FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention is directed to a combustible heat source, and more specifically to a solid fuel package that controls a continuous burning of charcoal or other solid fuel and wherein the package is fully consumed by the flames.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Outdoor cooking is a popular recreational activity enjoyed by many while camping or day tripping, picnicking, tail gating at a sports event, or even in one's own back yard. While gas powered or electric grills may be used in one's own back yard or even while tail gating, a number of people prefer to use charcoal grills for cooking and/or grilling their meals whether at home, in a parking lot, at a campsite or other remote location for added flavor to the food, aroma, and for the experience. When grilling, it is preferable to be able to quickly and easily prepare the charcoal for cooking. It is also preferable to have easy clean up after food preparation is done - particularly if the cooking is done away from one's home.

[0003] Charcoal briquettes are commonly used to provide the heat necessary for cooking and/or grilling food on a grill. Conventional charcoal briquettes are typically provided in a large bag from which a smaller amount must be taken and placed in the grill for use. The briquettes are quite messy and as such, it is desirable to minimize the physical handling of the briquettes. It is common to use conventionally available metal chimneys into which a portion of a charcoal briquette bag is poured and ignited. A flammable liquid such a lighter fluid or the like may also be used to assist ignition of the briquettes. Once the charcoal briquettes are ignited and have burned to a sufficient degree, the chimney is turned over and the briquettes are poured into the grill and spread out for use. When using such a metal chimney, however, the user must bring along the metal chimney, bring along a lull bag of charcoal (usually 20 pounds), pour the messy charcoal briquettes into the metal chimney, pour out the hot coals, find a safe place to put the hot metal chimney once the coals are poured out, bring back the unused bag of charcoal and bring back the now dirty metal chimney. What is needed is a single-use, folly consumable chimney that is pre-loaded with the desired amount of charcoal briquettes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the mvention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In accordance with one embodiment, a solid fuel package is provided comprising a body formed of combustible material comprising at least one wall having a height and defining an interior space therein, said interior space having a first open end and a second open end distal from said first open end, a cover attached to said second open end further enclosing and defining said interior space, an amount of combustible solid fuel located inside said interior space and supported by said bottom cover, and a venting system, wherein the venting system comprises a plurality of elongated, substantially vertically oriented apertures spaced apart from each other around the exterior of said body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0006] FIG. 1 is a side perspective of a fuel igniter package incorporating an embodiment of the present invention;

[0007] FIG. 2 is a front view of the package of FIG. 1; [0008] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the package of FIG. 1 ;

[0009] FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the package of FIG. 1 further depicting a top lid; [0010] FIG. 5 is a side view of the package of FIG. 1 ; [0011] FIG. 6 is a top view of the package of FIG. 1 ; [0012] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the package of FIG. 1 ;

[0013] FIG. 8 is a cut-away view of the bottom side portion of the package of FIG. 1 , taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 5; and

[0014] FIG. 9 is a cut-away view of the package of FIG. 1 depicting the solid fuel contained therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] In the following description, various embodiments of the present invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment being described.

[0016] Referring now to the drawing figures in which like reference designators refer to like elements, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 9 a fuel package 10 for a fuel source 12. Fuel package 10 includes a body 11 having side wall 14, a bottom cover 20 and a venting system 22. Body 11 preferably comprises a tubular shape formed by side wall 14 that defines a compartment 13 having an interior space. Body 11 has a diameter P _D , a length P _L , a base end 16 and a top end 18 distal from the base end 16. The diameter is generally the same at the base end 16 and the top end 18. The compartment is large enough to store a predetermined quantity of charcoal briquettes or other solid fuel. Although a round tubular shape is the preferred cross-sectional shape for body 11, non-round tubular shapes such as triangular, square, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal and the like are also within the scope of the present invention. It is also within the scope of the present invention for body 11 to be formed of more than one side wall, rather than have a continuous tubular construction, wherein the plurality of side walls are connected to form a structure defining a compartment therein.

[0017] Body 11 is made of paper material, such as cardboard, paperboard, wound paper, pulp paper or the like, or other combustible material known in the industry. The preferred material is also preferably fire-resistant to a degree sufficient to allow body 11 to maintain its structure while the solid fuel 12 burns to a desired degree sufficient for grilling/cookiiig food, at which point body 11 will be consumed and collapse, leaving the solid fuel 12 ready for use in grilling.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 8, side wall 14 preferably comprises a bottom lip 21 located at the base end 16 of body 11. Bottom lip 21 folds under toward the interior of compartment 13 to provide a double layer of body 11 for additional thickness and strength at base end 16.

[0019] As can be seen in FIGS. 6-8, body 11 former comprises a bottom cover 20 for supporting the solid fuel 12 within the interior compartment 13 defined by side wall 14 and bottom cover 20. Bottom cover 20 is made of the same material as body 11 and is preferably paper in nature or an alternative combustible material. Bottom cover 20 is attached to base end 16 of body 11 by any of numerous methods commonly used in the industry. Preferably, bottom cover 20 comprises a flange 23 located along the exterior edge which is located in between the two layers of body 11 formed by bottom lip 21. Such methods of attachment include but are not limited to friction fit, adhesive attachment, stitching or any method whereby the attachment material is fully consumed during the burning of the body 11 and the solid fuel 12.

[0020] During the manufacture of fuel package 10, once the body 11 is fully constructed, including the bottom cover 20, a pre-determined amount of charcoal briquettes or other solid fuel 12, such as wood pellets, combustible compressed material pellets or other known solid fuels, is deposited into the compartment 13.

[0021] Venting system 22 provides the necessary oxygen to the solid fuel 12 for ignition and burning. Venting system 22 comprises a plurality of substantially parallel, elongated venting apertures 24 arranged vertically around the exterior of side wall 14. Apertures 24 each comprise a top end 26 located on the end nearest the top end 18 of body 11 and a bottom end 28 located on the end nearest the base end 16 of body 11. Each aperture 24 further comprises a width Vw and a length V _L .

[0022] For strength of the body 11 and ability of the body 11 to resist combustion long enough for the solid fuel 12 to reach the desired state for grilling, it has been found preferable for apertures 24 to be located approximately 2 to 3.5 inches apart from each other, and more preferably approximately 2.5 to 3 inches apart from each other, although other distances are acceptable. As such, as the diameter of body PD increases, additional apertures 24 may be added to provide adequate ventilation for the ignition of the solid fuel 12, while still maintaining the necessary structural integrity of the body 11 to support the solid fuel 12 and retain sufficient structure for the time necessary for the solid fuel 12 to reach the desired state for grilling. By way of example only, a body 11 having a diameter PD of 4 inches would preferably comprise approximately 4 venting apertures 24. By way of further example, a body 11 having a diameter PD of 6 inches would preferably comprise approximately 7 venting apertures 24.

[0023] It has been found that the venting aperture 24 area is preferably approximately 4 to 12% of the non-vented body 11 surface area and more preferably 7 to 8%. A preferred venting aperture width Vw is approximately .2 to .3 inches, and more preferably .25 inches, but could vary depending on the combustibility of the material used for body 11, which may in turn depend on the specific type of material as well as the thickness of the material. A preferred venting aperture length is approximately .5 inches less than the height of side wall 14, although the length could vary between .42 and 2 inches depending on the type of paper used for the body 11 and could vary more widely if materials other than paper were used. If the distance between vent top end 26 and body top end 18 is too small, body 11 will collapse before the solid fuel 12 has reach the desired state for grilling. Conversely, if the distance between vent top end 26 and body top end 18 is too large, body 11 will not collapse early enough for use of the solid fuel 12 and/or full consumption of body 11. The distance provided between venting aperture 24 and the edge of body 11 at body top end 18 is substantially equal to the distance provided between venting aperture 24 and the edge of body 11 at body base end 16. As the combustibility of the material increases, the overall size of the venting apertures in relation to the overall surface area of body 11 would preferably decrease to adjust for the increased speed of combustion and ensure that the structure remained sufficiently intact until the solid fuel was at the desired state.

[0024] The shape of the ends of venting apertures 24 may be curved, squared, or oilier shapes capable of manufacture in the industry, keeping in mind ease and feasibility of manufacture. The shape of venting apertures 24 is preferably an elongated slit as shown in FIGS. 1-3, for ease of manufacture. It is within the scope of the present invention, however, for the shape of venting apertures 24 to be elliptical, oval, or other shapes, provided any increase in venting aperture area is taken into account in determining the appropriate number and size of apertures to include in body 11. It is also within the scope of the present invention for the apertures to comprise multiple shorter apertures in a single column as opposed to a single, continuous aperture.

[0025] Optionally, side wall 14 at body top end 18 may comprise a rolled lip (not shown) to provide additional structural and additional surface area for attaching optional lid 30. An embodiment of the present invention comprises a lid 30 covering body top end 18 to assist in retaining solid fuel 12 within compartment 13 during transport. Lid 30 may be made of plastic, paper, or other material such as aluminum foil. Lid 30 may be removably attached to body 11 by a friction fit, by adhesive (as shown in FIG. 4) or by other means commonly known and used in the packaging industry. Lid 30 may have a shape to match the shape of the top end 18 of body or may include corners or a tab extending past the edge of top end 18 to allow for easy removal. [0026] In use, fuel package 10 is placed in a grilling unit in an upright orientation with base end 16 on the bottom. The lid 30 is removed either before placing package 10 in the grilling unit or after. The solid fuel 12 is ignited by user with a match or lighter through the top opening 19 located at top end 18. As the solid fuel 12 burns, the paper material of body 11 will also burn. The venting apertures 24 allow for the desired air flow through the body 11. As the solid fuel 12 and body 11 burn, the paper shell of body 11 burns down to the base end 16 and the sold fuel will collapse down on itself forming a uniform pile. The solid fuel, preferably charcoal briquettes, are ready for cooking when the paper body 11 is burned away. Although not necessary, a user could apply an accelerant to the solid fuel. Once the user is done cooking, only ash remains with no paper, metal or other refuse to discard.

[0027] Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus, while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment thereof is shown in the drawings and has been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

[0028] All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein,

[0029] The use of the terms "a" and "an" and "the " and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising," "having," "including," and "containing" are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,") unless otherwise noted. The term "connected" is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

[0030] Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred

embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.