Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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COMBUSTIBLE PACKAGE FOR CHARCOAL
BRIQUETTES AND A FIRE STARTER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the packaging of charcoal briquettes and
fire starters.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Charcoal briquettes are compressed blocks of black porous carbonaceous
material used to provide the heat for barbequing or grilling food. Although
the
blocks can come in several shapes, the blocks are generally pillow-shaped.
Typically, charcoal briquettes are placed in a bottom of a grill, ignited, and
burn to
coals over time providing the heat for cooking the food.
Charcoal briquettes are very messy, often leaving a black residue on items,
such as a user's clothes or skin, upon contact. Therefore it is desirable to
keep the
manual handling of charcoal briquettes to a minimum.
One of the most common packages for charcoal briquettes is a large bag
containing a predetermined weight of charcoal briquettes. The size and weight
of
the bags vary usually from five pounds to 20 pounds.
Typically the bag package contains enough charcoal briquettes for multiple
uses. Therefore the bag package requires the transfer of a partial amount of
charcoal briquettes from the bag to the grill. Due to the bag's weight and
shape
and the messiness associated with charcoal, this transfer step is undesirable.
Also, in order to adequately ignite the charcoal briquettes some sort of
kindling or fire starter must be employed. The most common fire starter is
lighter
fluid. However, lighter fluid by design is very flammable and thus dangerous.
Lighter fluid also may leave an unpleasant odor and/or taste on the food being
cooked.
The bag package of charcoal briquettes contains only briquettes. Therefore
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in order to successfully use the bag of charcoal briquettes, a separate
purchase of
kindling or fire starter in a separate package is required. This separate
package
contains a flammable material and requires extra care.
Alternative packages are available. The alternative packages may contain
only enough charcoal briquettes for one use and do not require additional
handling
of the charcoal briquettes because the packages are combustible. However,
these
packages are more expensive because the packages often require complex
structures, such as internal panels to create flues or chimneys. Also, the
charcoal
briquettes often used in these packages are presoaked with a flammable liquid,
such as lighter fluid, to initiate the burning of the charcoal. However, this
also
causes the charcoal to burn too quickly and is not desirable.
Cost is always an issue with packaging. However, the cost of charcoal
briquettes packaging is especially sensitive. Charcoal briquettes and its
packaging
are used only once and then disposed of. Therefore consumers are unwilling to
spend any significant amount on the packaging.
In light of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a package that is
inexpensive to produce and is designed to hold both charcoal briquettes and a
fire
starter without requiring any additional handling of the charcoal briquettes
by the
user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the above needs and achieves other
advantages by providing a combustible package for containing a fuel source and
a
fire starter. The package is made from all combustible materials and holds a
fuel
source, such as charcoal briquettes, and a fire starter. The package includes
a
wound paper tube with an interior space where the charcoal briquettes are
stored
along with the fire starter. The top of the interior space is closed off by a
top lid
made from combustible material. The fire starter is located underneath the
charcoal briquettes at the lower end of the interior space. The fire starter
may also
function as a bottom lid, or a separate bottom lid may be employed.
In one embodiment, the package includes a wound paper tube, a top lid, at
least one charcoal briquette, and an annular fire starter. The wound paper
tube has
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an interior space with a top end and bottom end. The top lid, made from
combustible material, is fixed to the paper tube closing off the top end of
the
interior space. The annular fire starter is inserted in the lower end of the
interior
space, effectively closing off the lower end and functioning as a bottom lid.
The
charcoal briquettes are located on top of the annular fire starter inside the
interior
space. The central hole of the annular fire starter functions as a chimney
through
which air is drawn upwardly to the burning charcoal.
In use, the top lid is removed from the package and placed in the grill to be
consumed or discarded as waste. The package is placed in the bottom or base of
the grill in an upright orientation and the fire starter is ignited with a
match or
lighter. The fire starter in turn ignites the paper tube and the charcoal
briquettes.
The fire starter and the paper tube are completely consumed in the fire,
leaving
only the charcoal briquettes.
The package of the present invention has several advantages. The wound
paper tube structure is inexpensive to produce. The paper tube is also easy to
make
in a variety of sizes allowing for packages ranging in sizes from ones for a
single
food portion to ones suitable for very large events requiring numerous food
portions. Furthermore the cylindrical shape of the paper tube functions as a
chimney, which is ideal for charcoal preparation. Another advantage of the
package is its combustibility. The wound paper tube as well as the top lid,
the
annular fire starter, and the separate bottom lid, when present, are
combustible,
leaving only coals and ashes after use. Additionally, the complimentary shapes
of
the annular fire starter and the paper tube allow for the annular fire starter
to serve
as a bottom lid and thus eliminate the need for a separate bottom lid. Also by
containing the annular fire starter within the package, the need for an
additional
package for a fire starter is eliminated. The annular fire starter also
facilitates air
flow through its central hole. The chimney structure of the tube and the
enclosed
fire starter allow for the use of unsoaked charcoal briquettes which are safer
and
burn longer than the required presoaked charcoal briquettes of other packages.
Other advantages are retail shelving attractiveness and storage and transport
effectiveness provided by the neat and orderly stackability of the package,
including allowing for point of purchase displays.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF
THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be
made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale,
and
wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view in accordance with one embodiment of
the invention wherein the fire starter functions as a bottom lid as well;
FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention wherein a separate bottom lid is employed;
FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the annular fire starter in accordance
with one embodiment of the invention wherein the fire starter has
protuberances;
and
FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the annular fire starter in accordance
with an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein the fire starter has
grooves or channels instead of protuberances.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the
invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many
different
forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth
herein;
rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be
thorough and
complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in
the
art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
In accordance with the present invention and as illustrated in Figure 1, the
combustible package 10 for a fuel source and a fire starter includes a wound
paper
tube 11, charcoal briquettes 20, an annular fire starter 21, and a top lid 30.
The wound paper tube 11 comprises a tubular paper wall 13 that defines an
interior space 14 with a diameter 15, length 17, a top end 18, and a bottom
end 19.
The diameter 15 is generally the same at the top end 18 and the bottom end 19.
The tube 11 can have various cross-sectional shapes including round and non-
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round shapes. Also the tube 11 can be made by any suitable process such as a
spiral-winding or a convolute-winding process.
The interior space 14 is large enough to store a predetermined quantity of
charcoal briquettes 20. The charcoal briquettes 20 are pieces of pillow-shaped
compressed black porous material that once ignited will burn over a period of
time
generating heat. The quantity of charcoal briquettes 20 can vary according to
the
size of the grill that the package is intended for or the aniount of food to
be cooked.
It should be understood that in other embodiments of the invention other
charcoal shapes or other fuel sources may be used instead of charcoal
briquettes
20. For example, the paper tube 11 may hold lumps of charcoal or pieces of
wood.
The top lid 30 can be made from paper and can have a shape to match the
shape of the top end 18 of the paper tube 11. Also the top lid 30 can include
a tab
31 to allow for the easy removal of the top lid 30 from the paper tube 11. The
top
lid 30 can be adhered to the paper tube 11 by an adhesive.
In another embodiment of the invention, the top lid 30 may be made from
or include one or more other materials such as aluminum foil or plastic. Also,
the
shape of the top lid 30 may vary. For example, the top lid 30 may be square-
shape
and may extend past the paper tube 11 with four corners that can serve as tabs
for
easy removal of the top lid 30. Likewise the top lid 30 may be attached to the
paper wall 13 in a variety of ways. For example, the top lid 30 may be secured
to
the inside surface of the paper wall 13.
As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the annular fire starter 21 comprises a body
22, a top face 23, a bottom face 24, four protuberances 25, an inner diameter
26, an
outer diameter 27, and a side surface 28. The body 22 is a compressed piece of
a
mixture of wood shavings and/or paper fiber, and an accelerant, such as a
paraffin
wax or rosin, and defines a central hole 29 that extends from the top face 23
to the
bottom face 24. The central hole 29 preferably is smaller than the charcoal
briquettes 20 so as not to allow any charcoal briquettes 20 to fall through
the
central hole 29. Alternatively, a paper layer could be adhered to the top face
23
covering the hole 29 to prevent charcoal briquettes and/or charcoal dust from
escaping. The top face 23 and bottom face 24 are parallel to each other and
extend
from the inner diameter 26 to the outer diameter 27. The four protuberances 25
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extend from the bottom face 24 away from the top face 23. The protuberances 25
are located approximately equilaterally fiom each other along the bottom face
24.
The placement and shape of the protuberances 25 allow for a stable base for
the
annular fire starter 21 when placed on a flat surface with the protuberances
25 in
contact with the flat surface.
As shown in Figures 2 and 4, in another embodiment of the invention, the
annular fire starter 21 does not have protuberances extending from the bottom
face
24, but instead the bottom face 24 defines a plurality of grooves or channels
32.
Alternatively, in another embodiment of the invention protuberances and/or
channels in the bottom face 24 may be omitted.
As shown in Figure 1, the outer diameter 27 of the annular fire starter 21 is
slightly smaller than the diameter 15 of the interior space 14 in order to
allow the
annular fire starter 21 to fit into the interior space 14 and be attached to
the inside
surface of the paper wall 13. Specifically the annular fire starter 21 is
placed in the
interior space 14 at the bottom end 19 so that the top face 23 and bottom face
24
are perpendicular to the length 17 of the interior space 14 and the
protuberances 25
are projecting away from the top lid 30.
By occupying the entire bottom end 19 except for the central hole 29,
which is smaller than the charcoal briquettes 20, the annular fire starter 21
functions as an effective bottom lid of the package. However, in another
embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figure 2, the annular fire starter 21
may
be substantially smaller in diameter than the tube 11 such that a separate
bottom lid
33 is needed. In that case, the separate bottom lid 33 having an upper surface
34
may be constructed, shaped, and attached to the paper wall 13 in a similar
manner
as discussed above for the top lid 30. The fire starter 21 can be secured
(e.g., by
adhesive) to the upper surface of the bottom lid 33.
When the package 10 is placed in a grill in an upright orientation, as shown
in Figures 1 and 2, the annular fire starter 21 is ignited with a match or
lighter.
The protuberances 25 or the grooves or channels 32 allow for the desirable air
flow
through the central hole 29 even though the annular fire starter 21 may be
directly
on the flat surface of a grill. Alternatively, in another embodiment the
bottom face
24 of the fire starter 21 may be elevated above the lower end of the paper
tube 13
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to allow for the desirable air flow. Once the annular fire starter 21 is
ignited, the
annular fire starter 21 in turn ignites the paper tube 11 and the charcoal
briquettes
20. The annular fire starter 21, the paper tube 11, the top lid 30, and the
separate
bottom lid 33, if present, are completely consumed in the fire, leaving the
charcoal
briquettes 20.
The package 10 of the present invention has several advantages. The
wound paper tube 11 structure is inexpensive to produce. The paper tube 11 is
also
easy to make in a variety of sizes allowing for packages ranging in size from
ones
suitable for a single food portion to ones suitable for very large events
requiring
numerous food portions. Furthermore the cylindrical shape of the paper tube 11
malces a natural chimney, which is ideal for charcoal preparation. Another
advantage of the package 10 is its combustibility. The wound paper tube 11 as
well as the top lid 30, the annular fire starter 21, and the separate bottom
lid 33,
when present, are combustible, leaving only coals and ashes after use.
Additionally, the complimentary shapes of the annular fire starter 21 and the
paper
tube 11 allow for the annular fire starter 21 to serve as a bottom lid and
thus
eliminate the need for a separate bottom lid 33. Also, by containing the
annular
fire starter 21 within the package 10, the need for an additional package for
a fire
starter is eliminated. The annular fire starter 21 also facilitates air flow
through its
central hole 29. The chimney structure of the tube 11 and the enclosed fire
starter
21 allow for the use of unsoaked charcoal briquettes 20 which are safer and
burn
longer than the required presoaked charcoal briquettes of other packages.
Other
advantages are retail shelving attractiveness and storage and transport
effectiveness
provided by the neat and orderly stackability of the package, including
allowing for
point of purchase displays.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention set forth
herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention
pertains
having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions
and the
associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is
not to
be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and
other
embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended
claims.
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Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and
descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
