US1795004A - Imitation fire - Google Patents

Description

March 3, 1931. c. H, ARCHER IMITATION FIRE Filed July 7, 1927 J71 vs 7115/: c AarZeJ l /e rlverl Arc/ er Patented Mar. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES HERBERT ARCHER, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LIMITED, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND IMITATION FIRE Application filed July 7, 1927, Serial No. 204,119, and in Great Britain July 15, 1926.

' The present invention relates to imitation fires by which is to be understood apparatus of the type arranged to simulate the effect of a burning coal fire. It is known to employ for this purpose electric lamps, which may be coloured and the heat from which is adapted to rotate fans or vanes which intermittently intercept the light so as to produce a flickering effect. Various arrangements have also been proposed for the use of coloured lumps of glass, and screens having irregularly shaped holes, together with reflectors in various positions which may also incorporate translucent or opaque surfaces. The object of the present invention is to improve devices of this nature so as to increase the resemblance between the imitation fire and a burning coal fire without increasing its complexity and cost.

According to the invention, a reflector having a white matt surface is used in'conjunction with the source of light provided to give the eflect of combustion. This reflector is preferably located behind the source of light and may be embossed or ribbed or otherwise shaped so as to make the nature of the reflection somewhat irregular. Conveniently also flickenproducing devices of any suitable type areemployed to enhance the burning fuel eflect. The reflector is preferably comprised of aluminium which has been treated by a frosting or similar process so as to have a white surface as above mentioned. It will be understood that though aluminium is preferred, any suitable white metal similarly treated may be employed or also non-metallic substances, though these must preferably be incombustible owing to their proximity to the source of heat, when such a source is provided so that the fire may supply heat in addi tion to simulating the appearance of a burning coal fire. The use of such a white reflector is found to give theappearance of smoke rising from the fire and'this enhances the live coal effect.

In the accompanying drawings a fire is illust-rated which shows one example of carry.-

ing the invention into'eflect.

The fire comprises a heating element HE supported on the front of the fire frame FF,

while inside the frame is a flicker device FD consisting of, for instance, an electric lamp and a fan supported above the lamp which rotates with the heated air. Holes in the flicker device and between the blades of the fan allow the light to pass in an upwards di rection through the imitation fuel IF, which would be of some transparent coloured glass, whether in the form of slabs or blocks, or the like. The light from the flicker device passes through the imitation fuel and strikes against the curved reflector CR, from which again it is made visible to the observer. It is the front of the curved reflector, that is the side of the reflector upon which the flickering light falls, which is given a white matt surface, the curved reflector CR being conveniently made of aluminium, which is frosted to make a matt surface on the front side. This white surface may be embossed or ribbed so as to make the reflection irregular, and one way of doing this is shown in the drawings in which the front of the reflector is given a rough irregular surface by making indentationsI so that certain parts stand out with relation to such indentations I.

l/Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. As a new article of manufacture, a reflector for imitation flicker-producing fires consisting of sheet aluminum having a white matt inner surface to form a reflecting background and having indented areas composed of linesstruck into the body of the metal, the surface thereby reflecting the flicker irregularly to simulate smoke issuing from the fire.

' 2. As a new article of manufacture, a reflector for imitation flicker-producing fires consisting of frosted sheet aluminum having a white matt inner surface to form a primary reflecting background, and having a second ary reflecting background composed of indented areas of aggregated lines struck into the body of the metal, the surface thereby refleeting the flicker irregularly to simulate smoke issuing from the fire.

Intestimony whereof I have signed my name at Liverpool, England, this 9th day of May, 1927.

CHARLES HERBERT ARCHER.

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