Combustion – Candle – e.g. – taper – etc.
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-11
2004-08-03
Lu, Jiping (Department: 3743)
Combustion
Candle, e.g., taper, etc.
C431S126000, C044S275000, C264S245000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06769905
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to the dispensing of one or more volatile active air materials from a candle product. More specifically, this invention relates to a process for manufacturing a compression-molded candle product having multiple layers, each having a different color or appearance. Optionally one or more additives may be included in each layer. The additive may be a fragrance, sanitization agent, deodorant, insect control compound or any other volatile material, or mixture thereof which is desired to be distributed and which may be combined with the fuel of the candle. When the additive is a fragrance it is preferred that no two immediately adjacent layers of the candle contain the same fragrance.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Candles have been known and used since early civilization. A typical wax candle is formed of solid or semi-solid body of a fuel source, generally wax such as petroleum derived wax or a burnable synthetic polymer and contains an axially embedded combustible wick.
Candles have become a very popular popular form for the delivery of active ingredients, generally fragrances in recent years. Candles are offered that appeal to both the olfactory as well as the visual sense. This type of candle usually incorporates fragrance oil in the wax body. As the wax is melted in the lighted candle, fragrance oil is released from the liquefied wax pool.
Candles which offer a single fragrance have been offered for several years and have exhibited enormous consumer appeal. Likewise, poured candles having multiple colored layers which sometimes offer a variety of scents in a single form have been sold in the consumer market and have been met with success. One of the problems with producing poured multilayered candles is the time necessary for heating and cooling the solid fuel, generally wax, since each layer must be individually poured and then cooled before an adjacent layer is added. This increases production time, and energy requirements if artificial cooling methods are used to decrease production time. These problems limit the commercial production of multi-layered candles by pour techniques.
Conventional poured fragrance candles have drawbacks and other limitations. Candles are typically prepared by means of melt processing. Wax compositions containing fragrance must be carefully developed and processed to assure a suitable release of fragrance oil from the liquefied wax pool. This process can be difficult and resource intensive. Moreover, candles made with more than one fragrance layer utilizing melt-processing technology are limited to the same drawbacks of cost and other limitations. Clearly, if a technique could be developed for the manufacture of multilayered candles by a compression technique which would be less energy intensive, more adaptable to producing large scale quantities, and which candles would provide the esthetically pleasing multi-colored layers optionally containing a volatile active ingredient for the visual sense now found in poured candles, it would be an advance in the art. Preferably such a candle would contain multiple layers with each layer exhibiting a different color or appearance. Most preferably such a candle includes multiple layers with each layer exhibiting a different color or appearance, and each layer containing a fragrance or perfume, with the proviso that no two adjacent layers can contain the same fragrance or perfume.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide to the art a method for the manufacture of a multi-layered candle product. It is another object of this invention to provide to the art a method for the manufacture of a multilayered candle product which is capable of dispersing a volatile active material such as a fragrance, insect control agent, sanitization aid, deodorant, or the like. It is yet another object of this invention to provide to the art a multilayered compression candle product which is esthetically pleasing and can be utilized for the dispersal of a volatile active material. Another object of the invention is to provide to the art a multilayered compression candle with each layer having a color different than any other adjacent layer, and each layer in addition contains a fragrance which is different than any other adjacent layer. Other objects and advantages shall become apparent from the accompanying description of the invention and examples.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The multilayered candle products of the instant invention are made by compression technique such as that exemplified in Requejo et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,804 the disclosure of which is hereinafter incorporated by reference into this specification. In Requejo, wax prill containing additives such as colorants or fragrancing agents are compressed to form candle products having exceptional properties. Requejo however discloses only the formation of a candle product having one layer, or, a homogeneous candle product including only one set of additives. The wax prill used to form the candle products of Requejo can be formed for example by the techniques disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,625 to Wilson, the disclosure of which is also hereinafter incorporated by reference into this specification.
By adding successive layers of prill into a compression candle mold, compressing the wax prill to form a wax body, and then adding an appropriate wick, a suitable multilayered compression candle product can be produced. This process will be further exemplified and explained below.
The basic process utilized to form the multilayered compression candle products of this invention includes the steps of:
a. Preparing x+1, where x is a whole number equal to or greater than 1, solid-fuel prill or powder layer mixtures, each layer mixture containing a compatible solid fuel having a particle size of from about 500 to about 2000 microns and preferably about 600-1190 microns, with the proviso that when added to the candle mold, no two immediately adjacent mixture layers will have the same color or appearance, and each layer mixture optionally containing one or more different additives from the group consisting of fragrances, insect control agents, sanitization aids, deodorants, or the like and mixtures thereof. When the additive is a fragrance it is preferred that no two adjacent mixture layers contain the same fragrance.
b. Adding the x+1 layer mixtures of step a to a candle mold in a sequential manner so that no adjacent layer mixture within the mold have the same color or appearance, each layer mixture being added to the mold in a quantity to produce a layer having a desired thickness after the compression step of step c;
c. Subjecting such layer mixtures in the mold to a compressive force to form a candle shape within the mold, said candle shape having a substantially horizontal upper surface, a substantially horizontal lower surface, and one or more vertical surfaces communicating with said upper and lower surfaces defining the candle shape, said candle shape having x+1 layers, each layer having a desired thickness;
d. Forming either during step “c” or thereafter one or more axially disposed vertical wick cavities within such candle shape;
e. Placing a combustible wick within each such axially disposed vertical wick cavity; such wick being placed to extend a flame sustaining distance above the substantially horizontal top of such candle to at or near the horizontal bottom layer of such candle shape; and then,
f. Recovering a multilayer compression candle.
Optionally, one or more axially disposed vertical wicks can be inserted into the candle during the compression molding process and thus, no wick cavity need be formed, or subsequent wick insertion step need to taken to produce the candles of this invention.
The solid fuel used in the preparation of the candle products of the instant invention is made from a solid fuel prill or solid fuel powder. Processes for making solid fuel prill or powder useful in candle manufacture are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,625 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,804. The solid fuel used in th
Blevins-Steer Sandra E.
Ferguson Kathryn H.
Gray Robert G.
Ravirajan Nihila
Tenhagen Georgia A.
Lu Jiping
S.C. Johnson & Son Inc.
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