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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.
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.
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.
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.