GB2589561A - A firelighter cage and a method of making a firelighter cage - Google Patents

Abstract

A firelighter cage 10 for receiving a firelighter and propagating a fire from a firelighter in the cage to material outside the cage is made of a non-combustible, fire resistant material. The cage comprises an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein an upper part of the inner surface comprises an opening 16 for insertion of a firelighter. The cage has only one state, in which it is open to receive a firelighter, thus it does not have a closed state in which it is unable to receive a firelighter. The cage may comprise one or more ventilation openings. The cage may be made by cutting a workpiece from a sheet of material, cutting a firelighter opening in the workpiece and folding the workpiece to form a cage. The cage may comprise one or more tabs on one face of the cage folded into one or more openings on another face of the cage.

Description

A FIRELIGH1LR CAGE AND A METHOD OF MAKING A FIRELIGHTER CAGE The invention relates to a firelighter cage and a method of making a firelighter cage. The firelighter cage is intended to be placed in a fire. The firelighter cage is for retaining a firelighter and propagating a fire from a firelighter in the cage to material outside the cage.

A two part firelighter cage called a BlazaballTM is known. The BlazaballTm firelighter cage comprises two hemispherical parts. In use, a firelighter is installed in the first of the hemispherical parts, then the mouths of the two hemispherical parts are abutted against one another, and the first hemispherical part is rotated with respect to the second hemispherical part, so as to seal a firelighter inside the cage. The first hemispherical part is rotated in the opposite direction with respect to the second hemispherical part to enable separation, at which time another firelighter can be installed in the cage.

An aim of the present invention is to provide an improved firelighter cage and/or a method of making a firelighter cage. A separate aim of the present invention is to provide an alternative firelighter cage and/or a method of making a firelighter cage.

According to a first embodiment of the invention there is provided a firelighter cage in accordance with Claim 1.

It will be appreciated that the firelighter cage in accordance with Claim 1 has only one state, in which it is open to receive a firelighter. It does not have an open state and a closed state like the known cage described at paragraph 2 of the description. It is easier for the user to use and re-use the firelighter cage. A user does not need to disassemble the firelighter cage in order to re-use it.

According to a second embodiment of the invention there is provided method of making a firelighter cage in accordance with Claim 7 Other optional and preferred features of the invention are set out in the dependent claims, and in the description below.

An embodiment of a firelighter cage, and a method of making a firelighter cage, both in accordance with the invention, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention, a cubic firelighter cage, Figure 2 is a plan view of a workpiece, which can be used to make a cubic firelighter cage in accordance with the first embodiment, Figure 3 is a perspective e of the cubic firelighter cage in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the cubic firelighter cage in accordance with the first or second embodiment of the invention, in use in a stove fire, Figure 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention, a quadrilateral frustum (apex-truncated square pyramid) firelighter cage, Figure 6 is a plan view of a workpiece, which can be used to make a quadrilateral frustum (apex-truncated square pyramid) firelighter cage in accordance with the third embodiment, and Figure 7 is a perspective view of the quadrilateral frustum firelighter cage in accordance with the third embodiment of the invention, in use in a stove fire.

Figure 1 shows a firelighter cage 10, for retaining a firelighter whilst permitting flames from a firelighter within the firelighter cage to propagate through the firelighter cage to fuel in a fireplace which surrounds the firelighter cage.

The firelighter cage 10 is made of a non-combustible, fire resistant material, Such a material is resistant up to the maximum operating temperature of a domestic fire. The firelighter cage 10 is preferably made of a metal such as stainless steel.

Referring to Figure 1, the firelighter cage 10 is shaped like a cube.

The firelighter cage 10 comprises a firelighter opening 16. The firelighter opening 16 is preferably sized, positioned, and configured, so that a firelighter can be manually passed through the opening into the interior of the firelighter cage 10, but does not easily pass back through the opening to the exterior of the firelighter cage, or permit fuel such as fire wood to fall through the opening into the firelighter cage 10, thus reducing its effect.

The firelighter opening 16 may be large enough to contain a rectangle at least 20 mm by 20 mm, but less than 35 mm by 35 mm, preferably about 25 to 30 mm by about 25 to 30 mm. A firelighter opening 16 of 30 mm x 27 mm allows most firelighters available on the market in the U.K. to enter the opening. However, if the firelighter opening 16 is too large fuel may undesirably drop into the firelighter cage. Hence, the firelighter opening 16 is not able to receive a firelighter (or other object) of cross sectional area in excess of 50 mm by 50 mm.

If the depth from the opening 16 to the part of the cage beyond the opening were only 1 mm for example, a firelighter of depth only 1 mm would be allowed. The dimensions of the area of the opening 16 has the same effect on the dimensions of the firelighter. If a firelighter of depth only 1 mm would be allowed the other dimensions of the firelighter have to be increased for the firelighter to have sufficient volume to contribute significantly to propagating a fire to fuel in a fireplace which surrounds the firelighter cage.

The minimum depth from the opening 16 to the part of the cage beyond the opening may be at least 20 mm, but is preferably about 40 mm. The depth from the opening 16 to the part of the cage beyond the opening is greater than the dimensions of the area of the opening 16. In this way, the firelighter volume can be greater whilst minimising the chance of the firelighter to fall out of the opening or fuel such as fire wood falling through the opening into the firelighter cage 10. The maximum depth from the opening 16 to the part of the cage beyond the opening may be is about 125 mm for the largest conceivable version of the firelighter cage The firelighter opening 16 may be rectangular to complement the shape of a typical firelighter, but can be any suitable shape, and can accommodate firelighters of other shapes The firelighter opening 16 is preferably on any part of the surface of the firelighter cage 10 other than the base, so the firelighter does not fall out of the cage. The firelighter opening 16 is most preferably on an upper surface of the cage such as the top. The firelighter opening 16 could be on a side face like the front, back, left hand side, or right hand side, for example.

The firelighter cage 10 also comprises ventilation holes 18. The ventilation holes exceed 3 mm in diameter (flames will not penetrate a hole less than 3 mm).

The ventilation holes 18 are not large enough to contain a rectangle at least 20 mm by 20 mm. In this way, it minimises the chance of a firelighter falling out of the ventilation holes 18 or firewood falling into the firelighter cage through the ventilation holes.

The smallest ventilation/flame opening measures 7.5 mm x 4.6 mm The largest ventilation/flame opening is 19 mm x 12 mm.

The maximum size of the ventilation holes is about 40 mm by 18 mm width.

The distance between the lowest part of the lower part (24) and the highest part of the upper part (22) is less than 150 mm, so a firelighter cage positioned on a base of a firebox floor locates under fuel.

The design of the ventilation holes 18 can be changed for aesthetics and include any design that allows for air flow and flame penetration.

In this way, when a firelighter is used within the firelighter cage 10 in a fire 60, the firelighter cage provides a protective environment for the firelighter, allowing air to circulate around it, enabling the fire to propagate more readily.

Referring to Figure 2, the firelighter cage 10 can be easily made from a thin flat metal sheet. The metal sheet is preferably 0.9 mm stainless steel, which provides enough strength to ensure firelighter cage will not collapse in use. A workpiece 20 is laser cut from the metal sheet. The workpiece 20 should have a smooth peripheral edge, so as to not injure a user.

Referring to Figure 2, the workpiece 20 comprises six square parts which will later become the top 22, bottom 24, front 26, back 28, left hand side 30 and right hand side 32. The workpiece 20 is provided with a line of weakness, Li, L2, L3 L4 and L5, between every two of adjacent faces. Each line of weakness, Ll, L2, L3, L4 and L5 comprises two slots extending along an imaginary line between the two adjacent faces. The slots can be laser cut. Each line of weakness, LI, L2, L3, L4 and L5 also comprises an uncut part NI between the two slots, and uncut parts N2 and N3 next to each end of the imaginary line between the two adjacent faces. The firelighter cage 10 is assembled by bending the workpiece 20 at the lines of weakness Li, L2, L3, L4 and L5 into the cube shape of Figure I. Referring to Figure 2, the back 28, left hand side 30 and right hand side 32 of the workpiece 20 comprises tabs 30, 32, 34. Each tab 30, 32, 34 has an area of weakness Al, A2 and A3 cut out of it, thus ensuring the tab can be bent at various points along its length, rather than just at a single point. The firelighter cage 10 is assembled by bending the tabs 30, 32, 34 to locate in tab recesses 50, 52 and 54 as shown in Figure 1. The tabs 30, 32, 34 stay in place in tab recesses 50, 52 and 54 by a friction fit.

The workpiece 20 can be bent by hand or machine The workpiece 20 can be made with any suitable design.

The lower part (24) is effectively flat. The flat sides of the hexahedron shapes of the firelighter cages 10, 100, sit stably in position on a base of a fire, but it will be appreciated that the firelighter cage may be any other suitable polyhedron, indeed any hollow three-dimensional shape.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, shown in Figure 3, a firelighter cage 50 can be made minimal welding (see Figure 3), for example between 1. the top 22 and the back 28, 2. the top 22 and the left hand side 30, and 3 the top 22 and the right hand side 32. In this way, the tabs are not required.

In use, a firelighter is pushed through the firelighter opening 16 so that it sits inside the firelighter cage 10.

Referring to Figure 4, the firelighter cage 10 is installed in a multi-fuel stove, barbeque, chiminea, or any other suitable fire place 60.

The firelighter in the firelighter cage 10 is then lit and covered with wood, charcoal etc, which results in an easy successful fire without special arrangement or additional accelerants. Although in the case of charcoal, and coal it is expected to be lit after placing the fuel, due to the risk of dust igniting when being poured over a naked flame.

A significant advantage of the firelighter cage 10 in accordance with the invention is that the firelighter cage has only one state, in which it is open to receive a firelighter. In contrast to the known firelighter cage, it does not have a closed" states in which it is not able to receive a firelighter. It does not need to be opened and closed between each use. Subject to its being configured properly with respect to surrounding objects, such as a fire and the fuel, the firelighter cage in accordance with the invention is always in a state in which it is ready for insertion of a firelighter through larger opening.

After a fire has burnt out, and the fire has been re-made, it is sometimes possible for a user to put a new firelighter through the firelighter opening 16 into the firelighter cage 10 without moving or touching the firelighter cage.

Using the firelighter cage 10 in a fire, may reduce or removes the need for kindling material.

The firelighter cage 10 also has the additional benefit of providing a volume within the fire through which air can flow, thereby assisting combustion. This benefit continues through the life of the fire, even when the firelighter within the firelighter cage has finished combusting.

In the embodiments shown, ventilation holes 18 are provided on every face. The firelighter cage may often be used on top of an unventilated fire hearth, i.e. the base of the firelighter cage will be in abutment with the unventilated fire hearth. In another embodiment, not shown for conciseness, ventilation holes 18 can provided on every face except the base of the firelighter cage. In yet another embodiment, not shown for conciseness, one or more ventilation holes 18 can be provided, optionally on one or more face of the firelighter cage other than the face in which the opening is located, preferably below the firelighter opening 16. It is conceivable that a single firelighter opening can provide the firelighter opening and the ventilation opening, for example the single opening may include an enlarged opening on the top and an elongated narrow channel extending from the enlarged opening towards the base.

Figure 5 shows a second firelighter cage 100. The firelighter cage 100 is shaped like a quadrilateral frustum (apex-truncated square pyramid) Referring to Figure 6, the firelighter cage 100 is made from a workpiece 120 in the same general manner as the firelighter cage 10 s made from the workpiece 20, i.e. using lines of weakness between faces of the workpiece, and cooperating tabs and recesses.

The main difference is that, due to the intended shape of the firelighter cage 100, the side faces of the workpiece 120 are folded through greater angles with respect to the base than the workpiece 20, and the top face of the workpiece 120 is folded through a smaller angle with respect to the front than the workpiece 20. Advantageously, the firelighter opening of the firelighter cage 100 has a secondary use, providing the recesses for the tabs.

The firelighter opening is approximately 30 mm x 30 mm. The corners of the firelighter opening may be rounded.

The smallest ventilation hole is 3.5 mm x 10 mm. The largest ventilation hole is 39 mm x 6 It has been noticed that the quadrilateral frustum (apex-truncated square pyramid) shaped firelighter cage 100 comprises upper sides that are inclined at an angle of between 30 and 60 degrees, preferably about 45 degrees, to the horizontal, so that the plane of the ventilation openings has an at least partially horizontal component, allowing fire and heat to more easily penetrate the ventilation openings towards the fuel When firewood is arranged to start a fire it can lie at an angle similar to the upper sides of the quadrilateral frustum (apex-truncated square pyramid) shaped firelighter cage 100 This arrangement enables the ventilation openings to be in closer proximity to the fuel, so that the fire can propagate more easily.

Given that fire debris may get into the firelighter cage 100 during use, when the firelighter cage is inverted, the inclined upper sides can help to funnel debris out of the opening.

The features of one embodiment of the invention can be combined in any complimentary manner, with one or more features of another embodiment of the invention, where such a combination of features would provide a working embodiment of the invention.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMSA firelighter cage (10, 50, 100) for retaining a firelighter and propagating a fire from a firelighter in the firelighter cage to material outside the firelighter cage, wherein the firelighter cage is made of a non-combustible, fire resistant material, the firelighter cage comprises an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein an upper part (22) of outer surface comprises a firelighter opening (16) for insertion of a firelighter, so that a firelighter can sit within inner surface, wherein the firelighter opening (16) has only one state in which it is open to receive a firelighter.A firelighter cage (10, 50, 100) according to Claim 1, wherein the firelighter cage is able to receive a firelighter of cross sectional area at least 20 mm by 20 mm through the firelighter opening (16) A firelighter cage (10, 50, 100) according to Claim 2, wherein the firelighter opening (16) is not able to receive an object of cross sectional area in excess of 50 mm by 50 mm 4. A firelighter cage (10, 50, 100) according to any one or more preceding claim, wherein the distance between the lowest part of the lower part (24) and the highest part of the upper part (22) is less than 150 mm.S. A firelighter cage (10, 50, 100) according to any one or more preceding claim, wherein the firelighter cage comprises a ventilation opening or a plurality of ventilation openings (18), preferably below the firelighter opening (16) 6. A firelighter cage (10, 50, 100) according to any one or more preceding claim, wherein the firelighter cage comprises one or more tabs 30, 32, 34 on one face of the cage folded into one or more openings (50, 52 and 54) on another face of the cage, so that the firelighter cage keeps its shape.A method of making a firelighter cage (10, 50, 100) in accordance with Claim 1, comprising the steps of, cutting a workpiece (20, 120) from a sheet of a non-combustible, fire resistant material, cutting a firelighter opening (16) in the workpiece (20, 120), and folding the workpiece (20, 120), to form a cage for retaining a firelighter.A method of making a firelighter cage (10, 50, 100) according to Claim 5, wherein the method also comprises the step of cutting one or a plurality of ventilation openings.9. A method of making a firelighter cage (10, 50, 100) according to Claim 7 and/or 8, wherein the method also comprises the steps of, cutting tabs, cutting tab openings, and folding tabs on one face of the workpiece into tab opening on another face of the sheet, so that the firelighter cage keeps its shape.10. A method of making a firelighter cage (10, 50, 100) according to Claim 7 and/or 8, wherein the method also comprises the step of welding an edge of on one face of the workpiece onto an edge of another face of the workpiece, so that the firelighter cage keeps its shape