WOOD PELLET COMBUSTION SYSTEM

Abstract

A wood pellet combustion container for a fireplace. The wood pellet combustion container comprises a housing having a base and a sidewall forming an interior volume having an open upper end. The housing further includes a platform that is slidably disposed within the sidewall at the open upper end such that it can be removed from the housing. The platform includes a plurality of apertures and a handle disposed thereon, wherein the platform receives burning wood pellets. The sidewall further includes a drawer slidably mounted below the platform, wherein the drawer receives wood pellet ashes that fall through the plurality of apertures. The wood pellet combustion container is placed within a fireplace, such that heat is generated from burning wood pellets placed on the platform.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wood burning stoves. More specifically, the present invention provides a wood pellet combustion container for heating a structure, such as, a home. The wood pellet combustion container is designed to be installed in a standard or commercial fireplace, such that heat generated from burning wood pellets is circulated through the home.

Using a standard fireplace can be a frustrating and time consuming process. Many people use their fireplace to burn logs or inexpensive wood pellets to generate heat. Ashes and other debris generated from burning wood need to be periodically removed from the fireplace for it to properly function. Removing the ashes can be a difficult process when using a shovel, brush, and other tools. Many times, sweeping up the ash results in black soot being dispersed in other areas around the fireplace, creating an even larger mess. While the tools end up being covered in ash once cleaning the fireplace is complete.

Furthermore, using a standard fireplace to heat a home is almost impossible. It is difficult to distribute the heat generated from fireplace to more than one room in a home with without proper exhaust and insulated piping. Alternative methods for heating a home, such as, gas and electric heat, can be incredibly expensive, especially during colder months of the year. Therefore, there exists a need for a wood pellet combustion container that can be installed on a standard fireplace to generate and distribute heat created from burning wood pellets throughout different areas of a home via the container itself or through double insulated exhaust piping installed within the home. The container further includes a removable ash catching drawer that provides easy clean up and removal of ash and other debris generated from burning wood.

Devices have been disclosed in the known art that relate to wood burning stoves. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to wood burning stoves that are installed within a fireplace. Many of these devices include a grate for burning wood and an ash chamber for collecting ash therein. Some devices include a fan used to circulate heat produced from the burning wood, Other devices include hollow grates with apertures to provide uniform combustion of wood by using a forced flow of preheated air distributed across the lower surface of the wood to improve burning efficiency.

However, these known art devices have several drawbacks. Many of these devices lack removable ash catching drawers and screens used to easily remove ash generated from burning wood. Furthermore, many of these are not configured for use within a standard fireplace and cannot be place therein. Many of these devices lack an open upper end wherein wood pellets can be burned. Finally, many of these device lack handles for easily removing the drawers when disposing of ashes.

In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the known art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing wood burning stoves. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of wood burning stoves now present in the known art, the present invention provides a new wood pellet combustion container wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when heating a home.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved wood pellet combustion container that has all of the advantages of the known art and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a wood pellet combustion container for a fireplace, comprising a housing having a base and a sidewall forming an interior volume having an open upper end. The housing further includes a drawer slidably mounted within the sidewall, wherein the drawer is configured to receive wood pellet ashes therein, and a platform having a screen with a plurality of apertures and a handle disposed thereon, wherein the platform is slidably mounted above the drawer within the sidewall.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wood pellet combustion container wherein the container is constructed of a durable material.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wood pellet combustion container wherein the base includes a plurality of legs.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wood pellet combustion container that may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the wood pellet combustion container installed in a fireplace.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the wood pellet combustion container, wherein a plurality of wood pellets are burning.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the housing of the wood pellet combustion container, wherein wood pellet ashes are received in a drawer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the wood pellet combustion container. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for burning wood pellets to heat a structure, such as a home. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of the wood pellet combustion container installed in a fireplace. The wood pellet combustion container 11 is configured to be installed on a standard or commercial fireplace 33. The wood pellet combustion container 11 comprises a housing 12 having a base 13 and at least one side wall 14 forming an interior volume having an open upper end 15. The size of the housing is configured to fit within the opening of a fireplace 33. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing has a rectangular shape, however, the housing can be any suitable shape. The housing 12 further includes a platform 17 slidably disposed within the sidewall 14 of the housing 12 configured to hold a plurality of wood pellets thereon. The platform 17 includes a screen 18 having a plurality of apertures 19, wherein the apertures 19 comprise a diameter that is smaller in length than a wood pellet, such as a half inch or less. This configuration allows the screen 18 to hold burning wood pellets until they turn to ash, wherein the ash is received through the plurality of apertures 19. The platform 17 further includes a handle 20 disposed on an outer surface thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the handle 20 includes an aperture that allows a user to grasp the platform 17 and move the platform 17 in a backward and forward motion to assist in depositing the ashes through the apertures 19. The platform 17 is removable from the sidewall 14 allowing it to be cleaned when necessary.

The housing 12 further includes a drawer 16 that is slidably mounted within the sidewall 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the position of the drawer is mounted such that it is disposed under the platform 17. The drawer 16 is configured to receive the ash that falls through the apertures 19 of the screen 18. In this way, the drawer 16 allows a user to easily remove an accumulation of ashes that build up within housing 12. The drawer 16 includes a handle 31 on an outer surface thereof. The handle 31 allows a user to grab and slide drawer 16 from the housing 12 when depositing the ashes. In the illustrated embodiment, the base 13 of the housing further includes a plurality of legs 25. The plurality of legs 25 can be any suitable length in order to position the open upper end 15 of the housing 12 closer in relation to the heat distribution system 21. In an alternative embodiment, the plurality of legs 25 are configured to be telescopic so the length can be changed to accommodate various fireplace height configurations. The housing 12 of the container 11 is constructed of a durable material, such as, iron or steel, such that the container 11 can withstand high temperatures created from burning wood pellets thereon.

The wood pellet combustion container 11 is configured to be placed within the opening of a fireplace 33. In the illustrated embodiment, the fireplace 33 includes a double insulated exhaust pipe 21 that is installed within the chimney area of a fireplace 33. The double insulated exhaust pipe 21 comprises two piping layers, a first layer of piping 36 is configured to expel exhaust fumes out of the home, and a second layer of piping 23 is configured to disperse heat within the home. In the illustrated embodiment, the double insulted exhaust pipe 21 includes a damper 34 at a first end 37 thereof.

Referring now to FIG. 2 there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the wood pellet combustion container, wherein a plurality of wood pellets are burning. The wood pellet combustion container 11 is configured to burn wood pellets 26 in order to distribute heat throughout a space. In operation, a plurality of wood pellets 26 are placed on the screen 18 within the housing 12. The wood pellets 26 are ignited, creating a flame 32. The burning of the wood pellets 26 generates both heat and exhaust gases 29. The double insulated exhaust piping is configured to vent the exhaust gases 29 through the first layer 36 of piping and out of the home, while the second layer 23 of piping is configured to circulate the heated air generated from the heat 27 produced by the combusting pellets through the home. In this way, any toxic gases or fumes 29 will be vented out of the home, while the heated air will be circulated through the home. Furthermore, the container 11 generates heat produced from the burning wood pellets that further emanates throughout the home.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a perspective view of an embodiment of the housing of the wood pellet combustion system, wherein wood pellet ashes are received in a drawer. In the illustrated embodiment, as the wood pellets burn, ash 30 is created as a byproduct. The ash 30 is deposited through the apertures 19 of the screen 18 and captured within the drawer 16 of the housing 12. In some instances, ashes may still be retained on portions of the screen 18 that surround the apertures 19. To assist in removing the leftover ash from the screen 18, a user can grab the handle 20 and move the platform 17 in a forward and backward direction within the housing 12. In this way, the movement of the platform 17 causes the remaining ash to fall through the apertures 19 and into the drawer 16. Once the drawer 16 is full of ash 30, it can be slidably removed from the housing 12 by grasping the handle 31, wherein the ash 30 can be disposed of properly without leaving a mess within the housing 12 or fireplace.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1) A wood pellet combustion container for a fireplace, comprising: a housing comprising: a base;a sidewall forming an interior volume having an open upper end;a drawer slidably mounted within the sidewall, wherein the drawer is configured to receive wood pellet ashes;a platform having a screen with a plurality of apertures and a handle disposed thereon, wherein the platform is slidably mounted above the drawer within the sidewall;

2) The wood pellet combustion container of claim 1, wherein the base includes a plurality of legs.

3) The wood pellet combustion container of claim 2, wherein the plurality of legs are telescopic.

4) The wood pellet combustion container of claim 1, wherein the housing is constructed of a durable material.

5) The wood pellet combustion container of claim 1, wherein the handle includes an aperture configured to be grasped by a user.

6) The wood pellet combustion container of claim 1, wherein the drawer further includes a handle disposed within a sidewall thereof.