US2530529A

US2530529A - Censer

Info

Publication number: US2530529A
Application number: US46771A
Authority: US
Inventors: Tang Leo R Le
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1948-08-30
Filing date: 1948-08-30
Publication date: 1950-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 1967-11-21

Description

Nov. 21, 1950 L. R. LE TANG OENSER Filed Aug. 30, 1948 INVENTOR. BY 160 1246 74;? WW

ATTYs Patented Nov. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFHQE CENSER 8 Claims.

The present invention relates to a censer or thurible adapted for use in ecclesiastic ceremonies and has for an object the provision of a device of this kind that is free of various difficulties that are sometimes experienced in the preparation and use of such devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide a censer that is constructed so as to provide for a maximum of heat dissipation directly to the atmosphere and for a minimum of heat conduction to the exterior parts thereof, thus affording a high degree of safety to those handling the same.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a ventilated censer that lends itself to unique and elegant ornamental design and to a variety of metals or metal finishes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a censer adapted to be suspended by a single chain, without the dangers of known one chain censers.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an easily and inexpensively arranged assembly of concentrically disposed and spacedly related parts affording a greatly reduced metallic heat conductivity from the incense cup to the exterior ornamental and supporting parts of the device and affording selective disposition of the cover member above or below the cup.

These and other important objects are attained by the means described herein and exemplified in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a censer embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the pan partly broken away and the support ring partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the device showing in full lines the position of the cover in an operative position over the pan, and in dotted lines the position of the cover in its inoperative position.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2.

Censers or thuribles have heretofore consisted generally in a hollow ornamental body, a cover adapted to be lifted and lowered over the body and a cup or container for fire and incense materials, the body having three suspending chains, while a fourth chain is attached to the top of the cover for lifting it. The three body suspension chains are sometimes passed through three of the ventilating holes near the bottom of the cover to guide the latter gravitationally into closing position on the body. These structures become quite hot during the period of preparation and ceremonial use and the suspending chains sometimes cause inconvenience to the users, particularly when the cover is lifted to add incense to the glowing material in the incense cup or container.

By the means of the present invention the previously experienced difficulties are completely eliminated and a device is provided that is simpler to fill and use, said device being, by the nature of its construction, suited to a new and enlarged range of ornamental design.

In the device as exemplified in the drawings a plurality of bracket members i, 8 and 9 are provided with pairs of lugs Iii-4i), H-l l, and lZ--l2 respectively. These lugs are preferably spaced apart equal distances on each bracket;

butthe lugs on each succeeding bracket are vertically ofiset from the top and bottom of said bracket by a distance equal to the thickness of the lugs. This permits the upper and lower sets of lugs I0, I l and I2 to be superposed in stacked relation and to be connected as a unit at the top by a threaded rod I 3 and at the bottom by a screw 14. The bottom lug ID of the upper group and the top lug l2 of the lower group are drilled and tapped to receive the thread of said screw members It and M respectively while the remaining lugs of both groups are merely drilled for the passage of said screws. A dish type base or foot I5 is attached to the lower lug it! by the screw I4 and the lower ends of the brackets i, 8 and 9 may rest on the top face of said base. The center of gravity is thus disposed in the vertical axis passing through screws l3 and I4 particularly when the brackets are spaced apart uniformly at about such axis.

A drilled ornamental knob N3 of plastic material or other low heat conductive material is passed over the threaded rod l3 and a threaded ball nut I! is screwed onto the threaded end of the rod and is further provided with a pivoted ring IE to which a suitable length of chain [9 is attached.

Rigidly supported between the brackets is an ornamental hollow body 20 of generally hemispherical or cup form having an enlarged bottom opening 2| and further having about its upper horizontal edge a circumferentially arranged ring of openings, some of which openings are accurately spaced holes, while the remainder of said openings are round bottomed vertical slots which extend through the top edge 22 of the body 29 in uniformly spaced relation to each other and to said holes in the manner which will now be described. One hole 23 and an opposed slot 24- are disposed on a given diameter of body 20, and another hole 25 is disposed at 90 thereto, said hole 25 being diametrically opposed to a specific slot 26. A slot 21 is spaced 120 from slot 24 and is disposed between slot 26 and hole 23, while the last slot 28 is disposed between

holes

23 and 25 and is spaced 120 from slots 24 and 21.

The brackets 8 and 9 each have relatively long dowels 29 projecting inwardly and horizontally toward the vertical center axisof the device and these dowels extend through and beyond the slots 2! and 28 in body 20 for the dual function of supporting the body at two points near the top and of accurately spacing the brackets 8 and 9 at an angle of 120 about said vertical axis. The bracket i has a similarly located and shorter dowel 30 which passes through slot 24 and terminates substantially flush with the inside face of body 28. The dowels 29 and 30 may "be cast integrally with the several brackets or rigidly inserted therein in :any desired manner. The several brackets have spacer and support bosses 3-! located so as to contact the exterior of body as at-three'points 120apart near the :bottomand to thereby space the body from the brackets and to cooperate with dowels .129 and 3B in rigidly supporting the body on the brackets with a minimum of metallic contact through which heat may travel by conduction.

An incense cup '32 is provided with a peripheral lip or bead 33 from which the cup is suspended within an annular support 34. The ring for annular support 3 has in the exterior side wall thereof a pair of recesses :01" drilled holes 35 spaced 126 apart andadapted to receive 'thecorrespondingly reduced and shouldered ends 536 of dowels 29.

Midway between holes 35 is a tapped hole 3:! which receives the threaded end of a :screw 38 that passes through hole 23in body 21] and serves to draw the ring rigidly against the ends of dowels 29 and a spacer bushing or tube ti, on said screw between adjacent sides of the ring and body.

A hollow hemispherical cover 40 has integral trunnions 4:! and '42 extending outwardly at diametrically opposite sides and said cover :is pivotally mounted on the body 2o by entering the short trunnion 41 into hole 25 in the body and then dropping the longer trunnion 42 into slot 26.

At this point it will be noted particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, that the brackets, the body 12H, the cover tit and the annular support member 134 are concentrically arranged in mutually spaced relation. It will also be noted that cover =40 may be moved .on its trunnions, in the direction of the arrow, fr'cm an operative position as shown in Fig. 3 in full lines, through the unobstructed semicircular opening 4.3 between the body?!) and ring 33, atone side :of the trunnions, :to assume a wholly concealed relation inside the body and beneath the ring and cup.

The trunnion 42 is elongated and is retained in 'slot 26 by a small plate as that seats on the top edge of the body '29 and spans :said slot 2t after the trunnion 1is entered in said slot. This is suitably attached to the body :28 by angular fingers :35 'on the plate with screws -45 passing therethrough into said body. A rigidly attached or integrally formed rectangular block '41 on the trunnion 42 and a stem portion 48 witha threaded terminal end are adapted to cooperate with "a reciprocably mounted finger piece and latch member 4-9 for manually moving the *covcrpn its trunnioned mounting and for slidably engaging the top edge of body 28 for holding said cover in the raised or operative position as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. The member 49 has an enlarged axial core 58 at its outer end and a reduced bore 5| aligned therewith at the inner end through which the reduced end of the trunnion passes. A coil spring 52 surrounds the trunnion and is held in compressed and concealed relation within bore 58- by a threaded abutment piece 53 which may enter the bore as the finger piece is pulled outwardly against the resistance of the spring. A projecting flange 54 on the finger piece (see Fig. 4') normally rests on the flat plate 44, that is in efiect part of the top edge of body 28, and the top o'f block t and holds the cover against turning.

When it is desired to uncover the incense cup the finger piece is pulled outwardly until the flange 54 is clear of plate l4 whereupon the finger piece and cover may be rotated to move the cover through the space =43 .into the hollow interior oi the body beneath the ring and cup. "On reverse rotation the spring automatically shifts the finger piece toward the body and allows flange 44 thereof to assume a latching position.

As indicated in Figs. 2 and 4 the'edge of cover M has slots 55 matching the slots 56 in the 'top of body 20 so that when the cover is raised the matching slots in the two members present the appearance of circular -ventilating holes asshown in Fig. l. The cover is furthermore provided with openings 58B arranged in decorative or symbolic ornamental form. v

The operation and use of the censer will be readily understood. The heat from burning material in the cup 32 may rise and escape partly through openings 56.0 allowing the scented smoke to escape to the atmosphere. When the censer is swung by the chain the scent also escapes through the

matching slots

56 and 55 in the body and cover respectively.

During continued use the cup '32 becomes hot and the rising heat draws cooling air up through opening 21 and allows it to flow between the inside of the body and the cup. Part of the heated air escapes to the atmosphere between the body and the cover and part passes between the support ring and the'inside-of the cover-and escapes through openings 560.

Thus all the parts of the censer are subjected to ventilating currents of air and the relatively few and small metallic paths of 'conductivity ra quire 'a :long period *of continued use before the exposed parts become noticeably heated. At no' become hot :and also pull out liver coals from the :cup and. spill them, thus creating a fire hazard and -a source of inquiry to the users. .Due to the unique arrangement of the suspension of the present device 'inconjunc'tion with the mode of operationof the cover all dangers are obviated. If desired three chains may be 'used on the :present device if traditional three chain suspension be desired but the danger of entanglement of the chains as experienced with known triple 25 chain suspensions is completely avoided.

What is claimed is:

1. In a censer the combination of a hollow body with an open top and an opening in the bottom thereof, a ventilated dome-shaped cover having a pair of diametrically opposed external trunnions thereon adjacent its bottom journalled in said body adjacent the top edge of the latter whereby the cover is supported for rotational movement in one direction to an inverted position wholly within the body for uncovering the open top of said body and for reverse rotational movement to an upright position substantially wholly outside the body for covering the open top of said body, one of said cover trunnions being extended beyond the body and having an integral block adjacent said body presenting a flat face substantially in a plane with the top edge of the body when the cover is in an upright position outside the bodv, and a latch member axially shiftable on said trunnion and spring biased toward said body, said latch member including a flange slidably guiding on said flat face on the trunnion and precluding relative rotation of the latch member and trunnion, said flange arranged and adapted to slidably engage on the top edge of the body under the influence of said spring bias when the cover is in upright position on the body for releasably retaining the cover in said position, said latch member being manually retractable against the resistance of the spring bias for retracting said flange from the top edge of the body and permitting unitary manual rotation of the latch member and trunnion whereby the cover is moved to and from said inverted position wholly inside the body. 2. In a censer the oombination'of a body, a series of brackets grouped about the body and having the upper ends connected together above the said body and the lower ends connected together below said body, bosses on said brackets supporting the bottom of the body in spaced relation to the brackets, dowels on said brackets extending through the body for effecting predetermined radial spacing of the brackets about the body and for retaining the body in seated relation on the said bosses, a trunnioned cover journalled at diametrically opposite sides of the body adjacent its top edge, a spring urged latch reciprocably and nonrotatably mounted on one of the cover trunnions and engageable on the top edge of the body for releasably holding the cover in upright position for substantially covering the open top of the body, an annular support of lesser size than the cover disposed concentrically within the upper interior of the body, a flanged incense cup removably seated in said annular support, the dowels in the brackets on one side of the axis of the trunnioned cover mounting being extended radially inwardly through the body and entered into the adjacent portions of said annular support, a spacer and screw member extending between the annular support and body midway the extended dowels for positively drawing the annular support against the extended dowels, a foot member connected to said brackets at the bottom thereof, and a suspension chain operatively connected with said brackets at the top.

3. In a ventilated censer the combination of a hemiglobular hollow body having an opening in the bottom, brackets grouped about said body in radially spaced relation, bosses on said brackets supporting the body near the bottom in spaced relation to said brackets, dowels on said brackets extending into said body adjacent the top thereof, an annular support for a cup disposed in concentrically inwardly spaced relation to the top portion of said body, a domed apertured cover, external trunnions on said cover adjacent its open bottom extending in journalled relation through said body adjacent its open top at diametrically opposite sides thereof, means, including the bracket dowels at one side of the axis of said trunnion mounting, for rigidly supporting the ring and affording unobstructed space on the opposite side of the axis of said trunnion mounting between the outside of the ring and the inside of the bod for permitting movement of the cover on its mounting into the interior of the body below the ring, and means for releasably latching the cover against movement through said unobstructed space. I

4. A single chain suspended censer comprising a group of radially spaced brackets, means connecting said brackets together at the tops, a chain receiving member connected to said means, an ornamental hollow censer body disposed between said brackets, bosses on the brackets for supporting said bod in spaced relation to said brackets at the bottom of said body, dowels extending from the brackets into said body adjacent the top, a domed ventilated cover having trunnions adjacent its open bottom journalled at diametrically opposite sides of the open top of the body and selectively movable on its trunnions into the interior of the body, for accessibly exposing the open top thereof, and out of said body for substantially closing the body, an incense cup, an annular support for removably supporting said cup,

\ means disposed on one side of the axis of rotation of said trunnions for rigidly supporting said annular support in spaced concentric relation with the rim of the cover and the top rim of the body and providing on the relatively opposite side of said axis an unobstructed space for movement of the cover between the annular support and the body, and a latch member mounted for rotation with and reciprocation on one of the trunnions for moving the cover and for releasably latching said cover in closing relation to the body.

5. In a censer the combination of three generally C-shaped brackets having horizontal lugs at top and bottom ends thereof, the tops end lugs and the bottom end lugs being respectively stacked and vertically drilled, a securing means for connecting the bottom end lugs together, a foot member connected by said means to the bottoms of the brackets, a hemiglobular, hollow body having an open top and an opening in the bottom, said body supported on and housed between said brackets, ahollow domed hemiglobular Ventilated cover of lesser diameter than said body, means pivotally mounting the cover at diametrically opposite sides at the top of said body, an annular support, an incense cup removably supported in said annular support, means disposed at one side of the axis of the pivotal mounting of said cover mounting means for rigidly retaining the annular support in inwardly spaced concentric relation to the top of the body, means to releasably latch the cover in upright relation over said annular support and substantially closing the top of said body and means at the top ends of the brackets for receiving a suspension chain member for the censer.

6. In a censer the combination of a hollow open topped hemiglobular body having an opening in the bottom and an annular series of spaced slots in the top edge thereof, a hollow hemiglobular ventilated cover member of smaller diameter than said :body [and having external trunnions at diametrically-opposite sides, .one of which trunnions :is journalled in one of said slots in said body, means on .said body retaining said last mentioned trunnion in said slot, the cover having slots :in the edge thereof matching the remaining slots in the body, a latch rotatable with and :reciprocable on the said last mentioned trunnion for permitting alternate manual rotary movement .of the cover wholly into and substantially :out 'of the body and :for releasably engaging on the body for retaining the cover in the latter position, a group of radially spaced brackets surrounding said "body and cover and rigidly supporting the body at its top and bottom, :a foot member, 'a single securing means connectin the foot member and the bottoms of said brackets together, means to secure the brackets together at the tops and a suspension chain :receiving member connected to the last mentioned means.

57. A single chain suspension censer comprising radially arranged brackets connected toport, and means to releasably latch :the :cover in -.a position above the annular :support.

8. In :a'device 'of the class described :the c0mbination 0f three generally C-shaped brackets each having parallel 'alignedlugs at lthe-top and bottom respectively, "the lugs on successive brackets being in superposed alignment at the top and :bottom respectively, a chain receiving 'mem her on top of the uppermost -lug, -means for securing the superposed top bracket lugs and said member-together, achain attached to said memher, an open topped and bottom apertured hollow body surrounded by said brackets and .secured against movement relative thereto, an annular support for an tincense cup disposed in spaced concentric relation within the top interior portion of the body, a ventilated domed cover including a pair of trunnions whereby the cover is journalled in the body and permitting the cover :to enter wholly into said body ;below said annular support, means to latch the cover on the body in an upright position above said annular support, a foot member disposed on the bottom of the lowermost bottom bracket :lug and means securing said foot member and the superposed bottom bracket lugs together.

LEO R. LE TANG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 721,133 Ahne Feb, 24, 1903 2,258,363 Kcley Oct. '7, 1941 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,530,529 November 21, 1950 LEO R. LE TANG certified that error appears in the printed specification of the patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 6, line 33, after the Word c1osing-insert the open top of;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice. Signed and sealed this 23rd day of January, A. D. 1951.

It is hereby above numbered THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Uommissz'oner of Patents.