Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02309572 2000-05-26
A FIRE STARTER AS SOLE FUEL
TO QUICKLY IGNITE A LOG OF WOOD
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fire starter for use as sole fuel to ignite
a log of
wood in order to start a campfire or a fire in a fireplace. Starting a fire
with the fire
starter of the present invention avoids the necessity of using paper and/or
firewood.
BACKGROUND
Traditionally, one starts a fire in a fireplace (or a campfire) by using
paper,
branches and firewood, and then stacking logs of wood on top. The paper is
is ignited, and usually the logs "catch" on fire after a few minutes. One
disadvantages with this approach is that fires don't always start, for a
variety of
reasons. Furthermore, paper and/or firewood isn't always available.
Consequently, alternative solutions have been proposed, and will be referred
to
as fuel elements.
One type of fuel element is known as a mini-log and the following patents are
representative of this type of fuel element: US 4,060,396, US 3,988,121 and
CA 1,129,287. Generally, they include cellulosic material, such as sawdust,
which is mixed with wax and compacted into a small log. These mini-logs can
be used to replace charcoal briquettes (for food grilling purposes in a BBQ)
or to
ignite logs or briquettes for various purposes. When used for igniting logs
such as
in a fireplace, the mini-log usually needs to be complemented with paper
and/or firewood to efficiently start a fire.
Various fuel elements are disclosed in the following patents: US 2,240,335,
US 3,034,873, US 4,063,904, US 4,095,957, US 4,906,254. These patents
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suggest the use of different combustible materials such as charcoal and wood
lumps, with or without wax, solvent or the like, added thereto, and assembled
in
very particular and complex packaging in order to make the fuel element. These
fuei elements are used for food grilling or for starting a fire.
In a related field, US patent no. 4,877,417 discloses an artificial log made
of clay
and carbonaceous material and intended to be used in a fireplace with a gas
burner.
Also known in the art are portable campfires, such as the ones disclosed in
US patent no. 5,743,248 and CA patent application no. 2,232,593; and portable
assemblies for picnic cooking, as disclosed in US patent no. 5,273,555.
There is a need for an efficient fuel element that can be used alone, i.e.
without
the use of paper or firewood, for igniting a log of wood and therefore
starting a
fire in a fireplace or a campfire with a minimum amount of time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a fire starter that satisfies the above
mentioned need.
In accordance with the present invention, this object is achieved with a fire
starter
for use as sole fuel to ignite a log of wood. The fire starter comprises wood
shavings treated with at least one combustible solution; and a sealed
flammable
bag having a top and a bottom and enclosing the wood shavings, so that the
wood shavings are in contact with each other and sufficiently spaced from each
other to allow air circulation therebetween. The fire starter also comprises a
flame-retardant sheet inside the bag, underneath the treated wood shavings.
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The invention and its advantages will be better understood upon reading the
non
restrictive description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
This
description is given with reference to the appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the fire starter according to the present
invention.
io Figure 2 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1 except that a portion of
the bag
is cut out.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the
fire
starter of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the
fire
starter of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE
INVENTION
Referring to Figure 1, the present invention relates to a fire starter (1) for
use as
sole fuel to ignite a log of wood (not shown). An important aspect of the
invention
is that no other fuel, such as paper, kindling, firewood, etc, is required
with the
fire starter of the invention to start a fire. The word "firewood" includes
dry sticks
of wood typically used to start a fire.
A typical log of wood is one to two feet long and has a width varying from
between about three to about ten inches. The fire starter (1) of the present
invention can set fire to one or several logs of wood simultaneously. It is to
be
understood that the fire starter (1) can ignite at least one log. The size of
the log
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of wood and the number of logs to be ignited do not matter, since the fire
starter
(1) is able to produce a flame of sufficient intensity to ignite at least one
log of
wood without using paper or lightwood in order to start a campfire or a fire
in a
fireplace. However, to quickly prepare a fire in a fireplace or a campfire, it
is
suggested to ignite three logs of wood all at once.
Referring to Figures 2, 3 and 4, the fire starter (1) comprises wood shavings
(2)
treated with at least one combustible solution and a sealed flammable bag (3)
having a top (4) and a bottom (5). The bag (3) encloses the wood shavings (2)
so
io that the wood shavings (2) are in contact with each other but sufficiently
spaced
from each other to allow air circulation (6) therebetween. Preferably, the bag
(3)
is filled with treated wood shavings (2) but the wood shavings (2) are not
tightly
packed together. The mini-log of the prior art is made of compacted
materials
and produces a low and long lasting flame. Contrary to the prior art, the
present
invention is designed to produce an intense flame in a short time so that a
fire is
started very quickly. The intensity of the flame is such that it obviates the
use of
paper and/or lightwood to start the fire. Thus, for starting the fire with one
or a
few logs of wood (preferably three logs as above mentioned), the user only
needs the fire starter (1) of the present invention and something to set fire
to it
such as matches. After the fire is started with the fire starter (1) of the
present
invention, the user will just have to continuously feed it to maintain it
alive in a
known manner.
According to the first preferred embodiment of the invention, the fire starter
(1)
further comprises a flame-retardant sheet (7) inside the bag (3), underneath
the
treated wood shavings (2) as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The flame-retardant
sheet (7) is useful when the fire starter (1) is put on a grate of a fireplace
or the
like. In use, the bag (3) burns rapidly and the wood shavings (2) need to be
kept
together for generating an intense flame. The flame-retardant sheet (7) does
not
burn as fast as the bag (3) and will retain the wood shavings (2) on the grate
or
the like. Preferably, the flame-retardant sheet (7) is adapted to resist
CA 02309572 2000-05-26
disintegration, under combustion conditions, for at least 45 minutes. The
sheet,
after that time, disintegrates in the form of dust and/or small particles and
can be
thrown away with the ashes of the fireplace.
5 Advantageously, the flame-retardant sheet (7) completely covers the bottom
(5)
of the bag (3) as partially shown in Figure 2. It should be understood that
the
configuration of the bag (3) and the sheet (7) can be different from the one
illustrated in the appended drawings, and can be modified to comply with
manufacturing restrictions.
Preferably, the flame-retardant sheet (7) is an aluminium sheet (7). The
aluminium sheet (7) has a reflecting side (10) which is advantageously
oriented
towards the wood shavings (2) as shown in Figure 2. Thus, the heat of the
burning wood shavings (2) is reflected by the reflecting side (10) of the
sheet (7)
and serves to increase the intensity of the flame generated by the burning
wood
shavings (2).
Since the manufacturing process involves a step of sealing the two opposite
ends
(9) of the bag (3) with heat, the aluminium sheet (7) is preferably laminated
using
2o known techniques, with polyethylene on both sides thereof. Such lamination
allows the aluminium sheet (7) to stick to the bag (3) (which is preferably
made of
paper as mentioned below) under heat and pressure conditions provided at the
two opposite ends (9) of the bag (3) for sealing it. The aluminium sheet
preferably
(7) has a thickness varying between 0,235 m and 0,350 m; and such an
aluminium sheet (7) being laminated as described above, provides enough
strength to the sheet (7) to be manipulated in the manufacturing process
without
tearing. The thickness of the aluminium sheet (7) has an effect on the flame-
retardant character of the sheet (7): the thicker the sheet (7), the longer it
will
take to disintegrate. The thickness of the sheet (7) may differ from the above-
3o described preferred range, and can be determined according to the desired
disintegration time, the required strength of the sheet (7), and its cost.
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According to the second embodiment of the invention, the fire starter (1) does
not
comprise a flame-retardant sheet (7). The sheet (7) is not an essential
element of
the invention since it is principally used to hold the wood shavings (2) on
the
grate or the like when the bag (3) is consumed. When the fire starter (1)
according to the second embodiment of the invention, is used for starting a
campfire, the fire starter (1) is put directly on the ground at the campfire
location
and the wood shavings (2) will remain together on the ground after the bag (3)
is
disintegrated.
The bag (3) is preferably made of paper. The paper can be glossy and can bear
the trade-mark inscription and the instructions for the user. In these
instructions,
it is important to indicate where the top and bottom are, if the fire starter
(1) has a
flame-retardant sheet (7) according to the first embodiment of the present
invention.
Preferably, the bag (3) is substantially flat so that one or more logs of wood
can
be stacked on the fire starter (1) and easily remain thereon. According to the
preferred embodiments of the invention, the bag (3) is rectangular and has a
length of 30 cm, a width of 20 cm and a thickness of 4 cm at a centrally
located
position thereof. The bag (3) preferably has such dimensions that it can be
filled
with between 2,0 litres and 2,5 litres of treated wood shavings (2).
The at least one combustible solution for treating the wood shavings (2)
preferably comprises a first solution and a second solution, where the first
solution is an oil and the second solution is a melted wax-like material. The
preferred oil is a vegetable oil. However, oils that have a negative
environmental
impact are preferably avoided. The preferred wax-like material is paraffin.
Other
wax-like material can be used without departing from the scope of the
invention.
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The use of between 2,0 litres and 2,5 litres of wood shavings (2) treated with
vegetable oil and paraffin within the fire starter (1) of the present
invention
provides an intense flame in about 30 seconds after being ignited, so that one
or
more logs of wood catch fire within 3 to 4 minutes. Different combinations of
combustible solutions and quantity of treated wood shavings (2) can be
employed, but it is preferred to optimize the combination in order to provide
an
intense flame in such a way that the logs may catch fire within 5 minutes.
The method for preparing the treated wood shavings (2) comprises the steps of
io (i) sprinkling a predetermined amount of oil on a batch of wood shavings
(2) and
obtaining oily wood shavings (2); and (ii) sprinkling a predetermined amount
of
melted wax-like material on the oily wood shavings (2).
Sawmills provide an important quantity of cheap wood particles. Usually, two
types of wood shavings (2) are provided by sawmills: the sieved and non-sieved
wood shavings (2). Both types can be used, separately or together, to comply
with the present invention.
The method for starting a fire in a fireplace using the fire starter (1)
according to
the first embodiment of the invention, comprises the steps of:
- placing the fire starter (1) on the grate of the fireplace with its bottom
(5)
facing downwardly;
- laying at least one log of wood on top (4) of the fire starter (1); and
- igniting a location on a side (11) of the bag (3) of the fire starter (1).
The method for starting a campfire using the fire starter (1) according to the
first
or second embodiment of the invention comprises the steps of:
- placing the fire starter (1) on the ground fireplace with its bottom (5)
facing downwardly;
- laying at least one log of wood on top (4) of the fire starter (1); and
- igniting a location on a side (11) of the bag (3) of the fire starter (1).
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Preferably, for starting a campfire, three logs of wood are disposed around
and
over the fire starter (1) in an upright position and leaning on each other
like a
teepee.
Referring to Figure 1, the bag (3) is preferably ignited at a location which
is
centrally located along the side (11) of the bag (3) .
Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the
io invention is not limited to these precise embodiments and that various
changes
and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope or
spirit
of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
