US20160223191A1

US20160223191A1 - Secret hidden message candles

Info

Publication number: US20160223191A1
Application number: US14/995,452
Authority: US
Inventors: Melissa Porada
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-01-30
Filing date: 2016-01-14
Publication date: 2016-08-04

Abstract

A message display candle having a hidden message visible in a prerequisite time after lighting. Message characters are initially embedded within the consumable non-transparent wax material to a prescribed depth during manufacturing to determine reveal time after lighting. The hidden message can be of any representation including custom phrases and shapes using specific messages. The message becomes hidden again once the candle is extinguished and the wax cools to an original opaque configuration maintaining its depth orientation.

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/125,755, filed on Jan. 30, 2015.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to candles, specifically decorative display candles that have messages and decorative symbols.
2. Description of Prior Art
Prior art decorative candles have been developed that have a variety of display and scent qualities. Typically, such candles are primarily scent oriented wherein a distinctive fragrance is given off as they burn. Other decorative display candles include different types of wax or paraffin, such as soy or soy paraffin mixes which afford different rates of consumption after they are lit.
Message candles have also been developed that have static messages within or on the candles which are visible before and during use whereas a keepsake that is removable after burning, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,304,547, 4,696,640, 6,568,931 and U.S. Publications 2006/0172241 and 2007/0248922.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,547 a candle having multiple decorative tabs of heat sensitive adhesive are positioned on the outside of the candle where the tabs become dislodged as the candle burns and is heated up.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,640 is directed to a fortune candle in which a fortune such as a game token is embedded in the candle and becomes exposed as the candle is consumed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,934 claims a message display candle having a predetermined message embedded in consumable combustible transparent gel so it is visible before, during and after the candle is burned.
U.S. Publication 2006/01742241 discloses a decorative candle having an embedded design spaced in relation to the wick to define a geometric shape of greater than a hundred and eighty degrees visible at all times.
Finally, in U.S. Publication 2007/0248922 a secret message candle is described and disclosed having a divided container with a message sheet placed within on a heat activated coating. Upon burning, the air within the message containing cylinder heats up causing the ink to become transparent revealing the message.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A hidden message display candle that reveal a hidden message of configured material embedded within an opaque body of the flammable fuel which becomes visible at a preselected time based on the natural liquification to a transparent quality. The message is of a dimensional characteristic to be self-supporting within the medium and maintains its depth orientation before and after liquification and induced visibility.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the message candle with the message not visible, but shown in placement in broken line therewithin.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the message candle illustrating position of the hidden message within the body of the candle.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the message candle before lighting.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the message candle after lighting and liquification of the upper layer so as to become visible.

FIG. 5 is a graphic representation of the message spacing within the candle body.

FIG. 6 is a graphic representation of alternate message configurations beyond that of letter indicia.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a message representation of combined elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a hidden message display candle 10 of the invention can be seen having, in this example, a solid candle containment container 11 of a preformed shape of non-transparent or transparent material. The container 11 has a contoured sidewall 12 extending integrally from an annular bottom 13. The candle 10 is formed within the container 11 defining a monolithic infilled body member 14 of combustible consumable material 15, such as wax, a gel or other mixed configurations including, but not limited to soy and paraffin which are well known and used extensively within the candle making art.
During formation, a wick 16 is positioned within the body member 14 and may be attached to the container's bottom 13 or suspended and held in spaced relation thereto as the combustible infilled consumable material 14 being liquefied by heating is poured within the hereinbefore described decorative support container 11. As will be understood, the heated liquefied consumable combustible fuel 14 will become solid when cooled and in this example become visually opaque.
It will be seen that the hidden message display candle 10 of the invention will reveal during use a message object 17, such as letter indicia of the user's pre-choosing directed to a message that they wish to convey. The message object 16 can be, as noted, formed of letter indicia display to define phrases, such as “I Love You” or “Happy Birthday” dependent on the event or occasion required.
Preferably the message object 17 are formed from precision cut thin metallic foil, illustrated graphically in FIG. 6 of the drawings and can be achieved by a variety of commercially known means, such as programmable laser cutters that allow for a variety of message objects to be easily formed.
The thin foil formed message object 17, once cut, is embedded within the monolithic infill body member 14 of the consumable combustible material 15 during formation at a prescribed depth illustrated graphically in FIGS. 2 and 5 of the drawings as D or D′ which determines the visualization time reveal as the consumable material 15, which in this example is a mixture of soy and paraffin becomes transparent as heated by the burning wick 16A.
Exposure visualization time can therefore be varied based on the diameter of the candle 10 and the depth of the message object 17, examples of such depth can be ⅛ inch, ¼ inch and ½ inch respectively with the associated exposure time typically being three to five minutes at ⅛ inch, four to six minutes at ¼ inch and five to seven minutes at ½ inch depth.
It will be evident that given the pre-time exposure and nature of the message object 17 can therefore be chosen by the user to fit their intended usage. A further example of time delay determination based on the diameter of candle would be, for example a two-inch diameter candle with a message object 17 at a depth of ⅛ inch from the surface affording a twelve to twenty-minute exposure and accordingly a twenty to thirty-minute exposure for a ¼ inch depth.
It will therefore be seen that the selection of the candle diameter and the message object depth affords a variety of exposure times to suit specific instances or requirements to be available to the user.
Other examples of message objects 17 may be static object representations rather than letter indicia. Such examples can be seen generally in FIG. 6 of the drawings as hearts 18 or bells 19 and may be combined with descriptive letter indicia messages 17A for the appropriate use venue as illustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawings.
The message display candle 10 can be reused given its inherent properties wherein once the lit wick 16A is exterminated and the liquefied combustible consumable material 15 cools and hardens it reverts back to its original opaque configuration, thus hiding the message until relit and heated to be exposed again.
It will be evident that custom messages are therefore possible, thus personalizing the candle 10 to be used with specific user applications associated with specific names, events or dates in such custom applications.
It will also be apparent that the shape of the candle 10 can be varied depending on the container and therefore would not be limited to the present example chosen for illustration.
It will thus be seen that a new and novel hidden message candle of the invention has been illustrated and described and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore,

Claims

I claim:

1. A hidden message candle comprising,

a candle body having a bottom and an upstanding continuous sidewall,

a monolithic mass of opaque consumable fuel within said container,

message objects embedded within said opaque consumable fuel,

said message objects invisible within said opaque consumable fuel,

a wick in said consumable fuel whereby said message objects become visible once the candle wick is lit and the consumable fuel liquefies becoming transparent to a depth of said embedded message objects.

2. The hidden message candle of claim 1 wherein said monolithic mass of opaque consumable fuel is of a soy based paraffin that liquefies when heated and becomes transparent.

3. The hidden message candle of claim 1 wherein said message objects are embedded within said opaque consumable fuel to a predetermined depth from its surface.

4. The hidden message candle of claim 1 wherein said message objects are formed from non-transparent metallized foil material.

5. The hidden message candle set forth in claim 1 wherein said message objects are formed letter indicia spelling out specific wordage and phrases.

6. The hidden message candle of claim 1 wherein said message objects further comprise,

distinctive representations of stylized decorated objects.

7. The hidden message candle set forth in claim 1 wherein said wick is positioned from the bottom of the candle.

8. The hidden message candle set forth in claim 3 wherein the predetermined depth of said embedded message objects within said opaque consumable fuel determines visualization time equal to liquification of said fuel to said message objects.

9. The hidden message candle set forth in claim 1 wherein said message objects embedded depth within said opaque consumable fuel is maintained proportionally during candle use.