Improvements in or relating to Fire-guards.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Apr., 1896-Accepted, 16th May. 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Fire-guards.
HENRY HART of 2 Great Russell Mansions, Bloomsbury, London, W.C. Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to construct a fire-guard so that it may be
utilized for cooking purposes at the same time as it fulfils its ordinary function.
The fire-guard constructed according to this invention is provided with hooks,
bangers or other suitable devices for enabling it to be attached to the front bars of
a grate or with feet or equivalent to enable it to stand on a hearth, and is formed
with an opening which, normally, may be closed by a preferably hinged door con-
structed of conveniently openwork material (for example wire netting or lattice work)
similar to the other parts of the fire-guard. This door, when opened, gives ready
access to the interior or hollow of the guard or space between the fire-guard and
the grate-front, and in this space 1 provide a wire-work or other shelf whereon I
may place articles to be cooked or heated.
The door is adapted to open downwards and outwards so that it may form
virtually an extension of the shelf for supporting cooking utensils or other articles,
there being provided, one or more stops to support the door when it is in its
horizontal position, and a suitable catch to retain the door when in its closed
position. I prefer to support the door in its open position in such a manner that
its upper surface may be left clear and unobstructed, for example a portion of the
door may extend below the pivot and this part may be arranged to bear against
the underside of the shelf when the door is horizontal; other means may however
be used for supporting the door, for example, chains.
There are various ways in which I may utilize the space within the fire-guard,
for example I ray, when necessary, support a toaster on the shelf, or temporarily
attach one to the door for toasting purposes, the latter arrangement being found
very convenient because, when the door is opened, the article or material being
toasted is brought into a convenient position for reversal or removal.
I also fit a Dutch-oven in the before mentioned space this having
a door
arranged to open out through the fire-guard-opening when the door of this latter is
opened, the two doors being conveniently arranged, as by means of a projection on
one or the other, so that the operation of closing the fire-guard-door effects the
closing of the oven-door. I provide the oven with a removable plate which, when
in position therein, converts the Dutch- or open-oven into a closed oven and which
may be readily removed for re-converting it into a Dutch-oven.
The oven may
be fitted between, and if desired, suitably connected to the
hangers, and may be provided with shelves, trays or other devices and suitable
ledges for supporting said shelves. I also find it convenient, at the upper part of
the oven to provide guides for supporting one or more hooks, hanging shelves or
equivalent for carrying articles to be cooked, these guides and hooks or equivalent
being preferably so arranged that the latter may be readily turned round and
adjusted upon or removed from the former.
The before described device may be modified without departing from the essential
features of the invention, for example, the fire-guard may be provided with walls
extending forward, or both forward and backward from the fire-guard-opening, the
door being fitted to the front of these walls, this arrangement providing for the

page_text: employment of a larger oven than could otherwise be ac. ommodated; or, for this
same purpose, the door itself may be formed with walls which, when said door is
closed, extend back to and close-in the fire-guard-opening, though the last-named
is not considered so desirable an arrangement as that previously described because,
when the door is in its horizontal or open position it would not present a suitable
surface for standing articles upon.
The fire-guard may be adapted to fit close against the grate-front and the shelf,
oven and other accessories arranged to project all and only at the front of the
fire-guard.
The oven and oven-closing-plate may be provided with suitable handles for
convenience in handling when being attached to or detached from the fire-guard.
The oven may either be temporarily (as last mentioned), or permanently, attached
to the fire-guard.
So long as there is left, between the fire-guard and the grate-front, sufficient
space to accommodate therein the necessary cooking utensils or articles to be cooked
when the fire-guard is in its operative position, even the whole of the fire-guard
may be pivotted to the hangers or frame and adapted to be turned down to give
access to this space and turned up to re-constitute the device a fire-guard while the
cooking is proceeding.
Dated this 92nd day of July 1895
I, HENRY HART of 2 Great Russell Mansions, Bloomsbury, London, W.C., Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention has for its object to construct a fire-guard so that it may be utilized
for cooking purposes at the same time as it fulfils its ordinary function, and will
be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which :-
Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of one form of my improved fire-guard in,
respectively its closed and open condition,
Figures 3 and 4 are views respectively similar to Figures 1 and 2 of another form
of the guard with a toaster attached,
Figure 5 is a perspective view of another form of the guard in its open condition
and with an oven applied,
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the oven as seen from the underside and
are perspective views of other forms of the guard.
Figures 7 and
Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
The fire-guard A constructed according to this invention, as shown in the
drawings, is provided with hooks, hangers or other suitable devices B for enabling
it to be attached to the front bars of a grate, or with feet or equivalent C, Fig. 5,
to enable it to stand on a hearth, and is formed with an opening A' which, normally,
may be closed by a preferably-hinged door D constructed conveniently of openwork-
material (for example wire-netting or lattice-work) similar to the other parts of
the fire-guard. This door D, when opened, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8 gives
ready access to the interior or hollow of the guard or space between the fire-guard
and the grate-front, and in this space 1 provide a wire-work or other shelf E, whereon
may place articles to be cooked or heated.
.I
The door D is adapted to open downwards and outwards so that it may form
virtually an extension of the shelf E as shown in Figs. 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8, for supporting
cooking utensils or other articles, there being provided one or more stops F to

page_text: support the door D when in this position, as also a suitable catch G to retain the
door in its closed position.
I prefer to support the door D in its open position in such a manner that its
upper surface may be left clear and unobstructed, for example, as shown in
Figs. 1, 7 and 8, a portion F of the door may extend below the pivot rod H, and
this part may be arranged to bear against the underside of the shelf E when the
door is horizontal as shown in Figs. 2, 4, 7 and 8; other means may however be used
for supporting the door, for example, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, I may provide the
door with arms F so bent or formed that when the door is horizontal they bear
against the inner side of the guard-front as shown in Fig. 4, and when the door is
closed they are substantially in line with the shelf. The arms F may be tied to the
edge or frame D¹ of the door, by diagonals D2 which pass in and through the guard-
opening A when the door is closed and opened. As another example of the means
which may be adopted for supporting the door D in its horizontal position, I have,
in Fig. 5, shown chains F employed for the purpose.
There are various ways in which I may utilize the space within the fire-guard,
for example I may, when necessary, support a toaster on the shelf E, or, as shown
in Figs. 3 and 4, temporarily attach one to the.door D for toasting purposes, the
latter arrangement being found very convenient because, when the door is opened,
as shown in Fig. 4, the article or material being toasted is brought into a position
convenient for reversal or removal. The toaster I may be made entirely of wire,
or partly of wire and partly of sheet metal, say tin, and may have one or more
hooks I adapted to fit on to the upper or free edge of the door D as shown in
Figs. 3 and 4; or instead of the toaster I may attach to the door a swinging
pan so arranged that it will always be horizontal whether the door be opened or
closed.
I may fit a Dutch-oven such as J, Figs. and 6 into the opening A¹, this
having a door J¹ arranged to open out through the opening A' when the door D
is opened, the two doors D and J₁ being conveniently arranged, as by means of
a projection on one or the other, so that the operation of closing the door D
effects the closing of the oven door J'. I preferably provide the oven with a
removable plate J2 Fig. 6, which, when in position therein, converts the Dutch- or
open-oven into a closed oven and which may be readily removed for re-converting it
into a Dutch-oven; in Fig. 6 the plate J2 is shown almost entirely withdrawn from
the oven.
The oven J may be fitted between, and, if desired, suitably connected to the
hangers B, and may be provided with shelves, trays or other devices and suitable
ledges J³ for supporting said shelves. I also find it convenient at the upper part
of the oven to provide guides J for supporting one or more hooks K, hanging shelves
or equivalent for carrying articles to be cooked, these guides and hooks or equivalent
being preferably so arranged that the latter may be readily turned round and adjusted
upon, or removed from the former.
The fire-guard A may be provided with walls A2 extending forward or backward,
or as shown in Fig. 5 both forward and backward from the opening A', the door D
being fitted to the front of these walls, this arrangement providing for the employ-
ment of a larger oven than could otherwise be accommodated, or, for this same
purpose, the door itself may be formed with walls which, when said door is closed,
extend back to and close-in the opening A¹.
The fire-guard may be adapted to fit close against the grate-front, and, the shelf,
oven and other accessories arranged to project all, and only at the front of the fire-
guard as will be readily understood by imagining the parts projecting from the back
of the guard shown in Fig. 5, to be removed.
The oven J and oven-closing-plate J2 may be provided with suitable handles for
convenience in handling when being attached to or detached from the fire-guard; or,
the oven may be permanently attached to the guard.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the whole of the fire-guard A is
adapted to pivot on the hangers or frame B to give access to the shelf E which

page_text: latter may either extend only between the hangers or (as may also the shelves of
the before described examples) throughout the length of the guard, as shown in
Figs. 7 and 8. In this same arrangement I may also provide a door D so as to allow
of access being had to the shelf E by turning down said door either independently of,
(as shown in Fig. 7) or in conjunction with (as shown in Fig. 8) the guard A.
In addition to the before described shelf E at the lower part of the hangers B,
another shelf may be provided at the upper part thereof as shown for example in
Fig. 8.
The back edge of the shelf E may be straight as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 7 and 8,
or curved as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, according to the shape of the grate to
which it is to be fitted, and said shelf may be either permanently or detachably secured
to the guard.
I am aware that fire-guards have hitherto been made so that they may be used at
one time for fulfilling their ordinary function and at another time serve for supporting
cooking utensils and I make no claim to such a device per se; never to my knowledge
however has there been a fire-guard so constructed as to render it capable of
fulfilling both of these functions simultaneously which is the principal feature of
my invention.
The word "shelf" employed in this Specification does not refer to that which is
herein termed the "door."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A fire-guard provided with one or more shelves or devices for supporting cooking
utensils or articles to be cooked, at the same time as it is used for fulfilling its ordinary
function.
2. The combination with a fire-guard of one or more shelves or supporting devices
thereon substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. The combination with a fire-guard the whole or one or more separate portions of
which is or are pivotted to the support of one or more shelves.
4. The combination with a fire-guard having one or more shelves such as E and
the whole or one or more separate portions of which is or are pivotted to the
support of a toaster such as I or alternatively open or closed oven such as J substantially
as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting a device for fulfilling
the function of a fire-guard and simultaneously therewith serving for cooking
purposes substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 or Figs. 3 and 4 or
Figs. 5, 7 or 8 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st day of April 1806