Patent ID: 7670392

Claim:
An environmentally-safe, disposable, and combustible charcoal-based heat source, comprising: a first combustible inner, vertical, upright chimney structure, and a second combustible, outer, vertical, upright wall structure surrounding said chimney structure; an inner chimney flue defined by said chimney structure for receiving air for igniting and burning said charcoal-based heat source; an outer chimney flue defined by the outer wall of said first combustible inner, vertical, upright chimney structure and the inner wall of said second combustible, outer vertical, upright wall structure, said outer chimney for exhausting combustion fumes from said charcoal-based heat source located within said outer chimney flue; a bottom wall member secured to said inner chimney flue and said outer chimney flue and formed of a combustible material so as to be consumed during the ignition and burning of a charcoal-based fuel; a top wall member secured to said inner chimney flue and said outer chimney flue and formed of a combustible material so as to be consumed during the ignition of a charcoal-based fuel; a plurality of exhaust apertures arranged within said top wall member for exhausting said combustion fumes from said outer chimney flue; an ignition ring associating with the bottom of said inner chimney flue and the bottom of said outer chimney flue and located above said bottom wall member and below said charcoal-based fuel, said ignition ring for establishing a sustained ignition of sufficient duration to ignite uniformly the charcoal-based fuel; a plurality of flaps associated with said inner chimney flue for transferring a flame from an igniter placed inside of said inner chimney flue to said ignition ring; and said inner chimney flue, said outer chimney flue, said plurality of exhaust apertures, said flaps, and said ignition ring cooperating to provide uniform and rapid burning of said charcoal-based fuel.