JP7706708B2 - Folding fire pit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a foldable fire pit with a fire bed consisting of a bottom and side walls.

In outdoor leisure activities such as camping, fire pits are used to keep the body warm and cook food, and can be used to burn fuel such as firewood, or tree branches and fallen leaves. These tools are usually made of metal, and because they need to be strong, they are heavy and large, making them inconvenient to carry.

For this reason, easy-to-carry fire pits have been developed, such as the collapsible fire pit (see, for example, Patent Document 1), which is assembled by combining four side panels and placing a bottom panel in the middle, and the foldable fire pit (see, for example, Patent Document 2), which has a fire bed attached to a support base formed by combining frames.

However, even though these fire pits can be divided into smaller pieces for storage, assembling or dismantling them requires multiple operations in accordance with set procedures, so assembling them outdoors is not necessarily an easy task.

In addition, if the number of parts is large, there is a risk that some parts will be lost, and it may not be possible to repeatedly use the campfire pit for a long period of time.

For this reason, there is a need for a folding table that can be easily set up by anyone and is easy to carry and store so that people can enjoy outdoor leisure activities comfortably.

JP 2011-75270 A JP 2012-167920 A

The objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable fire pit that is easy to carry and assemble, yet strong enough for outdoor use.

As a result of the inventor's investigations into solving the above-mentioned problems, he discovered that by connecting two bottom plate members so that they can be rotated around one edge of each other as an axis, a bottom portion can be formed that can be freely folded, and by providing side wall portions equipped with a standing mechanism that allows the leg members to be deployed to the left and right as the bottom plate member is rotated upwards on the side edge of the bottom that intersects with the axis, the legs can be easily assembled or stored, thereby completing the present invention.

In other words, the present invention provides a foldable fire pit that has a fire bed section consisting of a bottom formed by connecting two bottom plate members so that they can rotate around one edge of each other as an axis, a plurality of leg members are provided on the underside of the two bottom plate members, and the foldable fire pit is equipped with a spacing biasing means for separating the two leg members on the underside of the bottom that are positioned opposite each other across the axis about which the bottom plate members rotate, and a movable connecting means for connecting the leg members to the bottom plate members so that they can be moved from one edge side of the bottom plate member which is the axis of rotation to the opposite edge side, and when the bottom plate member is rotated upward in a V-shape to unfold the bottom, the leg members unfold to the left and right along the underside of the bottom as the bottom plate member rotates .

Furthermore, the present invention is a foldable campfire stand, characterized in that a fire bed section is provided on the side edge of the bottom that intersects with the axis of rotation of the two bottom plate members, and the fire bed section has a side wall section equipped with an erection mechanism that erects as the bottom plate members rotate and unfold.

The present invention is also a foldable fire pit that is characterized in that the side walls rise up as the bottom plate member rotates by rotatably connecting the lower edge of the side wall portion to the inclined side edges of two adjacent bottom plate members, which are formed by cutting out the side edges of the bottom part that intersect with the axis of rotation in a roughly dogleg shape.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a foldable fire pit, characterized in that the lower edges of the side walls are slidably connected along the inclined side edges of the bottom plate member.

The present invention further provides a foldable fire pit, characterized in that the side wall portion is formed by connecting two side wall plate members so that they can rotate on the axis about which the bottom plate member rotates.

The present invention further provides a foldable fire pit that is characterized by having a rotation control means for rotating the two side wall panel members within a predetermined angle range.

The present invention further provides a foldable fire pit characterized by having a plate rotatably connected to the front and/or rear edges of the bottom.

According to the foldable fire pit of the present invention, leg members equipped with a spacing biasing means and a movable connecting means are placed on the underside of the bottom formed by rotatably connecting two bottom plate members together around one edge of each other as an axis.When the bottom plate member is rotated to unfold the bottom, the leg members unfold to the left and right along the underside of the bottom as the bottom plate member rotates, making it easy to assemble the fire pit.

In addition, when the bottom plate member is rotated to expand the bottom, the side wall portion stands up as the bottom plate member rotates, forming a fire bed portion, making it easy to assemble the fire pit.

On the other hand, when the bottom plate member is rotated to fold the bottom, the side walls collapse and are folded together with the two bottom plate members and stored. Also, since the leg members can be stored between the two bottom plate members, the fire pit can be easily transported.

Appearance diagram of the folding campfire stand in an unfolded state ((a) plan view, (b) front view, (c) bottom view, (d) side view) (photos used in place of drawings) Appearance diagram of the folding campfire stand in an unfolded state ((a) top perspective view, (b) bottom perspective view) (photos used as substitutes for drawings) A diagram showing the connection structure between the bottom and side walls of a folding campfire stand (photo used as a substitute for a drawing) Diagrams showing the unfolding or folding action of a folding campfire stand ((a) folded state, (b) to (d) unfolding or folding in progress, (e) unfolded state) (photos in lieu of drawings) External view of the folding campfire pit in the collapsed state ((a) plan view, (b) front view, (c) bottom view, (d) side view) (photos used in place of drawings) Schematic diagram showing the underside of a folding fire pit 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the structure of the separation biasing means (first embodiment) ((a) assembled state, (b) disassembled state) 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the structure of the separation biasing means (second embodiment) ((a) assembled state, (b) disassembled state) Schematic diagrams showing the operation of the separation biasing means ((a) leg members in an expanded state, (b) leg members in a slightly converged state) Schematic diagrams showing the deployment or convergence of leg members ((a) converged state, (b) to (d) states in the middle of deployment or convergence, (e) deployed state)

The folding campfire stove of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. Furthermore, the connection or attachment of components in the present invention includes not only direct connection, but also indirect connection via other components, and unless otherwise specified, all connections are included as long as the relative positional relationship between the attachment points of the two target components is kept approximately constant.

As shown in Figure 1, the foldable fire pit of the present invention is characterized by having a bottom 5 which is formed so as to be freely foldable by two bottom plate members 2, 3 which are rotatably connected to each other at one edge of an axis 4, and a fire bed section 8 which has side wall sections 6, 7 which are equipped with an erection mechanism 9 which erects as the bottom plate member is rotated and unfolded at the side edge of the bottom which intersects with the axis.

In Fig. 1, a bottom 5 formed by connecting two bottom plate members 2 and 3 and a fire bed 8 formed by arranging one side wall portion 6 and one side wall portion 7 on each side of the bottom are shown, but the number of side walls is not necessarily two, and they can be arranged on only one side depending on the purpose and shape of the fire pit. In addition, the number of bottom plate members is not limited to two, and three or more bottom plate members can be arranged and adjacent bottom plate members can be rotatably connected to form the bottom. In this case, a side wall portion equipped with a standing mechanism can be provided at a position intersecting the axis of rotation for each of two adjacent bottom plate members.

The raising mechanism provided on the side wall is not particularly limited, and for example, the bottom and the side wall can be connected with an elastic body, and the elastic force of the elastic body can be used to raise the side wall when the bottom plate member rotates and unfolds upward into a V-shape . Also, by using an elastic material for part of the side wall, it is possible to raise it in conjunction with the rotation of the bottom plate member.

The standing mechanism 9 can be formed by the shape of the bottom plate member, the shape of the side wall portions, and the means for connecting the bottom plate member and the side wall portions, as shown in Fig. 3. That is, by rotatably connecting the lower edges of the side wall portions to the inclined side edges of two adjacent bottom plate members formed by cutting out the side edges of the bottom portion intersecting with the axis of rotation in a substantially dogleg shape, the side wall portions can be made to stand up as the bottom plate member rotates.

Figure 4 shows the unfolding or folding action of the foldable campfire stand, and in the side wall portion 7 equipped with the standing mechanism 9 shown in Figure 3, the two adjacent bottom plate members gradually rotate left and right from the bottom and unfold, reaching a position where the two bottom plate members form an angle of 180 degrees (c), and then rotate further upward in a V shape (d), and the side wall portion stands up upward.

The bottom plate member and the side wall portion can be connected such that the lower edge of the side wall portion can slide along the inclined side edge of the bottom plate member. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower edge of the side wall portion 7 is rotatably connected to the inclined side edges of the bottom plate members 2 and 3, but by slidably connecting the lower edge of the side wall portion along the inclined side edge of the bottom plate member, the bottom plate member can rotate smoothly, and the side wall portion can be easily raised.

The side wall 7 can be formed by connecting two side wall plate members 10, 11 so that they can rotate on the axis 4 about which the bottom plate member rotates. With such a side wall, when the folding fire pit is in the state (a) in which the two bottom plate members are rotated downward and converged, as shown in FIG. 4, the side wall can be folded in two on the axis 4 about which the bottom plate members rotate, allowing it to be stored compactly (FIG. 5). On the other hand, when the folding fire pit is unfolded, the side wall can be raised up approximately vertically along the bottom cut out in an approximately L-shape (FIG. 2).

The two connected side wall plate members can be provided with a rotation control means for rotating within a predetermined angle range. As shown in FIG. 4, when the two bottom plate members are gradually rotated upward from the converged state (a), the two side wall plate members also rotate upward together with the bottom plate member until the bottom plate member is expanded 180 degrees (c). When the bottom plate member further rotates upward, the two side wall plate members do not rotate upward from the 180 degree position, but the side wall portion rises and rotates along the side edge of the bottom portion cut out in a substantially dogleg shape. For this reason, the two side wall plate members rotate differently from the bottom plate member, so if a rotation control means for rotating within a predetermined angle range is provided, the side wall plate members can operate smoothly and the side wall portion can be easily raised. For example, the two side wall members can be provided with a rotation control means for preventing further upward rotation after expanding 180 degrees.

The rotation control means is not particularly limited and any means can be used so long as it controls the rotation of the two side wall panel members within a specified angle range. For example, a wide range of means can be used, such as a means (not shown) that limits the width of the notch in the hinge connecting the two side wall panel members to a specified range to limit the rotation angle range, or a means (not shown) that provides a protrusion near the point where the two side wall panel members are connected and limits the rotation range because the protrusion gets in the way. The angle range between the two rotating side wall panel members is preferably 0 to 170 degrees.

In addition, when two side wall plate members are connected by an elastic body such as a spring so that they can rotate within a specified angle range, the side wall plate members can rotate smoothly and rise up along the side edges of the bottom cut out in an approximately L-shape while receiving the biasing force of the elastic body (not shown).

Figure 4 shows how two adjacent bottom plate members are gradually rotated left and right from below until they reach an angle of 180 degrees (c), then rotated further upwards to (d) to form a fire bed, with the side walls rising up. Conversely, the two adjacent bottom plate members can also be rotated vertically upwards to a closed state, and then gradually rotated downwards from this closed state to open left and right, resulting in the form shown in Figure 4(d), with the side walls rising up to form a fire bed (not shown). In this case, when the fire pit is in a collapsed state, the side walls are either folded and stored between the two bottom plate members, or protrude from the two bottom plate members in the form shown in Figure 5(b).

As shown in FIG. 1, the plates 12 and 13 can be rotatably connected to the side edges of the bottom 5 that are approximately parallel to the axis 4 of rotation. After use, the folding fire pit is folded by rotating the bottom plate member to store it (FIG. 4). When the bottom plate member is folded, the upper surface of the bottom where firewood or the like is burned is exposed as the outer surface of the folded bottom plate member. For this reason, the plates 12 and 13 are provided at the front and rear edges of the bottom, and when storing it, the plates 12 and 13 are first rotated to cover the upper surface of the bottom, and then the bottom plate member is folded, so that the hands holding the bottom plate member do not get dirty and it is easy to carry. In addition, such plates 12 and 13 are used in a state where they are approximately vertical as shown in FIG. 2, and by making it in this form, a fire can be made safely even when exposed to a crosswind, and food can be cooked on a net or the like placed on the upper edge of the plate member.

The plates are usually attached to the front and rear edges of the bottom, but depending on the size and shape of the fire pit, they may be attached to either the front or rear edge of the bottom.

As shown in Fig. 1, the folding fire pit 1 has a plurality of leg members on the underside of the bottom 5 formed by rotating two bottom plate members 2, 3 and expanding them into an upward V-shape , and can also be equipped with a separation biasing means 16 for separating two leg members 14, 15 on the underside of the bottom, which are located opposite each other across the axis 4 around which the bottom plate members 2, 3 rotate, and a moving connection means 17 for connecting the leg members to the bottom plate member so that they can move from one edge side of the bottom plate member, which is the axis of rotation, to the opposite edge side. A structure equipped with such leg members, separation biasing means, and moving connection means is also adopted in the folding table of Japanese Patent No. 6141698. Note that Fig. 1 shows an example of a fire pit with four leg members, but this is not limited to this, and an appropriate number of leg members can be arranged depending on the size of the bottom 5.

The separation biasing means 16 biases the two leg members 14, 15, which are positioned opposite each other across the axis 4 about which the bottom plate members 2, 3 rotate, so that they move apart from each other, and the movable connecting means 17 connects the leg members to the bottom plate member so that they can be moved from one edge side of the bottom plate member, which is the axis 4 of rotation, to the opposite edge side. When the bottom plate members 2, 3 are rotated to unfold the bottom 5, as the bottom plate members 2, 3 rotate, the two biased leg members 14, 15 unfold to the left and right while moving their connecting positions on the underside of the bottom 5, and the foldable fire pit can be unfolded and set up. In addition, when the bottom plate members 2 and 3 are rotated to fold the bottom 5, the two leg members pressed from the left and right by the undersides of the two bottom plate members converge to the center against the biasing force and can be stored between the two bottom plate members 2 and 3, allowing the folding campfire stand to be stored (Figures 10(a) to (e)).

The shape or material of the separation biasing means 16 is not particularly limited as long as it has the function of biasing the two leg members 14, 15 to move apart and to the left and right. Therefore, as the separation biasing means 16, for example, it is possible to adopt a means such as connecting the two leg members 14, 15 with an elastic body and using the elastic force of the elastic body to separate the two leg members from each other, but if a means is adopted in which parts of the two leg members made of an elastic body are connected to each other and the elastic force of the elastic body is used to separate the two leg members from each other, the separation biasing means can be formed integrally with the leg members, and the number of parts can be reduced. This makes it possible to create a folding campfire stand that is strong, lightweight, and highly portable.

As shown in FIG. 7, the separation biasing means 16 can be formed by bending both ends of a rod-shaped elastic body (e.g., an elastic metal rod) that forms the two leg members 14, 15, and arranging a first rotation connecting portion 18 that horizontally rotates between the tip of the lower end extension portion 14d extending from the lower end 14b of one leg member 14 and the tip of the upper end extension portion 15c extending from the upper end 15a of the other leg member 15, and a second rotation connecting portion 19 that horizontally rotates between the tip of the upper end extension portion 14c extending from the upper end 14a of one leg member 14 and the tip of the lower end extension portion 15d extending from the lower end 15b of the other leg member 15, at a distance along the axis 4 about which the base plate members 2, 3 rotate (FIG. 6).

As shown in FIG. 7(b), cylindrical pipes can be used for the first pivot connection 18 and the second pivot connection 19. The bent ends of the upper end extension 15c and the lower end extension 14d can be inserted from above and below into the openings at both ends of the first pivot connection 18, and the bent ends of the upper end extension 14c and the lower end extension 15d can be inserted from above and below into the openings at both ends of the second pivot connection 19, so that the upper end extension 15c and the lower end extension 14d, and the upper end extension 14c and the lower end extension 15d can be connected so that they can rotate horizontally.

In such a separation biasing means 16, as shown in FIG. 9, when the two leg members 14, 15 approach each other, the first pivot connection 18 and the second pivot connection 19 approach each other, and the relative positions of the upper end extensions and the lower end extensions at both ends of the leg members change, generating an elastic force (a repulsive force that tries to return to its original position) in the rod-shaped elastic body (e.g., an elastic metal rod), which makes it possible to separate the two leg members 14, 15 from each other. Here, when focusing on the leg member 14, the main elastic force (repulsive force) generated by the two leg members 14, 15 approaching each other can be said to be generated against the twisting action applied to the rod-shaped elastic body due to the relative rotation of the upper end extension 14c and the lower end extension 14d around the axis of the leg member 14.

7 shows an example in which the tip of the lower end extension 14d extending from the lower end 14b of one leg member 14 and the tip of the upper end extension 15c extending from the upper end 15a of the other leg member 15 are horizontally rotatably connected to form a first rotation connection 18, and the tip of the upper end extension 14c extending from the upper end 14a of one leg member 14 and the tip of the lower end extension 15d extending from the lower end 15b of the other leg member 15 are horizontally rotatably connected to form a second rotation connection 19. However, as shown in FIG. 8, The tips of the upper end extensions 14c, 15c extending from the upper ends 14a, 15a of the members 14, 15 are connected to each other so as to be horizontally rotatable to form a first rotation connection, and the tips of the lower end extensions 14d, 15d extending from the lower ends 14b, 15b of the two leg members 14, 15 are connected to each other so as to be horizontally rotatable to form a second rotation connection, and even if the first rotation connection and the second rotation connection are positioned apart along the axis 4 about which the base plate members 2, 3 rotate, an elastic force can be obtained to bias the leg members apart.

As shown in FIG. 6, the movable connecting means 17 may be a guide member 21, 23 provided on the underside of the bottom plate member 2, 3, which extends from one edge of the bottom plate member, which is the axis of rotation 4, to the opposite edge, and has a through hole 20, 22 with an opening surface that is approximately perpendicular to the lower surface of the bottom 5. By inserting the upper end extensions 14c, 15c extending from the upper ends 14a, 15a of the leg members 14, 15 into the through holes 20, 22 of the guide members 21, 23, it becomes possible to connect the leg members to the bottom plate member so that they can be moved from one edge of the bottom plate member, which is the axis of rotation 4, to the opposite edge.

The guide member connects the leg members so that they can move along the underside of the base plate member by inserting the upper end extensions of the leg members through through holes provided in the guide member, so at least one through hole is required for each leg member. However, by inserting different parts of the upper end extensions of the leg members through multiple through holes provided in the guide member, it is possible to more reliably regulate the direction in which the upper end extensions move. In the guide member 21 shown in FIG. 6, in addition to through hole 20, a through hole 28 is provided, and by inserting the upper end extensions 14c of the leg members 14 through these through holes 20 and 28, it is possible for the upper end extensions 14c to reliably deploy horizontally while moving along the underside of the base plate member.

By providing such a movable connecting means 17, when the bottom plate members 2, 3 are rotated to unfold the bottom 5, the two biased leg members 14, 15 move the upper end extensions 14c, 15c that pass through the through holes 20, 22 of the guide members 21, 23 as the bottom plate members 2, 3 rotate, and unfold to the left and right, allowing the folding campfire stand to be set up (Figures 10(a) to (e)). Also, when the bottom plate members 2, 3 are rotated to fold the bottom 5, the two leg members 14, 15 pressed from the left and right by the undersides of the two bottom plate members move the upper end extensions 14c, 15c within the through holes 20, 22 against the force of the separation biasing means 16, converging to the center, and being accommodated between the two bottom plate members 2, 3, the folding campfire stand can be folded up small.

The two bottom plate members 2, 3 can be rotatably connected by attaching a connecting device such as a hinge to connect them, or by installing a cylindrical section on each side of the two connected bottom plate members and inserting an axis member through the cylindrical section to form a hinge structure. However, by rotatably connecting the adjacent opposing sections of two guide members 21, 23 provided on the two rotating bottom plate members 2, 3 with the axis 4 between them, the lower surfaces of the two bottom plate members can be faced to each other, allowing the bottom 5 to be freely folded.

By connecting the two bottom plate members in this way so that they can rotate freely using the guide members 21, 23 installed on the bottom plate members 2, 3, the number of parts can be reduced, resulting in a product that is strong and lightweight, making it easy to carry.

Side walls 24, 25, 26, 27 can be provided on the underside of the bottom plate members 2, 3 along one edge that forms the axis 4 of the rotating bottom plate member and the opposite edge, forming a shallow recess on the underside of the bottom plate member surrounded by the side walls and guide member. By forming a shallow recess 29 on the underside of the bottom plate member in this way, the strength of the bottom plate member is improved, making it possible to make the bottom plate member thinner and lighter, resulting in a table that is easy to carry (Figure 2).

In addition, by providing side walls 25, 27 on the underside of the bottom plate members 2, 3 along the edge opposite the axis of rotation 4, when the two bottom plate members 2, 3 are rotated to fold the bottom, the leg members 14, 15, the separation biasing means 16, and the movable connecting means 17 can be stored in the space surrounded by the two bottom plate members 2, 3 and the side walls 25, 27, making the fire pit even easier to carry.

1 Folding fire pit 2 Bottom plate member 3 Bottom plate member 4 Axis 5 Bottom 6 Side wall portion 7 Side wall portion 8 Fire bed portion 9 Standing mechanism 10 Side wall plate member 11 Side wall plate member 12 Plate material 13 Plate material 14 Leg member 14a Upper end 14b Lower end 14c Upper end extension portion 14d Lower end extension portion 15 Leg member 15a Upper end 15b Lower end 15c Upper end extension portion 15d Lower end extension portion 16 Separation biasing means 17 Moving connecting means 18 First pivot connecting portion 19 Second pivot connecting portion 20 Through hole 21 Guide member 22 Through hole 23 Guide member 24 Side wall 25 Side wall 26 Side wall 27 Side wall 28 Through hole 29 Recess F Elastic force (repulsion force)

Claims (7)

This foldable fire pit has a fire bed section consisting of a bottom formed by connecting two bottom plate members so that they can rotate around one edge of each other as an axis, a plurality of leg members are provided on the underside of the two bottom plate members, and a separating force means for separating the two leg members on the underside of the bottom that are located opposite each other across the axis about which the bottom plate members rotate, and a movable connecting means for connecting the leg members to the bottom plate members so that they can move from one edge side of the bottom plate member which is the axis of rotation to the opposite edge side, and when the bottom plate member is rotated upward in a V-shape to unfold the bottom, the leg members unfold to the left and right along the underside of the bottom as the bottom plate member rotates . A foldable campfire stand as described in claim 1, characterized in that a side wall portion equipped with an erection mechanism that erects as the bottom plate member is unfolded is provided on the side edge of the bottom portion that intersects with the axis that rotatably connects the two bottom plate members. A foldable campfire stand as described in claim 2, characterized in that the lower edge of the side wall portion is rotatably connected to the inclined side edges of two adjacent bottom plate members formed by cutting out the side edge of the bottom portion that intersects with the axis of rotation in an approximately L- shape, so that the side wall portion stands up as the bottom plate member rotates. 4. The folding campfire stand according to claim 2 or 3 , characterized in that the lower edge of the side wall portion is slidably connected along the inclined side edge of the bottom plate member. 5. The foldable fire pit according to claim 2 , wherein the side wall portion is formed by connecting two side wall plate members so as to be rotatable on an axis about which the bottom plate member rotates. The foldable fire pit according to claim 5 , characterized in that the two side wall plate members are provided with a rotation control means for rotating within a predetermined angular range. 7. The folding campfire pit according to claim 1 , wherein a plate is rotatably connected to a side edge of the bottom part which is approximately parallel to the axis of rotation.

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