CN112128680A

CN112128680A - Device for simulating open candle flame

Info

Publication number: CN112128680A
Application number: CN202011040055.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 郑则然
Original assignee: Universal Candle Co Ltd
Current assignee: Universal Candle Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-10-03
Filing date: 2020-09-28
Publication date: 2020-12-25

Abstract

An apparatus for simulating an open candle flame is provided herein. The apparatus includes a swing holder located within the housing and engaged with a link pivotally and rotatably connected to the swing holder to form a first pivot structure to allow the link to rotate about a first axis, and pivotally and rotatably connected to the housing to form a second pivot structure to allow the swing holder and the link to rotate about a second axis. The swing mechanism of the device minimizes cost and parts count, eases and simplifies assembly, and ensures that the flame display remains in place after manufacture and during shipping and handling.

Description

Device for simulating open candle flame

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/909,838 filed on 3/10/2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to a device for simulating an open candle flame.

Background

Open candle flame simulation is in the fidelity of simulating a subtle concept, i.e., candles burning with different flames have many different meanings and functions. The burning patterns of candles have a hidden meaning in that they may darken or glow at different times.

Conventionally, open candle flame simulation uses a flame display and a lighting device, and the flame display is actuated and swung under illumination by the lighting device to simulate an open candle flame. However, it has been a challenge to have an effective means to actuate the oscillation of the flame display to make it appear as realistic as a real candle. The conventional swing mechanism has a complicated structure, requiring many parts and labor to assemble them together, which greatly increases the production cost. In addition, many oscillating mechanisms do not provide a rigid structure, resulting in loosening of the components.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved device for simulating an open candle flame that eliminates or at least reduces the above-mentioned disadvantages and problems.

Disclosure of Invention

There is provided a device for simulating an open candle flame, the device comprising: a housing; a connecting rod; a flame display located above the housing and attached to an upper end of the link; a light source located within the flame display or connected to the housing for generating light to illuminate the flame display; a counterweight attached to a lower end of the connecting rod; a swing holder located within the housing and engaged with the link, the link being pivotally and rotatably connected to the swing holder to form a first pivot structure to allow the link to rotate about a first axis, the swing holder being pivotally and rotatably connected to the housing to form a second pivot structure to allow the swing holder and the link to rotate about a second axis; a magnet attached to the counterweight; and a coil adjacent the magnet for generating an electromagnetic field that interacts with the magnetic field of the magnet to drive the linkage to rotate about the first and second axes to oscillate the flame display to simulate an open candle flame.

In certain embodiments, the link comprises two lever projections positioned along the first axis; the swing holder includes two holder slots positioned along the first axis, and two lever protrusions are positioned within the two holder slots to form two first swing joints, respectively, to form a first pivot structure.

In certain embodiments, the wobble retainer includes two retainer projections positioned along the second axis; the housing includes two housing slots positioned along the second axis, and two retainer projections are positioned within the two housing slots to form two second swing joints, respectively, to form a second pivot structure.

In certain embodiments, two rod protrusions are attached to the lateral sides of the connecting rod, respectively; the two retainer grooves are located on the lateral sides of the swing retainer, respectively.

In certain embodiments, two retainer projections are attached to lateral sides of the wobble retainer, respectively; the two housing slots are located on the lateral sides of the housing, respectively.

In certain embodiments, the first axis is substantially perpendicular to the second axis.

In certain embodiments, the angle between the first axis and the second axis is between 80 ° and 100 °.

In certain embodiments, each lever projection has an edge for contacting a respective retainer slot.

In certain embodiments, each retainer protrusion has an edge for contacting a respective housing slot.

In certain embodiments, each retainer slot is circular or V-shaped.

In certain embodiments, each retainer slot is helical.

In certain embodiments, at least one retainer slot has an opening with a width that is less than a width of a corresponding stem protrusion.

In certain embodiments, each housing slot is circular or V-shaped.

In certain embodiments, the housing comprises an upper housing and a lower housing.

In some embodiments, each housing slot is located on a top edge of the lower housing and is closed by a bottom edge of the upper housing to prevent the retainer tabs from becoming loose.

In some embodiments, the upper housing and the lower housing are connected by a plurality of pins and sockets.

In some embodiments, the upper housing has a top aperture having a first width and a second width, the first width being large enough to allow the flame display to pass through the top aperture, the second width being small enough to prevent the first pivot structure from passing through after the upper housing is rotated to an assembled final position.

In certain embodiments, the coil is located below the magnet.

In some embodiments, the center of the coil is offset from the vertical axis of the magnet by an offset distance.

In certain embodiments, the electromagnetic field is a time-varying electromagnetic field.

In certain embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a driver for providing current to the coil.

In certain embodiments, the apparatus further comprises a printed circuit board containing the driver.

In some embodiments, the device further comprises a light holder within which the light source and lens are located, the light holder being attached to the housing, and a lens for focusing light on the flame display.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a light holder within which the light source and lens are located, the light holder being positioned between the upper housing and the lower housing, and a lens for focusing light on the flame display.

In certain embodiments, the flame display includes a flame housing with the light source located within the flame housing.

In some embodiments, the device further comprises a housing, the enclosure being located within the housing, the flame display being located above or on a surface of the housing.

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following brief description of the drawings, detailed description of certain embodiments.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings contain figures of certain embodiments to further illustrate and clarify the above and other aspects, advantages and features of the present invention. It is appreciated that these drawings depict embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating an apparatus for simulating an open candle flame, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram depicting the device of FIG. 1A covered by an upper housing and a lower housing;

FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram depicting the apparatus of FIG. 1A as the flame display oscillates;

FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram depicting the device of FIG. 1A with a housing;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram depicting a pendulum structure of a device according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram depicting a swing mechanism as a flame display swings about a first axis, according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram depicting the swing mechanism of FIG. 3A as the flame display swings about a second axis;

fig. 4A is a schematic diagram depicting a lighting module according to some embodiments;

fig. 4B is a schematic diagram illustrating another view of the lighting module of fig. 4A;

fig. 5A is a schematic diagram depicting a lighting module according to some embodiments;

fig. 5B is a schematic diagram illustrating another view of the lighting module of fig. 5A;

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram depicting an apparatus for simulating an open candle flame, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram depicting a pendulum structure of the device of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram depicting an apparatus for simulating an open candle flame with a self-luminous flame display, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram depicting the device of FIG. 7A covered by an upper housing and a lower housing;

FIG. 7C is a schematic diagram depicting the apparatus of FIG. 7A as the flame display oscillates;

FIG. 7D is a schematic depicting the device of FIG. 7A with a housing;

FIG. 7E is a schematic diagram depicting a pendulum structure of the device of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7F is a schematic diagram depicting the swing mechanism of the apparatus of FIG. 7A as the flame display swings about a first axis;

FIG. 7G is a schematic diagram depicting a swing mechanism of the device of FIG. 7A as the flame display swings about a second axis; and is

FIG. 7H is a schematic diagram depicting a self-emissive flame display of the device of FIG. 7A.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for simulating an open candle flame. The swing mechanism of the device minimizes cost and parts count, simplifies assembly, and ensures that the flame display remains in place after manufacture and during shipping and handling.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for simulating an open candle flame, the apparatus comprising: a housing; a connecting rod; a flame display located above the housing and attached to an upper end of the link; a light source located within the flame display or connected to the housing for generating light to illuminate the flame display; a counterweight attached to a lower end of the connecting rod; a swing holder located within the housing and engaged with the link, the link being pivotally and rotatably connected to the swing holder to form a first pivot structure to allow the link to rotate about a first axis, the swing holder being pivotally and rotatably connected to the housing to form a second pivot structure to allow the swing holder and the link to rotate about a second axis; a magnet attached to the counterweight; a coil adjacent the magnet for generating an electromagnetic field that interacts with the magnetic field of the magnet to drive the linkage to rotate about the first and second axes to oscillate the flame display to simulate an open candle flame.

In certain embodiments, the link comprises two lever projections disposed along the first axis; the swing holder includes two holder grooves disposed along the first axis, and two lever protrusions are located in the two holder grooves to form two first swing joints, respectively, thereby forming a first pivot structure.

In certain embodiments, the wobble retainer includes two retainer projections disposed along the second axis; the housing includes two housing slots disposed along the second axis, and two retainer projections are located in the two housing slots to form two second swing joints, respectively, to form a second pivot structure.

In certain embodiments, the stem protrusion is cylindrical, circular, polygonal, or any other shape.

In some embodiments, the lever projection has an edge for contacting the retainer slot to reduce friction during oscillation of the connecting rod.

In some embodiments, the retainer slot is open to facilitate assembly between the link and the swing retainer. The open retainer slot may be generally circular, spiral, V-shaped, or any other shape. The V-shaped retainer groove may have an angle greater than the angle of the edge of the stem protrusion.

In some embodiments, the open retainer slot has an opening with a width that is less than the width of the stem protrusion.

In certain embodiments, the retainer slot is circular, rectangular, square, polygonal, or any other shape.

In certain embodiments, the retainer protrusion is cylindrical, circular, polygonal, or any other shape.

In some embodiments, the retainer projection has an edge for contacting the housing slot so as to reduce friction during rocking of the rocking retainer.

In certain embodiments, the housing slot is circular, rectangular, square, polygonal, or any other shape.

In certain embodiments, the cross-section of the connecting rod is circular, rectangular, square, circular, polygonal, or any other shape. In certain embodiments, the link comprises plastic, metal, or any other material.

In certain embodiments, the wobble retainer is rectangular, square, annular, circular, polygonal, or any other shape. In certain embodiments, the wobble retainer comprises plastic, metal, or any other material.

In certain embodiments, the swing holder has a bore for receiving the link.

In certain embodiments, the weight is cylindrical, rectangular, cubic, toroidal, polygonal cylindrical, or any other shape. In some embodiments, the weight comprises metal, plastic, or any other material.

In some embodiments, the counterweight is chamfered to reduce impact against the inner wall of the housing during oscillation of the counterweight.

In certain embodiments, the magnet is cylindrical, cubic, cuboid, or any other shape. In certain embodiments, the magnet is a permanent magnet.

In some embodiments, the magnet is partially or completely surrounded by a bore portion of the counterweight.

In certain embodiments, the magnets are positioned along a vertical axis of the counterweight.

In certain embodiments, the coil is located below the magnet. The center of the coil may be located along the vertical axis of the magnet. The center of the coil may be offset from the vertical axis of the magnet to enhance the drive of the counterweight oscillation.

In certain embodiments, the driver is configured to generate an alternating current or a pulsed direct current at a particular frequency. The pulsed direct current may be generated by Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). The driver may generate pulsed direct current with different pulse amplitudes and pulse durations to control the swing mode of the flame display.

In certain embodiments, the flame display includes a flame housing and a light source located within the flame housing.

1A-1D depict an apparatus for simulating an open candle flame according to certain embodiments. The device 100 includes a flame display 101, an upper housing 102, a lower housing 103, a lens 104, a Light Emitting Diode (LED)105, a lamp socket 106, a weight 107, two

first swing joints

108a, 108b, two

second swing joints

109a, 109b, a coil 110, a battery case 111, a link 112, a swing holder 113, and a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 114.

The flame display 101 is illuminated by an LED 105 through a lens 104. The LED 105 and lens 104 are located within the lamp base 106. One end of the link 112 is connected to the flame display 101, and the other end of the link 112 is connected to the weight 107. The

first swing joints

108a, 108b are located on opposite lateral sides of the link 112 along a first axis to form a first pivot structure, and the

second swing joints

109a, 109b are located on opposite lateral sides of the swing holder 113 along a second axis to form a second pivot structure, respectively.

The first swing joint 108a includes a lever protrusion 117a of the link 112 and a retainer slot 115a of the swing retainer 113, the lever protrusion 117a being attached to a lateral side of the link 112 along a first axis, and the retainer slot 115a being located on the lateral side of the swing retainer 113 along the first axis. The first swing joint 108b includes a lever protrusion 117b of the link 112 and a retainer groove 115b of the swing retainer 113, the lever protrusion 117b being attached to the other lateral side of the link 112 along the first axis, the retainer groove 115b being located at the other lateral side of the swing retainer 113 along the first axis.

The second swing joint 109a includes: a holder protrusion 118a of the swing holder 113 and a housing groove 116a of the lower housing 103, the holder protrusion 118a being mounted on the lateral side of the swing holder 113 along the second axis, and the housing groove 116a being located on the lateral side of the lower housing 103 along the second axis. The second swing joint 109b includes a holder protrusion 118b of the swing holder 113 and a housing groove 116b of the lower housing 103, the holder protrusion 118b is attached to the other lateral side of the swing holder 113 along the second axis, and the housing groove 116a is located on the other lateral side of the lower housing 103.

In this embodiment, the

housing slots

116a, 116b are located on the top edge of the lower housing 103 and are closed by the bottom edge of the upper housing 102, which may prevent the

retainer tabs

118a, 118b from disengaging to secure the swing retainer 113 in place.

In this embodiment, the upper housing 102 and the lower housing 103 are connected by a pin and socket arrangement 120, the pin and socket arrangement 120 including a small pin 122 and socket 123 (as shown in the inset of FIG. 1B), which allows assembly without glue, thereby reducing the assembly effort. In certain embodiments, such a peg and socket structure 120 may also be used to align the PCB and coil with the pendulum structure, and the peg structure may be adapted to have different dimensions to support candles of different sizes.

In this embodiment, the lamp socket 106 is located between the upper housing 102 and the lower housing to facilitate assembly of the device 100.

As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the upper housing 102 has a top hole 119, a first width of the top hole 119 being large enough to allow the flame display 101 to pass through the top hole 119 during assembly of the upper housing 102 to the lower housing 103, and the top hole 119 having a second width being small enough to prevent the first pivot structure and/or the weight 107 from passing through the top hole 119 after the upper housing 102 is assembled to its final position by rotation. For example, during assembly, the upper housing 102 is rotated 90 ° from its final position to allow the flame display 101 to pass through. This locks the first pivot structure and counterweight 107 within the upper and

lower housings

102, 103 once the upper housing 102 is rotated and positioned to its final position, and prevents the flame display 101 from being removed from the upper housing 102 even if the first pivot structure is released from its latched position.

Magnets (not shown in fig. 1A-1D) are attached to the bottom of the counterweight 107 and are located between the counterweight 107 and the coil 110. The coil 110 is electrically connected to a PCB 114 with a driver for generating a current to the coil 110 for generating an electromagnetic field.

When a current provided by the PCB 114 passes through the coil 110, an electromagnetic field is generated. The weight 107 swings due to the interaction between the electromagnetic field from the coil 110 and the magnetic field from the magnet. In view of the first and second pivot structures, the flame display 101 swings with the counterweight 107 along the first and second axes under the leverage of the link 112, as shown in fig. 1C. With this actuation arrangement, the swinging of the flame display 101 is more pronounced. Fig. 1D shows the device 100 further comprising a housing 121. The housing 121 may comprise wax, plastic, glass, resin, ceramic, metal, fabric, paper, wood, silicone, or any other material. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a pendulum structure of an apparatus according to some embodiments. The balance weight 21 is cylindrical, and upper and lower edges of the balance weight 21 are chamfered. A cylindrical permanent magnet 22 is attached to the bottom end of the counterweight 21 along the vertical axis of the counterweight 21 and is partially enclosed within a bore 24 of the counterweight 21. The link 23 is attached to the top end of the counterweight 21. The counterweight 21 is suspended on the first pivot structure 25 so as to be swingable.

Fig. 3A and 3B depict the swing mechanism of the device as the flame display swings about the first axis and the second axis. Two

first swing joints

31a, 31b are located on lateral sides of the connecting rod 30 opposite along the first axis to form a first pivot structure. The first swing joint 31a includes a lever protrusion 36a of the link 30 and a holder groove 33a of the swing holder 32. The first swing joint 31b includes a lever protrusion 36b of the link 30 and a holder groove 33b of the swing holder 32. The swing holder 32 has a hole in the middle for accommodating the link 30. The flame display 34 oscillates about a first axis and a second axis under the influence of the electromagnetic field generated by the coil.

In this embodiment, the retainer slot 33a has a width opening that is slightly smaller than the rod protrusion 36a so that the pendulum structure, along with the flame display 34, can be snapped into place on the pendulum retainer 32. The snap fit provides for ease of assembly while also preventing the flame indicator 34 from disengaging from the first pivot structure. Similarly, retainer slot 33B has a width opening (not shown in fig. 3A and 3B) that is slightly smaller than stem protrusion 36a to provide the same function.

In this embodiment, the lever projection 36a has an edge 38a, and the edge 38a contacts the retainer slot 33a to provide a point contact between the retainer slot 33a and the lever projection 36a in the first pivot structure, thereby providing a very low friction mechanism, allowing the pendulum structure to move freely and be easily assembled. Similarly, the lever projection 36B also has an edge (not shown in fig. 3A and 3B) to provide the same function.

Two

second swing joints

35a, 35b are oppositely located on the lateral sides of the swing holder 32 along the second axis to form a second pivot structure. The second swing joint 35a includes a holder protrusion 37a of the swing holder 32 and a housing groove of the housing (not shown in fig. 3A and 3B). The second swing joint 35B includes a holder protrusion 37B of the swing holder 32 and another housing groove of the housing (not shown in fig. 3A and 3B). The axes of the two

second pivot joints

35a, 35b are perpendicular to the axes of the two

first pivot joints

31a, 31 b. Under the influence of the electromagnetic field generated from the coil, the swing holder 32 rotates about the second axis, while applying a force to the two

first swing joints

31a, 31b to drive the link 30 to rotate about the second axis. In combination with the first and second pivot structures, the flame display 34 may be substantially oscillated about the first and second axes.

In this embodiment, the retainer projection 37a has an edge 39a for contacting the housing slot to provide point contact between the housing slot and the retainer projection 36 a. Similarly, the holder protrusion 37b also has an edge 39b to provide the same function.

In some embodiments, all of the first and second pivot structures are made using simple plastic parts, thereby eliminating the need for metal shafts, which may reduce material costs and assembly steps. In certain embodiments, the flame display and pendulum structure are all molded as one piece, and can be easily assembled by rotating to pass through the aperture of the pendulum holder. Once the flame display and pendulum structure are secured in place to the pendulum holder, the flame display and pendulum structure are prevented from loosening from the housing.

Fig. 4A and 4B show an illumination module 40 comprising a lamp holder 41, an LED 42 and a lens 43. The LED 42 and the lens 43 are accommodated in the lamp holder 41.

Fig. 5A and 5B depict a lighting module 50, which lighting module 50 comprises a lamp holder 51, an LED 52 and a lens 53. The LED 52 and the lens 53 are accommodated in the lamp holder 51. The lamp holder 51 has a bend 54 for facilitating attachment of the illumination module 50 to the device and for facilitating illumination of the flame display.

Fig. 6A and 6B depict an apparatus 600 for simulating an open candle flame, according to some embodiments. Apparatus 600 includes chamfered cylinder weight 610, coil 620, PCB 630 and cylindrical magnet 640. Beveled cylinder weight 610 has a hole at the bottom of beveled cylinder weight 610. A cylindrical magnet 640 is attached to the bore. The coil 620 is located below the cylindrical magnet 640 with an offset distance between the center of the coil 620 and the vertical axis of the cylindrical magnet 640.

Fig. 7A-7H depict an apparatus 700 having simulated open candle flames utilizing a self-luminous flame display, according to some embodiments. The device 700 includes a self-luminous flame display 701, an upper housing 702, a lower housing 703, a linkage 704, a swing holder 705, a weight 706, a magnet 707 (as shown in fig. 7E), a coil 708, a PCB 709, a battery compartment 710, and a housing 716.

The self-luminous flame display 701 includes a flame housing 711 and an LED 712. The flame housing 711 and the LED 712 are attached to the top end of the connecting rod 704, so a light projection module is not required in an embodiment.

As shown in fig. 7F, the wobble retainer 705 includes two spiral-shaped retainer grooves 713 for engaging with the two rod protrusions 714 of the link 704, respectively. The helical retainer groove 713 has an opening 715 with a width slightly less than the width of the lever projection 714 to secure the lever projection 714 within the helical retainer groove 713 to prevent the pivot structure from disengaging from its detent position. This also facilitates assembly between the rod protrusion 714 and the helical retainer groove 713 by snapping the rod protrusion 714 into the helical retainer groove 713 via the opening 715.

Thus, it can be seen that an improved device for simulating an open candle flame has been disclosed which eliminates or at least reduces the disadvantages and problems associated with prior art devices. The swing mechanism of the device minimizes cost and parts count, eases organization and simplifies assembly, and ensures that the flame display remains in place after manufacture and during shipping and handling.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of certain embodiments, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for simulating an open candle flame, comprising:

a housing;

a connecting rod;

a flame display located above the housing and attached to an upper end of the link;

a light source located within the flame display or connected to the housing for generating light to illuminate the flame display;

a counterweight attached to a lower end of the link.

A swing retainer located within the housing and engaged with the link, the link pivotally and rotatably connected to the swing retainer to form a first pivot structure allowing the link to rotate about a first axis, the swing retainer pivotally and rotatably connected to the housing to form a second pivot structure allowing the swing retainer and link to rotate about a second axis;

a magnet attached to the weight; and

a coil positioned proximate to the magnet for generating an electromagnetic field that interacts with the magnetic field of the magnet to drive the linkage to rotate about the first and second axes to oscillate the flame display to simulate an open candle flame.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the link includes two lever projections positioned along the first axis; and the swing holder includes two holder grooves positioned along the first axis, and two lever protrusions are positioned in the two holder grooves to form two first swing joints, respectively, thereby forming a first pivot structure.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the wobble retainer includes two retainer projections positioned along the second axis; and the housing includes two housing slots located along the second axis, the two retainer projections being located within the two housing slots to form two second swing joints, respectively, to form a second pivot structure.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the two lever projections are attached to lateral sides of the link, respectively; and the two retainer grooves are located at lateral sides of the swing retainer, respectively.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the two retainer projections are attached to lateral sides of the oscillating retainer, respectively; and the two housing slots are located on lateral sides of the housing, respectively.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first axis is substantially perpendicular to the second axis.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein an angle between the first axis and the second axis is between 80 ° and 100 °.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein each of the lever projections has an edge for contacting a respective retainer slot.

9. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the retainer projections has an edge for contacting a respective housing slot.

10. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the retainer slots is circular or V-shaped.

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the retainer slots is helical.

12. The device of claim 2, wherein at least one of the retainer slots has an opening with a width less than a width of the corresponding stem protrusion.

13. The device of claim 3, wherein each of the housing slots is circular or V-shaped.

14. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the housing comprises an upper housing and a lower housing.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of the housing slots is located on a top edge of the lower housing and is closed by a bottom edge of the upper housing to prevent the retainer protrusion from becoming loose.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the upper housing and the lower housing are connected by a plurality of pins and sockets.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the upper housing has a top aperture having a first width and a second width, the first width being large enough to allow the flame display to pass through the top aperture, the second width being small enough to prevent the first pivot structure from passing through after the upper housing is rotated to the final assembled position.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil is located below the magnet.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a center of the coil is offset from a vertical axis of the magnet by an offset distance.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic field is a time-varying electromagnetic field.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a driver for providing current to the coil.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a printed circuit board containing the driver.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a light holder and a lens, the light source and the lens being located within the light holder, the light holder being attached to the housing, the lens for focusing light on the flame display.

24. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a light holder and a lens, the light source and the lens being located within the light holder, the light holder being located between the upper housing and the lower housing, the lens being for focusing light on the flame display.

25. The device of claim 1, wherein the flame display comprises a flame envelope, the light source being located within the flame envelope.

26. The device of claim 1, further comprising a housing, the housing being located within the housing, the flame display being located above or on a surface of the housing.