Combustion – Electrical or mechanical igniter correlated with burner feed – Having electric current producer
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-17
2003-03-04
Bennett, Henry (Department: 3743)
Combustion
Electrical or mechanical igniter correlated with burner feed
Having electric current producer
C431S153000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06527546
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention generally relates to general purpose utility lighters such as those used to ignite candles, barbecue grills, fireplaces and campfires.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Lighters used for igniting tobacco products, such as cigars, cigarettes, and pipes, have developed over a number of years. Typically, these lighters use either a rotary friction element or a piezoelectric element to generate a spark in proximity to a nozzle emitting fuel from a fuel container. Piezoelectric mechanisms have gained universal acceptance. One such piezoelectric mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,697 (“the '697 patent”). The disclosure of the '697 patent is incorporated by reference herein.
Lighters have also evolved from the small, hand-held lighters to several forms of extended lighters. These lighters are also hand held, but are more useful for general purposes such as lighting candles, barbecue grills, fireplaces and campfires. Earlier attempts at such designs relied simply on extended actuating handles to house a typical lighter at the end. Examples of this concept are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,259,059 and 4,462,791.
In addition, many utility lighters have incorporated some form of operating mechanism to prevent unintentional operation of the lighter. Often, these mechanisms take the form of on/off switches that may prevent activation of the lighter. However, the on/off switches that must be positively moved by the user between “on” and “off” positions have drawbacks. For example, an adult user may forget to move the switch back to the “off” position after use and thereby render the on/off switch ineffective.
The prior art extended utility lighters typically have a trigger mechanism, which actuates both the fuel source and the ignitor mechanism. An example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,3269,256. In this lighter, the fuel release and spark generation are initiated by a single motion. In contrast, requiring separate and distinct motions for releasing gas and for actuating the piezoelectric mechanism would increase the difficulty of operating the extended utility lighter.
Thus, there remains a need for a utility lighter having a greater level of resistance for unintended users by requiring multiple movements or motions by the user to activate the lighter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to lighters having greater level of resistance for unintended users. The lighter comprises a housing with a nozzle having an outlet, and a fuel supply in communication with a fuel conduit adapted for selective release of fuel to the nozzle outlet. A valve actuator is included for engaging a valve to release fuel. A release member is included, and is slidably supported by the housing at a first end and unsupported at a second end such that an intended user may act on the second end of the release member and then slide the release member to engage the valve to release fuel. A trigger extends from the housing and is operatively connected to an ignitor to produce a spark to ignite the released fuel. The release member and the trigger are configured such that the intended user may release the fuel and produce the spark at substantially the same time to produce a flame.
In another embodiment, the release member has a cam surface adapted to act on the valve actuator to release fuel, such that the intended user may act on the second end to selectively release fuel. In another embodiment, the user may move the trigger in a first direction and then in second direction to produce a spark to ignite the selectively released fuel. In yet another embodiment, the lighter includes a release member biased against a stop member on the housing to restrict the fuel conduit. The release member is actuatable by a user to remove the restriction on the fuel conduit and to selectively release fuel. These features and other features are fully described and claimed herein.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2565903 (1951-08-01), Zellweger et al.
patent: 3240034 (1966-03-01), Zellweger et al.
patent: 3305144 (1967-02-01), Beres et al.
patent: 3520647 (1970-07-01), Poppel
patent: 3580698 (1971-05-01), Goto
patent: 3894273 (1975-07-01), Newport, Jr. et al.
patent: 3947731 (1976-03-01), Vainer
patent: 3998364 (1976-12-01), Hollander
patent: 4069006 (1978-01-01), Jackson
patent: 4172580 (1979-10-01), Raftis et al.
patent: 4220443 (1980-09-01), Bear
patent: 4253818 (1981-03-01), Ogawa et al.
patent: 4253820 (1981-03-01), Jarreau
patent: 4259059 (1981-03-01), Roosa et al.
patent: 4273528 (1981-06-01), Göbelt
patent: 4288209 (1981-09-01), Yoshinaga
patent: 4292021 (1981-09-01), Miyagawa
patent: 4389187 (1983-06-01), Sims
patent: 4403946 (1983-09-01), Kagawa
patent: 4457699 (1984-07-01), Hattori
patent: 4462791 (1984-07-01), Hayden
patent: 4516933 (1985-05-01), Buzzi
patent: 4538983 (1985-09-01), Zeller et al.
patent: 4569654 (1986-02-01), Borghesi
patent: 4610624 (1986-09-01), Bruhn
patent: 4635382 (1987-01-01), Bourdeau
patent: 4691691 (1987-09-01), Patenaude
patent: 4699123 (1987-10-01), Zaborowski
patent: 4778380 (1988-10-01), Nitta
patent: 4832595 (1989-05-01), Eads
patent: 4854859 (1989-08-01), Lin
patent: 4895511 (1990-01-01), Schmid
patent: 4919111 (1990-04-01), Ohsawa
patent: 4963131 (1990-10-01), Wortrich
patent: 5059852 (1991-10-01), Meury
patent: 5066220 (1991-11-01), Vick
patent: 5082440 (1992-01-01), Yamamoto
patent: 5092764 (1992-03-01), McDonough et al.
patent: 5135388 (1992-08-01), Pettit
patent: 5154483 (1992-10-01), Zeller
patent: 5154601 (1992-10-01), Capilla
patent: 5186618 (1993-02-01), Shike et al.
patent: 5199865 (1993-04-01), Liang
patent: 5222889 (1993-06-01), Hsu
patent: D337839 (1993-07-01), Zeller
patent: 5228849 (1993-07-01), Frigiere
patent: 5262697 (1993-11-01), Meury
patent: 5265840 (1993-11-01), Gillespie et al.
patent: 5284439 (1994-02-01), Shike et al.
patent: D345489 (1994-03-01), Moh
patent: 5304060 (1994-04-01), Lin
patent: 5308240 (1994-05-01), Lowenthal
patent: 5322433 (1994-06-01), Shike et al.
patent: 5326256 (1994-07-01), Shike et al.
patent: 5348467 (1994-09-01), Piffath et al.
patent: 5369556 (1994-11-01), Zeller
patent: 5412179 (1995-05-01), Chen
patent: 5417571 (1995-05-01), Kvalseth
patent: 5427522 (1995-06-01), McDonough et al.
patent: D362313 (1995-09-01), Zeller
patent: 5460521 (1995-10-01), Tsai
patent: 5478232 (1995-12-01), Dillinger et al.
patent: 5496169 (1996-03-01), Chen
patent: 5505614 (1996-04-01), Lin
patent: 5531591 (1996-07-01), Yamazaki
patent: 5531592 (1996-07-01), Tasi
patent: 5545035 (1996-08-01), Tsai
patent: 5550420 (1996-08-01), Hsu
patent: 5564918 (1996-10-01), Lin
patent: 5564919 (1996-10-01), Tsai
patent: 5616022 (1997-04-01), Moran, IV
patent: 5620318 (1997-04-01), Tsai
patent: 5655901 (1997-08-01), Makoto
patent: 5662466 (1997-09-01), Cheng
patent: 5697775 (1997-12-01), Saito et al.
patent: 5704776 (1998-01-01), Sher
patent: 5738507 (1998-04-01), Mifune et al.
patent: 5741128 (1998-04-01), Tsai
patent: 5771880 (1998-06-01), Tsai
patent: 5772423 (1998-06-01), Mandir
patent: 5839892 (1998-11-01), Hwang
patent: 5854530 (1998-12-01), LaForest et al.
patent: 5865614 (1999-02-01), Hsu
patent: 5897308 (1999-04-01), Saito et al.
patent: 5931656 (1999-08-01), Kanno
patent: 5967768 (1999-10-01), Saito et al.
patent: 5980242 (1999-11-01), Man
patent: 5997282 (1999-12-01), Man
patent: 6010328 (2000-01-01), Sung
patent: 6050810 (2000-04-01), Huang
patent: 6086359 (2000-07-01), Sher
patent: 6135763 (2000-10-01), Man
patent: 6186773 (2001-02-01), Sung
patent: 6213759 (2001-04-01), Sung
patent: 6315550 (2001-11-01), Sher
patent: 6318992 (2001-11-01), Sung
patent: 1 025 122 (1954-10-01), None
patent: 0 732 545 (1996-09-01), None
patent: 2 156 499 (1985-10-01), None
patent: 54-36882 (1977-08-01), None
patent: 54-159069 (1978-05-01), None
patent: 61-143620 (1985-10-01), None
patent: 64-10027 (1987-07-01), None
patent: 06307638 (1994-01-01), None
patent: 2036387 (1995-05-01), None
patent: 92-09851 (1992-06-01), None
patent: WO 98/31774 (1998-07-01), None
patent: WO-99/60309 (1999-11-01), None
Supermatch FLX Ope
Adams Paul
Fairbanks Floyd B.
Laforest Guy
Orazietti Richard M.
Tubby Brian
Bennett Henry
BIC Corporation
Cocks Josiah
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
LandOfFree
Utility lighter does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Utility lighter, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Utility lighter will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3039919