Candle holder with improved air flow

• US 20060057528A1
• Filed: 05/06/2005
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Inventors: Kubicek, Chris A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,287,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 431/292
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 3/16 using candles

Abstract

A candle assembly includes a support base, a melting plate having a capillary pedestal, a wick holder that fits onto the capillary pedestal, and a fuel element that fits over the wick holder. The wick holder includes a sleeve having first and second open ends. A wick fits into the sleeve and extends between the open ends. The sleeve has a constricted portion, which is disposed between the open ends and has a cross-sectional area less than any other cross-sectional area between the open ends. The constricted portion reduces an effective capillary fluid flow capacity of the wick between the open ends, which may thereby regulate how quickly fuel is consumed when the candle assembly is burning. A capillary well disposed between the wick holder and the capillary pedestal may be adapted to promote a successful relight after an initial burn of the candle assembly. A candle holder, such as including the melting plate supported by a base, may be adapted to promote laminar air flow thereacross during a burn in a substantially calm atmospheric environment.

Claims

1. A candle holder, comprising:

a concave melting plate carried within a recess in a base; and

a top edge of a wall of the base extending around the recess above the melting plate;

wherein the melting plate and the base are dimensioned to promote laminar airflow across a pool of fuel carried in the melting plate when a flame is disposed in close proximity above the pool and the surrounding air is substantially calm.

2. The candle holder of claim 1, wherein a projected surface area of the melting plate is less than or equal to about 20,000 mm² plus the sum of the square of a minimum width of the melting plate minus the square of a maximum width of the melting plate.

3. The candle holder of claim 1, wherein the surface area of the melting plate is more than or equal to about 2,500 mm² plus the sum of the square of the maximum width of the melting plate minus the square of the minimum width of the melting plate.

4. The candle holder of claim 1, wherein a depth of the melting plate from the top edge is less than or equal to a value of about a projected surface area of the melting plate divided by 1,000 mm plus the product of the sin of a zenith angle of the wall multiplied by one half the difference between a minimum distance across the melting plate at the top edge and a minimum melting plate width.

5. The candle holder of claim 1, wherein a minimum width of the melting plate is not less than about six times the product of a depth of the melting plate from the top edge times the cosin of a zenith angle of the wall.

6. The candle holder of claim 5, wherein a width of the candle holder at the top edge is not less than approximately the minimum width of the melting plate plus two times the sum of an outside radius of the top edge plus the product of the tangent of the zenith angle times the difference between the depth of the melting plate from the top edge minus the outside radius.