EP1557610B1 - Lighter unit for insert in a lighter housing - Google Patents

Abstract

Lighter insert for inserting in a lighter housing comprises a compressed gas burner (2) connected to a fuel chamber (1) and supplied with fuel from the fuel chamber during operation. The compressed gas burner has a fuel valve coupled to an actuating element for opening/closing the fuel valve and an ignition element (5) for igniting the fuel. Preferred Features: The fuel chamber is made of a plastic material. The fuel chamber is arranged in the housing base and the compressed gas chamber is housed in the housing lid when the housing base is closed by the housing lid.

Description

The invention relates to a lighter insert that can be used in a lighter case. Such an application is from document US-A-6,247,920 already known.

Frequently, lighters are provided in several parts with an outer housing and a lighter insert. The outer housing is usually shapely and aesthetically designed, while the lighter insert is merely functional and is substantially completely or partially received in the housing. Only the burner of the lighter is visible from the outside after assembly or can be made accessible by opening the case.

So far, lighter inserts are known with a conventional gasoline burner or with a conventional gas burner. However, these lighter inserts do not provide sufficient security against extinction by draft. Furthermore, the flame temperatures in such lighter inserts are too low for certain applications, e.g. for melting or melting of metals and plastics, for example during soldering.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lighter insert available that can be used in a lighter case and has sufficient security against extinction by draft. It is another object of the present invention to provide a lighter insert available whose flame temperature is increased compared to the flame temperature of a conventional lighter insert with gas or gasoline burner.

This object is achieved by the lighter insert according to claim 1.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

According to the invention, a lighter insert for insertion into a lighter case having a housing base and a housing cover pivotally mounted thereto. The lighter insert has a fuel chamber and a pressurized gas burner connected to the fuel chamber to deliver fuel from the fuel chamber to the pressurized gas burner during firing. The compressed gas burner includes a fuel valve coupled to an actuator to open or close the fuel valve and a primer to ignite fuel.

It is advantageous that the lighter insert has a pressurized gas burner in which fuel is mixed with air under pressure through nozzles and burns without substantial soot evolution with a limited substantially non-flickering flame. Such a flame is significantly more resistant to drafts and also has a higher temperature than conventional burners of gasoline or gas lighters.

The lighter insert is designed so that it can be inserted into a lighter case with a housing base and a housing cover closing the housing cover. In this case, the fuel chamber is completely or partially receivable in the housing base and the compressed gas burner when closing the housing base with the housing cover substantially received in the housing cover. When closing the lighter case, the actuator can be moved by pivoting the housing cover to a closed position, so that the fuel supply is interrupted. When opening the lighter case, the actuator can by pivoting the housing cover in an open position be moved so that fuel is supplied to the compressed gas burner.

The dimensions of the fuel chamber may substantially correspond to the inner dimensions of the housing base, so that the fuel chamber is held by form and / or frictional engagement when used in the housing base.

In particular, the fuel chamber may be made of a plastic material.

The fuel chamber may have projections which increase a width of the fuel chamber over the corresponding inner dimension, so that the fuel chamber is elastically deformed when inserted into the housing base and holds the fuel chamber in the housing base by adhesion in the inserted state.

The compressed gas burner may have a wind protection element with ventilation openings, which is arranged substantially cylindrically around the fuel valve, so that the flame generated by the compressed gas burner is generated substantially in the interior of the cylindrical wind protection element. Thus, the sensitivity of the compressed gas burner of the lighter insert according to the invention against drafts can be further increased.

• Figur 1 eine perspektivische Ansicht des erfindungsgemäßen Feuerzeugeinsatzes;
• Figur 2 eine Seitenansicht des erfindungsgemäßen Feuerzeugeinsatzes;
• Figur 3 eine Draufsicht auf die Oberseite des Feuerzeugeinsatzes;
• Figur 4 eine Draufsicht auf die Unterseite des Feuerzeugseinsatzes,
• Figur 5 eine Draufsicht auf eine Seite des Fellerzeugeinsatzes;
• Figur 6 eine Draufsicht auf eine weitere Seite des Feuerzeugeinsatzes;
• Figur 7 einen erfindungsgemäßen Feuerzeugeinsatz in einem Gehäuse; und
• Figur 8 eine Darstellung des Einsetzens des Feuerzeugeinsatzes in das Feuerzeuggehäuse.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Show it:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of the lighter insert according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a side view of the lighter insert according to the invention;
• Figure 3 is a plan view of the top of the lighter insert;
• FIG. 4 is a plan view of the underside of the lighter insert;
• Figure 5 is a plan view of one side of the Fellerzeuginsatzes;
• Figure 6 is a plan view of another side of the lighter insert;
• FIG. 7 shows a lighter insert according to the invention in a housing; and
• Figure 8 is an illustration of the insertion of the lighter insert in the lighter case.

1 shows a lighter insert according to the invention is shown in a perspective view. The lighter insert has a fuel chamber 1 in which fuel is under pressure. At the fuel chamber 1, a compressed gas burner 2 is arranged. The compressed gas burner 2 comprises a fuel valve 3 (see FIG. 3), which is surrounded by a wind protection element 4. The fuel valve 3 discharges fuel in the open state into a flame area which is located inside the wind protection element 4. The wind protection element 4 has ventilation openings 7 in order to supply the burner flame with oxygen.

The pressurized gas burner 2 further comprises an ignition trigger 5, which has a piezoelectric element (not shown), wherein an ignition voltage is generated by pressing the Zünddrückers 5, which is passed via corresponding electrical connection lines to a firing tip 6. The firing tip 6 is located in a flame region of the compressed gas burner 2, so that fuel, which is located in the flame area, can be ignited by a spark generated by a flashover.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the lighter insert according to the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the upper side of the lighter insert with the compressed gas burner. Here, the fuel valve 3 can be seen in the interior of the windbreak 4. The fuel valve 3 is designed to deliver the fuel from the fuel chamber 1 under pressure into the flame area. In particular, the compressed gas burner 2 is designed as a so-called jet flame burner or laser flame burner. The pressure at which the fuel is discharged into the flame area is increased over that of a conventional gas lighter. Furthermore, the fuel is mixed with the air during the outflow so that a substantially complete combustion of the fuel takes place with very little development of soot.

In particular, the fuel valve 3 has a plurality of nozzle openings, which are designed so that a jet flame flame is generated. A jet flame flame is a flame that results when an air / fuel mixture is directed under pressure into a combustion area. In contrast to conventional gas lighters, which only direct gas through an outlet nozzle into the combustion area, in Jetflame technology, an air / fuel mixture is generated before or during introduction into the combustion chamber. As a result, the combustion takes place at a substantially optimal mixing ratio between air and fuel. In any case, combustion does not take place with too rich a fuel mixture.

The fuel valve 3 is coupled to a leaflet 8 as an actuating element for the fuel valve 3. The leaflet extends laterally out of the windscreen element 4. Upon actuation of the leaflet 8 by depression, the fuel valve 3 is opened to direct fuel into the flame area.

As a fuel lighter gas is usually used because it can be stored well under pressure in the fuel chamber 1. Of course, other fuels can be used for the operation of the lighter insert, with which it is possible to operate a compressed gas burner of the type described above.

In Figure 4, the underside of the lighter insert according to the invention is shown. It can be seen a filling valve 9, can be filled by the fuel in the fuel chamber 1.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show further side views of the lighter insert according to the invention.

Figure 7 shows a lighter insert received in a lighter case. The lighter case has a housing base 10 and a housing cover 11 pivotally mounted on the housing cover 11, the housing cover 11 can be pivoted on the housing base 10 so that a closed lighter housing is formed in which the lighter insert is completely absorbed.

The fuel chamber 1 of the lighter insert has a size that substantially corresponds to the inner dimensions of the housing base 10, so that the fuel chamber 1 is substantially completely received in the housing base 10. Then only the pressurized gas burner 2 projects beyond the housing base 10, wherein this has a dimension so that it can be accommodated in the housing cover 11 by closing the housing cover 11 when the lighter housing is closed.

The leaflet 8 for actuating the fuel valve 3 can be actuated via an actuating lever 12 which presses in an open position on the leaflet 8 and in a Closed position relieved the leaflet 8. The actuating lever 12 is pivotally attached to two support members 13. When opening the housing cover 11, the actuating lever 12 is moved by a driver element (not shown) in the housing cover 11 in the open position, so that fuel flows through the fuel valve 3 in the flame area. When closing the housing cover 11 by folding onto the housing base 10, the actuating lever 12 is taken through the housing cover 11 and moved into the closed position, so that the fuel flow through the fuel valve 3 is stopped.

In Figure 8 is shown how the lighter insert is inserted into the lighter case. The fuel chamber 1 is thereby pushed into the housing base 10, until the fuel chamber 1 is substantially completely received in the housing base 10. When inserting the lighter insert is important to ensure that the actuating lever 12 in the housing cover 11 also with respect to the driver element comes to rest so that pivoted by pivoting the housing cover 11 of the actuating lever 12 and the fuel valve 3 can be opened or closed.

In order to be able to be used in a conventional lighter housing, the outer dimensions of the fuel chamber 1 are preferably 32 × 36 × 11.5 mm. To be held by force fit in the lighter case, whose internal dimensions are also substantially about 32 x 36 x 11.5 mm, the fuel chamber as shown in Figure 2, projections 14 (see Fig. 1), the width slightly increase the fuel chamber at this point, which are pressed together elastically upon insertion of the fuel chamber 1 in the housing base 1.0, so that the lighter insert is held by traction against falling out of the housing base 10.

A suitable material for the fuel chamber 1 is for example plastic, since this can be deformed when inserted into the housing base 10 with little effort.

Claims (9)

1. Lighter insert for insertion into a lighter housing, which has a housing base (10) and a housing cover (11) capable of pivoting on the housing base (10), with a fuel chamber (1) and a compressed gas burner (2), connected to the fuel chamber (1), in order to deliver fuel from the fuel chamber (1) to the compressed gas burner (2) during burner operation, wherein the compressed gas burner (2) has a fuel valve (3), which is coupled to an actuation element, in order to open or close the fuel valve (3), and an ignition element designed as an ignition button (5) to ignite fuel, wherein the ignition button (5) has a piezo element, and pressing the ignition button (5) causes an ignition voltage, which is conducted via appropriate electrical connecting leads to an ignition point (6).
2. Lighter insert according to Claim 1, wherein the fuel chamber (1) can be accommodated in the housing base (10) and the compressed gas burner (2), on the housing base (10) being covered by the housing cover (11), is essentially accommodated in the housing cover (11).
3. Lighter insert according to Claim 2, wherein, on closing the lighter housing (10) by pivoting the housing cover (11), the actuation element (12) can be moved to a closed position, so that the fuel flow is interrupted.
4. Lighter insert according to Claim 2, wherein, on opening the lighter housing by pivoting the housing cover (11), the actuation element (12) can be moved into an open position, so that fuel is delivered to the compressed gas burner (2).
5. Lighter insert according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the fuel chamber (1) is manufactured from a plastic material.
6. Lighter insert according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the fuel chamber (1) has projections, which enlarge a width of the fuel chamber (1) beyond the corresponding internal dimensions, so that the fuel chamber (1) undergoes elastic deformation on insertion into the housing base (10) and in the inserted state the fuel chamber (1) is held in the housing base (10) by non-positive fit.
7. Lighter insert according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the compressed gas burner has a wind protection element (4) with ventilation apertures (7), which is arranged essentially cylindrically around the fuel valve.
8. Lighter insert according to Claim 7, wherein the ignition element (5), the wind protection element (4) and the actuation element (12) are arranged essentially in a row.
9. Lighter insert according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the compressed gas burner (2) comprises a jetflame burner or a laser-frame burner.

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