Fireplace with Controllable and Image-Bearing Rear Wall

This application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 18/239,578, filed Aug. 29, 2023, which claims priority to and is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 16/809,646, filed Mar. 5, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/814,690 filed on Mar. 6, 2019 and entitled Fireplace With Controllable And Image-Bearing Rear Wall, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.

The invention relates generally to fireplaces. Embodiments include gas burning fireplaces.

Fireplaces, including fireplaces with combustion chambers that burn gas, are generally known and disclosed, for example, in the following U.S. published patent applications and patents, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.

There remains a continuing need for improved fireplaces. For example, there is a need for fireplaces with enhanced functionality and esthetics. Improved fireplaces that are convenient to operate would be especially desirable.

Disclosed embodiments include fireplaces and methods for manufacturing fireplaces.

One example is a fireplace comprising a combustion chamber, a front opening allowing viewing within the combustion chamber, a back wall opposite the front opening, a combustion region between the front opening and the back wall adapted to provide a flame, and an opaque and non-homogeneous image on the back wall, wherein the image is visible through the front opening and combustion region when the flame is provided in the combustion region.

In some embodiments the back wall includes a glass wall, and the image includes a printed multi-color ink image on the glass wall. The printed ink image may include ceramic ink. The combustion region may include a gas burner. The image may be an image of an outdoor area beyond or in a vicinity of the fireplace. The image may include one of a cityscape and a landscape. The image may include one of a cityscape, a landscape, a brick wall, a wood wall, a tile wall, and a team logo. The image may include a heat-resistant, printed multi-color ink image on the back wall.

Another example is a method for manufacturing a fireplace of the type including a combustion chamber, a front opening allowing viewing within the combustion chamber, a back wall opposite the front opening and a combustion region between the front opening and the back wall adapted to provide a flame. The method comprises receiving an electronic file for a non-homogenous image, transferring the electronic file to a printer and causing the printer to print the image on the back wall, receiving the back wall including the printed image, and assembling the back wall including the printed image into the fireplace.

In some embodiments receiving the electronic file may include receiving the electronic file for a multi-color image. Transferring the electronic file to the printer may include causing the printer to print the image in ceramic ink on the back wall. Transferring the electronic file to the printer may include causing the printer to print the image on a glass back wall. Receiving the electronic file may include receiving the electronic file for an image including one of a cityscape, a landscape, a brick wall, a wood wall, a tile wall, and a team logo. Receiving the image file may include receiving the image file over the Internet. Transferring the electronic file to the printer may include transferring the image file over the Internet.

Another example is a fireplace comprising a combustion chamber, a front opening allowing viewing within the combustion chamber, a back wall opposite the front opening, wherein the back wall can be controllably switched between an opaque state and a transparent state, a combustion region between the front opening and the back wall adapted to provide a flame, and a controller coupled to the back wall enabling a user to switch the back wall between the opaque and transparent states.

In some embodiments the back wall comprises a glass panel and switchable film on the glass panel. The controller may be coupled to the switchable film. The opaque state may be a frosted state.

is an example of a fireplace(with the front section cut-away for illustrative purposes) that includes a controllable and image-bearing back or rear wallin accordance with embodiments of the invention. As shown, the fireplaceincludes a firebox (or combustion chamber enclosure)having a combustion region including a burnerand a grate. A combustible gas or fuel, for example natural gas or liquid propane gas, is delivered to the burner, which is located in a combustion chamberthat is defined by firebox, where it is then combusted to provide a flame. As described in greater detail below, in embodiments, rear wallcan include printed images, such as cityscapes and landscapes, that are visible to a user through a front side access openingand the combustion region. In embodiments, the rear wallcan be controllably switched between transparent and opaque states, enabling the user to control whether the combustion region can be viewed from the back side of the fireplace(i.e., from the side opposite the access opening).

Combustion products generated by combustion of fuel at the burnercan be exhausted from the fireplacevia a venting or air guide arrangement. The illustrated embodiment of venting arrangementincludes an upper exhaust guide, where combustion products are removed from the fireboxthrough firebox exhaust outlets. The upper exhaust guideand exhaust outletscooperate to form a plenum or manifold for collecting combustion products, which can be of any suitable geometric arrangement. The exhaust outletsare located in the upper section of the combustion chamber in embodiments, though any location that allows exhaust gases to be drawn into the exhaust outlets is suitable. The upper exhaust guidefluidly communicates with an exhaust passagethat runs from top to the bottom of the firebox. The exhaust passageincludes an upper endand a lower end. The upper endof the exhaust passageis in fluid communication with the upper exhaust guide. The lower endof the exhaust passageis in fluid communication with a blower arrangementlocated outside the firebox. The blower arrangementis located below the upper exhaust guide, and is located below the combustion chamberin embodiments. The blower arrangementincludes an exhaust section. The exhaust sectionis located adjacent an exhaust portin the fireplace. The exhaust portis connected to a ducting arrangement (not shown). Other embodiments of fireplaceinclude other venting arrangements.

The bloweroperates generally when the burnerin the fireplaceis operating, such that combustion products are taken in the firebox exhaust outletsin the upper exhaust guide. The blower can also continue to run until a temperature sensor in the fireplace senses a pre-set temperature. This allows the blower to run for a time after the fire is extinguished. The combustion products are then moved downwardly from the upper exhaust guidethrough the exhaust passage. The combustion products are then exhausted from the fireplacethrough the exhaust portand into an exterior ducting arrangement (not shown) to be exhausted to atmosphere. An advantage of the illustrated embodiment is that the fireplacecan be located in a house or other structure unconstrained by the need for a vertical rise to get the natural draft, driven by the buoyant forces of the heated combustion products, of the fireplaceventing the combustion products. While in the example embodiment shown the exhaust portis located below the firebox, it can also be located adjacent the firebox. Similarly, while the example embodiment shows the exhaust portpassing through a sidewall of the fireplace, the exhaust portcould also be placed in other suitable locations, for example, the bottom of the fireplace. The fireplacecan be constructed and assembled from formed sheet metal parts that are connected together by sheet metal screws, rivets, spot welds, crimping or other equivalent means of connection, all of which is well-known in the art.

Referring to, shown is an example embodiment of a fireplacethat can be similar to fireplace. The fireplaceincludes an outer shellthat houses the fireboxand other components. Insulation(see) between the outer shelland the fireboxkeeps the surfaces of the outer shellcool, and may further provide a sound dampening function to reduce noise generated within fireplace. The fireplacealso includes a burner assemblyin a combustion region of the firebox. The burner assemblycreates the flames from combustion of the fuel provided to the fireplace, typically LP or natural gas. A grateis located adjacent to the burner assemblyand can hold decorative logs or rocks. The fireplaceincludes a bottom vent port, which is coupled to an exhaust ducting arrangement to remove combustion products when the fireplaceis operating.

Referring to, the fireboxis comprised of opposite rightand leftside panels, opposite topand bottompanels. The panels,,,define a heat or combustion chamberof the fireboxthat is accessible and viewable through the front or access openingof the fireplace. In embodiments, a transparent glass panel or doors (e.g., that can be open and closed) can be located at or enclosed the access opening. The heat chamberdefines a combustion region that contains the gas burneras well as a decorative grateand the gas logs or rocks (not shown) that cover the gas burner. A conventional-gas supply control assemblycontrolling the supply of gas to the burneris secured to the underside of the firebox bottom panel. Exhaust means exhaust combustion products or fumes from the combustion chamber.

The outer shellencloses the fireboxand supports the fireboxin the outer shellto create a heat exchange volumebetween the exterior of the fireboxand the interior of the outer shell. The outer shellincludes opposite leftand rightside walls, opposite topand bottomwalls and the rear wall. The walls are connected together surrounding the firebox. Topand bottomlouvers extend between the outer shellside walls,above and below the access openingof the firebox. Ambient room air is drawn into the heat exchange volumethrough the bottom vent louverand the heated air is then returned into the room out through the top vent louver.

The illustrated embodiment of fireboxcontains exhaust outlets in the upper part of the firebox. The exhaust outletsfluidly couple the combustion chamberto an upper exhaust plenumformed between the upper panelof the fireboxand an upper exhaust guide. Combustion products are pulled into the upper exhaust plenumby operation of a blower(see) located adjacent the exhaust port. The upper exhaust plenumis fluidly coupled to a substantially vertical exhaust passagebetween the upper exhaust plenumand the blower. The exhaust passageallows combustion products to pass from the upper exhaust plenumto the blowerand then out the exhaust port, with the combustion products traveling in a downward direction. With the bloweroperating, combustion products are drawn from the combustion chamberinto the upper exhaust plenum, through the exhaust passageand then through the blowerand out the exhaust port. Preferably, the combustion products are exhausted from the exhaust portinto a ducting arrangement. An advantage is that the blowerallows the fireplaceto exhaust to a ducting arrangement having an initial horizontally oriented section coupled directly to the exhaust port. An advantage of the disclosed embodiment is that it allows placement and operation of a fireplace that may not otherwise be possible using natural ventilation methods and apparatuses.

illustrate embodiments of a fireplacein accordance with embodiments, that include a printed image on the surface of the rear wall(i.e., the surface facing the access opening. In the embodiments illustrated in, the image is of a landscape. In embodiments, the image on the rear wallis multicolored, and non-homogeneous (i.e., the image is not a single solid color). As shown, the image is visible through the access openingand is visible behind the flame provided in the combustion region. In embodiments, the rear walland image are heat resistant to prevent degradation by the flame. The rear wallcan, for example, include a glass panel, and the image can be painted or printed on the glass panel using ceramic ink. Other embodiments of the fireplacecan include other image-bearing rear walls. As non-limiting examples of such image-bearing rear walls,shows an abstract image,shows a cityscape image,shows the landscape image inin greater detail,shows a team logo image,shows a brick wall image,shows a tile wall image,shows a stone wall image, andshows a wood panel image.

The images on the image-bearing rear wallof the fireplace can be selected to match visual aspects of regions surrounding the fireplace. For example, the wood in the wood panel image shown inmatches the wood surroundaround the exterior of fireplaceshown in. The cityscape image of the rear wallof the fireplaceshown inmatches the cityscape visible through the windowsin the wall on the opposite sides of the fireplace.

is a flowchart describing a methodfor manufacturing a fireplace such asin accordance with embodiments. As shown at step, an electronic file for the image to be printed or otherwise applied on the rear wallcan be received over a network. In embodiments, the electronic image file can be received by the fireplace manufacturer over the Internet. The electronic file can be of any image desired by a customer, thereby allowing a high degree of customization by the customer. The electronic image file can be transferred to a printer, for example over a network such as the Internet as shown by step. In other embodiments the image file is transferred to the printer over a local network. Other information about the image-bearing rear wall, such as the size of the wall and image to be printed, can also be transferred with the image file. In embodiments, the printer is an entity that is capable of printing images in ceramic ink onto glass plates. Using the received image file, the printer prints the image on the rear wallas shown at step. The printer then sends or transfers the printed image-bearing wallto the location at which the fireplaceis assembled as shown by step. In embodiments, a common carrier is used to transport the image-bearing rear wallto the fireplaceassembly location. At the assembly location the image-bearing rear wallis assembled with other components to manufacture the fireplaceas shown at step. Other methods for manufacturing the image-bearing rear walland assembling that rear wall into the fireplaceare used in other embodiments.

Fireplaces such aswith image-bearing rear wallscan transform a fireplace interior into a unique piece of art with high-definition images of virtually anything that an end-user customer, architect or designer may desire. The fireplacescan be designed to customers' specifications in any size and shape. High-temperature-resistant paint or ink can be incorporated to match any desired design element. Any of a wide range of high definition images can be used, such as for example a beach setting from a stock or original photo used to accent a driftwood log set in the combustion region and natural stone. Exterior (e.g., surround) finishing materials such as brick, stone and tile can be matched with a seamless transition to the interior firebox lining with a relatively efficient installation.

is a diagrammatic illustration of an image-controllable rear wallin accordance with embodiments. As shown, wallincludes a transparent glass paneland a switchable filmon the panel. A controlleris coupled to the switchable film. Switchable films and associated controllers such asandare generally known and commercially available. In embodiments, controllercan be used to cause the filmto switch between a transparent (e.g., first or off) state that will allow light and images to be viewed through the film, and an opaque (e.g., second or on) state (e.g., including frosted or translucent) that substantially blocks light transmission or at least prevents viewing of images through the film.

illustrate embodiments of a fireplaceincluding embodiments of an image-controllable rear wallsuch as those described in connection with.illustrate the fireplacefrom the front side, showing the combustion region and interior of the combustion chamberthrough the access opening.shows the fireplacewith the rear wallin the off or transparent state, with the area behind the fireplace visible through the rear wall (and therefore from the front side through the access openingand combustion chamber).shows the fireplacewith the rear wallin the on or opaque state, substantially blocking visibility of the area behind the fireplace from the front side of the fireplace.illustrate the fireplacefrom the rear or back side (i.e., the side directly facing the rear wall, and opposite the side shown in).shows the fireplacewith the rear wallin the off or transparent state as in, with the interior of the fireplace, including the combustion chamberand flame being visible from the back side.shows the fireplacewith the rear wallin the on or opaque state as in, with visibility into the interior and combustion chamberof the fireplace substantially blocked. In yet other embodiments of the rear wall described in connection with, the rear wall is configured to controllably display non-homogeneous black and white and color images that are visible to a user through the access opening. Images of these types can be provided by imaging structures on the rear wallin response to electronic files representing the images.

Embodiments of fireplacessuch as those described with reference tohave a see-through chassis. They enable alteration of the fireplace configuration to enhance both the function and privacy by efficient control operation. Fireplacesof these types can have any desired size and shape. Applications include bedroom/bathroom and indoor/outdoor see-through fireplaces. Varying levels of privacy and solitude can be achieved by “softening” the view from one side to another, or one room to another. They can be used as creative design elements to alter viewing area and shape. For example, a company logo, team logo, or business name can be presented for view on command.

Although the invention has been described in connection with embodiments, those of skill in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, rear walls of the types described herein can be used in fireplaces with other structural configurations.