US20080184981A1

US20080184981A1 - Multi-Function Portable Gas Stove

Info

Publication number: US20080184981A1
Application number: US12/025,876
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert Su
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-02-06
Filing date: 2008-02-05
Publication date: 2008-08-07
Also published as: TW200834015A; TWI316124B; JP3140998U

Abstract

A multi-function portable gas stove with folding pan supports comprises a burner that is surrounded by a reflective tray for reflecting a heat radiation of a stove fire of the portable gas stove on a cooker, and plural sets of support units pivotally connected to the burner. Each of the support units comprises a first folding arm that has three joints and heat sinks while drawn by an elastic element. The first joint of the first folding arm is pivotally connected to the burner, and the second joint is pivotally connected by one end of a second folding arm. A third folding arm is pivotally connected between the third joint of the first folding arm and a sliding groove formed on the second folding arm. Furthermore, a rotatable claw is pivotally mounted on the third joint of each of the first folding arm. Thereby, the portable gas stove is adaptable to cookers of different sizes by variably folding the support units and the burner can be uprighted to a higher altitude or slanted so as to allow a user to cook in different ways. When the support units are folded and retracted, a gas bottle can be fixed on the burner for convenient carrying and storing.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field
The present invention relaters to a portable gas stove having a burner attached by multi-stage folding support units for supporting cookers with various sizes and uprighting or slanting the burner so as to allow a user to cook or burn foods in different ways.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional portable gas stove typically has a refillable gas reservoir and a burner directly mounted on the reservoir, such as that disclosed in Taiwan Patent Publications M279821, 241884, 117001, 36695 or 34546. Though those conventional portable gas stoves are advantageous by being gas-refillable, a gas bottle is nevertheless indispensable for resupplying gas in an extended use case. Besides, those conventional portable gas stoves are somewhat of bulkiness and thus inconvenient for storage while the spare gas bottles taken out along with the portable gas stoves cause extra trouble for carrying and storing the same. In addition, since pan supports of the conventional portable stove directly settled on the reservoir thereof for supporting cookers, when stretched, usually provide a limited supporting area, the pan supports are handicapped in supporting a relatively large cooker. In a case where a relatively large cooker is put thereon and filled with foods, the cooker will easily capsize due to the narrow supporting area.
Moreover, some other conventional gas stoves have a structure that a plurality of pan supports are provided around a burner thereof and a gas pipe is implemented to transport gas from a gas reservoir which is not combined with the burner, such as that taught by Taiwan Patent Publications 489990, 415578, 203365, 202782, 195407, 156765, 149050, 149049 or 117271. Though some of the mentioned gas stoves have detachable pan supports, such design provides no help in carrying or storing the gas stoves. Meantime, since supporting areas defined by the pan supports are limited; these gas stoves are also unsuitable for large cookers. That is to say, when these gas stoves are used with a relatively large cooker or a cooker filled with foods, the cooker is subject to overturn because of its unbalanced placement. Also, as the gas reservoir and the portable gas stove are independent components but not formed as an integral, they have to be carried separately and this is inconvenient to users.
Additionally, when any one of the aforementioned conventional portable gas stoves is used to cook, foods to be cooked have to be place right on the stove fire for acquiring sufficient heat, yet however, oil or sauce released by the heated foods may directly drop on the burner to stain or clog the burner and undesirably snuff out the stove fire or cause the burner become difficult to be cleaned.
What is more, the pan supports of the aforementioned conventional portable gas stoves merely serve to support cookers or burners and cause the conventional portable gas stoves provide no added value in addition to their portability, mobility and outdoor adaptability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Hence, for remedying the above problems of the conventional portable gas stoves that includes the limited adaptability to cookers of various sizes, liability to staining the burners and inconvenient transportation, the present invention implements plural sets of multi-stage folding support units which are pivotally connected to a burner. Each of the support units primarily comprises a first folding arm having three joints, wherein the first joint of the first folding arm is pivotally connected to the burner. A second folding arm has one end thereof pivotally connected to the second joint of the first folding arm. A third folding arm has one end thereof pivotally connected to the third joint of the first folding arm and an opposite end slidably received by a sliding groove provided on the second folding arm.
Furthermore, each said first folding arm of the present invention is equipped with heat sinks.
Moreover, each said first folding arm of the present invention can be drawn toward the burner by an elastic element.
Additionally, a reflective tray is provided around the burner of the present invention.
Besides, a rotatable extending claw is pivotally mounted on the third joint of each said first folding arm.
Thereby, in the present invention, the multi-stage folding support units pivotally connected to the burner, when folded and laid aside the burner, help to fix a gas bottle on the burner so that a user can conveniently carry or store the gas stove and the gas bottle. On the other hand, the support units also serve to support cookers with different sizes by providing an adjustable supporting area defined by the folded or stretched support units. Also, the support units serve to upright or slant the burner so that the disclosed gas stove is adaptive to a relatively high cooker or heating a food from a side thereof so as to prevent oil or juice generated by the heated food from dropping on the burner directly and thereby maintain the burner in cleanness and burner ports in an unobstructed state, resulting in an extended use life of the burner.
Furthermore, the heat sinks equipped on each said first folding arm of the present invention as motioned above enable thermal conduction when laying aside the burner so as to rapidly guide out and distribute excessive heat on the burner, thereby preventing the exterior of the burner from being excessively hot and in turn ensuring safe use.
Moreover, the elastic element of the present invention helps to draw each said support unit to perform various folding positions easily and helps to fix the folded support units in position.
Additionally, the reflective tray provided around the burner of the present invention serves to prevent heat radiation of the stove fire from dissipation and further reflect the heat radiation to the cooker to enhance the heating efficiency of the stove fire.
Besides, the extending claw mounted on the third joint of the first folding arm of the support unit in the present invention can freely rotate over the burner to function as a support for cookers with different sizes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the disclosed subject matter;

FIG. 2 is a lateral view of the disclosed subject matter;

FIG. 3 is an applied view of the disclosed subject matter showing support units stretched to the utmost;

FIG. 4 is another applied view of the disclosed subject matter showing the support units uprighting a burner;

FIG. 5 is another applied view of the disclosed subject matter showing the support units further uprighting the burner; and

FIG. 6 is another applied view of the disclosed subject matter showing the support units folded to fix a gas bottle on the burner.

APPENDIX

Photo 1 shows the support units slanting the burner to a first position.
Photo 2 shows the support units slanting the burner to a second position.
Photo 3 shows the support units slanting the burner to a third position.
Photo 4 shows the support units slanting the burner to a fourth position.
Photo 5 shows the support units slanting the burner to a fifth position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Please refer to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. Therein, plural sets of support units 2 are radially provided around a bottom of a burner 1. The burner 1 is equipped with a core 11 made of far infrared ceramics and a nozzle 12 positioned at one side thereof for introducing gas. A flange 13 is formed at an upper periphery of the burner 1 and is covered by a heat-insulating element 14 and a reflective tray 15 that has gaps for allowing the support units 2 to pass therethrough. The heat-insulating element 14 and the reflective tray 15 are fixedly connected to the flange 13 while an inner edge of the reflective tray 15 abuts against and thereby position the core 11.
Besides, each of the support units 2 primarily comprises a first folding arm 21, a second folding arm 22 and a third arm 23 which are pivotally connected mutually. Therein, the first folding arm 21 has three joints 211, 212, 213 and a plurality of heat sinks 214. The first joint 211 of the first folding arm 21 is such connected to the bottom of the burner 1 that the first folding arm 21 can freely swing. An accommodating groove 215 is provided at an outer side of the first folding arm 21 adjacent to the first joint 211 for receiving a circular elastic element 27 therein so that all the first folding arm 21 are held together. The second joint 212 at the outer side of the first folding arm 21 is pivotally connected to one end of the second folding arm 22. A sliding groove 221 is formed at a lateral of the second folding arm 22. Then the third arm 23 has one end thereof pivotally connected to the third joint 213 while having an opposite end slidably received in the sliding groove 221 of the second folding arm 22. Moreover, one end of an extending claw 28 is such pivotally connected to the third joint 213 of the first folding arm 21 that the extending claw 28 can freely swing against the third joint 213.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the first folding arms 21 of the support units 2 pivotally connected to the burner 1 are folded outward so that inner sides thereof are drawn to abut a lateral of the burner 1 due to a pulling force provided by the elastic element 27, and the second folding arms 22 are turned outward to brace between the corresponding first folding arms 21 and third folding arms 23, the support units 2 of the present invention are stretched outward to provide a largest supporting area for supporting a cooker, thereby enabling the portable gas stove of the present invention to accommodate the cooker with a relatively large size. On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 2, when the second folding arms 22 are turned inward to overlap the corresponding first folding arms 21, the third folding arms 23 are driven to retract. Then the extending claws 28 can be folded to make a free end thereof lay on an inner edge of the reflective tray 15 so that the supporting area for supporting a cooker is narrowed for being adaptive to the cooker having a relatively small size.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, when the first folding arms 21 of the support units 2 are turned downward and inward to their upright positions, the burner 1 is propped up so that the stove fire can be raised to a higher altitude for fitting a cooker placed higher. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the second folding arms 22 can be further turned outward and standing on the ground together with the third folding arms 23 so that the burner 1 can be further raised for cooking.
Moreover, as shown in Photo 1, the first folding arm 21 of one of the support units 2 is folded upward with the second and third folding arms 22, 23 to abut the burner 1, while the other two support units 2 are folded downward, so that a fire surface of the burner 1 is slanted. Or, as shown in Photo 2, the first folding arms 21 of two of the support units 2 are folded upward with the second and third folding arms 22, 23 to abut the burner 1, while the other support unit 2 is folded downward. Alternatively, as shown in Photo 3, the second and third folding arms 22, 23 of the two front support units 2 are further turned outward. In Photo 4, only the second and third folding arms 22, 23 of the back support unit 2 are turned outward. Or, as shown in Photo 5, the second and third folding arms 22, 23 of the three support units 2 are all turned outward. Thereupon, the fire surface can be slanted to different gradients so that a user can cook with the stove fire of different gradients as needed. Especially, a lateral heat function is available so that oil, juice or sauce generated when foods are heated will not directly drop on the burner 1. Therefore, not only the burner 1 can be maintained clean but also the ports of the burners can be prevented from being clogged, resulting in an extended use life of the burner.
On the other hand, the heat sinks 214 provided on the first folding arms 21 of the support units 2 enable thermal conduction when laying on the burner 1 so as to more rapidly guide out and distribute excessive heat in heating, thereby preventing an exterior of the burner 1 from being excessively hot and in turn ensuring safe use. Additionally, the reflective tray 15 provided around the burner 1 serves to prevent heat radiation of the stove fire from dissipation and further reflect the heat radiation to the cooker to enhancing the heating efficiency of the stove fire.
Referring to FIG. 6, when the gas stove is not in use, a gas bottle 3 can be placed in the burner 1, and then the support units 2 are all folded upward, so that a buckle portion 216 provided on each said folding arms 21 can engage with an outer flange at a bottom of the gas bottle 3 to positioned the gas bottle 3 on the stove. Thereupon, the folded stove is significant reduced in volume and convenient to be carried and stored together with the gas bottle 3.
Although the particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that numerous variations will be possible to the disclosed embodiments without going outside the scope of the invention as disclosed in the claims and the equivalents.

Claims

1. A multi-function portable gas stove, comprising a burner and plural sets of support units settled around the burner, wherein:

the plural sets of support units arc pivotally connected to the burner, and

each of the support units comprises a first folding arm having a first joint pivotally connected to the burner, a second folding arm having one end thereof connected to a second joint of the first folding arm and formed with a sliding groove thereon, and a third folding arm having one end thereof pivotally connected to a third joint of the first folding arm and an opposite end slidably received by the sliding groove of the second folding arm.

2. The portable gas stove of claim 1, wherein the first folding arm of each of the support units is equipped with heat sinks.

3. The portable gas stove of claim 1, wherein the first folding arm of each of the support units is drawn toward the burner by an elastic element.

4. The portable gas stove of claim 1, wherein a reflective tray is provided around an upper periphery of the burner for reflecting a heat radiation of a stove fire of the portable gas stove.

5. The portable gas stove of claim 1, wherein a rotatable claw is pivotally mounted on the third joint of the first folding arm of each of the support units.