US3911894A

US3911894A - Heating apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3911894A
Application number: US513104A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr George Charles Richard; John Henry Richard; Anthony L Molennor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1974-10-08
Filing date: 1974-10-08
Publication date: 1975-10-14
Anticipated expiration: 1992-10-14

Abstract

A portable apparatus for fireplaces comprising a hollow sectional tubular body of heat conducting fire resistant material, the body having a plurality of heat conducting annular ribs thereon; a plurality of legs adjustably attached to the body to adjustably position the tubular body remote from the hearth of the fireplace, the body open at each end and an electrical motor driven fan disposed at one end thereof to force ambient air through the body, a louver disposed at the other open end of the body to selectively direct the then heated air as it leaves the body, the body having in its wall, near the louvered end, at least one air exhaust pipe having connecting means thereon, a flexible pipe adapted to be attached to the exhaust pipe to direct air from the body to other areas of the fireplace including the hearth to provide a positive source of air to the hearth to assist in starting of the fire in the fireplace, shutoff means to selectively shutoff the exhaust pipe.

Description

Richard, Jr. et al.

[ 1 HEATING APPARATUS [76] Inventors: George Charles Richard, Jr., 72 Summerfield Drive; John Henry Richard, 607 Greenforest Drive, both of Baden, Pa. 15005; Anthony L. Molennor, R.D. No. 4, Gibsonia, Pa. 15044 [22] Filed: Oct. 8, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 513,104

[52] U.S. Cl. 126/121; 237/55 [51] Int. Cl. F24B 7/04 [58] Field of Search 237/55, 51, 12.3 A; 126/120, 121, 25 R; 98/205, 2.06, 2.07, 2.08

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,973,514 9/1934 Sutter 237/123 A 2,155,355 4/1939 Booth 98/208 2,362,526 11/1944 Austin.... 126/121 2,787,997 4/1957 Asbury 126/121 2,828,078 3/1958 Snodgrass. 237/51 3,433.21] 3/1969 Latta 126/25 A Oct. 14, 1975 ABSTRACT A portable apparatus for fireplaces comprising a hollow sectional tubular body of heat conducting fire resistant material, the body having a plurality of heat conducting annular ribs thereon; a plurality of legs adjustably attached to the body to adjustably position the tubular body remote from the hearth of the fireplace, the body open at each end and an electrical motor driven fan disposed at one end thereof to force ambient air through the body, a louver disposed at the other open end of the body to selectively direct the then heated air as it leaves the body, the body having in its wall, near the louvered end, at least one air exhaust pipe having connecting means thereon, a flexible pipe adapted to be attached to the exhaust pipe to direct air from the body to other areas of the fireplace including the hearth to provide a positive source of air to the hearth to assist in starting of the fire in the fireplace, shutoff means to selectively shutoff the exhaust pipe.

10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures HEATING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention, relates generally to portable fireplace heaters adapted to fit within various forms and different sizes of fireplaces to directionally emit heated air into the room in which the fireplace is located.

In particular, the present invention relates to a portable heating apparatus for fireplaces comprising a hollow sectional tubular body of heat conducting fire resistant material, the body having a plurality of heat conducting annular ribs thereon; a plurality of legs adjustably attached to the body to adjustably position the tubular body remote from the hearth of the fireplace, the body open at each end and an electrical motor driven fan disposed at one end thereof to force ambient air through the body, a louver disposed at the other open end of the body to selectively direct the then heated air as it leaves the body, the body having in its wall, near the louvered end, at least one air exhaust pipe having connecting means thereon, a flexible pipe adapted to be attached to the exhaust pipe to direct air from the body to other areas of the fireplace including the hearth to provide a positive source of air to the hearth to assist in starting of the fire in the fireplace, shutoff means to selectively shutoff the exhaust pipe.

The prior art is replete with attempts to effectively and efficiently harness the heat generated by fires in open fireplaces that escapes up the flue. For example,

the following US. Pat. Nos. are representative of the prior art:

Many of the prior art patents disclose physically structured heating apparatus that are effective only if the fire impinges directly on the device. This, of course, will result in rapid deterioration of the device. An example of such a prior art heater is US Pat. No. 1,640,771 to Hannum which combines a heating apparatus with a grate structure.

Likewise many of the prior art patents disclose heating apparatus that inhibit the flow of the products of combustion of the fire and cause smoke to flow into the room area rather than up into the flue. An example of such a prior art heater is US. Pat. No. 1,608,745 which includes heating pipes which restrict the flue gases.

Further, the prior art patents are typically uneconomical and expensive to manufacture, complicated in design and incapable of being portably adapted to various forms and sizes of fireplaces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a portable heating apparatus for fireplaces comprising a hollow sectional tubular body of heat conducting fire resistant material, the body having a plurality of heat conducting annular ribs thereon; a plurality oflegs adjustably attached to the body to adjustably position the tubular body remote from the hearth of the fireplace, the body open at each end and an electrical motor driven fan disposed at one end thereof to force ambient air through the body, a louver disposed at the other open end of the body to selectively direct the then heated air as it leaves the body, the body having in its wall, near the louvered end, at

least one air exhaust pipe having connecting means thereon, a flexible pipe adapted to be attached to the exhaust pipe to direct air from the body to other areas of the fireplace including the hearth to provide a positive source of air to the hearth to assist in starting of the fire in the fireplace, shutoff means to selectively shutoff the exhaust pipe.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a portable heating apparatus for fireplaces in which the tubular body is upwardly removed from the fireplace hearth wherein the fire in the fireplace does not directly impinge on the apparatus.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a portable heating appartus for fireplaces in which the tubular body rearwardly removed from the flow of flue gases wherein the gases are free to flow up the chimney without restriction.

It is yet another very important object of the present invention to provide a portable heating apparatus for fireplaces which can be inexpensively and economically manufactured using high volume automated man ufacturing techniques.

It is a further important object of the present invention to provide a portable heating apparatus capable of being portably adapted to various forms and sizes of fireplaces. I

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the said invention is better understood from the following disclosure and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a fireplace heating apparatus embodying the concept of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the heating apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the heating apparatus taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the heating apparatus taken along line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cutaway view of the heating apparatus of FIG. 2 showing the details of the electrical motor installation;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the electrical motor installation of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cutaway view of the interlocked sections of the heating apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a flexible pipe adapted to be attached to the heating apparatus of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, there is shown an improved portable heating apparatus for fireplaces l0 embodying the various concepts of the present invention.

The portable heating apparatus 10 is provided with a hollow tubular body 12 having

sections

12a, 12b and 12c. As will be discussed further below the tubular body 12 is sectioned so that it may readily be adapted to various forms, shapes and sizes of fireplaces.

The tubular body 12 may be provided with a plurality of heat conducting annular ribs 14 disposed substantially throughout the length of the body 12. The annu lar ribs 14 increase the surface area of the outer surface of the tubular body 12 thereby increasing its heat conducting properties. The ribs 14 may be attached to the outer surface of the body 12 or integral therewith.

The tubular body 12 may also be provided with a plurality of brackets 16 fixedly attached to its outer surface. The bracket 16 may be cylindrical in shape with a hole 18 centrally therethrough. The wall of the bracket 16 may be apertured 20 to received pin 22.

The bracket 16 is adapted to receive a leg 24 at its central hole 18. The leg 24 may be provided with a series of apertures 26 therethrough along its longitudinal axis which may be placed in registration with aperture 20 in the wall of the bracket 16. The pin 22 may be received by both

apertures

20 and 26 to positionally lock the leg 24 with respect to the bracket 16 and in turn with respect to the tubular body 12. It can be seen therefore that the vertical position of the tubular body can be varied by choosing different apertures 26 and the position can be maintained by the insertion of the pin 22 into said

apertures

20 and 26.

As before mentioned, the hollow tubular body 12 may be provided with a plurality of

sections

12a, 12b and 12c. The various sections could be selected from a variety of shapes which could conform to varied interior shapes of fireplaces. Also by varying the various leg 24 heights and varying the section shapes the overall configuration could be selectively changed. The

sections

12a, 12b and 120 could be fitted together in a telescoping arrangement, that is, the outer diameters of the ends of section 12a and 12c nearest section 12b could be slightly less than the inner diameter of 12c thereby allowing a slip fit of sections 12a 12c within section 12b. Fastening means such as screws could fasten sections 12a and 12c to section 12b.

The

sections

12a, 12b and 120 could be manufactured from a variety of materials such as sheet steel which could be suitably coated, treated or plated. The composition, grade and gauge of the sheet steel would depend upon a number of things including the formability, conductivity, design life, cost and the like. The

sections

12a, 12b and 120 could be tubularly formed using conventional forming techniques.

The tubular body 12 is open at both

ends

28 and 30. One open end 28 is the heater inlet and one open end 30 is heater outlet. The heating apparatus is also provided with an electrical motor 32 which may be a standard fractional horsepower 60 cycle A.C. motor. The motor 32 is positioned centrally within the tubular body 12 at or near the heater inlet 28. The motor 32 is so positioned within the tubular body 12 by means of a substantially U-shaped bracket 34. The motor 32 may be fastened to the bracket 34 by'bolts 36 and to the bracket 34 and the bracket 34 is attached to tubular body by nut and bolt assembly 38. Of course other suitable fastening means could be used to secure the motor 34 within the tubular body 12.

The electrical motor is provided with a fan blade 40 on its shaft for drawing ambient air into heater inlet 28 and through the tubular body and out the heater outlet 30. The tubular body 12 is further provided, at the inlet 28, with a screen 40 for removing certain particulate matter from the intake air which reduces the amount of dirt that might reach the motor 32. The filtration action further enhances the air quality that is emitted from the outlet 30. Further, the cleansed inlet air will also tend to keep the electrical motor running cool even though the heater 10 is operating in a hot environment.

The tubular body 12 is further provided, at the outlet 30, with a louver 44 which is capable of selectively directing the outlet air into the room in which the fireplace is located. The louver may also regulate the amount of air that flows into the room. The louver 44 may be attached to the tubular'body' 12 by screws (not shown) or may fit within an annular groove provided in the inner wall of the tubular body (not shown). The louver 44 may, therefore, be adapted to be rotated in the annular groove to allow the louver flaps 46 to operate in different planes.

The tubular body 12 is also provided with at least one exhaust pipe 48 which is disposed near the outlet 30. The exhaust pipe 48 is formed in and protrudes through the wall of the tubular body 12 providing a passageway therethrough. The exhaust pipe 48 presents a triangularly shaped area to the air as it flows through the tubular body 12. The exhaust pipe 48 is provided with bayonet pins 50 which are adapted to interlock with the bayonet slots 52 formed in the end of a flexible tube 54 to thereby interlock the flexible tube 54 to the exhaust pipe 48. The flexible tube 54 is of sufficient length to reach the hearth area of the fireplace.

The flexible tube 54 is provided with a detachable end cap 56 which forms at the end thereof. The end cap 56 may also serve the purpose, when it is attached to the end of the flexible tube 54, of a hangar for positioning the tube 54 in a position removed from the fire or hearth area when the tube 54 is not in use.

Typical operation of the heating apparatus 10 would include placing it in a fireplace so that the tubular body 12 conforms generally to the back wall of the fireplace. The leg 24 height would be adjusted so that tubular body 12 would be positioned upwardly removed from the hearth area. The wood or other burnables would be placed in the fireplace and the electrical motor 32 would be connected and energized through its lead 58 to an electrical outlet. The flexible tube 54 would be attached to the exhaust pipe 48, preferably the downwardly facing pipe 48. The upwardly facing pipe 48 would be sealed off by a cap or the like. The louvers 44 would be partially shut to increase the air pressure within the tubular body 12. The fire would be started by matches or the like an outlet of the flexible tube would be directed in the hearth area to direct thereto a positive source of air to assist and expedite the starting of the fire in the fireplace.

After the fire has been suitably started the end cap 56 can be placed on the flexible tube 54 and the tube 54 can be stored out of the hearth area. The louvers 44 can then be regulated as to flow and direction.

Almost immediately, through the phenomenon of radiation, conduction and convection, the air passing through the tubular body will be heated and emitted into the room as clean heated air. The heating apparatus -10, so configured, is a highly efficient mechanism using very little energy, in the form of the electricity to power the electric motor 32, to capture and utilize the heat energy contained in the combustion gases that would otherwise pass up the flue.

It should be noted that the heating apparatus 10 is provided with two exhaust pipes 48 opposed oppositely on the tubular body 12. This allows for placing the heater inlet 28 at either side of the fireplace while still keeping the exhaust pipe 48 in a convenient position with respect to the hearth. In a typical application the inner area of the tubular body 12- is circular in cross section having a diameter of approximately five inches. The inner area of the air exhaust pipe 48 is also typically circular in cross section which has a diameter of approximately one inch.

Obviously, the present invention is not limited to the specific details as herein disclosed and described, but is capable of other modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A portable heating apparatus for fireplaces comprising a hollow sectional tubular body of heat conducting fire resistant material, said body having a plurality of heat conducting annular ribs thereon, a plurality of legs adj ustably attached to said body to adj ustably position said tubular body remote from the hearth of said fireplace, said body open at each end and an electrical motor driven fan disposed at one end of thereof to force ambient air through said body, a louver disposed at the other open end of said body to selectively direct the then heated air as it leaves said body, said body having in its wall, near the louvered end, at least one air exhaust pipe having connecting means thereon, a flexible pipe adapted to be attached to said exhaust pipe to direct air from said body to other areas of the fireplace including the hearth to provide a positive source of air to said hearth to assist in starting of the fire in said fireplace, shutoff means to selectively shutoff said exhaust pipe.

2. A heating apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said connecting means includes a bayonetjoint having bayonet studs on the outer surface of said air exhaust pipe and a bayonet slot disposed on the end of said flexible pipe.

3. A heating apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein the sections of the body is manufactured from formed sheet metal, said sections being attached to each other by fastening means including sheet metal screws.

4. A heating apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein said shutoff means includes a detachable cap adapted to be fitted to the open end of said flexible pipe.

5. A heating apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein the inner area of said body is circular in cross section having a diameter of approximately five inches.

6. A heating apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein the inner area of said air exhaust pipe is circular in cross section having a diameter of approximatley one inch.

7. A heating apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein a screen is disposed at the end of the tube upstream of said fan to remove certain particulate matter from the ambient air.

8. A heating apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said air exhaust pipe protrudes into the inner area of said body, said air exhaust pipe being cylindrical in shape and presenting an open substantially triangularly shaped area to the air as it flows through said body.

9. A heating apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein said air exhaust pipes are positioned near the louvered end of said body.

10. A heating apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein there are three legs disposed equidistantly about said body, said three legs each disposed in a bracket fixedly attached to the outer surface of said body, a series of apertures in said legs spaced along the longitudinal axis thereof, an aperture in said bracket and a pin adapted to fit in said aperture of said bracket and one said aperture of said leg to fixedly and selectively position said leg with respect to said body.

* l l l

Claims

1. A portable heating apparatus for fireplaces comprising a hollow sectional tubular body of heat conducting fire resistant material, said body having a plurality of heat conducting annular ribs thereon, a plurality of legs adjustably attached to said body to adjustablY position said tubular body remote from the hearth of said fireplace, said body open at each end and an electrical motor driven fan disposed at one end of thereof to force ambient air through said body, a louver disposed at the other open end of said body to selectively direct the then heated air as it leaves said body, said body having in its wall, near the louvered end, at least one air exhaust pipe having connecting means thereon, a flexible pipe adapted to be attached to said exhaust pipe to direct air from said body to other areas of the fireplace including the hearth to provide a positive source of air to said hearth to assist in starting of the fire in said fireplace, shutoff means to selectively shutoff said exhaust pipe.

2. A heating apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said connecting means includes a bayonet joint having bayonet studs on the outer surface of said air exhaust pipe and a bayonet slot disposed on the end of said flexible pipe.