This invention relates to the field of packaged firewood products and firewood lighters.
Those skilled in the art of designing consumer products for inside or outside fire making have concentrated on providing separate ingredients for the fire making task. There are stacks or bundles of wood, there are starter logs, there are supplies of kindling or fatwood to get the flame going, and so on. The present state of the art shows no products that combine all of the necessary elements of fire making in one product that can be sold as a package.
Firewood is sold in bulk, bags of charcoal can be kept in a consumer's garage to be dispensed on a grill, and lighter fluid or starters are kept separate. The consumer must dispense portions of each component of the fire making task and assemble it in place to make a fire.
Classically, indoor fire making is done in a fireplace with limited size. A single bunch of firewood will normally last for one use, and therefore it is not necessary to stack more than that nearby. Outdoor fire making, such as at picnics or campsites, requires transporting the fire making materials to the site. For single use fires, not kept going all night or used for cooking, a small stack of firewood should be sufficient.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a convenient ready-to-use firewood and starter package designed to be easily transported and ignited.
It is an object of the present invention that the package will “chimney” the flow of air through the burning wood and enhance its combustion.
It is an object of the present invention that the pyramidal shape of the stack of wood be preserved by fasteners during the burning of the wood, to increase the above effects. The pyramid will be formed by the wood itself.
It is an object of the present invention that the entire package by combustible, leaving the minimum amount of residue behind after the product is consumed.
A wide variety of firewood ignition and transportation technologies are available. Other means than those proposed here are covered by the spirit and scope of this patent application.
As shown in
The tops 107 of the stack of firewood pieces 102 are also mitre sawed such that a handle 108 can be fixedly attached. The handle attachment means 109 is a staple. The handle 108 material can be selected from the list of rope, string, and combustible plastic.
The base 105 is comprised of newspaper or other disposable material, compressed or glued such that it provides a rigid structure to which the stack of firewood pieces 102 can be attached.
Resting in the middle of the base 105, directly under the center of the stack of firewood pieces 102 is the starter material cone 110. This cone 110 is comprised of solid, ignitable, incendiary material that burns quickly and gives a hot flame.
The present invention 100 is used by means of the following method. The invention 100 is carried by hand by means of the handle 108 to a safe location for starting a fire. The invention is placed on its base 105 with the pyramid stack of firewood pieces 102 extending upwards.
The starter material cone 110 is then ignited by whatever means is available, matches, lighters, and the like. The starter material cone 110 burns and the air flow through the stack of firewood pieces 102 forces hot air up through the stack of firewood pieces 102, which quickly ignites it. The base 105 also ignites and adds additional heat. The stack of firewood pieces 102, the handle 108, the base 105, and the starter material cone 110 are entirely consumed. The remaining residue from the fire will consist of ashes and any metallic attachment means used.
An alternate embodiment of the invention includes an attached ignition mechanism, such as a packet of wooden matches removably attached to the base 105.
While the foregoing describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention and an alternate embodiment, variation on this design and equivalent designs may be resorted to in the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.