Abstract:
An apparatus for making molded candles from wax pieces of old candles or new candle-making wax. The candle making apparatus comprising an electrically heatedmelting chamber from which melted wax flows into an attached dispensing chamber and a valving mechanism which, when turned by hand, allows a pre-set amount of melted wax to flow into a removable mold, eliminating the need for measuring by the user. The apparatus accomodates making candles of different volumes, whereby the removable molds may be filled by the user of the apparatus by executing a predefined number of turns of the valving mechanism. The removable mold also functions to hold the candle wick in plan, and may be made to form candles of various shapes and sizes.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/274,466 filed Mar. 12, 2001. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention described herein relates to the art of candle making but particularly to a method and an apparatus for making candles using pieces of used candles or using new candle wax by the consumer. 
     The art of candle making is old and well known. Numerous machines and devices have been configured for this purpose, however relatively few are known to be suitable for recycling old candle wax for making new candles by the consumer for household use. Although candles were originally intended to be used for illumination purposes, today they are often used for decorative purposes or to add to the ambiance of homes Decorative or scented candles have become extremely popular and are commonplace in the home. 
     When candles are burned, especially in the larger sizes, they invariably leave a shell of unburned wax and wax drippings which are normally discarded. This invention will enable the consumer to utilize this leftover old candle wax to form new usable candles, as well as make candles using new candle wax. This invention will also make the operation of the apparatus safer, reducing the danger of hot molten wax spillage, by means of a novel dispensing method by which a predetermined amount of wax is dispensed into a mold by the operator. 
     Various candle recycling devices have previously been proposed. A number of these devices attempt to salvage the drippings of burning candles through the use of special candle holders having wax collection containers beneath them. Other devices are designed to burn candles at inclined angles over a collection device. Such devices are shown in Machado, Candle Recycling Assembly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,953, Byron, Combined Candle Holder and Mold Apparatus and Method, U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,945, and Asheim, Candle Stand and Wax Recycling Assembly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,855 B1. These methods, although potentially feasible, are highly inefficient since most candles made today are of the dripless variety. Furthermore, when candles are burned at an inclined angle, they burn much more rapidly producing soot and smoke. Also, these methods as disclosed do not provide a way of controlling the amount of wax accumulation in a receptacle. 
     A further device is shown in Schitter, Candle Making Device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,446. This patent discloses a funnel shaped, heated container into which pieces of old candle wax are placed for melting into liquid form. A drain tube extending downward from the bottom of the funnel directs the molten wax into the mold. A valve is inserted into the drain tube to manually open or close the drain tube. This device, although suitable for recycling old candle waxis of open construction with no exterior shell. This exposes the heater and associated hot surfaces to the touch of the operators hands. It also has no provision to control the amount of wax flowing from the funnel to the mold, thus creating a potential hazard forspillage of hot wax. 
     A number of other prior art patents disclose methods for dispensing finite or variable volumes of particulate or fluid matter. Many of these devices are intended for attachment to jars or containers that dispense edible particulate substances such as sugar, salt, coffee, etc. Such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,664,163, 4,429,815, 3,327,905, 3,129,853 and 2,904,230. Although these devices may be well suited for their intended purpose, they are not suitable for dispensing molten wax since they do not have sealing elements between their moving parts. Also, they do not provide means for heating, thus they are unable to keep wax in a molten state. 
     Another dispensing device is shown in Nolte et al., Volumetric Measuring/Dispensing Device, U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,070. This device is intended to measure and dispense variable amounts of liquid to another container. It provides a graduated measuring container which is intended to be filled with a liquid to a particular desired leveland then dispensed therefrom. This method requires observation by the operator to achieve the amount of liquid to be dispensed. Also, the device is not heated and is therefore not able to handle melted wax at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, this device is quite complex and therefore relatively expensive to manufacture. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art cited above and provide an apparatus for making candles which may be used either for recycling used candle pieces or for making candles using new candle wax. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus for making candles that can be operated safely by an unskilled person. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus for making candles which incorporates a measuring chamber to allow only a predetermined amount of molten wax to be dispensed into a mold. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for making candles which includes a screen to catch any debris that may be present in old candle wax that is easily removable for cleaning. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for making candles which uses a predetermined heater capacity allowing the apparatus to be operated continuously without the possibility of overheating. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for making candles which is easy to use in the home or which may be alternatively used for the “arts and crafts” trade. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for making candles which is simple in construction and inexpensive to build. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for making candles that may be used for producing candles of various shapes and sizes. 
     Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following summary, specifications and drawings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to this invention, an apparatus is provided which enables the operator to make variously shaped and sized candles using old, otherwise discardable candle pieces or new candle wax. The apparatus comprises a hollow melting chamber connected at the bottom to a somewhat smaller dispensing chamber. These chambers are electrically heated to melt wax deposited in the melting chamber and to keep the wax in both chambers in a liquid state The dispensing chamber contains a valving arrangement that, when rotated to one angular position allows molten wax to enter and fill the dispensing chamber, and when rotated to another angular position dispenses the wax into a candle mold. The candle mold and both chambers are contained within a housing made preferably of heat resistant plastic. The housing provides support for all the working parts of the apparatus and protects the operator from the heated surfaces therein. A base is also provided to support the candle mold and to create a stable footing for the apparatus to protect it from tipping. A screen located in the melting chamber collects debris, such as old wicking material or decorative solid material contained in old candle wax. The screen is equipped with handles for easy removal and cleaning. A hollow shaft extending upward and attached to the valving assembly connects to a knob at the top of the apparatus to allow the operator to rotate the valving assembly to either fill or dispense positions. The hollow shaft also functions as an air vent during the fill and dispense operations. The candle molds are removable from the housing by means of an attachable convenience handle. The molds may be made in a variety of sizes, shapes or materials. Provision is also made in the handle to support a candle wick. 
     The foregoing and other aspects of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows an exterior view of the candle making apparatus with its housing, base and candle mold in their normal positions. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view through the middle of the apparatus taken at line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1 showing details of construction of the apparatus. 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the various parts of the apparatus. 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the melting and measuring chambers of the apparatus, taken at line  4 — 4  of FIG. 1, showing the valving ports and the motion of the valve body. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective cutaway view of the melting chamber and valve body in the fill position of the measuring chamber. 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective cutaway view of the melting chamber and valve body in the dispense position of the measuring chamber. 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the candle mold handle with provision to hold the candle wick in place. 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a candle mold showing an internal post designed to form a channel into the finished candle for insertion of a wick. 
     FIG. 9 is a view showing some of the possible shapes of candle molds that may be used in forming candles. 
     FIG. 10 shows an alternate way to attach a handle to candle molds of various shapes. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to the drawings, FIG.  1  through FIG. 9, the present invention indicated by numeral  100  in FIG. 1 will now be described. In particular, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 a cylindrical heating chamber  10  sized to accept pieces of candle wax is positioned in and supported by upper housing  40  and lower housing  36 . Directly below heating chamber  10  and attached thereto is a cylindrical wax dispensing chamber  16 . The floor  44  and walls of wax dispensing chamber  16  is fabricated in one piece with heating chamber  10  whereas the top surface is part of a cap  38  inserted subsequently in the assembly process. The cap  38  is fitted to the inside wall of wax dispensing chamber  16  with only a small clearance and is sealed to it by an “O” ring  14 . An anti-rotation device  60  prevents the rotation of cap  38  within dispensing chamber  16 . See FIG. 4. A valve body  80 , having an upper portion  12  incorporating a sealing disc  76  and a lower portion  18  incorporating a sealing disc  32 , resides within wax dispensing chamber  16 . The spacing of the sealing discs is such that the top surface of sealing disc  76  is in intimate contact with cap  38  and similarly, the bottom surface of sealing disc  32  is in intimate contact with the floor  44  of dispensing chamber  16 . The circumference of each sealing disc is formed with a thin lip which makes a seal with the cylindrical wall of wax dispensing chamber  16 . Portions  12  and  18  of valve body  80  are keyed to each other so that they rotate within wax dispensing chamber  16  in unison. A circular opening  54  in sealing disc  76  is angularly aligned with a circular opening  78  in sealing disc  32 . As shown in FIGS. 4,  5  and  6 , a filling opening  52  in cap  38  is positioned about 90 degrees from a dispensing port  30  in the bottom surface of dispensing chamber  16 . When valve body  80  is rotated so that opening  54  in disc  76  is aligned with opening  52  in cap  38 , opening  78  in disc  32  is not aligned with dispensing port  30  and the dispensing port is therefore closed. See FIG.  5 . Molten wax may now flow from heating chamber  10  to fill the dispensing chamber  16 . Similarly, when the valve body is rotated so that opening  78  in disc  32  is aligned with dispensing port  30 , opening  54  in disc  76  will not be aligned with opening  52  and thus the filling port is closed. See FIG.  6 . This action will therefore allow dispensing chamber  16  to be filled in one angular position of valve body  80 , and to be emptied in another position of the valve body. Vent holes  13  and  15  in valve body  80  and  41  in knob  42 , shown in FIG. 2, allow air to escape from dispensing chamber  16  during the filling operation and conversely allow air to enter during the dispensing operation. 
     A shaft, part of upper portion  12  of valve body  80  extends upward through heating chamber  10  and is removably attached and keyed to knob and cover combination  42 . Stop tabs  82  and  84 , part of upper housing  40 , and shown in FIG. 1, are positioned such that they limit rotation of knob  42  to about 90 degrees. Knob and cover combination  42  is removable to access top of heating chamber  10  for filling with wax. The cover and knob combination  42  is made from a transparent plastic material to allow observation of the melting process. 
     A screen  72 , preferably made from metal mesh, is formed into a cylindrical shape to fit into heating chamber  10 . A central hole allows screen  72  to be inserted into heating chamber  10  over shaft  12 . The screen will collect old wicking material or other debris that may be present in old candle wax. Tabs  74 , formed inward from the screen material, allow easy removal of screen  72  for cleaning. 
     An electric heater  34  surrounds and is in close contact with heating chamber  10  and dispensing chamber  16  to melt wax placed in heating chamber  10  and to keep wax contained in dispensing chamber  16  in a molten state. The heater is directly connected by conventional means to household electric current by a standard line cord (not shown). 
     Heating chamber  10 , dispensing chamber  16  with valve body  80 , and heater  34  are held in position between lower housing  36  and upper housing  40  by clamping action exerted by snapping upper housing  40  to lower housing  36  by means of latching hooks  86 . See FIG.  2 . 
     A base  26  is attached to the bottom of housing  36  by screw fasteners  88 . A candle mold  28  is placed on base  26  for receiving wax dispensed from dispensing chamber  16 . A handle  20  is clamped around candle mold  28  by means of flexible members  64  so that the mold may be easily removed from the apparatus. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 2, handle  20  incorporates grip  62  and a wick holder  46  having a slot  68  and an opening  66 . Opening  66  is sized to hold a strand of wicking material  48  in place so it may hang into candle mold  28 . The wicking material will be kept straight and central to candle mold  28  by the gravity action of a sinker  50  stamped from relatively thin sheet metal. As shown in FIG. 9, candle molds  28  may be made in a variety of shapes and sizes, within the limitation of the apparatus, provided the volume of the smallest mold is not less than a single discharge from dispensing chamber  16 . The candle molds should preferably be made so that the walls of the molds have draft, that is, the dimension across the top of the mold should be larger than that at the bottom, to facilitate removal of the finished candle from the mold. Also, the interior of the molds may be coated with a non-stick material such as a Teflon (PTFE) coating. FIG. 10 shows an alternative method of attaching a handle  98  to candle mold  28 . A hook  96  grasps the inside surface of candle mold  28  while flexible members  94  at each side of handle  98  rest against the outside surface of candle mold  28  and also catch the bottom of lip  92  thus securely latching onto the candle mold. Flexible members  94  allow handle  98  to be attached to various shapes of candle molds from straight sided to cylindrical in all diameters suitable for use in the apparatus. 
     Numerous alternative methods of inserting a wick into the finished candle may be employed, one of which is illustrated in FIG. 8. A central protruding post  70  of relatively small diameter is attached to the interior of candle mold  28  which produces a hole in the finished candle into which a wick may be subsequently placed by pulling the wick material through with a wire hook or a similar tool. 
     A bottom plate  24  serves to cover the bottom of base  26  concealing electrical wiring to heater  34 . 
     OPERATION 
     The function of the invention described and illustrated above is to melt either old wax pieces from normally discarded candles or new candle wax available from generally known sources of supply. The apparatus, when connected to normal household current, energizes electric heater  34  to a temperature sufficient to melt candle wax, approximately 180 degrees F. to 220 degrees F. The capacity of the heater required to accomplish this is approximately 80 watts. The heating chamber  10  is sized to hold enough wax for several dispensing cycles of valve body  80 . After the wax placed into heating chamber  10  has melted, knob  42 , with attached valve body  80 , is turned to the fill position, opening port  52  and allowing wax to flow into dispensing chamber  16 . When the dispensing chamber is full, knob  42  is turned to the dispensing position, closing port  52  and opening port  30 , causing the molten wax to flow into candle mold  28 . When making a making a candle, the fill and dispense operation may be repeated a predetermined number of cycles depending on the internal volume of the candle mold. 
     CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE 
     As can be seen from the foregoing description, this patent provides a convenient means to salvage leftover candle wax from used candles as well as enable anyone to make candles using new candle wax. The apparatus may be operated safely, since the heater utilized is limited in its wattage output such that it is adequate for melting wax in a reasonable length of time, but can not be overheated to cause damage to the apparatus. Furthermore, the enclosed construction prevents the operator from touching the hot components of the apparatus. Wax may be added to the melting chamber at any time by removing the combination knob and cover which is preferably made from a translucent plastic so that the melting process may be observed through it. The screen, which is accessible after the cover is removed may be easily removed for discarding the contaminants and cleaning. The candle molds, which are accessible through an opening in the lower housing, may be variously shaped as round, square, rectangular, hexagonal, etc. to provide variety and interest to the finished product and additives may be added to the candle wax to produce effects such as scents, decorative appearance, or insect repellence. The apparatus is thus suitable for use in the home for simply reclaiming or recycling old candle wax or as a tool for producing candles for the “arts and crafts” trade. 
     While the above description contains many specific features, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible. For example, the valve body may be made in one piece, machined from a metal such as aluminum and sealed to the side of the dispensing chamber by circular “O” ring seals. The heating and dispensing chambers may be fabricated separately and joined by welding, cementing, etc. The screen may or may not be utilized depending on whether the candle maker is used with old or new candle wax. Although a single heating element is shown in the description, two or more elements may be used with or without a protective thermostatic device. The supporting housing as well as the base of the candle maker may be made in various sizes, shapes and materials. In place of the handle clamped around the cup, an insulated sleeve may be used instead. To hold the wick, a simple bar across the top edge of the cup may be utilized. Wicks with built-in rigid cores are readily available and may be substituted for wicks with pre-attached sinkers. 
     Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiment illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.