Collapsible Fire Pit and Propane Tank Holder
A fire pit designed to be stored and shipped in a flat configuration, and assembled without tools in a matter of minutes into a freestanding, durable structure capable of functioning as well or better than a non-collapsible fire pit. The fire pit comprises an essentially flat base with a unique slot and flange structure adapted to receive and support side panels. The side panels include female sides with vertical corner members on their side edges that allow flat male sides to mate securely with the female sides, and with the intersecting edges of the sides both covered and reinforced for a neat appearance and robust structure. A top includes a slot and flange structure that fits over and unifies and hides the upper edges of the sides, completing the assembly.
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FIELDThe subject matter of the present application is in the field of portable fire pits and propane tank storage containers.
BACKGROUNDPortable fire pits made from iron, steel, aluminum, ceramic and other fireproof materials are widely used for outdoor fire containment on lawns, on patios, on decks, in backyards, on beaches, and generally anywhere it is desired to enjoy an open fire without marring the landscape or platform. Fire pits can also reduce the worry associated with having an uncontained fire in such locations.
Quality fire pits are generally bulky and heavy, and can be difficult and expensive to ship from a manufacturer or seller. While it is known to make campfire “rings” collapsible for portability or shipping, they tend to be light but not very durable or long-lasting, and they lack a bottom plate for lawn and patio use. Heavier-duty fire “pits” with substantial bottom plates or bowls are suitable for long-term lawn and patio use, but are not made to be packed flat for shipping, and they can be difficult to assemble, requiring tools and special fasteners.
Fire pits typically burn wood, charcoal, and other combustibles, but gas-burning fire pits are becoming more common, in which a gas fire insert or burner, often fueled from a portable propane tank, is installed in the fire pit and supplied with gas from the tank. A problem with gas fire pits, gas grills, and other propane-fueled devices is the unsightly nature of portable propane tanks. Common attempts to hide such propane tanks include homemade solutions such as garbage cans with holes cut in the sides for fuel hoses, and cabinets built into grills, but these tend to be unsightly, and at a minimum they are bulky and thus difficult to store or ship.
BRIEF SUMMARYI have invented a box-shaped, heavy-duty fire pit that can be made from thick metal plate such as steel for sustained lawn and patio use, that can be assembled/disassembled easily and quickly without tools, and that packs flat for cost-effective shipping.
“Box-shaped” is used herein to include any multi-sided (polygonal) shape with three or more substantially flat sidewalls. “Lawn and patio” is used herein to mean any location where a fire pit needs a bottom to protect the underlying platform or ground from burning or scarring.
My fire pit uses a unique joinery between the sides and the bottom and the top to achieve this functionality. The fire pit has a base comprising a substantially flat polygonal bottom panel, with raised peripheral side edges defining a preferably continuous side edge, and raised interior flanges generally parallel to and spaced inwardly from each of the side edges to define receiving slots between the side edges and the flanges. The raised interior flanges are preferably discontinuous relative to the continuous side edge, preferably extending only partway between the corners of their respective sides and centered on their edges, to facilitate ease of assembly and re-assembly after burning.
The fire pit has at least three sides, each side comprising a substantially flat side panel, with at least two of the sides preferably comprising at least one angled vertical outer corner piece connected to a side edge of the side panel and generally parallel to and spaced outwardly from and covering the associated side edge, the vertical outer corner piece optionally having a vertical gap or slot between the side edge of the panel and the corner. In a preferred, rectangular form, the fire pit comprises two female sides each with two corner pieces, and two male sides with no corner pieces. The two male sides each comprise a substantially flat side panel with two male side edges adapted to fit the corner pieces on the female sides.
The fire pit also has a substantially flat top plate with a top opening, and a preferably continuous inner vertical locking frame offset outwardly from the inner edge and extending downwardly from an inside surface of the top plate around the opening in a polygonal array corresponding to the base and the upper edges of the assembled sides. The top further includes preferably discontinuous interior vertical locking flanges generally parallel to and spaced inwardly from the inner locking frame and spaced outwardly from the inner edge to define joining slots between the inner locking frame and the inner edge.
The base, the sides, and the top plate are substantially flat, and they pack substantially flat for shipping. For assembly, the female sides fit vertically into some of the receiving slots in the base, and the male sides (or those sides with one or more free edges) fit vertically into the other receiving slots in the base and behind the outer corner pieces of the female sides. The joining slots in the top fit vertically over upper edges of the upright assembled sides to lock the sides in place.
All edges of the top, bottom, and side panels are hidden from view, and framed, by the corner pieces and by the vertical edge and flange structures. This gives the assembled fire pit a consistent, tool-finished look, and also reinforces the fire pit structurally.
My fire pit construction is also useful for providing sturdy, protective, decorative storage for portable propane fuel tanks of the type commonly used to fuel grills and gas-burning fire pits. By closing or covering the top plate opening and/or providing a door in either the top or a side plate, and by using an existing opening or providing a dedicated hose port, the fire pit alternately functions for propane tank storage. I will refer to this use as a “fire pit accessory”. Alternately, the same fire pit used for holding fires in-season can be used for propane tank storage off-season.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description below, in light of the accompanying drawings.
Referring first to
The illustrated fire pit 10 is made from heavy-gauge sheet or plate steel, although other fireproof metals or non-metals or combinations thereof could be used.
Still referring to
Base 12 may include other features, including but not limited to one or more holes P for ash removal or use as a fuel hose port, and removable feet/legs and associated structure for attaching the feet/legs.
Female side plates 14 include flat panel portions 14a and optional (but preferred) corner-forming pieces 15 running along their vertical side edges 14b. In the illustrated embodiment, corner pieces 15 are angle iron with one leg 15a welded or otherwise secured to the outer faces of the side plates, and the other leg 15b free. Corners 15c are preferably spaced from edges 14b, creating a gap for receiving the edge of a mating male side. While the structural integrity of the assembled fire pit is assured by the locking flange connections between base 12 and top 20 and the top and bottom edges of the sides 14 and 16, corners 15 can provide some structural reinforcement if toleranced with a close enough fit to the male side edges, and enhance the finished look of the fire pit.
Discontinuous interior locking flanges 20c (similar to locking flanges 12c in base 12) are spaced outwardly of inner frame edges 20b and inwardly of vertical framing flanges 20d to define partial-length joining slots 21 between them, preferably centered with respect to each side. Fire/smoke opening 20e is defined by inner edges 20b, for example matching the square shape of the assembled sidewalls, although the shape of opening 20e can vary, like the shape of the outer frame portion 20a of top plate 20. Top 20 is placed over the upper edges 14e and 16e of previously assembled sides 14 and 16, with upper edges 14e and 16e inserted in slots 21, to securely lock the assembled sides together.
Disassembly of the fire pit is simply done in reverse of the operations shown in
A further advantage of using the same structure for both fire pit and propane tank storage uses is that two such devices could be used side by side on a patio, etc., one as a fire pit and the other as a propane tank holder, while providing an aesthetically matching look.
In the preceding description, various aspects and examples and configurations of making and using the invention as defined by the claimed subject matter (the “invention”) have been described, for purposes of explanation, to provide a thorough understanding of the invention, and to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention. It will be understood that the disclosed embodiments are representative of presently preferred forms of the invention, but are intended to be explanatory rather than limiting of the scope of the invention as defined by the claims below. Variations and modifications of the invention as disclosed in the foregoing written specification and drawings are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims below. It should further be understood that the use of the term “invention” in this written specification is not to be construed as a limiting term as to number of inventions or discoveries or the scope of any invention or discovery, but as a descriptive term which has been used conveniently to describe advances in science and the useful arts. The scope of the invention is accordingly defined by the following claims.
Claims
1. A collapsible structure suitable for use as a fire pit or fire pit accessory comprising:
- a base comprising a substantially flat bottom panel, raised peripheral side edges in a polygonal pattern, and raised interior flanges generally parallel to and spaced inwardly from each of the side edges to define receiving slots between the side edges and the flanges;
- at least three substantially flat sides having upper, lower, and side edges;
- a top comprising an outer frame comprising an inner polygonal vertical frame spaced outwardly from the inner edge and extending downwardly from the outer frame in a polygonal array corresponding to the peripheral side edges of the base, and further comprising interior vertical flanges generally parallel to and spaced inwardly from the vertical frame to define joining slots between the vertical frame and the interior vertical flanges; wherein,
- the sides fit vertically into the receiving slots in the base, and wherein the joining slots in the top fit vertically over upper edges of the sides; and wherein,
- the base, the sides, and the top stack substantially flat when disassembled for storage or shipping.
2. The collapsible structure of claim 1, wherein the sides comprise two female sides, each female side comprising a substantially flat side panel and at least one V-shaped vertical outer corner piece associated with and generally parallel to a vertical side edge of the side panel, the vertical outer corner piece connected to the side edge of the side panel and adapted to receive a side edge of an adjacent side, and two male sides each comprising a substantially flat side panel and two male side edges adapted to be received by the vertical outer corner pieces of the female sides, the two female sides fitting vertically into two of the receiving slots in the base, and the two male sides fitting vertically into two of the receiving slots in the base and into the outer corner pieces of the two female sides.
3. The collapsible structure of claim 1, wherein the base is rectangular and comprises four side edges, and wherein the female sides each comprise two vertical outer corner pieces.
4. The collapsible structure of claim 1, wherein the outer corner pieces overlie the side edges of the female and male panels when the fire pit is assembled.
5. The collapsible structure of claim 1, wherein the female sides are square, and wherein the horizontal edges of one female side mate with the vertical outer corner pieces of the other female side when the female sides are packed substantially flat.
6. The collapsible structure of claim 1, wherein all side edges of the flat panel portions of the fire pit are covered by a perpendicular flange member when the fire pit is assembled.
7. The collapsible structure of claim 1, wherein the raised interior flanges on the base extend less than a full length of the sides and are spaced from both ends of the sides.
8. The collapsible structure of claim 1, wherein the interior vertical flanges on the top extend less than a full length of the sides and are spaced from both ends of the sides.
9. The collapsible structure of claim 1, wherein the corner pieces extend less than a full length of the female side edges such that a free portion of the female side edges is exposed at each end of each corner piece.
10. The collapsible structure of claim 1, wherein the top comprises an opening and an inner edge.
11. A collapsible structure suitable for use as a fire pit or fire pit accessory comprising:
- a base comprising a substantially flat bottom panel, raised peripheral side edges in a polygonal pattern, and raised interior locking flanges generally parallel to and spaced inwardly from each of the side edges to define receiving slots between the side edges and the flanges;
- at least three sides, each side comprising a substantially flat side panel and at least two of the sides comprising at least one angled vertical outer corner piece generally parallel to and spaced outwardly from a vertical side edge of the side panel, the vertical outer corner piece connected to the side edge of the side panel, and adapted to receive a free edge of an adjacent side;
- a top comprising an outer frame comprising an inner edge defining a top opening, a polygonal vertical locking frame spaced outwardly from the inner edge and extending downwardly from the outer frame in a polygonal array corresponding to the peripheral side edges of the base, and further comprising interior vertical locking flanges generally parallel to and spaced inwardly from the locking frame and spaced outwardly from the inner edge to define joining slots between the locking frame and the inner edge; wherein,
- the sides fit vertically into the receiving slots in the base, with at least one free edge of at least one of the sides located behind a free leg of the vertical outer corner piece of at least one of the other sides, and wherein the joining slots in the top fit vertically over upper edges of the sides, and wherein, the base, the sides, and the top stack substantially flat when disassembled for storage or shipping.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 3, 2011
Publication Date: Sep 6, 2012
Inventor: John T. Unger (Mancelona, MI)
Application Number: 13/039,804
International Classification: F24B 1/181 (20060101); F24B 1/192 (20060101);