US20070015097A1

US20070015097A1 - Oil burning torch having wind protector

Info

Publication number: US20070015097A1
Application number: US11/181,852
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas Baker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-07-15
Filing date: 2005-07-15
Publication date: 2007-01-18

Abstract

An oil burning torch having a fuel reservoir, a vertical support pole supporting the fuel reservoir, a dish-shaped wick holder resting on said fuel reservoir, the wick holder having a centrally located wick holding aperture supporting a wick. The wick aperture is located at the lower center thereof and opening into the fuel reservoir. The wick is protected from side winds while burning within the dish-shape wick holder below the circumferential rim. The fuel reservoir is generally cylindrical in shape, having a bottom wall, a sidewall, and an upper rim, the dish-shaped wick holder being supported by the rim thereof resting on the upper rim of the reservoir, the wick extending downward into the oil in the reservoir. A lid is provided having a horizontal circumferential rim corresponding to the circumferential rim of the wick for extinguishing the torch and covering said wick holder and reservoir during periods of nonuse.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to torches. More particularly, the present invention relates to oil burning torches for outdoor use such as on a lawn for lighting.
2. Description of the Related Art
Oil burning torches are popular for use at lawn parties and festive occasions after dark. Simple, oil burning torches which are staked into the ground, popularly called “Tiki-Torches” are subject to being easily knocked over and wind can extinguish the torch flame or blow the flame sideways, altering the desired light pattern. Other torches expose the lighted wick to side winds with a similar result. It would be desirable to provide an oil burning torch which is resistant to overturning and the lighted wick is protected from extinguishing in winds.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, an oil burning torch solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An oil burning torch having a fuel reservoir, a vertical support pole supporting the fuel reservoir, and a dish-shaped wick holder resting on the fuel reservoir. The wick holder has a central wick holding aperture supporting a wick. The wick holding aperture is located at the lower center thereof and opening into the fuel reservoir. The wick is protected from side winds while burning within the dish-shape wick holder below the circumferential rim. The fuel reservoir is generally cylindrical in shape, having a bottom wall, a sidewall, and an upper rim, the dish-shaped wick holder being supported by the horizontal circumferential rim thereof resting on the upper rim of the reservoir, the wick extending downward into the oil in the reservoir. A lid is provided having a horizontal circumferential rim corresponding to the circumferential rim of the wick for extinguishing the torch and covering said wick holder and reservoir during periods of nonuse. These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of an oil-burning torch according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the oil-burning torch of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the oil-burning torch of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an environmental, perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is an environmental, perspective view of another embodiment of the invention similar to that of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 6.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is an oil-burning torch for outdoor use such as in a yard which is decorative in design and protects the lighted wick from crosswinds.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there are shown a perspective view, an exploded view, and a sectional view, respectively, of one embodiment of the inventive protected oil-burning torch. Torch 10 includes a cylindrical fuel reservoir 12 having a toroidispherical shape and being supported by support pole 14 mounted on stand 16, enabling the torch 10 to be easily moved to a desired location. A wick holder 18 is in the general form of a deep dish having a dished central portion 20 and a flat circumferential rim 22 and having a centrally disposed wick holding aperture 24 therethrough for holding a wick 26. A wick 26 may be directly inserted through and held at wick holding aperture 24 so as to extend into the oil O for use. Preferably, a wick receiving tube 25 having an angled lower end (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is employed to hold wick 26, wick receiving tube 25 depending from wick holder 18 and aligned with wick holding aperture 24 to assure feed of oil to wick 26. The rim 22 is of such diameter as to rest on the upper rim 40 formed by sidewall 39 of reservoir 12.
A lid 28 is provided to snuff out the torch when desired, the lid 28 having a dished central portion 30 and a flat circumferential rim 32 matching circumferential rim 22 of wick holder 18. The rim 32 has a hanger aperture 34 therethrough for hanging on a hanger hook 36 mounted on support pole 14 during torch use. The lid has a centrally located handle 38 for handling lid 28.
The lower wall 41 of the reservoir 12 has a centrally mounted insert 42 extending downward into the upper portion of support pole 14. A securing screw 44 is mounted through the wall of support pole 14 to secure the reservoir 12 by turning until tight against insert 42.
In use, the torch 10 is filled to a desired level with oil O and the wick holder 18 is placed on the reservoir rim 40. A wick 26 is inserted through wick holding aperture 24 such that the upper end is below the rim 22 of wick holder 18 and the wick extends into the oil O in reservoir 12. The wick 26 is lit, flame F being protected from crosswinds by the depression of the dish-shaped wick holder 18.
As an example, the reservoir is about 3½″ in depth having a 9″ outside diameter at its rim. The wick holder has an overall diameter of about 9½″ with the dish portion having a diameter of 8″and a depth of 1¾″. The lid has the same dimensions as the wick holder so as to fit flat on the wick holder. The support pole is metal tubing, 32″ in length, and the stand is 13¾″ in diameter having a height of 1¼″. The stand may be solid or dished sheet metal having a 12″ diameter dish surrounded by a ¾ wide circumferential flat.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is shown a perspective view and a sectional view, respectively, of another embodiment of the wind-protected torch of the present invention. This embodiment employs the same support pole 14 and stand 16 as the first embodiment and may be substituted thereon by loosening securing screw 44, removing the reservoir 12 of the first embodiment, replacing with the reservoir of the second embodiment and tightening securing screw 44.
Torch 60 has a fuel reservoir 62 having a dished upper portion 64 and a similarly dished, inverted lower portion attached as by welding at their respective circumferential attachment flanges 68 to form the reservoir for holding oil O. A centrally disposed, dished wick protector 70, similar in configuration to wick holder 18 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, above, has a centrally disposed wick holder tube 75 centrally inserted downward through wick holder receiver aperture 77 in the reservoir upper portion 64. A wick 76 is installed downward through holder tube 75 and adjusted to height. The reservoir upper and lower portions 64 and 66 are preferably identical in configuration to the wick holder 18 of the first embodiment, thereby simplifying the construction of the two alternative torch designs.
A lid 78 having a dished central portion and a flat circumferential rim is provided to match the dimensions of the dished wick protector 70. Lid 78 has a hanger aperture 84 for hanging on hook 36 and a centrally mounted handle 88. A cylindrical reservoir support insert 90 is centrally mounted to the fuel reservoir lower portion 66 for securing in the upper end of support pole 14 by means of tightening securing screw 44 thereagainst. This embodiment preferably has a wick protector having a 6″ diameter dish portion surrounded with a ¾″ circumferential rim with a lid of similar dimensions.
Referring to FIGS. 6-8, there is shown another embodiment of the present invention similar to that of the torch of FIGS. 1-3 as described above. The embodiment of FIG. 6 is substantially identical to that of FIG. 1-3 with the exception that the dished wick protector 70 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is employed to hold the wick 26 (see FIG. 5). The wick holder tube 75 extends downward through wick aperture 24 in wick holder 20. The wick 76 extends downward through wick aperture 74 at the upper end of wick holder tube 75. Wick holder tube 75 extends downward a sufficient length such that its lower end 77 rests on the bottom 41 of reservoir 12, leaving a vertical space between lower wall 71 of dished wick protector 70 and the original wick holder 20. The wick protector 70 in this configuration acts as a heat shield, the space allowing for cooler, safer operation of the torch 10, keeping flame F further from the oil O in reservoir 12.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An oil burning torch comprising:

a fuel reservoir;

a vertical support pole supporting said fuel reservoir; and

a concave, bowl-shaped wick holder located on said fuel reservoir;

said wick holder having a centrally located wick holding aperture for supporting a wick; and

said wick holding aperture being located at the lower center thereof and opening into said fuel reservoir;

whereby said wick is protected from side winds while burning within said dish-shaped wick holder below said circumferential rim.

2. The oil burning torch according to claim 1, said wick holder having a wick holder tube depending from said wick holder and aligned with said wick holding aperture.

3. The oil burning torch according to claim 2, said fuel reservoir being generally cylindrical in shape and having a bottom wall, a sidewall, and an upper rim, said dish-shaped wick holder being supported by said horizontal circumferential rim thereof resting on said upper rim of said reservoir.

4. The oil burning torch according to claim 3, further comprising a lid having a horizontal circumferential rim corresponding to said circumferential rim of said wick holder and selectively resting thereon for extinguishing the torch and covering said wick holder and reservoir during periods of nonuse.

5. The oil burning torch of claim 4, said lid being in the form of an inverted dish generally corresponding in shape to said wick holder and having a centrally mounted handle.

6. The oil burning torch of claim 5, said lid having an aperture in said circumferential rim for hanging during use of the torch.

7. The oil burning torch of claim 3, said bottom wall having a centrally mounted support pole insert depending therefrom, said support pole being tubular and having a securing screw near the upper end thereof and selectively bearing on said support pole insert for securing said reservoir to said support pole.

8. The oil burning torch according to claim 7, said support pole having a hanger hook located thereon for receiving said lid during use.

9. The oil burning torch according to claim 4, further comprising a stand supporting said support pole.

10. The oil burning torch according to claim 1, wherein said fuel reservoir is circular in form; said fuel reservoir having a dish-shaped lower portion having a circumferential rim and an inverted dish-shaped upper portion having a circumferential rim corresponding to that of said lower portion, said circumferential rims of said lower portion and said upper portion being joined so as to form said reservoir, said inverted dish-shaped upper portion defining a wick receiving aperture at its upper center, said wick receiving aperture of said dish-shaped wick receiver being aligned with said wick receiving aperture of said inverted dish shaped upper portion of said reservoir, said dish-shaped wick receiver acting as a wick protector.

11. The oil burning torch of claim 10, said wick protector having a wick receiving tube depending therefrom aligned with said wick receiving aperture, said wick receiving aperture of said inverted dish-shaped upper portion of said reservoir being a centrally located wick receiving tube aperture receiving said wick in said wick receiving tube extending from said wick protector for burning oil from said reservoir.

12. The oil burning torch of claim 11, said dish-shaped lower portion of said reservoir having a support pole insert centrally mounted and depending therefrom.

13. The oil burning torch of claim 12, said support pole being tubular and having a securing screw near the upper end thereof and selectively bearing on said support pole insert for securing said reservoir to said support pole.

14. The oil burning torch according to claim 13, further comprising a lid having a horizontal circumferential rim corresponding to said circumferential rim of said wick holder and selectively resting thereon for extinguishing the torch and covering said wick holder and reservoir during periods of nonuse.

15. The oil burning torch of claim 14, said lid being in the form of an inverted dish generally corresponding in shape to said wick holder and having a centrally mounted handle.

16. The oil burning torch of claim 1, said wick holding aperture of said wick holder acting as a centrally located wick holder tube receiving aperture, said torch further comprising a dish-shaped wick protector having a centrally located wick receiving aperture therein and a depending wick receiving tube aligned with said aperture and depending from said wick protector, said wick protector being of a greater length than the distance between said wick holder and the bottom of said fuel reservoir, said dish-shaped wick protector being spaced above said wick holder, acting as a heat shield for said wick holder and said reservoir when said torch is burning.

17. The oil burning torch of claim 16, said wick receiving tube being cut at an angle at its lower end so as to expose said wick to the oil in said reservoir.

18. The oil burning torch according to claim 17, further comprising a lid having a horizontal circumferential rim corresponding to said circumferential rim of said wick protector and selectively resting thereon for extinguishing the torch and covering said wick protector and reservoir during periods of nonuse.

19. An oil burning torch comprising:

a fuel reservoir;

a vertical support pole supporting said fuel reservoir;

a concave, bowl-shaped wick holder located on said fuel reservoir;

said wick holder having a centrally located wick holding aperture supporting a wick;

said wick holder having a wick holder tube depending from said wick holder and aligned with said wick holding aperture;

said fuel reservoir being generally cylindrical in shape and having a bottom wall, a sidewall, and an upper rim, said dish-shaped wick holder being supported by said horizontal circumferential rim thereof resting on said upper rim of said reservoir;

said wick holding aperture being located at the lower center thereof and opening into said fuel reservoir; and

said fuel reservoir bottom wall having a centrally mounted support pole insert depending therefrom, said support pole being tubular and having a securing screw near the upper end thereof and selectively bearing on said support pole insert for securing said reservoir to said support pole;

20. An oil burning torch comprising:

a fuel reservoir;

a vertical support pole supporting said fuel reservoir;

a concave, bowl-shaped wick holder located on said fuel reservoir;

said wick holder having a centrally located wick holding aperture for supporting a wick;

said wick holding aperture of said wick holder acting as a centrally located wick holder tube receiving aperture;

said torch further comprising a dish-shaped wick protector having a centrally located wick receiving aperture therein and a depending wick receiving tube aligned with said aperture and depending from said wick protector;

said wick protector being of a greater length than the distance between said wick holder and the bottom of said fuel reservoir;

said dish-shaped wick protector being spaced above said wick holder, acting as a heat shield for said wick holder and said reservoir when said torch is burning; and

said torch further comprising a lid having a horizontal circumferential rim corresponding to said circumferential rim of said wick protector and selectively resting thereon for extinguishing the torch and covering said wick protector and reservoir during periods of nonuse;