Patent Publication Number: US-2011070551-A1

Title: Burner using alcohol as fuel

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a burner and, more particularly to a burner using alcohol as fuel to provide heat to the user. 
     2. Prior Art 
     There are various burners in the market for users to warm their bodies in the cold environment. Among which, the alcohol burner is one of the most popular ones as it is compact and simple in structure. With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a conventional alcohol burner is shown and has a container  10 , a top cap  30  covering a top opening (not numbered) of the container  10  and provided with an elongated slot  31  defined in the top cap  30  and a tracking plate  20  securely provided on two opposite sides beneath the top cap  30  such that a sliding door  40  is able to be pivotally and slidably received in a track defined between the top cap  30  and the tracking plate  20  to selectively close the elongated slot  31  of the container  10 . Therefore, with the provision of the sliding door  40 , the user is able to open/close the elongated slot  31  whenever necessary. 
     Even though this alcohol burner does provide the necessary heat for users, it suffers from bad design and leads to dangerous consequences. For example, after the alcohol is used for some time, the alcohol level drops and naturally air will fill in the void caused by the decrease of alcohol. After the alcohol level drops to a certain degree and the user is using the alcohol burner, easily there will be a backfire (flame in the container) in the void inside the container  10 , which causes great threat to users. 
     Another drawback is that when the container  10  is moved from one place to another, the alcohol is easily spilled out of the container  10  and causes unnecessary disturbances. 
     Still, it is easily observed that the tracking plate  20  is designed to have planar top surface and is welded to the opposite sides inside the container  10 . As a result of this structure, the tracking plate  20  is easily deformed because of the heat from the use of alcohol. As a result of the deformation of the tracking plate  20 , the sliding door  40  is stuck in the track between the tracking plate  20  and the top cap  30  because the planar surface of the tracking plate  20  is no longer a plane. When this situation happens, all the user can do is to wait until the tracking plate  20  cools down so that the sliding door  40  is able to once again be slidable and pivotal to shut the elongated slot  31 . In the meantime, the user can only find alternatives to distinguish the fire. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary objective of the invention is to provide an improved alcohol burner which is able to obviate the drawbacks the conventional burner has so as to increase safety of the user. 
     In order to accomplish the primary objective of the preferred embodiment, the alcohol burner constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment is provided with absorbent filled in the internal space of the container such that when the alcohol level decreases and the alcohol burner is in use, chance of backfire situation is greatly reduced. Also, due to the limitation of the absorbent to the alcohol, when the alcohol burner is moved from one place to another, the alcohol spilling is also obviated to the minimum. 
     Again, to accomplish the aforementioned safety problem, the alcohol burner of the preferred embodiment has a container, a tracking plate on top of the container, a top cap on top of the sliding plate and a sliding plate slidably situated on top of the tracking plate to selectively close/open an opening defined in the tracking plate. In addition to the newly constructed elements, there is also provided with a bottom plate with a grill securely attached to the bottom face of the bottom plate to fix position of the absorbent. Because the sliding plate is separated away from the grill by both the tracking plate and the bottom plate, sufficient space is provided to the sliding plate to ensure that even there is deformation in the bottom plate, movement of the sliding plate is not influenced. 
     Another objective of the preferred embodiment is that the bottom plate is provided with side walls oppositely extending from two edges of the bottom plate to be securely connected to inner side walls of the container so as to prevent the bottom plate from deformation. 
     Other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objectives and advantages are within the scope of the present invention. To the accomplishment of the above and related objectives, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, however, that the drawings are illustrated only, and that the changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of this application. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional alcohol burner; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of the conventional alcohol burner shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the alcohol burner of the preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the alcohol burner shown in  FIG. 3 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the alcohol burner of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The preferred embodiment of the invention mainly is based on the showing of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , wherein the alcohol burner constructed in accordance with the present invention has a container  50 , a tracking plate  60 , a top cap  70 , a sliding plate  80  and a bottom plate  91 . 
     The container  50  is designed to receive therein alcohol such that the container  50  clearly has a first opening  51 . The tracking plate  60  is securely provided on top of the container  50  and provided with a top bracket  61 , a bottom bracket  62  having a smaller dimension than that of the top bracket  61 , side walls  63  connecting the bottom bracket  62  to the top bracket  61  and a second opening  64  defined in the bottom bracket  62  to communicate with the first opening  51  of the container  50  after the tracking plate  60  is supported by side walls of the container  50 . It is to be noted that after the tracking plate  60  is securely placed on top of the container  50 , a gap is defined between the side walls  63  of the tracking plate  60  and the inner side walls of the container  50 . Also, the second opening  64  is defined offset to a longitudinal central line of the tracking plate  60  such that the bottom bracket  62  has a larger top surface and a smaller top surface. 
     In order to be freely slidable on top of the tracking plate  60  to selectively close the second opening  64  so as to isolate air and to distinguish the fire, the sliding plate  80  is formed in a manner that when the sliding plate  80  is moved to the larger top surface of the bottom bracket  62 , the second opening  64  is fully opened and when the sliding plate  80  is moved to the smaller top surface of the bottom bracket  62 , the second opening  64  is fully closed. Also, it is noted that in order to facilitate slidable movement of the sliding plate  80 , a flange  81  is formed on the sliding plate  80  and extended upward relative to the sliding plate  80 . 
     From the depiction of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , it is noted that the top cap  70  is securely placed on top of the tracking plate  60  and has a third opening  71  defined to communicate with the second opening  64  of the tracking plate  60 . The third opening  71  is also defined offset to the longitudinal line of the top cap  70  and therefore, the top cap  70  has a larger top surface and a smaller top surface, which are similar to those of the bottom bracket  62 . After the top cap  70  is placed on top of the tracking plate  60 , a sliding space is defined therebetween so that the sliding plate  80  is able to move on the top surface of the bottom bracket  62  to selectively close the second opening  64 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 5  and still taking  FIG. 4  for reference, it is to be noted that a bottom plate  91  is provided inside the container  50  and has an opening in communication with the first opening  51  of the container  50 , side walls  911  extending from opposite sides of the bottom plate  91  to be securely attached to inner sides of the container  50 . A grill  90  is securely received between the two side walls  911  by methods well known in the art, i.e., welding. With the provision of the grill  90 , an absorbent  52  (or heat-resistant fiber) received inside the container  50  and able to absorb liquid fuel such as alcohol in the container  50  is thus able to station the alcohol inside the container  50 . As a result of the absorbent  52  provided in the container  50 , the user may move the alcohol burner of the present invention to any place without worrying that the alcohol might spill out of the container  50  and poses danger to the surroundings. 
     From the aforementioned description, it is to be noted that the absorbent  52  in the container  50  may be made of ceramic material or cotton. To station the alcohol inside the container  50 , the absorbent  52 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , should fully or at least substantially fill the inner space of container  50 . 
     It is thus notable that when the alcohol burner of the preferred embodiment is to be used, the user may slide the sliding plate  80  to open the second opening  64  so as to reveal the first opening  51  so that the user may light the alcohol inside the container  50 . When the user wants to put out the fire, the user only needs to slide the sliding plate  80  again to close the second opening  64  so as to isolate fresh air from going into the inner space of the container  50 . Thus the fire is out. 
     Another advantage of the preferred embodiment is that the tracking plate  60  is changed from a planar structure to a structure having a top bracket  61 , a bottom bracket  62  and side walls  63  connecting the bottom bracket  62  to the top bracket  61 . Also, when the tracking plate is placed on top of the container  50 , the side walls  63  are still separated from the side wall of the container  50 . Thus when the side walls  63  of the tracking plate  60  is heated during operation of the alcohol burner of the preferred embodiment, the space between the side walls  63  of the tracking plate  60  and the inner side wall of the container  50  provides cushion for deformation of the bottom bracket  62  such that the planar surface of the bottom bracket  62  is ensured and the sliding movement of the sliding plate  80  will never be influenced. Furthermore, the provision of the grill  90  provides the positioning effect to the absorbent  52  and the bottom plate  91  between the grill  90  and the bottom bracket  62  ensures that enough space is provided between the grill  90  and the sliding plate  80  such that nothing will impair the sliding movement of the sliding plate  80  even when the grill  90  is heated and has deformation. 
     It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above description is only illustrative of specific embodiments and examples of the invention. The invention should therefore cover various modifications and variations made to the herein-described structure and operations of the invention, provided they fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the following appended claims.