MXPA99008434A - Wick holder - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention includes a wick holder (20), whereby the upper portion of the ferrule is"S"crimped (30), without piercing the ferrule (24), to reduce the flow of fuel upward through the ferrule. The bottom of the base (22), on the opposite side of the cylindrical ferrule, is completely sealed off by a hot-melt adhesive (42), thereby preventing fuel from traveling up the hollow ferrule (24). By reducing the flow of fuel within the present wick holder, the wick holder restricts the supply of fuel to the candle wick when the flame burns the candle wick down to the top of the wick holder ferrule. By restricting the supply of fuel to the wick, the candle flame, upon burning down to the top of the wick holder, self-extinguishes before allowing the flame to approach the surface of the glass candle holder (15).

Description

BORE HOLDER DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is generally related to a method and apparatus for automatically extinguishing a flame at a predetermined point in a sail wick, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for restricting fuel flow. towards the lower end of a candle wick. In a typical candle arrangement, the flame receives fuel from the molded or submerged mass of wax surrounding the wick. While the fuel is supplied, through the wick via a capillary action, to the flame, the flame continuously burns the wick. In many situations, the candle is lit and left alone to burn until the candle is manually extinguished or extinguished by itself. A typical candle will usually extinguish on its own when the wick is disintegrated or the supply of fuel to the wick is eliminated. Many wax candles that are sold commercially, however, are very often placed or formed in a free glass or container or other fragile non-flammable container. Therefore, as the flame disintegrates the wick, the flame reaches the bottom of the glass holder, which causes the glass holder to overheat. Under certain conditions, excessive heating results in a technically induced cracking or breaking failure specifically, when the heat within the glass container exceeds the heat stress limits of the glass container, the glass may crack or completely break. If a glass candle holder is broken, glass pieces that fly off, endangering fire, and burns by picking up hot glass and wax parts can result in multi-level injuries. Typical candles very often self-extinguish when less than about 0.25 inches of wax residue still remains in the bottom of the glass fastener. However, allowing a candle to burn with only zero point twenty-five inches of wax residue between the flame and the bottom of the glass is very often dangerous in the manner that as discussed above, the flame still provides excessive heat to the surface of the glass. crystal. In addition to separating the flame from the glass surface and to provide stability to the wick, the bottom end of the wick is typically inserted into a wick clip. An exemplary wick clip (See Figure 1) is very often constructed of a thin metal or aluminum material which includes a broad base to support a hollow cylindrical splint, whereby the cylindrical splint is typically located in the center from the base. The center of the base very often includes an opening that allows fuel access from the bottom of the base inside the hollow splint. Due to the easy access of the fuel inside the wick clip, the wick continues to burn inside the wick clip, thereby allowing the hot flame to reach the glass holder as well. In the prior art of wick clips, fuel enters from the top of the ferrule or from the bottom through the opening in the wick clip base. In this way, a method and apparatus are necessary which solve the shortcomings of the prior art by automatically extinguishing the wick when it is burned to a predetermined height above the bottom of the wick holder. The present invention includes a wick holder formed from a round base with a cylindrical ferrule emanating from the center of the round base. The cylindrical splint is hollow to allow one end of the wick to be reciprocally received therein. The upper portion of the splint has an "S" -shaped shape, without piercing the splint, to reduce fuel flow up through the splint. The base of the wick holder includes a small opening in the center of the base which is concentric with, and has the same diameter as, the opening in the cylindrical splint. The bottom of the base, on the opposite side of the cylindrical splint, is completely sealed by a hot melt adhesive, thereby preventing the fuel from traveling up the hollow splint. By reducing the flow of fuel within the present wick holder, the wick holder restricts the supply of fuel to the candle wick when the flame buthe candle wick to the tip of the wick holder splint. By restricting the supply of fuel to the wick, the flame of the candle, when burned to the top of the wick holder, self-extinguishes before allowing the flame to reach the surface of the glass candle holder. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS • The present invention will be described hereinafter with the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein similar numbers indicate similar elements and: FIGURE 1 shows an example of a prior art wick clip; FIGURE 2 shows a side view and a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and FIGURE 3 shows a bottom view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The present invention generally includes a device which supports a wick 32, but substantially restricts the flow of fuel to the lower end of the wick. The device may be comprised of various configurations as are known to those skilled in the art. For example, the device can simply include a post without any base member. As shown in Figure 2, a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a wick fastener 20 preferably formed of a base 22 with a cylindrical splint 24 emanating from the central portion of the base 22. The splint 24 is preferably integrally formed with the base 22 by a known process of taking out / overrun. Alternatively, the base 22 and the splint 24 can be two separate pieces fixed by any suitable means. For example, base 22 and splint 24 can be joined by welding, adhesive, and the like. The base 22 can also reciprocally receive a second end 26 of the splint 24. Additionally, the base 22 can alternatively have any shape and be formed of any suitable material. In a preferred embodiment, the base 22 is substantially round and formed of tin. Still referring to Figure 2, in a preferred embodiment, the splint 24 is cylindrical and the height of the splint 24 is about 1/2", whereby a wide separation between the flame and the fastener 15 is provided. fastener 15 is any device known in the art capable of holding the wax around splint 24, but which bears the increased temperatures associated with candle flames 15. The fastener 15 is typically made of glass, ceramic or the like. 24 is preferably formed of tin and preferably hollow to allow one end of a wick 32 to be received reciprocally within it Alternatively, the ferrule 24 can have any shape and be formed of any suitable material. splint 24 is a solid splint having a wick 32 attached to the first end 28 of the splint 24 or having a wick 32 integrated into the splint 2 4 during the molding of the splint 24. The sail wick 32 is preferably composed of a soft cotton embroidery thread, but the wick 32 can be any suitable combustible material. In a preferred embodiment of Figure 2, after partially inserting one end of the wick 32 into the splint 24, the upper portion of the splint 24 is bent into an "S" shape, without piercing the splint, but still bending and by puncturing the wick 32 against the inner wall of the splint 24, whereby the fuel flow is substantially reduced upwardly through the splint 24. In an alternative embodiment, the "S" shaped bend can be located at any point along the length of the splint 24 and the bend can have any shape which substantially reduces the flow of fuel through the splint 24. In an alternative embodiment, the substantial reduction of the flow of fuel through of the splint 24 is achieved by any means which restricts the opening within the splint 24. For example, a small cork retainer inserted into the opening of the splint 24 and puncturing the wick 32 against the wall in The ferrule 24. In addition, the aforementioned candle fuel preferably includes a wax composition, and alternatively, includes any flammable liquid and / or other flammable substances. With respect to Figure 3, the base 22 includes an upper side from which the splint 24 emanates and a bottom side which is typically placed against the inner part of the bottom of the fastener 15. In a preferred embodiment, the center of the base 22 includes an opening 40 which is concentric with, and substantially and in the same diameter as, the opening of the second end 26 of the splint 24. The bottom of the base 22, on the opposite side of which the splint 24 emanates, preferably and substantially, sealed by a heat-melt adhesive 42, thereby preventing the fuel from traveling through the opening 40, and finally upwards to the splint 22 containing the wick 32. The adhesive 42 can also be used to secure the wick fastener 20 to the fastener 15. The hot melt adhesive 42 has a melting point of approximately 350 degrees F, while a typical wax candle melts at approximately 150 degrees F; therefore, the melted wax of the candle does not cause the adhesive 42 to melt. In an alternative embodiment, the opening 40 is sealed by any suitable material capable of substantially restricting the fuel entering the ferrule 24. For example, the opening 40 is substantially sealed by any adhesive, metal plate, adhesive tape, plastic and / or or similar. In another alternative embodiment, the base 22 is formed without an opening 40. The bottom of the base 22 also preferably includes three small protruding ends 45, equally spaced around the bottom of the base 22, whereby the base 22 is raised slightly above the surface on which the base 22 rests. The raised base 22 also isolates the glass container (which holds the candle) from the heat of the candle flame. When a candle is burning, as the flame disintegrates the wick 32, the flame reaches the bottom of the glass candle holder 15, thereby increasing the temperature of the glass holder 15. In a preferred embodiment, upon substantially sealing the sail holder 20 and "S" shaped ferrule 24, the fuel flow is substantially reduced within the ferrule 24. Because fuel flow is restricted within the ferrule 24, the wick needs to be supplied with fuel in an alternative way. Once the wick is burning, the capillary action attracts the melted face horizontally from the upper layer of the wax, to the wick 32, and then upwards from the wick to the flame. Accordingly, when the flame of the candle burns the wick of the candle 32 down to the first end 28 of the ferrule 24 and melts the wax around the wick 32, the wick holder 20 substantially restricts the supply of the melted wax to the candle wick 32. By restricting the supply of fuel to the wick 32, the flame of the candle, while burning down towards the first end 28 of the wick holder 20, self-extinguishes before it reaches the bottom surface of the glass candle holder 15. Restricting the flame of the approaching glass holder 15 prevents excessive heating of the candle holder 15 and prevents possible breakage or cracking failures technically induced from the fastener 15. On the other hand , depending on the height of the wick holder 20, the wick holder 20 substantially prevents a sufficient quantity of solid waxes from being burned by the flame. Therefore, throughout the life of the flame, a sufficient quantity of solid wax will remain in the sail fastener base 15, thereby also providing an insulation barrier between the flame and the glass fastener 15, of this mode by reducing the dangerous heat transfer to the fastener 15.

Although the invention has been described here with reference to the appended figures, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not so limited. Various modifications to the sequence of steps and the arrangement of components can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims (11)

1. CLAIMS 1. A wick holder characterized in that it includes a splint, the splint has a length and is configured to reciprocally receive a predetermined portion of a wick, such a splint is configured to substantially restrict the flow of a fuel to the wick.
2. 2. The wick holder according to claim 1, further characterized in that it includes a coating, such coating substantially prevents the fuel from contacting the portion of the wick contained within such a wick holder.
3. The wick fastener according to claim 2, characterized in that the coating includes at least one of the following adhesive, metal, adhesive tape, plastic and polyurethane.
4. The wick fastener according to claim 1, characterized in that the length of said ferrule includes at least one fold.
5. 5. The method of rolling according to claim 4, characterized in that the fold includes an "S" shaped fold.
6. 6. The wick holder according to claim 1, characterized in that the length of said ferrule is approximately 1/2".
7. 7. A method for substantially restricting fuel flow to a wick characterized in that it includes the steps of: providing a wick fastener including a splint and a base, such a splint has a length; Insert a predetermined portion of the wick into the splint; and, to bend a predetermined point in the length of such splint. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that it further includes coating the base of such a wick holder thereby substantially preventing such a fuel from contacting the portion of the wick contained within such a wick holder. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the step of the coating includes coating the wick holder with at least one of the following adhesive, metal, adhesive joint, plastic and polyurethane. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that said bending step includes folding in a "S" shape a predetermined point in the length of the ferrule. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the step of providing a wick fastener includes a splint which includes providing a splint having a length of about 1/2".