Patent Application
20120077133
The present invention relates to a scented candle and more particularly to a scented candle which provides for a rapid release of the fragrance after the candle is lit.
Most scented candles emit fragrance readily from the melt pool created when the candle wick is lit. The time for delivery of the fragrance is directly proportional to the time it takes for the melt pool to form, surface area of the melt pool and the temperature of the melt pool.
Some scented candles that rapidly release fragrances that are known in the art use a heat conductive device to melt the solid fuel element. Such additional heat conductive elements take away from the decorative nature of the candle. Moreover, such heat conductive elements do not produce a melt pool surface in a short time period because the conductive element transfers heat to the bottom of the candle containers rather than where the wick is burning and therefore do not produce fast fragrance delivery.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a scented candle using traditional candle making materials that rapidly releases fragrance.
A scented candle is provided which includes a dual braided wick in a candle mass. The candle mass is positioned on an inwardly sloping platform and such platform is snugly fit into a noncombustible container. A wick clip with louvers that secures and centers the wick in the candle mass allows maximum fuel flow to the wick during use to ensure full consumption of the melted candle mass.
These and other features and objects of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description which should be read in light of the accompanying drawing in which corresponding reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views.
The candle 10 of the present invention includes a candle mass 12 in which a wick 14 is embedded. The candle mass is positioned on a platform 20 which is inserted in a base container 26.
The candle mass 12 must be of a certain melting point to achieve the rapid release of fragrances. It is preferred that the candle mass melting point not exceed 145° F., and more preferably not to exceed 130° F. The candle mass may be made from a number of combustible materials, such as fully refined paraffin, semi-refined paraffin, beeswax, soy wax, epoxidized soybean oil, tallow, microwax, palm wax, mineral wax, polyethylene wax, normal alpha olefins, poly alpha olefins, or other triacyglycerol-type materials or combustible polymers.
In one embodiment of the invention the following materials within Ranges 1 and 2 are used:
The candle mass 12 may be formed using existing processes known in the art, such as, liquid pouring and molding, wax bead compression, and wax bead extrusion. A preferred embodiment of the present invention uses wax bead compression by means of a rotary press. In this preferred embodiment, the candle mass 12 is manufactured by mixing together the materials listed in Table 1 above. These materials are mixed and melted into a homogenous liquid state creating a molten “blend”. A molten blend is then sprayed into the air via nozzles with an orifice of 0.35 mm or 0.4 mm onto a rotating cold drum where small spheres (approximately 0.25 mm-1.25 mm in diameter) are formed. The small spheres are scraped off the cold drum into a vibrating pan and collected at a point of vacuum. The vacuum delivers small spheres into a candle pressing molding machine, such as the machine sold by Herrhammer, GmbH under Model No. STFM-1/450/3. The small spheres are compressed under pressure around a pin to form a compressed solid wax blend with a centered channel for subsequent wick insertion. A wick 14 is then inserted into the compressed solid wax blend and attached to a wick clip 30 (
Referring to
The primary function of the base 26 is to hold the platform 20. The base 26 can also be designed of a variety of shapes and colors for decorative purposes. The base 26 may be comprised of any non-combustible material as long as it secures the platform 20 at least 32 mm from the bottom of the base 26.
The wick 14 is a critical component of the invention as it supports combustion and spreads the heat in both horizontal and vertical directions. It is the horizontal heat flow that is conducive to fast formation of the surface melt pool. Horizontal heat flow is obtained by the dual-wick design of the wick 14 that is most clearly shown in
It should be noted that another critical aspect of surface melt pool time-to-formation is a function of the candle mass' melting point. Therefore, it is important that these two critical parameters be in balance to produce the safest and most optimal end-use product.
Referring to
A candle 10 of the present invention was compared for surface time-to-melt pool diameter formation to a prior art candle (a S.C. Johnson Glade Scented Oil Candle) using a single braid wick and a wick clip without louvers. The candle mass 12 of the present invention contained the ingredients listed in Table 1. Both candles were placed 12″ apart on a non-combustible surface and in an 8′×12′ room with standard HVAC and an ambient temperature of 75° F. Each candle was lit concurrently and a timer activated at time of lighting. The melt pool was measured in 5 minute increments until the melt pool spilled its contents. It is well known in the art that fast melt pool formation is directly related to the amount of volatile or semi-volatile fragrance emanated by a candle. Results show that in five and ten minutes the candle of the present invention forms a melt pool greater than twice the diameter of the prior art candle and at fifteen minutes greater than 1.5 times. After fifteen minutes the current invention's candle mass spilled its liquid contents into the platform where it subsequently fully liquefied and consumed. These results are shown in the table below and the graph in
While the foregoing invention has been described in light of its preferred embodiments, various alterations and modification will occur to those skilled in the art. All such alterations and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.
