Combustion – Correlation of fuel or power supply with component movements...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-28
2001-05-22
Yeung, James C. (Department: 3743)
Combustion
Correlation of fuel or power supply with component movements...
C431S255000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234784
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable lighters in which liquefied gas fuel is ignited by means of a discharge spark, and particularly to a portable lighter having an igniter device equipped with a safety lock mechanism.
2. Detailed Description of the Prior Art
There are known portable lighters including cigarette lighters, micro torches and the like (herein referred to as portable lighters) which use high voltage electrical generators utilizing piezo-electric elements as a spark source distinguished from lighters which ignite liquefied gas fuel by means of a discharge spark. The present type of portable lighter generates a high voltage by impacting a piezo-electric element placed between electrodes, close to a gas discharge nozzle, generating a spark. The spark in turn ignites liquefied gas discharged from the nozzle.
FIG. 1
shows a cigarette lighter as a conventional example of this type of portable lighter.
Normally, a lighter main body
1
includes a liquefied gas fuel tank installed thereinside and a high voltage electrical generator
2
on its side. The high voltage electrical generator
2
is composed of a rectangular fixed member
2
a
and a movable member
2
b.
The fixed member
2
a
contains a piezo-electric element
2
c
and an impact hammer
2
d
releasable positioned over that element. The movable member
2
b
is hollow containing a coil spring
2
e
positioned between the hammer
2
d
and the top plate.
In the conventional cigarette lighter, shown in
FIG. 1
, a plastic casing
3
has an open upper portion integrally formed on the side of the lighter main body
1
. The high voltage electrical generator
2
is housed in this casing
3
.
The movable member
2
b
is positioned on its upper side and the fixed member
2
a
is inserted lengthwise into the casing
3
. An operating button
4
is mounted on top of the movable member
2
b
positioned on the upper side of the lighter main body
1
away from the opening of the casing
3
. This operating button
4
is integrally formed with a cover
5
of the high voltage electrical generator
2
shielding the opening of the casing
3
.
A lead wire
6
of the high voltage electrical generator
2
is fed upward from the piezo-electric element
2
c,
diagonally to a nozzle
8
of a combustion valve
7
mounted on the upper portion of the lighter main body
1
. The tip end
9
of this lead wire
6
functions as a positive (+) electrode that generates a discharge spark between itself and the nozzle
8
that also functions as a negative (−) electrode. Reference numeral
10
designates a lever type valve switch member and is arranged extending across the lower side of and engagable by the operating button
4
and the step portion at the lower side of the valve
8
. In the cigarette lighter configured as above, the lighter main body
1
is grasped while the thumb is placed on the operating button
4
. When the operating button
4
is pressed by the finger pressure of the thumb, the movable member
2
b
compresses the coil spring
2
e
and opens the combustion valve
7
by pressing down the valve switch member
10
.
Next, the hammer
2
d
releases after the movable member
2
b
sufficiently compresses the coil spring
2
e.
The piezo-electric element
2
c
located on the lower side of the movable member
2
b
is then struck by the released hammer
2
d
and a high voltage is generated. This high voltage discharges between the tip end
9
of the lead wire
6
and the nozzle
8
, generating a spark which ignites the liquefied gas discharged from the nozzle
8
.
The combustion of gas fuel is maintained while pressing the operating button
4
. When the thumb releases the operating button
4
, the returning force of the coil spring
2
e
returns both the movable member
2
b,
and the valve switch member
10
to their original positions, the combustion valve
7
closes which in turn stops the flow of combustion gas. The hammer
2
d
is returned by the return movement of the movable member
2
b
having a means for holding the hammer
2
d
when returning.
In a cigarette lighter that can use the generation of high voltage to repeatedly ignite liquefied gas from the opening of the combustion valve
7
just by using finger pressure to press down the operating button
4
in this manner, the object of the cigarette lighter can be achieved which is to allow one-handed operation.
Because, however, it is not necessary to strongly press down the operating button
4
, the danger exits that the operating button
4
will be inadvertently pressed down at some time causing the lighter to ignite unexpectedly. Further, because a strong grasping or finger pressure force is not required, there are many occasions when the lighter may ignite even with children who have no hand strength. In particular, in households where cigarette lighters are used often, there are many chances when curious children may take a lighter left on a tabletop in the house and copy the way adults use the lighter when they are not supervised. This is a very serious problem that may result in burns or fires.
In the United States, companies are responsible for adding safety mechanisms which do not allow children to use the lighter as measures (child resistance) to prevent the dangers associated with portable lighters such as cigarette lighters and children.
Normally, when considering a safety mechanism, a more complicated construction compared to previous lighters is imagined to ignite the lighter such as a two-action or three-action operation. If the number of operations is increased however, ordinary ignition becomes troublesome and a construction in which both hands are used makes it difficult to use the lighter for cigarettes.
Moreover, children have very keen powers of observation and when adults follow an operations procedure to use a lighter effortlessly without thinking, the steps of the operation from the eyes of a child can be memorized while watching the adult. Consequently, if a lighter is left on a table, there is the possibility that a child may use that lighter, release the safety mechanism and ignite the lighter.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the hazards of the prior lighters by the use of a double release lock mechanism applied to the same construction of igniter and valve release as described above. That is an activation mechanism having a button assembly free to move a plunger downward within a cylinder containing a piezo-electric element and force a hammer to strike it with sufficient force to generate a spark creating impulse while the button releases a valve mechanism for the liquid gas container allowing it to escape past an electrode that emits a spark in response to the impulse.
According to the invention, before the lighter can be activated and a flame produced, a latching collar around the button normally pressed to cause operation of the lighter must be released from a locking position in which this button is locked from being pushed down by an interior set of fingers engaging a ledge. The latching collar is itself locked into the button by the restraint between a first tab and groove latch and is only released by a pressure which disengages this first tab and groove restraint therebetween. With this tab and groove latch released by a strong thumb pressure of the operator that can only be done by an adult, the collar can be slid down to a point where a second tab and groove latch is activated between the button and collar. At this point the latch fingers are forced off the ledge, but downward extending arms of the collar engage the same ledge. The combination of the second tab and groove lock and the collar extensions hitting the ledge continues to prevent the button from being downwardly pushed to cause the hammer to strike the piezo-electric element and to operate the valve release for the liquid gas fuel.
Finally, the use of a large downward force on the activation button causes the second tab and groove latch to release and at this point the button can tr
Kamegamori Masahiko
Yoshinaga Michinori
Weingarten, Schurgin Gagnebin & Hayes LLP
Yeung James C.
Yoshinaga Technica Corporation
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