bottom housing's front panel 30. The knobs are configured to regulate the flow of fuel from the fuel source into the stove. Positioned within the knob frame is the lighter box (not shown) and ground line (not shown). Positioned within the knobs are igniters 80, which extend through a hole (not shown) defined in the knob frame, through an aligned hole (not shown) defined in the bottom housing's front panel, and along the bottom housing to couple to the spark electrodes 86. The eduction tubes are secured to the bottom housing's bottom panel 38 by eduction support assemblies 84. The eduction support assemblies are, in turn, secured to the bottom housing's bottom panel. Referring additionally to
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When the lid 14 and bottom housing 12 are folded together in a closed position, as illustrated in
The present invention has been described above in terms of presently preferred embodiments so that an understanding of the present invention can be conveyed. However, there are other embodiments not specifically described herein for which the present invention is applicable. For example, in other embodiments, the stove is not portable. Therefore, the present invention should not to be seen as limited to the forms shown, which is to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.
Priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/566,903, filed on Apr. 30, 2004, entitled “PORTABLE STOVE,” by Randall L. May and Gary P. Israel, which application is incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60566903 | Apr 2004 | US |