AU727642B2 - Safety device for a gas lighter - Google Patents

Description

WO 98/40674 PCT/NZ900031 SAFETY DEVICE FOR A GAS LIGHTER TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to safety devices. More particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a safety device for use as a child resistant guard for a lighter.

BACKGROUND ART Conventional hand held gas lighters used for igniting cigarettes and cigars and the like are considered to be dangerous in the hands of young children. These dangers are considered to be significant enough in countries such as the United States of America, Canada and Australia that safety legislation has been implemented.

Children who are unaware of the dangers of lighters are at risk with igniting a lighter too close to their face and/or clothes and setting fire to inflammable material including carpet, wallpaper, and upholstery and the like. This is generally by running the flint wheel along carpet or hung wallpaper with the gas lever pressed, or in the case of an electronic lighter by simply pressing the activation lever.

It is an object of the invention to provide a safety device to overcome at least some of the above mentioned problems, or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first broad aspect of the invention there is provided a safety device, the device including a casing of a sufficient size and shape to retain a lighter, one end of the casing having a bearing member to which a said lighter gas release lever can bear against and a first aperture to allow a flame to ignite therethrough, the other end of the casing having a second aperture through which, in use, the said lighter is moveable so that the said gas release lever bears against the bearing member to release gas.

WO 98/40674 PCT/NZ98/00031 Preferably the device further comprises a lighter activating lever adjacent the second aperture to facilitate operation of the said lighter. Desirably the lighter activating lever is removably attachable to the casing. Advantageously the lighter activating lever is formed of pliable material to allow the distal end to bend outwardly thereby increasing the second aperture sufficiently for easy insertion or replacement of lighters.

Alternatively the casing comprises two removably attachable sections, the sections being separable by fastening means. Preferably the fastening means are clips.

Desirably a key ring or chain retaining means is integral with the casing.

Preferably the device further comprises a spring biasing means to bias the lower end of the said lighter against the opposite side of the casing from gas release lever, the spring biasing means being located adjacent the lower end of the said lighter. Preferably the spring biasing means is a spring leaf lever is attached to the inside of the casing.

Preferably the device further comprises a locking means to lock the gas release lever.

Desirably the locking means is a locking member. Preferably the spring leaf lever and the locking member are an integral unit.

Preferably the device further comprises a lighter being retained within the casing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described by way of examples only of preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1: illustrates a side view of a safety device according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2: illustrates a left end view of the safety device of figure 1.

WO 98/40674 PCT/NZ98/00031 Figure 3: illustrates a flint wheel gas lighter being retained in the safety device of figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4: illustrates a side elevation of a safety device according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5: illustrates the operation of the safety device of figure 4.

Figure 6: illustrates a user operating an electronic gas lighter retained in the safety device of figures 4 and DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to figures 1 to 3, a safety device, generally indicated by 1, in association with a hand held gas lighter according to a first embodiment of the invention, is illustrated.

The device 1 comprises a casing 2 of a sufficient size and shape to retain a gas lighter The casing is desirably made of a durable and resilient material such as, for example, a plastics material or pressed metal which will not distort when being used in association with a lighter. As hand held gas lighters are made in various shapes and sizes, the casing 2 should be moulded in a shape to conform to the particular lighter for which it is designed to encompass and be large enough to allow the particular lighter to be operated within.

The casing 2 is desirably constructed in two sections. The two sections are desirably joined transversely at joint 3 to allow a lighter to be inserted and subsequently replaced. Preferably the casing sections are removably attachable by fastening means in the form of clips 4. The number of clips 4 required to attach the two casing sections can vary, and in this embodiment four male, and four corresponding female, clips 4 are used.

Further, the sections of the casing 2 may be permanently attachable when the device 1 is made to be integral with a lighter as a disposable unit. Therefore, it will be appreciated the WO 98/40674 PCT/NZ98/00031 clips 4 used can be designed to permanently fasten sections of the casing 2 or be removably attachable when the device 1 is designed to be reusable when the lighter 15 is empty of gas.

It will also be appreciated the clips 4 can be of a child resistant type to prevent young children from tampering with the device 1.

The top end of the casing 2 has a bearing member in the form of a pressure release block In use, a lighter gas valve release lever 17 will bear against the block 5 and release gas. A first aperture 6 allows a sufficient opening for a flame to ignite freely into air.

The lower end of the casing 2 preferably has a safety block 7 which has a greater thickness than the casing 2 so as to withstand a downward pressure if pressure is exerted onto the top end of the lighter. The safety block 7 also minimises potential tampering of a lighter.

A second aperture 8 allows access to the lower end of a lighter 15. Preferably a lighter activating lever 9 forms part of the casing 2 to facilitate operation of the lighter 15. Slots are cut into the casing 2 to increase the flexibility and pliability of the lever 9. The lever 9 is desirably shaped with a bulbous end portion 11. Other desirably shaped end portions are envisaged within the scope of the invention. In operation, a user presses the lever 9 inwards to bear against the lower end of a lighter Optionally a key ring or chain retaining means 12 is moulded to the casing 2 so that the device 1 can be used additionally to hold keys and/or be carried about a person's neck.

Referring now particularly to figure 3, the device 1 of figures 1 and 2 in operation with a flint wheel lighter 15, is illustrated.

The device 1 can be assembled for sale with an appropriate design of lighter. In this embodiment the gas lighter 15, which is activated by revolving a flint wheel 16 to ignite gas released by opening the gas release lever 17, is retained within the device 1.

In operation, a user may hold the device 1 between their thumb and forefinger as shown in figure 3. The tip of the thumb rests on the flint wheel 16 and the index finger on the lever 9.

WO 98/40674 PCT/NZ98/00031 Other fingers can be employed to further increase the hold on the device 1. The user then operates the lighter by pressing the lever 9 inwards to push the lighter 15 upwards until the gas release lever 17 bears against the pressure release block 5 and gas is released. The user then revolves the flint wheel 16 with their thumb to ignite the gas to create a flame.

It will be appreciated there are many different methods of operating the device 1 and the lighter 15 just as there are many methods of holding and operating a gas lighter per se.

It will be appreciated that to operate a gas lighter 15 with a flint wheel 16 requires both pressing the gas release lever 17 to release gas and igniting the gas by revolving the flint wheel 16. As the gas release lever 17 of a lighter 15 is guarded from direct access by the pressure release block 5, if a child attempts to operate the flint wheel 16 by running the flint wheel along material such as carpet, upholstery or wallpaper, no gas will be released. In this situation the lighter 15 will generally be pushed inside the device 1, and be returned to its normal passive state when pressure is released. When the lighter 15 is used in this situation without the device 1 of the invention, there is a real risk of a child activating the lighter 15 to create a flame and burning or setting fire to the material.

Referring now to figures 4 to 6, a safety device, generally indicated by 20, according to a second embodiment of the invention, is illustrated in association with an electronic lighter 21.

As the electronic lighter 21 does not have a flint wheel, its operation only requires activating the ignition lever 22 to both release and ignite the gas to create a flame. This means the two step method of operation as described with the first embodiment does not apply with electronic lighters. With electronic lighters, therefore, introducing an additional step in the operation is advantageous and offers added protection.

The device 20 comprises a casing 23 of a sufficient size and shape to retain the electronic lighter 21. The casing is similar in composition to the device 1 of the first embodiment and therefore the description and features will not be repeated. It will be appreciated that, as with WO 98/40674 PCT/NZ98/00031 the casing 2 in figures 1 and 2, it can be constructed in two sections to be permanently attached or removably attached so as to replace a lighter.

The top end of the casing 23 has a bearing member 24 in the form of a pressure release block against which, in use, the ignition lever 22 bears and a first aperture 25 through which the lighter 21 protrudes when activated. The bottom end of the casing 23 desirably has a safety block 26 that minimises any tampering of the lighter 21 and also ensures the lighter 21 is retained in the device 1. The safety block 26 desirably has a greater thickness than the casing 23 to withstand pressure being exerted thereon by the lighter 21. A second aperture 27 allows access through the casing 23 to the lower end of the lighter 21.

The additional step of the method of operating an electronic lighter 21 is achieved by a locking means 28 in the form of a locking member. The locking member 28 is designed to bear against the shoulder of the lighter 21 under the ignition lever 22 to prevent the ignition lever 22 from inadvertently igniting gas by being moved in direction B against the pressure release block 24. Spring biasing means in the form of a spring leaf 29 biases the lower end of the lighter 21 against the opposite side of the casing 23 from the ignition lever 22. This is to spring bias the lighter 21 in a locking position with the locking member 28 bearing against the underside of the activation lever 22 The spring leaf 29 is desirably tongue shaped. Desirably the locking member 28 and spring leaf 29 are integrated as one unit 30 and attached to the casing 23 by suitable attachment means 31. The unit 30 has a reflex angle 32 to increase the mechanical advantage of the spring leaf 29. Desirably the spring leaf 28 and locking member 29 are made of a suitable plastics material or metal.

It will be seen that the locking member 28 and spring leaf 29 provide an advantageous safety feature to the device 20 to minimise undesirable ignitions and to make it difficult for children to use. It is seen that children who do not have the co-ordination and strength to operate the device 20 can be deterred from operating a lighter because of the safety device of the invention.

WO 98/40674 PCT/NZ98/00031 Referring now particularly to figures 5 and 6, the method of operation of the second embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In operation, a user preferably holds the device 20 in an upright position between their thumb and index finger. A user's thumb is located on the corner of the lighter 21 exposed through the second aperture 27 and their index finger on the pressure release block 24.

The user can first exert pressure using their thumb in direction A so as to dislodge the ignition lever 22 away from the locking member 28, and secondly can exert upward pressure in direction B with the thumb to depress and activate the ignition lever 22 against the pressure release block 24 to ignite a flame. When the user has finished using the flame for whatever purpose, upward pressure in direction B is released and the lighter 21 rebounds back to its passive state and the locking member 28 locks under lever 22.

It will be appreciated, as with operating the first embodiment of the invention, that there are many methods of operating the device according to the second embodiment of the invention, and that the method described is but one method of operation.

A problem with electronic lighters is that children as young as about two can easily ignite a flame by simply depressing the lever 22 on any surface such as, for example, carpet or wallpaper. An advantage with the invention is that the lighter lever can not be activated directly as the bearing member 24 functions as a guard. Advantageously, a child would therefore find it difficult to operate the lighter.

A further advantage of the invention is that it prevents or at least minimises unwanted gas emissions and ignition when stored in a user's pocket or handbag.

It will be appreciated the devices 1 and 20 can be constructed as an integral unit with a lighter in a disposable unit or be a reusable unit by being able to separate the sections of the casing to replace a spent lighter with a new lighter.

It will also be appreciated the casing may not be made in sections, and that the system for inserting a lighter may be by a pressure release block being made as a separate component.

WO 98/40674 PCT/NZ98/00031 In this case a lighter would first be inserted and then a fastener or sealer would be used to permanently attach the pressure release block. Alternatively the safety block at the bottom of a casing may be designed as the means for inserting or replacing a lighter.

An advantage with having a casing is that it offers the additional safety protection against puncturing of a lighter body.

Wherein the foregoing reference has been made to integers or components having known equivalents, then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth.

Additional advantages of the present invention will become apparent for those skilled in the art after considering the principles in particular form as discussed and illustrated. Thus, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described or illustrated, but is intended to cover all alterations or modifications which are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. A safety device, the device including a casing of a sufficient size and shape to retain a gas lighter and allow the said lighter to be freely moveable within, one end of the casing having a bearing member to which a said lighter gas release lever can bear against and a first aperture to allow a flame to ignite therethrough, the other end of the casing having a second aperture through which, in use, the said lighter is moveable relative to the casing so that the said gas release lever bears against the bearing member to release gas.

2. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a lighter activating lever protruding into the second aperture to facilitate an upward movement of the said lighter relative to the casing.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the lighter activating lever is removably attachable to the casing.

4. A device according to either claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the lighter activating lever is formed of pliable material to allow the distal end to bend outwardly thereby increasing the second aperture sufficiently for easy insertion or replacement of lighters.

A device according to claim 1, wherein the casing comprises a removably attachable section, the section being attachable and separable by fastening means.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the fastening means are clips.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein a key ring or chain retaining means is integral with the casing.

8. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a spring biasing means to bias the 9 AMENDED SHEET IPEA/AU PCT/NZ98/0003 I Rcceived 22 December 1998 lower end of the said lighter against the opposite side of the casing from the gas release lever, the spring biasing means being located adjacent the lower end of the said lighter.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein the spring biasing means is a spring leaf lever attached to the inside of the casing.

A device according to claim 9, further comprising a locking member to prevent the gas release lever from inadvertently activating to release gas.

11. A device according to claim 10, wherein the locking member is a protrusion extending within the casing adjacent the underside of the gas release lever.

12. A device according to claim 10, wherein the spring leaf lever and the locking member are an integral unit.

13. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 12 in association with a gas lighter being retained within the casing.

14. A device substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings. S O j ^tVT OV AMENDED SHEET IPEA/AU