None.
None.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a candle having thereon a conformal ornament with a decorative design so as to appear to be an intricately carved candle. The ornament is adhesively fastened to the candle, as well as mechanically fastened thereto via a plurality of adhesive-filled cavities along the candle beneath the ornament.
2. Background
The related arts include a variety of decorative candles.
Hawley, U.S. Pat. No. 1,551,104, describes and claims a jeweled candle. The candle includes solid jewel members set into the candle so as to be mechanically locked therein.
Mertens, U.S. Pat. No. 1,576,205, describes and claims a candle and method therefore. The candle includes a two-dimensional painted design applied to the outer surface of the candle. An adhesive layer is applied over the painted design so as to adhere crystals or similar materials above the painted design.
Tasker, U.S. Pat. No. 1,709,889, describes and claims a decorative candle and method therefore. The candle includes a two-dimensional decorative material contacting the outer surface of the candle and having an outer coating over both candle and decorative material.
Ketchum, U.S. Pat. No. 2,300,226, describes and claims a candle holder. The candle includes an ornamental element mechanically fastened to the candle via a threaded bolt or screw passing completely through the candle.
Frazer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,286,492, describes and claims a candle novelty. The invention includes a votive candle residing within a translucent holder and having a thin film therebetween. The film has a message thereon which is made visible when the candle is lit.
Lindahl, U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,888, describes and claims a method for manufacturing a decorative candle. The process bonds a raised or embossed wax-based decoration to the exterior of a wax-based candle. The bond method is a melt-based fusion process.
Chang, U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,552, describes and claims a method for manufacturing a decorative candle. The candle includes a plurality of decorative wax ornaments encased within the structure of the candle.
Lin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,464 B2, describes and claims a holiday ornament-candle apparatus. The ornament is mechanically coupled to the candle and released after the candle wax melts.
The related arts fail to teach a decorative candle with three-dimensional ornamentation consisting of a polymer-based ornament attached to the exterior of a wax-based candle and having the appearance of an intricately carved candle. Furthermore, the related arts describe and claim candle inventions that either consume or dislodge the decorative ornament as the wick burns and candle melts.
Therefore, what is required is a candle having at least one ornament attached thereto that does not burn, melt or dislodge as the wick burns and candle melts.
Furthermore, what is required is a decorative candle wherein surface ornamentation includes a three-dimensional polymer ornament appearing to be intricately carved within the candle and composed of candle wax.
Furthermore, what is required is a decorative candle wherein surface ornamentation includes one or more colors appearing to be intricately carved within the candle and composed of candle wax.
An object of the present invention is to provide a candle having at least one ornament attached thereto that does not burn, melt, or dislodge as the wick burns and candle melts.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a decorative candle having a three-dimensional polymer ornament that appears to be intricately carved within the candle and composed of candle wax.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a decorative candle having a polymer ornament with a variety of colors that appears to be intricately carved within the candle and composed of candle wax.
The present invention includes a candle body having a wick therein, a conformal ornament, and an adhesive layer. The wick is composed of a material that burns in a controlled fashion so as to produce a glow within the candle body. The candle body melts within a limited region about the wick. The candle body has an exterior surface with a plurality of cavities therein. The conformal ornament is sufficiently transmissive so as to allow the glow within the candle body to pass there through. The adhesive layer is disposed between the exterior surface and conformal ornament and fills cavities within the candle body beneath the conformal ornament. In preferred embodiments, the adhesive layer bonds and mechanically fastens the conformal ornament to the candle body. The adhesive layer is likewise sufficiently transmissive so as to allow the glow within the candle body to pass there through. In alternate embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of one-piece or two piece-two fasteners are used to mechanically fasten the conformal ornament to the candle body.
Four advantages are afforded by the present invention. The invention provides a uniquely decorative item whereby backlighting accentuates the design and colors within a three-dimensional conformal ornament attached to the exterior of the candle. The invention greatly reduces the manufacturing cost of intricately ornamented glow candles. The invention greatly increases the complexity and variety of colors within the surface design of a candle, while maintaining the appearance of a carved candle. The invention eliminates skilled labor otherwise required to carve intricate surface ornamentation.
The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention relates to a decorative candle 1 including a candle body 2 and a conformal ornament 3.
Referring now to
The candle body 2 is composed of a wax-based material having a wick 11 disposed along a generally vertical axis. The wick 11 is composed of a material capable of supporting a flame that slowly consumes the wick 11. A variety of candle body 2 and wick 11 materials are known within the art.
The candle body 2 slowly melts within a melt region 12 of limited extent about the wick 11 so as to retain the overall shape of the decorative candle 1 and to prevent the conformal ornament 3 from melting or otherwise being consumed by the burning wick 11. For example, the candle body 2 in
While the candle body 2 may be composed of various wax-based materials known within the art, it was preferred for the candle body 2 to glow so as to effectively couple light from the burning wick 11 into and through the conformal ornament 3. As such, it was desired for the wax composition to include a titanium dioxide or similar glow enhancing fill, as would be understood in the art. In other embodiments, it may be desired to over dip the candle body 2 with one or more non-transmissive colored waxes or pigments so as to better couple the glow within the candle body 2 into the conformal ornament 3.
The conformal ornament 3 is a decorative item generally planar in extent and having a first side 14 with an ornamental design thereon, as shown in
A decorative design is provided on the first side 14 of the conformal ornament 3, as represented in
The conformal ornament 3 must properly match and maintain the shape of the candle body 2 so as to give the appearance of an intricately detailed image carved into the candle body 2 and to efficiently couple light from the burning wick 11 into and through the conformal ornament 3. As such, the conformal ornament 3 must be both adhesively and mechanically coupled to the candle body 2.
Referring now to
While various commercially available adhesive compositions are applicable to the present invention, it was desired for the adhesive to exhibit some shrinkage during cure and to form a flexible and durable bond layer between the conformal ornament 3 and candle body 2. It was also required for the adhesive to be either translucent or transparent so as to communicate the glow or backlighting from the candle body 2. One exemplary adhesive is GE SILICONE II, a methyldimethoxy-polydime-siloxane-based composition, sold by the General Electric Company, which was sufficient to adhere either a 0.063-inch thick or a 0.125-inch thick PVC-based conformal ornament 3 onto a candle body 2 composed of paraffin and titanium dioxide. However, other candle compositions and formulations are possible.
While not intending to be bound by theory, the adhesive is believed to adhesively bond to both conformal ornament 3 and exterior surface 13. It is likewise believed that the adhesive forms a mechanical interlock between conformal ornament 3 and cavities 4a–4c, which is accentuated by shrinkage of the adhesive during its cure cycle.
In some embodiments, it may be desired to adhesively bond the conformal ornament 3 to the candle body 2, as described above, and to mechanically lock the conformal ornament 3 to the candle body 2 via a fastener. One-piece fasteners 6a–6c and two-piece fasteners 16a–16c described below may be composed of a polymer that is either translucent or transparent so as to communicate the glow or backlighting from the candle body 2. Although three fasteners are shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Candle bodies 2 and conformal ornaments 3 are separately manufactured and thereafter assembled to form the decorative candles 1 described herein. For example, it was preferred to apply the adhesive layers 5 in
As described above, it was preferred to also fasten the conformal ornaments 3 to the candle body 2. The described method of manufacture would also include fastening the conformal ornament 3 via a self-locking, one-piece fastener 6a–6c to each cavity 4 within the candle body 2. In yet other embodiments, the fastening step included securing fasteners 7a–7c to the conformal ornament 3, securing anchors 8a–8c to the candle body 2 and thereafter mechanically interlocking fasteners 7a–7c and anchors 8a–8c.
The description above indicates that a great degree of flexibility is offered in terms of the present invention. Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1551104 | Hawley | Aug 1925 | A |
1576205 | Mertens | Mar 1926 | A |
1709889 | Tasker | Apr 1929 | A |
2300226 | Ketchum | Oct 1942 | A |
3286492 | Frazier, Jr. | Nov 1966 | A |
3294888 | Lindahl | Dec 1966 | A |
4225552 | Chang | Sep 1980 | A |
4568270 | Marcus et al. | Feb 1986 | A |
5519077 | Drewes et al. | May 1996 | A |
5602214 | Lin et al. | Feb 1997 | A |
5632615 | DeGarmo | May 1997 | A |
5944509 | Masters et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
6669464 | Lin et al. | Dec 2003 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20060147857 A1 | Jul 2006 | US |