FIRE PIT

Abstract

A fire pit for use on water crafts, particularly pontoon and house boats. In certain embodiments, the fire pits are floor mounted units affixed within the deck of the boat and in other embodiments, the fire pits are table mounted units. In each embodiment, the fire pits include a base tray and a removable top cover. Each embodiment of the fire pit may also employ conventional fuel regulators to control the fires and conventional electric ignitors to safely and conveniently start the fires in the fire pits.

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/824,615 filed May 17, 2013, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

This invention relates to recreational fire pits, and in particular, recreational fire pits for use in pleasure water craft and boats.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The enjoyment of pleasure water craft and boats, particularly pontoon and house boats is often tempered by the cool night temperatures and seasonal changes. The present invention provides a recreational fire pit for use on boats, particularly pontoon and house boats. The fire pit provides a warming fire in a safe, convenient and decorative unit that is easily used aboard a water craft or in other applications.

In certain embodiments, the fire pits are a floor mounted unit affixed within the deck of the boat and in other embodiments, the fire pits are table mounted units. In each embodiment, the fire pits include a base tray and a removable top cover. Fuel is supplied to the fire pit from a conventional twenty pound propane fuel tank for the floor mounted unit and one pound propane bottles for the table mounted unit. Each embodiment of the fire pit may also employ conventional fuel regulators to control the fires and conventional electric ignitors to safely and conveniently start the fires in the fire pits.

The above described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may take form in various system and method components and arrangement of system and method components. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating exemplary embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. The drawings illustrate the present invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a simplified pontoon boat and an embodiment of a deck mounted fire pit of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the pontoon boat and fire pit of FIG. 1 showing the cover spaced about the pit base;

FIG. 3 is another partial perspective view of the pontoon boat and the fire pit of FIG. 1 showing the cover removed;

FIG. 4 is a partial exploded view of the pontoon boat and the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pit base of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the pit base of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the pit base of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the pit base of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a rear view of the pit base of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a left end view of the pit base of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a right end view of the pit base of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the pit base and attached cover of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a top view of the pit base and attached cover of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a side sectional view of another embodiment of a deck mounted fire pit of this invention;

FIG. 15 is a side sectional view of a third embodiment of a floor mounted fire pit of this invention;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a table style fire pit of this invention showing the cover spaced about the table base;

FIG. 17 is another perspective view of the fire pit of FIG. 16 without its top cover showing the burner;

FIG. 18 is a side sectional view of the table base of the fire pit of FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the table top fire pit of FIG. 7 being stowed away in the storage area of a typical watercraft;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the table base and attached cover of the fire pit of FIG. 16;

FIG. 21 is a top view of the table base and attached cover of the fire pit of FIG. 16;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the table base of the fire pit of FIG. 16;

FIG. 23 is a top view of the table base of the fire pit of FIG. 16;

FIG. 24 is a bottom view of the table base of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 25 is a side view of the table base of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 26 is an end view of the table base of the fire pit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 27 is a side sectional view of another embodiment of a table style fire pit of this invention; and

FIG. 28 is a side sectional view of a third embodiment of a table style fire pit of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferred embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, structural, mechanical, electrical, and chemical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. To avoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those skilled in the art. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

The drawings illustrate several different embodiments of the fire pit of this invention. Each embodiment illustrated and described herein is designed for use on a pleasure watercraft or boat, such as pontoon and house boats. For simplicity of illustration and explanation, the various fire pit embodiments are shown on a simplified pontoon boat 2, although the teachings of this invention may be readily applied to any type or style of watercraft or boat. Each embodiment of the fire pits of this invention are designed to burn gas or liquid fuels, such as propane; however, alternative embodiments may burn solid fuel sources, such as wood, coal, briquettes, and wood pellets as desired.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-13 illustrate a first embodiment of the recreational fire pit of this invention, which is designated generally as reference numeral 100. As shown, fire pit 100 is a floor mounted unit affixed within the deck 4 of pontoon boat 2. Fire pit 100 includes a pit base 110 and a removable top cover 130. Fuel is supplied to fire pit 100 from a conventional twenty pound propane fuel tank 102 connected to the pit by fuel lines 103 and controlled by a conventional fuel regulator 104. An electric ignitor switch 106 is also connected to fire pit 100 by electrical wires 107. As shown, fuel tank 102 may be stowed at any convenient desirable location on pontoon boat 2. Similarly, ignitor switch 106 is mounted to the control console of pontoon boat 2, but may be located at any convenient or desirable location on the pontoon boat.

Pit base 110 is stamped, formed or otherwise constructed from a suitable sheet metal. Pit base 110 has a wide flat peripheral flange 112 extending around a rectangular recessed basin 114. Pit base 110 is seated within a rectangular opening 5 cut or formed in deck 4 of pontoon boat 2, so that basin 114 extends downward into the opening and flange 112 lies flat over the deck around the opening. An elongated burner 120 and an electric ignitor 122 is disposed within basin 114. Burner 120 is operatively connected to fuel line 103 from regulator 104 and fuel tank 102. Ignitor 122 is operatively connected to ignitor switch 106 by wires 107. Typically, basin 114 is filled with decorative fire stones 109 for a more aesthetic fire. Top cover 130 is also constructed from a suitable sheet metal, which covers fire pit 100 allowing users to walk atop the fire pit 100 as part of deck 2 when the fire pit is not in use. Top cover 130 seats atop pit base 110 over basin 114 to provide a flush surface with peripheral flange 112. Top cover 130 includes a keyed lock mechanism for securing cover 130 to pit base 110. In certain embodiments, the bottom surface of top cover 130 may be covered with thermal insulating material to reduce fire hazards, when the cover is place over basin 114 immediately after a fire is extinguished.

Fire pit 100 operates in a conventional manner. Top cover 130 is removed from Pit base 110 before any fire is started. With the cover removed, regulator 104 is opened and ignitor switch 106 is actuated to activate ignitor 122 to light the fire within basin 114. Regulator 104 can be selectively adjusted to control the fire in fire pit 100. The fire is extinguished by closing regulator 104. Top cover 130 is place over pit base 110 to prevent damage to the fire pit 100 and provide a continuous usable surface for deck 4.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show two alternative embodiments of a floor mounted fire pit, which are designated generally as reference numerals 200 and 300. As shown in FIG. 14, fire pit 200 is substantially identical to fire pit 100, except that the body of the base is constructed of a composite material with thermal insulating and/or flame resistant properties. As shown in FIG. 15, fire pit 300 is substantially identical to fire pit 100, except that pit base 310 has a two piece design. As shown, pit base 310 has a separate peripheral flange 312 mounted to a tray basin 314. Basin 314 is constructed of stamped sheet metal, while flange 312 is constructed or formed from a composite material with thermal insulating and/or flame resistant properties.

FIGS. 16-26 illustrate another embodiment of the fire pit of this invention, which is designated generally as reference numeral 400. As shown, fire pit 400 is a table top style unit and includes a table base 410 detachably supported atop a single table leg or post 430, and a removable top cover 430. Fire pit 400 sits atop leg 430 (FIGS. 16 and 17) but may be disassembled for convenient storage (FIG. 19). Typically, table leg 430 is detachably connected to deck 4 by a deck collar 432, but may be fashioned to any suitable structure on boat 2 and may be affixed by any suitable means. As with the deck mounted embodiments, fire pit 400 may include a fuel regulator (not shown) to control the fire in the pit and an electric ignitor switch (not shown), both mounted underneath table base 410 as desired. In other embodiments, fuel may be supplied to fire pit 400 from a one pound propane fuel bottle mounted under table top 410.

Table base 410 is stamped, formed or otherwise constructed of a suitable sheet metal. Table base 410 has a wide flat peripheral surface area 312 extending around a rectangular recessed basin 414. A removable table cover 340 seats flushly over basin 414 to provide a useable table surface. Table cover 340 includes a keyed locking mechanism 442 that secures the table cover to table base 410. Table base 410 is mounted atop table leg 430 by a base collar 416. As shown in FIG. 10, table base 410 can be detached from table leg 408 for convenient storage when not in use. As shown, cup holders 409 are formed in table base 410 for user convenience. An elongated burner 420 disposed within basin 414 is operatively connected to the fuel source (not shown) via a fuel line and regulator (not shown). In certain other embodiments, burner 420 may be spaced above the bottom of basin 414 or separated by thermal insulators to prevent thermal conduction into table base 410. In addition, an ignitor (not shown) is disposed within basin 414 and operatively connected to the ignitor switch (not shown) mount beneath the table base 410.

Again, fire pit 400 operates in a conventional manner. Table cover 430 is removed from table base 410 before any fire is started. With the table cover removed, the regulator is opened and the ignitor switch is actuated to activate the ignitor to light the fire within table basin 420. The regulator can be selectively adjusted to control the fire in fire pit 400. The fire is extinguished by closing the regulator.

FIGS. 27 and 28 shows two alternative embodiments of a table mounted fire pit, which are designated generally as reference numerals 500 and 600. Fire pit 500 is substantially identical to fire pit 400, except that the body of the base is constructed of a suitable composite material having thermal insulating and/or flame resistant properties. Fire pit 600 is substantially identical to fire pit 400, except that base tray 610 has a two piece design, similar to fire pit 400. As shown, base tray 610 has a separate peripheral flange 612 mounted to a tray basin 614. Tray basin 614 is constructed of stamped sheet metal, while flange 612 is constructed or formed from a suitable composite material having thermal insulating and/or flame resistant properties.

Alternative embodiments of this invention may be adapted for use in other applications. For example, certain embodiments of this invention may be adapted for use in piers, decks, terraces, gazebos, and the like, where the fire pit is surface or floor mounted into the particular structure with the fuel source, regulators and ignitor switches remotely located. Such embodiments provide the enjoyment and functionality of a floor mounted fire pit in an unconventional structure, which is easy to install and use and provides a clean uncluttered aesthetic appearance.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that an invention having significant advantages has been provided. While the invention is shown in only a few of its forms, it is not just limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. The embodiment of the present invention herein described and illustrated is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is presented to explain the invention so that others skilled in the art might utilize its teachings. The embodiment of the present invention may be modified within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A fire pit assembly comprising:

a base part adapted to seat within an opening in a flat surface, the base having a recessed basin defined therein;

a burner disposed within the basin; and

a fuel source remotely located from the base part and operatively connected to the burner.

2. The fire pit of claim 1 and a removable cover part adapted to enclose the basin.

3. The fire pit of claim 2 wherein the base part includes a peripheral flange extending around the basin flush with the surface.

4. The fire pit of claim 3 wherein the cover part is flush with the flange when the cover part encloses the basin.

5. The fire pit of claim 1 and a support leg detachably connected between the base part and the deck to suspend the base part above the surface.

6. The fire pit of claim 1 and an ignitor part mounted to the base part adjacent the burner for lighting fuel from the fuel source within the base part.

7. The fire pit of claim 7 and an ignitor switch remotely located from the base part and operatively connected to the ignitor part for actuating the ignitor part.

8. The fire pit of claim 1 wherein the base is constructed from a fire resistant and thermal insulating material.

9. In a boat including a flat deck having a deck opening therein, a fire pit assembly comprising:

a base part adapted to seat within the deck opening, the base having a recessed basin defined therein, the base part includes a peripheral flange extending around the basin and overlying the deck around the deck opening;

a burner disposed within the basin;

a fuel source remotely located from the base part and operatively connected to the burner;

an ignitor part mounted to the base part adjacent the burner for lighting fuel from the fuel source within the base part; and

an ignitor switch remotely located from the base part and operatively connected to the ignitor part for actuating the ignitor part.

10. The fire pit of claim 9 and a removable cover part adapted to enclose the basin flush with the flange when the cover part encloses the basin.

12. In a boat including a flat deck having a deck, a fire pit assembly comprising:

a post vertically and removably mounted to the deck;

a base part detachably mounted to the post, the base includes a flat table top and has a recessed basin defined therein;

a burner disposed within the basin;

a fuel source remotely located from the base part and operatively connected to the burner;

an ignitor part mounted to the base part adjacent the burner for lighting fuel from the fuel source within the base part; and

an ignitor switch remotely located from the base part and operatively connected to the ignitor part for actuating the ignitor part.

13. The fire pit of claim 12 and a removable cover part adapted to enclose the basin flush with the table top when the cover part encloses the basin.