Conventionally candles consist of a solid body of a wax material through which extends a wick, one end of which protrudes from one end of the body. In conventional fashion the protruding part of the wick is lit and burns, melting that part of the wax body in proximity to it. Eventually, as the wick burns down until there is insufficient wick to support a flame and the candle becomes unusable.

Problems arise with conventional candles insofar as the protruding end of the wick may break leaving the wick totally inaccessible in the body of wax. In these circumstances, it may be necessary to gouge out wax from the area of the wick in order to render the candle operative again.

Clearly this can detract from the appearance of the candle. Also it will be appreciated that the length of the exposed end of the wick determines the flame height. In a conventional candle the length of the protruding end of the wick cannot be varied to vary the flame height.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved candle in which the length of wick which protrudes from the wax body can be varied easily and conveniently thereby allowing the above mentioned problem to be overcome.

Thus and in accordance with the present invention therefore there is

provided an improved candle comprising a wax body and a wick extending through the body and having at least a part of said wick exposed outside said body, wherein the candle further inclues adjustment means operable to move the wick relative to the wax body in order that the length of the exposed wick can be varied.

With this arrangement it is possible to move a wick relative to a wax body of a candle for flame adjustment or if a wick becomes broken.

Preferably, the adjustment means extends through the wax body and carries the wick inside. Most preferably the adjustment means comprises a screw threaded member which has in internal bore through which the wick extends. In this case it will be appreciated if the adjustment means is screwed in either direction, the wick is moved up or down relative to the body and therefore either more or less wick can be left exposed from the body.

Preferably, the adjustment member is connected to, or can be connected to, a user operable member which allows the adjustment means to be operated by a user to vary the length of wick exposed in safety whether the candle is in use or not.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of candle with ajustable wick in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 shows an exploded view of a second embodiment of candle with ajustable wick; and Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of candle with ajustable wick in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown in Figure 1 a candle 10 comprising a wax body 11 and a wick 12.

The wax body 11 is formed from any suitable wax or similar material and this wick 12 is formed of any suitable fibrous material, e. g. string.

The wick 12 is mounted internally of an adjustment member 13, which is screw threaded in the embodiment shown, and is mounted in such a manner as to be an interference fit in the adjustment member 13.

A lower end 14 of the adjustment member is adapted for engagement with a user operable member (not shown) with which the adjustment member 13 can be adjusted by a user. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the user operable member could comprise simply a screw driver which engages a slot in the end 14 of the member 13. Alternatively a lever or other control member can be removably or fixedly screwed to the end of member 13 by which the member 13 can be adjusted.

In use, a candle 10 of the type shown in the figure can be adjusted as regards the length of the wick protruding from the body 11 in a particularly simple and easy manner. The user operable control is engaged with the adjustment member 13, if separate, and is then operated to cause

adjustment of the adjustment member 13 relative to the body 11.

Movement of the adjustment member 13 causes the movement of the wick 12 as the wick 12 is carried by the member 13. In the embodiment shown, the adjustment member 13 rotated clockwise or anticlockwise to raise or lower the protruding end of the wick 12.

With this arrangement, it will be appreciated that the length of the protruding wick 12 can be adjusted either before or after the wick 12 is lit.

Lengthening the extent of the wick 12 protruding from the body 11 will increase this flame. Furthermore, if a wick 12 is broken such that no wick is accessible externally of the body 11, the adjustment member 13 can be used to cause the wick 12 to move relative to the body such that a length protrudes from the candle without the need to remove any wax material thereby maintaining the appearance of the candle.

Referring now to Figure 2 of the drawings, there is shown a second form of candle 20 in accordance with the invention.

This embodiment of candle comprises a base 21 upon which is rotatably mounted a wick retaining member 22. The wick retaining member 22 is adapted to support a decorative shade 23 in which, in use, wax 24 is provided to form a candle. The base 21, the wick retaining member 22 and the decorative cover 23 can take any suitable shape or configuration and external appearance as desired or as appropriate.

The wick retaining member 22 comprises a body having a bore 26

extending from a top surface thereof to a recess 27 in the lower surface.

The bore 26 receives a screw threaded bolt 28 which carries the wick 12 internally thereof. The wick 12 can be moved relative to the bolt 28 but is reasonably a tight fit in a bore of the bolt 28. The bolt 28 carries the wick 12 with a length of the wick protruding from one end such that, in use, the wick 12 will project into the wax 24 in the decorative cover 23.

The bolt 28 has a head 29 thereto which is a generally square configuration in the embodiment. It will, of course, be appreciated that the head 29 can be of any desired configuration as appropriate and as hereinafter provided. The bolt 28 engages internally of the base 21 and at least the part of the base with which the bolt head 29 engages is of substantially the same cross section of the shape of bolt head 29 whereby the bolt head 29 is, once engaged, unable to move rotationally relative to the base 21.

In use, the decorative cover 23 is provided with an aperture 31 therein through which the wick 12 projects when the cover 23 is attached to the wick retaining member 22. The wick 12 which projects from the screw threaded bolt 28 projects through the wax material 24 on the cover 23. The base 21 engages with the recess 27 in the wick retaining member 22.

With the candle 20 assemble in the above manner, it will be appreciated that if it is required to adjust the wick, it is simply a matter of

rotating the wick retaining member 22 relative to the base 21. This results in the bolt 28 moving upwards relative to the wick retaining member 22 thereby moving the wick 12 upwards. This arises due to the fact that the head 29 of the bolt 28 cannot move rotationally relative to the base 21 and therefore rotation of the wick retaining member 22 relative to the base 21 causes the bolt 28 to move upwards. Of course, rotation of the wick retaining member 22 in the opposite direction will cause the bolt 26 to move downwards thereby reducing the amount of wick 12 which projects through into the wax 24 in the decorative cover 23.

Figure 3 shows a further embodiment of candle 30 with ajustable wick. In this embodiment, the candle 30 comprises a shaped base 31 upon which is mounted a screw threaded bolt 32 carrying a wick 33.

A collar 34 having an internal and external surface, at least a part of both of which are screw threaded, surrounds a part of the base 31 and engages with the screw threaded bolt 32 to hold it in position relative to the base 31. The collar 34 is adapted to support a decorative shade 36 which is held in place relative to the collar 34 by a pair of washers 37 having internal surfaces screw threaded for engagement with the outer surface of the collar 34.

The screw threaded bolt 32 has a head (not shown) of generally octagonal configuration which is received in a bore 38 in the base 31, at least a part of which is similarly shaped to engage the head and prevent

rotation of the bolt 32 relative to the base 31.

In use, if adjustment of the wick is required, the shade 36 or collar 34 can be rotated which, depending on the direction of rotation will cause the screw threaded bolt 32 to move up or down which causes the wick 33 to move up or down relative to the body of wax 39.

It is of course to be understood that the invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above embodiment which are described by way of example only.