Candle decorating kit and method

Abstract

The kit consists of a container holding a plurality of candles of a first predetermined size and shape such that the candles can be assembled together to form a regular geometric solid of a geometric shape different from that of the individual candles. Specific embodiments of the invention include candles shaped like triangular prisms forming a square-cross-section solid when assembled together, combinations of L-shaped and cylindrical candles forming a solid of square-cross-sectional shape, as well as candles forming solids having octagonal, hexagonal, circular, etc. cross-sectional shapes when assembled in the kit. When removed from the container, the candles in the kit can be arranged in a variety of decorative patterns, including the pattern used in the kit.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A candle decorating kit, said kit comprising, in combination, 
 a container for a plurality of candles having a predetermined size and shape such that said candles can be assembled together to form a geometric solid of a geometric shape different from that of said candles.    
     
     
         2 . A kit as in    claim 1    in which said shape of said solid is selected from the group consisting a rectangular prism; hexagonal prism; an octagonal prism; a cylinder; a pyramid; a solid with at least one hemispherical element; a solid with at least one frustro-conical element; an ellipsoid; and a heart-shaped solid.  
     
     
         3 . A kit as in    claim 1    in which said container has at least one vertical side wall and a central vertical divider wall which extends upwardly between and above the tops of the candles in said container and is adapted to be used as a carrying handle.  
     
     
         4 . A kit as in    claim 1    in which said container has a compartment for holding said candles in which said compartment is shaped to conform with the shape of said geometric solid.  
     
     
         5 . A kit as in    claim 1    in which said candles have a right triangular cross-section and said shape is a rectangular parallelpiped.  
     
     
         6 . A kit as in    claim 1    in which each of said candles has a flat top wall and a flat bottom surface, at least one wick, a recess in said top wall, and said wick being located within said recess, whereby said candles can be stacked on top of one another with said bottom wall of one of said candles resting on said top wall of the other of said candles.  
     
     
         7 . A kit as in    claim 1    in which each of said candles has a projecting part which is shaped and sized to fit into a receiving cavity of another one of said candles, whereby said candles can be nested together to form said geometric solid.  
     
     
         8 . A kit as in    claim 1    in which said candles have diamond and triangular cross-sections and fit together to form a solid with a hexagonal cross-section.  
     
     
         9 . A kit as in    claim 1    in which said candles comprise a pair of generally L-shaped candles, each having a notch, and being of a given height, and a rectangular candle of twice said height and with a cross-section dimensioned to fill said notch, whereby said candles can be assembled to form a rectangular parallelpiped with one of said L-shaped candles being positioned atop the other and said notches being aligned vertically, and said rectangular candle filling said notches.  
     
     
         10 . A method of making a candle decorating kit, said method comprising the steps of 
 (a) providing a plurality of candles of size and shape predetermined to allow said candles to be assembled together into a geometric solid of a larger size than, and a shape different from, at least some of said candles,    (b) providing a container having a shape conforming to the shape of said solid,    (c) assembling said candles to form said solid in said container.    
     
     
         11 . A method as in    claim 10    in which said shape is selected from the group consisting of; an octagon; a hexagon; a cylinder; a pyramid; a cube; a solid with at least one hemispherical or dome-shaped or frustro-conical or frustro-pyramidal element.  
     
     
         12 . A method as in    claim 10    in which said container has a central upstanding separator wall and said assembling step comprises positioning said candles symmetrically below the top of and on opposite sides of said separator wall.  
     
     
         13 . A method as in    claim 10    in which each of said candles is a prism which has a right triangular cross-section, with two equal-length legs defining short side surfaces of the candle, and a hypotenuse defining a wide side surface of said candle, said container having a receiving chamber of square cross-section, said assembling step comprising a procedure selected from the group consisting of; placing two of said candles in a container with their wide surfaces abutting one another, said chamber of said container having sides whose widths are approximately equal to the length of the legs of said triangular cross-section; and placing four of said candles in a container whose sides have approximately the length of the hypotenuse of said triangle, with the short side surfaces of each candle abutting the short side surface of two adjacent candles.  
     
     
         14 . A method as in    claim 10    in which each of said candles is a prism which has a right triangular cross-section, with two equal-length legs defining short side surfaces of the candle, and a hypotenuse defining a wide side surface of said candle, said container having a receiving chamber of square cross-section, said assembling step comprising assembling said candles to form a rectangular prism in said receiving chamber.  
     
     
         15 . A method as in    claim 14    in which the number of candles in said kit is an even number and the widths of the sides of said chamber are a multiple of the width of one of the sides of said candles.  
     
     
         16 . A method as in    claim 14    in which the candles comprise two L-shaped parallelpipeds with a notch and one rectangular parallelpiped sized to fill said notches, said L-shaped candles having flat tops with recessed wicks, said assembling step comprising stacking said L-shaped candles atop one another and fitting said rectangular candle into said notches whereby the geometric solid formed is a cube.  
     
     
         17 . A method as in    claim 10    in which said candles have side walls with a re-entrant curved shaped to nest with others of said candles to form said solid, and said assembling step comprises nesting said candles together.  
     
     
         18 . A method as in    claim 10    including the step of removing said candles from said container and arranging them in a display for decoration of an enclosed space.  
     
     
         19 . A method as in    claim 10    in which said shape is selected from the group consisting of; a pyramid; a truncated pyramid; a stacked array of a pyramid atop a truncated pyramid with a flat top area the same side as the bottom of said pyramid; a heart shape; an ellipsoid; and a star.  
     
     
         20 . A method as in    claim 10    in which at least one candle in said plurality has a flat top surface and multiple recesses and wicks in said top surface.