Abstract:
An outdoor fireplace having a cover portion, a screened middle portion, a fire pit, and a base is disclosed. The screened middle portion has collapsible and movable curtain assembly that hangs from and slides along an interior rod, so that firewood can be placed into the fire pit without having to remove the cover portion. A set of wheels are coupled to the base portion to make the fireplace easily portable.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/311,737, filed 10 Aug. 2001, titled “Portable Fireplace with Movable Fire Screen.” 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention is directed to outdoor fireplaces, and in particular to portable outdoor fireplaces.  
           [0004]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0005]    Portable outdoor fireplaces have become quite popular in recent years. Most designs have removable covers and removable center screen sections. Some designs include hinged doors that allow access to the fire pit. These hinged doors tend to stick after time, making it difficult to load and unload combustible material from the fire pit.  
           [0006]    Although these designs represent improvements to outdoor fireplaces, shortcomings still remain.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    There is a need for a portable outdoor fireplace having a movable curtain assembly that allows access to the fire pit.  
           [0008]    Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable outdoor fireplace having a movable curtain assembly to allow access to the fire pit.  
           [0009]    The above object is achieved by providing an outdoor fireplace having a cover portion, a screened middle portion, a fire pit, and a base. The screened middle portion has collapsible and movable curtain assembly that hangs from and slides along an interior rod, so that firewood can be placed into the fire pit without having to remove the cover portion. A set of wheels are coupled to the base portion to make the fireplace easily portable.  
           [0010]    The present invention has significant advantages over conventional outdoor fireplaces. In the present invention, the collapsible and movable curtain assembly slides along interior support rods. This allows for loading of combustible material into the fire pit without having to swing open hinged doors that tend to stick with time and wear.  
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]    Referring to FIGS. 1-3 in the drawings, the preferred embodiment of a portable fireplace  11  according to the present invention is illustrated. FIG. 1 represents a front view of fireplace  11 , FIG. 2 represents a rear view of fireplace  11 , and FIG. 3 represents a right side view of fireplace  11 . In accordance with the preferred implementation of the present invention, cover portion  13 , middle screened section  15 , and fire pit portion  17  are all generally oval in shape.  
         [0012]    Portable fireplace  11  includes four major components: a base portion  19 , a fire pit portion  17  coupled to base portion  19 , a screened middle portion  15  releasably coupled to fire pit portion  17 , and a cover portion  13  releasably coupled to screened middle portion  15 . Cover portion  13  includes a handle assembly  29  that is utilized to lift cover portion  13  off of middle screened portion  15  and allow access to afire in fire pit portion  17 . Fire pit portion  17  serves as a receptacle for wood, coal, or any other combustible material  28 . Fire pit portion  17  preferably includes a handle assembly  30  that is utilized to pick up and roll fireplace  11 . Fire pit portion  17  also includes a vent assembly  37  and vent control  39 . Base portion  19  includes a frame support having a plurality of legs  31  and  33  and a wheel assembly  35 . Base portion  19  may also include a shelf member  38 .  
         [0013]    Middle screened portion is preferably configured from a fixed wire mesh  21  and a curtain assembly  62  having two panels  25  and  27  of movable wire mesh, such as is commonly found in household fireplace assemblies. Middle screened portion  15  may include an oval shaped upper band  20 , an oval shaped lower band  22 , and one or more vertical support members  24  and  26 . It should be understood that wire mesh  21  may be in the form of decorative shapes or other promotional indicia. The heat and light generated by the fire pass through fixed wire mesh  21  and panels  25  and  27 . Panels  25  and  27  are preferably located on the front elongated side of fireplace  11 , and may be moved from side to side as described below to allow access to fire pit portion  17  and combustible material  28 .  
         [0014]    Because middle screened portion  15  is releasably coupled to both fire pit portion  17  and cover portion  13 , middle screened portion  15  may be removed allowing fireplace  11  to be used as a conventional barbeque grill or smoker. In such a configuration, an optional oval shaped grill  28  (see FIG. 7) may be placed over fire pit portion  17  to hold the food being cooked, and cover portion  13  may include optional adjustable vent holes  60 .  
         [0015]    Referring now to FIGS. 4-6 in the drawings, operation of curtain assembly  62  is illustrated. FIG. 4 is a front exploded view, FIG. 5 is a rear assembled view, and FIG. 6 is a top exploded view. As is shown, upper band  20 , lower band  22 , and vertical support members  24  and  26  combine to form a frame member  59  for supporting movable panels  25  and  27 . A hanger assembly  40  is defined by an upper rod  51 , a lower rod  53 , and side rods  55  and  57 . Hanger assembly  40  is preferably disposed on the interior of middle screened portion  15 . Closure rods  54  and  56  are coupled to panels  25  and  27 , respectively, to provide additional stiffness to panels  25  and  27 . A plurality of small loops  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38  are coupled to and spaced out along the top edges of panels  25  and  27 . Loops  32 ,  34 ,  36 , and  38  encircle upper rod  51  so that panels  25  and  27  may collapse and slide along upper rod  51  during opening and closing. In a similar fashion, small loops  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  are coupled to and spaced out along the lower edges of panels  25  and  27 . Loops  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  encircle lower rod  53  so that panels  25  and  27  may collapse and slide along lower rod  53  during opening and closing.  
         [0016]    In the preferred embodiment, loops  32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  all have the same diameter. However, in an alternate embodiment, loops  32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  increase in diameter from outside to inside, such that the loops that travel the farthest when opening panels  25  and  27  have the largest diameters.  
         [0017]    As best seen in FIG. 6, frame member  59  and hanger assembly  40  are curved in shape to conform to the overall oval shape of fireplace  11 . In the preferred embodiment, upper rod  51  and lower rod  53  each terminate on both ends with spacers  50  and  52 . Spacers  50  and  52  allow for coupling of upper rod  51  and lower rod  53  to frame member  59  by fasteners  54 . In addition, spacers  50  and  52  provide a clearance between frame member  59  and upper rod  51  and lower rod  53 , so that loops  32 ,  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 , and  46  may slide along upper rod  51  and lower rod  53 , and so that panels  25  and  27  may collapse upon themselves when opened.  
         [0018]    In an alternate embodiment, collapsible panels  25  and  27  are replaced with panels of curved rigid construction having rollers that roll along the top of upper rod  51 . In this embodiment, optional guide members, such as downward extending tabs, may be coupled to the lower edges of the rigid panels to engage lower rod  53 .  
         [0019]    Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments as well as alternative embodiments of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments that fall within the scope of the invention.