Backpacking stove having tip valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11873990-B2
Application number	US-202117529537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2021
Priority date	Nov 18, 2020
Publication date	Jan 16, 2024
Grant date	Jan 16, 2024

Abstract

A tip valve and a cook system incorporating same that automatically stops the flow of gas to a burner when tipped over and that automatically resets when disconnected from the fuel canister to allow the flow of gas to resume when righted and reconnected are provided. The tip valve includes a ball bearing freely moveable between a fuel canister actuator pin and a tip seal within a bore having two different diameters at each end thereof. The transition between the two diameters forms a taper that may be continuous forming a smooth tapered bore, or discontinuous formed by at least one counter bore. The automatic resetting is provided without the use of a mechanical pin or member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tip valve for a cook system having a burner base housing a burner within a shroud configured to combust fuel from an external fuel canister, comprising:
a fuel canister connector body having a threaded connector configured to threadably connect to the external fuel canister, the fuel canister connector body defining a bore therethrough, the bore having a portion configured to house a ball bearing therein, the portion of the bore having a first diameter at a first end of the portion of the bore nearest the threaded connector and a second diameter smaller than the first diameter at a second end of the portion of the bore opposite the first end;
an actuator pin fixably positioned proximate the first end of the portion of the bore;
a tip seal positioned proximate the second end of the portion of the bore; and
the ball bearing movably positioned in the portion of the bore between the actuator pin and the tip seal.

2. The tip valve of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the bore defined by the fuel canister connector body is tapered between the first end and the second end.

3. The tip valve of claim 2 , wherein an angle of taper is between 1° and 45°.

4. The tip valve of claim 3 , wherein the angle of taper is between 5° and 20°.

5. The tip valve of claim 4 , wherein the angle of taper is between 7° and 12°.

6. The tip valve of claim 2 , wherein the taper is a continuous smooth taper.

7. The tip valve of claim 2 , wherein the taper is a discontinuous taper.

8. The tip valve of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the bore defined by the fuel canister connector body includes a tapered portion and a counter bore between the first end and the second end.

9. The tip valve of claim 1 , wherein the first end of the portion of the bore defined by the fuel canister connector body is formed by a counter bore having the first diameter that is larger than the second diameter of the portion of the bore at the second end.

10. The tip valve of claim 1 , wherein the fuel canister connector body includes an external threaded connector configured to threadably connect to the burner base.

11. A tip valve for a cook system having a burner base housing a burner within a shroud configured to combust fuel from an external fuel canister, comprising:
a fuel canister connector body having a threaded connector configured to threadably connect to the external fuel canister, the fuel canister connector body defining a bore therethrough having a first diameter at a first end of the bore nearest the threaded connector and a second diameter smaller than the first diameter at a second end of the bore opposite the first end;
an actuator pin fixably positioned proximate the first end of the bore;
a tip seal positioned proximate the second end of the bore;
a ball bearing movably positioned between the actuator pin and the tip seal;
wherein the fuel canister connector body includes an external threaded connector configured to threadably connect to the burner base; and
wherein the fuel canister connector body includes locator slots at the first end.

12. The tip valve of claim 1 , wherein the tip seal is one of an O-ring, a faced or a contoured seal.

13. A tip valve for a cook system having a burner base housing a burner within a shroud configured to combust fuel from an external fuel canister, comprising:
a fuel canister connector body having a threaded connector configured to threadably connect to the external fuel canister, the fuel canister connector body defining a bore therethrough having a first diameter at a first end of the bore nearest the threaded connector and a second diameter smaller than the first diameter at a second end of the bore opposite the first end;
an actuator pin fixably positioned proximate the first end of the bore;
a tip seal positioned proximate the second end of the bore;
a ball bearing movably positioned between the actuator pin and the tip seal; and
wherein the tip seal is positioned to seal against the burner base.

14. The tip valve of claim 1 , wherein the actuator pin includes a threaded connector portion that allows removable fixation within the fuel canister connector body.

15. The tip valve of claim 14 , wherein the threaded connector portion of the actuator pin includes a shoulder to limit insertion of the actuator pin within the fuel canister connector body.

16. The tip valve of claim 14 , wherein the actuator pin includes a fuel passage, the actuator pin being configured to actuate against a standard connector of the external fuel canister to allow admission of gaseous fuel therethrough.

17. The tip valve of claim 1 , wherein the actuator pin includes a flange that is one of interference fit, threaded, spot welded, spin welded, or adhesively connected directly to the fuel canister connector body.

18. The tip valve of claim 1 , further comprising a fuel canister seal positioned within the fuel canister connector body to seal against the external fuel canister.

19. A cook system, comprising:
a fuel canister;
a burner base housing a burner within a shroud configured to combust fuel from the fuel canister; and
a tip valve having a fuel canister connector body having a threaded connector configured to threadably connect to the fuel canister, the fuel canister connector body defining a bore therethrough for allowing fuel to flow from the fuel canister to the burner, the bore having a portion configured to house a ball bearing therein, the portion of the bore having a first diameter at a first end of the portion of the bore nearest the threaded connector and a second diameter smaller than the first diameter at a second end of the portion of the bore opposite the first end, an actuator pin fixably positioned proximate the first end of the portion of the bore, a tip seal positioned proximate the second end of the portion of the bore, and a ball bearing movably positioned between the actuator pin and the tip seal.

20. A method of resetting a tip valve of the cook system of claim 19 , comprising the steps of:
positioning the cook system in an orientation such that the burner is vertically higher than the fuel canister; and
disconnecting the fuel canister from the fuel canister connector body.

Assignees

• Chartier Ryan Paul
• Hebert Jr Michael Edward
• Wilcox Adam Emery
• Siopis Michael Steven
• Johnson Outdoors Inc

Inventors

• Chartier Ryan Paul
• Hebert Jr Michael Edward
• Wilcox Adam Emery
• Siopis Michael Steven

Classifications

• F23K2900/05002

  Valves for gaseous fuel supply lines · CPC title

• F23D2209/00

  Safety arrangements · CPC title

• F23D14/46 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• F24C3/14

  with special adaptation for travelling, e.g. collapsible · CPC title

• F23D2208/00

  Control devices associated with burners · CPC title