Abstract:
Two illustrative candle holding modules, each of which have a plurality of openings for receiving candles therein for display and a plurality of projections which individually fit into a selected opening in other similar modules. The combination allows the building of an innumerable variety of three dimensional arrays of candles. One module includes a linear array of candle receiving cells with an equal number of projections beneath them, each cell and its associated projection being structurally related to allow combining a plurality of such modules together in a variety of arrangements. A second module includes a square array of identically sized and shaped cells and projections to interfit with other first or second type modules.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to candle holders and, more particularly, to candle holding modules designed to permit stacking thereof in a stable, interlocking arrangement. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Candles and candle holders have been around since antiquity, and stacking candle holders is not new. Usually, however, the arrangements possible are limited to one or just a few. The following patents are representative: 
     U.S. Pat. No. Des. 262,913 issued to Glass shows cylindrical candle holders in which the cylindrical wall has been extended at the base where pairs of slots are cut therethrough. The slots receive the upper cylindrical rim of a pair of lower holders therein to interlock three or more holders together in pyramid form. The arrangement necessarily forces the upper holders to protrude into the chimney of the lower holder, constricting the access thereto for inserting and/or removing a candle. Further, the heat from the lower candles must impinge, somewhat deleteriously, on the upper holders. The present invention suffers not from this disadvantage. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,795,124 to Bruce is representative of stackable candelabrum in which a base for a candle is joined to other similar bases by means of rods which are friction fit into holes in the base. Bruce discloses a base with a centrally located candle receiving aperture surrounded by rod receiving holes. The arrangements resulting from joining one or more bases together are limited to linear, or closely staggered, rows of candles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,206 to Lee shows a variation of the Bruce arrangement. The present invention expands the versatility of the arrangements taught by the foregoing patents by permitting vertical as well as linear arrays. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,230 to Luthi permits vertical and linear arrangements of candles but requires three separate components to do so, namely, a candle-holding base for receiving the candle, a connecting clip for horizontally connecting one or more bases together, and a cylindrical plug for elevating one base above another. The present invention requires only one element, an integral candle holder having no moving parts which has the capability of receiving a plurality of candles while stacking vertically and horizontally with other similar holders. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,113 to Thrush discloses a candle holder having a base which fits within the candle receiving opening of a similarly shaped candle holder. Vertical stacking is permitted, but only one spire holding only one candle is possible. The present invention permits horizontal and vertical expansion for innumerable arrangements holding as many candles as one desires. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,616 to Greenvourcel provides for some versatility in arrangements for candles. It discloses a nesting system instead of a stacking system. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,384 to De Natale and U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,907 to Franchere et al. are typical of units which interlock with similar units by means of projections on one fitting into openings in the other. Article receiving openings are present, although not disclosed for use with candles, but since stacking would preclude use thereof, the units are unsuitable for building candelabra arrangements. 
     OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention expands the versatility of the prior art as described above by providing a plurality of basic modules which can be stacked vertically and horizontally in a plurality of three dimensional arrangements while providing candle holding cells which are open and easily accessible. 
     The present invention accomplishes the above by providing a basic module having a plurality of open candle holding cells structurally related to a like plurality of projections for interlocking with candle holding cells of other modules. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a simple, easily and economically manufactured module which permits unlimited three dimensional arrangements of stacked candle holders. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a plurality of module designs, all of which are capable of being stacked together in a stable, interlocking manner to provide opportunities for creative pleasing and decorative candle arrays. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other objects, aspects, uses, and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description of the present invention when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view which illustrates a preferred embodiment of one of the modules of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the module of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an end view of the module of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the module of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the module of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view which illustrates a preferred embodiment of a second module of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of the module of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 8 is a top view of the module of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the module of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 10 illustrates one example of the manner in which the modules of the present invention can be stacked. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the invention is shown as a stackable module  10  designed to hold and display candles, specifically candles of the votive type. 
     Module  10  is an integral structure with no moving parts, preferably made of transparent or translucent glass. Body or housing  12  thereof can be decoratively designed. It can be clear, cloudy, colored, or various combinations thereof, and can include decorative materials embedded within body or housing  12 , such as simulated stars, snowflakes, geometric figures, or other images. 
     Structurally, module  10  comprises parallel side walls  14  and  16 , parallel end walls  18  and  20 , and vertical dividers  22  and  24  which are parallel to end walls  18  and  20 . Consequently, an outer wall is formed by side walls  14  and  16  and end walls  18  and  20 . A bottom wall  26  (as shown in FIG. 2) closes the lower end of module  10 . Bottom wall  26  will be discussed in detail relative to FIGS. 2,  3 , and  5 . 
     Three, essentially identical, candle-receiving cells are indicated generally by reference numerals  28 ,  30 , and  32 , and are defined by walls  14 ,  16 ,  18 , and  20  and dividers  22  and  24 . The outside surfaces  34 ,  36 ,  38  and  40  of walls  14 ,  16 ,  18 , and  20 , respectively, are preferably vertical, whereas their inside surfaces, visible in part in FIG.  1  and seen as portions  42  in FIG. 4, each taper inwardly at a small, preselected angle. 
     Walls  14 ,  16 ,  18 , and  20  have similar thicknesses at corresponding distances from their top peripheral edge  46  to inside surface portions  44  of bottom wall  26 . The top edges  48  and  50  of dividers  22  and  24  are flush with and have the same thickness as the top edge  46  of walls  14 ,  16 ,  18  and  20 . Both interior side walls of each of dividers  22  and  24  taper inwardly at the same preselected angle. As a consequence, dividers  22  and  24  are slightly wider at their bottom portions than walls  14 ,  16 ,  18  and  20 , but the interior shapes of cells  28 ,  30  and  32  are identical. 
     In this embodiment, cells  28 ,  30 , and  32  are linearly aligned, but in other embodiments within the purview of the present invention, there could be a different number of cells, and/or they could be differently arranged. Cells  28 ,  30  and  32  comprise blind receptacles which open upwardly via openings  52 ,  54 , and  56 , respectively, defined by the top edges  46 ,  48 , and  50  of walls  14 ,  16 ,  18  and  20  and dividers  22  and  24 . 
     As is more clearly seen in FIG. 4, openings  52 ,  54  and  56  each have the same internal size and shape. They are shown as square but could also be round, hexagonal, or any other interior outline which is symmetrical when viewed from orthogonal perspectives, as will become clear hereinafter. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2-5, the exposed surfaces of module  10  are shown. Extending downwardly from bottom wall  26  are three substantially identical projections  58 ,  60 , and  62 . As seen most clearly in FIG. 5, each of projections  58 ,  60 , and  62  comprises a peripheral ridge  64  encompassing an interior  66 . Interior  66  is shown as a concavity level with bottom wall  26 , but it could as well be formed flush with the bottom edge  68  of ridge  64 , or at any depth therebetween. 
     Each of projections  58 ,  60  and  62  is substantially of the same configuration but of reduced size as each of openings  52 ,  54  and  56 , as can be seen by comparing FIGS. 4 and 5. In the disclosed embodiment, all are square with projections  58 ,  60  and  62  smaller in corresponding dimensions than openings  52 ,  54  and  56 . Should openings  52 ,  54  and  56  be of another peripheral shape, projections  58 ,  60  and  62  would follow suit. 
     Each of projections  58 ,  60  and  62  is linked with one of the openings  52 ,  54  and  56 , being located directly beneath a respective one of the cells  28 ,  30  and  32 , and they are similarly oriented, in that the corresponding sides of their similar shapes are parallel. 
     Although projections  58 ,  60  and  62  are located directly beneath corresponding cells  28 ,  30  and  32 , they are not vertically aligned therewith but rather are slightly offset from vertical for a reason to be described. To better understand their relationship, refer to FIG. 5, where bottom wall  26  can be visualized as comprising a plurality of connecting strips, two identically dimensioned longitudinal strips  72  and  74  running adjacent the longitudinal edges of projections  58 ,  60  and  62 , two identically dimensioned end strips  76  and  78  transversely connecting strips  72  and  74  at each end of module  10 , and two identically dimensioned divider strips  80  and  82  transversely connecting strips  72  and  74  between projections  58  and  60  and projections  60  and  62 , respectively. Taking the width W (FIG. 1) of top peripheral edge  46  of walls  14 ,  16 ,  18  and  20  as the reference standard, the relative widths of longitudinal strips  72  and  74  are almost twice W, the width of each of the end strips  76  and  78  are almost one and a half times larger than W, and the width of the divider strips  80  and  82  are each a little over three times W. These relative dimensions, while important inasmuch as they permit the stacking of modules in a plethora of orientations, are not to be construed as limitative, as there is room for variations in them. 
     Before describing a mode of using of module  10 , reference will be made to FIGS. 6-9 which show a second embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention. A stackable module  100 , designed to hold and display votive-type candles, comprises an integral structure which is similar in every way to module  10 , except that module  100  has four cells  102 ,  104 ,  106 , and  108  arranged relative to each other in the form of a square with two cells per side instead of the three-celled, linear arrangement of module  10 . 
     The sizes and shapes of the defining structure of module  100 , especially cells  102 ,  104 ,  106 , and  108  (FIGS. 6 and 8) and projections  110 ,  112 ,  114 , and  116  (FIGS.  7  and  9 ), are preferably substantially identical to their counterparts in module  10 , including the one-to-one vertical but offset orientations linking cells and projections. All pertinent descriptions thereof carry over to module  100 , therefore. Consequently, cells  102 ,  104 ,  106  and  108  are defined by vertical peripheral wall  118  (shown in FIG. 1) and divider walls  120  and  122 . Likewise, the thicknesses of peripheral wall  118  and of divider walls  120  and  122  are as described relative to the functionally equivalent structure in module  10 . 
     The most notable differences in the second embodiment results from the square arrangement of the cells as opposed to the previously described linear arrangement in the first embodiment. Divider walls  120  and  122  (FIG. 8) are perpendicular rather than parallel. Also, the dimensions of the connecting strips of bottom  124  (FIG.  9 ), namely, peripheral strip  126 , and the identically dimensioned divider strips  128  and  130 , are slightly different than the connecting strips  92 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80  and of module  10 . Again, taking the width W of top peripheral edge  118  (FIG. 6) as the reference standard, the relative width of the peripheral strip  126  is slightly more than the widths of end strips  76  and  78  but are the same width as longitudinal strips  72  and  74 , namely, almost twice W. Divider strips  128  and  130  are slightly less in width than the widths of divider strips  80  and  82 , leaving them a little less than three times W. With these dimensions, module  100  is stackable with module  10  as well as with other modules having the same design as module  100 . 
     One possible array of modules  10  and  100 , hereinafter referred to as linear and square modules, respectively, is shown in FIG. 10, where a plurality of each type of module has been stacked to provide a unique and pleasing arrangement  200 . Arrangement  200  is but one of an innumerable number of different arrays available to creative minds. 
     It is clear from the above that cells  28 ,  30  and  32  and cells  102 ,  104 ,  106  and  108  are identical in size and shape. It is also clear that projections  58 ,  60  and  62  and projections  110 ,  112 ,  114  and  116  are also identical in size and shape, and that any one of the projections will fit loosely but stably in any one of the cells. The widths of the connecting strips between projections of both modules  10  and  100 , namely, strips  80 ,  82 ,  128 , and  130 , are sufficient to span two thicknesses of any combination of side walls  18  and  20 , peripheral sidewall  118 , and dividers  22  and  24  and dividers  120  and  122 . These relative dimensions, plus the offsets of the projections relative to their associated cell openings, permits placement of two modules of any type next to one another, and placement of another module on top of them with the connecting strip spanning the two adjacent walls while one or more projections of the top module fit within the cells of the lower modules, interlocking the modules together. These relationships permit the stacking of the disclosed linear and square modules in virtually any convenient and decorative arrangement. 
     As shown in FIG. 10, a mixture of linear modules  10  and square modules  100  has been effected by vertically stacking the modules in an offset arrangement. Votive candies  210  have been placed in selected open cells (i.e., uncovered cells in the modules) to create a pleasing and decorative arrangement. Note the use of a plurality of square modules  100  vertically stacked with the upper modules&#39; four projections being received in the lower modules&#39; four cells in order to form a base for elevating the candles in the square  214  and linear  216  modules at the top. Note also the placement of projections  58  and  62  of linear module  218  in the cells of two lower modules  220  and  222  which are separated by a void  224 . The effect is an open tunnel through the arrangement. Other permutations, combinations, and probabilities will occur to those skilled in the art. 
     Square openings have been disclosed for ease of discussion, but it will be appreciated that other othogonally symmetrical shapes may be employed. For instance, hexagonal, octagonal, Star-of-David, pluses, X&#39;s, any other shapes which look the same when rotated ninety degrees can fit together such that their modules will also stack effectively. 
     Those skilled in the art wilt appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. 
     Further, the purpose of the Abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured solely by the claims, nor is intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.