Patent Application
20240360999
This invention relates to outdoor combustion facilities including firepits, chimineas, fireplaces and grills.
While building recreational fires has been around for millennia, modern times have shown a progression towards more standardized means of housing and displaying recreational fires. One such method gaining popularity is a stone firepit made of many regularly shaped concrete blocks. These stone firepits are usually comprised of several rows, more commonly known as courses, of blocks stacked to form a circular or rectangular wall around a central burn area. They have become a major element of many residential and commercial projects in the hardscaping industry.
These stone firepits are most commonly one of two configurations: wood-burning or gas-burning. Wood-burning firepits use solid wood fuel, while gas burning firepits use fluid, combustible fuel; most often liquid propane (LP) or natural gas (NG). In any case, both types of firepit require airflow and stand to benefit from adding it, albeit for different reasons.
In the case of a wood-burning firepit, the solid fuel requires oxygenated air at the point of combustion to sustain combustion. As a general rule, the more oxygen and the more directly it is delivered to the burning fuel source, the more efficient the fire. Firepit users most often favor fires with the following characteristics: less smoke, more heat, and faster ignition. All of these characteristics can be improved with the addition of air intake near the bottom of the firepit, which provides fresh, oxygenated air directly to the fuel source.
In a wood-burning firepit, without an air intake at the bottom of the firepit, oxygenated air can still make its way to the fuel source; however, the path it must take is opposite the upward flow of gases produced by convection currents of a burning fire. As a result of these opposing flows, less oxygenated air reaches the fuel, and thus the efficiency of the fire suffers. In contrast, when an air intake is introduced at the bottom, it works cooperatively with the upward moving convection currents, enabling more efficient, unidirectional airflow. In this case, the air path begins outside the firepit, travels through the intake to the fuel source, and then the oxygen-depleted air will continue upward, leaving the firepit. This process is driven by the low pressure zone of the fire, which pulls in more fresh air through the intake(s) below in a self-sustaining cycle.
In the case of a gas-burning firepit, proper venting of the inside of the firepit is critical for safety. The configuration of a gas firepit usually has a burner mounted to a mounting plate with gas plumbing lines (and potentially the fuel source) below. If there are any leaks in the gas plumbing or containers, the combustible gas can build up beneath the mounting plate and create a dangerous situation where one spark could ignite the trapped gas, resulting in an explosion. For this reason, it is essential to have an interface that allows the air outside and inside the firepit to exchange, so any combustible gases may dissipate before building up to an unsafe level.
As described, both types of firepit have a need for outside air to flow in and/or out of the middle of the firepit. In both cases, an effective way to achieve this is by introducing one or more holes around the firepit block wall that allow passage of air into and/or out of the center of the firepit. In a stone firepit, one simple way to add these holes is to remove one or more blocks around the perimeter of the firepit. While this solution is straightforward, it introduces several new problems: first, the hole(s) can aesthetically detract from the firepit; second, the firepit may lose some structural support where the blocks are removed; third, the holes introduce a path for burning materials to exit the pit in an unexpected area, creating a safety hazard; and finally, the holes allow debris and other objects, including human extremities, to enter the firepit, adding another safety hazard. These issues can be, at least partially, resolved with the introduction of a firepit vent/intake.
Current industry offerings for vents/intakes have different shortcomings depending on the style. There are two primary styles of vent/intake:
The first style is a flat plate with openings that is mounted onto the side of the firepit with fasteners, such as concrete screws. This solution resolves the aesthetic issue and restricts some burning material and larger objects from passing in and out of the pits, but provides little support for the blocks above the removed block. Often, these vents/intakes are not specified to fit any particular firepit block and require cutting and drilling of the block, in addition to mounting hardware. Installers of firepits and vents/intakes prefer to minimize, if not eliminate, customization, drilling, cutting, hardware, etc. For this reason, while the first style tends to be less expensive, it also tends to be disliked by installers.
The second style is a more three-dimensional style vent/intake that occupies the space of a removed block in the wall of the firepit. These types of vents/intakes usually resemble a skeleton of the block they replaced. This style is usually designed to provide support to the blocks above in cases where those blocks may sag down, while allowing air to pass in and out of the firepit through the vent.
The second style is easier to install, as it is typically designed for specific sizes of firepit blocks and fits with little extra effort on the part of the installers; however, an issue with the second style is they cost more to manufacture and often take up much more space in shipping and storage, leading to greater costs.
In most cases, the cost of a few vents/intakes for a stone firepit is substantial compared to the cost of the firepit blocks themselves, causing many firepit buyers to opt out of using vents/intakes. Omitting vents/intakes in a firepit can diminish enjoyment for those with wood-burning firepits and negatively impacts the safety of those with gas-burning firepits.
All preceding discussion of vents in relation to firepits applies similarly to other outdoor combustion facilities, including chimineas, fireplaces and grills.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a more user-friendly, cost-effective, and efficiently stored vent/intake apparatus for outdoor combustion facilities.
This and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the drawings and descriptions herein. Although every object of the invention is attained in at least one embodiment of the invention, there is not necessarily any embodiment which attains all of the objects of the invention.
A vent assembly for deployment in an airflow hole in a wall of an outdoor combustion facility comprises, in accordance with the invention, a face member and a support member. The face member has a perimeter and a thickness in a direction orthogonal to the perimeter. The support member has a predetermined resilience allowing limited elastic deformation of the support member upon application of manual compressive force to the support member.
The support member has a first terminal portion along one end and a second terminal portion along an opposite end. The first terminal portion and the second terminal portion are disposed at a first distance from one another in a relaxed or unstressed configuration of the support member.
First connectors are provided on the face member proximate opposing ends thereof, more particularly at or proximate opposing edges of the face member. The first connectors are thus spaced from one another along a length dimension of the face member. Where the face member overlaps an outer surface of an airflow or vent hole in a wall of a combustion facility, the first connectors are spaced from the edges of the face member to allow the periphery of the face member to engage an outer surface of the wall around the airflow or vent hole.
Second connectors are provided on the support member at the first terminal portion and at the second terminal portion. The second connectors are configured to cooperate with respective ones of the first connectors to attach the support member to the face member.
The predetermined resilience of the support member is effective to exert a spreading force on the support member to press the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion away from one another and lock the second connectors to the respective ones of the first connectors. In a locked configuration of the face member and the support member, the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion of the support member are disposed at a second distance from one another, where the second distance is less than the first distance.
A vent assembly pursuant to the present invention facilitates transport by reducing space requirements. In unassembled states, support members of preferred configurations may nest together, and the same may apply to face members. The support members may have a near-planar, for instance, a moderately bowed, configuration for transport, thus reducing space requirements more. Any incremental saving in space can add up to significant savings in shipping costs for bulk quantities of the parts.
Pursuant to a further feature of the present invention, the support member has a lower edge, engageable with a horizontal support surface. The support member evinces, in the locked configuration of the face member and the support member, an at least partially arcuate profile in a horizontal cross-section taken parallel to the lower edge. Thus, in at least some embodiments of the invention, the support member is bent or otherwise formed into an arched or arcuate form in the locking configuration of the face member and the support member. Concomitantly, the support member is concave on a side facing the face member in the assembled or locked configuration of the assembly.
The support member preferably has, at the terminal portions, linear edges that are typically oriented vertically in the airflow or vent hole upon deployment of the assembled or locked configuration of the vent assembly. The support member may be formed with one or more undulations, or bends, about axes parallel to the linear edges of the terminal portions. Thus, the undulations or bends extend in a direction perpendicular to the lower edge of the support member. The bends may be sharp, with the support member having two or more planar sections bordered by at least one bend. Such a planar section may extend between an arcuate or bent portion of the support member on one side and a terminal portion or vertical edge of the support member on another side.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the first connectors and the second connectors are each either a projection or a receptacle. The projections may take the form of flanges or ribs, while the receptacles take the form of channels or slots.
Pursuant to a further feature of the present invention, at least a portion of the perimeter of the face member has the pre-established thickness. That perimetral portion is typically linear and includes a linear edge. However, ornamental design features may be incorporated into the face plate such as edges that are arcuate, for instance, outwardly bowed.
Where the face member has a rectangular perimeter, with linear edges particularly along the sides of the member, the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion of the support plate are preferably linear as well. The projections and receptacles are elongate features in such an embodiment of the present vent assembly.
Alternatively, pursuant to a different feature of the present invention, the perimeter of the face member and/or the support member is broken or interrupted by indentations or recesses along the perimeter. The indentations or recesses serve as airflow openings. Alternatively or additionally, the face member and/or the support member may be provided with one or more airflow apertures in the middle of the member, between opposing ends or terminal portions thereof. The apertures may have virtually any shape and distribution, although rounded shapes and even distributions are preferred.
A method for installing a vent assembly in an outdoor combustion facility comprises, in accordance with the present invention, providing a combustion-space wall, a face plate, and a support member. The wall has at least one through-hole (or recess, in the case of partial construction) in a lower portion of the wall. The support member is made of elastically deformable material and, in the assembled or locked configuration of the vent assembly, has dimensions smaller than the transverse dimensions (height, width) of the through-hole or recess. Pursuant to the present invention, the method further comprises exerting a compressive force on the support member to thereby press end portions of the support member towards one another. While the end portions are disposed at a reduced distance from one another owing to the pressing of the end portions towards one another, one manipulates the face plate and/or the support member to position projections on one of the face plate and the support member in proximity with respective receiving formations on the other of the face plate and the support member. Thereafter the compressive force on the support member is released to lodge the projections in respective ones of the receiving formations and thereby attach the face member and the support member to one another to form an assembled configuration of the face member and the support member. The support member has a predetermined resilience or elasticity effective to exert a spreading force on the support member to press the end portions of the support member away from one another and lock the projections to the respective ones of the receiving formations. The method then entails manipulating the assembled configuration to dispose the support member in the through-hole or recess and to dispose the face plate in proximity to an outer surface of the wall.
The face member of the vent assembly may be positioned even with the outer surface of the containment wall, or may protrude from the through-hole slightly so that the perimeter of the face member lies along the outer surface of the wall. Alternatively, in preferred embodiments, the vent assembly is installed so that the face plate is recessed inwardly with respect to the outer face of the containment wall of the combustion facility. The recessed or inwardly staggered disposition of the vent assembly serves an aesthetic function of hiding the connector elements from visual observation when one looks from above or below. This pertains to most round firepits (the most common type) because most firepit stones have flat outer faces. Only in round firepits made of stone with convexly curved outer faces can one install a vent assembly with the face member flush with the outer surface of the containment wall while also hiding the connector elements. In such cases, the front face of the vent is best curved, that is, outwardly convex, so to be truly flush.
The present method contemplates that the vent assembly may be deployed during construction of a combustion facility, that is, prior to completion of the enclosure or wall. In that event, one or more airflow holes or openings may still be in the form of gaps or recesses, rather than through-holes.
The connectors on the face member and the support member may be arranged to provide for reversibility of the orientations of the face member and support member with respect to each other. Accordingly, the support member and face member may be rotated 180 degrees (along a central axis running perpendicular to the front face of the face member) with respect to each other. This further simplifies assembly for end users and installers.
A “combustion facility” or “outdoor combustion facility” denotes herein a partially enclosed space surrounded by a containment wall of stone, brick, or other refractory material and configured for burning wood, charcoal, natural gas, propane or other burnable material, generally for purposes of cooking, heating the ambient air, or entertainment. Outdoor combustion facilities include firepits, chimineas, grills, fireplaces, and outdoor pizza ovens.
The terms “vent” and “vent assembly” are used herein to designate a grating or networked article for insertion into an airflow hole of a combustion facility regardless of the direction of air or gas flow. Thus a vent assembly as that term is used herein may be used, for example, in a wood burning firepit or a gas burning firepit.
The term “face member” or “face plate” is used herein to denote an outward facing element, preferably but not necessarily planar, configured for placement at an airflow/gas-flow opening in a combustion-facility wall. On deployment, the face member may be positioned inside the opening, either at the outer surface of the combustion-facility wall or recessed within, or slightly outside the wall. In the latter case, the face member or plate may be larger than the airflow opening or port and thus overlap the wall of the combustion-facility on one or more sides of the airflow opening. A face member or plate may have inwardly and/or outwardly extending portions. A face member or plate typically has a plurality of apertures or perforations, which can have any shape and distribution so as to permit airflow while blocking the passage of objects such as sticks, rodents, human appendages and digits, etc.
The terms “assembled configuration” and “locked configuration” both refer to the arrangement of the face plate and support member wherein that they are connected to one another in a friction fit owing, for instance, to mating geometries of the connectors and the spring force exerted by the resilient material of the support member. The present invention contemplates mating connectors and a tension-enhanced friction attachment, where friction holds the two components together when the assembled vent is lifted by only one of the face member and the support member. Alternatively, the connectors may include shoulders or abutments that prevent a vertical sliding of the face member and the support member relative to one another. Other forms of quick-engagement connectors may be used, such as camming detents, dovetailing projections and recesses, pins and dual-width slots, snap-lock pins and holes, etc. Preferably, such alternative connector exhibit proper or even enhanced functionality under the spring force exerted by the deformed support member.
As illustrated in
Support member 22 is made of a material such as metal alloy or thermoplastic that has a predetermined resilience allowing limited elastic deformation of the support member upon application of manual compressive force to the support member. Support member 22 has a first terminal portion 28 along one end and a second terminal portion 30 along an opposite end. Support member 22 is formed with three vertical arrays 32 of elongate horizontal airflow openings 34 that are geometrically identical and extend parallel to one another. Terminal portions 28 and 30 extend along opposite ends (not designated) of the arrays 32 of openings 34. Terminal portions 28 and 30 are disposed at a certain distance D1 from one another (
Connectors 36, 36′ in the form of elongate bent-back flanges are provided on face plate 20 along opposing ends thereof. Flanges 36 define opposing edges of face plate 20. In an alternative design, the connectors may be spaced from the edges of face plate 20, whereby the face plate has a peripheral or border portion that may lie along the outer surface of a firepit containment wall.
Connectors 36, 36′ are spaced from one another along a length dimension of the face plate, that is, along a horizontal dimension in a vent deployment orientation of the assembled assembly 18. Where face plate 20 is intended to overlap an outer surface of a firepit airflow or vent hole, connectors 36, 36′ may be spaced from the edges of the face plate to allow a periphery of the face plate to engage an outer surface of the firepit wall around the airflow or vent hole.
Connectors 38, 38′ are provided on support member 22 at the first terminal portion 28 and at the second terminal portion 30. Connectors 38, 38′ are configured to cooperate with respective ones of face-plate connectors 36, 36′ to attach support member 22 to face plate 20. Connectors 38, 38′ take the form of elongate flanges oriented at right angles to the terminal portions 28 and 30 of support member 22.
In the embodiment illustrated in
The predetermined resilience of support member 22 is effective to exert a spreading force on the support member to press first terminal portion 28 and second terminal portion 30 away from one another and lock connectors 38, 38′ to respective connectors 36, 36′. In a locked configuration of face plate 20 and support member 22, shown in
Firepit vent assembly 18 facilitates transport by reducing space requirements. Multiple identical face plates 20 may be stacked together, and many support members 22 may likewise ship in stacked arrangements. Support members 22 may have a near-planar configuration for transport, thus reducing space requirements more.
Support member 22 has a lower edge 40, which is engageable with a horizontal support surface such as a floor 42 of a firepit vent hole or airflow aperture 44. Support member 22 evinces, in the locked configuration of face plate 20 and the support member, an at least partially arcuate profile in a horizontal cross-section taken parallel to lower edge 40. The locked or deployment profile of support member 22 may be semi-circular, parabolic, ellipsoidal, or hyperbolic. Other shapes of support member 22 are shown in
In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
Connectors 36, 36′ and 38, 38′ may take other forms that enable a quick coupling and release of face plate 20 and support member 22. Alternative connectors thus include snap-locking formations, dove-tailing fingers, latches, etc. Channel connectors 36, 36′ and flange connectors 38, 38′ are preferable owing to simplicity of manufacture and use.
Support member 22 may be formed with one or more undulations, or bends, about axes parallel to the linear edges of terminal portions 28 and 30 at flanges 38. Thus, the undulations or bends extend in a direction perpendicular to lower edge 40 of the support member. The bends may be sharp, with support member 22 having two or more planar sections bordered by at least one bend. Such a planar section may extend between a bend on one side and a terminal portion or vertical edge of the support member on another side.
As depicted in
As illustrated in
As shown in
As presented in
Support member 22a-22e are all made of an elastic material the enables resilient deformation as discussed above with reference to support member 22.
At least a portion of the perimetral periphery of face place 20 has a certain, preselected thickness. That portion of the perimeter or periphery is typically linear and includes a linear edge, oriented vertically in the deployed positioning of the firepit vent assembly 18. However, ornamental design features may be incorporated into the face plate such as edges that are arcuate, for instance, outwardly bowed.
Where face plate 20 has a rectangular perimeter as shown in
As shown in
As represented in
As illustrated in
As depicted in
Both face plate 20 and support member 22 are provided with airflow apertures or openings.
As illustrated in
In carrying out a method for the safe use of a firepit 144 (
The manipulating of the assembled configuration 18 may more specifically include positioning the face plate 20, 20-20d, 120a-120c so that a peripheral portion thereof is in contact with the outer surface of the wall 146. Alternatively, the manipulating of the assembled configuration 18 includes positioning the face plate 20, 20-20d, 120a-120c so that the face plate is disposed within the firepit vent through-hole or airflow aperture 44 in the firepit wall 146 and even with the outer surface of the wall. Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of the claimed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.
This is the non-provisional patent application of provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/462,817 which was filed on Apr. 28, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63462817 | Apr 2023 | US |
