Adjustable catalytic heater and replaceable wick assembly therefor

Claim 2

In combination with a catalytic heater having a base housing providing a reservoir for liquid fuel, a combustion head thereabove, an enclosed fuel vapor collection space, a tubular connector extending between the combustion head and the base housing, an elongated capillary action wick extending from the reservoir through the tubular connector into the vapor collection space for liquid fuel transfer therethrough to the vapor collection space, the improvement characterized by a support tube for the wick secured to the heater within the tubular connector, anchor means for securing the wick within the support tube against longitudinal movement, a tubular sleeve slidably received on the wick above the support tube, the sleeve being slidable longitudinally betweed a raised position in which the upper portion of the sleeve extends into the vapor collection space to cover the majority of the portion of the wick which extends into the vapor collection space and a lowered position whereby the amount of surface area of the wick exposed to the vapor collection space can be varied, and means for moving the sleeve between the raised and lowered positions.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 in which the anchor means comprises portions of the wall of the support tube bent inwardly to engage the wick.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 1 including an attaching collar secured to the support tube and extending transversely outwardly therefrom, the attaching collar being removably secured to the tubular connector.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 1 including an attaching collar secured to the support tube and extending transversely outwardly therefrom, the attaching collar being removably secured to the tubular connector, the attaching collar including tab means and the tubular connector including a transversely inwardly extending bottom wall provided with a central opening therethrough for receiving the wick and slot means for receiving the tab means of the attaching collar whereby the attaching collar can be removably secured to the tubular connector by aligning the tab means thereof with the slot means and rotating the attaching collar with respect to the tubular connector to disalign the tab means and the slot means.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 1 in which the wick and support tube are generally cylindrical, an attaching collar secured to the support tube and extending radially outwardly therefrom, the collar being generally planar and having a generally circular periphery, circumferentially spaced portions of the collar being offset from the plane of the collar adjacent the periphery thereof to provide a plurality of circumferentially spaced tabs, the tubular connector including a transversely inwardly extending bottom wall provided with a generally circular central opening having a diameter greater than the diameter of the wick but less than the diameter of the generally circular periphery of the collar, the bottom wall being provided with a plurality of slots extending radially outwardly from the central opening therethrough and sized and arranged to receive the tabs on the collar, the tabs being spaced from the plane of the collar a distance at least as great as the thickness of the bottom wall whereby the attaching collar can be removably secured to the tubular connector by aligning the tabs on the collar with the slots in the bottom wall, inserting the tabs into the slots and rotating the collar with respect to the tubular connector to position the tabs above portions of the bottom wall adjacent the periphery of the central opening therethrough.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 1 in which the base housing includes a generally vertically extending generally cylindrical attaching sleeve and an annular support wall having a central opening and extending radially inwardly from the attaching sleeve, the tubular connector being generally cylindrical and being received by the attaching sleeve of the base, means for releasably securing the tubular connector and the attaching sleeve against relative axial movement, and gasket means between the tubular connector and the annular support wall for providing a vapor seal therebetween.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 1 in which the base housing includes a generally vertically extending generally cylindrical attaching sleeve and an annular support wall having a central opening and extending radially inwardly from the attaching sleeve, the tubular connector being generally cylindrical and being received by the attaching sleeve of the base, means for releasably securing the tubular connector and the attaching sleeve against relative axial movement, and gasket means between the tubular connector and the annular support wall for providing a vapor seal therebetween, the tubular connector including a generally cylindrical side wall, a radially inwardly extending annular bottom wall and an inwardly and downwardly extending wall joining the cylindrical side wall and the bottom wall, the gasket means comprising an O-ring having an outside diameter substantially the same as the inside diameter of the attaching sleeve on the base, the O-ring being forced by the inwardly and downwardly extending wall of the tubular connector against the juncture between the generally cylindrical attaching sleeve and the annular support wall.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 1 in which the base housing includes a generally vertically extending generally cylindrical attaching sleeve and an annular support wall having a central opening and extending radially inwardly from the attaching sleeve, the tubular connector being generally cylindrical and being received by the attaching sleeve of the base, means for releasably securing the tubular connector and the attaching sleeve against relative axial movement, and gasket means between the tubular connector and the annular support wall for providing a vapor seal therebetween, the means for releasably securing the tubular connector and the attaching sleeve including a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections extending radially outwardly from the tubular connector, the attaching sleeve being provided with a generally L-shaped slot for each of the projections on the tubular connector, each slot having a first portion extending generally downwardly from the upper edge of the attaching sleeve and a second portion extending generally transversely from the first portion whereby the tubular connector can be releasably secured to the attaching sleeve by lowering the projections into the first portions of the slots and then rotating the tubular connector to rotate the projections into the second portions of the slot.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 1 in which the wick and the support tube are generally cylindrical, an attaching collar secured to the support tube and extending radially outwardly therefrom, the collar being generally planar and having a generally circular periphery, circumferentially spaced portions of the collar being offset from the plane of the collar adjacent the periphery thereof to provide a plurality of circumfErentially spaced tabs, the tubular connector including a generally cylindrical side wall, a radially inwardly extending annular bottom wall and an inwardly and downwardly extending wall joining the cylindrical side wall and the bottom wall, the bottom wall of the tubular connector being provided with a generally circular central opening having a diameter greater than the diameter of the wick but less than the diameter of the generally circular periphery of the attaching collar, the bottom wall also being provided with a plurality of slots extending radially outwardly from the central opening therethrough and sized and arranged to receive the tabs on the collar, the base housing including a generally vertically extending generally cylindrical attaching sleeve and an annular support wall having a central opening and extending radially inwardly from the attaching sleeve, the inside diameter of the attaching sleeve being substantially the same as the outside diameter of the cylindrical side wall of the tubular connector, the tubular connector being rotatably received by the attaching sleeve, a compressible O-ring sealingly engaging the inwardly and downwardly extending wall of the tubular connector and the juncture between the attaching sleeve and the annular support wall of the base, and means for releasably securing the tubular connector and the attaching sleeve against relative axial movement.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 1 in which the means for moving the sleeve includes a lever arm extending through the tubular connector and pivotally mounted therein for movement in a plane extending generally through the axis of the tubular sleeve, the lever arm having one end thereof operatively connected to the tubular sleeve, a crank arm rotatably mounted on the heater and having one end thereof secured to the other end of the lever arm whereby rotation of the crank arm pivots the lever arm and moves the tubular sleeve axially.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 1 in which the means for moving the sleeve includes a lever arm extending through the tubular connector and pivotally mounted therein for movement in a plane extending generally through the axis of the tubular sleeve, the lever arm having one end thereof operatively connected to the tubular sleeve, a crank arm rotatably mounted on the heater and having one end thereof secured to the other end of the lever arm whereby rotation of the crank arm pivots the lever arm and moves the tubular sleeve axially, the other end of the crank arm being provided with slot means and being rotatable in a plane generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the crank arm at the rotatable mounting thereof to the heater, an actuating arm including an arcuately extending lever portion, the actuating arm being mounted on the heater for swinging movement of the lever portion in a plane generally transverse to the plane in which the other end of the crank arm rotates, the lever portion extending through the slot means of the other end of the crank arm whereby swinging movement of the lever portion rotates the other end of the crank arm.

Claim 13

The combination of claim 11 in which the crank arm includes a central portion which is rotatably mounted to the heater, said one end of the crank arm being axially offset from the central portion and extending generally parallel therewith, the other end of the crank arm extending generally perpendicularly to the central portion and having a generally U-shaped end to provide said slot means.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 11 in which the actuating arm includes a generally straight portion extending generally perpendicularly from the arcuate lever portion to provide an elbow, the generally straight portion being engageable with the other end of the crank arm as the lever portion swings in one direction to limit further movement of the actuating arm and the crank arm, the elbow being releasably lodgeable in the slot means to provide lock means for the crank arm for holding the tubular sleeve in one of the raised aNd lowered positions.

Claim 15

The combination of claim 11 in which the slot means has a bottom edge and a pair of side edges spaced apart a distance greater than the thickness of the arcuate lever portion, the length of the arcuate portion being such that a portion thereof is engageable with the bottom edge and one of the side edges of the slot means as the lever portion swings in one direction to limit further movement of the actuating arm and the crank arm, the arcuate lever portion being frictionally engageable with said bottom edge and one side edge for holding the tubular sleeve in one of the raised and lowered positions.

Claim 16

The combination of claim 10 in which said one end of the lever arm includes fork means extending about the tubular sleeve, pin means extending outwardly from the tubular sleeve, the fork means slidably receiving the pin means for raising and lowering the tubular sleeve.