Fire Starter and Method for Making and Using the Same

Abstract

A fire-starter device for survival, emergency, or convenience that incorporates a paper cup portion filled with wax with one (1) or more wicks embedded in the hardened wax with tinder material comprising the top layer. The paper cup is designed and built to allow it to hold hot liquid wax without leaking. The wax is paraffin and/or beeswax and/or other blend. The wicks are of jute or similar material. The tinder is made of fatwood shavings or similar combustible.

Claims

1. A fire starter kit for use as a survival tool, said fire starter kit comprising a cup member, said cup member having a base member, at least one wall member extending upwardly from said base member, and an open top, wherein said cup member is fabricated from a combustible material and is adapted to contain molten wax without leaking; a selected amount of wax fuel received within said cup member; at least one wick member extending into said selected amount of wax fuel; and a secondary fuel layer received by the cup member such that said secondary fuel layer is on top of said selected amount of wax fuel, whereby said secondary fuel layer has a slower burn rate than said wax fuel.

2. The fire starter kit of claim 1 wherein said cup member has a substantially rectangular horizontal cross-section.

3. The fire starter kit of claim 2 wherein said cup member has a substantially square horizontal cross-section.

4. The fire starter kit of claim 1 wherein said cup member has a substantially circular horizontal cross-section.

5. The fire starter kit of claim 1 wherein said wax fuel is paraffin wax.

6. The fire starter kit of claim 1 wherein said secondary fuel layer is comprised of wood tinder.

7. The fire starter kit of claim 1 wherein said fire starter kit comprises four wick members extending into said selected amount of wax fuel.

8. The fire starter kit of claim 1 wherein said cup member is fabricated from paper.

9. A fire starter kit for use as a survival tool, said fire starter kit comprising a cup member, said cup member having a base member, at least one wall member extending upwardly from said base member, and an open top, wherein said cup member is fabricated from a combustible material and is adapted to contain molten wax without leaking; a selected amount of paraffin wax fuel received within said cup member; a plurality of wick members extending into said selected amount of wax fuel; and a secondary fuel layer received by the cup member such that said secondary fuel layer is on top of said selected amount of wax fuel, whereby said secondary fuel layer has a slower burn rate than said wax fuel.

10. The fire starter kit of claim 9 wherein said cup member has a substantially rectangular horizontal cross-section.

11. The fire starter kit of claim 10 wherein said cup member has a substantially square horizontal cross-section.

12. The fire starter kit of claim 9 wherein said cup member has a substantially circular horizontal cross-section.

13. The fire starter kit of claim 9 wherein said secondary fuel layer is comprised of wood tinder.

14. The fire starter kit of claim 9 wherein said fire starter kit comprises four wick members extending into said selected amount of wax fuel.

15. A fire starter kit for use as a survival tool, said fire starter kit comprising a cup member, said cup member having a base member, at least one wall member extending upwardly from said base member, and an open top, wherein said cup member is fabricated from a combustible paper material and is adapted to contain molten wax without leaking, wherein said cup member has a substantially rectangular horizontal cross-section; a selected amount of paraffin wax fuel received within said cup member; a plurality of wick members extending into said selected amount of wax fuel; and a secondary fuel layer received by the cup member such that said secondary fuel layer is on top of said selected amount of wax fuel, whereby said secondary fuel layer has a slower burn rate than said wax fuel, wherein said secondary fuel layer is defined by wood tinder.

16. The fire starter kit of claim 15 wherein said cup member has a substantially square horizontal cross-section.

17. The fire starter kit of claim 15 wherein said wood tinder is fat wood.

18. The fire starter kit of claim 15 wherein said fire starter kit comprises four wick members extending into said selected amount of wax fuel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The above-mentioned features of the invention will become more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the invention read together with the drawings in which:

[0024] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the fire starter kit of the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 1B is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of the fire starter kit of the present invention;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary embodiment of the fire starter kit illustrated in FIG. 1; and

[0027] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary embodiment of the fire starter kit illustrated in FIG. 1 in which the wicks have been lit and the fire starter kit is fully lit and burning.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a fire starter kit constructed in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, and as will be described in greater detail below, includes a cup-based fire starter comprised of a paper cup of a selected shape and size adapted to hold hot liquid wax without leaking, at least one wick for igniting the fire starter kit, and pre-packaged tinder material to serve as kindling. In the exemplary embodiments, the cup is fabricated of paper. It will be understood that as used herein, the term paper refers to a thin sheet of material produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags, or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets, and excludes thermoplastic materials.

[0029] Adapting the cup not to leak molten wax during operation is an important feature due to the phase transitions that the hardened wax within the cup will undergo in the course of normal operation. Phase transition or phase change is the transformation of a thermodynamic system from one phase or state of matter to another. A solid changing to a liquid, or a liquid achieving a boiling/vapor point, illustrates this principle. For the purposes of the present invention, the phase transition for wax is important. Wax (paraffin cited, but the principle applies for all waxes) transitions from a solid to a liquid between 115-154 degrees F.; this is the melting point of wax. The next transition for paraffin wax is from a liquid to a gas, at 248-370 degrees F.; this is paraffin wax's boiling/vapor point. It is equally important to understand the physical characteristics of paper as these two elements of the design have overlapping properties that together allow this device to function. Paper burns at between 424-475 degrees F. and also conducts heat much more readily than other products, say plastic or Styrofoam. At standard atmospheric pressure, a liquid cannot exceed the boiling point until all the liquid has vaporized. Thus, at standard atmospheric pressure, wax cannot exceed 248-370 degrees F. until all the liquid wax is vaporized. Because this temperature is below the burning-point for paper, 424-475 degrees F., and because paper is able to conduct heat, the paper cup will remain intact even though it is on fire. This is because the melted and vaporizing wax inside the cup controls the temperature at its phase transition point, which is far below paper's ignition, or burn temperature. In other words, the paper cup will sustain the flame without being consumed as long as liquid wax remains that is being transitioned from its liquid phase to its vapor state. This phenomenon, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, is what allows a candle's wick to support the flame without being consumed.

[0030] With reference to the FIGS. 1-3, the fire starter kit 10, adapted for use as a survival tool, is shown. Here, the fire starter kit 10 includes a cup 20 having an open top 25 and a closed base 27 and at least one wall member 28 extending upwardly from the base 27. The paper cup 20 in FIG. 1A is depicted as having a substantially rectangular, or square, horizontal cross-section and is approximately 221. The present invention is not in any manner deemed to be limited to this shape or dimension. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, the paper cup 20 is depicted as having an inverted frusto-conical shape having a substantially circular horizontal cross-section. The wax 30 is filled slightly below the open top 25 of the cup 20; this allows for a degree of self-leveling in the field, if needed. In this depiction, four (4) large wicks 40 and a secondary fuel adapted to have a slower burn rate than the wax fuel are provided within cup 20. In the exemplary embodiment, the secondary fuel is defined by the starter tinder 50, which in an exemplary embodiment is defined by fatwood shavings. In the exemplary embodiment, the secondary fuel layer is supported by, and rests on top of, the solid wax layer 30. It will be appreciated that in the exemplary embodiment, the fire starter kit 10 is enclosed with a suitable lid or cover (not shown) for enclosing the secondary fuel layer prior to use. While the present invention can be utilized with a single wick, it will be appreciated that having multiple wicks greatly reduces the time to create a large pool of molten, liquid wax 60 at, or near, the top of the fire starter 10. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other materials could be used as the starter tinder 50. In use, a preferred ignition source, for example a match, lighter, or flint and steel variation, is applied to wick(s) 40, or alternately the starter tinder 50, and the unit is allowed to burn for approximately one minute, after which indigenous fuel is stacked around and over the invention in accordance with standard fire building procedures.

[0031] In practice, lighting the wicks 40 and surface tinder 50 on the cup 20 allows the hardened wax 30 inside to quickly complete its first phase transition, in which the solid wax 30 transitions to liquid and a layer of molten wax 60 forms in the cup 20. The wicks 40 and surface tinder 50 continue to heat the molten wax 60, approaching the second phase change. The tinder 50 provides additional surface area for maintaining molten in the heat of the flame long enough to vaporize and combust. Vaporized wax is highly flammable and a fire starter constructed in accordance with the present general invention, holding approximately 2 oz. of paraffin wax, will produce a flame 70 between 12-18 high that will consistently burn with intensity for 12-15 minutes. This size flame, supported by surface tinder 50 which supports sustained burning of the vaporized wax fuel without itself being consumed, allows indigenous fuel, gathered under most outdoor/survival conditions, to ignite and support a self-sustaining fire. And, by using a paper, or otherwise combustible, material for the cup 20, the cup 20 and the tinder 50 will be consumed by the flame after the wax fuel has been completely consumed, thus eliminating the need to retrieve and dispose of the non-combustible container of certain prior art devices. Further, the fire starter kit according to various embodiments of the present general invention provides a fire starter that is simple in design and usage, compact, reliable, and overcomes the drawbacks of conventional fire starters, as described above. That objective includes eliminating the need to procure adequate supplies of dry timber, under survival conditions, to succeed in building a self-sustaining fire.

[0032] While the present invention has been illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments have been described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept.