Patent Application
20120264069
A candle wick conducts fuel, such as melted candle wax, to a candle flame. It can be made of absorbent materials or materials with sufficient capillary action. The fuel vaporizes and combusts when it reaches the candle flame via the wick, allowing the candle to continue burning. The wick and its characteristics influence how the candle burns. The present invention relates to a candle wick of a particularly advantageous configuration.
While the specification concludes with claims which particularly point out and distinctly claim the invention, it is believed the present disclosure will be better understood from the following description of certain examples taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify the same elements and in which:
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the present disclosure may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure; it being understood, however, that this disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.
The present disclosure provides a candle wick that has a generally flat or planar aspect and is pliable and able to be shaped.
A candle wick according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes one or more layers and is capable of absorbing fuel and/or having sufficient capillary action, in either case to deliver fuel to a flame. When ignited by a flame, the candle wick provide a substantially consistent burn from an upper portion to a lower portion such that the flame remains kindled and does not burn out as the candle wick material is capable of providing sufficient fuel to the flame.
Further, each layer may be comprised of a perforated or non-perforated generally vertically self supporting material that is horizontally pliant. Such materials are known in the art and may include, for example, paper, silk, organic and/or inorganic thread, organic and/or inorganic textiles, corn fiberfill, cotton batting, bamboo fiber, soybean protein fiber, wood, alpaca hair, dried pulp, rosin, resin, or fibrous material. The paper may comprise, for example, newsprint paper, construction paper, pulp, and/or any other suitable paper as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. If more than one layer is used, the layers can be comprised of the same material(s), but that is not required. The layers may be attached to each other in a suitable manner as known to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein, such as, for example, through being sewn together or through use of a sprayable adhesive, non toxic glue, pulp bond, or other non-toxic bonding material.
Candle wick (12) includes perforated holes (18) shown as annular holes, though other suitable hole shapes and sizes are possible. Candle wick (12) may be positioned within candle wax (not shown) of a candle jar (not shown) such that candle wick (12) is disposed either diagonally or non-diagonally with respect to the edges of candle jar.
Each layer of candle wick (12) or another candle wick embodiments described herein may be each generally flat or planar yet sufficiently pliable to be shaped into a non-flat or non-planar configuration as a single layer or as part of one or more attached layers forming the candle wick. Each candle wick layer may be extruded, machined, or otherwise formed from a suitable material known to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein to form a pliable piece. Each layer may include a rear face, a front face, and side sections disposed therebetween. A single layered or multi-layered candled wick may form a first configuration comprising a flat shape or a second configuration comprising a curved shape, for example. The curved shape may comprise multiple radii between a first side end and a second side end of the candle wick, such that the curves forming the candle wick do not have the same radius measurements and/or the radii have two different directions (from an inner radius and an outer radius) and/or the radii have multiple directional dimensions such that the path of the flame is divertable along those directions. Alternatively, and as described below, the candle wick may comprise two or more separate, discrete segments that are receivable in a wick clip to form a shaped candle wick.
Examples of Candle Wick Construction
Any of the candle wick embodiments described herein, or other candle wick embodiments as will be apparent to those of skill in the art in view of the teachings herein, may comprise (but are not limited to) one of the following described constructions. The candle wick may comprise a single layer or two or more layers of perforated or non-perforated paper material or other material as described above, wherein the same or different material may be used with multiple layer constructions. Options for combinations of materials in multiple layer constructions may include, but are not limited to, the following variations: (1) an exterior portion comprising two layers of perforated paper, an interior portion comprising a single layer of silk gauze, and an opposite exterior portion comprising two layers of perforated paper; (2) an exterior portion comprising a single layer of perforated paper, an interior portion comprising a single layer of silk gauze, and an opposite exterior portion comprising a single layer of perforated paper; (3) an exterior portion comprising two layers of perforated paper, an interior portion comprising a single layer of silk gauze, and an opposite exterior portion comprising a single layer of perforated paper; (4) an exterior portion comprising three layers of perforated paper, an interior portion comprising a single layer of silk gauze, and an opposite exterior portion comprising three layers of perforated paper; (5) an exterior portion comprising three layers of perforated paper, an interior portion comprising a single layer of silk gauze, and an opposite exterior portion comprising two layers of perforated paper; (6) an exterior portion comprising a single layer of dried pulp, an interior portion comprising a single layer of at least one of bamboo fiber, corn fiberfill, soybean protein fiber, or alpaca hair, and an opposite exterior portion comprising a single layer of dried pulp; (7) an exterior portion comprising a single layer of paper, and an opposite exterior portion comprising a single layer of at least one of an organic or non-organic textile; (8) an exterior portion having opposing exterior faces, the exterior portion comprising two or more layers of perforated paper; and (9) an exterior portion having opposing exterior faces, the exterior portion comprising a single layer of silk gauze comprising each exterior face, the layers of silk gauze sewn or embroidered together with silk, thread, or other suitable material. Other candle wick constructions may include, for example, pulp with a non-toxic fiber core, a pulp exterior with a fibrous core, or a silk exterior with a paper core.
Whether the candle wick is formed of a single or multiple segments, each segment comprises a first end, a second end, and intermediate section disposed between the first end and the second end. An alignment axis intersects the first end and the second end. The intermediate section comprises at least one intermediate portion that is pliable and can be moved away from the alignment axis. Various linear and/or geometric shapes are possible, including, for example, candle wicks comprising straight line shapes, C-curved shapes, S-curved shapes, sinusoidal wave shapes, and including single or multiple radii across first and second ends of a candle wick segment and/or candle wick.
A linear wick height may be determined before the manufacture of a candle wick by measuring a candle container height to determine a suitable candle wick height. The embodiments of the candle wicks disclosed herein may comprise a horizontal length equal to or greater than about 1/16 inches (to an unlimited maximum).
The present candle wick embodiments may be used in any candle configuration. For example, each candle wick can be used in a free-standing candle or in a candle contained within a receiving container. The receiving container may be, for example, a candle jar. The jar may be made of glass or any other suitable material. The jar may be configured to contain a candle fuel, such as wax.
A wick clip holds a wick in place during manufacture of the candle. It also is a safety device that provides a barrier between whatever is beneath the candle (such as a jar or other holder) and the flame. In addition, it holds the end of the wick above a pool of melted wax. The present candle wick can be used with any wick clip that will provide these features. The wick clip may be constructed and operable in accordance with at least some of the teachings of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/325,167, entitled “CANDLE WICK AND WICK CLIP,” filed Dec. 14, 2011, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
A wick clip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is sized and shaped to receive a similarly shaped configuration of the candle wick. The wick clip advantageously supports the candle wick in an upright manner such that candle wick may remain in an upright position when inserted in a container such as a candle jar, as described below. The wick clip further advantageously provides a safer assembled candle, as the wick clip substantially prevents the candle wick from touching a container surface, such as a bottom surface of the container into which a clip assembly comprising the candle wick and wick clip is received. As another safety feature, the wick clip advantageously holds the wick above and out of the candle fuel at the end of the candle's life.
If the wick clip is used in a container, an underside of any of the wick clip embodiments disclosed herein is attachable and securable to an upper surface of a receiving container. A utilized wick clip may be attached to the container via any suitable manner as known to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein. The wick clip may be attached to the container via an adhesive, as described below. The wick clip may first be attached to the container and then may receive the candle wick that it is shaped to receive. Alternatively, the wick clip and candle wick may first be engaged to form the clip assembly, and the undersurface of the wick clip may then be attached to the container.
After the clip assembly is secured in the container such that the wick clip stands substantially upright, such fuel may be poured into the container. For example, hot wax may be poured into a candle jar about the clip assembly and up until a level just below a top portion of the candle wick. The hot wax may then cool about the clip assembly, as described further below with respect to the Figures. Additionally or alternatively, a wick centering device may be used to further assist with setting the position of the candle wick until the wax has cooled.
Examples of Candle Wick Shapes and Similar Wick Clip Shapes
Candle wicks as described above are pliable and shapeable into different configurations, such as the curved configurations shown in
Referring back to
An alignment axis (A) intersects ends of candle wick (20A), depicted in
Having shown and described various embodiments of the present disclosure, further adaptations of the methods and systems described herein may be accomplished by appropriate modifications by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Several of such potential modifications have been mentioned, and others will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For instance, the examples, embodiments, geometries, materials, dimensions, ratios, steps, and the like discussed above are illustrative. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be considered in terms of the following claims and is understood not to be limited to the details of structure and operation shown and described in the specification and drawings.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/476,601, filed Apr. 18, 2011, entitled “RIBBON WICK,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61476601 | Apr 2011 | US |
