EP0271367A1 - Lighter with a rocking cover pivoting on the lighter body - Google Patents

Abstract

1. Lighter of the type comprising a lid (2) mounted for pivoting on the body (1) of the lighter by means of two elements (3, 4) fast respectively with said body and said lid and articulated for rotation on a pin (5), said lid being held in the closed position and in the open position by a mechanism urged by a resilient means (15, 16, 17), said mechanism being fast with two elements so as to form a sub-assembly which is fixed removably at least to the body or to the lid, this lighter being characterized in that said mechanism comprises two links (10, 11) articulated together, on said body (1) and on said lid (2), the link (10) articulated to said body being urged by said resilient means (6), the open position of the lid corresponding to the overshooting of the alignment of the articulations (12, 13, 14) of said links.

Description

The present invention relates to a lighter of the type comprising a hinged cover hinged on the body of the lighter.

Many lighters are known in which, in particular among the luxury models, the ignition system is protected, in the non-use position, by a pivoting cover. Most of the time, the opening and closing of the latter ensures, in addition, the admission and stopping of the combustible gas.

In these high-end lighters, which are required to have mechanical qualities ensuring excellent reliability, the cover is articulated on the body by means of a set of knuckles machined from the mass of these two elements and pivoting around. an axis integral with one of them (generally, the body of the lighter).

This mode of articulation has certain drawbacks. Indeed, at the manufacturing level, first of all, we note that the slightest machining error on the body or on the cover has the immediate consequence of the scrapping of these two elements. However, these are cost elements, due, on the one hand, to the raw material of which they are made and, on the other hand, to the processing of which they may have been the subject before machining operation of knuckles.

Furthermore, in order to obtain a perfect assembly, the body and the cover are generally matched immediately after machining the knuckles. However, if such a procedure makes it possible to obtain a particularly precise adjustment, it nevertheless involves a certain number of constraints.

Thus, it makes the body and the cover lose their standard character and excludes, thereafter, the replacement of a damaged cover, because the cost of a new machining of this prohibitive compared to the price of the set.

On the other hand, for reasons of ease of machining, it is customary to use relatively soft metals such as brass to produce this type of product, and the result is that the qualities of wear resistance of the knuckles are not optimal.

This is all the more annoying since the plaintiff has found that the main causes of the return of lighters to its after-sales service were the wear of the knuckles at the level of the articulation axis and the deformation of these under the shock effect suffered by the lighter.

In addition, this mechanism consisting of parts subject to significant stresses, it is also subject to wear or deformation caused by the shocks to which the lighter is subjected. It must therefore also be possible to proceed without difficulty to replacing said mechanism.

Finally, this mechanism being intended to maintain the cap in the open position and in the closed position is generally complex, which makes the assembly / disassembly operation of the cap difficult, which, therefore, can only be carried out by a specialized after-sales service.

The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks, by proposing a means which makes it possible to improve the assembly and repair of high-end lighters, while allowing a reduction in cost.

To this end, it relates to a lighter of the type comprising a tilting cover pivotally mounted on the body of the lighter by means of two elements secured respectively to said body and to said cover and articulated on an axis of rotation, said cover being maintained in closed position and in open position by a mechanism biased by an elastic means, this lighter being characterized in that, on the one hand, said mechanism is integral of the two elements articulated so as to form a sub-assembly and in that, on the other hand, said sub-assembly is removably fixed at least on the body or on the cover.

The present invention therefore has the essential advantage of promoting the maintenance of the lighter since the parts subjected to significant mechanical stresses, and therefore susceptible to wear and deformation, can be replaced in a single manipulation. Thus, the exchange of the sub-assembly, which can be carried out by a simple mechanical operation such as screwing / unscrewing, will be a much easier operation than the simple dismantling of a cover which, generally, requires the removal of 'a pin.

The present invention therefore simplifies a maintenance operation which, until now, could only be entrusted to a specialist.

The mechanism for holding the cover in the open and closed position may comprise, for example two links articulated together, on the body and on the lighter, the link articulated on said body being urged by the elastic means and the position of opening of the cover corresponding to the exceeding of the alignment of the articulations of said links.

This mechanism may also include telescopic means articulated on the solid elements of the body and of the cover, while the elastic means will comprise a return member for these telescopic means, the open position of the cover corresponding to a position of the axis of rotation of said elements located below the line joining the points of articulation of said telescopic means on said elements.

The means of articulations, as well as the opening mechanism / closure, will preferably be made of metals of sufficient hardness to give them good resistance to wear and to the various mechanical stresses to which they are subjected. The mechanical qualities of the materials used to make the body and the cover will therefore no longer be critical and it will be possible to use metals neglected until now for this use, because of their poor mechanical qualities, such as, for example , precious metals, since the elements subjected to wear and significant mechanical stresses will be made of a metal of higher hardness.

On the other hand, we know that the machining of knuckles, when we want them to be carried out without apparent play, is a matter of micromechanics, that is to say of a kind of manufacturing reserved for small parts that must have very tight manufacturing tolerances. However, performing on the same post, on the one hand, work relating to micromechanics and, on the other hand, operations relating to simple mechanics, is a source of complication, since these two types of work must be carried out by different specialists on different chains.

By grouping the articulated elements and the opening / closing mechanism in a removable sub-assembly, this disadvantage is avoided. In addition, the assembly of these elements is greatly facilitated, since it takes place at the level of the sub-assembly and that, consequently, the various constituent elements are accessible from all sides, which is of course not the case. case when the articulated elements must be cut on the body and the lighter cover.

In addition, the fact of making the articulated elements as well as the opening / closing mechanism with materials having high mechanical qualities allows, without reducing their strength, to significantly reduce their dimensions and in particular their thickness. Due to this reduced thickness, the elements of the sub-assembly can be machined by techniques that have not been used until now, such as press cutting. This reduces the manufacturing cost of the product.

The construction of a sub-assembly also makes it possible to simplify the process for producing the product, since its manufacturing cost, relatively low compared to that of the assembly, makes it possible to carry out storage avoiding stopping the production line for lack of availability of lighters fitted with hinges.

The sub-assembly will be fixed to the lighter by its articulated elements, which may, for example, be housed in a groove made in the edges of the body and the cover. It will thus be possible to conceal from the view of the user the profile of the knuckles and the ends of the axes of rotation.

However, the two articulated elements can advantageously protrude outside the grooves in which they are housed, in order to give the lighter an original ornamental appearance and to facilitate its gripping. They will be made integral with the body and the lighter cover, for example, by screwing.

The opening / closing mechanism may be constituted in a manner known per se of two links hinged together and on the two hinged elements, one of the links being urged by an elastic return means such as a spring and the locking position corresponding to a position in which the alignment of the three articulation points of said links is exceeded, the part of the articulation system integral with said cover being shaped so that in the open position of the cover, it is stressed by said elastic return means.

• La figure 1 est une coupe d'une première forme de réalisa­tion du briquet, en position fermée, par un plan parallèle à ses plus grandes faces;
• La figure 2 est une vue de dessus du briquet;
• La figure 3 est une vue en élévation, suivant la flèche F de la figure 1;
• Les figures 4 et 5 sont deux vues analogues à la figure 3 de deux autres formes de réalisation de l'invention;
• La figure 6 est une coupe partielle d'une variante de réalisation du mécanisme d'ouverture/fermeture du couvercle du briquet.

The appended schematic drawings illustrate various forms of implementation of the invention. In these drawings:

• Figure 1 is a section of a first embodiment of the lighter, in the closed position, by a plane parallel to its largest faces;
• Figure 2 is a top view of the lighter;
• Figure 3 is an elevational view, along arrow F of Figure 1;
• Figures 4 and 5 are two views similar to Figure 3 of two other embodiments of the invention;
• Figure 6 is a partial section of an alternative embodiment of the opening / closing mechanism of the lighter cover.

The lighter shown in FIG. 1 is of a known type with two parts hinged together, namely a body 1 and a tilting cover 2.

In accordance with the invention, the body 1 and the cover 2 are hinged together by a separate piece comprising two branches 3 and 4 joined by a hinge pin 5 and housed in grooves with a U-section, respectively 6 for the body 1 and 7 for the cover 2, these grooves being formed in the rear vertical part, with a narrow section, of these parts.

A screw 8, accessible from the outside, joins the branch 3 and the body 1, while a screw 9, accessible from the inside of the cover 2, joins the latter to the branch 4.

To block the cover 2 in the open position, after pivoting 90 ° relative to the position shown in FIG. 1, the body and the cover are joined in a known manner by a system of links 10 and 11, articulated together at 12 and 13 and 14 respectively on the body 1 and the cover 2. The locking in position opening corresponds to the exceeding of the alignment point of the joints 12, 13 and 14, and a spring 15, housed in a recess 16 of the body 1, biases upwards by a head 17 the lower link 10 articulated on the body 1 .

According to the invention, the branch 4 of the articulation system is shaped such that, at its lower part 18, the head 17, pushed by the spring 15 can come to bear there in the open position of the cover.

It will be noted that, in the embodiment shown, the branches 3 and 4 of the articulation system protrude at the rear of the lighter outside their housings 6 and 7, which facilitates the gripping of the lighter and gives it an appearance original. Of course, this form is not limiting and Figures 4 and 5 illustrate two alternative embodiments within the scope of the invention.

In the case of FIG. 4, the branch 4ʹ of the articulation system integral with the cover 2ʹ has a T-shaped cross section, the central part of which is housed in a recess 6ʹ on the rear face of the cover. It is the same, of course, the other articulated branch (not shown) and the body of the lighter.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the branch 4ʺ of the articulation system has a U-shaped cross section and it is a projecting part 20 of the cover 2ʺ which is received between the branches of the U.

Of course, the removable sub-assembly according to the invention could comprise a completely different mechanism than the link system of FIG. 1. It would thus be possible to use telescopic means, known in themselves, such as those which are represented on the Figure 6, which will be referred to below.

In the embodiment of this FIG. 6, the sub-assembly according to the invention comprises two branches 3ʹ and 4ʹ articulated on an axis 23, while the opening / closing mechanism consists, in known manner, of a sheath 25 articulated by means of an axis 27 on the branch 3ʹ, a piston 29 articulated on the branch 4ʹ by means of an axis 28, and a compression spring 31.

The latter is housed in the sheath 25 and exerts a force F on the branch 4ʹ in the direction of the two axes 27 and 28.

Thus, the torque of the force F relative to the axis 23 applies the lighter cover in the closed position, when the axis 23 is above the line joining the axes 27 and 28, and maintains said cover in open position, when axis 23 is below said line.

The branch 3ʹ is pierced with a threaded orifice intended to receive a tube 22 containing the means (not shown in the drawing) intended to ensure expansion and limitation of the gas flow rate. The tube 22 has a boss 24 bearing, once screwed into the branch 3ʹ, on the body 1ʹ of the lighter. It thus ensures the attachment of this branch 3ʹ, without using means visible from the outside of the lighter.

Note the ease with which, in all the variants of the lighter according to the invention, the articulation system can be separated from the body and the lighter cover, to be replaced, if necessary, without changing the parts essentials of the lighter.

Claims (9)

1. Lighter of the type comprising a tilting cover (2) pivotally mounted on the body (1) of the lighter by means of two elements (3, 4; 3ʹ, 4ʹ) integral respectively with said body and with said cover and articulated on an axis of rotation (5, 24), said cover being held in the closed position and in the open position by a mechanism biased by an elastic means, characterized in that on the one hand said mechanism is integral with the two elements so as to form a sub-assembly and in that, on the other hand, said sub-assembly is removably fixed at least on the body or on the cover. 2. Lighter according to claim 1, characterized in that said mechanism comprises two rods (10, 11) hinged together, on said body (1) and on said cover (2), the rod (10) articulated on said body being biased by said elastic means (6), the position of opening of the cover corresponding to the exceeding of the alignment of the articulations (12, 13, 14) of said links. 3. Lighter according to claim 1, characterized in that said mechanism comprises telescopic means (25, 29) articulated on said elements (3ʹ, 4ʹ) integral with said body and said cover, while said elastic means comprises a return member ( 31) of said telescopic means, the open position of said cover corresponding to a position of the axis of rotation (23) of said elements (3ʹ, 4ʹ) located below the line joining the articulation points (27, 28 ) of said telescopic means of said elements. 4. Lighter according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the two articulated elements (3, 4; 3ʹ, 4ʹ) are made of a metal with a hardness greater than that of the metal of which said body (1) and said cover are made. (2). 5. Lighter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two articulated elements (3, 4) are housed in grooves (6, 7) formed in the edge of said body (1) and said cover (2). 6. Lighter according to claim 5, characterized in that the two articulated elements are sufficiently embedded in said grooves (6, 7) so that the ends of the axis of rotation (5) are concealed by the edges thereof. 7. Lighter according to claim 5, characterized in that said articulated elements (3, 4) protrude outside said grooves (6, 7). 8. Lighter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said articulated elements (3ʹ, 4ʹ) have a T-shaped cross section, the central part of which is housed in a groove (6ʹ) of the edge of the body and of said cover. 9. Lighter according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said articulated elements (3ʹ, 4ʹ) have a U-shaped cross section in which is housed a projecting part (20) of said body and said cover.

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