Patent Application
20050037306
This invention relates generally to the field of candle system and more specifically to a system and a method for enhancing candle burning and improving volatiles' performance and further relates to a method for manufacturing the same. This invention further specifically relates to a system and a method to continuously supply the fresh air to near the foot of the burning wick and the top surface of candle in a candle container.
Candles have traditionally been used to lighten the dark and are still an important light source in some countries and still an important emergency light source even in the developed countries when the electric light source is shut off for any reason. In addition, candles are used to heat up some materials such as portable foods. Nowadays candles with volatiles are very common in providing fragrance, aromas, pesticides, and even anti-microbial compounds into the atmosphere for a wide variety of reasons. In addition to brightness of burning candle flame, fragrances and aromas from a candle are used to improve the feel or mood of a location and are often used to improve an original emotional response and also aid in the development of a specific emotional response. In addition, biologically active compounds such as pesticides and pest repellants are delivered by using candles which are still preferred because of their portability and cost vs. mood performance in many occasions.
However, one of the drawbacks of candle is that a part of solid candle wax is liquefied (to melting wax) while it is burning; wherein the m lting wax pool gradually becomes a rather large pool, and the melting wax often times drips from the top of the candle; wherein the candle becomes messy and ugly, and in some case the melting wax can even cause damages such as on furniture surfaces. Especially, the candle including oils such as fragrance oils possibly causes more damages such as the furniture surface. To avoid this kind of drawback due to the melting wax, either a candle unified with a container, or a candle sitting in a container (or holder) while burning, are getting more and more popular to avoid such dripping followed by damages. As an additional advantage, a highly decorated container enhances more atmospheric mood than only a candle itself. Instead of using a container, some people use a plate or a tray to avoid such damage with better burning of the candle because the candle is always exposed to the fresh air (“open-candle”), but dripping of the melting wax almost always takes place; wherein not only the amount of wax is being significantly lost for a long period of time without burning due to wasting dripped wax, but also the dripped melting wax again is solidified and it looks very ugly and makes bad atmospheric mood. Further as the worst scenario, the spread melting wax on the tray occasionally starts to vigorously burn even without wick and possibly becomes a serious fire hazard. Further, performance of scented open-candle is poorer than a candle in a container (‘closed-candle’) because the melting wax pool is occasionally broken and the wax drips to give inconsistent fragrance dispersion.
Accordingly, a candle in a bottle-like container (or holder) (‘closed-candle’) is very preferred by many consumers. Unfortunately, burning of a closed-candle is generally not very good because of its structural drawback to supply fresh airs (supply oxygens) compared to an open-candle. To improve burning, formulation of wax, type of wax and kinds of wick have been newly modified and developed. However none of these modifications can substantially improve the supply of fresh air to the foot of burning wick and the top surface of candle, which is a significant advantage for open-candles. Therefore an appropriate fragrance formula for scented candle in a container is very critical to maintain good burning due to rather shortage of the fresh air supply after burning for a while. In general, the longer period of time of candle burning, the poorer quality of candle burning because the candle's height and the wick gradually shorten and sinks into the bottom of container and in contrast the wax pool becomes larger and deeper, and as a result the supply of the fresh air to the foot of the burning wick and top surface of candle becomes gradually less and less.
Neither a system effectively, economically and continuously supplying the fresh air directly to the foot of the burning wick and candle is in the market nor is disclosed in literatures.
Referring now to
At the beginning of the candle burning the top level 15 of the candle wax 12 is close enough to the upper edge of the container's wall to get a fresh air from the outside of the container 11, but as in
As a result of the multiple disadvantages inherent with conventional delivery candle systems, manufacturers have been forced to respond by (1) changing the wax base material to a more expensive substance, (2) changing the wick material to a more expensive one having a lower temperature of combustion, (3) improving the thermal resistance of the active volatiles placed in the base material, (4) increasing the concentration of volatile components within the base material to an expensive and unnecessarily high concentration, and (5) placing hoods above the wick in attempts to minimize wick flare-ups and re-radiate heat downward to minimize irregular molten pool shapes.
Unfortunately, available commercial candle-base systems are only positioned to protect the candle flame from being blown out or for pleasing decoration or design purposes. Many candle hoods substantially decrease volatile performance because of inadequate design and use. There is not such a simple and feasible system to be able to supply the fresh air to the lower inside part of the candle container.
A candle hood, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,439, is narrower at the top than the bottom and the candle is retained within walls extending above the molten pool level. Consequently, volatiles that escape from the molten pool are forced into a narrow cone containing the hot combustion gasses, and are thermally consumed. Volatiles that do escape the hot combustion gasses experience the additional turbulence resulting from the pressure gradient between the wide bottom and narrow top openings of the hood. In addition, the disclosed invention does not improve any air supply to the inside of candle container.
The candle holder taught by Lee in U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,454 only diminishes fragrance or volatile performance in a number of ways. A retainer element is required that extends above the molten pool level and prevents the air from picking up the volatiles and transporting them away from the flame before combustion, while at the same time increasing the odds of combusting any volatiles which do escape from the molten pool. The volatile and smoke exit rate is so slow as to prevent almost any real distribution of fragrance within a room. The Lee system further minimizes performance volatile distribution by trapping the volatiles and combustion gasses below a bowl (and cup) thus creating a positive downward pressure and increased turbulence to further minimize volatile distribution. In addition, the Lee syst m does not improv any air supply to the inside of candle container.
The primary object of the invention is to provide a system for better candle burning in the container.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for constantly supplying the fresh air to the foot of the burning wick of the candle in the container.
Another object of the invention is to provide better performance of volatiles from the candle with volatiles.
Another object of the invention is to provide better fragrance performance from the candle.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a system and a method for enhancing candle burning and improving volatiles comprising: a candle container with at least one inner-tube having at least one or preferably plural holes and/or cuts which allow the air and melting wax to pass the inside of the inner-tube; and wherein the height of the wall of inner-tube is higher than the height of the container wall.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is a candle burning enhancing system comprising a tube or a cylinder having holes and/or cuts in its lower part, which allow the air and melting wax to pass when it is used as an insert in the candle container.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is a candle burning system comprising: a candle in the container, the candle having a wick, the candle may-be including a plurality of volatiles disposed within the wax, the candle container including an inner-tube having holes and/or cuts which allow the air and melting wax to pass the inside of said inner-tube to pass the air and the melting wax.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is a candle burning method comprising putting separate candle (open-candle) from the container in the inside of the inner-tube of the container of the present or making unified candle (closed-candle) with the container, burning candle, fresh air supplying through the holes and/or cuts wherein each hole and/or cut is opened according to lowering level of the wax height to pass the air and the melting wax to supply the fresh air to the foot of the burning wick while the candle is burning.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
a and 1b are schematic views of the air flows of the traditional candle in the container (closed-candle) while a candle is burning.
a and 4b are schematic front view of the air flows of the present invention while a candle is burning; wherein in
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
Referring
According to the present embodiment, the user can select either unified inner-tube with the container or separable inner-tube from the container to employ the candle in the present invention. When the separate candle (open-candle) is selected, the open-candle must be able to sit in the inside of the inner-tube and its total volume should be reasonable versus the volume of the container to avoid any overflows of the melting wax; and the height of the open-candle is preferably shorter or slightly taller than the upper level of the hole 27a to achieve better burning. In general, while burning an open-candle in the container with the inner-tube of the present invention, the fresh air is constantly supplied to the inside of the inner-tube through holes 27a, 27b, 27c and so on because of the minus pressured inside of the inner-tube due to updraft A5 and further the existence of space as possible air passage between the inner face of the inner-tube and the open-candle. Meanwhile, after the open-candle starts to burn, the size of the open-candle wax pool gradually becomes larger, and accordingly the melting wax overflowing from the pool's wall drips to the space between the open-candle and the inner-tube 27 and some passes through the hole 27a to the space between the container 11 and the inner-tube 27 and some reaches to the bottom of the container and spreads around bottom. The more melting wax is being accumulated at the bottom and at some point the wax in the inside of inner-tube 27 and the wax between the inner-tube 27 and the wall of the container 11 become the same as a unified candle of the present invention.
Referring with
Referring to
A unified candle (closed-candle) can be manufactured in the steps comprising; setting the inner-tube in the container, setting at least one wick in the middle of the inner-tube, pouring the melting wax into the container to fill the inside of the inner-tube and the space between the inner-tube and the container, and leaving the wax to solidify. In general manufacturing, the holes 27a, 27b and 27c and so on are filled with the wax. Actual burning and performing of the closed-candle is almost the same as described for the separate type candle (open-candle). Briefly, according to continuous burning the holes of the inner-tube from upper to lower will be one by one available as passage of the air and the melting wax since the wax between the inner-tube and the container would melt by heating through the inner-tube and the top level of the wax lower to open the holes. Accordingly, the fresh air can pass the holes to directly supply the fresh air to the foot of the burning wick.
As the aforementioned method, the present invention can supply the fresh air constantly to the surface of the pool and near the foot of the burning wick. As the inner-tube 27 has also the chimney function, the constant updraft A5a and/or A5b can be achieved from the surface of the wax pool, and accordingly the performance of volatiles is dramatically increased. More specifically, according to the aforementioned fresh air supply to the foot of the burning wick, a more efficient and constant updraft can be achieved and accordingly the volatiles in the candle can be efficiently and constantly dispersed to the air. In addition, the inner-tube 27 keeps the melting wax pool 14 warmer whil burning as an “inner-jacket” effect, and accordingly the volatiles in the wax pool can be further more efficiently and constantly dispersed to the air.
Embodiment 1:
The present invention is manufactured by the following method, but not limited. For example, the 12 holes with 8 mm diameter are made by using the electric drill on the sidewall of the plastic inner-tube 57 mm diameter×70 mm height. The four holes are placed at the upper portion of the inner-tube every 90 degree at ca. 20 mm lower from the top edge, another 4 holes are placed at the lower portion of the inner-tube every 90 degree and 30 degree turned from the upper holes at ca. 32 mm lower from the top edge, and more 4 holes are drilled at the lowest portion of the inner-tube every 90 degree and 60 degree turned from the upper holes at ca. 52 mm lower from the top edge. The above inner-tube can be applied with an appropriate size container, for example, 75 mm diameter×70 mm height glass jar, for an appropriate pillar-type candle, for example, 50 mm diameter×50 mm height to be sit in the inside of the inner-tube.
Embodiment 2:
The present invention is manufactured as described in Embodiment 1 and then the aforementioned inner-tube is sit in the inside container, for example, 75 mm diameter×70 mm height glass jar, and an appropriate length of wick is set in the inside of the inner-tube followed by filling with an appropriate volume of melting candle wax either with or without volatiles, and being solidified for use.
Embodiment 3:
Th container of the pres nt invention is compared with traditional candle container. Two commercial scented candles in the container (closed-candle) were purchased from a local supermarket. Both candle waxes and wicks are removed from the containers and are melted. The inner-tube is set to the bottom of one of the containers and the melting wax are poured into both containers with the same formula of commercial candle. After two hours, both candles' performances are compared.
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
