Combustion – Having combustion starting assistant
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-27
2001-02-13
Yeung, James C. (Department: 3743)
Combustion
Having combustion starting assistant
C431S289000, C431S295000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186776
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a birthday candle ignition system, and more specifically to an ignition system using an intermediate member between the fuse and wick.
Birthday cakes with candles representing the number of years of the birthday person are an age-old tradition. Lighting all of the candles before presenting the cake to the birthday person is part of this tradition. Where there are more than just a few candles, it is difficult to light all the candles sufficiently rapidly to avoid substantial melting of the candles and getting wax on the cake. In addition, the task of lighting the candles itself is tedious and runs the risk of burning the lighter's hand.
Birthday candle ignition systems for lighting all of the candles quickly, by means of lighting a fuse connected to all of the candles have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,197 to Barone discloses an ignition system where each candle is formed relatively flat and with a flared upper portion. A hole is bored through the upper portion and a fuse is threaded through each hole in each candle wick. Each end of the fuse is provided with a ball or nut acting as a stopper. The igniting fuse may be formed of thread-like material such as cotton or cotton blends and be coated or impregnated with wax to burn at a controlled rate. One problem with such a system is that special candles with special wicks must be provided. It is also tedious to thread the fuse through each candle wick. In addition, the lighting process may be serial as the fuse is set to burn at a controlled rate. If there are a lot of candles, this could take a long time. Moreover, there is a significant chance that the fuse will extinguish along the way, and thus fail to light all of the candles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,376 to Kramer et al. discloses using a fuse to ignite multiple candles by attaching the fuse to the top of the candle and bending the wick until it touches the fuse. In one embodiment, each candle may have an igniting fuse, and the igniting fuses may then be interconnected. The drawbacks of this system are that one must attach the fuse to the top of the candle using melted wax. Because the fuse is thin and long, this may be a weak connection and come loose, causing the candle to be bypassed during the ignition process. In addition, the wick must be bent over to touch the fuse and held in that position. Moreover, the fast-burning fuse may not provide sufficient time to kindle the wick. In the embodiment using individual fuses, each fuse and wick must still be tied or connected together, which appears to be a tedious process. If each fuse burns quickly, the system is also subject to the same problem of ensuring ignition of the candle wick.
What is needed is a fast-burning fuse with a quick and simple mechanism to attach to standard candle wicks which ensures lighting of each of the wicks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one embodiment, the ignition system provides an igniter fuse, preferably of a highly combustible material such as a nitrocellulose material, cotton with a nitrated polymer, or other “nitrated material,” and an intermediate igniter member attached to each candle wick. The invention thus provides a two-stage ignition system: the fast-burning fuse to light all of the intermediate igniter members, and the igniter members to light the candles.
The igniter members preferably extend transversely from the fuse to connect to the wicks. The igniter members are preferably made of a comparable material to the igniter fuse, and folded over to form a loop through which the fuse passes.
In a more preferred embodiment, the intermediate igniter members also have a slower-burning portion where they attach to the wick, e.g., by use of melted wax or a tacky substance. The fuse is threaded through the intermediate igniter members where they have been folded over. The igniter members also preferably have a wide cross-section (large length and width providing a large surface area) substantially greater than their thickness and that of a typical fuse or the candle wick, to simplify attachment to the wick and to ensure kindling of the wick.
In another embodiment, the intermediate igniter members are integral or unitary with the fuse and fold over a horizontal axis as in the first embodiment. In a third embodiment, the intermediate igniter members are also integral or unitary with the fuse and fold over a vertical axis.
In a further embodiment, the igniter members have a small magnesium wire or other hot and fast-burning portion such as a nitroparaffin or nitrostarch coating on their wick-attaching portions.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 4835663 (1989-05-01), Abbott et al.
patent: 5344309 (1994-09-01), Phare
patent: 5354197 (1994-10-01), Barone
patent: 5439376 (1995-08-01), Kramer et al.
patent: 5567145 (1996-10-01), White
patent: 2424958 (1889-11-01), None
patent: 922635 (1947-06-01), None
patent: 17467 (1889-01-01), None
patent: 46421 (1984-03-01), None
Lacroix Eugene #226, Italy, 1870, p. 229.
Cislo & Thomas LLP
Yeung James C.
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