Abstract:
The invention provides a fireplace having a warming shelf, suitable for warming beverages, such as coffee, tea or hot cocoa; food items; and other items, for example, clothing, such as mittens or socks.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to a fireplace. In particular, the invention relates to a gas fireplace with a warming shelf.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Fireplaces, including gas fireplaces are well known. Generally, fireplaces are used for heating a room and for ambiance. However, it may be desirable to use a fireplace to warm other items.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The invention provides a fireplace having a warming shelf suitable for warming beverages, such as coffee, tea or hot cocoa; food items; and other items, for example, clothing, such as mittens or socks.  
           [0004]    The fireplace generally includes a firebox, a front wall and a shelf. The front wall is mounted to the firebox to define a combustion chamber. Preferably the interface between the front wall and the firebox is substantially airtight. More preferably, the front wall is made using a transparent material such as glass or heat resistant plastic. The fireplace also includes a shelf that is pivotally mounted to the front wall about a horizontal axis. Preferably, the shelf is made using a transparent material such as glass or heat resistant plastic. The shelf preferably rotates from between a closed position, in which the shelf is adjacent and substantially parallel to the front wall to an open position, in which the shelf is substantially perpendicular to the front wall. Even when the shelf is in an open position, the combustion chamber, defined by the front wall and the firebox remains inaccessible from behind the shelf, due to the presence of the front wall. The open shelf provides a suitable horizontal surface for placing items to be warmed, such as beverages, food, or clothing. In a preferred embodiment, the fireplace also includes doors that are pivotally mounted to the fireplace about a vertical axis. Preferably, the doors are positioned below the shelf. In this embodiment, the shelf and doors can be opened to create a semi-enclosed space which is capable of trapping heat generated by the fireplace to further warm the shelf and any items placed thereon.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]    [0005]FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a fireplace embodying the present invention.  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the fireplace in FIG. 1 in section taken along the line  2 - 2 .  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 3 is a top sectional view of the fireplace taken along the line  3 - 3  in FIG. 2.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the fireplace with a door open.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 5 is a top view of the fireplace shown in FIG. 4. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0010]    Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, the fireplace  50  of the invention is shown in FIG. 1. The fireplace  50  includes three major parts, namely a firebox  10 ; a front wall  11 ; and a shelf  12 .  
         [0011]    The firebox  10  includes side walls  15  and  16 , a rear wall  17 , a top  18 , a front  20  and a back  21 . The top  18  of the firebox  10  shown in FIG. 1 is configured as a half-dome. However, the top  18  can be created in any desirable configuration. For example, in an alternate embodiment (not shown), the top  18  of the firebox  10  can be formed by planar walls that slope downward from the front  20  of the firebox  10  and mate at the back  21  of the firebox  10  or planar walls that slope upward from the front of the firebox  10  and mate at the back  21  of the firebox. In yet another embodiment, the top  18  of the firebox  10  may be constructed in a horizontal position. Other configurations for the top  18  of the firebox  10  are readily apparent to those of skill in the art and are included within the scope of the invention.  
         [0012]    A front wall  11  is mounted to the front  20  of the firebox  10 . Preferably, the front wall  11  is formed from a heat resistant transparent material such as glass or heat resistant plastic. More preferably, the front wall  11  is mounted to the firebox  10  such that the interface between the front wall  11  and the firebox is airtight or semi-airtight to prevent air loss from the room. If the interface between the firebox  10  and the front wall  11  is not substantially airtight, combustion air taken from the room may reduce the amount of oxygen in the room if the room is tightly sealed or, alternately, may create a partial vacuum which takes in cold air or air from other parts of the building into the room to be heated, thus cooling the room to be heated. In one embodiment, the glass front wall  11  is capable of being removed from the firebox  10  or opened to provide access to the firebox  10 . The front wall  11  can be planar (as shown in the Figures) or non-planar (not shown). For example, the front wall  11  may be configured as a non-planar outwardly curved glass panel (not shown). Other configurations include non-planar glass panels having two or more flat sections (not shown). Other configurations are readily apparent to those of skill in the art and are included within the scope of this invention.  
         [0013]    The firebox  10  and front wall  11  define a combustion chamber  30 . A burner assembly (not shown) is located within the combustion chamber  30 . Fresh air is delivered to the combustion chamber  30  by way of an air inlet vent (not shown). Exhaust gasses from the combustion chamber  30  pass out of the firebox  10  by way of an exhaust vent  14 .  
         [0014]    According to the invention, the fireplace  50  includes a shelf  12  mounted to the front wall  11 . In a preferred embodiment, the shelf  12  is rotatably mounted to the front wall  11 . Preferably, the shelf  12  is rotatably mounted to the front wall  11  about a horizontal axis. For example, the shelf  12  can be mounted to the front wall  11  using at least one hinge such that the shelf can occupy an “open” position wherein the shelf  12  is positioned horizontally such that it is substantially perpendicular (at about 90°) to the front wall  11  (for example, see FIGS.  2 - 5 ). Preferably the shelf  12  is configured to rotate to occupy a “closed” position wherein the shelf  12  is aligned adjacent to the front wall  11  in a position substantially parallel to the front wall  11  or to define a plane that is substantially parallel to the plane defined by the front wall  11  (not shown). Generally, the shelf  12  is configured to align with the contours of the front wall  11 . The shelf  12  can be configured such that it is rotated “down” to its open position (i.e., horizontal or perpendicular to the front wall  11 ) and rotated “up” to a closed position (i.e., oriented vertically or parallel to the front wall  11 ). Alternately, the shelf  12  can be configured such that it is rotated “up” to an open position and rotated “down” to a closed position. Preferably, a locking means is included to secure the shelf  12  in an open position. It may also be desirable to include a second locking means to secure the shelf  12  in a closed position. It should be noted that a shelf that is not hinged and therefore only occupies an “open” position is also included within the scope of the invention.  
         [0015]    It should be noted that, when the shelf  12  is in an open position, the front wall  11  of the fireplace  50  maintains a barrier between the firebox  10  and the room such that the combustion chamber  30  remains enclosed. As discussed above, it is important that the interface of the front wall  11  and the firebox  10  be airtight or semi-airtight and the combustion chamber remain enclosed to prevent oxygen or heat loss from the room in which the fireplace  50  is situated. Thus, “opening” the shelf  12  merely provides an illusion of accessing the firebox  10 , when in reality, the combustion chamber  30  remains enclosed. The shelf  12  functions essentially as a “false door” such that “opening” the shelf  12  does not actually open an enclosure. Rather, “opening” the shelf  12  merely exposes the front wall  11  that is positioned interior to the shelf  12 . Thus, “opening” the shelf  12  does not “open” an enclosure. Rather, “opening” the shelf  12  provides access to the substantially vertical front wall  11 .  
         [0016]    The open shelf  12  provides a suitable horizontal surface for placing items to be warmed, for example, beverages, food, or other items such as clothing. Preferably, the shelf  12  is made of a transparent material, for example, glass or heat resistant plastic, such that the combustion chamber  30  or firebox  10  is visible when the shelf  12  is in a “closed” position.  
         [0017]    The fireplace  50  may optionally include doors  13 , positioned parallel and adjacent to the front wall  11  on the opposite side of the front wall  11  as the firebox  10 . Preferably, the doors  13  are mounted to the fireplace  50  at a position below the shelf  12 . Preferably, the doors  13  are formed from a transparent material such as glass or heat resistant plastic such that the combustion chamber  30  is visible when the doors are in a closed position. Many configurations for fireplace doors are known in the art. For example, the doors  13  may include a single panel or a plurality of panels encased within a frame  22 . Conventional frames  22  used for fireplace doors are suitable. Preferably, the doors  13  can be opened and closed. The opening and closing of fireplace doors is conventional in the art. When the doors  13  are in their closed position, they are aligned adjacent to the front wall  11 . Thus, if the front wall  11  is planar, the doors  13 , in a closed position, preferably define a plane that is parallel to the plane defined by the front wall  11 . If the front wall  11  is curved outwardly, the doors  13  preferably follow the contours of the front wall  11 . However, it is also conceivable that the front wall  11  may be planar, and the doors  13  may have a different configuration. For example the doors  13  may be curved outwardly. The doors  13  can be maintained in their closed position by conventional means, such as spring clips or magnetic plates. The doors  13  can also be put in an open position, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As discussed in connection with the shelf  12  above, the glass doors  13  merely appear to provide access to the combustion chamber  30 . In reality, even when the glass doors  13  are in an open position, the combustion chamber  30  remains inaccessible from behind the doors  13  due to the presence of the front wall  11  which lies between the glass doors  13  and the combustion chamber.  
         [0018]    Preferably, the glass doors are mounted to the front wall  11  or the side walls  15  and  16  of the firebox  10  around a vertical axis such that, when the doors  13  and the shelf  12  are in an open position, the doors  13  are oriented perpendicular to the shelf  13 . With such an arrangement, it may be desirable to place the fireplace doors  13  in an open position in connection with securing the shelf  12  in an open position to create a semi-enclosed space which is capable of trapping heat generated by the fireplace to further warm the shelf  12  and any items placed thereon.  
         [0019]    The foregoing description has been presented with respect to a gas fireplace shown in the accompanying figures. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many other modifications of the structures, including size, shape and arrangement may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, it is understood that the fireplace may include additional features and accessories. Furthermore, although the invention is discussed primarily with respect to a gas fireplace, the concept is readily applied to conventional wood burning fireplaces. Accordingly, the present invention is not meant to be limited to the particular embodiments described above. Rather, the scope of the invention is meant to be defined by the following claims.