EP1729067A1

EP1729067A1 - Simulated fireplace

Info

Publication number: EP1729067A1
Application number: EP05104794A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Arthur Purton
Original assignee: BASIC PATENT; Basic Holdings
Current assignee: Basic Holdings
Priority date: 2005-06-02
Filing date: 2005-06-02
Publication date: 2006-12-06
Also published as: CN101218473A

Abstract

A simulated fireplace comprising a flat screen display panel mounted within a frame is described. The panel is configured to display at least one image sequence of a fire, the image sequence being stored on a memory device and the fireplace being characterised in that the memory device is a removable flash memory card. The frame is configured to provide a receiving slot which is positioned within the frame at a location which is easily accessible by a user such that the user can easily insert and remove memory cards as desired.

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to fireplaces and in particular to a simulated fireplace that provides for the electronic display of a fire using a flat screen display panel.

Background

A fireplace is a traditional structure provided in most homes. Traditionally, the fireplace has included a hearth that is set into a wall and which provides a base for a combustible material such as coal or wood. The burning of the material requires an exhaust flue so as to enable the generated gases to be transferred out of the room. The burning of the fire generates both heat, light and sound.
Although traditionally provided in a home for the generation of heat, it has become more and more common for the other features of the fire- the light and sound element- to the be the driving motivators behind the provision of the fire. With the development of central heating, the main heating of the home is now provided through radiators or the like and the fi replace simply become a focal feature to the room in which it is in.
With such developments the need to burn a combustible material has diminished and electric fireplaces which provide for a simulation of the fire effect have become more and more common. Examples of such fireplaces include those described in EP0348137 which is co-assigned to the present assignee. In this patent an optical display apparatus comprising a non-isotropic holographic diffusing screen, a light source for projecting a pattern of light onto the screen, and a reflector is described. The screen has the property of being substantially transparent, except for light from the source which is diffused, diffracted and then reflected back through the screen by the reflector. The screen is substantially transparent to the reflected light. The apparatus can be used as a decorative display, for advertising purposes and in a flame effect fire. The pattern of light projected from the source is configured to achieve the desired optical effect. Although this was an improvement on the simulated fires that came before, it suffers in that it as it is a mechanical arrangement it always provides the same fire effect.
Modifications to such simulated fireplaces include those described in US20030201957 which describes a fireplace incorporating a flat panel display screen that is driven by a controller. The fireplace includes storage media that enables the storage of images of a fire and a controller that can be used to vary the image that is displayed on the display panel. It also describes the provision of an auxiliary port for connection of a DVD player or the like for delivering DVD content to the display panel. The auxiliary port is also described as being configurable for coupling to a LAN, WAN or the Internet to enable the provision of new images to the storage media for subsequent display. The electronic complexity of this fireplace more resembles that of a conventional computer or television with a flat screen display. It is in essence a computer that is specifically tailored for displaying fires. By providing for the processing and control of the images using an incorporated controller this arrangement suffers in its complexity and resultant cost. However, such complexity is required when one considers the size of the images that are required for display and if different burn effects are required for display each of these much be stored separately. The storage capabilities of the storage devices will restrict the volume of data images that may be stored or associated with the fireplace. This document also describes the provision of the electronic display in a housing provided with two glazed doors- in essence resembling a traditional closed stove. The provision of these doors in front of the display panel detracts from the overall visual aspect of the display and indeed occludes a portion of the screen.
There is therefore a need to provide a simulated fireplace that can provide a plurality of images of different types yet does not require the same level of complexity that is required from the prior art arrangements. There is another need to provide a simulated fireplace that can provide for improved depth of vision effect for viewing images of a fire displayed on the display panel.

Summary

These and other problems are addressed by a simulated fireplace in accordance with the present invention. Such a fireplace is provided in claim 1 with advantageous embodiments detailed in the dependent claims. Such fireplaces may a flat panel display that can be used to display images of fires thereon. The images are retrievable from a storage media provided in the form of a removable flash memory card. By providing such a memory card that can be easily inserted and removed from the fireplace it is possible, in accordance with the teachings of the invention to store different images or sequences of images on different memory flash cards and when a specific image type is required to simply allow the user to replace the memory card that is being accessed by the display with a different one.
Accordingly, a first embodiment of the invention provides a simulated fireplace comprising a flat panel screen that is electrically coupled to a memory card, the memory card configured to store a predefined image sequence, the fireplace being characterised in that the memory card may be accessed by a user and easily replaced with another memory card.
These and other features of the invention will be better understood with reference to the following drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front and side of a simulated fireplace in accordance with the teachings of the invention.
Figure 2 is a view from the rear of the fireplace of Figure 1, with the back cover removed so as to show some of the electronic control components which are illustrated in schematic form.
Figure 3 is a view of from the rear of the fireplace of Figure 1 with the back cover on, showing how the fireplace may be hung from a wall.
Figure 4 is a view from the front and side of a further embodiment incorporating a glass panel provided on a front portion of the frame.
Figure 5 is a view from the front and side of a further embodiment incorporating a glass panel having a larger footprint to that of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a view from the front and side of a further embodiment incorporating a glass panel having a larger footprint to that of Figure 5.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 shows a simulated fireplace 100 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. The fireplace 100 includes a flat panel display screen 105 which is configured to display images of a burning fire 110. The display may be selected from one of a variety of different flat panel display types such as plasma screens, liquid crystal displays (LCD's) or the like as will be well apparent to those skilled in the art. The display is mounted within a frame 115, that provides a tapered surface 120 from a front edge portion 125 which is distally located from the screen to a rear edge portion 130 which is coincident with the screen. The tapering effect is chosen so as to increase the apparent depth of view of the displayed images on the screen 105.
A slot 135 is provided on a side portion, typically a side wall 140 of the frame 115 and is dimensioned to receive a memory card 145. It will be understood however that the slot 135 could equivalently be provided on an upper or lower surface of the frame- the important feature is that the slot is easily accessible by a user. The memory card is desirably of the type known as a flash memory card- such as those for use in digital cameras and known as Secure Digital (SD), CompactFlash (CF), SmartMedia (SM), Memory Stick (MS), MultiMediaCard (MMC), xD-Picture Card (xD) and the like. Such memory cards are typically provided with a total memory capacity of about 32MB to about 2GB.
In accordance with the present invention an image of a fire is recorded using digital video equipment and then edited to a suitable format for storage on the memory card. The editing may include the cutting of a longer image into a shorter frame and then the stitching of that selected frame to a form a video sequence that repeats the selected frame for a specified duration. By providing this editing off-line it is possible to avail of highly efficient image editing software so as to provide the total video sequence as one without any perceptible stutters or pauses between frames. Once a video sequence of desired length has been selected, it is then stored on the flash card in a suitable format-typically one defined by the MPEG standards. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the longer the recorded sequence is, the more memory it occupies on the memory card. The recorded image may also be associated with sound effects that will be played on the fireplace through one or more speakers 150 provided within the frame 115.
Figure 2 is a view from the rear of the fireplace with the back cover removed to as to show internal electrical components which are illustrated in schematic form as the specifics of their operation will be apparent to the person skilled in the art. The memory card 145, once inserted into the slot 135 on the side of the frame is received within a card reader circuit 200. The card reader 200 is in electrical communication with a controller 205 for the display panel which is communicatable with a user interface 210. The user interface may include a remote control interface to enable a user to control the operation of the fireplace using a remote control. Once the user selects a desired function that is communicated from the user interface 210 to the controller 205 which then selects the stored image from the memory card and displays them on the screen. The desired function may include one or more of user controlled parameters such as sound level, light intensity, length of sequence and the like. If the selected length of sequence is greater than that stored on the flash memory card, then at the end of the stored sequence, the controller will effect a loop back to the beginning of stored sequence and display the video from the beginning.
It will be appreciated that such looping typically results in a momentary pause of the image, which may be perceptible to a person viewing the display. As such it is desirable that the stored sequence is as long as possible so that the number of loops required is kept to a minimum. However as discussed above, the limiting factor to the duration of video that may be stored is the memory capacity of the flash card. Although flash cards of differing memory capacities are available, the cost associated with cards of the largest capacity can be prohibitive. There is therefore a trade off between length of sequence storeable and the cost of providing such a card to effect that storage. There is a further tradeoff if the screen is to be used with more than one image type. For example the display of a coal fire will require a different image sequence to that of a log fire, and a raging fire is different to that of dying embers. The present invention addresses this problem by enabling the storage of different image sequences on different memory cards and then enabling the user to simply interchange the memory cards to achieve the display of the desired images. In this way each memory card can be used to store the images in the preferred format and for the longest sequence and using the least compression- the only constraining factor being the size of card utilised. It also means that the card used for storage can be optimally selected depending on the volume of data required for storage on that card. For example certain fire types may require a limited time sequence and can therefore be displayed on a card of memory capacity of 32MB whereas others will require 2GB. The ability to enable a user to interchange cards as desired, means that the user has choice with regard to the amount that they wish to spend on any one card- as the cost is very much dependent on the memory capacity of the card. It will be apparent that if a user selects a large memory card that the volume and quality of data will be greater than if the user selected a memory card of lesser capacity. In order to enable the user to easily change the memory cards as desired, the simulated fireplace of the present invention provides for the receiver slot 135 to be easily accessible to the user, typically provided on a side portion of the frame 115 such that the card is inserted in a plane substantially perpendicular to that at which the display is viewed.
The memory card may, in certain embodiments, be coupled to a non-removable memory device such as a hard-drive or similar storage means which is permanently located within the frame. By coupling the removable flash memory card to the static memory means a number of advantageous embodiments may be provided. Firstly, the images or other data that are stored on the removable card may be transferred to the permanent memory device which is typically of greater capacity than that of the removable device. As such it is possible to extend the length of time possible for any one sequence thereby minimising the effect of the static delay in looping. Furthermore, as there is the possibility of local caching, techniques such as buffering are possible, which will improve the quality of display. Yet a further possibility is the possibility of using the permanent memory as a jukebox type arrangement where multiple image sequences that are initially individually provided on one or more flash memory cards may be stored locally and then selected from the permanent memory. As the images are individually stored twice, a back up of the data is provided. However, as the removable flash memory card is easily accessible by the user and can be introduced and removed at will, it will be understood that the memory functionality of the present invention is an improvement over the prior art arrangements that only provided a single non-accessible memory storage device.
The control circuitry may additionally include a controller 225 for a heating element. Such a heater element may be included as part of the overall simulated fire effect, and can be provided in one or more of a plurality of different types. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a fan heater 215 may be included. The heater may be of the type known as a cylindrical drum heater with a number of blades 220 arranged circumferentially about an axis. The heater is typically provided at the rear of the frame, so that it is not visible from the front, with its axis being parallel to the base portion of the frame such that rotation of the drum will cause air to be blown downwardly under the frame. A user facing the front of the frame will therefore experience heat passing upwardly in front of the screen- giving the effect that the fire displayed on the screen is generating heat. Such movement of air 300 is shown in Figure 3, where it will be seen that the dimension of the drum heater is desirably such that the hot air is generated across the entire length of the frame.
Figure 3 also shows a series of mounting brackets 305 which may be used to mount the frame 115 to a wall. With such a simulated fireplace as there are no noxious fumes generated, it is not necessary for the fireplace to be placed in a chimney with a flue. It will however be appreciated that if the circumstances require such an installation that the simulated fireplace of the present invention could easily be placed within such a traditional recessed area, with the dimension of the frame increased to as to create the impression that the fireplace is integral with the hearth. In the example of Figure 3 however, it will be appreciated that the user of mounting brackets that engage with receivers 310 on the back of the frame and which can be secured to a wall using screws or the like, that the present invention obviates the need for a building to be built with a fireplace in order to have such a simulated fireplace. This lack of a fireplace is becoming more and more prevalent in today's building environment, and heretofore the owners of such buildings have been unable to have a fireplace or indeed to move it around their room as the need arises. Although shown as utilising a specific L-type bracket arrangement it will be appreciated that any mounting arrangement using one or more types of convenient mounting means may be found equally suitable for mounting the simulated fireplace.
Figure 4 shows a modification to the simulated fireplace of the present invention. In this example a glass sheet 400 is positioned at the front portion of the frame, such that a user has to look through this glass sheet in order to see the fire effects 110 displayed on the screen 105. The distance between the sheet and the display panel is typically up to about 12cm. This sheet may be provided as a completely transparent screen or in preferred embodiments may be darkened slightly so as to have a smoky effect. The darkening of the sheet will obviously reduce the amount of light that may pass through the screen, and would therefore at a first consideration be thought counter intuitive. The present inventors however have found that such darkening enhances the fire effect viewed by the viewer.
Where such a sheet is provided it may additionally be provided with a heating element such that the sheet may be heated. Such heating will enhance the simulation of the fire effect in that a user coming close to the fireplace will be able to feel warmth emanating from the fire. The temperature chosen should typically be not so great as to cause burning to a user touching the glass. The heating of the sheet may be achieved by providing the sheet with a thin oxide resistive coating of a desired pattern and passing a low current through the glass. Two contacts 405a, 405b may be coupled to the controller of the fireplace and when activated generate a current path through the oxide layer. The passing of the current effects a corresponding heating of the glass. The use of the thin oxide is advantageous in that there are no visible heating elements required, which if present would occlude the displayed image behind the glass.
Of course, the positioning of the glass in front of the sheet generates a sealed air volume 410 in front of the screen. By heating the glass it is possible that this air volume will also heat and this heating could damage the screen 105. The present invention addresses this by providing a series of air vents 415 in the top and bottom of the frame. In accordance with convective principles, air will circulate through the vents thereby cooling the air volume and obviating the possibility of the screen becoming damaged.
Figure 5 shows a modification to the fireplace of Figure 4 with the sheet 400 increased in dimension so as to be larger than the frame 115. This increase in dimension serves to increase the depth of vision effect of the burning fire on the screen. In order to heat this larger screen it may be necessary to provide the contacts 405a/405b at an edge portion 420 of the sheet.
Figure 6 shows yet a further modification with the dimension of the sheet increased further. It will be appreciated from an examination of Figures 5 & 6 that the fireplace of the present invention may include a sheet of any dimension or configuration although it will be appreciated that it is preferable that the sheet has a surface area or footprint greater than the surface a rea or footprint of the display panel.
It will be understood that what has been described herein is a simulated fireplace that utilises a removable storage device, the storage device being easily inserted and removed by a user from the fireplace. By providing such a fireplace it is possible for the user to have a plurality of storage devices, each having different images or image sequences stored thereon. In circumstances where it is not desired to have the fireplace acting as a fireplace it is possible for the user to display other images or sequences of images- such as for example an aquarium effect. At certain times of year it will be possible therefore for the user to use the apparatus of the present invention to present a simulated fireplace whereas other times it could be used to display non-winter specific image sequences. The removable aspect of the memory storage device with its easy access by a user means that they can store one or more image sequences on a specific memory card and then interface them with the fireplace as required.
It will be further understood that where the apparatus is provided with a sheet and that this sheet is smoked to enhance the effect of the normally displayed fire, that the smoked effect may be disadvantageous in the viewing of other images. The present invention provides for this in that certain embodiments may incorporate smart glass, glass where the opaqueness may be controlled by application of a voltage. Such glass is known in office environments where on application of a suitable voltage the glass can be turned completely opaque. The use of such glass where the level of transparency can be controlled may be used to provide an optimal degree of transparency for the image being viewed. In such circumstances, the level of transparency may be controlled by a user manually or indeed a certain memory card may have a level associated with it and when that memory card is inserted that the controller activates the correct level of transparency for that card.
Control of the simulated fireplace of the present invention may be achieved using direct controls provided on the frame or by providing a remote control which can be activated by the user. The provision of such controls will be well known to those skilled in the art and the specific implementation will not be described here.
The words comprises/comprising when used in this specification are 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.

Claims

A simulated fireplace comprising a flat screen display panel mounted within a frame, the panel being configured to display at least one image sequence of a fire, the image sequence being stored on a memory device and characterised in that the memory device is a removable flash memory card, the frame being configured to provide a receiving slot which is positioned within the frame at a location which is easily accessible by a user such that the user can easily insert and remove memory cards as desired.
The fireplace as claimed in claim 1 wherein the receiving slot is provided in a side portion of the frame such that the card is inserted into the frame in a direction substantially perpendicular to the orientation of the display panel.
The fireplace as claimed in any preceding claim further including a heating element.
The fireplace as claimed in claim 3 wherein the heating element is a fan blower located at a rear portion of the frame a nd configured to blow air around a lower portion of the frame such that the air passes upwardly in front of the display panel.
The fireplace as claimed in any preceding claim further including a sheet positioned in front of the display panel and defining an air volume between the panel and the sheet.
The fireplace as claimed in claim 5 wherein the sheet is mountable to a front surface of the frame.
The fireplace as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein the sheet is heatable.
The fireplace as claimed in claim 7 wherein the sheet is coated with an resistive oxide coating and a current is passed through that coating so as to provide for a heating of the sheet.
The fireplace as claimed in claim 6 wherein the frame includes a plurality of vents dimensioned to allow air to circulate within the air volume.
The fireplace as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 9 wherein the dimensions of the sheet are greater than the dimensions of the frame.
The fireplace as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 9 wherein the sheet is a transparent glass sheet.
The fireplace as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 9 wherein the sheet is a glass sheet treated so as to have a smoked effect.
The fireplace as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 9 wherein the sheet is a glass sheet whose level of transparency is controllable on application of a voltage through the sheet.
The fireplace as claimed in any preceding claim further including at least one mounting bracket, the mounting bracket enabling a mounting of the fireplace to a wall.
The fireplace as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the choice of memory card inserted by the users depends on the image sequence that the user wishes to view.
A fireplace as claimed in any preceding claim further including at least one sound speaker, the speaker being configured to provide sound effects associated with the image of the fire being displayed on the panel.
A fireplace as claimed in any preceding claim including a second memory device, the second memory device being permanently located within the frame, the second device being configured to interact with the removable flash memory card so as to provide a second storage location for the image sequence on the flash memory card.
A fireplace substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.