Multisensory candle assembly

• US 7,699,603 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2006
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SC Johnson & Son Incorporated
• Inventors: Beland, Rene Maurice, Nelson, Cory J., Furner, Paul E., Conway, Simon M., Porchia, Jose, Kubicek, Chris A., Kissner, William R., Adams, Mary Beth
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart; Kenneth B
• Assistant Examiner(s): NDUBIZU, CHUKA CLEMENT
• Application Number:
  US11/355,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20060263733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 431/289, 431/290, 431/291, 431/292
• US Class Current: 431/292
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/04 the elements being switches safety devices F21V25/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 35/00 Candle holders
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 3/24 Carriers for wicks
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2229/00 Flame sensors

Abstract

A candle assembly includes a support base with a melting plate upon which a meltable solid fuel rests and a wick holder to hold a wick and engage the meltable solid fuel, and a control unit having at least one electrical component to control at least one of a sound emitting system or a light emitting system. In another aspect, a candle assembly includes a sensor configured to detect the presence of a flame disposed on the wick and controls the at least one of the sound emitting system or the light emitting system, and a lock and key mechanism. Another candle assembly includes a replaceable container to hold a meltable fuel element with a wick and a first mating surface and a control unit having at least one electrical component to control at least one of a sound emitting system or a light emitting system. In another aspect, the control unit has a second mating surface complimentary to the first mating surface and a sensor configured to detect the presence of a flame disposed on a wick. The sensor controls the at least one of the sound emitting system or the light emitting system, and the first mating surface is configured to mate with the second mating surface in a pre-selected spatial orientation to permit the sensor to detect the presence of a flame.

Claims

1. A candle assembly, comprising:

a support base comprising a melting plate upon which a meltable solid fuel rests and a capillary pedestal located on the melting plate, the capillary pedestal comprising a wall extending upwardly from the melting plate; and

control unit comprising at least one electrical component to control at least one of a sound emitting system or a light emitting system;

wherein the capillary pedestal cooperatively engages a base portion of a wick holder, the base portion comprising a down-turned skirt extending downwardly adjacent an entire height of the wall of the capillary pedestal to define a space between the down-turned skirt and the wall of the capillary pedestal to allow capillary flow of melted fuel upwardly through the space along the wall of the capillary pedestal from the melting plate to a wick retained over the capillary pedestal by the wick holder.

2. The candle assembly of claim 1 further comprising a sensor configured to detect the presence of a flame disposed on the wick, wherein the sensor controls the at least one of the sound emitting system or the light emitting system.

3. The candle assembly of claim 2, wherein the sensor detects the presence of the flame by at least one of detecting heat generated by the flame, detecting a change in a magnetic field due to the flame, or detecting light generated by the flame.

4. The candle assembly of claim 2, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a thermistor, a photosensitive sensor, a Hall effect sensor, a Reed switch, or a thermochromatic strip.

5. The candle assembly of claim 4, wherein the Hall effect sensor detects the change in the magnetic field of at least one of a magnet or a ferrous material disposed near the wick holder.

6. The candle assembly of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the magnet or the ferrous material functions to at least one of hold the wick holder in alignment with the melting plate, or align the support base and the control unit in a predetermined spatial orientation when in an assembled and operational configuration.

7. The candle assembly of claim 4, wherein the thermochromatic strip has a first color that changes to a second color when heated from a first temperature to a second temperature.

8. The candle assembly of claim 7 further comprising a photoelectric sensor to detect a change in color of the thermochromatic strip from the first color to the second color.

9. The candle assembly of claim 7, wherein the first temperature is less than or equal to about 150°

F. and the second temperature is greater than or equal to about 100°

F.

10. The candle assembly of claim 2, wherein the sensor at least one of activates, deactivates, enables, or disables the at least one electrical component that controls the at least one of the sound emitting system or the light emitting system.

11. The candle assembly of claim 1, wherein the light emitting system comprises at least one LED disposed in the control unit.

12. The candle assembly of claim 1, wherein the support base further comprises a diffuser.

13. The candle assembly of claim 12, wherein the diffuser is positioned to interact with the light emitting system to at least one of diffuse, disperse, or scatter light emitted from the light emitting system.

14. The candle assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical component comprises a communication link operatively connected to the electronics for control of the at least one of the sound emitting system or the light emitting system.

15. The candle assembly of claim 14, wherein the communication link comprises at least one of an acoustic switch, a vibration detecting switch, a Hall effect sensor, a removable data storage medium, a cable, a USB port, a radio frequency sensor, a infrared sensor, a blue tooth enabled link, an inductive communication link, and a phono jack.