Portable outdoor fireplace and fire screen assembly thereof

• US 5,836,298 A
• Filed: 10/09/1996
• Issued: 11/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fleming Sales Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fleming Sales Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Grady, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Yeung, James C.
• Application Number:
  US08/728,545
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 126/512, 126/519, 126/547-550, 126/29, 126/30, 126/276, 126/200, 126/224, 126/213, 126/222, 126/25 R, 126/506, 110/240-242
• US Class Current: 126/506
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 37/0704 with horizontal fire box
• CPC Class Codes: F24B 1/181 Free-standing fireplaces, e.g. for mobile homes ; Fireplaces convertible into stoves

Abstract

A portable outdoor fireplace with a fire screen assembly convertible into a cooking grill includes top and bottom cover members and a fire screen assembly extending vertically therebetween. The fire screen assembly is cylindrical and includes multiple screen panels supported vertically therein. At least one screen panel may be hinged to provide a side entrance to the fireplace. The fire screen assembly includes a plurality of supports that support a cooking grill near the entrance of the fireplace at different locations.

Claims

1. A portable fireplace, comprising:

a base member for supporting and burning the combustible material therein, a fire screen assembly supported by the base member, the fire screen assembly defining a generally cylindrical burning chamber containing said combustible material within said base member, a cover member supported by said fire screen assembly and providing a cover for the burning chamber, said fire screen assembly including first and second fire screen panels which provide a protective screen around said combustible material, said fire screen assembly further including a frame including a pair of opposing ring members interconnected by vertical columns which cooperate together with said first and second fire screen panels to define the enclosure, the frame ring members defining a circular perimeter of said enclosure, two of said frame columns being spaced apart from each other along said enclosure perimeter, said two frame columns defining an entrance of said enclosure, and said entrance including means for holding a cooking grill insertable horizontally into said frame, and supporting the cooking grill in said frame in a horizontal orientation with respect to said base member, said cooking grill support means including pairs of corresponding support members disposed on said entrance frame columns.

2. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 1, wherein said support members include pairs of corresponding slots formed in said two entrance frame columns.

3. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 1, wherein said support members include pairs of corresponding support members disposed on said entrance frame columns and extending outwardly therefrom.

4. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 1, wherein said fire screen assembly includes at least one access door hingedly mounted thereto near said enclosure entrance, the access door being openable and closeable at said enclosure entrance from a side of said fireplace to permit access to the interior of said enclosure,.

5. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 4, wherein said access door includes a curved screen panel.

6. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 4, wherein said fire screen assembly has a first height that seperates said base and cover members vertically apart by first spacing and said access door has second height less than said fire screen assembly first height and first spacing such that said access door may be opened and closed without interference with said base and cover members.

7. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 1, wherein said fire screen assembly includes a pair of access doors covering said enclosure entrance, the access doors opening outwardly with respect to said enclosure.

8. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 7, wherein said cooking grill support means further includes at least one pair of additional support members disposed on said access doors for supporting said cooking grill between said access doors in a horizontal orientation with respect to said base member.

9. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 8, wherein said access doors include pairs of corresponding additional support member for supporting said cooking grill between said access doors at different elevations with respect to said base member.

10. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 7, wherein each of said access doors is curved and includes a curved screen panel.

11. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 1, further including a wheeled undercarriage attached to said base member.

12. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 1, wherein said support members are disposed on said entrance frame columns at different elevations to define different vertical orientations of said cooking grill with respect to said base member.

13. A portable fireplace, comprising:

a base member for supporting and burning combustible material therein, the base member having a circular outer edge of a first diameter, a cover member having a circular outer edge of said first diameter, a fire screen assembly supported by the base member and supporting the cover member in a vertical orientation from said base member, the fire screen assembly spacing said base and cover members apart in a predetermined distance, said fire screen assembly including a frame assembly and a plurality of screen panels associated therewith that cooperatively define a generally cylindrical screened enclosure having a second diameter that is less than said base and cover member first diameter, the screened enclosure having a circular outer perimeter, said frame assembly further including a pair of spaced-apart vertical columns disposed along said screened enclosure perimeter, said two vertical columns defining an entrance of said screened enclosure by which access can be had to an interior portion of said screened enclosure, said fire screen assembly further including at least one access door spanning said screened enclosure entrance, the access door being hingedly mounted to said fire screen assembly thereat and having a height less than said predetermined distance separating said base and cover members such that said access door may be opened from a side of said fireplace without interfering with either of said base and cover members.

14. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 13, wherein said fire screen assembly includes two access doors mounted on opposite sides of said enclosure entrance.

15. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 14, wherein said said two access doors include two screen panels that respectively span approximately one-half of said screened enclosure entrance.

16. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 13, wherein said access door includes a four-sided frame, a screen panel disposed on said frame and a pair of hinge pins mounted on one side of said frame, and one of said two vertical columns including a pair of hinge posts that receive said access door hinge pins therein from opposite directions.

17. The portable fireplace as defined in claim 13, wherein said screened enclosure entrance includes a plurality of pairs of supports for supporting a cooking grill insertable into said frame in a horizontal orientation with respect to said base member, the pairs of supports being disposed on said two vertical columns on opposite sides of said entrance to said screened enclosure.

18. A portable fireplace, comprising:

a base member for supporting and burning combustible material therein;

a fire screen assembly supported by the base member, the fire screen assembly defining a screened enclosure on said base member enclosing the combustible material within said base member, said fire screen assembly including a frame having opposing top and bottom frame members interconnected by vertical columns, the frame supporting at least a pair of fire screen panels in an vertical orientation with respect to said base member, two of said frame columns defining an entrance of said enclosure;

at least one screened access door extending between the two frame columns and overlying the screened enclosure entrance, the access door being mounted to said fire screen assembly so that it is openable and closeable from a side of said fireplace without interference with said base member; and

,

a plurality of cooking grill support members disposed along said two columns at said entrance for holding a cooking grill insertable into said frame and supporting said cooking grill in different horizontal orientations with respect to said base member.

19. A fire screen assembly for converting an outdoor barbecue grill having opposing interengaging, top and bottom members, the fire screen assembly defining a generally cylindrical enclosure for containing combustible material within the barbecue grill bottom member, said fire screen assembly comprising:

a frame assembly including respective top and bottom portions for respectively engaging said barbecue grill top and bottom members, a plurality of fire screens supported on the frame assembly and extending partially therearound said said frame assembly further including a pair of vertical columns cooperatively defining an entrance of said cylindrical enclosure, said fire screen assembly further including at least one screen door hingedly supported by one of said frame assembly entrance columns between said barbecue grill top and bottom members through which access to said cylindrical enclosure may be had, said screen door panel having a height that is less than the height of said screen assembly so that said screen door may be opened to gain access to said cylindrical enclosure without interfering with either of said grill top and bottom members.

20. The fire screen assembly of claim 19, further including a cooking grill, and means of for supporting the cooking grill in said frame assembly in a horizontal orientation with respect to said barbecue grill bottom member, the cooking grill support means including pairs of corresponding support members disposed along said frame assembly entrance columns.

21. The fire screen assembly of claim 19, further including an additional screen door panel hingedly supported by the other of said frame assembly entrance columns, and said frame assembly entrance columns include at least one pair of support members disposed on said frame assembly entrance columns that are adapted to support opposite sides of a cooking grill on said frame assembly above said barbecue grill bottom member.