CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[00011 The present application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional

Application No. 62/875,378, filed July 17, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present technology relates to the field of candles and specifically to container candles.

BACKGROUND

|0003[ Regular container candles are not designed for the candle component, inclusive of a wick and volatilisable substance, to be replaced. This presents a disadvantage should the user desire to use the container with a different inner candle. For example, the user may want a candle with a different volatilisable substance, want a candle containing a different scent, want a candle of a different color or decorative design, want to refill the container with a new candle after a previous candle has been consumed or other reasons. Generally, containers are discarded when the aforementioned reasons emerge. This is due to the difficulty and lack of expertise required of general users to refill the container with a new candle by using traditional candle-making methods.

[0004] Votive candle holders do exist in the prior art that allow users to easily replace the votive candle component, however, they fail to provide the resemblance of a unified container candle and/or have the disadvantage of not properly securing the inner votive candle. More specifically, there is a risk that the votive candle within the holder will dislocate from the holder and increase the danger of an uncontrolled fire should users tilt the holder or turn the holder upside down to light the candle’s wick(s), which is common practice with container candles to avoid the upward direction of a flame from burning oneself.

[0005] Additionally, traditional candle containers will have surface temperatures that are lowest when a candle is burning towards the top of its wick, and hottest when burning towards the bottom of its wick. This often creates situations where the candle’s volatilisable substance is receiving insufficient heat when burning towards the top of the wick, often resulting in a condition called“tunneling”, and receiving too much heat when burning towards the bottom of the wick, often resulting in a higher consumption of the volatilisable substance than is optimal. Traditional candle containers do not have designs meant to counter the aforementioned effects.

SUMMARY

(0006] Given the challenges of existing candle technology, it may be beneficial to have a device that safely secures its inner candle component from movement relative to the container while in use, and allows users to retain the container and refill or replace the candle component easily at will. The device may be configured as a unified container candle. In some embodiments of the technology, the container may have a lower thermal emissivity at its top end relative to the thermal emissivity of its bottom end to create a more uniform temperature in the volatilisable substance as the candle bums from the top of the wick to the bottom, thereby reducing tunneling and maintaining a more optimal consumption of the volatilisable substance.

[0007] Several aspects of the disclosure are directed to a device comprising a container configured to support a volatilisable substance. In some embodiments, the device may further include a replaceable and securable cartridge. As used herein,“candle” refers to one or more volatilisable substances, and, optionally, one or more associated heating accessories, such as a wick.

[0008] In those embodiments including a cartridge, the cartridge may be composed of an outer shell filled with a candle. When in use, the cartridge is housed within a container and has the outward appearance of a unified, single container candle without visible gaps between the cartridge and container. The container has a toroidal opening in its top that is large enough for air to enter and keep the housed cartridge’s candle alight during use, yet has a restraining element(s) such as a lip, that prevents the internal cartridge from passing through said top opening. The bottom of the container has an element(s) such as a solid bottom or lip that prevents the housed cartridge from passing through the bottom of the container. Either the top or bottom of the container is static. The opposing side of the container then acts as a removable and adjustable component that, when removed, provides an opening large enough for the user to insert the cartridge into the container. After the cartridge is inserted into the container, the removable top or bottom of the container is reapplied and adjusted until it creates an environment where the bottom of the cartridge contacts the bottom of the container, and the top of the cartridge contacts the top restraining element of the container, creating equal and opposing forces on the top and bottom of the cartridge so that the cartridge is secured from movement relative to the container in both vertical and horizontal axis.

10009] The walls of the container, inclusive of the space between the outer walls of the cartridge and the solid outer walls of the container, may be composed of two or more substances with different thermal emissivities. The substances may be staggered such that their combination produces a thermal emissivity that is lower towards the top of the container and transitions to a higher thermal emissivity towards the bottom of the container. This composition creates a more even heating of the candle’s volatilisable substance as the flame bums from the top of the wick to the bottom of the wick and helps to reduce the effects of tunneling and reduce the candle’s flame consuming non-optimal amounts of volatilisable substance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

|0010] Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed on illustrating clearly the principles of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of components of the assembly consisting of container, cartridge, and removable bottom in accordance with the present technology.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the components shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 as assembled in accordance with the present technology.

[0013] FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of containers of the present technology, each having different air pocket designs in accordance with the present technology.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a simplified visual diagram of some embodiments of the present technology.

(0015] FIG. 6 shows three components of an example support device of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0 16] Various components of a device for supporting a candle in accordance with the present technology are shown in FIG. 1. The support device (also referred to as“container candle assembly,”“container candle,” or similar) may comprise, for example, a container 11, a cartridge 12, and/or a removable bottom cap 13. In some embodiments, the support device includes only the container 11, only the cartridge 12, only the cap 13, only the container 11 and the cartridge 12 (and no cap 13), only the container 11 and the cap 13 (and no cartridge 12), or only the cartridge 12 and the cap 13 (and no container 11).

10017] As shown in FIG. 1, one or both of the container 11 and the cartridge 12 may have a generally cylindrical shape. Other shapes are possible. The cartridge 12 may be composed of an outer shell 19 configured to be filled with a candle composed of, but not limited to, wick(s) 17 and one or more volatilisable substances 18. In some embodiments, the cartridge 12 can be filled with a volatilisable wax or gel 18, and wick(s) 17. In some embodiments, the cartridge shell 19 can be made of a deep drawn metal with a high thermal conductivity, such as brass, copper, or aluminum to promote the even heating of the volatilisable substance 18, and to prevent breakage that materials such as glass can suffer due to overheating or from the shipping process. The cartridge 12 is configured to be housed within the container 11 during use.

[0018] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the container 11 may comprise of an inner wall 15, an outer wall 14, and a top 24, and may have a complimentary component of a removable bottom cap 13. In some embodiments, the top section of the container has a static, toroidal opening to allow necessary airflow to the cartridge’s 12 candle during use, and has a static lip 22 to prevent the cartridge 12 from passing upwardly through the top opening of the container. When the technology is assembled, a removable cap 13 acts as the bottom of the container 11. The removable cap 13 is adjustable by means of threading 20 that is complementary to threading 16 on the bottom inner wall of the container 11.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, some embodiments of the present technology may include a handle 23 on the underside of the bottom cap 13 that provides leverage for users while screwing and unscrewing the bottom cap 13. The bottom cap 13 can be unscrewed from the container 11 to create an opening in the bottom of the container large enough for users to insert a cartridge 12 upwardly through the opening. When replacing a cartridge 12, users can unscrew the bottom cap 13 from the container 11, let gravity displace the old cartridge 12 downwardly through the opening in the bottom of the container 11, insert the new cartridge 12 up through the bottom opening of the container with the cartridge’s wick 17 pointing upwardly, reapply the threaded bottom cap 13 to the container, turn the bottom disk to adjust its vertical height via the threading until the bottom disk comes in contact with the bottom of the inserted cartridge 12 and creates the appropriate force to render the bottom disk secure between the bottom cap 13 and top lip 22 of the container 11, and secure the cartridge 12 from movement relative to the container 11. [0020} Referring to FIG. 2, in some embodiments the threading 20 on the bottom cap 13 may comprise three prongs, each corresponding to three sections of threading 16 on the inner wall of the container 11. Each section of threading 16 on the container 11 allows for a prong 20 from the bottom cap 13 to be inserted upwardly through a vertical gap 25 in the threading of the container 11 and then moved clockwise. A horizontal gap 26 in the threading on the container 11 can narrow in the clockwise direction. As the prongs 20 of the bottom cap 13 are guided clockwise through the horizontal gaps 26 in the threading of the container 11, a seal is formed between the bottom cap 13 and container 11. The advantage of the aforementioned threading configuration is that it is ergonomic for users, requiring a minimal turn, less than 120 degrees of rotation, of the bottom cap 13, to lock the bottom cap 13, cartridge 12, and container 11 together.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the underside of the lip 22 of the container 11 is sized such that when the cartridge shell 19 is secured within the container 11, there is no gap between the bottom of the lip 22 and the cartridge shell 19, giving the impression of a unified container candle rather than a votive candle holder with a visibly separate component of a votive candle.

[0022} Now referring to FIG. 3, in some embodiments the inner wall 15 of the container 11 has indentations 21 that allow for naturally occurring air to act as one of the substances of the wall of the container 11 ; the container wall being defined as the space between the outer wall of the cartridge 19 and the outer wall 14 of the container 11. The lip 22 of the container 11 forms a seal between the container 11 and cartridge 12 and air in the indentation 21 as a functional part of the overall device. Air will generally have a lower thermal emissivity than the materials used to construct the solid portion of the container 11. Thus, if the wall of the container contains more air towards the top section of the container than the bottom section of the container, as seen in the presented indentation 21, it will create a condition in which the container has a lower thermal emissivity towards its top and a higher thermal emissivity towards its bottom. The devices of the present technology trap air against the cartridge to use the air as insulation. This is in contrast to conventional devices that utilize channels in the cartridge to feed air into the candle.

[0023] The container sidewall may be configured to have one or more indentations in an arrangement along the inner surface of the sidewall that arranges the amount of air in the container walls so that the air/solid ratio decreases at an exponential rate between the container’s top and bottom sections. FIGS. 4A and 4B, for example, are cross-sectional views of two containers, each having different air pocket designs. As shown in FIG. 4A, in some embodiments the container 11 may comprise a sidewall having a plurality of indentations 21, each extending around less than the entire circumference of the sidewall. The indentations 21 may thus be spaced apart from one another around the inner surface of the sidewall. In these and other embodiments, one, some, or all of the indentations 21 may have a width or arc length that increases towards the top of the container 11 (for example as shown in FIG. 4A). As such, the total volume defined by the indentations (for each indentation and for all indentations, collectively) increases towards a top of the sidewall.

[0024} In some embodiments, for example as depicted in FIG. 4B, the sidewall may comprise a plurality of indentations 21 arranged in a plurality of rows around the circumference of the inner surface. As shown in FIG. 4B, the individual indentations may define the same volume but the number of indentations at a given height increases towards the top of the container sidewall. Thus, within a given row (or at a given height of the sidewall) the collective volume defined by the indentations increases.

[0025] In some embodiments, the container sidewall may include a single indentation that extends around less than the entire circumference of the container. In some embodiments, the container sidewall may include a single, continuous indentation that extends around the entire circumference of the container. In some embodiments, the container sidewall may include a single, continuous indentation that extends around more than 360 degrees of the sidewall.

|0026j It will be appreciated that the device of the present technology is not limited to these exact configurations nor air being the only substance able to perform this function. In some aspects of the technology, the container 11 will be made from an insulating material such as concrete or ceramic to protect users from possible bums from the heat of the candle. The manufacture of the container could be accomplished through the use of molds for concrete or slip casting with molds for ceramics.

[0027] FIG. 5 is a simplified visual diagram shown of how the cartridge 12 and container 11 can act together to normalize the temperature of the candle’s ambient heat and volatilisable substance. Although adding the container 11 to the cartridge 12 also acts to increase the total ambient heat during each stage of the candle’s bum, wick(s) 17 producing less heat can be used to counter this effect and produce both a normalized and lower ambient heat for the candle if wanted. [0028} FIG. 6 shows three components of an example support device of the present technology (container 11, cartridge 12, and bottom cap 13) as-assembled from many different angles and resembling a single container candle.

Conclusion

|0029 The descriptions of embodiments of the technology are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise form disclosed above. Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural or singular term, respectively. Although specific embodiments of, and examples for, the technology are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the technology, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, while steps are presented in a given order, alternative embodiments may perform steps in a different order. The various embodiments described herein may also be combined to provide further embodiments.

[0030] Moreover, unless the word "or" is expressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in reference to a list of two or more items, then the use of "or" in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of the items in the list. Additionally, the term "comprising" is used throughout to mean including at least the recited feature(s) such that any greater number of the same feature and/or additional types of other features are not precluded. It will also be appreciated that specific embodiments have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the technology. Further, while advantages associated with certain embodiments of the technology have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the technology. Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology can encompass other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein.