Abstract:
A horizontal venturi burner has at least one burner ring, if not several, supplied by respective ports which supply air/fuel mixture thereto. The ports are directed at orifice holders which are received in receivers preferably formed in cast top and bottom pots. The receivers may have openings on either side which allow single direction installation of the holders and preferably prevent rotation by having adjacent and cooperating flats/faces therein, as well as openings which properly position the holders in a desired axial arrangement.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/700,439 filed Sep. 13, 2012, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a horizontal venturi burner construction, and more preferably one with improved supply connections. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     BSI and other suppliers produce burners with a construction that places the orifice in a vertical relationship to the burner venturi. A vertical orientation is often the most cost effective solution. However, in this style construction the amount of gas and air mixture that can sufficiently be introduced into the burner is sometimes limited due to the limited vertical space available in an appliance. In these cases, it is often a better solution to utilize a horizontal venturi construction since it is common to have more horizontal space available in the appliance allowing for a longer venturi. This longer venturi can allow for better mixing of the as and air and sometimes offer improved burner performance for at least some applications. 
     There have been many examples of horizontal venturi construction over the years. One difficulty in achieving these designs is the attachment of the orifice to the burner venturi. In previous designs, the end of the venturi that receives the orifice was machined or some complicated system of machined components and brackets were used. Accordingly, an improved horizontal venturi construction is believed to be desirable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of many embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved burner construction. 
     It is another object of many embodiments of this invention to provide a unique and simple solution for attaching the orifice to an inlet of a horizontal venturi burner. 
     Accordingly, in accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, a horizontal venturi construction has an orifice holder which is preferably machined with opposing flats, such as hexagonal flats, extending circumferentially around a middle portion of the orifice holder. The upper and lower flats are preferably retained within recessed areas of burner venturi pot top and bottom sections which capture and hold the orifice holder therebetween. The flats cooperate with cooperating sections of the venturi pot top and bottom sections so the orifice holder is entrapped within the sections preferably to prevent rotation, align the orifice holder with a centerline of the venturi gas/fuel mixture for at least some embodiments and/or fixedly locate the orifice holder at a desired spacing from the fuel/air inlet. Accordingly, a desired placement of the orifice holders can be achieved so that the inlet gas is directed as designed. Furthermore, no machining of the venturi pot sections needs to take place for at least some embodiments as has occurred with prior art horizontal venturis in the past. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of the presently preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view taken along the lines A-A of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the constructions of  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is a detailed view of a portion of the invention shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a burner  10 . This embodiment is a dual ring burner having first and second burner rings  12 , 14 . Other embodiments of burner  10  of the present invention can be provided with a single burner ring  12  or  14  as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, still other embodiments may provide more than two rings  12 , 14  as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. As can be seen in the cross section of  FIG. 2 , the first ring  12  is supplied by fuel/air mixture through first port  16  while the second ring  14  is fed by fuel/air mixture through second port  18 . 
     In order to provide as to the fuel air mixture to ports  16 , 18 , orifice holders  20 , 22  are illustrated as being employed. Obviously, a single main burner ring  12  or  14  would have only a single orifice holder  20  or  22 . More rings  12 , 14  and/or others such as those with separate controls could have more orifice holders  20 , 22 , etc. 
     The orifice holders  20 , 22  of the preferred embodiment are characterized in having a intermediate, central and/or middle section  24  which preferably has first and second opposing flats  26 , 28 . In the preferred embodiment, first and second flats  26 , 28  are portions of a hexagonal section  24 , but in other embodiments may have different cross sectional shapes. At lease one flat  26  or  28  will be desirable as will be explained below. 
     There is preferably a cylindrical shaped protrusion  30  of the orifice holders  22  extending towards the inlet  32  of the port  18  of the burner  10 . The cylindrical protrusion  30  preferably has female or internal threads  34  which receive the external threads  36  of orifice insert  38  with an orifice  40  for at least some preferred embodiments. Alternatively, the cylindrical section  30  itself could provide an orifice  40  for at least some embodiments such as could be provided during the machining process. Orifice  40  is preferably a portion of orifice insert  38  which is commonly utilized throughout many of the applicant&#39;s products. 
     A second cylindrical section  42  is preferably provided opposite the central section  24  from the first cylindrical section  30  such as relative to the flat  26  or  28  and/or flats  26 , 28  of the middle section  24 . The second section  42  may preferably provide a diameter smaller than the radius of the flats  26 , 28  and possibly others such as 44,46 illustrated. Furthermore, extending away from the middle section  24  relative to the second section  42  may preferably be an externally threaded section  48  which preferably receives a gas tube. Threaded section  48  is preferably provided with male threads but female threads could be provided internal to section  48  for at least some embodiments. Still other embodiments may connect to a gas tube with non-threaded connections. 
     As can be seen from  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the flats  26  and/or  28  are preferably received within portions of venturi pot top section  50  and venturi pot bottom section  52 . The two sections  50 , 52  are preferably made from aluminum using a die-casting process. However, other materials and/or processes could be used to provide the first and second receivers  54 , 56  which are similarly shown having similar constructions relative to the first orifice holder  20  as well as the second orifice holder  22 . 
     The first and second recessed areas  54 , 56  receive at least one, if not both of the flats  26 , 28  of the middle section  24  of the orifice holder  22  as is shown in  FIG. 4 . In fact, internal face  62  is preferably adjacent first flat  26  to prevent rotation of the orifice holder  22  relative to receivers  54 , 56 . Alternatively and/or additionally, internal face  64  is preferably adjacent to and cooperates with second flat  28  so that when installed to possibly further assist in preventing rotation. The middle section  24  preferably cannot rotate when the top and bottom sections  50 , 52  are connected together as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art since at least an flat  26 , 28  resists turning by at least one internal face  62  and/or  64 . As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , the middle section  24  is preferably also entrapped within the recessed areas  54 , 56 . 
     The recessed sections  54 , 56  preferably also has openings  66 , 68  through which the first cylindrical section  30  and the second cylindrical section  42  extend therethrough in an opposing fashion. In order to prevent errors in assembly by at least some operators, the first inlet  66  has a smaller diameter than the second inlet  42  possibly to prevent an assembler changing the direction of the orifice holder during assembly. Other embodiments may use similar diameters and/or different shaped sections  30 , 42  and/or inlets  66 , 68  so that they cooperate with the appropriate components. As shown in the drawings, the openings  66 , 68  also cooperate with the orifice holder sections  30 , 42  immediately before and after the middle section  24  of the orifice holder  22  preferably in an effort to prevent the orifice holder  22  from moving in a longitudinal direction along the axis of the venturi (i.e., closer or further away from the inlet  32  when installed). 
     One or more of the flats  26 , 28  and/or other portions of the middle section  24  preferably extend into wells  70 , 72  as retained by lips  74 , 76 , 78 , 80  respectively, so as to entrap the middle section  24  from longitudinal movement along axis  82  as shown in at least some preferred embodiments. The opening  66 , 64  also can be used to ensure that the center line  84  of the orifice holder  22  remains on the same center line  86  of the inlet  22  and/or the fuel/air mixture port  18 . 
     By capturing the hexagonal section and/or middle section  24  of the orifice holder  22  between the two recessed areas  54 , 56  with openings  66 , 68  on both sides of the recessed areas  54 , 56 , the end user can supply a gas supply tube  88  to the threaded portion  48  at end  90  by turning a nut  92  on the supply tube  88  or otherwise without a need to necessarily place a tool on the orifice holder  22  since the orifice holder  22  cannot rotate relative to the burner  10  due to the cooperating geometry of the recessed sections  54 , 56  in the hexagonal section  24  or other appropriate configuration with flats  26 , 28 . 
     Furthermore, the longitudinal axial position of the orifice holder  22  can be provided in fixed alignment with the burner venturi shown as the fuel-air mixture port  18  due to cooperating geometry of the bottom and top of the pot sections  50 , 52  as well as recessed areas  54 , 56  and opening  66 , 68 . The openings  66 , 68  cooperate with the cylindrical sections  38 , 42  which extend through the openings  66 , 68  thereby providing an entrapping construction in preferred embodiments to provide a very economical way of making top and bottom sections  50 , 52  while still providing the machined threaded portions of orifice holders  20 , 22  shown as threaded portions  48  which can be connected to a gas supply tube  88  in a particularly efficient and easy manner. 
     Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.