US2670728A

US2670728A - Hand warmer

Info

Publication number: US2670728A
Application number: US279119A
Authority: US
Inventors: John W Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1952-03-28
Filing date: 1952-03-28
Publication date: 1954-03-02
Anticipated expiration: 1971-03-02

Description

March 2, 1954 J, w- SMITH 2,670,728

HAND WARMER Filed March 28, 1952 u f' i M1 di.)

| N V E N T O R JCHN W. SMITH ATTORNEYS Mgmx Patented Mar. 2, 1954 UNITED s 'rrrtzsv PATENT "OFFICE HAND WARMER John W.` Smith, lMinneapolis, Minn. ApplicationMarch 28, 1952, Serial No, v.279,119

z claims. (Cl. liaise-ail,` l

invention relates to hand warmers and has forlan object to provide a warmer adapted to pro--V duce heat at a moderate temperature.

.e still further object of the invention residesinproviding ar warmer which is easy to start and which willcontinue to'function without interruption.

4'.nother object of the invention resides in providing a burner in which combustion occurs uniformly. throughout the extent thereof.

A Still further object of the invention resides in providing a burner having a core helical in form and formed with spaced convolutions and on the. convolutions of which is wound an elongated flexible Vfibrous combustion promoting member containing a catalytic agent and enveloped by a'pervious tubular fibrous combustion member having interstices therein communicatingwith thespaces between said convolutions.

Other objectsV of the invention reside in the., novel; combination and arrangement of parts and inthe, detailswof construction hereinafter illustiated and/or described.

the drawings:

Fig. l'isfa front elevational view of a hand warmer illustrating an embodiment of vmy invention with a portionthereof broken away.

"Fig, 2 is a plan view of thev burnerremoved from the hand warmer.v

3 isa perspective` View. of the parts of the; invention detached Vfrom one another.

Fig. i is an enlarged elevational sectional View offapo'rtion ofthe burner taken on linel 4 4 of Fig. 5 is a crossk sectional view taken von linef 6 is aview similar to Fig. i of a modifica-v tion o fl the invention.

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional View similar t0 Fig, l5*

tale on` line 'If-1 of Fig. 6.

`lThe construction shown in the'drawings; consistsA of a receptacle for liquid fuel constructed with a vbody formed with a neck and containing an absorbent adapted to hold a quantity of liquid fuel. Qnk the neck is mounted a housing supporting the. burner o f the invention-` The burner consists of a core constructed of wirev and wound with spaced convolutions.l In one form of the invention an elongated combustion promoting member constructed from asbestos, or some similarv material, is impregnated with a catalytic agent andwound on theexteriorof thev core. AIn anotherformof the invention an elongated iieir ible embiaiien promoting member is, www.. di: rctly on the cnvolutiensfqi the .cere toVV enciogieL the. same. In both cases spaces -are formed. be?. tween the convolutions.l through which air and fumes from the liquid fuel may pass. Encircling the combustion promoting member so formed; is!l a second combustion promoting member con-f structed of pervious tubular fibrous material have ingl interstices therein communicating with the, spaces between the convolutions of the. firstV named combustion promoting member. .A vcan,` encloses the burner and is mountedon the top; of the receptacle.

The instant invention comprises a receptacle.A lp for liquid fuel which consists of a body. l .v stamped from sheet metal and formedA with sides l2,v ends I3*I and a bottom. I4. The upperend ci; thebody Il is open and has attached to ita top.

' lwhich has a flanged] of the same coniig-ura` tion .as the body I lv but slightly smaller in diiiien?1 sionsA and which `is pressed into the vupper @2nd-702' the body lllV to frictionally hold the parts ate, tachedy to one another. Thev topV I 5 has formed on it a neck Il which. has an opening I8 in the.,v same serving as an outlet for the fumes from;v liquid fuel contained within the` receptacle. L0.

'Ilhe interior. of .the 'receptacle Ill-v islledfwith.

absorbent, such as cotton, which isl infclicatedv atA |59 and which holds the liquid fuel introduced.V intethe receptacle ythrough the opening i8,y The absorbent vprevents the fuel from` spilling. fuel travels byr capillary attraction to the lipperx portion .of the cotton where. the fumes yfrom the liquiiifu, pass' outwardly through the opnirfie- Il, intheneckll. l The invention includesa burner 2 2 which, .in the form of the` invention shown in Fig. conf? sistsof an elongated flexible combustion 'pronfiov ing"k member 2`3. which constructed of asbestos or some other similar fibrous material. 'Ilfiis combustion promoting member is provided withv a.v catalytic agent which is incorporated thereinf, Thisinay be accomplished in several ways. combustion promoting members n-iayv be tumbled inav tumbler or pebble mill with. .powdered'pala` ladium oxide, also known as palladium, blaclg, the vparticles of the palladium arewel-l: interspersed withL the fibers vof the combustion-l promoting members. If desired,y platinum meldel alsolinown: at platinum black, may be used.y The, fibers of the combustion promoting Vmemloer-s;A may.- also .be coated with the catalytic agent. 'Ihe aebestosiis immersedv in .a fivevto ten percent4 Solution 0f Platini@ chloride 0r palladium. @11191, ride. After saturation the asbestge, is* heatedftq @temperature of. about .1.200 degrees @restreinte water the idue into a substance ordinarily known at platinum black or palladium black. This substance serves as a catalytic agent which aids in oxidation of the fumes from the liquid fuel and causes combustion at a relatively slow rate and at a low temperature.

.The combustion promoting member 23 is mounted upon a core 24. Core 24 is constructed of wire which is coiled to form a helix 25 having spaced convolutions 26. For supporting the core 24 a housing 29 is employed which is mounted on the neck |1 of body This housing is tubular in form having a tubular skirt 39 Which fits over and frictionally engages the neck |1 of top to hold the burner detachably secured to the receptacle I0. The housing 29 is formed with arms 3! at its ends which extend upwardly therefrom. These arms are spaced from one another to provide openings 32 in the housing 29 and which serve to admit air to the combustion promoting member. The two arms are connected together at their upper ends by means of a bar 33. Louvers 23 are provided in the arms 3| for entry of air to the burner 22 and which are struck out of the arms 3| of the housing. These louvers also form projections which assist in removal of the burner. The core 24 is normally compressed so that the resiliency of the same urges the ends 21 of the same against the arms 3|. The combustion promoting member 23 is wound upon the exterior of the convolutions 26 of core 24. If the helix 25 is a right-hand helix the convolutions are wound in a marmer to form a left-hand helix whereby convolutions 34 arek formed on the combustion promoting member 23 and which crossthe convolutions 26. The convolutions 34 are also spaced from one another to provide passageways 35 therebetween and through which air may circulate aout said convolutions. The ends of the combustion promoting member 23 are held attached to the core 24 by pinching the same between the

end convolutions

36 and 31 of the core 24.

Encircling the combustion promoting member 23 is a second combustion promoting member 38 which is tubular in form. This combustion promoting member is constructed of woven strands of high temperature spun glass and of asbestos or asbestos alone formed with interstices or meshes therebetween. The tube is immersed for about ten minutes in a ten percent solution of plantinic chloride dissolved in isopropynol alcohol. The tube is then removed and air dried till dry. After' drying by air the tube is baked in an oven at about 1000 degrees Fahrenheit until the chloride becomes converted into metallic platinum, also known as platinum black. Palladium chloride may also be used. After the tube has been so prepared a length of the same is cut off to form the combustion promoting member 38 which is then slipped over the combustion prometing member 23. The entire burner is then inserted into the housing 29 with the ends 21 of the core 24 engaging arms, 3|. ditionally supported by means of two flanges 39 which are bent inwardly from the upper ends of the skirt 39 at the openings 32 and which engageV the undersides of the said burner. The burner isV forced through the space between these flanges Which is made possible through the resiliency of the

combustion promoting members

23 and 38,

and when properly inserted becomes securely lodged in position.

The -burneris adeV Il. This cap fits over the protruding portion 4| of the top l5 and frictionally engages the same and is thus held detachably mounted thereon. This cap has a number of Ventilating openings 42 therein by means of which air may reach the burner to support combustion of the fuel at the burner.

In use the receptacle I9 is filled with a suitable liquid fuel such as naptha, benzene, heptane or related compounds or alcohol. This fuel is lled through the opening |8 in neck I1 and absorbed by the cotton I9. The burner 22 mounted in housing 29 is mounted on the neck |1 by forcing the skirt 30 over said neck. The burner 22 is next heated by a match or a cigarette lighter until the fumes of the yfuel which evaporates from the upper portion of the cotton I9 combine with the oxygen of the air by combustion in the presence of the catalyst. The heat so generated aids in vaporizing the fuel and after ignition the heat produced by the burning fuel aids vaporization and the vapor continues to burn in the presence of the catalyst giving the burner a dull red glow. The catalytic agent formed on the combustion members aids in maintaining combustion and causes combustion to take place at a slow rate. Combustion is supported by the air entering the interior of the cap 40 through the openings 42. rEhe heat produced by the combustion element warms the cap 40 and also the receptacle giving off heat at a very low temperature so that the device can be readily held in the hand without danger of burning or excessive discomfort. The hand Warmer may be placed in the pocket or giove of the user and produces suflicient heat to prevent numbness or discomfort to the user in cool weather.

In Figs. 6 and 7 a modification of the invention has been shown. Due to the similarity of the construction of this form of the invention with that previously described, the decription of the similar .parts thereof will not be repeated andthe same reference numerals preceded by the digit "1 will be used to designate corresponding parts.

In this form of the invention the vconvolutionsv |23 of the core |24 are considerably spaced and the combustion member |23 wound directly upon: these convolutions. In this manner the combustion member is formed with convolutions 43" which conjointly form a helix 44. The end convolution |31 of the core |24 is brought into closeproximity next to the end convolution |31 permitting of pinching the end of the combustion member |23 therebetween and holdingrthe same.ev attached to the core. Core |24 in this form 'of the invention is attached to the housing |29 in the" same manner as in the other form of the inven-v tion. The second combustion member |38 en-` circles the helix 44 and is constructed the samek as described in conjunction with the inventionl shown in Fig. 4. i

The advantages of the invention are manifestf The burner is extremely simple in constructionl and can readily be manufactured at an economi-yy cal cost. By the use of the two combustion; members greater area is procured without changing the size of the burner. With the herein disAv closed invention combustion is more readily main-f tained and occurs uniformly throughoutv thel burner, thereby giving oi more heat and operata; ing in a more highly efficient manner. Changes in the specific form of the invention, as herein described, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing fromF the spirit of the invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. In a hand warmer, a receptacle for a volatile liquid fuel and having a discharge outlet for the fumes emanating from the fuel, a burner superimposing the outlet of said receptacle, said burner including a support, an elongated fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member mounted on said support and formed with convolutions providing passageways therebetween and through which the fumes may pass and a pervious tubular fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member having interstices therein and enveloping said first named combustion promoting member, said interstices communicating with said passageways.

2. In a hand warmer, a receptacle for a volatile liquid fuel and having a discharge outlet for the fumes emanating from the fuel, a burner superimposing the outlet of said receptacle, said burner including a support, a core mounted on said support, an elongated flexible fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member wound on said core to form spaced convolutions providing passageways therebetween and through which fumes may pass and a pervious tubular fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member having meshes therein and enveloping said convolutions, said meshes communicating with said passageways.

3. In a hand warmer, a receptacle for a volatile liquid fuel and having a discharge outlet for the fumes emanating from the fuel, a :burner superimposing the outlet of said receptacle, said burner including a frame supported on said receptacle and having arms extending outwardly therefrom, a helical core carried by said support and extending between said arms said core having spaced convolutions, an elongated flexible fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member wound about the individual convolutions of the core to form a helix encircling said convolutions and providing passageways therebetween through which the fumes may pass and a pervious tubular fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member having meshes therein and enveloping said convolutions, said meshes communicating with said passageways.

4. A burner for hand warmers comprising a core, an elongated flexible fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member wound on said core to form spaced convolutions providing passageways therebetween and through which fumes may pass, and a pervious tubular fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member having meshes therein and enveloping said convolutions, said meshes communicating with said passageways.

5. A burner for hand warmers comprising a support, an elongated fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member mounted on said support and formed with convolutions providing passageways therebetween and through which the fumes may pass and a pervious tubular fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member having interstices therein and enveloping said first named combustion promoting member, said interstices communicating with said passageways.

6. A burner for hand warmers comprising a core constructed from a wire in the form of a helix with Widely spaced convolutions, an elongated flexible rope like fibrous catalytic strip of material closely wound about the individual convolutions of the core to form on the core a heli cal combustion member, helical with respect to the axis of the core and also with respect to the axis of the wire and having spaced convolutions providing spaces therebetween approximating the diameter of the convolutions and through which the fumes may pass and a pervious tubular brous catalytic combustion promoting member having interstices therein and enveloping said first named combustion promoting member, said interstices communicating with said passageways.

7. In a hand warmer, a receptacle for a volatile liquid fuel and having a discharge outlet for the fumes emanating from the fuel, a burner superimposing the oulet of said receptacle, said burner including a support, an elongated fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member mounted on said support and formed with convolutions providing passageways therebetween and through which the fumes may pass, said passageways being of a width approximating the longitudinal dimensions of said convolutions and a pervious tubular fibrous catalytic combustion promoting member having interstices therein and enveloping said first named combustion promoting member, said interstices communicating with said passageways.

JOHN WM. SMITH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,347,631 Herck July 27, 1920 1,711,965 Pratt May 7, 1929 2,493,266 Schmitt Jan. 3, 1950 2,579,620 Smith Dec. 25, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 383,440 Great Britain Nov. 17, 1932