US3799731A - Wick tip holder - Google Patents

United States Patent [191 Novak Mar. 26, 1974 WICK TIP HOLDER [76] Inventor: David M. Novak, 23610 Oliver Holmes Rd., Colton, Calif. 92324 22 Filed: Dec. 22, 1972 211 App]. No.: 317,809

1,988,851 1/1935 McLeod 431/313 Primary Examiner-Carroll B. Dority, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Brown & Martin [5 7] ABSTRACT An end cap for being mounted on a fuel container, which end cap has a projection with a pair of holes through which a wick cord is looped. The free ends of a the wick cord are then knotted inside the end cap with the remaining portion of the ends. extending into the fuel. The openings in the end cap are larger than the wick cord, thus air is able to pass through these openings along with air passing through openings in the end caps adjacent the projection. This free flow of air shapes the flame to burn upwardly and away from the end cap and in a manner that the cord is not burned. Additionally, it is not possible to pull the cord up above the projection to enlarge the loop to increase the flame height.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures WICK TIP HOLDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of a wick to provide a flame for light is very old and well known. Wicks generally comprise a bundle of fibres woven into a cord or a tape, the end of which is inserted into a liquid fuel. Fuel is drawn up through the wick where it is then burned.

The position of such wicks are normally adjusted by a knob or the like. The ends of such wicks are often secured in the end of a holder with such a tight grip that no air normally passes around the wick. Further the wick is often held with such a tight grip, that it is often difficult for the fuel to be drawn through the wick to the end for turning. Thus the ends of the wicks often times become the fuel for the flame and burn at the end acquiring a darkened color. Further the burning of the end of the wick often seals off the movement of the fuel thus causing less fuel to be available for burning, which coupled with the lack of air draft causes excessive burning of the wick.

In cocktail lounges, bars, restaurants and the like, candlelight and simulated candlelight provided by candles or burning of fuels through wicks have found wide acceptance. However in these environments, the candles tend to burn down quickly and provide a liquid residue that becomes messy. While flames provided by wicks and liquid fuels are also used in these environments, they have limitations. The patrons often want to increase or decrease the amount or height of the flame provided. So the patrons either pull the wick out of the holder a greater amount, or try to push the wick back into the holder. Both are very injurious to the wick and can cause its capillary transmission of fuel to be impeded, thus causing burning of the wick. Further the wick often becomes dark and unsightly through repeated use. Also the known wick lamps do not simulate candlelight.

Thus it is advantageous to have a new and improved wick tip holder that is capable of holding and positioning a wick in a manner to provide a new and improved flame, which is constant, does not burn the wick, cannot be changed, and lends itself to simulating candlelight.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a preferred embodiment of the wick tip holder of this invention, an end cap for being mounted on the end of a fuel container has a centered projection. The end cap and projection are hollow and the projection has a pair of openings in its tip. A wick cord is threaded through the openings and is tied inside the cap, so that a loop portion projecting out the opening is held to a substantially constant length. The openings have a diameter larger than the diameter of the wick cord, thus air passes from the container through the openings. The end cap has a planer surface with openings adjacent the side walls of the projection. This allows air to pass into the container and out of the openings adjacent the wick. This passage of air causes the wick flame to be directed and shaped upwardly relative to the wick and wick tip holder. Further, the tip area of the projection has an average diameter that is equal to approximately one half the distance from the side walls of the projection to the outer edge of the end cap. This plus the relatively small area of the tip of the projection that is not covered by the openings, keeps the flame from spreading out over the end of the wick tip holder.

The wick tip holder is sealed around its outer periphery to the end of a fuel container. So the free ends of the wick project down into the fuel container and the air passage is restricted to the aforesaid openings. The width of the flame is governed by the length of the loop of the wick cord and the height of the flame is governed by the diameter of the wick cord and its height both of which are constant. The tied ends of the wick cord prevent the wick cord from being pulled away from the tip of the projection, thus holding the height of the flame constant. With the air sheath adjacent the wick cord loop, the flame is thus positioned and shaped in a manner that the wick cord is not burned and thus has a long life.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved wick tip holder.

Other objects and many advantages of this invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description and an examination of the drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout and in which,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wick tip holder secured on a fuel container.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view, partially cut away, of the fuel container enclosed in a holder that would represent the end of a candle.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the wick tip holder.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawing, the wick tip holder comprises an end cap 10 that is mounted upon a container 12 that carries fuel. The end cap has a planar end surface 36 with a centered projection 30. The centered projection 30 has a tip surface 17 in which are positioned adjacent openings 16. The end cap also has a ridge 28 and a pair of openings 20. The end cap may be made of any suitable metal.

A wick 14, that may comprise a wick cord of any suitable material, projects through the openings 16 and is tied in a suitable knot 24 with the free ends 26 extending into the interior of the fuel container 12. The knot 24 functions to hold the outer loop portion of the wick cord 14 from being pulled away from the tip of the projection 30. It will be noted that the openings 16 have a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the wick cord 14.

A gasket washer 18 is positioned against the outer circumferential wall of the end cap 10. This gasket bears against the upper end of the container 12. The lower portion 22 of the wall of the end cap 10 is bevelled around the end of the container 12, thus sealing the cap to the container 12 by means of gasket 18.

In operation, the end cap 10 is secured to the end of the container 12, with container 12 being positioned in a suitable housing 34 with the end of the container projecting through the opening 38. The fuel in container 12 is drawn by capillary attraction through cord 26 to the loop portion 14. This fuel is ignited causing the fuel to burn with an illuminating flame. The flame has a width governed by the length of the loop 14. The end projection 30 projects above the planar surface 36 of the cap 10, a distance that is approximately half the distance between the side of the projection 30 and the outer circumferential wall of the cap 10. Thus the flame is raised above the end cap 10 and is less inclined to spread over the upper surface of the end cap 10.

Also air passes through openings 20 into the container 12. When the flame is burning, it draws air up through openings 16 thus creating an air circulation that causes air currents to hold the flame in the upward direction. This further tends to cool the wick l4 and suspend the flame to the gases above the wick 14, thus decreasing the heat at the wick l4 and thus keeping the wick 14 from burning and turning brown. It may be recognized that users cannot pull the wick 14 away from the tip of the projection 30 and thus the flame is held at a substantially constant height. This provides a light- 5 ing system that is particularly applicable to bars, restaurants and the like. in that is is difficult for patrons to damage or otherwise change the adjustment.

Having described my invention, I now claim:

1. A wick tip holder comprising,

an end cap for being mounted on a fuel container which end cap has a planner end surface with a centered projection,

said projection having side walls with a tip surface having a pair of adjacent openings,

a wick cord for passing out one of said openings and back through the other opening forming a loop with the wick cord having free ends for extending into the fuel container,

each of said projection openings being larger in diameter than said wick cord,

said planner end surface of said end cap having at least one air passage opening immediately adjacent said side walls of said projection,

and means for sealing said cap to the fuel container.

2. A wick tip holder as claimed in claim 1 in which,

said openings in said tip surface covering a substantial portion of said tip surface. 3. A wick tip holder as claimed in claim 2 including,

means for joining said free ends of said wick cord at a point immediately adjacent said pair of openings thereby preventing movement of said loop away from said tip surface.

4. A wick tip holder as claimed in claim 3 in which,

said end cap having a circular shape with an axially extending circular outer wall portion,

a gasket washer fitting against said outer circular wall portion,

and means for securing said end cap to a communicating end of the fuel container drawing said gasket into sealing contact with the adjacent end of the fuel container.

5. A wick tip holder as claimed in claim 1 in which,

said projection extending away from the end surface of said end cap a distance that is equal to substantially one half the radial distance from the wall of said projection to the outer edge of said end cap.

6. A wick tip holder as claimed in claim 1 in which,

said tip surface of said projection having an oval shape with said side walls being substantially normal to said planner end surface of said end cap.