SNUFFER LID FOR A MINIATURE FIREPLACE

Abstract

A lid for a miniature tabletop fireplace is provided wherein the lid comprises a plate having a plan shape which is substantially coextensive with the top of the fireplace, and from which spacing fins extend vertically to align and separate the plate from the top of the fireplace when the lid is positioned to extinguish the fire. The spacing fins have a small bottom surface area relative to the plate in order to minimize soot transfer to other surfaces when the lid is removed from the fireplace for use thereof. The lid further comprises a handle which is thermally insulated from the plate.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to decorative miniature fireplaces and, in particular, a snuffer lid for a miniature fireplace having thermal insulating and soot-minimizing properties.

BACKGROUND

Miniature fireplaces are known in which fuel is burned in a chamber formed in a tubular body. In order to extinguish a fire in such a fireplace, it is typical to place an object, such as a coaster or other flat object, on top of the chamber to snuff out the fire. When such a fireplace is used indoors, such as on a table, the snuffer will accumulate soot from the top of the fireplace, which will be transferred to the surface of the table when the snuffer is removed for the next use of the fireplace. Additionally, the snuffer may become hot from remaining atop the fireplace, and thus become uncomfortable or hazardous to remove for subsequent use of the fireplace after a short interval.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a snuffer lid for a miniature fireplace. The lid comprises structural features which provide for safely extinguishing of a fire in the fireplace, limiting transfer of soot from the fireplace to surrounding surfaces on which the lid may be placed, maintaining a safe operating temperature, and other features and advantages which will be made apparent in the following specification and attached drawings made a part hereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional aspects and embodiments of the present invention will be made apparent in the Detailed Description and best understood in connection with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the snuffer lid and fireplace of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the snuffer lid positioned atop the fireplace of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the snuffer lid shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the snuffer lid shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the snuffer lid shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the snuffer lid shown in FIG. 1;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a miniature, or personal-use, fireplace 10 and a snuffer lid 30. The preferred fireplace 10 is of a type described generally in US Patent Application Pub. No. US 2019/0376692 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, and sold as the FLIKR FIRE® tabletop fireplace by Seera Creative LLC of Tennessee (www.flikrfireplace.com). The fireplace 10 comprises a body 12 made of heat-resistant, fireproof material, which may be formed, machined or preferably cast of Plicast Al-Tuff® 3000 KK or Plicast 31000 Special KK (Plibrico Company LLC, Northbrook, Ill.), Kast-O—Lite® products (Harbison Walker International, Pittsburgh, Pa.) or an alternate refractory product with similar heat-resistant properties.

The fireplace 10 may further comprise feet or a base 14 so that the fireplace can be placed or moved on a tabletop or other surfaces without having the refractory material cause scratches. In a preferred embodiment, the base 14 is made of machined aluminum, and the base mates with and supports the bottom of the fireplace. The base 14 may further be finished, such as by painting, polishing or other machine finishing, powder coating, anodization or other decorative finishing techniques known in the art.

The body 12 is preferably cylindrical as shown, and may also be formed in rectangular, polygonal, or other shapes. A burn chamber 16 is defined by a floor and interior wall formed within the body 12. The top of the burn chamber is defined by an opening formed into the top of the body 12, defining a rim 18 around the top of the burn chamber 16. In operation, fuel is loaded into the burn chamber 16, the fuel is ignited by the user, and flames arise from the opening of the burn chamber. The fuel may be any flammable material, but is preferably a liquid flammable fuel such as an alcohol. Most preferably, the fuel is a clean burning fuel appropriate for indoor use such as isopropyl alcohol of a form that is readily commercially available in concentrations of about 70% and above, and most preferably about 90% and above. Since the principal combustion products of alcohols are carbon dioxide and water vapor, the fireplace may be safely used indoors with appropriate ventilation or circulation adequate to avoid carbon dioxide displacement of breathable air.

The fire in the fireplace may burn until the fuel is consumed and the fire ceases on its own. During use, the upper surface 22 of the fireplace 10 may become progressively warmer from the outer rim 24 of the body to the upper rim 18 of the burn chamber. The upper surface 22 may generally become too hot to comfortably or safely touch, and particularly in the region around the upper rim 18 of the burn chamber. Alternatively, the user may want to extinguish the fire before all of the fuel is consumed, for example, in order to avoid leaving the fireplace unattended upon being called away. Accordingly, the present invention provides a combined snuffer and lid, such as the snuffer lid 30.

The snuffer lid 30 comprises a plate 24 connected with a handle 32, which can be lowered onto the top of the fireplace 10 in order to extinguish the fire and cover the hot upper surface 22 of the fireplace 10. The plate 24 is preferably at least as large as the area of the upper opening of the burn chamber and is preferably of the same plan shape and size of the upper surface 22 of the fireplace 10, such that the outer rim 36 aligns with the top outer periphery of the fireplace 10 when the lid 30 is placed atop the fireplace 10, as shown in FIG. 2. The user grasps the lid by the handle 32 in order to bring the lid 30 into alignment with the body 12 of the fireplace 10, and the flame is extinguished as the plate nears the upper surface 22. In a preferred embodiment, the handle 32 comprises a centrally located knob connected with the plate 34, such that the plate additionally shields the user's hand from the flame as the lid is positioned on top of the fireplace 10.

After the flame is extinguished, the lid 30 may be left to remain in place to prevent contact with the hot upper surface 22 and also to prevent undesirable materials from entering the burn chamber. The plate 34 may be made of any suitable material capable of withstanding brief exposure to flame and the operating temperature of the upper surface 22 of the fireplace 10, and can be a ceramic or high temperature polymer or composite material. In a preferred embodiment, the plate is made of a metal such as aluminum which is lightweight and non-flammable. In a most preferred embodiment, the plate 34 and the handle 32 are made of the same material and matching finish as the base 14 to provide a balanced aesthetic.

The handle 32 may be shaped according to a desired style. In the preferred embodiment, the handle 32 comprises an extending lip or most preferably a truncated conical shape which narrows toward the plate and is wider at its top, in order to provide gravitational engagement with the user's fingers as it is brought into alignment with, and placed upon the top of, the fireplace 10.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, when the lid 30 is positioned onto the fireplace 10, a small gap 40 is formed between the plate 34 and the upper surface 22 of the fireplace 10. As can be seen more clearly in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the bottom surface of the plate 34 has one or more fins or spacers 46 extending therefrom, and which perform several functions. First, the fin shape of the spacers 46 separates most of the area the plate 34 from contacting the upper surface 22 of the fireplace 10, thus providing an insulating gap and limiting conduction of heat from the upper surface 22 of the fireplace 10 to the plate 34. In the preferred embodiment, the fireplace is made of a refractory material, and the plate 34 is made of aluminum which has been machined to form the spacers extending from the bottom surface thereof. While aluminum is a relatively good conductor and radiator of heat, the spacers 42 provide a very small contact area of much less than the area of the plate 34. In the preferred embodiment, for example, the contact area between the spacers 42 and the upper surface 22 and rim 18 of the burn chamber is less than 5% and preferably below 1% of the area of the plate 34. Additionally, the thickness of the plate 34 may be selected so that the plate 34 provides sufficient thermal mass to maintain a safe temperature to touch the upper surface of the plate 34 while conducting a small amount of heat through the spacers 42 and radiating and convecting it away. The aluminum lower surface of the plate further reflects heat back toward the body of the fireplace while the gap 40 allows air to circulate and cool the upper surface 22 of the fireplace.

The outer rim 36 of the plate 34 may further comprise a skirt 50 around the periphery thereof to conceal the spacers from view when the lid 30 is in place. In the preferred embodiment the fireplace body 12 and the plate 36 are circular, and three spacers 42 are formed in and extend vertically from the bottom surface of the plate and radially at respective 120 degree positions. A radially inward portion 46 of the spacer 42 extends vertically downward longer than the radially outward portion 44 to form an abutment 48. When the lid 30 is placed atop the fireplace, the abutment 48 of the spacer 42 slidably engages with the upper wall and rim 18 burn chamber to axially align the lid 30 with the body 12 of the fireplace. The alignment structure thus provided by the abutments 48 of the spacer 42 in the preferred embodiment further prevents the lid 30 from sliding off of the top of the fireplace if laterally impacted or knocked.

As can be appreciated the alignment structure provided by the radially inward portion 46 and abutment 48 between the radially inward portion 46 and the spacing structure provided by the radially outward portion 44 of the spacer 42 can be separated in alternative embodiments to provide separate respective alignment and spacing structures. For example, the spacing structure in such alternative embodiments can be provided by any alternative structure or structures extending vertically from the bottom of the plate 36 into contact with the upper surface 22 of the fireplace, and likewise alternative alignment structures may be provided which extend from vertically from the bottom of the plate 36 into the burn chamber along the upper rim 18 thereof. In such alternatives as made apparent hereby, and in the preferred embodiment, the alignment structure extending into the burn chamber thus extends vertically farther downward from the plate (such as the radially inward portion 46 of the spacers 42) than the vertical extent of the spacing structure (such as the radially outward portion 44 of the spacers 42). This difference in height provides the additionally advantage of preventing soot, which may nonetheless accumulate on the top surface of the fireplace from impurities in the fuel and from inefficient combustion during snuffing, from being transferred from the upper surface of the fireplace to a tabletop or other surface upon which the lid may be placed when removed from the fireplace. Because the alignment structure extends into the void of the burn chamber, and is of greater vertical extent than the spacing structure, the alignment structure, such as the radially inward portions 46 of the spacers 42 will provide a limited contact area on which the lid will rest when placed on a surface other than the top of the fireplace. Accordingly, transfer of soot from the fireplace to the tabletop or other surface, as would otherwise occur with a flat plate, is substantially eliminated.

In yet a further alternative embodiment, the outer rim of the plate may extend beyond the outer periphery of the body of the fireplace, and an alignment structure may be provided by extending the skirt of the plate below the upper surface of the fireplace, when the lid is engaged thereto, such that the skirt along the other periphery of the fireplace aligns the lid. Likewise, spacers may optionally be provided on the underside of the plate for separation and insulation, and the longer vertical extent of the skirt will prevent soot transfer.

Referring now to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a thermal insulation structure is provided in the preferred embodiment to thermally insulate the handle from the plate, as is particularly desired in embodiments where the plate and/or the handle is made of a thermally conductive material such as aluminum. The handle 32 is in the form of a truncated conical knob tapering toward the plate 34, and is formed with a hollow cylindrical interior providing an interior cavity to receive a thermal insulating element 52, therein. The insulating element may be made of various thermally insulating materials relative to the plate and the knob, and is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in the most preferred embodiment for its thermal insulation and resistance properties. The thermal insulating element 52 is shaped to be received within the interior cavity of the handle 32 and is sized to extend beyond the bottom end of the cone formed by the outer surface of the handle in order to space and separate the handle from the plate 34 and insulate the handle 32 and the plate 34 from direct contact. A central longitudinal bore is formed within the insulating element 52, and in the plate 34, to receive a fastener, such as a screw 54 which connects the handle 32 to the plate 34 via threads tapped into a central bore extending into the interior of the handle 32 at the top of the cavity therein. The limited contact area between the screw and the threads tapped into the central interior upper portion of the handle 32 is positioned away from the gripping surface along the sides of the knob 32. The upper portion of the knob further provides adequate thermal mass and surface area to safely dissipate the limited amount of heat conducted through the screw 54.

The foregoing detailed description is intended to describe the invention by way of example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention within the broadest meaning of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A lid for a miniature fireplace having a burn chamber with an open top, comprising: a plate having a bottom surface and a top surface, formed in substantially the same plan shape as the fireplace;a handle connected with the top surface of plate for lowering the lid onto the fireplace; andat least three spacers extending from the bottom surface of the plate for separating the bottom surface of the plate from the top of the fireplace when the lid is positioned on the fireplace, and having a substantially smaller contact area with the fireplace than the surface are of the plate.

2. The lid of claim 1 in which the spacers comprise fin shaped structures having abutments for axially aligning the lid with the fireplace

3. The lid of claim 1, further comprising a thermally-insulating member forming a thermal barrier between the plate and the handle.