Patent ID: 6439880
Filing Date: 2002-08-27
Classification: C11C,F23D

Abstract:
A candle unit having a top, comprising:a fuel core, fabricated from a flammable fuel material, the fuel material having a fuel core melting temperature range; a wick embedded in the fuel core, for drawing up molten fuel material, for supporting a candle flame; a film, surrounding at least a portion of the fuel core, the film being fabricated from at least one substantially nonflammable material, having a film softening temperature range, having an upper-end temperature that is greater than an upper-end temperature of the fuel core melting temperature range such that the fuel core material becomes liquid substantially sooner than the film becomes non-self-supporting due to softening, so that when the candle burns, a pool of molten fuel core fuel material forms on the top of the candle unit, around the candle flame, without immediately causing the film to become non-self-supporting, and a portion of the molten fuel core material is consumed, so that an upper surface of the pool is vertically spaced from a top edge of the film; whereupon as the candle burns down, the top edge of the film is exposed to progressively higher temperature regions of the candle flame, and ultimately becomes non-self-supporting and recedes downward from the descending candle flame, while the pool of molten fuel core material is further consumed, so that a vertical spacing between the upper surface of the pool of molten fuel core material and the top edge of the film is maintained.