US3917441A

US3917441A - Hanging candle structure

Info

Publication number: US3917441A
Application number: US472606A
Authority: US
Inventors: Roy M Gray
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1974-05-23
Filing date: 1974-05-23
Publication date: 1975-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 1992-11-04

Abstract

A hanging candle including a candle body having a central wick therein which is formed with a heat impervious core material and an outer covering of suitable wicking material. The core of the wick extends upwardly beyond the wicking material and is formed into a loop, hook or other suitable means by which the candle may be suspended. The wick also extends from the bottom of the candle body for attachment to a drip catching support plate.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Gray Nov. 4, 1975 [54] HANGING CANDLE STRUCTURE 2,829,511 4/1958 Oesterle et a1 431/325 Inventor: y M. y 2102 N. 26th Place, 3,105,373 10/1963 pevlllemure et a1. 431/288 Phoenix, Ariz. 85008 Primary Examiner-Carroll B. Dorlty, Jr. [22] F'led: May 1974 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Herbert E. Haynes, Jr. [21] Appl. No.: 472,606

[57] ABSTRACT 2% 5 431/292; 431/ gf gg gig A hanging candle including a candle body having a 292 6 central wick therein which is formed with a heat im- 1 0 are 1 pervious core material and an outer covering of suitable wicking material. The core of the wick extends upwardly beyond the wicking material and is formed [56] References Clted into a loop, hook or other suitable means by which the UNITED STATES PATENTS candle may be suspended. The wick also extends from 1,255,310 2/1918 Henderson 24/129 B the bottom of the candle body for attachment to a 2,291,067 7/1942 Atkins 431/325 drip catching supportplate. 2,291,072 7/1942 Dahle 431/325 2,302,146 1 1/1942 Root et a1. 431/325 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 HANGING CANDLE STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to candles and more particularly to a hanging candle structure and wick therefor.

2. Description of the Prior Art In most instances, candles are mounted in special holders and placed on tables, book cases, special pedestal, or other suitable supporting furniture. Thus, candles are not generally employed in areas which lack suitable supporting furniture and are a constant concern to the user due to the inherent danger of tipping. This danger of tipping also determines, to a great extent, the physical size of a candle, that is, a tall candle has a greater tendency to tip over than a small candle. For this reason, all relatively tall candles have proportionately large diameters to provide a measure of stability.

Candles have been placed in various types of hanging structures such as a pot shaped candle supporting base which is suspended by several ropes or chains. This type of structure is normally decorative in itself with the candle mounted therein being of secondary decorative value and a poor source of light due to its being partially obstructed by the base and suspending ropes or chains.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a hanging candle structure and wick therefor are disclosed as including a candle body in which a central wick is employed as means for suspending the candle body and for attachment thereof to a drip catching support plate. The wick is of special construction and includes a core of heat impervious material and an outer covering of a suitable wicking material. The core of the wick pro trudes from the top of the wicking material and is formed with means thereon for hanging the candle structure from a suitable overhead structure. The wick also protrudes from the bottom of the candle body for attachment to the support plate. The support plate is preferably a dish shaped structure upon which the base of the candle body is carried and with means thereon for receiving and gripping the downward protruding portion of the wick.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved' candle wick.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful candle wick by which a candle body may be suspendingly mounted.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful hanging candle structure.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself may be more fully understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hanging candle structure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the structure of the present invention illustrating the various features thereof.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the structure of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein the hanging candle structure of the present invention is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. The hanging candle structure 10 includes a candle body 12, a central wick l4, and a drip catching support plate 16 as will now be described in detail.

The candle body 12 may be formed of the usual materials such as parafine, beeswax and the like and may be configured into any desired symetrical geometric shape such as a cube or a sphere. Conventional elongated candle bodies such as the cylindrical candle body 10 shown in the drawing or others. for example, having square or triangular cross sections (not shown) may be molded or otherwise formed into any desired length with any practical cross sectional dimensions. The virtually unlimited dimensional variations of candle bodies for use in the candle structure 10 of the present invention is made possible by two factors with the first of these factors being that by hanging the candle instead of the usual surface mounting, the stability problem, i.e., tipping, is eliminated. Thus, candles of increased length are possible without the heretofore necessary proportionate increase in the cross sectional dimensions. The second factor is that the wick 14 employed in the hanging candle structure 10 is in tension which results in long thin candle bodies resisting the tendency to sag, bow, or otherwise deform when in relatively warm sourroundings.

The wick 14 is fabricated with a core 18 of heat impervious material which is defined for use in this description as being impervious to the temperature of a burning candle, and an outer covering 20 of suitable wicking material. The core 18 may be fabricated of a strand of asbestos, however, it is preferably of metal such as steel, copper or suitable alloys which will withstand the temperatures of combustion. Some synthetic materials may also be employed for the core 18, such as a fluorinated hydrocarbon as typified by the product marketed under the trade name Teflon. In any event, the core material must be nonflammable, have a high enough melting point to withstand the temperatures of combustion and have adequate structural strength and dimensional stability to support the candle body 12 and the support plate 16. The outer covering 20 of the wick 14 may be fabricated of any suitable material such as a woven cotton. e

The wick l4 as described above may be prewaxed and centrally located in the candle body 12 in accordance with procedures and techniques well known in the industry. The outer cover 20, or combustible portion, of the wick 14 extends above the top surface 22 of the candle body 12a relatively short distance as is common, and the core 18 protrudes upwardly therefrom to provide means by which the candle structure may be suspended.

The extending upper end of the core 18 may be formed into a loop 24, as shown in FIG. 1, or a hook 26 as shown in FIG. 2, or any other suitable means by which the hanging candle structure 10 may be attached to an overhead structure.

The wick 14 extends longitudinally within the candle body 12 from the top surface 22 to the bottom surface 28 at which the outer covering terminates. The core 18 continues below the termination of the covering 20 to form a tail portion 30 for attachment to the drip catching support plate 16.

The drip catching support plate 16 is preferrably a dish shaped structure having an upper surface 32 upon which the base or bottom surface 28 of the candle body 12 is carried. An aperture 34 is formed through the plate 16 centrally thereof for receiving the tail 30 of the wick core 18. The plate 16 is provided with a pair of tabs 36 which are diametrically opposed with respect to the central aperture 34, and angularly depend from the bottom surface 38 of the plate 16. The tail 30 of the wick core 18 thus extends through the aperture 34 and is wrapped around the tabs 36 as seen best in FIG. 3 so as to secure the plate 16 to the candle body 12. The plate 16 may be fabricated of any suitable material such as plastic, wood, metal, and the like, and may have the tabs 36 formed integral therewith, as shown, or suitably affixed thereto with a suitable adhesive or welding as necessitated by the particular material of which the plate is made.

As hereinbefore noted, the plate 16 is designed to catch any candle dripping and therefore is illustrated in the drawing as having a diameter somewhat larger than the cross sectional dimensions of the candle body 12, that is, the plate extends laterally and circumferentially of the periphery of the candle body. It should be noted that although this drip catching feature is preferred, it would not be necessary if a relatively high temperature wax were employed in forming the candle body into what is sometimes referred to as a dripless candle.

Another function of the plate 16 is to prevent the candle body 12 from axially sliding downwardly along the wick 14. This axial sliding would most likely occur, if it were not for the plate 16, at a time when the candle is nearly burned down, for at this time the candles flame could produce sufficient heat to melt the wax adjacent to the wick 14 and cause the wick to loosen in the candle body.

FIG. 4 illustrates a modified form of a drip plate 40 which is illustrated as being more ideally suited for reuse and better adapted to be aesthetically configured than the previously described plate 16.

As shown, the plate 40 is shown as having a dish shaped upper surface 42 with a thickened body portion 44, a bottom surface 46, and an endless side wall 48. The side wall 48 can be configured into various shapes or can be provided with surface ornamentation as desired. The body portion 44 has a downwardly opening cavity 50 formed therein which extends upwardly from the bottom surface 46 of the plate 40 part way toward the top or upper surface 42. An aperture 52 is centrally formed in the plate 40 and is positioned to communicate between'the uppper surface 42 and the cavity 50. A retainer block 54 is demountably positioned in the cavity 50 such as with a screw 56.

To connect the plate 40 to the candle body 12, the tail 30 of the wick core 18, or for that matter, the entire wick 14 is passed downwardly through the aperture 52 into the cavity 50 so that by inserting and fixing the retaining block 54 in the cavity, the wick core tail 30 will be firmly held in gripped engagement between the inner surfaces of the cavity and the retainer block.

While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in an illustrated embodiment, there will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art, many modifications of structure, arrangements, proportions, the elements, materials, and components used in the practice of the invention, and otherwise, which are particularly adapted for specific environments and operation requirements without departing from those principles. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace any such modifications within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A hanging candle structure comprising:

a. a candle body;

b. a wick formed with an outer covering of wicking material and a core of material which is impervious to the heat produced by combustion of said candle body, said wick centrally located in said candle body and having the core thereof extending upwardly from the outer covering of wicking material so that said candle body is suspendingly mountable by means of the core of said wick;

c. a tail depending from the bottom of said candle body, said tail formed by the core of said wick which extends downwardly from said candle body;

(I. a drip catching support plate in engagement with the bottom of said candle body, said support plate extending laterally circumferentially beyond the periphery of said candle body for catching candle drippings produced by combustion of said candle body; and

e. means on said drip catching support plate for gripping said tail for affixing said support plate to said candle body.

2. A hanging candle structure as claimed in claim 1 further comprising means on the upper end of the core of said wick for attachment thereof to an overhead structure.

3. A hanging candle structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for gripping said tail comprises:

a. said support plate having a central aperture formed therethrough for receiving said tail; and

b. a pair'of tabs depending angularly oppositely from the bottom of said support plate and diametrically opposed with respect to the aperture formed in said support plate, said pair of tabs adapted to have said tail grippingly wrapped therearound.

4. A hanging candle structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for gripping said tail comprises:

a. said support plate having a bottom opening cavity formed therein which extends from the bottom of said support plate part way toward the top thereof;

b. said support plate having a central aperture formed therein which communicates between the top surface and the cavity thereof, the aperture adapted to receive said tail therein to position a portion of said tail within the cavity of said support plate; and

c. a retainer block mountable within said cavity for grippingly affixing said tail therein.

Claims

1. A hanging candle structure comprising: a. a candle body; b. a wick formed with an outer covering of wicking material and a core of material which is impervious to the heat produced by combustion of said candle body, said wick centrally located in said candle body and having the core thereof extending upwardly from the outer covering of wicking material so that said candle body is suspendingly mountable by means of the core of said wick; c. a tail depending from the bottom of said candle body, said tail formed by the core of said wick which extends downwardly from said candle body; d. a drip catching support plate in engagement with thE bottom of said candle body, said support plate extending laterally circumferentially beyond the periphery of said candle body for catching candle drippings produced by combustion of said candle body; and e. means on said drip catching support plate for gripping said tail for affixing said support plate to said candle body.

3. A hanging candle structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for gripping said tail comprises: a. said support plate having a central aperture formed therethrough for receiving said tail; and b. a pair of tabs depending angularly oppositely from the bottom of said support plate and diametrically opposed with respect to the aperture formed in said support plate, said pair of tabs adapted to have said tail grippingly wrapped therearound.

4. A hanging candle structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for gripping said tail comprises: a. said support plate having a bottom opening cavity formed therein which extends from the bottom of said support plate part way toward the top thereof; b. said support plate having a central aperture formed therein which communicates between the top surface and the cavity thereof, the aperture adapted to receive said tail therein to position a portion of said tail within the cavity of said support plate; and c. a retainer block mountable within said cavity for grippingly affixing said tail therein.