EP0136333A1

EP0136333A1 - Pocket lighters

Info

Publication number: EP0136333A1
Application number: EP84901064A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Henning Stougaard Pedersen
Original assignee: Handelsanpartsselskabet Af 15januar 1982
Current assignee: Handelsanpartsselskabet Af 15januar 1982
Priority date: 1983-03-11
Filing date: 1984-03-09
Publication date: 1985-04-10
Also published as: NO844510L; GB2136941A; PT78221A; GB2136941B; IT1173814B; ES278296Y; GB8406193D0; IT8420003A0; WO1984003550A1; ES278296U; PT78221B; IT8421188V0

Abstract

Le fond d'un briquet de poche est façonné en saillie (3) de section transversale réduite de manière à pouvoir être utilisé comme bourre-pipe. La saillie a la forme d'un crochet dépouillé; le briquet peut ainsi être utilisé comme décapsuleur. Plutôt que d'être formée sur le briquet de poche lui-même, la saillie en crochet (3) peut être prévue sur le fond d'un boîtier (1) pouvant recevoir le réservoir de combustible combiné avec la poignée (13) d'un briquet standard de type jetable. Le crochet (3) en plastique peut posséder une languette métallique insérée (15) dont l'extrémité extérieure (14, 16) sert de renfort de surface pour la partie superficielle du crochet (3) engageant le bord de la capsule ou fait saillie à partir de cette partie superficielle afin de pouvoir s'engager de manière très sûre avec l'intérieur du bord de la capsule.The bottom of a pocket lighter is shaped projecting (3) of reduced cross section so that it can be used as a pipe tamper. The projection has the form of a stripped hook; the lighter can thus be used as a bottle opener. Rather than being formed on the pocket lighter itself, the hook projection (3) can be provided on the bottom of a housing (1) which can receive the fuel tank combined with the handle (13) of a standard disposable type lighter. The plastic hook (3) may have an inserted metal tongue (15) whose outer end (14, 16) serves as surface reinforcement for the surface part of the hook (3) engaging the edge of the capsule or projects from from this surface part in order to be able to engage very securely with the inside of the edge of the capsule.

Description

Pocket lighters.

The present invention relates to a pocket lighter comprising a manually seizable handle as constituting a fuel tank.

The invention particularly relates to lighters of the type comprising a longish fuel tank extending downwardly from the lighter top as comprising the lighter burner and ingniter unit.

On such lighters the bottom of the handle, in general, is configured flat so that the lighter can be left standing alone, although this is no functional requirement.

Pocket lighters exist as refillable lighters and lighters which are disposable and purchasable at a relatively low price, and the invention is mainly concerned with the latter type of lighters.

The invention aims at an improvement of the housing of the lighter, i.e. an improvement of the handle as normally constituting the fuel tank.

According to one aspect of the invention the end or bottom of the handle of the lighter comprises a hook like protrusion, which projects downwardly adjacent one side of the bottom surface and partially inwardly over the remaining bottom surface. The lowermost exposed surface portion of this projection will be of an area smaller than the cross sectional area of the lighter handle, whereby it is usable in a highly relevant manner as a pipe stopper. Additionally, the hook like projection will be usable for another typical "pocket tool purpose", viz. as a crown cork opener, whereby the utility of the pocket lighter will be widely extended.

According to another aspect of the invention the

OMPI said protrusion is provided on a casing member dimensioned so as to be able to receive and releasably hold the lighter handle by insertion thereof into the casing member, whereby the casing and its associated hook will be reusable on disposable lighters of the shape to which the casing is adapted.

In the following the invention is described in more detail, by way of examples with reference to the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a lighter as provided with a tool projection according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a tool carrying casing member, Fig. 3 is a bottom view of a tool insert for use with a particular type of lighters.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the insert shown in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a side view illustrating the use of the lighter as a crown cork opener, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the hook projection in a modified embodiment of the invention.

In Fig.. 1 is illustrated that a conventional pocket lighter of the disposable everyday type is mounted in a casing 1, which is shown separately in Fig. 2. The casing 1 is provided or rather integrally produced with a solid bottom portion 2, from which a hook portion 3 projects downwardly so as to define a recess 4 adjacent the remaining bottom part 5 of the bottom portion 2. The casing 1, preferably, is made of a hard or semihard plastic material, which renders the thin-walled lighter receiving casing portion slightly resiliently deformable, while the solid and thick bottom portion 2 and hook 3 are hard material parts. The tubular lighter receiving portion is shaped so as to conform to the shape of the lighter handle or body portion, designated

> 13, such that this portion is received by the casing in a self holding, yet retractable manner. Reference numerals 8,9,10 and 11 designate familiar standard elements of the top end of the lighter. it will be appreciated that the lower side of the hook portion 3 will be usable as a smoking pipe stopper and that - as illustrated in Fig. 5 - the entire bottom portion of the lighter casing is even usable as a crown cork opener. The surface of the bottom part 5 is slightly oblique to the plane normal to the longitudinal axis of the assembly, such that the lighter assembley, for crown cork opening, should be moved from the slightly inclined initial position as shown in Fig. 5 towards or through a vertical position, whereby optimal handling conditions are secured.

If necessary, a reinforeing metallic insert may be placed in the hook portion 3 so as to be exposed at 14 (Fig. 1), i.e. at the crown cork edge engaging area of the hook portion 3. Many conventional lighters of the disposable type are provided with translucent fuel tank walls, whereby the remaining volume of gas liquid is directly observable. The tubular wall of the casing 1 should not necessarily be translucent, because the user can easily from time to time remove the casing 1 from the lighter for checking the gas level. Thus, the reusable casing may even improve the appearance of the lighter, and it may have a textured surface as preferred by many users. in Figs. 3 and 4 is shown a lighter bottom member 6 shaped generally as the lower casing part 2 of Figs. 1 and 2 and provided with an upstanding central portion 7, which is receivable in a bottom cavity 14 of a lighter handle 13. The bottom member 6 is secured to the lighter, preferably under factory conditions, by glueing or welding. Should the lighter be of the

^ , refillable type, a filling access hole 12, Fig. 3 may be provided in the bottom member 6.

The metallic insert 14 (Fig. 1), preferably, is intended as a surface reinforcement only, for protecting the relevant surface postion of the hook member from being damaged by repeated engagements with the edges of crown corks (Fig. 5) . In a preferred embodiment the insert 14 is constituted by an outer end portion of a thin strip of sheet steel or stainless steel, this end portion being exposed practically flush with the surrounding inner surface of the hook member 3. The member 14, of course, may be secured in any suitable manner, e.g. shaped with bent holding flange portions, with which it is anchored in the plastic material upon being laid into the casting die. However, a preferred arrangement is shown in Fig. 2, where the said thin strip stretches through the material of the hook member 3 so as to have^" its opposite end 15 projecting slightly up from the top surface of the bottom portion 2. In the production the end portion

15 is used for the holding of the strip in its correct position in the die, such that the other end portion 14 may be correctly placed therein, and the portion 15 is left by the relevant holding and die tool when the cast member 1,2,3 is rejected from the casting machine. Alternatively, the strip member may be held so as to have the end portion 15 projecting from an outer surface portion of the hook member 3, whereby, of course, it will be necessary to remove the projection by a subsequent machining operation.

However, while the metallic insert 14 is usable for surface protection, it may nevertheless form an active part of the hook member 3, when its outer end is bent upwardly as shown at 16 in Fig. 6. The free end portion 16 projects from the outer edge area of the hook portion at such an angle that it can be eased under

OMPI the lower crown cork edge when the unit is placed in the opener position as illustrated in Fig. 5. A very safe grip of the crown cork edge is ensured hereby, and the unit will be stabilized in its operative position or engagement throughout the opening operation.

In Fig. 6 unlike Fig. 3, the hook has the full width of the casing 1 , but with the usual standard width of the relevant lighters the hook portion will still be usable as a pipe stopper.

[fix;

Claims

"CLAIMS :

1. A pocket lighter having a top burner and igniter: portion (8-10) and a combined fuel tank and handle portion (13) projecting downwardly therefrom or a casing member for exchangeably receiving the handle portion of such a lighter, characterized in that the lower end of the handle or casing portion (3) is provided with a downwardly projecting hook member (3) , the lower end of which has an area smaller than the cross sectional area of the lower end of the handle (13), the hook member (3) being designed so as to be usable as a crown cork opener in response to tilting of said lighter handle portion.

2. A lighter or lighter casing according to claim 1 , in which the hook member is a projection (3) extending downwardly from the lighter handle or casing bottom adjacent one side thereof and partially inwardly over the remaining bottom side (5) thereof.

3. A lighter or lighter casing according to claim 1, in which the hook member (3) is made of plastics integrally with the lighter handle or casing portion, and in which the^' crown cork edge engaging surface area of the hook member (3) is reinforced against scratching by means of a metallic member (1.4) as anchored in the plastic material of the hook member and surface exposed in the said surface area.

4. A lighter or lighter casing according to claim 1, in which the hook member (3) is made of plastics integrally with the lighter handle or casing portion, and in which the hook member is provided with a metallic strip insert, the outer end (16) of which is projecting from the free end of the hook member in a generally upwardly bent manner so as to be engageable with the inside of the generally cylindrical skirt portion of a crown cork.