Fireplace screen

Abstract

Folding glass doors have a novel pivotal mounting for easy removal for cleaning. An optional wire mesh curtain may be mounted behind the doors. A draft control at the bottom of the frame is adjustable by a foot or hand operated lever. Installation of the frame is facilitated by an improved lintel bracket.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a fireplace screen.

Fireplace screens of relatively simple and inexpensive construction have heretofore lacked various desirable features such as glass doors to close the fireplace opening and prevent loss of room heat up the chimney when the fireplace is not in use, convenient foot operated draft controls for glass door screens and convenient attachment means for mounting the screen in the fireplace opening without the services of a skilled mechanic.

The glass door type of screens heretofore provided have not had doors that are readily removable for cleaning nor have they been equipped with wire mesh curtains for optional use with the glass doors in open position. The types of construction heretofore employed have made the cost of such additional features prohibitive for most users.

Objects of the present invention are, therefore, to provide an improved fireplace screen, to provide a fireplace screen with glass doors and an optional wire mesh curtain behind the doors, to provide a fireplace screen having glass doors which are easily removable for cleaning, to provide a foot operated draft control, to provide an improved lintel bracket, and to provide a more economical form of construction which makes the above features possible without prohibitive cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present construction the fireplace opening is closed to prevent loss of room heat by glass doors and a convenient foot operated draft control device. A novel hinging arrangement makes the doors readily removable for cleaning and simplifies the initial assembly. A wire mesh curtain is provided for optional use when it is desired to have the doors open. A new and improved lintel bracket simplifies installation in the fireplace.

The invention will be better understood and the foregoing and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Various changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts and certain features may be used without others. All such modifications within the scope of the appended claims are included in the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, of a fireplace screen embodying the invention;

FIG. 1A is a fragmentary perspective view showing a pressure clamp for securing the bottom of the screen;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the lintel bracket for securing the top of the screen;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with one of the doors removed to show the optional curtain mesh behind the doors;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation view with parts broken away;

FIG. 5 is a view on the line 5--5 in FIg. 3;

FIG. 6 is an elevation view, with parts broken away, showing a frame for a door panel;

FIG. 7 is a view on the line 7--7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view on the line 8--8 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view showing the method of forming the door panel frame in FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a view on the line 10--10 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the draft control; and

FIG. 12 is a view on the line 12--12 in FIG. 11.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The screen has a rectangular frame comprising an upper horizontal channel membere 10 and a lower horizontal angle iron 11, as shown in FIG. 10, and a pair of vertical angle irons 12, one of which appears in FIG. 11. Upper channel member 10 is covered by a pair of trim members 13 and 14 and the lower angle iron 11 is covered by a trim member 15 which has draft openings 16. Each vertical angle iron 12 is covered by a trim member 17. These trim members cover the frame in FIGS. 1 and 3.

Means are provided for securing the frame across the fireplace opening with the rear edges of trim members 13 and 17 abutting the front face of the fireplace wall 20 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The top of the frame is secured by a pair of lintel brackets, one of which is shown in FIG. 2. A back plate 21 having a vertical slot 22 is welded at its upper and lower ends to the back flanges of channel member 10. Lintel bracket 23 comprises a horizontal flat plate portion 24 having a longitudinal slot 25 which is preferably open at its back end.

The front end of plate portion 24 is bent downward to form a vertical portion 26 and projecting forward from the lower end of portion 26 is a T-shaped key portion 27. The head of T portion 27 is rotated into vertical position for insertion in slot 22 as shown in broken lines. Then the vertical end portion 26 may be turned either upward or downward as desired to provide additional vertical adjustment beyond the range of slot 22. When the head of T 27 is horizontal, the bracket 23 is locked to back plate 21 but is movable up and down in slot 22.

A screw 28 in slot 25 secures the bracket 23 to the underside of metal lintel bar 30. Lintel bar 30 spans the top of the fireplace opening and supports courses of brick 31 or other structural material secured in position by the usual layers of mortar 32. Slot 25 provides forward and backward adjustment to hold the back edges of trim members 13 and 17 against the front face of the fireplace wall.

This construction provides a convenient and simplified connection between the top of the fireplace screen frame and the lintel bar with only one screw in each bracket and ample vertical and horizontal adjustments to accommodate variations in the configuration and dimensions of the fireplace opening. Insulating material 33 may be inserted in hollow trim members 13 and 17 to provide an air seal against the brickwork 31 and 20.

Each lower corner of the screen is secured by a pressure clamp as shown in FIG. 1A. An L-shaped bracket 35 is attached to lower angle iron 11 by a screw 36 in a horizontal slot 37 in one leg of the bracket. The other leg of the bracket extends in a rearward direction and is equipped with a setscrew 38 to clamp against the vertical side wall 40 in the fireplace. Thus, the frame of the fireplace screen is mounted securely in the fireplace opening by means of two lintel brackets as shown in FIG. 2 and two pressure clamps as shown in FIG. 1A to provide a safe and rigid structure.

The fireplace screen includes a pair of folding doors, each having a panel A hinged at one edge to the screen frame and a panel B connected to the swinging edge of panel A by piano hinge 42 as shown in FIG. 4. Each panel is fitted with a pane of heat-resistant glass 43.

The frames of both panels A and B are of identical construction as shown in FIG. 6. Referring also to FIG. 9, a panel frame is formed by cutting 90.degree. notches 46 at intervals in the side flanges of a U-shaped channel member 45 so that the web portion of the channel may be bent at an angle of 90.degree. as indicated in broken lines. Each such 90.degree. bend forms a corner of the panel frame, the ends of the channel member 45 being similarly beveled and brought together at 47 in FIG. 6.

Two of the corners of the panel frame are stiffened by square L-shaped angle bars 48 spot welded between the flanges of the channel member 45 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. A round pivot rod 50 is spot welded between the flanges of the channel member on one vertical side of the frame and the corners on this side are stiffened by a pair of straight square bars 51. The ends of bars 51 are welded to one side of pivot rod 50 and the opposite sides of bars 51 are spot welded to the flanges of channel member 45 as shown in FIG. 8.

Two such frames as shown in FIG. 6 form a pair of panels A and B, the edge 42a of one frame being connected to the corresponding edge of another frame by the piano hinge 42 in FIG. 4. In panel A the pivot rod 50 forms part of a hinge for mounting the double door and in the panel B the pivot rod 50 provides a guide member for the free edge of the panel. For the latter purpose the projecting upper and lower ends of rod 50 in panel B are fitted with sleeve bushings 52 of suitable plastic such as Nylon. These bushings are omitted on rod 50 in panel A. The projecting lower ends of rods 50 on both panels are preferably slightly longer that the projecting portions of the upper ends.

As shown in FIG. 7, a complete door panel includes the pane of glass 43 with its edges enclosed and protected by a plastic channel strip 54. The glass is retained in the frame 45 by vertical and horizontal channel-shaped trim members 55 which overlap the edges of the glass around its periphery.

Upper and lower guide bushings 52 in FIG. 6 travel in upper and lower frame channels 60 and 61 in FIG. 10. Referring also to FIG. 4, an inclined leaf spring 62 is mounted in each end of each channel 60 and 61. One end of spring 62 is secured to the web of the channel by a bolt 63 and the other end inclines away from the web of the channel and contains a hole 64 (FIGS. 10 and 12).

The doors are designed for easy snap-in installation and removal. To install a door the panels A and B are folded together and the lower end of rod 50 on panel A is inserted in hole 64 in spring 62 in lower channel 61. Then the upper end of this rod is moved along channel 60 and under the upper spring 62 until the rod snaps into hole 64, locking it in operative position.

The door is readily removable by moving it to three-quarter open position. Then upper spring 62 is pressed upward with a finger, releasing the upper end of rod 50 from hole 64 and allowing the door to tip sideways out of upper channel 60. This allows the lower end of rod 50 to be lifted out of hole 64 in lower spring 62. This arrangement makes the doors easy to remove for cleaning by the user from time to time and it also simplifies initial assembly thereby reducing the cost.

A centering guide 65 is provided in the middle of each channel 60 and 61 as shown in FIG. 5. The centering guide is formed from a short piece of channel stock which has its web portion secured in the bottom of channel 60 or 61 by a bolt 66. The side flanges of channel member 65 extend beyond the ends of its web portion and are deflected in divergent relation to guide the bushings 52 on rods 50 into the centers of guide track channels 60 and 61 when the doors are closed.

Centering guides 65 accurately align the mating edges of the two panels B to impart a neat appearance. This allows the channels 60 and 61 to be somewhat wider than the bushings 52 for easy installation and removal of the doors and provides greater dimensional tolerance in general to simplify manufacture. Each panel A is provided with a spring catch 67 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 to hold the doors in closed position.

Draft means are provided for supplying air to the fire when the doors are closed. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 11, a stationary apertured draft plate 70 has reversely bent upper and lower edges to provide guides for a sliding apertured draft plate 71. The draft is controlled by sliding the plate 71 to bring its openings into or out of register with the openings in plate 70.

Sliding movement of draft plate 71 is controlled by a bell crank foot lever 72 which is pivotally mounted on a pin 73 in a bracket 74 on vertical frame member 12. A vertical arm of bell crank lever 72 is connected by pin 75 with a bolt 76 in a tongue 77 on one end of slide 71. A horizontal arm of bell crank lever 72 protrudes through trim member 17 a short distance above the floor level so that the lever may be easily shifted up or down by a simple foot movement or by hand.

Still referring to FIG. 10, a pair of wire mesh curtains 80 is provided as optional equipment when it is desired to operate the fireplace with the doors open. Curtain 80 is supported by rings 81 for sliding movement on a horizontal rod 82 as manipulated by a handle 83 on each curtain. Rod 82 is mounted at its ends in a removable frame member 84 which is supported by hanger brackets 85 on studs 86 in upper frame member 10 and secured by nuts 87. These parts form an attachment which may be provided to enhance the utility of the fireplace screen.

Claims

Having now described my invention and in what manner the same may be used, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a fireplace screen, a vertical frame having upper and lower channel strips forming the upper and lower edges of a door opening, a folding door in said opening comprising a pair of substantially identical door panels, each of said door panels comprising a single channel member bent to rectangular configuration with the flanges of the channel directed outwardly, a vertical pivot rod welded in the channel of said channel member along one vertical edge of the panel and projecting beyond the upper and lower edges of the panel, a pair of straight square bars welded in the channel of said channel member along the horizontal upper and lower edges of the panel, one end of each bar being welded to said pivot rod, a pair of L-shaped square bars welded in the channel of said channel member around the corners at the opposite vertical edge of said panel, a hinge connecting said opposite vertical edges of the two panels, and means pivotally mounting said vertical pivot rod of one panel in said upper and lower channel strips, the projecting upper and lower ends of the vertical pivot rod in the second panel being slidable in said upper and lower channel strips.

2. A fireplace screen as defined in claim 1 including a glass pane in said panel in the plane of said rectangular configuration, and trim channel members on the vertical and horizontal edges of the panel enclosing said panel channel member, pivot rod and bars and overlying opposite faces of said glass pane to retain the glass pane in the panel.

3. A fireplace screen as defined in claim 1 including a second folding door similar to said first folding door, and centering guides at mid length in said channel strips engageable with said pivot rods in said second panels of both doors to hold the meeting edges of the two doors in alignment with each other when the doors are closed.

4. A fireplace screen as defined in claim 1, including a curtain rod, a pair of wire mesh curtains slidable on said curtain rod, hanger brackets for said curtain rod, and means supporting said hanger brackets on said frame with said curtains disposed behind said door opening.

5. A fireplace screen as defined in claim 1 including an apertured draft control plate slidable in said frame beneath said door opening, and a foot operated control for said plate comprising a bell crank lever having a horizontal arm projecting from said frame for up and down movement and a vertical arm connected to said plate.

6. A fireplace screen as defined in claim 1 including a vertical back plate on an upper portion of said frame having a vertical slot therein, a lintel bracket having a horizontal T head on one end thereof insertable in said slot, and a slot in the other end of said bracket adapted to receive a screw in a fireplace lintel bar to secure said frame to a fireplace.

7. A fireplace screen comprising a vertical frame, a back plate on an upper portion of said frame having vertical slot therein, a lintel bracket having a horizontal T-head on one end thereof insertable in said slot, said T-head comprising a flat plate of less thickness than the width of said slot having a wide head portion wider than said slot and a narrow neck portion narrower than said slot whereby said head portion will pass through said slot in vertical position, the opposite end of said bracket extending horizontally in a rearward direction and offset in a vertical direction from said T head, and a longitudinal slot in said opposite end adapted to receive a screw in a fireplace lintel bar to secure said frame to a fireplace with said head portion in horizontal position.

8. A fireplace screen as defined in claim 7 including a pair of pressure clamps for securing the lower corners of said frame, each pressure clamp comprising a slotted L-shaped bracket, a screw in said slot securing one leg of said bracket to said frame, and a setscrew in the other leg of the bracket arranged to clamp against a vertical side wall in the fireplace.