Improvements in Candle Holders.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 15th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 16th Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Candle Holders.
I, ROBERT HENRY HEPBURN of Parliament Mansions, Victoria Street,
Westminster in the County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to candle holders of the type which comprise a pair
of spring jaws or grippers carried by a stick, socket, sconce, tray, bracket or other
support, the said jaws or grippers serving to grasp the candle near its lower end
and hold it as in a vice.
The object of the invention is to so construct or form the jaws or grippers that
they will hold the candle in a safe and more certain manner whether the candle be
of the size for which the holder is primarily intended or of any smaller size or even
of a larger size.
With this object I construct the jaws or grippers so that they shall always hold
or nip the candle at three points of its circumference by what I may term a
triangular arrangement or triangular way whatever be the diameter of the candle.
In carrying out the invention I form on the gripping face of one of the jaws two
teeth, which are by preference of approximately A-shape, at such a distance from
each other as is suitable to form two nipping or holding points, say a distance equal
to about th or th of the circumference of the largest candle the holder is
intended to receive. An imaginary line drawn between these two teeth forms the
base of an isosceles triangle the apex of which is in the other jaw, and its position
in the other jaw will vary according to the distance between the jaws as determined
by the diameter of the candle. This other jaw is formed with teeth on its gripping
face and whatever be the diameter of the candle placed between the jaws the
candle will be held or nipped by one tooth (or sometimes by two adjoining teeth) on
this other jaw at the apex of the triangle and by the two teeth on the first described
jaw. Sometimes I form the second jaw without teeth and in lieu thereof I turn
the outer end of the jaw inwards so as to form the nipping point; in this case the
second jaw should be made shorter than the jaw that has the two nipping points.
I either make both jaws spring jaws or I make one jaw a spring jaw and the
other a fixture to the socket, tray, stick or other support.
I preferably make the face of the jaws with a longitudinal groove at about the
middle of its depth as I find that this improves the grip.
Dated this 15th day of February 1893.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Candle Holders.
I, ROBERT HENRY HEPBURN of Parliament Mansions, Victoria Street, .
Westminster in the County of London, Engineer, 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 :-
My invention has reference to candle holders of the type which comprise a pair
of spring jaws or grippers carried by a stick, socket, sconce, tray, bracket or other
support, the said jaws or grippers serving to grasp the candle near its lower end
and hold it as in a vice.

page_text: The object of the invention is to so construct or form the jaws or grippers that
they will hold the candle in a safer and more certain manner whether the candle be
of the size for which the holder is primarily intended or of any smaller size or even
of a larger size.
With this object I construct the jaws or grippers so that they shall always hold
or nip the candle at three points of its circumference by what I may term a
triangular arrangement or triangular grip whatever be the diameter of the candle.
In carrying out the invention. I form on the gripping face of one of the jaws two
teeth, which are by preference of approximately ^-shape, at such a distance from
each other as is suitable to form two nipping or holding points, say a distance equal
to about th or th of the circumference of the largest candle the holder is intended
to receive. An imaginary line drawn between these two teeth forms the base of
an isosceles triangle the apex of which is in the other jaw, and its position in the
other jaw will vary according to the distance between the jaws as determined by
the diameter of the candle. This other jaw is formed with teeth on its gripping
face and, whatever be the diameter of the candle placed between the jaws, the
candle will be held or nipped by one tooth (or sometimes by two adjoining teeth)
on this other jaw at the apex of the triangle, and by the two teeth on the first
described jaw. Sometimes I form the second jaw without teeth and in lieu thereof
I turn the outer end of the jaw inwards so as to form the nipping point; in
this case the second jaw should be made shorter than the jaw that has the two
nipping points.
I either make both jaws spring jaws or I make one jaw a spring jaw and the
other a fixture to the socket, tray, stick or other support.
I preferably make the face of the jaws with a longitudinal groove at about the
middle of its depth as I find that this improves the grip.
Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings represent a candle holder con-
structed according to my invention. Figure 1 is a vertical section of the candle
holder, the grippers being seen in elevation. Figure 2 is a plan of the holder
showing the grippers holding a candle of comparatively large diameter, being the
largest for which it is intended. Figure 3 is a plan showing them holding a candle
of medium diameter and Figure 4 a plan showing them holding a candle of small
diameter. All the three sized candles are indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. The
base and handle of the holder are omitted in Figures 3 and 4. Figure 5 is a section
of the gripper jaws on the line - of Figure 2 and Figure 6 a section of the
gripper tails on the line y y of Figure 2.
n is a
a is the base of the candle holder and the handle of same.
c is a seat for the
candle; the interior of this seat is made conical and preferably somewhat stepped
as seen in Figure 1 in order to provide a good support for the ends of candles of
various diameters. d is a grease tray or cup preferably formed in a piece with the
seat c. The tray is secured to the base a by means of a screw threaded snug e
passed through a hole in the centre of the base a and then screwed up tight by
means of a winged nut f. g is a washer interposed between this nut and the under-
side of the base a. Or the tray and base a may be in one piece. On the tray d
is a pillar secured by a nut i and serving to carry the two grippers kl which have
lugs m to fit on the pillar to which they are pivotally held by the screw o.
spring tending to push the tails p p of the grippers apart and thereby to press
the grippers towards each other. It will be seen that the gripper has two
approximately A-shaped teeth, y g', at a certain distance apart, and that the
gripper has teeth all along its gripping or nipping face. A line drawn from the
tooth to the tooth y' forms the base of an isosceles triangle as indicated in dots in
Figures 2, 3 and 4 the apex of which is in the gripper 1, and the position of the
apex will vary according to the distance between the grippers as determined by
the diameter of the candle, and as will be clearly understood on reference to
Figures 2, 3 and 4, in which the several sized candles and the corresponding
positions of the grippers are seen. The result is that no matter what is the diameter
of the candle it is always nipped at three points viz. by the two teeth g g' of the
T
L

page_text: gripper and by one tooth, or sometimes two adjoining teeth, of the gripper 7.
This triangular grip is always ensured & holds the candle in a safer and more
certain manner than when grippers are made either plain or with teeth all along
their gripping face, unless indeed they are made and used for candles of one given
diameter. This triangular grip and the way of obtaining it constitute the
characteristic feature of the present invention. The grippers are preferably formed
with longitudinal grooves ss (Figure 5) so as to divide each tooth into an upper
and lower part; this gives the teeth better hold because by thus dividing them and
reducing their depth they are better enabled to enter a little into the substance of
the candles. The tails p p of the grippers are preferably grooved as seen at t t
Figure 6 to prevent the spring n slipping out of place. When it is required to
clean the candle holder the grippers can be made to swivel as indicated in
dotted lines in Figure 4 so as to allow the seat c and tray d to be more readily
got at.
Figure 7 is a vertical section and Figure 8 a plan of a candle holder with
grippers and having teeth the same respectively as the grippers & and
of the holder shown in Figures 1 to 6 but with the gripper & fixed to the candle
seat c. Figure 9 is a plan showing the same candle holder holding a candle 7,2
of smaller diameter than that indicated at Figure 8. It will be seen that the
spring is fitted between the movable gripper / and a continuation of the
handle b.
Figure 10 is a plan and Figures 11 and 12 sections of the grippers on the
lines x and y y respectively of Figure 10 of a candle holder (without its base)
the grippers k and of which have been made by stamping, a mode of manufacture
which I sometimes adopt when economy is of importance.
Figure 13 is a plan showing the gripper without teeth and with its outer
end turned inwards so as to form the nipping point as indicated in the figure.
I do not claim as part of my present invention anything that is claimed in a
former Specification of mine No. 14355 of 1892.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention & in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
--
1. In a candle holder, a pair of jaws or grippers one of which has two teeth at
such a distance apart as is suitable to constitute two points for nipping or holding
a candle, while a third nipping or holding point is obtained in the other jaw at a
position which will vary according to the distance between the jaws as determined
by the diameter of the candle, whereby the candle whatever be its diameter is
nipped by what I have hereinbefore termed a triangular arrangement or triangular
grip and is safely and securely held, substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented in Figures 1 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.
2. The modification shown in Figure 13 of the accompanying drawings and herein-
before described, in which the jaw is without teeth and its outer end is turned inward
so as to form the third nipping point the other two nipping points being in the jaw k
as described and shown.
3. In a candle holder, a pair of jaws or grippers constructed so as to grip a candle
at three points as set forth and having longitudinal grooves in their inner faces
dividing each of their teeth into upper and lower parts, substantially as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th day of November 1893.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.