US3918888A

US3918888A - Candle stabilizing device

Info

Publication number: US3918888A
Application number: US470613A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gladys E Clarke; Richard V Clarke
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1974-05-16
Filing date: 1974-05-16
Publication date: 1975-11-11
Anticipated expiration: 1992-11-11

Abstract

An adapter for removable insertion into a socket of a candle holder for stabilizing a candle within the socket. The adapter comprises a circularly shaped base wall having four circumferentially spaced upstanding arms along the base wall and which are designed to engage the candle therebetween. Moreover, the arms snuggly fit within the socket of a candle holder for stabilizing the candle in a substantially vertical position.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Clarke et al.

[ 51 Nov. 11, 1975 I CANDLE STABILIZING DEVICE [76] Inventors: Gladys E. Clarke; Richard V.

Clarke, both of 6033 S. Holt Ave. Los Angeles, Calif. 90056 [22] Filed: May 16, 1974 211 App]. No.: 470,613

[52] US. Cl. 431/297; 24/259 C [51] Int. Cl. F23D 3/16 [58] Field of Search 431/297, 296; 24/259 C [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 422.989 3/1890 Stelzner 431/297 1918098 7/1933 Haley 431/297 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 17.222 1889 United Kingdom 431/297 17.607 1895 United Kingdom 431/297 6.40. 1890 United Kingdom 431/297 414.543 9/1910 France I 431/297 Prinml v Exuminer-Carroll B. Dority Jr. Anal-nay. Agent. or Firnz-R0bert J. Schaap 5 7 ABSTRACT An adapter for removable insertion into a socket of a candle holder for stabilizing a candle within the socket. The adapter comprises a circularly shaped base wall having four circumferentially spaced upstanding arms along the base wall and which are designed to engage the candle therebetween. Moreover. the arms snuggly fit within the socket of a candle holder for stabilizing the candle in a substantially vertical position.

14 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 CANDLE STABILIZING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in candle holders, and more particularly. to certain new and useful improvements in stabilizing means for insertion into a socket of a candle holder.

It has been long recognized that one of the particu larly annoying problems with practically all of the commercially available candle holders is that the candle does not snuggly fit within the socket of the candle holder. In many cases. the base of the candle is either too large to snuggly fit within the socket of the candle holder and must be shaved on its annular surface in order to reduce the diametral size thereof for insertion into the candle holder socket. Otherwise, the overall diametral size of the base of the candle is smaller than the diametral size of the socket which receives the candle and in which case, the candle will continuously shift within the socket of the candle holder. Not only is this problem annoying. but it does not constitute a potential fire hazard inasmuch as the candle can be easily inadvertently knocked out of the socket of the candle holder.

In order to obviate the problem of the candle which is too small for the candle holder socket, users have resorted to various means. such as wrapping a piece of wax paper or other filling material around the base of the candle, in order to obtain snug fitting reception within the socket of the candle holder. Other techniques reside in the heating of the candle base in order to create a wax layer within the candle holder socket for stabilizing the candle therein.

The prior art has proposed various forms of inserts for the sockets of candle holders in order to removably receive a candle therein. Such devices, are for example. illustrated in US. Pat. No. 1,559,304 and US. Pat. No. 422,989, as well as US. PAt. No. 441,625. However, the adaptors or inserts of the prior art as exemplified by these patents are not particularly effective in that they do not conform to the variance in the size of the sockets of various candle holders and even more so. do not conform properly to the size of a candle base.

It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a stabilizing means for a candle holder in a form of an adapter therefor, which will effectively hold a candle in an upright position within the candle holder.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a stabilizing adapter of the type stated which is capable of conforming to size variation in both the candle and the socket of the candle holder.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stabilizing adapter of the type stated which can be produced on a mass production basis at a relatively low cost.

With the above and other objects in view. our invention resides in the novel features of form, construction. arrangement. and a combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION In general terms the present invention relates to an adapter for removable insertion into a socket of a candle holder for stabilizing a candle therein. This adapter comprises a base wall of overall size approximately equal to the size ofa base of a candle. A plurality of upstanding arms are spaced around the periphery of this base wall and these arms are somewhat arcuately shaped in vertical crosssection. Each of the arms have somewhat arcuately shaped inwardly presented wall to engage a candle between the arms. An outwardly presented edge is formed on each of the arms for engaging a socket wall in the candle holder. Furthermore. the arms are somewhat resilient so as to retentively engage the candle and to snuggly fit within the socket of the candle holder.

The adapter of the present invention can be charac' terized in further detail in that a pair of spaced apart outwardly presented edges are formed on each of the arms. The somewhat arcuately shaped inwardly presented walls merge into the outwardly presented edges on each of the arms. Moreover. the base wall is circular in shape and four of the upstanding arms are provided. These arms are substantially equidistantly spaced from each other around the periphery of the base wall.

In a more specific aspect of the invention. the adapter is characterized in that the upstanding arms diverge outwardly from the base wall. These upstanding arms diverge outwardly from the base wall at an angle of about 10 to about 17 with respect to a vertical plane passing through the base wall. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upstanding arms diverge outwardly from the base wall at an angle of about 13 with respect to a vertical plane passing through the base wall.

With respect to preferred sizes, the adapter can be further characterized in that the base wall is approximately of an inch in diameter. The arms have an upper edge which is spaced from the base wall about 9/16 of an inch. Finally, the arms have a width, as measured along the periphery of the base wall. of about one-fourth of an inch.

The present invention can also be described in general terms as a candle holder with removable stabilizing means therefor. This candle holder comprises a socket having a base and an upstanding cylindrically shaped side wall extending from the base. The stabilizing means comprises a base wall which is sized to fit within the socket. The base wall is provided with a downwardly presented surface which engages the base of the socket. The base wall is also provided with an upwardly presented surface which is sized to substantially conform to the base of a candle.

A plurality of upstanding arms are spaced around the periphery of the base wall and which are somewhat arcuately shaped in vertical cross-section. These arms each have a somewhat arcuately shaped wall which is convexly presented with respect to the interior. of the socket. A pair of spaced-apart outwardly presented edges are provided on each of the arms and which merge into the arcuately shaped wall. These arms are somewhat resilient so that the arcuately shaped walls can be biased outwardly toward the cylindrical shaped side wall to retentively hold a candle therebetween. In addition, the outwardly presented edges can engage the cylindrically shaped side wall of the socket to retentively hold the stabilizing means therein.

The candle holder described above can be further characterized in that the base wall is circular in shape and four of the upstanding arms are provided. These arms are also substantially equidistantly spaced from each other around the periphery of the base wall of the stabilizing means.

The candle holder described above can also be char acterized in that the upstanding arms diverge outwardly from said base wall. Moreover. the various angles ofdivergence and the preferred angle of divergence specitied above are applicable to this embodiment of the candle holder. In like manner, the various sizes speci fied above are also applicable to the stabilizing means of the candle holder described herein.

The present invention also provides a modified form of adapter for removable insertion into a socket of a candle holder for stabilizing a candle therein. This latter adapter comprises a base wall of overall size approximately equal to the size of a base of a candle. A plurality of upstanding arms are spaced around the periphery of said base wall and which arms are somewhat arcuately shaped in vertical cross-sections. Each of the arms have an inwardly presented edge formed thereon to engage a candle between the arms, and an edge formed on each of the arms. A somewhat arcuately shaped outwardly presented wall is provided for engaging a socket wall in the candle holder. The arms are somewhat resilient so as to retentively engage the candle and to snuggly fit within the socket of the candle holder.

This latter form of adapter can be further characterized in that a pair of spaced apart inwardly presented edges are formed on each of the arms. The somewhat arcuately shaped outwardly presented walls merge into the inwardly presented edges on each of the arms.

FIGURES Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adapter for candle holders constructed in accordance and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the adapter of FIG. 1;

FIG.- 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the adapter of the present invention fitted within a candle holder socket and supporting a candle therein;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along Line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the adapter of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a modified form of adapter of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION upstanding arms 12. By further reference to FIG. 1, it

can be observed that the arms 12 are located along the periphery of the base wall 10 and substantially equidistantly spaced from each other so as to be rectangularly located with respect to each other.

Each of the upstanding arms 12 have a somewhat arcuate shape in vertical cross section so that they present an arcuately shaped candle engaging surfaces 14 which are convex with respect to the interior of the adapter A. Moreover. the arms present outwardly extending socket engaging vertically disposed edges 16 on opposite ends thereof. The base 10 is provided with an upwardly presented surface 18 which is sized to receive the base ofa candle in a manner to be hereinafter 4 describedv In addition. the base 10 is also provided with a bottom wall 20 which is adapted to engage the base wall of a candle holder also in a manner to be hereinaftcr described in more detail.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the use of the adapter A within the socket S of a conventional candle holder. designated by reference numeral C. In this case, the socket S is mounted on a stem 22. The socket S is preferably circular in hori7ontal cross section and includes a somewhat cylindrically shaped interior cavity 24. Moreover, the cavity has a base wall which is designed to engage the downwardly presented wall 20 of the adapter Av By further reference to FIG. 3, it can be observed that a candle. designated by reference numeral M, can be conveniently disposed within the adapter A in such manner that the arcuately shaped wall 14 engages the side wall of the candle M. Moreover, it can be observed that the candle M has a base portion which snuggly engages the upwardly presented surface 18 of the adapter A. The oppositely disposed edges 16 on each of the arms 14 will engage the interiorly presented wall of the socket S. In this respect, it should be observed that the arms 14 are somewhat resilient in their construction. In this way, the convexly presented wall 14 can be biased outwardly in order to accommodate the candle, and in like manner, the edges 16 will somewhat bias the arms 12 so that the convex surface 14 is further urged outwardly in which manner the adapter A may snuggly fit within the socket S. In this way, it can also be observed that the adapter A is capable of being used in a number of candle holders since it automatically conforms to the base portion of the candle and to the size of the socket and the candle holder.

The candle holder of the present invention has been constructed and successfully employed in this proposed application. In a preferred form of the adapter A, the base has an overall diameter of approximately 4 inches. Moreover, each of the arms have a width, as measured around the periphery of the base, of approximately A; inch. Moreover, the arms 12 have an overall length in the vertical dimension, as measured from the base 10 to the upper edges of the arms 12, of about 9/l6th of an inch. Finally, the arms 12 diverge outwardly at an angle of about 10 to about 17 with respect to a vertical centerline passing through the base 10. However, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the angle of diversion of the arms should be 13.

FIG. 6 illustrates a modified form of adapter B of the present invention which is similar in construction to the previously described adapter A and is used in the same manner. The adapter B differs from the adapter A in that arms 12 are located on a base 10 so that the former candle engaging surface 14 is presented outwardly to become a socket wall engaging surface 14'. In like manner a pair of edges 16 on the arms 12 will engage the exterior surface of the candle M. The adapter B is also found to be highly effective in the use of supporting a candle in a stabilized position.

The adapters of the present invention may be conveniently made from either plastic material or metals. Thus. the adapter A may be made from a rigid polyethylene. polystyrene, any of a number of methacrylates or acrylates. or the like. In like manner the adapter A may be made from a variety of metals including thin gauge steel, aluminum or the like. If made of metal, a blockformer die may be used to construct the adapter A or otherwise.

Thus. there has been illustrated and described a novel adapter for candle holders which fulfills all of the objects and advantages sought therefor. It should become apparent to the skilled artisan that changes. modifications. and other uses and applications of the adapter of the present invention would be obvious to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawings. Therefore, any and all such changes. modifications, and other uses and applications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention which is limited only by the following claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we desire to claim and secure by letters patent is:

1. An adapter for removable insertion into a socket of a candle holder for stabilizing a candle therein, said adapter comprising a base wall of overall size approximately equal to the size of a base of a candle. a plurality of upstanding arms spaced around the periphery of said base wall and which arms are somewhat arcuately shaped in vertical crosssection. each of said arms having a somewhat arcuately shaped inwardly presented wall to engage a candle between said arms, and an outwardly presented edge formed on each of said arms for engaging a socket wall in the candle holder, said arms being somewhat resilient so as to retentively engage said candle and to snuggly fit within the socket of said candle holder.

2. The adapter of claim 1 further characterized in that a pair of spaced apart outwardly presented edges are formed on each of said arms, and said somewhat arcuately shaped inwardly presented walls merging into the outwardly presented edges on each of said arms.

3. The adapter of claim 1 further characterized in that said base wall is circular in shape and four of said upstanding arms are provided and are substantially equidistantly spaced from each other around the periphery of said base wall.

4. The adapter of claim 1 further characterized in that said upstanding arms diverge outwardly from said base wall.

5. The adapter of claim 1 further characterized in that said upstanding arms diverge outwardly from said base wall at an angle of about to about 17 with respect to a vertical plane passing through said base wall.

6. The adapter of claim 1 further characterized in that said upstanding arms diverge outwardly from said base wall at an angle of about 13 with respect to a vertical plane passing through said base wall.

7. The adapter of claim 3 further characterized in that said base wall is approximately of an inch in diameter, and said arms have an upper edge which is spaced from said base wall about 9/l6ofan inch, and said arms have a width as measured along the periphery of said base wall of about A; of an inch.

8. A candle holder with removable stabilizing means therefor, said candle holder comprising a socket having a base and an upstanding cylindrically shaped side wall extending from said base, said stabilizing means comprising a base wall which is sized to fit within said socket and having a downwardly presented surface which engages the base of said socket. said base wall having an upstanding presented surface which is sized to substantially conform to the base of a candle. a plurality of upstanding arms spaced around the periphery of said base wall and which are somewhat arcuately shaped in vertical cross-section, said arms having a somewhat arcuately shaped wall which is con exly presented with respect to the interior of said socket, a pair of spaced-apart outwardly presented edges on each of said arms and which merge into said arcuately shaped wall, said arms being somewhat resilient so that said arcuately shaped walls can be biased outwardly toward said cylindrically shaped side wall to retentively hold a candle therebetween, and said outwardly presented edges can engage the cylindrically shaped side wall of said socket to retentively hold said stabilizing means therein.

9. The candle holder of claim 8 further characterized in that said base wall is circular in shape and four of said upstanding arms are provided and are substantially equidistantly spaced from each other around the periphery of said base wall of said stabilizing means.

10. The candle holder of claim 8 further characterized in that said upstanding arms diverge outwardly from said base wall.

11. An adapter for removable insertion into a socket of a candle holder for stabilizing a candle therein, said adapter comprising a circular base wall of overall size approximately equal to the size of a base of a candle, four quadrilaterally located upstanding arms equidistantly spaced around the periphery of said base wall and which arms diverge outwardly from said base wall and are somewhat arcuately shaped in vertical crosssection, each of said arms having a somewhat arcuately shaped inwardly presented wall to engage a candle between said arms, and an outwardly presented edge formed on each of said arms for engaging a socket wall in the candle holder, said arms being somewhat resilient so as to retentively engage said candle and to snugly fit within the socket of said candle holder.

12. The adapter of claim 11 further characterized in that said upstanding arms diverge outwardly from said base wall at an angle of about 10 to about 17 with respect to a vertical plane passing through said base wall.

13. The adapter of claim ll'further characterized in that said upstanding arms diverge outwardly from said base wall at an angle of about 13 with respect to a vertical plane passing through said base wall.

14. The adapter of claim 11 further characterized in that said base wall is approximately of an inch in diameter. and said arms have an upper edge which is spaced from said base wall about 9/ l6ths of an inch, and said arms have a width as measured along the periphery of said base wall of about A; of an inch.

Claims

1. An adapter for removable insertion into a socket of a candle holder for stabilizing a candle therein, said adapter comprising a base wall of overall size approximately equal to the size of a base of a candle, a plurality of upstanding arms spaced around the periphery of said base wall and which arms are somewhat arcuately shaped in vertical crosssection, each of said arms having a somewhat arcuately shaped inwardly presented wall to engage a candle between said arms, and an outwardly presented edge formed on each of said arms for engaging a socket wall in the candle holder, said arms being somewhat resilient so as to retentively engage said candle and to snuggly fit within the socket of said candle holder.

5. The adapter of claim 1 further characterized in that said upstanding arms diverge outwardly from said base wall at an angle of about 10* to about 17* with respect to a vertical plane passing through said base wall.

6. The adapter of claim 1 further characterized in that said upstanding arms diverge outwardly from said base wall at an angle of about 13* with respect to a vertical plane passing through said base wall.

7. The adapter of claim 3 further characterized in that said base wall is approximately 3/4 of an inch in diameter, and said arms have an upper edge which is spaced from said base wall about 9/16of an inch, and said arms have a width as measured along the periphery of said base wall of about 1/4 of an inch.

8. A candle holder with removable stabilizing means therefor, said candle holder comprising a socket having a base and an upstanding cylindrically shaped side wall extending from said base, said stabilizing means comprising a base wall which is sized to fit within said socket and having a downwardly presented surface which engages the base of said socket, said base wall having an upstanding presented surface which is sized to substantially conform to the base of a candle, a plurality of upstanding arms spaced around the periphery of said base wall and which are somewhat arcuately shaped in vertical cross-section, said arms having a somewhat arcuately shaped wall which is convexly presented with respect to the interior of said socket, a pair of spaced-apart outwardly presented edges on each of said arms and which merge into said arcuately shaped wall, said arms being somewhat resilient so that said arcuately shaped walls can be biased outwardly toward said cylindrically shaped side wall to retentively hold a candle therebetween, and said outwardly presented edges can engage the cylindrically shaped side wall of said socket to retentively hold said stabilizing means therein.

11. An adapter for removable insertion into a socket of a candle holder for stabilizing a candle therein, said adapter comprising a circular base wall of overall size approximately equal to the size of a base of a candle, four quadrilaterally located upstanding arms equidistantly spaced around the periphery of said base wall and which arms diverge outwardly from said base wall and are somewhat arcuately shaped in vertical cross-section, each of said arms having a somewhat arcuately shaped inwardly presented wall to engage a candle between said arms, and an outwardly presented edge formed on each of said arms for engaging a socket wall in the candle holder, said arms being somewhat resilient so as to retentively engage said candle and to snugly fit within the socket of said candle holder.

12. The adapter of claim 11 further characterizeD in that said upstanding arms diverge outwardly from said base wall at an angle of about 10* to about 17* with respect to a vertical plane passing through said base wall.

13. The adapter of claim 11 further characterized in that said upstanding arms diverge outwardly from said base wall at an angle of about 13* with respect to a vertical plane passing through said base wall.

14. The adapter of claim 11 further characterized in that said base wall is approximately 3/4 of an inch in diameter, and said arms have an upper edge which is spaced from said base wall about 9/16ths of an inch, and said arms have a width as measured along the periphery of said base wall of about 1/4 of an inch.