WO1987004506A1

WO1987004506A1 - Imitation lighted candle

Info

Publication number: WO1987004506A1
Application number: PCT/SE1986/000554
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rolf Berg
Original assignee: Rolf Berg
Priority date: 1986-01-23
Filing date: 1986-12-04
Publication date: 1987-07-30
Also published as: SE8600295D0; HUT46958A; FI883433A0; SE451400B; SE8600295L; EP0290441A1; HU202638B; FI883433A

Abstract

An imitation lighted candle includes a candle body (23) accommodating an electromagnet (25) which is periodically activated by a unit (27) which periodically leads current to the electromagnet (25) from a current source. Conductors (30), which are connectable to the current source, extend to the upper edge of a tubular upper portion of the body (23). A plug (50) is removably placed on the upper part of the body (23). A pendulum (10, 7, 18) is pivotally suspended on the plug via flexible electrical conductors (45), extending through the pendulum up to a lamp holder (7), which receives a filament lamp (1), the contact pins (4) of which are in contact with the electrical conductors (30) extending through the pendulum tube (10). Both conductor portions (45) extend in substantially opposing directions from the pendulum tube (10) in a plane through the axis of the pendulum. The conductor portions (45) are connected to the radially outward portions of the plug (50), and come into electrical contact with the conductor portions (30) in the body (23) when the plug (50) is placed on the body (23) and has the right angular position relative thereto. The lower part of the pendulum is provided with a bob (18) including a permanent magnet (21) which is actuated by the electromagnet (25). The pendulum oscillates about an axis at right angles to the pendulum axis, and the conductor portions (45) constituting the suspension of the pendulum have low bending and torsional resistance.

Description

TITLE OF INVENTION

Imitation Lighted Candle

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to an imitation lighted candle of the kind disclosed in the preamble to claim 1.

BACKGROUND

The Swedish patent application 8305081-5 discloses an imitation lighted candle, which gives a desired illusion of the flame of such as a wax candle. However, this already known imitation lighted candle has certain disadvantages.

One such disadvanatage is that the candle has a relatively high price, and that the whole candle must be changed if the pendulum suspension thereof begins to malfuction, e.g. so that in an inactive state the pendulum axis direction deviates from the vertical.

Another disadvantage is that the pendulum suspension can easily be damaged when changing the filament lamp itself. One object of the invention is therefore to provide an imitation lighted candle of the kind disclosed in the Swedish patent application 8305081-5, in which the mentioned drawbacks have been mitigated. Still further objects of the invention will be apparent in the following or will be understood by one skilled in the art on reading the present description and claims.

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INVENTION

An imitation lighted candle of the kind apparent from the preamble to claim 1 is distinguished by the features disclosed in the characterizing portion of the accompanying claim 1.

The invention basically teaches a partable implementation of the candle, the pendulum being pivotably suspended in a plug or a lid removably fitting into the generally tubular upper end of the candle body.

The remaining parts of the candle, namely the candle body itself, means arranged therein for current pulsing and an electromagnet as well as sundry conductors can be retained, if the pendulum suspension begins to malfuction, the plug with the pendulum being readily exchangeable. The exposed pendulum part projecting from the candle body is relatively short, such as to imitate the wick of a light flame, e.g. one from a wax candle. In the above-mentioned previously known candle, it often happens in connection with exchanging a filament lamp that the pendulum is unintentionally acted on by large forces, particularly axial forces, so that its suspension is damaged, causing the necessity of exchanging the entire candle. By the invention, as mentioned, the plug with the pendulum can be removed from the body. The lower part of the pendulum including its bob or weight will then be accessible. When changing filament lamps, the bob can be gripped by one hand, the other hand being used to pull off an optional casing round the lamp, removing the lamp, fitting a new lamp and replacing the casing without loading the pendulum suspension, i.e. the electrically conductive wire elements. This constitutes a substantial advantage, particularly since the filament lamps have a relatively short life in comparison with the natural life of the suspension. It is possible with the aid of the invention to reduce the running costs for an electric light fitting with imitation lighted candles in accordance with the invention, since the pendulum suspension is not so easily damaged when changing lamps, and when the suspension malfunctions due to fatigue, wear or the like, it then being necessary merely to exchange a part of the light, namely the pendulum part with filament lamp and bob together with the plug and pendulum suspension in the plug, the relatively more expensive remaining part of the imitation lighted candle, which has a comparatively considerably longer life than the filament lamp and pendulum suspension, can be retained. A further advantage with the invention is that it is easier to manufacture the imitation lighted candles, since both their separable chief components can now be manufactured separately and then be readily put together either by the manufacturer or the consumer to form the imitation candle. A still further advantage is that an extra plug with pendulum and pendulum suspension can be supplied to the purchaser as a consumable spare part for an imitation lighted candle in accordance with the invention.

The invention will now be described in the following in the form of an example and with reference to the accompanying drawing.

DRAWING

Fig. 1 is a schematic axial section through an imitation lighted candle in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic section taken along the line II-II in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 illustrates an electronic circuit, selected as an example, for periodically activating the electromagnet of the device.

EMBODIMENT EXAMPLE

Fig. 1 is a schematic axial section through an imitation lighted candle in accordance with the invention, the candle being substantially symmetrical relative the plane indicated by a chain dotted line, certain deviations from symmetry being drawn on the other side of the indicated plane of symmetry, there being other details drawn in on this s ide as well.

A filament lamp is illustrated in the figure, and has a glass body which is evacuated or is gas-filled and contains a filament 2. The filament 2 has long supply conductors 4, via which voltage is supplied to the filament. In the case where the glass body is not formed to resemble a candle flame, it is suitably provided with a casing as indicated at 5. The filament lamp 1 is inserted with its base portion in an upwardly open, bowl-shaped lamp holder 7, and in the illustrated example the latter has an upper cylindrical part which tightly surrounds the lamp base 6 to retain the lamp by fric tion. It is also naturally possible to glue the base 6 to the holder 7. A conical part 9 joins onto the cylindrical part 8, the vertex portion of the part 9 merging into a tube 10. A head 11 is disposed at the lower end of the tube 10. The head 11 has the form of a cylindrical ring with two diametrically opposed slots 12 and 13 (see Fig. 2) extending from the lower edge surface of the head 11 up to the vicinity of the lower end of the tube 10. A central insulating rod 20 extends up through the tube 10 for dividing the interior of the tube 10 into two ducts. An electrical conductor, e.g. a multi-wire conductor 40, extends through these ducts and through the slots in the body 11. The conductors 4 of the filament lamp have the form of relatiavely stiff pins which are thrust down into the upper ends of the conductors 40 for obtaining electrical contact therewith.

The tube 10 extends through an opening 52 in a plug 50. The plug 50 has a concave upper surface and a downwardly directed flange 51 as well as a generally horizontal peripheral flange 53. With the aid of the flange 53 the plug 50 rests on the upper edge of a tubular body 23. The body 23 can be made white to imitate a wax candle or the like.

As indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 , the conductors 40 have a portion 45 extending outwardly from the body 11 to the flange 51 of the plug. The portion 45 is in an axial plane of the tube 10 and carries the tube 10 from the plug 50.

As will be seen from Fig. 1, the lower end of the tube 10 is provided with a counterweight or bob 18, to the lower part of which a permanent magnet 21 is connected. The bob 18 keeps the tube substantially vertically oriented. The tube 10, holder 7 , lamp 1, lamp casing 5, and bob 18 form a pendulum, which is thus pivotably suspended from the plug or lid 50 via the conductor portion 45. The conductors 45 have minor torsional stiffness and minor bending stiffness as well, so that relatively easily the pendulum can be given an oscillatory movement about an axis at right angles to the axis of the tube 10. The radially outward end portions of the conductor portion 45 are connected to a radially outward portion of the lower surface of the plug 50, and a contact tab 31 is mounted on the inside upper portion of the tubular body 23 for coaction with the conductor portions 41. A conductor 30 connects to the contact tab 31 and the conductor 30 is in turn connected to a line 29 connecting to an external contact tab 28 on the body 23 for connection to an unillustrated electric light fitting. As will be understood by one skilled in the art, the other end of the filament 2 of the lamp 1 is connected in a corresponding manner via a conductor corresponding to another unillustrated conductor 40, having conductor portions 45, 41 via a contact tab corresponding to 31 and a conductor 30' and a conductor 29' connecting to another contact tab 28' on the other outer contact tab 28' of the body 23.

There are guide means 45 inside the body 23 for keeping the conductor 30 in contact with the inside of the body 23. In the lower part of the body 23 there is an electromagnet 25, which is supplied with current from an electronic circuit 27, in turn supplied with current via the conductors 29,29'. The winding 26 of the electromagnet 25 is periodically energized by the circuit 27 for generating an electromagnetic field actuating the permanent magnet 21 so that the latter is displaced and the pendulum begins to oscillate about an axis at right angles to that of the tube 10.

The pendulum with the filament lamp 1 and bob 18 are of course balanced such that the former is dependently vertical in an unactuated state. Any kind of suitable circuit 27 may be utilized to provide periodic current pulses to the winding 26 of the electromagnet 25 so that the winding generates an electromagnetic field, with the aid of which the electromagnet is displaced such that the pendulum oscillates about its rest position. Such a circuit is illustrated in Fig. 3, and includes an RC circuit with a resistor 39, an electrolyte capacitor 40 and a diode 41 , ac ros s whi ch a diac 42 is per iodica l ly ac t iva t ed for sending a voltage pulse to the winding 26. On being energized this winding generates for a short time a magnetic field within which there is the permanent magnet 21. Preferably, the poles of the permanent magnet are oriented at right angles, or at least substantially at right angles, to the longitudinal axis of the pendulum, i.e. to the vertical axis in the unactuated state of the pendulum. With such an orientation, the permanent magnet 21, and thus the pendulum with the filament lamp, will execute a swinging movement about the centre of the head 11.

As mentioned, the pendulum suspension wires (the conductor portion 45) extend from diametrically opposing points on the pendulum and in the same axial position along it, at substantially opposing directions in a plane through the axis of the tube 10 to their respective exterior attachment points on the plug 50.

The permanent magnet 21 is preferably adjusted so that a line between its north and south poles is at right angles to the pendulum oscillation axis formed by the wire portions 45.

The plug 50 is removably placed on the upper edge portion of the body 23 with a fit ensuring electrical contact between the conductor end part 41 and the contact tab 31. The plug 50, pendulum (generally formed by the tube 10, filament lamp 1 and bob 18) and the suspension of the pendulum at the plug 50 (the conductor portion 45) constitute an easily removable and exchangeable unit which can readily be exchanged if the pendulum suspension malfunctions, e.g. due to fatigue rupture in the conductor portion 45, due to strain in either of the conductor portions 45 so that the axis of the pendulum in its inactive position deviates from the vertical, or some other similar cause.

The concave upper surface of the plug 50 imitates the melted recess occurring at the upper end of a wax candle. The central hole 52 of the plug is made suffiently large to allow free pendulum movement of the tube 10. As illustrated in Fig. 1, a thin covering washer 14 can be mounted round the tube 10 and carried on a shoulder thereon in a position between the plug 50 and the head 11. As with the upper surface of the plug 50 and the outer surface of the body 23 the washer 14 can be substantially white, so that on observation from above the plug 50 it is generally similar to the melted cavity on a wax candle.

In an imitation candle the narrow tubular part 10 which is exposed between the plug 50 and the lamp holder 7 or lamp casing 5 may be relatively short, and is arranged to liken the wick of a wax candle. In such candles of the prior art, where the pendulum suspension 45 was rigidly connected to the body 23, it often occurred that the suspension 45 was damaged in conjunction with replacing the lamp 1, due to it not having been possible for the fingers to retaian the tube 10 when removing the lamp casing 5 or taking out the lamp 1 from its holder 7 , the removal forces or pulling forces being directly transferred to the suspension 45. According to the invention, however, the plug 50 is first removed from the body 23. The bob 18 will thus be easily accessible and can be gripped with one hand, the lamp holder 5 and lamp 1 being then easily removed with the other hand. In this case the pendulum suspension 45 will only be acted on by the weight of the plug 50, the risk of damage to the pendulum suspension 45 then being extremely small. As will be seen from Fig. 2, the upper tubular portion of the body 23 may be circular-cylindrical and may be provided with two contact tabs 31 in diametrically opposing positions. The outmost end portions 41 of the conductors 45 may be fixed to the radially outmost surface of the flange 51 of the plug in diametrically opposing positions, for contact coaction with the contact tab 31 when the plug 50 has a predetermined angular position relative the body 23. The conductor end portions 41 may be partially drawn into axial grooves on the outside of the flange 51, the remaining portions of the flange 51 ensuring centering and adequate fitting against the inside of the upper part of the tubular body 23. An explicit embodiment example of the invention has been described above in the form of an example, but it should be quite clear that the arrangement for establishing an electrical contact between the current conductors on the plug 50 and the current supply conductors 30 in the body 23 can be formed in any kind of manner known per se, as long as the plug 50 is removably connected to the upper part of the body 23. The end portions 41 of the conductors 45 may be rigidly connected to the plug 50 in any kind of way. The plug 50 is preferably arranged to form a tight joint against the edge of the body 23, and furthermore, the plug 50 screens off the cavity of the body 23 while imitating the melted top of a wax candle or the like, the washer 14 screening the portion of the hole 52 in the plug which is not taken up by the tube 10. As was mentioned, the body 23, plug 50 and washer 14 may be exteriorily coloured to imitate a wax candle or the like, and the tube 10 may be coloured and shaped to imitate a candle wick. However, it should be quite clear that, if so desired, the body 23 can be provided with a surrounding sleeve imitating the cylindrical surface of a wax candle.

It should further be clear that the inventive imitation lighted candle can have other connection means to an electric light fitting than the illustrated screw base 28,28'.

What is crucial to the invention is that the pendulum is pivotably suspended via two electrical conductor portions which extend in an axial plane of the pendulum axis and which are connected to peripheral portions of a plug which is removably mounted on the upper end of a tubular candle-like body 23 while simultaneously establishing contact between the pendulum current conductor and a current conductor 30 arranged in the body 23.

Claims

1. Imitation lighted candle including a candle body (23) , the upper end of which includes a vertically oriented generally tubular part, in which a vertically oriented pendulum (7,10,18) is pivotably mounted in suspension means (45), said pendulum having an upper part (10,7) projecting upwards from the body, and carrying at its upper end an electrical filament lamp (1), which is balanced by a counterweight or bob (18,21) at the lower end of the pendulum, said bob including a permanent magnet (21), there being an electromagnet

(25) arranged under the bob (21) in the body (23) and connected to a means (27) for periodical supply of current to the electromagnet for generating an electromagnetic field, which actuates the permanent magnet (21) so that the pendulum oscillates in the suspension means (45), characterized in that the suspension means (45) is mounted on a plug (50) which is removably placed on the upper tubular end portion of the body (23), that the plug (50) has two separate contact elements (41) which are joined to electrical conductors (40) connected to the lamp (1), and that two separate contact members (31), which are connected to a source, are located at the upper portion of the body (23) in positions to engage the respective contact elements (41) when the plug is correctly placed on the body (23).

2. Imitation lighted candle according to claim 1, characterized in that the suspension means (45) comprises two portions (45) of said electrical conductors (40), said portions (45) extending radially outwards from diametrically opposed points on the pendulum in a pendulum axis plane and pivotably support the pendulum from the plug (50).

3. Imitation lighted candle as claimed in claim 2 characterized in that the plug (50) has a concave upper surface, that a tubular section (10) of the pendulum extends through a control plug opening (52), and that a covering washer (14) surrounds said pendulum portion (10) below the plug (50) to axially screen off the gap between the pendulum and the opening edge of the plug (50).