Fire Starting Assembly

Abstract

A fire starting assembly receives and ignites charcoal and releases the charcoal when its temperature is suitable for cooking. It has a housing that is bound by a perimeter wall with an upper edge defining an upper opening and a lower edge defining a lower opening. A grate, located closer to the lower edge than the upper edge, is pivotally joined to the perimeter wall. The grate, in its closed position, intersects a lumen extending through the housing and through the openings defined by the upper and lower edges to hold charcoal. The grate, in its open position, releases the charcoal. A catch is releasably engaged with the grate to retain the grate in the closed position. The catch is releasable from the grate such that the grate pivots downwardly toward the lower edge and through the lower opening to define an open position.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A fire starting assembly configured to receive and ignite charcoal and to release the charcoal when the charcoal has a temperature suitable for usage while cooking, said fire starting assembly comprising:
 a housing including a perimeter wall having an upper edge defining an upper opening and a lower edge defining a lower opening extending into said housing, said perimeter wall having front wall, rear wall, a first lateral wall and a second lateral wall, said perimeter wall having an inner surface and an outer surface;   a grate being pivotally joined to said perimeter wall, said grate being positioned nearer to said lower edge than said upper edge, an upper portion of said housing being defined between grate and said upper edge and a lower portion of said housing being defined between said grate and said lower edge, said grate being positioned in a closed position intersecting a lumen extending through said housing and through said openings defined by said upper and lower edges to hold charcoal and being positioned in an open position to release the charcoal; and   a catch being releasably engaged with said grate to retain said grate in said closed position, said catch being releasable from said grate such that said grate pivots downwardly toward said lower edge and through said lower opening to define an open position.   
     
     
         2 . A fire starting assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said grate is in a horizontal orientation when said perimeter wall is vertically oriented and said grate is in said closed position, said grate is pivotally coupled to said first lateral wall and extending to said second lateral wall when said grate is in said closed position. 
     
     
         3 . A fire starting assembly according to  claim 1 , further comprising a handle assembly being attached to said outer surface of said perimeter wall, said handle assembly including an upper arm component, a lower arm component and a grip being attached to and extending between said upper and lower arm components. 
     
     
         4 . A fire starting assembly according to  claim 3 , further comprising a heat shield being attached to said handle assembly and being positioned between said grip and said perimeter wall, said heat shield being configured to minimize heat transfer from said housing to said grip. 
     
     
         5 . A fire starting assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said catch comprises a pin being positioned in an engaged position extending through said perimeter wall and engages said grate to retain said grate in said closed position or in a disengaged position having said pin removed from said perimeter wall and disengaged from said grate. 
     
     
         6 . A fire starting assembly according to  claim 5 , wherein said pin is extendable through said second lateral wall and is positioned under and abutted against said grate when said pin is in said engaged position. 
     
     
         7 . A fire starting assembly according to  claim 5 , wherein said handle assembly is attached to said second lateral wall between said pin and said upper edge. 
     
     
         8 . A fire starting assembly according to  claim 5 , wherein a tether has a first end attached to said handle assembly and having a second end attached to said pin. 
     
     
         9 . A fire starting assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said perimeter wall defining a plurality of apertures, each of said apertures being configured to receive crumpled paper to ignite the charcoal positioned on said grate, said apertures being positioned between said lower edge and said grate. 
     
     
         10 . A fire starting assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said perimeter wall defining a plurality of air holes, each of said air holes being configured to allow airflow through said housing, said air holes being positioned between said grate and said upper edge. 
     
     
         11 . A fire starting assembly configured to receive and ignite charcoal and to release the charcoal when the charcoal has a temperature suitable for usage while cooking, said fire starting assembly comprising:
 a housing including a perimeter wall having an upper edge defining an upper opening and a lower edge defining a lower opening extending into said housing, said perimeter wall having front wall, rear wall, a first lateral wall and a second lateral wall, said perimeter wall having an inner surface and an outer surface;   a grate being pivotally joined to said perimeter wall, said grate being positioned nearer to said lower edge than said upper edge, an upper portion of said housing being defined between grate and said upper edge and a lower portion of said housing being defined between said grate and said lower edge, said grate being positioned in a closed position intersecting a lumen extending through said housing and through said openings defined by said upper and lower edges to hold charcoal and being positioned in an open position to release the charcoal, said grate being in a horizontal orientation when said perimeter wall is vertically oriented and said grate is in said close position, said grate being pivotally coupled to said first lateral wall and extending to said second lateral wall when said grate is in said closed position;   a catch being releasably engaged with said grate to retain said grate in said closed position, said catch being releasable from said grate such that said grate pivots downwardly toward said lower edge and through said lower opening to define an open position, said catch comprising a pin being positioned in an engaged position extending through said perimeter wall and engaging said grate to retain said grate in said closed position or in a disengaged position having said pin removed from said perimeter wall and disengaged from said grate, said pin being extendable through said second lateral wall and being positioned under and abutted against said grate when said pin is in said engaged position;   a handle assembly being attached to said outer surface of said perimeter wall, said handle assembly including an upper arm component, a lower arm component and a grip being attached to and extending between said upper and lower arm components, said handle assembly being attached to said second lateral wall between said pin and said upper edge;   a heat shield being attached to said handle assembly and being positioned between said grip and said perimeter wall, said heat shield being configured to minimize heat transfer from said housing to said grip;   a tether having a first end attached to said handle assembly and having a second end attached to said pin;   said perimeter wall defining a plurality of apertures, each of said apertures being configured to receive crumpled paper to ignite the charcoal positioned on said grate, said apertures being positioned between said lower edge and said grate; and   said perimeter wall defining a plurality of air holes, each of said air holes being configured to allow airflow through said housing, said air holes being positioned between said grate and said upper edge.