Candle holder

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a candle holder which comprises at least one base element and at least one candlestick for setting up on the base element.

Background to the invention

There are many different existing forms of candle holder. Some candle holders can to some extent be folded up so as to be easy to store when not in use. Even in the folded-up state, they are mostly still quite bulky. Candle holders are also so configured that in the unfolded state they always look the same. There is no possibility of varying their appearance. Candle holders with portions made of magnetic material also exist.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is that the candle holder should be easy to assemble and dismantle and should occupy little space in the dismantled state, which is a great advantage from the storage and transport point of view. A further object of the invention is that the configuration of the candle holder should be variable in many different ways so that the candle holder can be used all the year round in many different contexts.

The abovementioned and other objects are achieved according to the invention by the base element of the candle holder as above having at least one surface made of magnetic material on which to set up a candlestick and that the candlestick for said candle holder should have at least a first surface which comprises magnetic material for setting up the candlestick at any desired location on the contact surface of the base element by means of magnetic force, and at least one second surface which likewise comprises magnetic material for setting up at least one candle in a container made of magnetic material, e.g. a tealight, on the candlestick by means of magnetic force.

The candle holder will thus be easy to assemble and dismantle. It can be stored and transported in a dismantled state and thus occupy little space, and at the time of assembling it the candlestick with said first surface comprising magnetic material can be placed at any desired location on the contact surface of

^■ D C

the base element, after which a candle, advantageously a tealight, can be placed on the candlestick's said other surface comprising magnetic material

Since the contact surface of the base element in an advantageous preferred further embodiment of the present invention covers the whole of that side of the base element on which it is situated, a plurality of candlesticks may be placed anywhere so desired on that surface, thereby naturally affording more possibilities of variation as regards the positioning of candlesticks and the number of candlesticks which can be set up on the base element

Brief description of the drawing

The aforesaid and other objects and advantages of the present invention and other characterising features of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawing, in which

Fig 1 is an extremely schematic perspective view of a candle holder according to the invention in a preferred embodiment and

Fig 2 is a schematic longitudinal section through one of the candlesticks according to Fig 1

Detailed description of various embodiments of the invention Fig 1 thus depicts an embodiment of a candle holder according to the present invention The candle holder comprises at least one base element 1 and at least one candlestick 2 (in Fig 1 three or five candlesticks) The base element 1 is intended to be placed on an underlying support, as in the embodiment depicted, or be suspended from a wall, roof or ceiling, depending on the configuration of the base element There is at least one surface 3 made of magnetic material on the base element 1 for setting up candlesticks 2 on the base element This contact surface 3 covers preferably the whole of that side of the base element 1 on which it is situated, so that the candlesticks 2 can be positioned in any desired manner relative to one another and the number of candlesticks may vary greatly Alternatively it is also possible within the scope of the invention for the base element 1 to have a plurality of contact surfaces 3, e g a plurality of smaller such surfaces on a single side of the base element or one or more contact surfaces on two or more sides of the base element

In the depicted preferred embodiment of the candle holder according to the present invention, however, the base element 1 takes substantially the form of a plate, in which the contact surface 3 made of magnetic material is of course

situated with advantage on one of those sides of the plate 1 which define or determine the length and width of the plate

The base element 1 may, with the exception of the contact surface 3, be made of wood and/or plastic and/or ceramic and/or metal of a non-magnetic kind The base element 1 may also be made entirely of magnetic material particularly in cases where it also takes substantially the form of a plate as in Fig 1 The base element 1 in the form of a plate is easy to store and transport and a plate which is made entirely of magnetic material makes it possible for whichever is desired of the two opposite sides of the plate which define the length and width of the plate to be used as a contact surface 3 for the candlesticks 2

The base element 1 , preferably of plate configuration, may for example be circular or oval or have three, four, five or more sides or comprise a combination of different shapes, the contact surface 3 on it being of course preferably of the same shape The candlesticks 2 intended to be set up on the base element 1 , preferably a substantially plate-like base element according to Fig 1 , each have at least one first and at least one second surface 4 and 5 respectively (in the depicted embodiment mutually opposite first and second surfaces) which are essential for the invention The first surface 4 substantially comprises magnetic material for setting up the candlesticks 2 at any desired location on the contact surface 3 of the base element 1 by means of magnetic force The second surface 5 on each candlestick 2 is intended for setting up at least one candle 6 in a container made of magnetic material, e g tealight, on the candlestick and therefore likewise comprises magnetic material It is obvious that said first and second surfaces 4, 5 need not be mutually opposite as in the drawings, but may take the form of one or more other surfaces on the candlestick 2, depending on how the latter is intended to be set up on the base element 1 and how the base element is to be disposed

Said first surface 4 on the candlestick 2 is provided, in the depicted first embodiment, with a recess 7 in which a permanent magnet 8 of suitable type and size is fitted for secure fastening of the candlestick to the base element 1 Alternatively it is conceivable to provide a magnet which covers the whole surface 4 irrespective of the latter's shape and size, or to provide in said surface more than one recess 7 for a magnet 8 As previously indicated, the second (here the opposite) surface 5 on the candlestick 2 likewise comprises, in the depicted preferred embodiment, magnetic material for setting up at least one stearin candle in a container made

of magnetic material, e g a tealight 6, on the candlestick by means of magnetic force As in the case of the surface 4, the second surface 5 in the embodiment according to Figs 1 and 2 is provided with a recess 9 in which a permanent magnet 10 of preferably the same type and size as the magnet 8 is fitted The alternative embodiment mentioned above with regard to the shape and size of the magnet and the number of recesses, and hence the number of magnets applies here too

Each candlestick 2 comprises, in the depicted embodiment, a more or less elongate element on which said first and second mutually opposite surfaces 4, 5 take the form of end surfaces of the elongate element The candlesticks 2 in the depicted embodiment are substantially rod-shaped Each candlestick 2, preferably the stem, may be of any advantageous shape It may for example be circular or oval or have three, four, five or more sides or be of a shape which is a combination of these shapes The candlesticks 2 may alternatively be so configured that the preferably mutually opposite first and second surfaces 4, 5 are constituted by two side surfaces of the more or less elongate element or by the latter ¹ s shell surface 12 The candlesticks 2 may also be equilateral and thus each constitute according to the invention a smaller elongate element If a plurality of candlesticks 2 are used in a candle holder, they may, in the depicted embodiment, be of different lengths but may of course also be of the same length It is of course also possible to use candlesticks 2 of the same or different thicknesses

Each candlestick 2 is in principle made of wood and/or metal and/or plastic and/or ceramic of a non-magnetic kind Alternatively the candlesticks 2 may be made entirely of magnetic material

The candle holder according to the invention comprises in the depicted embodiment a base element 1 and a small number of candlesticks 2, but may also, within the scope of the invention, comprise two or more base elements each with one or more candlesticks, in which case the base elements 1 may be configured to allow them to be joined together in different ways and in different layouts

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that, beyond what is indicated above, the candle holder according to the invention can be modified and varied within the scope of the claims set out below without departing from the idea and objects of the invention For example, base elements and candlesticks differently configured with regard to material and shape may be combined with one another according to need and as may be desired