GB2300647A - Candles - Google Patents

Abstract

A wax candle (12) has a wick (14) disposed in a non rectilinear path such that as the candle burns down the flame is displaced laterally of the candle. Also disclosed is a wax candle with at least two wicks disposed so that as the candle burns the separation of the flames varies. The non rectilinear type candle is obtained by setting the wick(s) in the required configuration and forming the wax body around the wick(s).

Description

A CANDLE The present invention relates generally to a candle, and in particular to an improved candle having both functional and decorative features.

Traditionally, candles have been made to a generally cylindrical form and primarily designed for illumination.

Variations in the cylindrical form to provide longer or shorter candles, or to provide fatter or thinner candles have been contemplated, and even some shape variations, such as spherical candles are known. However, since the primary function of candles is illumination traditional variations are very limited.

Although the decorative value of candles has been appreciated they have only been based on the concept of varying the outer form of a wax or other body of combustible material surrounding a rectilinear wick.

With the advent of modern electrical illumination the need for candles has diminished to the point where they are primarily used for decorative effect, for example on special occasions. The decorative effect of candles can, therefore, be given a greater prominence in modern circumstances than they could in the past. This is already reflected in the greater variety of surface decoration both applied and impressed to the bodies, and the variety of external shapes available, including carved figures and the like.

The present invention seeks to provide further decorative and functional possibilities for candles.

According to one aspect of the present invention a candle comprises a body of wax or like combustible material within which is embedded a wick in the form of a porous or fibrous elongate element capable of absorbing the material of the candle body when molten to convey it by capillary action upon ignition of the wick, in which the wick is located within the candle body in such a way as to occupy a non-rectilinear path such as to cause the flame to displace laterally of the candle as it burns down.

According to another aspect of the present invention a candle comprises a body of wax or like combustible material within which are embedded at least two wicks positioned such that the separation of the flames formed upon lighting the candle varies as the candle burns.

In this latter aspect of the invention each wick may be embedded in a separate candle body portion or in a common candle body portion. In the former case the said separate candle body portions may join at least at a common point, and the said wicks may likewise join at at least one common point such that the plurality of flames formed upon ignition of the candle merge to a single flame as the candle burns down.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the or each wick may have a plurality of relatively inclined substantially rectilinear wick portions.

Alternatively the or each wick may have at least one curvilinear portion. In either event the candle body or body portion as appropriate may have an exterior shape broadly matching the course of the wick or wicks.

The present invention also comprehends a method of producing a candle having at lease one non-rectilinear wick, comprising the steps of setting the wick or wicks to the desired configuration and forming the candle body around the wick or wicks.

This may be achieved by casting a molten wax or like combustible candle body material in a mould whereby partly to fill the mould, introducing at least one wick into the mould, conforming the wick to the shape of the body or body portion of the candle or the required configuration of the wick, with the wick lying lengthways along the candle body and at least one end portion of the wick projecting from the mould, and subsequently casting a further quantity of wax or like combustible material into the mould to cover the wick and embed it in the candle body. Alternatively the wick or wicks may be preliminarily supported on a frame and then dipped into a large container of molten wax and withdrawn to allow the wax to solidify.Then the frame may be removed, after further dipping if needed to allow sufficient wax to build up for the wick or wicks to be self-supporting, and then repeated dipping and withdrawing may be conducted until sufficient wax has built up to provide the desired body.

In one example of the casting method of the invention this may be performed by locating turning points of the wick using suitable fixed or fixable members, around which the wick is turned in defining its path.

Embodiments of the invention may also be formed with additional novelty features, for example two candle body portions may surround or partly surround a solid noncombustible element, for example made of metal or metal foil which is released as the candle burns past its location.

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic sectional side view of a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of a mould suitable for forming the embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of a part of the mould of Figure 2 illustrating a wick in position ready for casting; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the illustration of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the mould illustrated in Figure 2, showing the casting operation; Figure 6 is a sectioned side view of a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 is a plan view of a mould for making the embodiment of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a schematic view illustrating a first step in the process for making the embodiment of Figure 6;; Figure 9 is an enlarged view of the mould of Figure 7 in an intermediate part of the process; Figure 10 is a partial perspective view of the mould of Figure 7 showing a further step in the process for production of the embodiment of Figure 6; Figure 11 is a sectioned side view of a further embodiment of the invention; and Figure 12 is a sectioned side view of a further embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 is a perspective view illustrating a first step in another example of the method of the invention; Figure 14 is a perspective view of a support base for the candle of the present invention; and Figures 14A-14D are detailed views of the components of the stand of Figure 14.

Referring now to the drawings, the embodiment shown in Figure 1 comprises a candle generally indicated 11 having a generally elongate meandering body 12 comprising a plurality of short rectilinear portions 12a, 12b ... 12j separated by elbows 13 individually identified by the subscripts of the adjacent body portions. Thus, the first elbow 13ab is located between the body portions 12a and 12b etc.

Within the body 12 of the candle 11 is a correspondingly configured wick 14 the individual portions of which are correspondingly identified 14a - 14j each portion linked to the adjacent portion by an elbow 15 indicated, like the body elbows, with the subscript of the adjacent rectilinear wick portions. Thus, the lower most wick elbow 15ab is located between the rectilinear wick portion 14a and the rectilinear wick portion 14b.

At its lower most end the candle 11 has an enlarged base 16 provided with a non combustible ballast element 17 for stability. At its other end the candle 11 has a projecting wick portion 14k by means of which ignition can be initiated.

As will be appreciated, by virtue of its rectilinear meandering configuration, the candle 11 will burn down with the flame at its upper end following the meandering path and thus displacing laterally as well as longitudinally as the candle burns.

The candle illustrated in Figure 1 can be made using a mould as illustrated in Figure 2, which comprises a rectilinear body 18 having a straight-sided rectilinear meandering channel 19 formed therein. As can be seen from Figures 3 and 4, the wick 14 can be located in the channel 19 by utilising pins 20 at each elbow, sufficiently rigidly positioned that the wick portions 14a-14j can be located within the channel 19 above a base 21 thereof and approximately equally spaced between side walls 22, 23 thereof. Once the wick has been located in position as closely to the plane defining half the depth of the channel 19 as possible, molten wax or other candle-forming combustible material can be poured into the mould as shown in Figure 5.The molten material is then allowed to set, and once a preliminary set has been achieved the pins 20 defining the elbows in the wick may be removed and the holes thus left topped up with the small additional quantity of wax. When completely set the candle is then removed from the mould and the stabilising ballast element 17 is fitted thereto. To facilitate removal the mould may be made from a resilient material allowing it to be pulled out of shape so that the relatively fragile candle is not subject to stress likely to damage it during removal.

It will be appreciated from the above, therefore, that the candle of the present invention is unusual in having flat rectilinear side faces rather than occupying a cylindrical form.

The embodiment described in relation to Figures 1 to 5 has a single wick. In Figures 6 to 10 is described a second embodiment having two wicks. As can be seen in Figure 6 the candle generally indicated 24 comprises two curved candle body portions 25, 26 which join at a junction point 27 at the upper end of the candle, and at a second junction point 28 near a lower end of the candle. The base 29 spans the lower ends 30, 31 of the curved body portions 25, 26 respectively. The junction portions 27 and 28 are shown enlarged in the encircled enlargements comprising Figures 6a and 6b.

Within the candle body portions 25, 26 are respective curved wicks 32, 33 which extend from the junction 27 to the lower ends 30, 31 and include a common projecting wick portion 34 extending from the junction 27.

Because there are no sharp corners as in the embodiment of Figure 1 the method for producing the embodiment of Figure 6 is somewhat different as will be described in relation to Figures 7 to 10.

In Figure 7 is shown a mould for forming the candle of Figure 6, comprising a mould body 35 having a compound channel 36 having two curved limbs 37, 38 matching in shape the limbs 25, 26 of the candle to be formed. In producing the candle from the mould 35 a small quantity of wax or other suitable combustible molten material 39 is poured into the channel 36 to occupy no more than one half of the depth of the channel. Then, when the material has partially solidified, but is still in a plastic state the wicks 32,33 are positioned centrally of the channels 37, 38 by a light pressure impressing them into the surface of the partially set wax or other material in the canal. Finally, as shown in Figure 10, wax or other suitable material is poured int the mould to fill the channels and allowed to set prior to removal.

Again, a ballast element for the base may be provided In the embodiment of Figure 11 there is shown a candle 40 comprising a plurality of rectilinear parallel elements 41 to 49 joined by inclined rectilinear surrounding frame elements 50, 51, 52, 53 which join the parallel rectilinear elements 41-49 at both ends thereof. The candle includes a base portion 54 and ballast element 55 as in the other embodiments.

When lit, the candle of Figure 11 will, like embodiment Figure 6 burn with at first a single flame and this will then split into multiple flames. The relationship between the length of the individual rectilinear parallel candle elements 41-49 and their separation x, y is determined such that a central parallel element 45 will not burn down more rapidly than the outer elements, for example 41 and 49 in order to ensure that a still-burning perimetral portion of the candle cannot be separated from the remainder by a more-rapidly burning portion located nearer the centre. This can also be ensured by designing the candle in such a way that the central portions are thicker and therefore contain more wax and burn more slowly than the peripheral portions.Ideally the proportions are so designed that the flames all remain at approximately the same horizontal level as they burn to give a simulation of a candelabra.

Finally, the embodiment of Figure 12 comprises a candle generally indicated 60 having two substantially parallel aligned rectilinear candle portions 61, 62 joined by a central portion 63 which has two semi-circular limbs 64, 65 enclosing a central body 66, for example of metal foil. As this candle burns down, so the flames will pass around the central body 66 eventually releasing it. The method by which the embodiment of Figure 12 may be formed matches substantially that described in relation to the embodiment of Figures 6 to 10, with the addition of a step positioning the non-combustible element 66, whilst a method employed for forming the embodiment of Figure 11 may match substantially that described for producing the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5 utilising, of course, a suitable mould.

An alternative method of producing multiple-wick candles is illustrated in Figure 13 and 14, in which, as opposed to the casting process described above, the candles are built up by successive layers. In this example of the method of the invention a plurality of wicks (in this case three) 70, 71, 72 are held in a desired relative position by supporting them on a support frame 73 using attachment lines 74, 75, 76. Once the desired configuration has been achieved the wicks are tensioned by the addition of a weight 78 entire frame 73, together with the wicks 70, 71, 72 is lowered into a vat 77 of molten wax until the wicks are entirely immersed. The frame is left in place for a short while and then withdrawn and the wax impregnating the wicks and coating the surface allowed to cool and solidify. If at this stage sufficient wax has been accreted to stiffen and reinforce the wicks sufficiently to make them selfsupporting the frame 73 may now be removed. Otherwise, after cooling of the wax, the frame and wicks are dipped again briefly to allow a further coating of wax to adhere to the previously-formed coating and the frame again withdrawn to allow cooling.

After removal of the frame the partly-formed candle may be repeatedly dipped and withdrawn until sufficient wax has built up to form the finished candle, or the waxreinforced wicks may be lain in a partly cast mould (now not needing any means to hold the wicks in shape) to allow finish casting as before. Figures 14A-14D show a dismantleable support base for the candle of the present invention, comprising two side strips 80, 81 each having a rounded upper corner 82, 83 at each end and respective partial slots 84, 85 spaced inwardly from each end and opening into the lower edge 86. Two end strips 87, 88 have similar curved upper corners 89, 90 at each end, respective upwardly directed partial slots 91, 92 spaced slightly inwardly from each end and opening into the upper edge 93, and a central large slot 94 matching the cross-sectional shape of a base 95 of the candle 96. The individual strips are readily fitted together by loose inter engagement of respective slots 91, 84 and 92, 85 to form a rectangular frame which can be placed on a support surface with the base 95 located in the slot 94 to hold it against tipping.

Claims (15)

1. A candle comprising a body of wax or like combustible material within which is embedded a wick in the form of a porous or fibrous elongate element capable of absorbing the material of the candle body when molten to convey it by capillary action upon ignition of the wick, in which the wick is located within the candle body in such a way as to occupy a non-rectilinear path such as to cause the flame to displace laterally of the candle as it burns down.

2. A candlle comprising a body of wax or like combustible material within which are embedded at least two wicks positioned such that the separation of the flames formed upon lighting the candle varies as the candle burns.

3. A candle as claimed in Claim 2, in which each wick is embedded in a separate candle body portion.

4. A candle as claimed in Claim 3, in which the said separate candle body portions join at a common point and the said wicks likewise join at a common point such that the plurality of flames formed upon ignition of the candle merge to a single flame as the candle burns down.

5. A candle as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the or each wick has a plurality of relatively inclined substantially rectilinear wick portions.

6. A candle as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the or each wick has at least one curved portion.

7. A candle as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6, in which the candle body or body portions has or have an exterior shape broadly matching the course of the wick or wicks.

8. A method of producing a candle having at least one non-rectilinear wick, comprising the steps of setting the wick or wicks to the desired configuration and forming the candle body around the wick or wicks.

9. A method of producing a candle as claimed in Claim 8, further comprising the steps of casting a molten wax or like candle body material in a mould whereby partly to fill the mould, introducing at least one wick into the mould, conforming the wick to the shape of the body or body portions of the candle with the wick lying lengthwise along the candle body and at least one end portion of the wick projecting from the mould, and subsequently casting a further quantity of wax or like combustible candle body material into the mould to cover the wick and embed it in the candle body.

10. A method of producing a candle as claimed in Claim 8 or Claim 9, comprising the steps of supporting one or a plurality of wicks on a supporting frame, introducing the frame and wicks supported thereby into a container of molten wax, withdrawing the wicks from the wax and allowing the wax impregnating and coating the wicks to cool and solidify, removing the supporting frame and further forming a body of wax around the now-stiffened wicks either by further dipping or by casting.

11. A candle as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 7 having an enlarged base, in combination with support means engageable with the base whereby to provide stability against tipping.

12. A candle as claimed in Claim 11, in which the enlarged base includes at least one lateral projection and the support means are shaped whereby to engage the projection with the form-fitting engagement.

13. Finally a candle as claimed in Claim 12, in which the support means comprise a plurality of separate elements shaped to allow them to be fitted together to form an assembly.

14. A candle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference 2, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

15. A method of producing a candle substantially as described herein with reference to the examples.