Parasol Heater

Abstract

A parasol heater having a housing with a fuel connection adapted to be coupled to a gas fuel supply is described. The heater includes a pole extending upwardly from the housing and adapted to support a gas burner arrangement, the burner arrangement being provided below a parasol adapted to deflect heat generated by the burner downwardly about the pole, the parasol being rotatable relative to a longitudinal axis of the pole.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to parasol heaters and particularly to a parasol heater configured to provide directed heating to persons standing about the heater.

BACKGROUND

Parasol heaters are well known in the art and are used for outdoor heating. Traditionally, they utilise a gas fuel supply which is provided in a housing in a lower portion of the heater. A pole extends upwardly from the lower portion to a burner arrangement which is above head height. A parasol dish is provided above the burner arrangement and is adapted to deflect heat downwardly about the pole, thereby providing for a heating or warming of persons around the heater. One example of such a parasol heater is described in EP 0 976 979, of the present inventor, which describes a parasol heater which provides the parasol in multiple sections so as to enable an efficient packing of same. Using such a sectional construction the present inventors have provided a parasol having a diameter of about 900 mm.

The traditional parasol heaters were only provided with a heater in an upper region thereof. The present inventor has modified such simple arrangements to incorporate other features such as tables, a light and also a table barbecue. Such arrangements are described in GB 0125122 and IE S2000/0879. These adaptations are advantageous in that additional benefits are provided to the user. Not only can he extend the sitting out period in the outdoor environment by utilization of the parasol heater but he can also provide lighting in the event that the user wishes to sit out in the evening or at night time. Furthermore, the provision of a table barbecue enables the user(s) to sit around the parasol heater, taking advantage of the heat and light provided, and cook or prepare his food. This combination of features has prompted the user to extend further the time period in which they wish to sit out.

Whilst these traditional parasols have been effective as a source of heat in an outdoor environment there continues to exist a need for improvements in parasol heaters.

These and other problems are addressed by a parasol heater of the present invention.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, a first embodiment of the invention provides a parasol heater according to claim 1.

The heater may be configured such that the parasol is adapted to be tilted relative to the top of the gas burner. In such an arrangement, the parasol dish is pivotably connected to the gas burner by a pivot coupling which is adapted to allow the parasol dish to move in an arc over a side edge of the gas burner, the heater comprising an tilting actuator coupled to the dish and extending over the gas burner, and in use movement of the tilting actuator effects a corresponding movement of the parasol dish through the pivot coupling.

The parasol dish is coupled to the gas burner such that the gas burner and parasol dish rotate together on actuation of the rotatable coupling.

The heater desirably comprises a burner housing, the burner housing comprising each of the gas burner and the parasol dish, the rotatable coupling comprising at least one bearing which is configured to engage with the burner housing to enable a rotation of the burner housing about the longitudinal axis of the pole.

The rotatable coupling desirably comprises an insert, the insert being configured to couple to each of the burner housing and the pole, the at least one bearing being provided on the insert.

The insert is desirably dimensioned to be received within each of the burner housing and the pole, the insert extending between the burner housing and the pole.

The insert is desirably dimensioned to be at least partially supported by the pole.

Desirably first and second bearings are provided on, but spaced apart from one another on the insert.

The fuel connection desirably comprises a tubing extending from the fuel supply heater, the tubing passing through the pole and to the gas burner.

The rotatable coupling may, in certain configurations be configured to constrain the rotation to less than 360 degrees. Other configurations may facilitate the rotation of the parasol dish through 360 degrees whilst at the same time ensuring maintaining integrity of the fuel supply to the burner. Such an arrangement may include the use of a rotatable valve coupling at the gas burner to allow movement of burner relative to the fuel supply piping that provides fuel from the gas bottle.

Desirably the rotatable coupling comprises an actuator, the actuator being configured to transition between a locked and an unlocked configuration, wherein in the locked configuration the parasol is not rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the pole and in the unlocked configuration the parasol is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the pole.

The tiltable actuator comprises a handle pivotably coupled to the dish. The handle desirably extends downwardly from the dish along a side of the heater opposite to that of the coupling of the dish to the heater. The handle may comprise a first bend. In such an embodiment the first bend is provided along the handle at a location coincident with an edge portion of the gas burner arrangement.

The handle may comprise a plurality of pins provided along the length of the handle so as to facilitate the securing of the handle to the heater at one or more defined positions. In such an arrangement the heater comprises a socket arrangement provided adjacent to the radiant heater element and configured to co-operate with the plurality of pins so as to secure the handle relative to the heater. The socket arrangement can be provided at an opposite side of the gas burner arrangement to the pivot coupling.

The parasol dish is desirably coupled to the burner arrangement via a pivot coupling and the tiltable actuator in use effects a biasing of the dish from above the pivot coupling. The tiltable actuator is desirably coupled directly to the dish and preferably comprises an insulated grip portion.

The heater may include a gas bottle supply which is housable within the housing of the heater.

These and other features of the present invention will be better understood with reference to the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a parasol heater in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a section through a portion of the heater of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3A is an exploded view of components of the heater of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3B is a sectional through a portion of the components of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 is another exploded view of components of the heater of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a section through the line C-C of FIG. 3B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention provides a parasol heater 100 having a housing portion 105 adapted to house a bottle of gas. A pole 110 extends upwardly from the housing portion 105 and is adapted to support a gas burner arrangement 115. The burner arrangement 115 is provided below a parasol dish 120 which is adapted to deflect heat generated by the burner downwardly about the pole.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1 the parasol dish is formed in multiple sections 120a, 120b but it will be appreciated that the dish 120 may be formed in one or more pieces or sections depending on the preference or intended use. The sections can be coupled or engaged with one another in a variety of different ways such as for example overlapping adjacent edge portions of adjacent sections and then securing these overlapping sections using bolts or the like.

Alternatively an interlocking folding arrangement may be used. These and other way to secure adjacent sections—which are provided to the user in a disassembled state and are then secured together on-site will be apparent to the person skilled in the art.

As is evident from FIG. 1 the gas burner 115 is provided below the parasol dish 120, the parasol dish being adapted to deflect heat generated by the gas burner downwardly about the pole. Per the present teaching the parasol is adapted to be tilted relative to the top 115A of the gas burner 115. The tilting is achieved by having the parasol dish pivotably connected to the gas burner by a pivot coupling which is adapted to allow the parasol dish to move in an arc over a side edge of the gas burner. This arc is also an arc relative to a longitudinal axis 125 of the pole 110.

The heater 100 further comprises a tilting actuator 130, in the form herein exemplified as a handle, coupled to the dish and extending over the gas burner 115.

The parasol dish 120 is further rotatably connected to the pole by a rotatable coupling 140 which is adapted to allow the parasol dish to rotate about the longitudinal axis 125 of the pole.

In use actuation of the rotatable coupling and movement of the tilting actuator effects a corresponding movement of the parasol dish through the pivot coupling and about the longitudinal axis to allow for targeted reflection of heat from the gas burner.

As shown in FIG. 1 but also in the detail of FIG. 2, the parasol dish is preferably coupled to the gas burner such that the gas burner and parasol dish rotate together on actuation of the rotatable coupling. In this way the parasol is configured to tile relative to the burner but rotate in unison with the burner.

FIG. 2 shows a burner housing 200, the burner housing comprising each of the gas burner and the parasol dish.

The rotatable coupling 140 comprises at least one bearing 205, in this embodiment two bearings 205, 210, which are each configured to engage with the burner housing 200 to enable a rotation of the burner housing about the longitudinal axis of the pole. By providing the bearings, the fluidity of motion is improved but also the rotation movement is less prone to degradation over time through use of for example a simple interference fit between two metal parts.

The rotatable coupling desirably comprises an insert 220, the insert being configured to couple to each of the burner housing 200 and the pole 110, the at least one bearing 205, 210 being provided on the insert.

The insert 220 is desirably dimensioned to be received within each of the burner housing and the pole, the insert extending between the burner housing and the pole. In this way, and as seen in FIG. 2, each of the burner housing and the pole define a receiver—or socket—within which the insert 220 is located, the insert spanning across between the pole and the burner housing.

The insert 220 is desirably dimensioned to be at least partially supported by the pole. This support can be provided by a top surface of the pole defining a ledge upon which the insert is seated.

As is visible in FIG. 2, and again in FIG. 4, where first and second bearings 205, 210 are provided, they are desirably spaced apart from one another on the insert so as to distribute the load of the supported burner housing 200.

The rotatable coupling is desirably configured to constrain the rotation to less than 360 degrees. This can be achieved, per FIGS. 3A and 3B (FIG. 3B is a section along the line B-B) through use of a stop screw 300 that projects through the burner housing 200 to engage with a detail abutment 310 that is provided on the insert 220. The detail abutment 310 is desirably asymmetric in form and is configured in use to engage with the screw to prevent rotation. The use of a stop screw advantageously allows the user to selectively control whether constrained rotation is actuated or not.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 (FIG. 5 is a section along the line C-C of FIG. 3B), the rotatable coupling desirably comprises an actuator 400, the actuator being configured to transition between a locked and an unlocked configuration, wherein in the locked configuration the parasol is not rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the pole and in the unlocked configuration the parasol is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the pole. The locked and unlocked configurations are desirably provided by a clamping action through the use of engaging first and second clamp bodies 410a, 410b against the insert 220. A washer 430 may be provided between an actuator handle 420 and the clamp bodies 410a

The gas fuel supply is typically a gas bottle supply which is housed within the housing 105.

The burner arrangement for use in such a parasol heater would be a 13 or 15kW burner which can be run from a bottled gas supply

The present invention provides a parasol heater with a parasol dish which is rotatable about an axis of the pole on which it is supported. Optionally the dish is also a tiltable parasol dish. Although it has been described with reference to specific combinations of integers it will be appreciated that the present invention is not intended to be limited to any one set of combinations and individual integers can be included or omitted depending on the specific requirements of the heater. The words “comprises/comprising” and the words “having/including” when used herein with reference to the present invention are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof. Furthermore the words “upper/lower” and the like are used for ease of explanation only and it is not intended to limit the invention to any one orientation.

Claims

1. A parasol heater comprising:

a housing with a fuel connection adapted to be coupled to a gas fuel supply;

a pole extending upwardly from the housing and adapted to support a gas burner;

a parasol dish rotatably connected to the pole by a rotatable coupling which is adapted to allow the parasol dish to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the pole; and

wherein the gas burner is provided below the parasol dish, the parasol dish being adapted to deflect heat generated by the gas burner downwardly about the pole, and wherein actuation of the rotatable coupling operatively allows a movement of the parasol dish about the longitudinal axis to allow for targeted reflection of heat from the gas burner, and wherein the parasol dish is further coupled to the gas burner such that the gas burner and parasol dish rotate together on actuation of the rotatable coupling.

2. The heater of claim 1 wherein the parasol dish is also pivotably connected to the gas burner by a pivot coupling which is adapted to allow the parasol dish to move in an arc over a side edge of the gas burner, the heater comprising an tilting actuator coupled to the dish and extending over the gas burner, and wherein, in use, movement of the tilting actuator effects a corresponding movement of the parasol dish through the pivot coupling.

3. The heater of claim 1 comprising a burner housing, the burner housing comprising each of the gas burner and the parasol dish, the rotatable coupling comprising at least one bearing which is configured to engage with the burner housing to enable a rotation of the burner housing about the longitudinal axis of the pole.

4. The heater of claim 3 wherein the rotatable coupling comprises an insert, the insert being configured to couple to each of the burner housing and the pole, the at least one bearing being provided on the insert.

5. The heater of claim 4 wherein the insert is dimensioned to be received within each of the burner housing and the pole, the insert extending between the burner housing and the pole.

6. The heater of claim 4 wherein the insert is dimensioned to be at least partially supported by the pole.

7. The heater of claim 4 wherein first and second bearings are provided on, but spaced apart from one another on the insert.

8. The heater of claim 1 wherein the fuel connection comprises a tubing extending from the fuel supply heater, the tubing passing through the pole and to the gas burner.

9. The heater of claim 1 wherein the rotatable coupling is configured to constrain the rotation to less than 360 degrees.

10. The heater of claim 1, comprising a fuel connector coupling providing a fluid connection between the gas burner and the fuel connection, the fluid connection providing relative movement between the fuel supply and the gas burner.

11. The heater of claim 1 wherein the rotatable coupling comprises an actuator, the actuator being configured to transition between a locked and an unlocked configuration, wherein in the locked configuration the parasol is not rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the pole and in the unlocked configuration the parasol is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the pole.

12. The heater of claim 2, wherein the tilting actuator comprises a handle pivotably coupled to the dish.

13. The heater of claim 12 wherein the handle extends downwardly from the dish along a side of the heater opposite to that of the coupling of the dish to the heater.

14. The heater of claim 12 wherein the handle comprises a first bend, the first bend provided along the handle at a location coincident with an edge portion of the gas burner arrangement.

15. The heater of claim 1 wherein the gas fuel supply is a gas bottle supply and wherein the heater is configured to receive the gas bottle supply which is housable within the housing of the heater.

16. The heater of claim 12 wherein the handle comprises a plurality of pins provided along the length of the handle so as to facilitate a securing of the handle to the heater at one or more defined positions.

17. The heater of claim 16 wherein the heater comprises a socket arrangement configured to co-operate with the plurality of pins to secure the handle relative to the heater.