GB2261725A - A door for a heating appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

A door for a heating appliance is hingedly mounted about a vertical axis and comprises at least two sections 9A, 9B hingedly interconnected about a further axis parallel to the mounting axis. The sections are hingedly interconnected such that they may be moved between a first position in which they are aligned with one another and a second position in which they are disposed alongside and parallel to one another. Each section may comprise a glass or glass/ceramic panel surrounded on three sides by a metal frame, the unframed edges 15 of the sections being adjacent one another. <IMAGE>

Description

Heating Appliances This invention relates to heating appliances and particularly, but not exclusively, to solid fuel fired heating appliances.

Many solid fuel fired space heating appliances incorporate glazed door assemblies closing the combustion chamber and which may be opened to permit re-fueling or tending of the fire. Such doors are subjected to extremes of temperature in use and have hitherto been formed of enamelled cast iron.

In order to provide a satisfactory seal when the door is closed it is important to minimise warping which can arise during casting, during enamelling and in subsequent use. As a result such doors have hitherto been of substantial construction, rendering them visually obtrusive and requiring the use of large and heavy hinges to mount the doors on the appliance.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate this disadvantage.

The invention provides a door adapted to be hingedly mounted on a heating appliance about a vertical mounting axis, the door comprising at least two sections hingedly interconnected to one another about an axis parallel to said mounting axis.

Preferably said sections are hingedly interconnected in such manner that they may be moved from a first position in which the sections are aligned with one another to a second position in which the sections are disposed alongside and parallel to one another.

Preferably each section comprises a metal frame in which is mounted a glass or glass/ceramic panel.

Preferably the frame of each of said sections comprises a top, a bottom and one side frame member, the other edge of said panel being unframed. Preferably the door comprises two such sections, the unframed edges of the respective panels being disposed adjacent to one another and being adapted to abut when the door is in said first position.

The invention also provides a space heating appliance having a combustion chamber fitted with a door comprising hingedly interconnected sections as aforesaid.

Preferably the appliance is provided with two such doors hingedly mounted at opposite sides of the combustion chamber such that in the open position the doors are hingedly displaced to opposite sides of the appliance with the sections of each door overlying and parallel to one another.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a solid fuel heating appliance according to the invention with doors in their closed position; and Fig. 2 is a similar view showing one door partially open and the other fully open.

Referring to the drawings, the appliance comprises a casing defining a combustion chamber 5 incorporating a grate 6 on which solid fuel is supported in use and surmounting an ash compartment (not shown). A fire front 7 is attached to the front of the casing and a pair of doors 8A and 8B are hingedly mounted on the casing above a hinged panel 9 through which access can be gained to the ash compartment.

Each door 8A,8B comprises a pair of hingedly interconnected door sections 9A and 9B, the outer sections 9A being pivotally mounted on the fire casing by hinges 10 and each inner section 9B being pivotally connected to the associated section 9A by hinges 11.

The hinges 10 and 11 are arranged such that the door sections 9A and 9B may pivot relative to one another between a first or closed position shown in Fig. 1 in which the sections are disposed side-by-side in the same vertical plane and a second or open position shown at the left hand side of Fig. 2 in which the sections are disposed side-by-side and parallel to one another and are hinged clear of the fire opening.

Each door section 9A,9B consists of a top frame member 13A, a bottom frame member 13B and a side frame member 13C formed as an integral casting and supporting a sheet of glass or glass/ceramic material 15 which is unsupported at one edge. The unsupported edges of the sections forming each door are disposed adjacent to one another such that when the doors are closed these edges abut and the top and bottom frame members align with one another to produce a generally rectangular glazed frame.

The side frame member 13C of the inner section 9B of the left hand door as viewed in the drawings, is recessed relative to the adjacent top and bottom frame members and the doors 8A and 8B are arranged to overlap in the closed position shown in Fig. 1, the corresponding upright frame member 13C of the inner section 9B of the door 8A overlying the recessed frame member 13C of the door 8B and serving to retain the door 8B against opening movement. The door 8A itself is retained in its closed position by catch means 16 mounted at the upper centre of the opening 14.

As can be seen from the drawings, when the doors are in the closed position of Fig. 1 they adopt the appearance of two essentially rectangular glazed panels.

As the doors are moved between their closed and open positions they move through the intermediate position shown at the right hand side of Fig. 2 to the fully open position shown at the left hand side of Fig. 2 in which the two door sections are disposed adjacent and parallel to one another and are hinged clear of and extend laterally outwardly from the opposite sides of the chamber 5.

Construction of the doors in the manner described produces a number of advantages compared with door constructions employed hitherto. The aesthetic appearance of the fire is greatly improved both with the doors closed and open. In the closed position the doors present the appearance of simple glazed panels free of cross-members or other obstructions, thereby allowing a clear view of the fire and maximising radiated heat. In the open position the folded door sections do not project to a substantial extent beyond the sides of the fire front. They are thus less obtrusive than rigid doors employed previously and are also disposed well clear of the fire opening.

Construction of the doors from hingedly interconnected sections is also beneficial in that the castings from which the door sections are constructed are smaller than hitherto and can be produced in lighter materials without giving rise to distortion. This not only produces a better appearance but reduces the weight of the doors and enables much less substantial hinges to be employed to mount them on the appliance. Substantial savings in weight and cost of materials employed can therefore be achieved in addition to enhanced appearance.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example the appliance could be fitted with a single door consisting of two or more hingedly interconnected sections, each of the glass panels may be framed on its fourth side if desired, the doors may abut rather than overlap in the closed position and the shape and size of the doors may be varied widely without departing from the invention.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims (11)

Claims:

1. A door adapted to be hingedly mounted on a heating appliance about a vertical mounting axis, the door comprising at least two sections hingedly interconnected to one another about an axis parallel to said mounting axis.

2. A door according to Claim 1, wherein said sections are hingedly interconnected in such manner that they may be moved from a first position in which the sections are aligned with one another to a second position in which the sections are disposed alongside and parallel to one another.

3. A door according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein each section comprises a metal frame in which is mounted a glass or glass/ceramic panel.

4. A door according to any preceding claim, wherein the frame of each of said sections comprises a top, a bottom and one side frame member, the other edge of said panel being unframed.

5. A door according to Claim 4, comprising two of said sections, the unframed edges of the respective panels being disposed adjacent to one another and being adapted to abut when the door is in said first position.

6. A door for a heating appliance substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A space heating appliance having a combustion chamber provided with a door according to any preceding claim.

8. A space heating appliance according to Claim 7 provided with two such doors hingedly mounted at opposite sides of the combustion chamber such that in the open position the doors are hingedly displaced to opposite sides of the appliance with the sections of each door overlying and parallel to one another.

9. A space heating appliance according to Claim 8, wherein said doors are hingedly mounted on the appliance in such manner that in said second position they may be rotated clear of said combustion chamber into positions forming generally lateral extensions thereof.

10. A space heating appliance substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed in the foregoing specification or claims and/or shown in the drawings, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.