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

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 Hd, 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

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 Hd. 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 Hd and thus eliminate the need for a separate bottom Hd. 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.

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, atop 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-

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 amount 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 Hd 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

extend from the bottom face 24 away from the top face 23. The protuberances 25 are located approximately equilaterally from 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

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 makes 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.

Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.