Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 1st May, 1886.
Complete Left, 1st Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 1st Mar., 1887.
I, CHARLES WOOD, of Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, Worcestershire,
Commercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described whereby candle-
sticks, candleabra and other candle holders are enabled to hold candles of any size
and to allow of the candles being readily removed, the Invention being in part
applicable to existing candlesticks and the like.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a candlestick.
According to one arrangement of my Invention I provide in the tubular body of
the candlestick a pair of automatic grippers preferably made of sheet metal and each
of an approximately semicircular cross section at or near their upper ends, their
lower ends being joined or formed together. A spiral or other spring forces the said
grippers downwards into the tubular body of the candlestick. A knob or button
fixed to the lower part of the said grippers projects through a slot in the candlestick
by means of which the grippers can be moved up and down therein. The said
grippers are inclined towards each other so that when they are pushed sufficiently
upwards against the said spiral or other spring their upper ends project beyond the
top of the candlestick and spring open outwards; a candle can then be placed between
the grippers; when the said grippers are released the said spiral or other spring
automatically forces them downwards into the candlestick thereby causing them to
move towards each other to firmly grip the candle. In order to remove the candle
from the candlestick the grippers are raised when they spring open outwards as above
described and so loose the candle.
For some candlesticks, instead of using a side knob as above described, provide a
knob at the bottom of the grippers underneath the candlestick by means of which the
grippers can be moved up and down from the bottom of the candlestick; or knobs
may be dispensed with and the upper ends of the said grippers formed with a side
projection to enable them to be moved up and down. The upper ends of the said
grippers may be enlarged so as to form a dish to catch the grease and they may be
ornamented in any desired manner.

page_text: Instead of using a pair of grippers as above described three or more grippers may
be similarly employed around the candle.
Instead of employing a spiral or other spring for automatically forcing the grippers
downwards as above described such spring may be dispensed with and instead thereof
the grippers may be moved downwards by means of the said knob or projection.
In applying my Invention to existing candlesticks and the like I form a pair of
grippers of sheet metal similar to the grippers above described which, when they are
detached from a candlestick, spring open at their outer ends. By placing a candle in
the said detached pair of grippers and inserting it in the socket of a candlestick the
grippers will be forced together by the end of the candlestick acting on the inclined
sides thereof and the farther the grippers are inserted in the socket the greater will
be the grip on the candle. Three or more grippers may be employed around a candle
similarly to the pair of grippers above described.
Instead of the grippers being joined or formed together at their lower ends as
above described I sometimes join or form them together at a point between their
upper and lower ends thereby forming a double gripper which I then make approxi-
mately circular at the bottom end as well as at the top so that either or both ends can
be used to hold the candle.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
128, Colmore Row, Birmingham,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Candle Holders, Candlesticks, and the like.
I, CHARLES WOOD, of Stratford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, Worcestershire,
Commercial Traveller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
This Invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described whereby candle-
sticks, candleabra and other candle holders are enabled to hold candles of any size
and to allow of the candles being readily removed, the Invention being in part
applicable to existing candlesticks and the like.
I will describe my Invention as applied to a candlestick.
According to one arrangement of my Invention I provide in the tubular body of
the candlestick a pair of automatic grippers preferably made of sheet metal and each
of an approximately semicircular cross section at or near their upper ends, their lower
ends being joined or formed together. A spiral or other spring forces the said
grippers downwards into the tubular body of the candlestick. A knob or button
fixed to the lower part of the said grippers projects through a slot in the candlestick
by means of which the grippers can be moved up and down therein. The said
grippers are inclined towards each other so that when they are pushed sufficiently

page_text: upwards against the said spiral or other spring their upper ends project beyond the
top of the candlestick and spring open outwards; a candle can then be placed between
the grippers; when the said grippers are released the said spiral or other spring
automatically forces them downwards into the candlestick thereby causing them to
move towards each other to firmly grip the candle. In order to remove the candle
from the candlestick the grippers are raised when they spring open outwards as above
described and so loose the candle.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents in sectional elevation, Fig. 2 in
plan part of a candlestick provided with a candle holder according to my Invention
the automatic grippers being open ready to receive a candle and Fig. 3 is a sectional
elevation of the same with the grippers closed and holding a candle, and Fig. 4 is a
side elevation and Fig. 5 a front, elevation of the candle holder separately.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures.
A is the ordinary tubular body of the candlestick of which A¹ is the upper or
socket end in which is the pair of grippers 61, 62, joined together at their lower ends
and to a shank which passes through a hole in the bottom e of the socket. A spring
acts upon the lower part of the stem and tends to force the grippers downwards
into the socket end A' of the tubular body A. The grippers 6, 12, incline downwards
towards each other and when detached from the candlestick they spring outwards
from each other (see Figs. 4 and 5). By means of the knob d fixed to the grippers
they can be raised to project beyond the top of the candlestick when they will spring
outwards (see Fig. 1); a candle can then be placed between them, and when the knob
is released the spring e acting upon the lower part of the stem will force it and
the grippers 1, down into the socket A' which, acting upon the inclined sides of
the grippers, will force them together and cause them to hold the candle. The candle
can be removed by first raising the knob d. The central hole in the bottom e of the
socket is made small and the wire stem fits therein thus effectually preventing any
grease running down into the spring c. For some candlesticks instead of using a
side knob as above described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, a knob may
be provided underneath the candlestick (for instance as illustrated by Fig. 6) by
means of which the grippers can be moved up and down from the bottom of the
candlestick or knobs may be dispensed with and the upper end of one or more of the
grippers formed with a side projection to enable them to be moved up and down, for
instance as shewn by Fig. 7, which shews in plan and sectional elevation part of a
candlestick and a candle holder having four grippers 61, 12, 13, 1, the gripper being
elongated to form a side projection 6. The pair of grippers illustrated by Figs. 7*, 7**
are enlarged and dished so as to catch the grease falling from the candle when lighted.
Instead of employing a spiral spring for automatically forcing the grippers down-
wards as above described such spring may be dispensed with and instead thereof the
grippers may be moved downwards by means of the said knob d or the side
projection
Instead of using a pair of grippers as above described with reference to Figs. 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7° and 70 three or more grippers may be similarly employed around the
candle and it will be evident that candles of different sizes can be similarly gripped
and released by moving the socket end A¹ of the tubular body up and down outside
the grippers, instead of, (as illustrated by the preceeding Figures) moving the grippers
up and down inside the socket. This modification of my Invention is illustrated by
Figs. 8 to 13, both inclusive, of the accompanying drawings of which Fig. 8 is a part
sectional elevation of a candlestick having a loose socket part A', fitting in the
tubular body A and pressed upwards by the spring e. This socket is shown separately
by Fig. 13 and like the fixed sochets in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6 is preferably inade with a
narrow neck a' for the purpose of acting upon the inclined sides of the grippers to
force them nearer together to hold a very thin candle. The stem of the grippers,
12, 1, (shewn separately by Fig. 12) is fixed to the bottom of the candlestick by
its bottom end (see Fig. 9). By moving the socket end A' downwards the grippers
will spring open and on the socket end being released the spring e causes it to rise
and to force the grippers together.

page_text: In applying my Invention to existing candlesticks and the like I form a pair of
grippers of sheet metal similar to the grippers above described which, when they are
detached from a candlestick, spring open at their outer ends. By placing a candle
in the said detached pair of grippers and inserting it in the socket of a candlestick
the grippers will be forced together by the end of the candlestick acting on the
inclined sides thereof and the farther the grippers are inserted in the socket the
greater will be the grip on the candle. This is illustrated by Figs. 14 and 15 of
which Fig. 14 shews the grippers detached from the candlestick and a candle
inserted therein and Fig. 15 represents the same grippers inserted in the socket of
the candlestick and gripping the candle. Three or more grippers may be employed
around the candle similarly to the pair of grippers above described with reference to
Figs. 14 and 15.
Instead of the grippers being joined or formed together at their lower ends as
above described with reference to Figs. 14 and 15, I sometimes join or form them
together at a point between their upper and lower ends (see Fig. 16) thereby forming
a double gripper which I then make approximately circular at the bottom end as
well as at the top so that either or both ends can be used to hold the candle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
The construction and combination of the parts of mechanism for holding candles in
and releasing candles from candlesticks, candleabra and other candle hollers sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.