Fuel and related compositions – Candle composition
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-25
2003-04-08
Toomer, Cephia D. (Department: 1714)
Fuel and related compositions
Candle composition
C431S288000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06544303
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a candle having a favorable combination of properties including an enhanced pleasing odor as supplied and a further enhanced pleasing odor while burning.
2. Prior Art
The art of candlemaking has been practiced for centuries. The traditional technique still in use includes embedding a wick in a mass of combustible material and generating illumination by lighting the wick, causing the burning wick to contact and melt the exposed surface of the combustible material which then is absorbed by the wick and so sustains the flame until the combustible material is consumed or the burning candle is deliberately extinguished.
With the introduction of electric lighting the utilitarian illumination of the home and the workplace with candles declined, while the use of candles to provide a variety of esthetically satisfying effects of religious inspiration, festivity, or relaxation and intimacy has become the principal use of candles. For such esthetically driven use a pleasing odor is an important consideration, and many varieties of scented candles have been provided. While such scented candles may have an agreeable odor encouraging their purchase, the agreeable odor may dissipate if the candle is stored for any length of time, and as the candle burns the fragrance may be consumed before the candle as a whole.
A conventional fragrance candle is made from petroleum paraffin or waxes. More recently, hydrocarbon gels, gelling agents with oil and polyamides have been used as base materials, but these recently introduced candlemaking materials have neither appreciably enhanced the pleasing odor characteristics of scented candles nor overcome the physical constraints and problems that limit the effectiveness of scented candles.
As noted, for example, by Marcus et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,270, it is difficult to incorporate enough fragrance oil into a candle to ensure an abundant release of fragrance without making the candle tacky or oily and depriving the candle of sufficient structural properties to resist damage and stand freely. Thus during the summer months fragrance candles can become so soft that they lack sufficient structural properties to stand freely, and become unacceptable without being protected by a rigid container. Marcus et al disclosed a free standing fragrance candle comprising an outer shell, an inner core and a wick; the shell being formed of a material selected from the group consisting essentially of paraffin, a wax, a mixture thereof, and any of the preceding materials in combination with fragrance oil; the shell having a melting point high enough that the shell stands freely and is not tacky at room temperature; the core being formed of fragrance oil and a carrier therefor; the fragrance oil in the core constituting from 5% to 12% of the total weight of the core; the carrier being a material selected from the group consisting essentially of petrolatum, a low melting point wax, and a mixture thereof; the core having a melting point substantially lower than the melting point of the shell and low enough to form a molten pool within the shell and to ensure a substantial release of fragrance into the surrounding atmosphere as the candle burns; and the shell constituting a container and providing structural support for the core. It is also disclosed that fragrance oil is always incorporated in the core, and preferably, though not necessarily, also in the shell. When fragrance oil is incorporated in the shell, it is preferably in the same proportion there as in the core in order to prevent dilution of the fragrance oil in the core by molten wax from the shell as the candle burns. Thus, in the disclosed candle it is the core that provides for release of fragrance and the shell that imparts structural properties.
A need therefore exists for a novel type of candle able to provide enhanced release of pleasing odor to its surroundings without being burned as well as during the actual burn of the candle, and in particular to do so without adversely affecting other favorable properties of the candle and without requiring disproportionately large quantities of costly fragrance material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with this invention, there is provided a composite candle made of a high load fragrance shell surrounding a core candle which contains a lesser loading of fragrance and need not contain any fragrance. Before the candle is burned, the unconventionally high fragrance level in the shell affords enhanced release of pleasing odor to the surroundings. When the candle is burning, the heat of the lighted core further enhances the fragrance release from the shell, by creating a driving force for the fragrance from the shell to the external surface and also through the pool of the core candle, including the material that can melt from the inner surface of the shell. As a result, the release of pleasing odor from the candle of the invention is enhanced compared to a candle with fragrance uniformly distributed therein, even in greater concentration.
The candle of this invention, accordingly, comprises at least one wick surrounded by a core comprising a combustible candle core composition, which is surrounded by a mechanically sturdy and non-sticky fragrance-releasing shell comprising a combustible candle shell composition and a high level of at least one fragrance, selected from the group consisting of natural and synthetic fragrances. The concentration of fragrance in the shell is greater than 10% and preferably at least 15% by weight and can range as high as 60% by weight.
A candle according to the invention can be presented as a self-supporting stand alone candle (a so-called “pillar” candle) or as a candle in a container, where he shell itself can constitute the container. The core within can be contiguous with the shell or removably placed within, with a gap of predetermined width between the shell and the core. The candle according to this invention can be of any desired size and shape. In particular, a candle according to the invention can be higher than it is wide, or wider than it is high. The candle according to the invention can be uniform in cross-section or vary in cross-section along its height.
The cross-section of the core and the cross-section of the shell can be concentric circles with the wick at the center, or any desired cross-section according to the intended shape.
Thus, the construction of a heat-activated candle according to the invention as a combustible core surrounded by a shell having a high concentration of fragrance is particularly suitable for creating a great variety of esthetically pleasing and decorative shapes for the candle of the invention, including cylindrical, spherical, polygonal, tear-drop and free-form abstract shapes as well as human and animal shapes (such as a hand, a torso, or the head of a cat) and shapes of familiar inanimate objects (such as a telephone or a replica of a well-known building). The shell surrounds the core for at least 50% of its height and can extend up to the full height of the core and even higher, thus constituting a shade surrounding the flame when the candle burns.
Accordingly, the shell can surround the top of the core and at least a portion of its sides, or the shell can surround the bottom of the core and at least a portion of its sides.
The relative dimensions of the shell and the core in the candle according to the invention are defined such that the shell is at least 2 mm thick. The thickness of the shell need not be uniform throughout. The upper limit for the dimensions of the shell is defined such that the dimension of the shell as a fraction of the combined dimensions of the shell and the core measured outward from the wick can be from 2% to 75% of the combined dimensions, preferably from 5% to 20% of the combined dimensions.
The term “combustible” is used in its conventional meaning to indicate that the material burns when ignited in the ordinary manner of a candle. The term is not used in its regulatory sense as pr
Schwartz Robert M.
Toomer Cephia D.
Xanadu Candle International Limited
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