candle

Abstract

We offer candles that can more reliably prevent you from forgetting to extinguish them. [Solution] The candle 1 comprises a wax 10 formed in a columnar shape that is long in one direction, at least two or more wicks 11 formed in a linear shape from a combustible material and embedded in the wax 10 so as to be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the wax 10, and at least one or more partition members 12 formed from a non-combustible material and embedded in the wax 10 so as to separate adjacent wicks 11 in the longitudinal direction of the wax 10.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to candles.

Background Art

[0002] In Japan, with the rapid progress of the declining birthrate and aging population, the number of households consisting only of the elderly and single elderly households has been increasing year by year. Under such a social background, safety management in various scenes of daily life has become an issue, and it is urgent to address the risks specific to the elderly from the perspective of fire prevention.

[0003] In the homes of the elderly, as a habit of worship and offering, there are many opportunities to light the candles placed on the Buddhist altar or shrine on a daily basis. However, due to the decline in cognitive function and memory decline associated with aging, the elderly are prone to forgetting to extinguish the lit candles. Also, cases have been reported where the candles are left burning when going out or going to bed, which has become one of the major causes of fires.

[0004] Among the causes of house fires, those due to carelessness in handling fire such as candles and cigarettes account for a certain proportion. In particular, the number of fire deaths in elderly households shows a high ratio among the total. With the expected further increase in the aging rate in the future, there is concern that the number of fires caused by candles in elderly households will continue to increase.

[0005] In view of such a situation, there is a strong demand for measures to prevent fires caused by forgetting to extinguish candles. As an alternative to traditional candles, LED candles (electronic candles) have also become popular, but there is still a strong demand to use real candles from a religious and customary perspective, and there is a need for devices to improve safety while using real fire.

[0006] As a technology to prevent forgetting to extinguish candles, an automatic fire extinguishing device is known in which a heat-resistant material containing moisture, such as clay, is formed to cover the outer surface of the candle (see Patent Document 1 below). However, elderly people who forget to extinguish candles are also likely to forget to attach this automatic fire extinguishing device to the candle, in which case it is not possible to prevent forgetting to extinguish the candle. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-36615 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a technology that can more reliably prevent forgetting to extinguish candles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention comprises a wax formed in a columnar shape that is elongated in one direction, at least two or more cores formed in a linear shape from a combustible material and embedded in the wax so as to be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the wax, and at least one or more partition members formed from a non-combustible material and embedded in the wax so as to separate adjacent cores in the longitudinal direction of the wax. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] This invention provides a technology that can more reliably prevent forgetting to extinguish candles. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a candle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2]This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a candle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing a lit candle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing an extinguished candle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing a candle with the partition member removed according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram showing a relit candle according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a candle according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a plan view showing the configuration of the partition wall member according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a side view showing the configuration of the partition wall member according to the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0013] <First Embodiment> (The composition of a candle) The configuration of the candle according to the first embodiment will now be described. Figures 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, schematically showing the configuration of the candle according to this embodiment. Figure 2 shows the candle as viewed from one direction facing horizontally, with a cross-section formed by a virtual plane that extends in the height and horizontal directions and passes through the wick and the partition member.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the candle 1 according to the present embodiment is a lighting fixture including a wax 10 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, a plurality of wicks 11, and a plurality of partition members 12. Note that the candle 1 according to the present embodiment includes three wicks 11 and two partition members 12, but may include at least two or more wicks 11 and at least one or more partition members 12.

[0015] The wax 10 is a solid at room temperature and is formed in a cylindrical shape from an oily solid fuel that liquefies and burns when ignited. The wax 10 is made of, for example, paraffin wax, beeswax, honey wax, or soy wax. Note that the wax 10 is not limited to a cylindrical shape and may be formed in a columnar shape that is long in one direction.

[0016] Each of the plurality of wicks 11 is a twisted thread in which a plurality of threads are twisted together or a braided thread in which a plurality of threads are braided so as to suck up the liquefied wax 10 by capillary action. Here, each of the plurality of threads is made of cotton, hemp, paper, or a material obtained by blending these. Note that each of the plurality of wicks 11 only needs to be able to suck up the liquefied wax 10 and have flammability.

[0017] The plurality of wicks 11 are embedded in the wax 10 such that their extending directions face the longitudinal direction of the wax 10 formed in a cylindrical shape and are located at the approximate center of the circle of the wax 10. At this time, the plurality of wicks 11 are arranged at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the wax 10 and are embedded in the wax 10 such that the ends of the wicks 11 facing each other in the longitudinal direction are separated from each other.

[0018] Among the plurality of wicks 11, the wick 11 on one end side of the wax 10 is embedded in the wax 10 such that the end on one end side of the wax 10 protrudes outside the wax 10. Further, the other wick 11, that is, the wick 11 on the other end side rather than the wick 11 on one end side, may be embedded in the wax 10 in a state where a part including the end on one end side of the wax 10 is wound in a spiral, or may be bent so as to be orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and embedded in the wax 10.

[0019] Each of the multiple partition members 12 is a disc-shaped member made of a non-combustible material. Each of the multiple partition members 12 is embedded in the wax 10 with its out-of-plane direction facing the longitudinal direction of the wax 10, and with its ends separated between the ends of two longitudinally adjacent cores 11.

[0020] Each of the multiple partition members 12 can be made of a non-combustible material such as metal, glass, or ceramic, formed in a flat plate shape. From the viewpoint of lightness and cost, it is desirable to use aluminum formed in a circular film shape.

[0021] (How to use a candle) The method of using the candle according to the first embodiment will now be described. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a lit candle according to this embodiment. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an extinguished candle according to this embodiment. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing a candle with the partition member removed according to this embodiment. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing a relit candle according to this embodiment. When using the candle, it should be positioned so that the side with the protruding wick is facing upwards.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, first, the user lights the upper end of the wick 11 protruding from the wax 10 of the unused candle 1. When the lit wick 11 burns down to its lower end, the wax 10 in which the wick 11 is embedded also vaporizes and burns. At this point, the lit wick 11 has burned out, and the partition member 12 prevents further ignition of the wick 11 embedded below. As a result, the flame is automatically extinguished after use without the user having to extinguish the candle, thus preventing fires caused by forgetting to extinguish the candle.

[0023] As shown in Figure 4, the partition member 12 located directly below the burnt-out wick 11 is exposed at the upper end of the candle 1. In this case, if the melted wax 10 covers the upper surface of the partition member 12, this wax 10 can be easily removed with the user's fingernail or a hairpin. Even in this case, the gripping portion 121 that protrudes upward is not covered by the melted wax 10 and remains exposed to the outside.

[0024] When reusing an extinguished candle 1, as shown in Figure 5, the user removes the exposed partition member 12 by grasping the gripping part 121, causing the wick 11, which is embedded in a spiral or bent state near the upper end of the candle 1, to protrude from the upper end of the wax 10. Then, as shown in Figure 6, the candle 1 can be reused by lighting the wick 11 that has protruded from the wax 10.

[0025] Thus, according to the candle 1 of this embodiment, the flame is automatically extinguished without the user having to extinguish it, and it can be reused as many times as there are embedded wicks 11. Furthermore, by making each of the multiple wicks 11 an arbitrary length, the time from ignition to extinguishing the flame can be determined according to the intended use of the candle 1.

[0026] <Second Embodiment> A candle according to the second embodiment will now be described. Figure 7 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of the candle according to this embodiment. Figures 8 and 9 are a plan view and a side view, respectively, showing the configuration of the partition member according to this embodiment. Note that in Figure 7, the wick and partition member are shown with wax passing through them.

[0027] As shown in Figure 7, the candle 1A according to this embodiment differs from the candle 1 according to the first embodiment in that it has multiple partition members 12A instead of multiple partition members 12. The partition members 12A are the same as the partition members 12 in that they are made of a non-combustible material and are formed in a disc shape, but they differ from the partition members 12 in that they have a housing portion 122.

[0028] The housing section 122 is formed as a protruding portion projecting upward at approximately the center of the partition member 12A, i.e., the center of the circle, defining a housing space S with the lower side open. The wick 11, located directly below the partition member 12A, is embedded in the wax 10 with its upper end housed in the housing space S, as shown in Figure 7. This allows the user to light the wick 11 without having to extend it from the top of the wax 10 when the partition member 12A is removed for reuse of the candle 1. The wick 11 may be housed in the housing space S in a spiral or bent state. This increases the protruding distance of the wick 11 when the candle 1 is reused.

[0029] This invention can be implemented in various other forms without departing from its essence or main features. Therefore, the embodiments described above are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted restrictively. The scope of this invention is defined by the claims and is not restricted by the text of the specification. Furthermore, all modifications, improvements, substitutions, and alterations falling within the equivalent scope of the claims are all within the scope of this invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0030] 1 Candle 10 wax 11 cores 12 Partition members

Claims

1. A long, columnar shape formed in one direction, A flammable material is formed in a linear shape, and at least two or more wicks are embedded in the wax so as to be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the wax, A partition member formed of a non-combustible material and embedded in the wax so as to separate adjacent cores in the longitudinal direction of the wax, A candle equipped with [something].

2. The candle according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the partition members is formed in a flat plate shape.

3. The candle according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one of the partition members is made of aluminum formed in a film-like manner.

4. The candle according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least two wicks are embedded in the wax such that the extension direction of each of the at least two wicks faces the longitudinal direction of the wax.

5. The candle according to claim 4, characterized in that, of the at least two wicks, the first wick embedded in one end in the longitudinal direction of the wax is embedded in the wax such that a portion of it protrudes from the end to the outside of the wax.

6. The candle according to claim 5, characterized in that, of the at least two wicks, the second wick, which is different from the first wick, is embedded in the wax in a spiral shape, with a portion of it, including the end on one side in the longitudinal direction of the wax.

7. The candle according to claim 5, characterized in that, of the at least two wicks, the second wick, which is different from the first wick, is bent so that a portion of it, including the end on one side in the longitudinal direction of the wax, is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the wax and embedded in the wax.

8. The candle according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one partition member has a gripping portion that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the partition member.

9. The candle according to claim 2, characterized in that the at least one partition member has a housing portion that protrudes upward to accommodate the upper end of the wick located directly below it, defining a housing space that is open at the bottom.

Images