US2627914A - Fireplace front - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 10, 1953 C. C. HELWIG FIREPLACE FRONT Filed July 5, 1949 owwon Inventor by 'CSLIF ORD. CLW

Carney.

Patented Feb. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FIREPLACE FRONT Application July 5, 1949, Serial No. 102,970

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a fireplace front and appertains particularly to a fixture combining a fire screen and folding door assembly.

An object of the invention is to provide a perlnianent yet 11n-attached fireplace front that 'will fit snugly against the face of :an `open-type lirepl-ace, framing the opening thereof, affording ready access to the grate basket for fueling and cleaning, providing protection against flying sparks or unfriendly flames, resisting accidental displacement and, when the doors are closed, enhancing the beauty of the fireplace while shutting off `drafty currents of escaping warm air that normally sweep up the chimney.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined sectionalized fire screen and foldable door closure embodying novel and improved structural details that add to the utility, convenience and attractiveness of an open fireplace.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a fixture, of the nature and for the purposes described, that is characterized by structural simplicity, durability, compactness and efficiency and being -capable of production and sale at reasonable cost is thereby ren-dered commercially desirable.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as -shall become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as shall be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be more clearly ydescribed when reference is had to the drawings forming ,a part of this disclosure wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a possible embodiment of the invention applied to a conventional iireplace, the outer ydoors being shown in closed position;

Figure 2 is .a similar front elevation with the outer doors folded back, as in open position;

Figure 3 is a transverse, horizontal section through the fireplace and iixture; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail throug-h the fixture.

The conventional 4open-'type fireplace I shown in the dra-wings is seen to consist of a hearth 2, fireplace opening 3, and fire chamber or basket recess 4.

The novel fixture herein disclosed comprises a (Cl. 1GO- 117) base plate 5 designed to rest on the hearth 2 with a frame that surrounds the fireplace opening 3 and fits snugly :against the face of the fireplace l. The frame lis composed of a pair of opposite side posts -E an-d a narrower top bar 'I joining the upper ends of the posts. A decorative hood or plate 8 surmounts the to-p 'bar 1. To compensate for slope `of the hearth 2 and yassure that the frame abuts the fireplace face in Iclose fitting parallel relation, the base plate 5 has a transversely spaced pair of adjustable set-screw-like bolts 9 threaded therethrough to engage the surface of the hearth and by the rotation of which the plumb of the upright frame can be Varied to suit. These adjustable bolts are preferably embellished with a decorative notch such as the ball tops lil to match a similar decoration Il on the hood or top lplate 8.

Supported by the `rectangular 'fr-ame is a secti-onalized lire screen comp-rising :a pair :of doors lof gate-like sections l2 of wire mesh screen outlined `with a rod or Iother reinforcing edge I3. These two screen doors l2 `are hingedly connected to the confronting inner faces of the frame posts -B and have their upper edges overlapping the narrower top bar 1. The screen doors meet at the lcenter of the fireplace opening when closed and are normally fastened by .a conventional catch M. They do not reach to the bottom of the fireplace but terminate well above the base 'plate 5 so that they may clear the top of the ball top bolts 9 when swung open as for fueling. The bottom horizontal strip :of the fixture frame is closed in by a removable, elongated, rectangular screen section l5 that rests in U-shaped channels IB secured to the opposite inner faces of the frame posts E and are inclined outwardly slightly at the top to permit this screen section l5 to 'be withdrawn when the door sections l2 are closed, as will be seen in Figure 4.

In addition to this novel, thoroughly safe and very convenient sectionalized screen, the fixture frame also carries a pair of door closures I1 hinged to the face of the posts 6 at their outer edges. They extend the full height of the open frame and are designed when closed to completely cover and effectively seal the fireplace opening 3. Each of the door closures I'l is formed of two hingedly connected sections or panels Ila and Hb, the former being narrower and at the outside and hinged to the frame posts and the latter being the inner ones, designed to meet and be fastened together when the doors are closed and when opened to overlie the outer narrow doors, in shutter or accordion style, their added width enabling them to cover also the frame posts 6 for the width thereof. The door sections Vla and Hb being reversely hinged to allow them to fold back conveniently and compactly out of the way against the replace, are also permitted by their doubling action to swing past inside the ball-topped adjusting bolts 9, as seen in dotted line on the right side of Figure 3. These door panels may be of any suitable material, brass, copper plate, chromium and heat resisting armoured glass being among the most desirable. In closed position, the doors will preferably nest under the over-hanging forward edge of the hood 2 and fit closely to the base plate 5 thus to effectively reduce or eliminate the usual lireplace drafts and resultant heat losses.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that a replace front is provided that will fuliil all the necessary requirements of such a device, but as many changes could be made in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments or" the invention may be constructed within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained in the said accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitative or restrictive sense.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A fireplace fixture for application to the front face of a fire place comprising a frame outlining a fireplace opening and a sectionalized nre ,t screen therefor, said screen consisting of a pair bottom thereof, an elongated screen section positioned in said channels with the upper edge thereof being spaced below' and olset forwardly relative to the lower edge of said gate sections whereby said elongated section may be moved vertically and removed from said channels.

2. A fireplace fixture for application to the front face of a fire place comprising a frame outlining a fireplace and a sectionalized fire screen therefor, said frame including a base plate and opposite side posts, said screen consisting of a pair of half gate sections hinged to said side posts with the lower edge of said gate sections lying at a level substantially above the bottom place of said frame, vertically and outwardly extending channels on the side posts of said frame adjacent the lower ends thereof, an elongated screen section positioned in said channels with the upper edge thereof being spaced below and offset forwardly relative to the lower edge of said gate sections whereby said elongated section may be moved vertically and removed from said channels, and plumb adjusting bolts threaded through said base plate for adjusting said frame in said nre place.

CLIFFORD CLAYTON HELWIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,740,486 Wheelock Dec. 24, 1929 1,776,833 Huckler Sept, 30, 1930 2,591,278 Hughes Mar. 21, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 400,729 Great Britain Nov. 2, 1933

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