Patent Publication Number: US-2007107717-A1

Title: Fire boosting apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND  
      The present application relates to an apparatus for fanning a fire, and more particularly to a one-piece apparatus that is used in conjunction with a conventional air blower to increase the oxidant flow to a fire.  
      Fires often die down because of insufficient hot coals beneath the wood or an insufficient chimney draft to sustain a fire. Additionally, a fire can die down because additional wood is not added to the fire at the right time, or, when additional wood is added, the new wood is difficult to ignite.  
      Prior art devices have been used to solve this problem by utilizing hand bellows, blowpipes, and the like to manually revive the fire. However, these devices direct only a single stream of oxidant to the fire and have a tendency to blow ash about the fire box and potentially into the room.  
      Other prior art devices have included electric blowers, air jets incorporated into fire grates and air jets incorporated into fireplace heat exchangers to automatically revive a fire. U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,034 to Wonisch and U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,173 to Thomson disclose electric blower designs that direct a single oxidant stream from the side of the fire. U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,383 to Massberg, U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,490 to Lassy et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,147 to Van Grouw, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,114 to Johnson, and disclose air jets incorporated into grates and fireplace heat exchangers. These designs rely on the fire to be built on the grate (or heat exchanger) resulting in the flow of oxidant to be directed at the fuel source (or wood).  
      What is needed in the art is an apparatus that can supply a high volume of oxidant and direct the oxidant to the ignition source and fuel of a fire without blowing smoke and ash throughout the room.  
     SUMMARY  
      The disclosure is directed toward a fire boosting apparatus for use with a fireplace grate. The fire boosting apparatus comprises a hollow body having a first open end and a second closed end distal from the first open end. The hollow body also has a top portion opposite a bottom portion and an interior opposite an exterior. The fire boosting apparatus also comprises at least one air nozzle disposed in the top portion of the hollow body. The air nozzle is configured to direct oxidant from the interior to the exterior through the air nozzle to a fire zone of a fire built on the fireplace grate. The fire boosting apparatus also includes a receiver formed in the first open end that is configured to receive an output of a blower for providing the oxidant to the fire zone.  
      The present invention also includes the air nozzle being a slot and a series of holes. The fire boosting apparatus can be disposed beneath the fireplace grate. The hollow body can have a serpentine tubular shape. The air nozzles are configured to direct the oxidant from the fire boosting apparatus to the fire zone at an angle of about 90° to about 45°.  
      A method of using a fire boosting apparatus is also disclosed. The method comprises disposing the fire boosting apparatus beneath a fireplace grate. The fire boosting apparatus includes a hollow body having a first open end and a second closed end distal from the first open end, a top portion opposite a bottom portion, and an interior opposite an exterior; at least one air nozzle disposed in the top portion of the hollow body; and a receiver formed in the first end. The method also includes disposing an output of a blower in the receiver and blowing oxidant into the fire boosting apparatus, such that the oxidant is directed from the interior to the exterior through the air nozzle to a fire zone of a fire built on the fireplace grate.  
      The present invention also includes the air nozzle being a slot and a series of holes. The fire boosting apparatus can be disposed beneath the fireplace grate. The hollow body can have a serpentine tubular shape. The air nozzles are configured to direct the oxidant from the fire boosting apparatus to the fire zone at an angle of about 90° to about 45°.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
      Referring now to the figures, wherein like elements are numbered alike:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus for fanning a fire;  
       FIG. 2  is a top view of the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1  as disposed under a conventional fire grate; and  
       FIG. 3  is a side view of  FIG. 2  including an illustration of ignited fuel.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      Persons of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following disclosure is illustrative only and not in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure.  
      The present invention is a fire boosting apparatus that is a single-piece, tubular, fire boosting apparatus that sits centrally below a fireplace grate. When a fire needs boosting (or reviving or help in the ignition process), the nozzle of a conventional air blower is inserted into a tapered receiver that forms the open end of the fire boosting apparatus, which projects upward and out in front of the fireplace grate. When the conventional air blower is switched on, multiple air nozzles in the fire boosting apparatus eject streams of oxidant vertically from beneath the fire grate (and bed of coals) to the wood fuel. The fire boosting apparatus provides an ample supply of oxidant to the fire and ignites more wood fuel, thereby increasing the fire&#39;s rate of combustion. This increased rate of combustion helps build a layer of hot coals and subsequently increases the chimney&#39;s draft, all of which contribute to a self-sustaining fire.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary fire boosting apparatus  10  is illustrated. The fire boosting apparatus  10  includes a body  12  having a first end  14  and a second end  16  distal from the first end  14 . The body  12  is a single hollow member having a top portion  18  and a bottom portion  20  opposite the top portion  18  and having an interior  22  and an exterior  24  opposite the interior  22 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the body  12  is shaped as a partial “S” having a receiving portion  26  that is integral with a first curve  28  that is a wide “U” shape followed by a first straight portion  30 , which connects with a second curve  32  followed by a second straight portion  34  that ends at the second end  16 . Although an overall “S” shape is illustrated, any shape is contemplated including, but not limited to, a “Z” shape, a coil shape, a squared “S” shape, a straight shape, an angled shape, and the like. Any shape of the fire boosting apparatus  10  is contemplated as long as the air nozzles  42  of the fire boosting apparatus  10  direct oxidant flow into the fire zone  46  (See  FIGS. 2 and 3  herein). It is also contemplated that an enclosed structure can be utilized for the present invention, including a rectangular box, a circular box, an oval box, and the like.  
      The bottom portion  20  of the first curve  28 , first straight portion  30 , second curve  32 , second straight portion  34  and the second end  16  rest upon the bottom  36  of the fireplace. The receiver portion  26  is angled up from the ground  36  at an angle of about 45° to about 90°. The first end  14  is open to the atmosphere having a receiver  38  that is configured to receive a conventional blower (or blowing device) (not shown). The second end  16  is not open to the atmosphere, having been dead-ended by a conventional plug (or cap or closure)  40 .  
      Disposed in the body  12  along the first straight portion  30  and the second straight portion  34  are air nozzles  42  that extend along the top portion  18  from the interior  22  to the exterior  24 . The air nozzles  42  can be a series of slots, holes, vias, slits, and the like. The air nozzles  42  are strategically placed along the first straight portion  30  and the second straight portion  34  in order to direct oxidant to the center of the fire zone  46  (See  FIG. 2 ).  
      In a preferred embodiment, the air nozzles  42  are disposed on the top portion  18  in order to inject oxidant vertically (or orthongonally), with respect to the fire grate, into the fire zone  46 . It is contemplated that the air nozzles  42  can be disposed in a position (not shown) on the top portion  18  in order to direct the flow of oxidant to the fire zone  46  at an angle from the center of the top portion (i.e., 90°). The angles contemplated include air nozzles  42  disposed at an angle of about 90° to about 45°. In another preferred embodiment, the air nozzles  42  of second straight portion  34  have an angle of about 90° in order to direct oxidant flow vertically through the fire zone  46  and the air nozzles  42  of first straight portion  30  can have an angle of about 70° in order to angle the oxidant flow to the fire zone  46 . Several different angles of the air nozzles  42  can be combined in an embodiment, as long as the oxidant flow is directed toward the fire zone  46 . One skilled in the art can determine the angle of the air nozzles  42 , depending upon the size and shape of the fire boosting apparatus  10  and the size and shape of the fire grate  44 .  
      The fire boosting apparatus  10  is comprised of a material that can withstand temperatures associated with a burning fire and hot coals, as well as being sturdy enough to retain its structure in those temperatures. The preferred materials include iron, steel, ceramic, brass, copper, aluminum, tin, zinc, and the like, alloys and combinations thereof.  
       FIGS. 2 and 3  illustrate a top view and a side view, respectively, of an exemplary fire boosting apparatus  10  disposed beneath a conventional fire grate  44 . When a fire is built using a conventional fire grate  44 , an individual places a fuel (e.g., wood)  48  (or other combustible material) on the fire grate  44  and ignites the wood  48  using paper, matches, or other means of ignition. The wood  48  burns and the hot coals drop through the fire grate  44  to the fire box ground  36 . Essentially, the fire boosting apparatus  10  sits in the bed of coals (not shown) beneath the fire grate  44 . The fire boosting apparatus  10  is positioned beneath the fire grate  44  such that the air nozzles  42  direct oxidant flow into the fire zone  46 .  
      When building a fire, or reviving a fire, utilizing the fire boosting apparatus  10 , a supply of oxidant can be forced into the fire boosting apparatus  10  to facilitate the burning of the fuel. The supply of oxidant can be from an air blower. Any device that can produce a flow of oxidant that can be directed into the receiver  38  is contemplated. A preferred air blower is a conventional air blower that is generally used to inflate inflatable products (e.g., air mattresses). For safety reasons, when using a conventional air blower the amount of time that the air blower should be operated (i.e., blowing oxidant into the fire boosting apparatus) should not exceed about 1 minute, with about 15 seconds to about 30 seconds preferred.  
      The output of the air blower is disposed into the receiver  38  of the fire boosting apparatus  10 . Oxidant is injected into the receiver  38  and travels through the body  12  of the fire boosting apparatus  10 , and exits through the air nozzles  42 . The oxidant is forced through the air nozzles  42  into the fire zone  46 , which supplies oxygen to increase the combustion of the fire, and results in the wood burning more intensely. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the air nozzles  42  are positioned such that the oxidant exiting the fire boosting apparatus  10  travels vertically through the fire zone  46  and exits up the chimney flue (not shown). Arrows  50  illustrate the flow of oxidant from the fire boosting apparatus  10  to the fire zone  46  and arrow  52  illustrates the vertical flow of oxidant, smoke and ash traveling up to the chimney flue (not shown).  
      In the preferred embodiment, the oxidant is directed vertically through the fire zone  46  in the direction of the chimney&#39;s draft. Using the fire boosting apparatus  10 , a much stronger flow of oxidant can be injected into the fire without blowing smoke and ash into the room. The device injects into the critical areas of the fire (e.g., the fire zone) using the multiple vertical oxidant streams, which increases combustion across a much larger area of the fuel.  
      The present invention apparatus injects multiple streams of oxidant into the fire zone, which increases the rate of combustion by adding more oxygen to the fire. This increased rate of combustion, creates hot coals, promotes chimney draft and spreads the fire to more of the wood fuel, thereby helping to build or reestablish a self sustaining fire.  
      While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention.