Parabolic shaped heater

Claim 1

A heater comprising: a generally closed arcuately shaped lower wall structure having a bottom area and generally upwardly projecting sides; support means associated with said lower wall structure for supporting the same; a burning area defined interiorly within said lower wall structure in such a manner that radiant heat resulting from material burned therein is reflected upwardly by the interior of said arcuately shaped lower wall structure; a generally horizontal heat collector panel exending across the upwardly projecting sides of said lower wall structure for collecting radiant heat reflected by the interior of said arcuately shaped lower wall structure; flue means communicatively connected with the burning area defined between said lower wall structure and said collector panel for enabling smoke and other exhaust gases resulting from material burned therein to be expelled from said heater; hood means extending downwardly around a portion of said lower generally closed arcuately shaped wall structure and projecting upwardly pass said collector panel, said hood means being spaced outwardly from said lower wall structure so as to define an air induction space between said hood means and the generally closed arcuately shaped lower wall structure for enabling air to move upwardly into and through said air induction space between said hood means and said lower wall structure and about said collector panel where heat is transferred to the passing air from said heater, said generally arcuately shaped lower wall structure being provided in the form of a parabola having a foci area within said burning area, and wherein said burning area is provided with burning material support means for supporting material being burned in the foci area such that combustion generally occurs about the foci area of said parabola and thus the resulting radiant energy is directed outwardly against the interior walls of said parabola type lower wall structure where the radiant energy is reflected back upwardly to said horizontal collector panel; and wherein said hood means assumes a suspended position over said lower parabolic shaped wall structure and extends downwardly pass said collector panel where a lower portion of said hood means generally encompasses the collector panel and an upper portion of said parabolic shaped lower wall structure; and wherein said hood means is spaced outwardly from said parabolic shaped wall structure such that air may be induced generally upwardly therebetween and over said collector panel before efficiently transferring heat from said heater to the passing air.