Portable solar cooking apparatus

• US 4,583,521 A
• Filed: 04/17/1985
• Issued: 04/22/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bart C. Ciambella, Daryl P. Ciambella, Perry A. Ciambella
• Original Assignee: Bart C. Ciambella, Daryl P. Ciambella, Perry A. Ciambella
• Inventors: Ciambella, Daryl P., Ciambella, Perry A., Ciambella, Bart C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Green, Randall L.
• Application Number:
  US06/724,249
• Time in Patent Office: 370 Days
• Field of Search: 126/451, 126/438, 126/443, 350/603, 350/612, 350/631, 350/613, 350/614, 350/615, 350/626
• US Class Current: 126/682
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 20/30 Solar heat collectors for heating objects, e.g. solar cookers or solar furnaces
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2023/872 Assemblies of spaced reflective elements on common support, e.g. Fresnel reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/80 having discontinuous faces
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 25/10 extending in directions away from a supporting surface
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 25/70 with means for adjusting the final position or orientation of supporting elements in relation to each other or to a mounting surface; with means for compensating mounting tolerances
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/926 Cooking stoves or furnaces using solar heat
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/18 using renewables, e.g. solar cooking stoves, furnaces or solar heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/47 Mountings or tracking

Abstract

The cooking apparatus has a reflector shaped to concentrate the sun'"'"'s rays and direct them onto a cooking vessel. The reflector is formed of at least two panels, each of which has a surface contour which interfits the other when they are folded together face-to-face. Suitable supports position the reflector panels with respect to the sun angle. A target arm holds the cooking vessel at the focal point for receiving the sun'"'"'s concentrated rays. The cooking vessel may be a jar or a double-sided interfitting grill.

Claims

1. A portable solar cooking apparatus comprising:

at least first and second reflector panels, said first reflector panel having a shaped surface configuration for reflecting solar radiation generally toward a focal point, said second reflector panel also having a shaped surface configuration for reflecting solar radiation toward the focal point, said surface configuration of said first panel interfitting with said surface configuration of said second panel when said panels are placed face-to-face so that said first and second panels mutually support each other and occupy less thickness than without interfitting; and

means for supporting material to be heated adjacent the focal point.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means

for supporting includes a vessel for containing material to be heated together with at least a partial glass enclosure for said vessel.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein a target arm

supports said means, said arm being connected to said reflector panels and to said vessel.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said vessel

is a tubular vessel contained within a glas jar.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said glass

jar is screwed into a screw cap mounted on said arm.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said reflector

panels are hinged together so that when hinged in face-to-face relationship said surface configuration of said panels interfit and support each other.

7. The aparatus of claim 6 wherein there are

four of said reflector panels with two of said first panels and two of said second panels so that one of said first panels and one of said second panels interfit and the other of said first panels and the other of said second panels interfit when folded face-to-face.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said reflector

panels are hinged together so that when hinged in face-to-face relationship said surface configuration of said panels interfit and support each other.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein there are

four of said reflector panels with two of said first panels and two of said second panels so that one of said first panels and one of said second panels interfit and the other of said first panels and the other of said second panels interfit when folded face-to-face.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further including

means for supporting said reflector panels with respect to the ground, said means for supporting being sufficiently adjustable so that said reflector panels can be oriented with respect to the sun and said target means for directing the reflection from each of said reflector panels toward said target means.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said support

means comprises at least one telescoping leg adjustably secured to one of said panels.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further including

means for supporting said reflector panels with respect to the ground, said means for supporting being sufficiently adjustable so that said reflector panels can be oriented with respect to the sun and said target means for directing the reflection from each of said reflector panels toward said target means.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said support

means comprises at least one telescoping leg adjustably secured to one of said panels.

14. The solar cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for supporting material comprises:

a support extending toward said focal point; and

a vessel mounted on said support at said focal point, said vessel comprising a metallic container having a radiation-receiving surface and a glass jar embracing said container, said support having glass jar securing means therein so that said glass jar can be secured in said support to retain said container at the focal point.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said glass

jar securing means comprises screw threads and said glass jar has corresponding screw threads thereon for interengagement and securement of said glass jar together with said container therein.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said vessel

support comprises an upstanding riser arm having a hinge adjacent the top thereof so that said screw threaded support can be hinged away from said riser arm.

17. The solar cooking apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for supporting material comprises

a support extending toward said focal point;

and

a vessel mounted on said support at said focal point, said vessel comprising first and second facing griddle portions, said second griddle portion being releaseably attached to said first griddle portion and said first griddle portion being releaseably attached to said support.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein at least

one of said griddle portions has a grease trough adjacent an edge thereof so that grease rendered from a food article between said first griddle portion is trapped in said grease trough.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein both of

said griddle portions have a grease trough therein.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein each of

said griddle portions is made of metal and each of said griddle portions carries thereon a glass cover to define an insulation space and aid in retaining heat on said griddle portions when a food article is cooked therebetween.