Patent Publication Number: US-2011048401-A1

Title: Gas fireplace

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/239,035, filed Sep. 1, 2009, titled GAS FIREPLACE, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     Certain embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to gas fireplaces. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     There are many types of heating devices for home or office use, such as fluid-fueled heating devices or gas fireplaces. Some gas fireplaces are portable or easily moved and others are installed on or into a wall or fire box with a chimney. Some devices are direct vent and others are vent free. For example, a vent free gas fireplace can be added to a room that does not have a chimney or that was not originally designed for a fireplace. These devices can provide many benefits including adding heat and/or changing the aesthetics of a room. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In some embodiments, a gas fireplace can comprise a prefabricated firebox, a heat engine configured to produce a fire in the firebox, a prefabricated hearth and a controller connected to the heat engine. The controller can be in the hearth. The controller in some embodiments is not visible from a front face of the gas fireplace. 
     In some embodiments, a gas fireplace can comprise a prefabricated firebox, a heat engine to provide fire in the firebox, a controller connected to the heat engine, and a prefabricated hearth. The hearth can be at the bottom of the fireplace and connected to the mantel. The controller can be in the hearth and at least a portion of the hearth can open to reveal the controller. 
     Further features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the detailed description of preferred embodiments which follows, when considered together with the attached drawings and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to better understand the embodiments of the disclosure and to see how it may be carried out in practice, some preferred embodiments are next described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout similar embodiments in the attached drawings. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a gas fireplace. 
         FIG. 2  shows a front elevation view of another embodiment of a gas fireplace. 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of a firebox with heat engine. 
         FIG. 4  is a front elevation view of a gas fireplace showing access to the controls. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a detail exploded perspective side view of another embodiment of fireplace. 
         FIG. 6  is a detail perspective side view of another embodiment of fireplace. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In designing a fluid-fueled heating device, such as a gas fireplace, there are many different and sometimes competing considerations that the designer has to balance. These considerations include aesthetics, reliability, cost to manufacture, ease of installation, typical costs of installation, accessibility of the controls, etc. As an example, some gas fireplaces have the controls on the face of the fireplace; this may increase their accessibility but may also be considered to be less aesthetically pleasing. Alternatives to this solution include remote controls, installing wiring to place the controls away from the fireplace, and hiding the controls behind a grate. 
     As another example, it is also desirable to increase the size of the opening in the face of a firebox in the fireplace. It is desirable to make the opening as large as possible in the space available to provide the largest room available for the fire. It is also desirable for the fireplace to have a clean, uncluttered look. Excess materials, panels, grates, etc. can distract from the beauty of the fireplace and make certain aspects of the fireplace out of proportion or out of place. 
     For the purposes of this application, a “clean face fireplace” is a gas fireplace without obvious controls on the front or sides of the fireplace. A “fully clean face fireplace” is a clean face fireplace without metal grates above, below or within the opening of the firebox. A “natural clean face fireplace” is a fireplace that looks like a natural fireplace. This would be because there is nothing on the face of the fireplace that a normal wood burning fireplace would not have. In other words, from the perspective of the passerby, it is simply a firebox or a firebox with mantel and hearth. 
     A clean face fireplace may have a remote control and/or wired controls. Both of these configurations have certain drawbacks. For instance, remote controls are easily lost or broken. Depending on the climate where the gas fireplace is used, it may be primarily used during certain times of the year. This can leave an entire season during which a remote control can be misplaced. 
     Wired controls are more permanent and often require installation in a wall close to the fireplace. Wired controls can be installed similar to a light switch or electrical outlet. Though wired controls cannot be easily lost like a remote control, installation is time consuming, increases the cost of the fireplace and is not something that the typical consumer can do on their own. 
     Other fireplaces have been designed to hide the controls behind a removable grate or drawer. This allowed the controls to be conveniently located and easy to find. Unfortunately, the grate or drawer decreases the size of the firebox so that the fire is smaller, fills up less space and has less of a presence in the fireplace. The grate or drawer can take up a large section or portion of the fireplace. This grate or drawer can be within the firebox so that the firebox has an additional floor of the chamber where the fire is or it can be below the firebox. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 1 , a gas fireplace  10  is shown. In the preferred embodiment, the gas fireplace  10  in  FIG. 1  is a vent free fireplace, in other embodiments, other forms of fireplaces could be used, such as a direct vent fireplace and still retain some advantages. As can be seen, the gas fireplace  10  may have a firebox  2  defining an opening  3  for viewing the fire, a heat engine  4 , a screen  6 , a hearth  8 , and a mantel  12 . The gas fireplace  10  can have no visible controls on the face of the fireplace and is desirably a clean face fireplace. Looking at  FIG. 5 , in certain fireplaces, the opening  3  can have a floor  11  and the firebox can have a bottom  13 . In some embodiments, the floor  11  and the bottom  13  are the same. 
     The hearth  8  is an area which extends in front of, to the sides of and/or below the firebox  2 . In some embodiments, the hearth  8  is brick, stone, concrete, wood, an imitation material, etc. The hearth  8  can be the lowest section of the fireplace. The hearth  8  may provide a base upon which the firebox rests. The hearth can be made from the same or a different material than the firebox  2 . In a preferred embodiment, the hearth is made from the different material than the prefabricated firebox. 
       FIG. 2  shows another embodiment of a gas fireplace  10 ′ similar to the gas fireplace  10  shown in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic view of a gas log set  14  and flames or fire  16 . The gas log set  14  can give the fireplace  10 ′ the appearance of a real wood burning fireplace. 
     Now looking at  FIG. 3 , part of the gas fireplace  10 ′ is shown without the mantel or hearth. As illustrated, a frame  22  desirably at least partially encloses or surrounds the firebox  2 , a hood  18 , the heat engine  4  and a controller or heater controls  20 . The firebox  2  can have a floor  24 . In some embodiments, the heat engine  4  has certain components above the floor  24  and certain components below the floor  24 . For example, a pressure regulator, control valve, and air shutter can be below the floor  24  and a burner assembly and oxygen depletion sensor can be above the floor  24 . In some embodiments, a gas log set  14  can be used to hide or shield certain components of the heat engine  4  which are above the floor  24 . For example, the components of the heat engine  4 , shown in  FIG. 1  can be shielded by a gas log set  14  to cause an appearance similar to that illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
     The heater controls  20  can be in the hearth  8 . The heater controls  20  can be below the upper surface  7  of the hearth and behind the front surface or panel  9  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     The heater controls  20  can comprise an ignition control  26  and a flame control  28  ( FIG. 3 ). The ignition control  26  can comprise a knob, button, switch, lever, or other mechanism configured to assist in igniting a flame in the firebox  2 . For example, the ignition control  26  can be an ignition button which is part of a piezoelectric starter. The piezoelectric starter can have a small, spring-loaded hammer which, when the ignition button  26  is pressed, hits a piezoelectric crystal (such as a quartz crystal). The piezoelectric crystal creates a voltage when deformed and the sudden forceful deformation produces a high voltage and subsequent electrical discharge which ignites the gas. 
     The fuel control  28  can comprise a knob, button, switch, lever, or other mechanism configured to control the flow of fuel to combust in the firebox  2 . For example, the fuel control  28  can incorporate a manual actuator such as a control knob that can be adjusted to adjust the height or size of the flame in the firebox. In some embodiments, the control knob has the following positions: pilot, off and on. In the off position, the control knob can block the flow of fuel into the firebox  2 . In the pilot position, the control knob can allow fuel to flow to a pilot light or oxygen depletion sensor (ODS). In the on position the control knob can allow the fuel to flow to both the pilot or ODS and the burner assembly. The on position can be adjustable between high and low positions, wherein high and low refer to the height of a flame in the firebox. 
     Now looking at  FIGS. 4-6 , various embodiments and methods are shown to provide a clean face gas fireplace with heater controls  20  concealed from view. For example, in  FIG. 4  the hearth  8  can have a panel defining a false front  30 . The false front  30  can open to reveal the heater controls  20 . In some embodiments, the false front  30  is hinged at one side  32  and configured to pivot open. For example, the false front  30  can be in a closed position when it is not needful to access the heater controls  20 . Generally, after starting or turning off the heater it is not necessary to access the heater controls  20  until a change is desired. The change can be to turn the heater on or off or to change a size of the flame in the firebox  2 . 
     In some embodiments, the false front  30  can have a mechanical latch  34  to secure the false front  30  in a closed position. In some embodiments, the mechanical latch  32  comprises a magnet and a spring. The false front  30  can be opened by pushing inward to release contact with the magnet and then moving outward. 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  show different embodiments of a false side  36 ,  36 ′ of the hearth  8 . In  FIG. 5  the false side is attached at the bottom by a hinge. In  FIG. 6 , the false side is configured to slide out of place to allow access to the heater controls  20 . As shown, the false side  36 ′ is configured to slide towards the front of the fireplace. In other embodiments, the false side or front can be configured to slide upwards, downwards, to the front, back or sides, or away from the fireplace. In some embodiments, the false front or side can be configured to retract into the fireplace. In some embodiments, the false front or side can disengage or be removed from the hearth. The false front or side can slide on rails  38 . In some embodiments, the false front or side can be configured to perform a combination of sliding and/or rotational movements. 
     A gas fireplace according to the disclosure provides many benefits. For example, the fireplaces disclosed herein can be clean face with no visible controls. In addition, the fire place can provide a larger opening as the controls are located below the firebox. Thus, there is no need for a grate in the opening of the firebox to conceal the heater controls. The methods and systems described herein have no added costs to the fireplace. They are also simple and robust solutions. The heater controls in the hearth are convenient, can be easily located, and do not increase the costs. 
     The fireplace can be sold with a remote control. This gives the added benefit of the convenience of the remote and the security of knowing that if the remote becomes lost or become, the controls can still be easily accessed. 
     Although this invention has been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is contemplated that various aspects and features of the invention described can be practiced separately, combined together, or substituted for one another, and that a variety of combination and sub-combinations of the features and aspects can be made and still fall within the scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims.