According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a gas appliance which comprises a stand, a gas emitter supported by the stand, and a gas bottle coupled to the gas emitter, for the supply of gas to the gas emitter, the gas bottle being suspended from the stand.

The gas emitter can, for example, be a gas heater or a gas lamp.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a gas appliance which comprises a stand and a gas emitter supported by the stand, the gas emitter being provided with means whereby it can be coupled to a gas bottle, for the supply of gas from the gas bottle to the gas emitter, the stand comprising three or more legs spaced peripherally about a space in which the gas bottle can be accommodated.

The appliance may further comprise anchoring means whereby the gas bottle can be suspended from the stand so as to hang in said space.

The anchoring means may include a lifting device for lifting the gas bottle from the ground.

The lifting device may comprise a lever having a fulcrum through which the lever is connected to the stand, a handle at one end of the lever, and a lifting hook at the other end of the lever, through which lifting hook the lever can be connected to the gas bottle.

The anchoring means may include an anchoring hook connected to the stand, and a length of chain which can be hooked onto the anchoring hook, whereby the effective length of the chain

can be adjusted by hooking a selected one of the links of the chain onto the anchoring hook.

The gas appliance may further comprise a skirt which encloses said space, the skirt comprising a plurality of panels of flexible sheet material, each said panel spanning between a corresponding pair of said legs. Thus, in the event of the stand having three legs, the skirt will have three panels and be of a triangular configuration when viewed in horizontal section.

The skirt may, at each of the corners where adjacent panels thereof meet, be provided with a loop or loops through which the corresponding leg can pass, thereby attaching the skirt to the stand.

The skirt may be provided with a sliding clasp fastener whereby the skirt can be opened so as to provide access to said space.

The stand may further comprise a post extending upwardly from the legs, the gas emitter being mounted at the upper end of the post, and the legs being disconnectably connected to the post.

The post may comprise a plurality of spaced upright elements each in the form of a tube, the number of said elements corresponding to the number of legs, each of the legs also being in the form of a tube, and there being a spigot-and-socket connection between each leg and the corresponding tubular element of the post.

Services leading to or from the gas emitter may pass trough one or more of the tubular elements of the post. These services may, for example, be: a gas pipe leading to the gas emitter, for conveying gas from the gas bottle to the gas emitter; a high tension lead leading from a spark ignition device to the gas emitter; and/or the connection of a flame failure system of the appliance, which connection leads from the gas emitter.

The gas appliance may comprise a control for controlling the operation of the gas emitter, the control being located at or near the lower end of the post.

The control may comprise a gas valve for controlling the flow of gas from the gas bottle to the gas emitter.

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of a gas appliance in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a section on 11-11 in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section on III-III in Figure 1, drawn to a larger scale than Figure 2; Figures 4 and 5 show the lower part of the appliance in vertical section, including also a mechanism for lifting a gas bottle from which gas is supplie to the appliance; Figure 6 shows the lifting mechanism in more detail; Figure 7 is a plan view of the lower part of a carrying case for the appliance when in a knock-down condition; Figure 8 is a section on VIII-VIII in Figure 7, showing the lower and upper casing parts of the carrying case, and also the gas appliance, the gas appliance being accommodated in a knock-down condition in the carrying case; Figure 9 is a section on IX-IX in Figure 8; and Figure 10 is a vertical section showing the upper part of the appliance when mounted on a table top.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 6, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a gas appliance which comprises a stand 12 having three legs 14, the legs being spaced peripherally about a space 16 in which a gas bottle 18 is accommodated. The gas appliance further comprises anchoring means whereby the gas bottle

is suspended from the stand, the anchoring means comprising an anchoring hook 20, a length of chain 22, and a lifting device 24.

The stand further comprises a post 26 which is formed by three peripherally spaced, upright elements 28, each in the form of a tube. Whereas the tubular elements 28 are parallel to one another for the major part of their length, the lower ends thereof are bent to diverge from one another. At their lower ends the tubular elements 28 are connected together by means of a hollow, cone- shaped hub 30. The anchoring hook 20 is attached to the hub 30.

At their upper ends the tubular elements 28 are connected together by means of a structure 32.

The legs 14 are also each in the form of a tube, there being a spigot-and-socket connection (not shown) between each of the legs 14 and the corresponding tubular element 28. The spigot- and-socket connections enable the legs 14 to be disconnected from the post 26, for packaging or stowing purposes. Removal of the legs 14 will also permit the gas appliance to be used in conjunction with a table which has a hole in the table top thereof.

The appliance further comprises a skirt 34 enclosing the space 16 and thus concealing the gas bottle 18. The skirt is of triangular configuration when viewed in horizontal section, as in Figure 2, comprising three panels 36 of flexible sheet material joined to one another at the corners. At each of the corners there is a series of loops 38 made of webbing. Each of the legs 14 passes through the loops 38 at the corresponding corner of the skirt. One of the panels 36 is provided with a sliding clasp fastener 40, which can be opened to provide access to the gas bottle 18.

The appliance further comprises a radiant cone heater 42 which is mounted on the structure 32 at the upper end of the post 26. The heater 42 inclues a gas emitter 44 and a reflector 46 above the gas emitter. The radiant cone heater 42 can be of a

construction that is known per se.

A gas pipe (not shown) is provided whereby the gas bottle 18 is coupled to the gas emitter 44, to supply gas from the gas bottle to the gas emitter.

If desired, an electric lamp 48 which has a downwardly directed reflector may be mounted inside the structure 32, the structure being open at the bottom so that light from the lamp can shine through.

Controls for the gas appliance are mounted on the hub 30, thus placing them at a convenient height for operation. There may, for example, be a control knob 50 for operating a gas valve that controls the supply of gas from the gas bottle to the heater 42, and for operating a spark ignition device of the heater.

The tubular elements 28 can accommodate various services leading to or from the gas emitter 44. Thus, one of the tubular elements 28 can conveniently be used to accommodate the gas pipe leading from the gas bottle 18 (via the gas valve) to the gas emitter 44. Alternatively, the gas pipe may lead to the gas emitter 44 through the space between the tubular elements 28, i. e. along the centre-line of the appliance. In this event, the electric lamp 48 would be omitted. Another one of the tubular elements 28 can conveniently be used to accommodate a high tension lead leading from the spark ignition device to the gas emitter 44. The third tubular element 28 can conveniently be used to accommodate the connection of the flame failure system of the heater, that leads from the gas emitter 44 to the gas valve. The lamp 48, if provided, may conveniently be a low voltage lamp, in which event a step-down transformer for providing the required voltage from a mains supply may be mounted inside the hub 30. A switch for switching the electric lamp 48 (if provided) on and off can also be mounted on the hub 30. Electric wiring to the lamp 48 may in that event pass

through one of the tubular elements 28.

The lifting device 24 comprises a bar 52 having a handle 54 at one end thereof, a first hook 56 at the other end, a shackle 58 set back from said other end, and a second hook 60 also set back from said other end. The hook 56 is pivotally connected to the bar 52 and can hook onto the gas bottle 18. The shackle 58 connects the chain 22 to the bar 52. The shackle 58 is also pivotally connected to the bar 52. The bar 52 thus forms a lever and the shackle 58 a fulcrum for the lever. The hook 60 is fixed to the bar 52 and is provided to hold the lifting device in the condition illustrated in Figure 5.

To suspend the gas bottle 18 from the stand 12, the hook 56 is hooked onto the gas bottle, and a selected one of the links of the chain 22 is hooked onto the hook 20. The device is now in the condition illustrated in Figure 4. The bar 52 is then pivoted about the fulcrum, in the direction of arrow A. This has the effect of lifting the gas bottle off the ground, as illustrated in Figure 5. The hook 60 is now engaged with the shank of the hook 56, to retain the lifting device in this condition. To disconnect the gas bottle 18 the procedure described above is reversed.

Referring now to Figures 7 to 9, reference numeral 62 indicates a carrying case for holding the gas appliance when in a knock-down condition. The carrying case comprises upper and lower casing parts 62.1 and 62.2. The casing parts each have a rim, and toggle clamps 64 which can engage with the rims are provided for holding the carrying case in its closed condition. The parts 62.1 and 62.2 may be of a vacuum-formed plastics material.

One end of the carrying case is shaped to accommodate the gas emitter 44 of the gas appliance (the reflector 46 having been removed), and the other end is shaped to accommodate the hub 30 and the diverging ends of the tubular elements 28. On the inside of

each of the casing parts there is a raised portion 66, the top of which is shaped to locate the tubular elements 28, as can best be seen in Figure 9. The upper casing part 62.1 may be cut away as shown at 68, to provide an opening through which a person can pass his hand and grip the uppermost one of the tubular elements 28. This then forms a convenient carrying handle for carrying the appliance in its carrying case. The spaces on the sides of the raised portion 66 can be used to accommodate the legs 14 and the skirt 34. The arrangement is such that the skirt 34 need not necessarily be removed from the legs 14 when packing the appliance in the carrying case. If the reflector 46 is of a segmented construction, the segments of the refiector can also be accommodated in the carrying case. Otherwise, a separate housing can be provided for the reflector.

Referring now to Figure 10, reference numeral 70 shows a table top (in vertical section) and reference number 72 a securing device for securing the post 26 (without the legs 14) to the table top. The securing device comprises a threaded rod 74 with an eye 76 at one end, a wing nut 78 at the other end, and a plate 80.

The plate has a hole therein through which the threaded rod 74 can pass. To mount the upper part of the appliance on the table top by means of the securing device 72, the eye 76 is placed over the hook 20 and, with the plate 80 seating on the underside of the table top, and the threaded rod passing through the opening in the plate, the wing nut 78 is tightened. In this event the gas bottle can stand on the ground instead of being suspended below the appliance.