Heat exchange method for melting plate candle

• US 7,591,646 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Inventors: Dwyer, Sean G., Jameson, Elizabeth J., Adair, Joel E., Nelson, Cory J., Varanasi, Padma Prabodh, Furner, Paul E., Kubicek, Chris A., Montei, Matthew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart; Kenneth B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bernstein; Daniel A
• Application Number:
  US11/879,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20070292813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 431/253, 431/291, 431/288, 431/289, 431/298, 431/292, 431/294, 431/325, 431/299
• US Class Current: 431/291
• CPC Class Codes: C11C 5/002 Ingredients
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 2900/03082 Wick made of specific material, e.g. ceramic
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 2900/05001 Burner using gel type fuel
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 3/04 with flame spreaders F23D3/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 3/24 Carriers for wicks

Abstract

The present invention relates to melting plate candles which employ heat conductive elements to distribute heat from a burning flame at a wick to a support plate for a solid fuel and to the body of said solid fuel, so as to more rapidly liquefy the solid fuel, such as paraffin wax, and to more uniformly and intensely heat such fuels to increase the efficiency of consumption thereof and to more rapidly release volatile materials contained within said fuels. The heat conductive support plate is configured so as to have a capillary pedestal upon the surface thereof, which cooperatively engages a wick holder comprising a preferably consumable wick and heat conductive fins which conduct heat from a flame upon said wick to said support plate, said wick holder further engaging said capillary pedestal in such a locking manner as to resist accidental removal from said pedestal. The fuel may be provided in various forms, configured to cooperatively engage said wick holder and support plate, and may comprise various volatile materials. The capillary pedestal, in conjunction with the wick holder, causes rapid and complete flow of the liquefied fuel to said wick.

Claims

1. A candle comprising a meltable solid fuel element, a melting plate upon which the fuel element rests, and a wick holder comprising an upwardly extending wick carried by a wick holding means and heat conductive fins, wherein at least one of the heat conductive fins extends upwardly above the wick holding means and is positioned so as to collect heat from a flame upon the wick and to conduct such heat to the fuel element and to the melting plate, the wick holder engaging the meltable solid fuel element, and the heat conductive fins being insulated so as to prevent loss of the heat to the atmosphere, wherein at least one of the heat fins comprises an insulated portion interposed between a first uninsulated portion immediately proximate the flame and a second uninsulated portion of the wick holder in contact with the fuel element.

2. The candle of claim 1, wherein the fuel element further comprises one or more volatile active materials.

3. The candle of claim 2, wherein the wick holder comprises two heat conductive heat fins joined by a heat conductive element which passes through the hottest portion of the flame.

4. The candle of claim 3, wherein the heat conductive element comprises a wire joined to a tip of each of the two heat conductive fins.

5. The candle of claim 3, wherein the meltable solid fuel element comprises a replaceable fuel element cooperatively engaging the heat conductive melting plate and wick holder.

6. The melting plate candle of claim 1, wherein the wick holder further comprises heat conductive members extending laterally outwardly into the solid fuel element.

7. A candle comprising a meltable solid fuel element, a melting plate upon which the fuel element rests, and a wick holder comprising an upwardly extending wick carried by a wick holding means and heat conductive fins, wherein at least one of the heat conductive fins extends upwardly above the wick holding means and is positioned so as to collect heat from a flame upon the wick and to conduct such heat to the fuel element and to the melting plate, the wick holder engaging the meltable solid fuel element, and the heat conductive fins being insulated so as to prevent loss of the heat to the atmosphere, wherein the wick holder includes an outwardly and downwardly extending base portion that covers and at least partly surrounds an upwardly projecting capillary pedestal defined by the melting plate.

8. A candle as set forth in claim 7, wherein at least one of the heat fins comprises an insulated portion interposed between a first uninsulated portion immediately proximate the flame and a second uninsulated portion of the wick holder in contact with the fuel element.

9. The candle of claim 7, wherein the heat conductive fins are cooperatively joined by a heat conductive element that passes through the flame.

10. The candle of claim 9, wherein the heat conductive element comprises a wire extending between tips of the heat conductive fins.

11. The candle of claim 9, wherein the support plate further comprises a heat conductive portion by which heat is conducted from a flame upon the wick to the solid fuel element, whereby a pool of heated liquid fuel is created, the support plate being configured to cause the flow of the heated liquid fuel toward the wick holder.

12. The candle of claim 7, wherein the melting plate is treated so as to be self cleaning.

13. The candle of claim 7, wherein the fuel element is configured to cooperatively engage the wick holder.

14. A replaceable fuel element for a melting plate candle, the fuel element comprising a solid fuel material cooperatively engaging a wick holder comprising a wick, the wick holder configured so as to lockingly engage a capillary pedestal on the melting plate candle, and further comprising heat fins which conduct heat from the flame to the fuel material by means of branches which extend outward from the fins into the fuel material, wherein at least one of the heat fins comprises an insulated portion interposed between a first uninsulated portion immediately proximate the flame and a second uninsulated portion of the wick holder in contact with the fuel material.