Air feed fireplace grate

Claim 1

A grate suitable for positioning in a fireplace opening into a room, said grate receiving combustible material and comprising: a pair of spaced, hollow side frames lying generally perpendicular to the opening of the fireplace, each of said frames comprising a generally horizontal hollow arm member of generally rectangular cross section, said arm member having an opening at a first end located adjacent the opening of the fireplace and a second end joined to the lower end of an upstanding hollow support member having the cross section configuration of said arm member, said arm member and said upstanding support member lying in a generally vertical plane and forming a hollow conduit; a first plurality of hollow flues extending laterally between, and communicating with the interior of, said arm members of said side frames, said first plurality of flues being spaced from each other in a generally horizontal plane and capable of receiving and supporting combustible material; a second plurality of hollow flues extending laterally between, and communicating with the interior of, said upstanding support members of said side frames for retaining said combustible material on said first plurality of hollow flues, each of said second plurality of flues being spaced from those above or below it, the burning of the combustible material heating the flues of said first plurality a greater amount than said second plurality; means coupled to the first end of said arm member of one of said side frames for providing an air flow into one of said side frames, through said flues, and out the first end of said arm member of the other of said side frames for discharge into the room, the upper ends of said upstanding members being closed; and connection means associated with said flues and side frames establishing differing amounts of communication and flow through different ones of said flues and controlling the air flow through said respective flues to increase the air flow through the first flues relative to the air flow through the second flues.