Abstract:
A solid fuel stove is disclosed having a hinged door adapted for loading of aggregate solid fuel in the form of lumps or chunks, such as coal, and a second hinged door located at the side or end of the stove, adapted for loading of elongated sections of long solid fuel, such as sections of wood. The stove further includes a third hinged door for cleaning out ashes, and a scoop-shaped baffle for restricting the flow of flue gases and diversion of unburned gases back into the combustion zone. Cast iron liners confine the burning area and protect the stove walls, and oval collar sections connect the upper back section of the stove with a conventional smoke pipe for exhausting the products of combustion.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a solid fuel stove, especially for indoor use. More particularly, the stove is especially adapted for loading of either coal or wood sections, or both, through openings at the front and side or end of the stove, respectively, each of which is provided with an appropriate hinged door. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Metal stoves for burning of coal or wood have long been known in the art. For instance, the following patents illustrate stoves embodying various features of construction, including a hinged stove door with mica windows, fireboxes with cast iron liners, rotatable grates, sectional structures, draft controls and baffles and are illustrative of the state of the prior art: 
     
         ______________________________________ 30,074 - Sept. 18, 1860               400,481 - April 2, 1889116,768 - July 4, 1871               501,885 - July 18, 1993129,020 - July 16, 1872               629,544 - July 25, 1899129,711 - July 23, 1872             1,645,244 - Oct. 11, 1927201,255 - March 12, 1878             1,827,046 - Oct. 13, 1931216,708 - June 17, 1879             4,027,649 - June 7, 1977283,790 - Aug. 28, 1883             D-237,798 - Nov. 25, 1975______________________________________ 
    
     However, these prior art patents reveal certain shortcomings, inasmuch as as none of these patents discloses the combination of a front door and associated draft control which is used primarily when burning coal and an end door for facilitating insertion of relatively long sections of wood, combined with an ash pit door, draft control and grate rotating components. Moreover, a disadvantage commonly found in existing stoves is collection of ashes on the grate, a circumstance which necessitates frequent cleaning during operation and causing considerable inconvenience to the users of the stove. Furthermore, build up of ash residue beneath the grate can lead to reduced air circulation, require frequent emptying of ashes and create further inconvenience to the stove operators. Conventional solid fuel stove doors are made from solid sheet cast metal, precluding visual observation of the progress of combustion within the stove. Alternatively, the stoves have portholes or vents, which leads to undesirable heat loss through drawings of air into the combustion chamber, or expulsion of combustion products into the ambient surroundings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The disadvantages of the prior art constructions of wood or coal burning stoves have been overcome with the present invention through the combination of a substantially rectangular metal stove of somewhat greater width than depth, the stove front having a hinged door with an opening covered by mica sheets for visual observation of the combustion zone, with the front door permitting introduction of lumps or chunks of aggregate solid fuel, such as coal, and with a side door allowing introduction of sections of elongated solid fuel, such as logs of wood. 
     A shaker grate, preferably made of cast iron and rotatable so as to give the user a choice of grate position adapted for either burning wood, or, by rotating the grates from the outside, for burning of coal. With use of the shaker grate, it is furthermore possible to reduce ash build up by imparting reciprocating to it from the outside, thereby causing ashes generated during use of the stove to be deposited downwardly from the combustion zone into an ash drawer for accumulation and subsequent removal. The ash drawer is accessible for ash removal through a hinged ash door located beneath the side door. The ash door has mounted in its face an adjustable type cover or bell draft for control of incoming combustion air, and also allows access beneath the grates to facilitate ash removal. 
     Inside the stove a scoop-shaped baffle is mounted immediately below the flue passage opening to restrict the flow of flue gases and to indirectly divert unburned gases back toward the direction of burning fuel. Cast iron replaceable liners are provided around the combustion zone to confine the combustion zone over the grates and protect the side and end walls of the stove. 
     Accordingly, an important object of the invention is to provide a solid fuel stove adapted for burning either aggregate solid fuel, such as coal and the like, or elongated solid fuel sections, such as wood logs. 
     Another object is to incorporate into the stove a grate rotatable externally, thereby to give the stove user the capability of adapting the grate configuration to the type of solid fuel chosen. 
     Still another object is to permit direct visual observation of burning contents of the stove through a transparent refractory window, such as a sheet of transparent mineral, for example, mica. 
     Yet another object is to provide for convenient ash removal from the stove, and to maximize the period of stove use between ash cleaning operations. 
     A further object is to improve fuel efficiency by providing internal baffling to direct gaseous combustion products back toward and into the combustion zone. 
     These, together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the initial section of exhaust gas flue in phantom. 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the stove, showing all hinged doors in the opened position, thereby permitting a partial view of inside components. 
     FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the stove of the present invention, taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 3--3 on FIG. 1, and showing patterns of internal gas circulation of gaseous products of combustion inside the stove by means of arrows, and further showing details of the internal components of the stove, including the rotating grates, grate ridge, ash drawer, firebox liner, flue baffle, and other components. 
     FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the stove, taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 4--4 on FIG. 3, and showing further details of the internal components thereof. 
     FIG. 5 is a top sectional view of the stove of FIG. 1, taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 5--5 on FIG. 1, giving a top plan view of internal components. 
     FIG. 6 is a group perspective view of the transparent window and screen arrangement for the front door of the stove shown in FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of a joint between panel sections of the stove of FIG. 1, showing the insulating means therebetween. 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of certain internal components of the stove of FIG. 1, showing the relationship and association of the base, ash drawer, rotating grates, grate ridge, firebox liners, front opening, front door, side and rear wall panels, flue baffle, firebox roof, and other associated components. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The stove of the present invention, designated in the drawings generally by the numeral 10 is made of individual sections having overlapping ridges and grooves which are filled with an insulating material, preferably of a refractory material, such as asbestos cement. The individual sections are preferably made from a heat-resistant metal, such as cast iron, although sections of other materials, such as sheet steel, refractory blocks, coated or galvanized iron, or other well known materials, either cast or fashioned by other means, such as by stamping, molding, casting, bolting, clamping, or the like, can also be used for some or all components of the invention. These sections making up stove 10 include front section 12, side section 14, back section 16, base section 18, firebox roof 20, and crown 22, which is provided with a decorative ornament 24 including ring 26, which can be used for lifting if desired. Hinged front door 28 is attached to front section 12 by hinges 30, front door 28 turning about rivets 31 placed in hinges 30, cast into or welded to front door 28, and in receptacles 32, cast into or welded to front section 12. Front door 28 is provided with front door opening 34, which comprises a pair of cast iron frames 36, into the inner one of which are placed mica sheets 38, held in place by screen 40 and outer cast iron frame 36, as best seen in FIG. 6. Front door 28 is provided with front door handle 40 for opening front door 34 when kindling a fire in stove 10 or introducing fuel, such as coal, through front opening 42. Below front door 28 is front convex panel 44, on which is centrally placed bell draft 46 for adjustably admitting air into the stove. Panel 44 is provided with an air inlet opening 48, as best seen in the illustration of a similar bell draft 46 located on ash door 47, FIG. 8. The threaded wing nut 50 fits into a threaded hole in panel 44 drawing bell 52 in closer proximity to opening 48 and thereby restricting the flow of air. 
     Side door 54, also provided with a bell draft 46, is particularly useful for introducing sections of wood, such as logs of appropriate size and length, into the combustion zone of stove 10. Opening of hinged side door 54, mounted on side panel 56 by hinges 58, is facilitated by handle 60, which is similar in construction and purpose to handle 40 on front door 28. Front panel 12, rear panel 16, and side panels 14 and 56 are mounted upon base 18 which also supports the grate structure and firebox liner. The grate structure and firebox liner are mounted upon ash drawer 62, which rests upon base frame 64 and mounts rotating grates 66 in recesses 67&#39; of panel 68&#39; placed at the end opposite side door 54, and below support bracket 70, at the end nearest to side door 54. Panel 68&#39; is secured to ash drawer 62 by bolts 69&#39;, recesses 67&#39; fitting into recesses 67 of ash drawer 62. Grates 66 extend from side to side in substantially parallel configuraion and in the longest dimension of stove 10, thereby facilitating burning of segments of wood, such as logs of appropriate diameter and thickness. Grate ridge 68 is placed between grates 66, secured to bracket 70 by bolt 71 and secured to panel 68&#39; by means of bolt 73&#39; placed through flange 73. When grates 66 are to be used for burning of wood, they will preferably be used in the configuration of FIG. 3, with support of generally parallel burning logs being afforded by the upper ridge of grates 66, as well as by the upper edges and surfaces of grate ridge 68. In such a configuration, the gap between lateral edge 69 of grate ridge 68 and scalloped surfaces 72 of grates 66 is maximum for permitting maximum upward draft air and facilitating downward ejection of ash particles into ash drawer 62. Rotation in reciprocating motion of grates 66 can be used for dislodging and dropping of ash particles from the combustion zone, such rotation being conveniently effected with use of detachable crank 74, having socket end 76 with a recess (not shown) compatible with projecting square end 78 of rod 80 centrally and longitudinally disposed along grate 66. Scalloped surfaces 72 of grate 66 can be oriented with respect to fixed grate ridge 68 by either clockwise or counterclockwise rotation through 45 degrees from the position shown in FIG. 3. In such a configuration, edge 82 of grate 66 will be placed in close proximity to grate ridge 68, thereby leavinga minimum gap therebetween for retention of relatively small particles of combustible material, such as lumps of coal. Such rotation is also facilitated by use of crank 74. The entire combustion area is surrounded by firebox liner 84, which comprises preferably cast iron replaceable liners which serve to confine the burning area over grates 66, and further serve to protect side, front and end panels 14, 56, 12 and 16 from the deleterious effects of direct exposure to the fire in the combustion zone. Firebox liner 84, best seen in FIG. 8, is composed of horizontal reinforcement ribbing on side firebos liner sections 86, horizontal reinforcement ribbing on back firebox liner 88, and vertical ribbing for front firebox liner 90. A smoke curtain 57 can also be welded or otherwise attached to side panel 56 to prohibit excessive smoke from leaving stove 10. 
     The gaseous combustion products follow a circulation pattern inside stove 10 best seen in FIG. 3 from the directions of arrows representing general flow lines for hot combustion products. Scoop-shaped baffle 94 deflects gases rising upwardly from the region inside firebox liner 84 to divert any unburned gases forwardly and assist in drawing such gases back towards the burning fuel. This promoted more thorough and complete combustion, and leads to greater fuel efficiency. Moreover, baffle 94, mounted immediately below flue passage opening 96, restricts the flow of flue gases and further promotes full combustion thereof. Cast into the upper back section, and into the rear of roof 20 are matching one-half sections 98 of oval collar, which when both parts are matched and bolted form a connecting collar on which smoke pipe connection 100 is mounted. A standard smoke pipe is used to exhaust the products of combustion. 
     Individual sections of stove 10, such as side section 56 and side door 54 are fitted together with overlapping ridges and grooves which are cast into the individual parts. The interlocking sections are sealed with asbestos type or other high temperature cement, such as strip 102, as best seen in FIG. 7. 
     Ash door 47 is conveniently opened with the use of conventional handle 106 for removal of accumulated ashes 107 in ash drawer 62. Ash door 47 is mounted by hinges on hinge collars 108 on ash frame 110. Frame 110 is provided with bearing holes 112, through which rods 80 of grates 66 pass and are supported. A suitable indentation 114 in base frame 64 allows for fitting of ash drawer 62 as well as frame 110. Base frame 64 is also provided with appropriate legs 116 for support thereof. 
     Preferably, sections of stove 10 are made from cast metal, such as cast iron. Overlapping ridges and grooves cast into the individual parts provide for interlocking cast iron sections fitted together and sealed with asbestos type or other high temperature cement. 
     Although the present invention can be constructed in a wide variety of shaped and sized without departing from the essential nature of the invention, such varying constructions being contemplated within the scope of the invention, in a typical preferred embodiment, the stove has approximate dimensions of 30 1/2 inches in height, 22 inches in depth, and 26 inches in width, giving a shipping weight of approximately 319 pounds and permitting logs having a length up to 21 inches to be burned. This stove is also adapted for use with coal, such as grades of coal particularly suitable for combustion and indoor stove, such as cannel coal, a bituminous coal containing considerable volatile matter which burns brightly. 
     It is of particular importance that in one embodiment of the invention the combination of rotating grate for adapting the combustion zone for supporting either coal or wood by adjustment of the grate, front door for loading and distributing coal along the longitudinal extent of grates, and side door for loading of long wood, be all present together in a single stove, as taught by the present invention. With this combination, the best conditions of combustion of either selected solid fuel is obtained without the necessity for internal adjustments or even the necessity for cooling of the stove for conversion from coal to wood or wood to coal. This flexibility renders apparent the advantage in a typical situation of use where the supply of either coal or wood might be limited, such as by storage capacity, and where conversion from one to the other is expectable during use. Accordingly, with the present invention, it is possible to reduce the storage supply of fuel, such as coal, inasmuch as a more readily available source of wood fuel can be easily substituted without requiring the stove and ambient indoor surroundings to cool prior to conversion. 
     Moreover, the combination of the particular rotating grate, ash drawer and mica window of the present invention are distinguishing features from prior art stove combinations, offering advantages of convenience in use, improved performance and greater fuel efficiency, and improved observation and control of the operation of the stove. 
     The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.