US2578564A - Log fireplace apparatus - Google Patents

Description

'Dea l1, 19,51 LQVE ErAL 2,578,564

Los FIREPLACE APPARATUS Filed Aug. 20, 1949 I Wl( 9 7- TOP/VE YJ.

Patented Dec. ll, l1951 LOG FIREPLACE APPARATUS- Jesse L. Love, Titusville, Pa., Helenr F. Rose, Prospect Heights, Ill., and James L. Love, Columbus,

Ohio

Application August 20, 1949, Serial No. 111,458

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for use in log fireplaces, and, in particular, to apparatus for supporting and holding the logs in a position most vsuitable for inducing a rapid ignition and even burning.

In building up logs on the conventional andirons of a replace, it is customary to pile one log upon two lower` ones in such a manner that sufficient space is left between the meeting surfaces of the logs so that the natural draft of the fireplace can pull the llame upwardly around the logs and cause it to substantially envelop them. However, it often is difficult to obtain such an arrangement because the natural tendency of the logs may be to settle in such a position that the air spaces which should be present become closed oi. In using smooth round logs, the tendency is for the lower two to separate so that the three settle in side-by-side positions, while in using split logs, their irregularities may make it extremely difficult to balance the three logs in the desired position. As a result. the task of properly arranging the logs may be quite arduous and time-taking, and, in addition, it subjects the operator to the risk of dangerous burns.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide apparatus for supporting logs in a replace, this apparatus also being adapted to hold the logs in the most desirable position for inducing vrapid ignition and even burning, regardless of any tendency of the piled logs to settle into other less propitious positions.

According to the invention, a log-supporting member is provided, this member, preferably, including a pair of cross bars which extend from the front to the rear of the fireplace, these barsbeing supported in an elevated position by suitable legs. Integrally formed at the rear portion of each of the bars is an upwardly extending ange, or shoulder, and, to hold the logs in their most favorably disposed arrangement, an adjustableshoulder is slidably mounted, in a manner to be described, on the front portions of the cross bars. In operation, the logs are placed on l the bars and the adjustable shoulders then moved until the logs are clamped between them and the rear shoulders. Each slidable shoulder, also, carries a latch, and the cross bars are provided with latch-receiving openings, or the equivalent, so that the sliding shoulders can be held. in their log-clamping position. Of course, each time the slidable member is moved, it is necessary to release the latch and, for this purpose, the apparatus includes an elongate latch-engaging shaft, the shaft being formed in a particular way and 2 the latch also being formed and mounted in the slidable shoulder in such a manner that the shaft can simultaneously trip the latch and engage the slidable shoulder for moving it towards or away from the rear shoulder of the log-supporting bars..

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which Fig. 1 is a perspective of a log fireplace and the apparatus adjustably mounted therein; Fig. 2, a section along the line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. '3, a section along line III-III of Fig. 2; Figs. 4 and 5 views showing, respectively, a latch,y and latch-engaging shaft; and Fig. 6 a perspective showing a modified form of the slidable shoulder.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus is mounted in a iireplace having side and rear walls I and 2 and it includes a pair of identicallyformed log-supporting members 3 and 4 each of which is formed of horizontal cross bars 6 mounted on integral front'and rear legs `l and 8. For the purpose to be described. cross bars 6 each are formed to provide a plurality of spaced openings 9, and at the rear portion oi these bars is an upwardly projecting flange, or rear shoulder II. Further, bars 6 each slidably mount a front log-abutting block l2, these blocks each being formed with an upwardly projecting shouldervli.y

and a horizontal body portion lli. 'ihe slidable mounting of blocks I2 is achieved by grooving their bottom surfaces so as to form anges lli and II which ride against the sides of cross bars 6 and provide a guide for the blocks as they are slid along the cross bars.

In operation, thelogs are placed on the cross bars with the rear log contacting rear shoulders Il, blocks I2 then being slid over the cross bars into engagement with the front log so that the arranged pile of logs is clamped in position. It, of course, is desirable to hold shoulders I3 in thislog-clamping position and, for this purpose, each of the slidable blocks carries a latch I8, which prelerably, is simply a slidable plunger that is suiciently long to drop down through an opening I9 provided in body portion I4 of each block and then project downwardly into one of spaced openings 9 of the cross bars. To limit the downward drop of latches, or plungers I8, each of the plungers is formed with an enlarged upper end 20 that forms a stop, or, if desired, the latch may be formed to wedge in opening I9.

With such an arrangement, it readily can be seen that, once the blocks have been brought into log-clamping position, the plungers may be releasedn to drop into one of openings 9 and hold` that position. However, it also will be appreciated that it would be very inconvenient to maniplate the latching mechanism by hand, not only because the operator then would have to reach into the replace, but because the latch, and its associated mechanism, may be quite hot and covered with ash. Therefore, the blocks are formed to receive 'a block-moving tool 2l (Fig. 5), which will be recognized as a conventionally formed log replace poker having an elongate shaft portion 22 and a bent end portion 23. Further, plungers I8 are carried in a particular manner so that this standard poker can trip or release the latch and, simultaneously, engage the slidable blocks for moving them along with thecross bars.

Thus, in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, each of the plungers is provided with a notch 24 which extends inwardly from a side wall of the plunger, this notch being positioned a sufficient distance above the bottom of the plunger so that when the plunger is dropped into opening I-9 vthe bottom wall of notch 2.4 lies in approximately the same horizontal plane as the top surface of. the cross bars. Further, body portions I4 of blocks i2 each are formed with a vertical slot 26 which, as seen, extends inwardly from the side Wall of the body portion and opens into plunger opening I9 of this portion. Further, slot 2S extends from the top wall of body portion I4 downwardly approximately to the level of the horizontal plane of the upper surface of the cross bars, the slot, therefore, terminating in approximately the same horizontal plane as the bottom wall of notch 24 of plunger I8.

The purpose of this particular plunger arrangement is to facilitate the latch-releasing and blockmoving actions of poker 2 I it being seen (Fig. 2) thatitis quite simple to engage bent portion` 23.0f poker 27| in the upper portion of slot 26 and then slide this bent portion downwardly to the bottom of-slotlwhereit then can be pressed into plunger notch 24, thereby operatively engaging the plunger. When such has been accomplished, the latch or plunger easilyl can be raised byrotating orvlifting-up on poker 2l, and, alsopressuremay be exerted upon the poker in a horizontaldi-rection to. move sliding blockrv I2. either toward or away from rear shoulders I Ib of. the log-supporting members 3V and 4. The sliding block responds to pressure exerted upon poker 2I since. inner end 23` of the poker is caught in or engaged by the side Walls of vertical slot 26 of the block.

Of course, a number of other manners of mounting the plunger in the block are possible, and such of .these as will accomplish the purposes outlinedV in this` description are intended to be within the scope ofV the invention. One such alternate arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 6, Where it is seen that plunger I8a is formed with ahorizontal opening, or hole 24ay in placeof slot 24of Fig. 4 to receive the end of the poker. Also, body portion I4 of block I2. is shaped differently, although as will be appreciated there is nothing particularly critical in the shaping so long as theshape is such that. the poker can be engaged in opening 26, the plunger raised byV turning the poker and the block moved horizontally by pulling on,A or pressing against, the poker. In this modiedform, opening 24a is positioned so that, when the plunger has dropped to thefull extent allowed by its stopping head 20, the lower arc of opening 24al lies in the same horizontal plane as the bottom of av groove 2 formed in horizontal, laterally-projecting, flange-forming members 28. One advantage of .this form lies in the fact that the poker can be engaged from either side of the block and also the blocks for either log-supporting members 3 or 4 are identical, this last feature facilitating assembly and rendering manufacture more economical.

Briefly reviewing the intended operation of the apparatus, the first step in building the log fire is to move sliding blocks I2 a suflicient distance toward the front of the apparatus so that two logs can be placed side by side on cross bars 6 between sliding blocks I2 and rear shoulders II. The sliding blocks then may be moved toward shoulders i'I a suflicient amount to clamp these two logs, this movement being achieved by engaging the poker in notch 24, or opening 24a of the plunger, lifting the plunger and then pressing against the poker to move the sliding blocks. In so moving the sliding blocks, there may be a tendency to tilt the blocks and, to offset this, Vit is desirable to arrange the blocks so that most of their` weight is carried at their front portions. t is for this reason that latch openings I9 are formed near the front end of body portion I4 of these blocks.

With the two blocks so clamped, the third log then may be positioned upon them and turned about its longitudinal axis until a position is reached in which there is a `maximum amount of air space between the meeting surfaces of the top log and the two logs which support it. During` this arrangement ofr the top log, the two bottom logs are held in their set position, although, if desired, they too may be rotated about their longitudinal axes soras to present av different surface on which the top can be supported. A further advantage of the log-holding. apparatus is that, after the logs have been partially burned, it is possible again to` adjust sliding blocks I 2 so that they will press the two bottom logs together to provide support for the topy log. This is advantageous since it sometimes happensthat, as the logs burn, the twobottom logs separate and permit the top log to drop down between them. It is important to noteV another improvement, this s being that the logs always Will be held toward the rear of the fireplace so that the possibility of smoke and sparks escaping from the fireplace is reduced. Of course, when readjustments are made while the logs are burning, it is particularly important to useA a latch-engaging tool, such as poker 2 I., and, also, theunusually simple manner in which poker 2l canbe engaged with the sliding block and its latch greatly facilitates such readjustments.

The apparatus has further apparent advantages in that it is quite simple and inexpensive to manufacture andl provides a sturdy support for the logs. Also, the apparatus may be. rendered as attractive as the customary andirons simplyby shaping front legs 'I in any decorative manner. However, it is possible to use this-apparatus` in combination with ordinary andirons, the apparatus then acting as a log cradle, such log cradles havingbeen used in combination withV antique andirons to relieve their comparatively,

weak cross bars of the weight ofv the logs.

AccordingV to the provisions of the patent statutes, We have explained the principle, preferred embodimentand mode of operation of our invention, and haveY illustrated and described whatis now considered to represent its best embodiment. However, We desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specificallyillustrated and described.-

We claim:

1. Fireplace equipment for maintaining a desired g-pile arrangement, comprising an elongate log-supporting member extending horizontally from the front to the rear portions of the fireplace, a log pile clamping block slidably mounted on the front portion of said member and having an upwardly projecting log-engaging portion, a latch carried by said block for engaging said log-supporting member and preventing movement of the block with respect thereto, said supporting member being provided with a series of longitudinally-spaced latch receiving means, said latch being so carried by said block as to normally move into engagement with one of said latch-receiving means, and said block being provided with an opening for receiving a blockmoving tool, manual force exerted upon said tool when so engaged operating to effect release of the latch and movement of said block along said logsupporting member.

2. Fireplace equipment for maintaining a desired log-pile arrangement, comprising an elongate log-supporting member extending horizontally from the front to the rear portions of the replace, a log pile clamping block slidably mounted on the front portion of said member and having an upwardly projecting log-engaging portion adapted to engage the central portion of the outer side of the front log of the pile, a latch carried by said block for engaging said log-supporting member and preventing movement of the block with respect thereto, said supporting member being provided with a series of longitudinally-spaced latch receiving means, said latch being so carried by said block as to normally move into engagement with one of said latchreceiving means, and said block being provided with an opening for receiving a block-moving tool, manual force exerted upon said tool when so engaged operating to effect release of the latch and movement of said block along said log-supporting member.

3. Log-holding apparatus comprising a horizontal log-supporting member provided with a series of longitudinally-spaced openings, an adjustable log-clamping block slidably carried on said member, said block being provided with a Vertical opening, a latch slidably mounted in said vertical opening for engaging said supporting member by dropping into one of its spaced openings, said block and latch being movable by a tool having an elongate portion and an end portion bent at right angles to its elongate portion and said block and latch each being provided with interconnecting notches whereby said tool can be operatively engaged simultaneously With the block and latch by inserting the bent end portion of the tool into said interconnecting notches, movement of the so-engaged tool being capable of lifting the shaft-engaged latch out of its supporting member opening and sliding the shaft-engaged block over its supporting member.

4. Log-holding apparatus comprising a horizontal log-supporting adjustable member provided with a series of longitudinally spaced openings, a clamping block slidably carried by said member, said block being formed with a logclamping shoulder and with a horizontally-extending body portion provided with a vertical opening, a latch slidably mounted in said vertical opening for engaging the supporting member by dropping into one of its spaced openings, a stop formed on the latch to limit its dropping movement, said block being movable by a tool having an elongate portion and an end portion bent at right angles to its elongate portion, the body portion of said block being provided with a vertical slot extending downwardly at the side of said vertical latch opening, said slot terminating above the bottom surface of said body portion and said latch being provided with a notch communicating with the bottom portion of said slot, whereby the bent end of said tool can be engaged in said slot and notch to operatively engage both said shoulder and said latch simultaneously.

JESSE L. LOVE. HELEN F. ROSE. JAMES L. LOVE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 9,825 Cochran July 1, 1836 (Old series) 3,675 Morgan July 22, 1844 105,234 Norman July 12, 1870 853,831 Ross May 14, 1907 1,127,333 Wilderspin Feb. 2, 1915

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