US3280813A

US3280813A - Space heater converter for cooking stove

Info

Publication number: US3280813A
Application number: US420346A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gordon N Schaenzer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-12-22
Filing date: 1964-12-22
Publication date: 1966-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 1983-10-25

Description

Oct. 25, 1966 N, sc z 3,280,813

SPACE HEATER CONVERTER FOR COOKING STOVE Filed Dec. 22, 1964 )NVENTOR GORDON N. SCHAENZER M u-M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,280,813 SPACE HEATER CONVERTER FDR COOKING STOVE Gordon N. Schaenzer, 11737 N. Solar Ave. 77W, Mequon, Wis. Filed Dec. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 420,346 3 Claims. (Cl. 126-4) This invention relates to improvements in heaters, and more particularly to a novel device for converting a conventional camp stove into a room heater.

Many campers, hunters, fishermen and others utilize a portable gasoline camp stove to prepare their meals, and it has long been recognized that it would be advantageous if such a stove could also be employed as a heater to warm the campers tent, trailer, or cabin, particularly on cold nights. Unfortunately, however, conventional camp stoves cannot be used for this purpose because the flames from the stove burners are liable to start a fire, and are extremely dangerous. Moreover, the heat from the burners rises directly to the ceiling of the dwelling and does not effectively warm the entire interior of the room.

With the foregoing in mind, the principal objects of the present invention are to provide a novel heater conversion device which fits on top of a conventional camp stove, thus covering the burner flames and eliminating the possibility of fire, and which novel unit is designed to disperse the heat evenly throughout the interior of the dwelling.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel device for converting a conventional camp stove into a room heater, as described, which device can be folded into a small, compact unit when not in use, for easy and convenient storage or transporting.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide a novel heater device for camp stoves which is rugged and durable in construction, relatively inexpensive, simple to use, and which device is otherwise particularly well adapted for its intended purposes.

With the above and other objects in view, which other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter, the invention comprises the novel camp stove heater accessory device shown in the accompanying drawing, and all equivalents thereof.

In the drawing, wherein there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the heater device comprising the invention in operative position on a camp stove;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view through the assembled stove and heater unit, taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view through said heater and stove assembly; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing the heater device folded into a compact unit for storage or transporting.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the numeral designates a conventional two-burner camp stove, the burners being designated by the numeral 13. Said stove is rectangular in form and includes a gasoline tank 12 having adjustable means for directing gasoline to said burners. A grill 14 is hingedly connected to the upper, back portion of said stove, and the complete stove assembly includes legs 11 and a top cover 15 which can be swung to a closed position over the stove top to pro- 3,289,8l3 Patented Oct. 25, 1966 vide a completely closed, portable unit. While a gasoline stove has been illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that the present invention will also have utility with other types of stoves or ranges, including those burning oil, wood, etc.

Such stoves are in widespread use by fishermen, hunters, and campers for cooking hot meals, but as hereinabove mentioned, they are not ordinarily used to heat the interior of the campers tent or trailer because the uncovered flames are dangerous, and because the heat provided by the burners rises directly to the roof and does not function to eflici-ently warm the interior of the dwelling. Consequently, the present practice of most campers is to obtain a separate heater, which is not only an expense but which relatively large and bulky devices are an inconvenience to transport; or, more commonly, the campers suffer through the cold night without the benefit of a heater. It is with these considerations in mind that the present invention has been designed, said invention providing a conversion heater unit for a camp stove which is adapted to disperse heat evenly throughout the interior of the tent or other dwelling, and which device provides a protective covering over the burner flames to prevent accidental fires.

In accordance with the present invention, it will be seen that the assembled conversion device 20 is triangular in cross section and includes a first longitudinal wall 21 formed of sheet metal of suitable gauge, and a second, similar longitudinal wall 22, said walls being hingedly connected along their abutting upper edges by means of hinges 23 or other suitable connecting means permitting relative swinging movement, said panels diverging downwardly and outwardly therefrom. Hingedly mounted at the apex of said inclined panels, intermediate the length thereof, is a handle 26, and mounted at the opposite ends of the unit are

triangular end panels

29 and 30. Said end panel 29 is hingedly connected to the longitudinal panel 22 by hinges 31, and the end panel 30 is connected to the longitudinal panel 21 by hinges 35, thus providing a mounting arrangement whereby said side panels can be swung about their hinge connections from their assembled position to a position wherein they lie flat against the longitudinal panels when the latter are pivoted together, as is shown in FIG. 4. This is an important feature of the present invention because it permits the complete heater device to be collapsed into a flat, compact unit for convenient storage or shipment, as will be hereinafter described in greater detail.

As will be seen, said

panels

21, 22, 29 and 30 are pro vided with a multiplicity of small, spaced apertures or perforations 24 which are designed to disperse the heat of the stove laterally outwardly and more or less uniformly throughtout a room, in contrast to the straightupwardly path followed by the heat normally emitted by the stove. It has been found that with the present device the multiplicity of openings 24 therein, together with the angular panel arrangement, function to effectively heat the entire interior of a camp tent, trailer, or cabin, or the like. It is to be understood, however, that in lieu of small, spaced apertures it is also possible to utilize elongated slotted openings, or other opening arrangements, and the invention is not to be limited in this respect.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper edge portion of the stove 10 has formed thereon an inwardly-projecting flange 16 surrounding the periphery of the opening, and the lower, corner portions of the

longitudinal heater panels

21, 22 are provided with cut-outs 25 which are adapted to seat on the flanged portion of the stove end walls (FIG. 2), the intermediate portion of said longitudinal panels seating on downwardly and inwardly-directed right-angular flanges 16' (FIG. 3) formed on the stove longitudinal walls, thus providing a simple mounting arrangement which ensures stability of the heater unit 20 when it is in use, but which permits said unit to be readily lifted from the stove when desired.

In the illustrated form of the invention the

heater end panels

30 and 29 are provided with right-angular inturned

flanges

39 and 32, respectively, along their free edges, which are designed to overlie the end portions of the

longitudinal panels

22 and 21, as shown in FIG. 1. Said flanges are provided with

apertures

34 and 33 which are adapted to receive rivets or nubs 38 formed on the longitudinal panels, thus providing snap-in type releasable locking means for maintaining the unit in its assembled condition. In this respect, however, it is to be understood that the invention is by no means to be limited or confined to a structure including identical locking means, nor any of the other structural details shown and de scribed. The illustrated device is intended merely as one possible embodiment of the invention, and it is contemplated that numerous changes or modifications could be made in the minor details thereof without departing from the spirit and intended scope of said invention.

In the use of the present invention, after the campers have finished their meal and desire to retire for the night, the camp stove may be quickly converted into a room heater merely by swinging the grill 14 upwardly to the out-of-the-way position shown in FIG. 1, where it will not become overheated, and mounting the heater conversion unit on top of said stove. The burners 13 may then be turned on and set at any desired height, depending upon the amount of heat desired, and during the course of the night said heater unit is designed to direct the heat uniformly throughout the interior of the dwelling, as described. In the morning, or whenever it is desired to use the stove for cooking purposes, the heater conversion unit 20 can be readily removed merely by grasping the handle 26 and lifting said unit from the stove. To facilitate the handling of the heater after it is in use for a prolonged period, said handle 26 may be formed of an insulated material, although it has been found that this is not ordinarily necessary.

When it is intended to store the heater 20, or to transport the same, the

end panel flanges

32, 39 may be disengaged from the snap protrusions 38 on the

longitudinal panels

21, 22, and said hingedly-connected longitudinal panels are folded together, as shown in FIG. 4. The

end panels

29 and 30 are then swung in opposite directions about their hinge connections 31, to a position where they lie flat against said longitudinal panels, and the handle 26 is pivoted downwardly against the panels, thus providing a flat, compact unit which requires very little space for storage or shipment. As hereinabove mentioned, conventional heaters are not only expensive but they are relatively bulky and inconvenient to carry or store, and the compact design of the present unit when it is not in use is one of the principal features of the invention.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be seen that the present invention provides a novel heater accessory for a conventional camp stove which permits the use of said stove as a room heater for a tent, trailer, or other dwelling. Said conversion device is designed to disperse the heat of the stove substantially uniformly throughout a room, and it is also adapted to provide a protective covering for the burners, thus eliminating the possibility of fire in the dwelling. Moreover, the present unit is so designed that it can be quickly and easily collapsed into .a small, compact unit for easy storage or shipment.

Another advantage of the present device, in contrast to a camp stove without said unit, is that the apertured plates function to diffuse and minimize the light emitted by the burners, which light is bothersome when a person is attempting to sleep. It has been found, in fact, that with the present invention just enough light is provided to allow a person to walk about the room during the night without bumping into tables or other obstructions, but which relatively dim light does not interfere with sleeping.

It is to be understood, of course, that numerous variations or modifications may be made in many of the details of the illustrated form of the invention, and it is intended to cover herein not only the exact structure shown and described, but also any and all modifications or changes therein as may come within the spirit of said invention and within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a camp stove having a housing with a rectangular top opening, a device for converting said stove into a room heater comprising: first and second longitudinal panels having a plurality of spaced openings therethrough, said panels being hingedly connected along their upper edges and being positionable to diverge downwardly therefrom in covering relation to said housing top opening; a pair of end panels hingedly mounted on said longitudinal panels, at opposite ends thereof; and locking means on said panels adapted to releasably maintain said interconnected panels in their operative condition, the disengagement of said locking means permitting said hingedly-connected longitudinal panels to be swung together, and the end panels to be swung thereagainst, to provide a flat, compact unit when not in use.

2. In combination with a camp stove having a housing with a rectangular top opening, a device for converting said stove into a room heater comprising: first and second longitudinal panels having a plurality of spaced openings therethrough, said panels being hingedly connected along their upper edges and being positionable to diverge downwardly therefrom in covering relation to said housing top opening; a handle hingedly mounted at the apex of said longitudinal panels intermediate the length thereof; a triangular end panel hingedly connected to the end of said first longitudinal panel, said end panel having spaced openings therethrough; a triangular end panel hingedly connected to the opposite end of said second longitudinal panel, said end panel having openings therethrough; locking means on said panels adapted to releasably maintain said interconnected panels in their operative condition, the disengagement of said locking means permitting said hingedly-connected longitudinal panels to be swung together, and the end panels to be swung thereagainst, to provide a flat, compact unit when not in use.

3. In combination with a camp stove having a housing with a rectangular top opening surrounded by a marginal flange, a device for converting said stove into a room heater comprising: first and second longitudinal panel: having a plurality of spaced apertures therethrough, saic' panels being hingedly connected along their upper edge: and being positionable to diverge downwardly therefrorr in covering relation to said housing top opening; mean: on the lower portions of said panels adapted to coact witl said stove marginal flanges to provide secure, removablt seating engagement of said diverging panels thereon i1 covering relationship to said stove top opening; a nul formed on each of said longitudinal panels adjacent op posite end edges thereof; a handle hingedly mounted a the apex of said longitudinal panels intermediate th length thereof; a triangular end panel hingedly COIlIlCClIEt to the end of said first longitudinal panel, said end pane having spaced apertures therethrough, and said end pane having a right-angular flange formed on a free edg thereof positionable in overlying relation to said SCOI11 longitudinal panel; a triangular end panel hingedly con nected to the opposite end of said second longitudina panel, said end panel having apertures therethrough am having a flange positionable in overlying relation to sail References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1926 Coleman 12638 5/1952 Egbert "126-248 FREDERICK KETTERER, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A CAMP STOVE HAVING A HOUSING WITH A RECTANGULAR TOP OPENING, A DEVICE FOR CONVERTING SAID STOVE INTO A ROOM HEATER COMPRISING; FIRST AND SECOND LONGITUDINAL PANELS HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED OPENINGS THERETHROUGH, SAID PANELS BEING HINGEDLY CONNECTED ALONG THEIR UPPER EDGES AND BEING POSITIONABLE TO DIVERGE DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM IN COVERING RELATION TO SAID HOUSING TOP OPENING; A PAIR OF END PANELS HINGEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID LONGITUDINAL PANELS, AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF; AND LOCK-