GB2337807A - Lighters - Google Patents

Abstract

A lighter comprising an elongate hollow body containing a fuel supply; a nozzle and valve assembly for controlled discharge of fuel at an end of the body, and a spark-generating device said spark-generating device and/or said valve requiring operation by exertion of a force in the direction of the length of said body; and an abutment formation 30 at a part of said body between the ends thereof, for engagement by a finger 31 of the user to react said force.

Description

2337807 PATENTS ACT 1977 GMD/A9471GB Title: LIGHTERS

Description of Invention

This invention relates to lighters of the type which are commonly referred to as cigarette lighters, although they are used for many other purposes.

Specifically the invention relates to lighters of the well known disposable type having an elongate hollow body containing a supply of liquefied petroleum gas fuel and, at one end of the body, a nozzle and valve assembly for discharge of the fuel as required and a sparkgenerating device for lighting such discharged fuel. Characteristically the spark-generating device is one which strikes sparks mechanically by means of a "flint" held against an abrasive striking wheel. In use of the lighter, the user holds it in his fist and rotates the striking wheel and holds down a control member for the valve with his thumb. In doing this a considerable force has to be exerted in the direction of the length of the body of the lighter.

Usually the dimensions of the body of such lighters is such that it is able to be completely contained within the closed fist of the user. Thus the lighter is constrained against movement in the direction of the length of its body in response to the considerable force exerted on it by the user's thumb. However this means that the lighter has a somewhat limited fuel capacity and whilst the fuel capacity is typically adequate if the user is a cigarette smoker, it may be rapidly exhausted if the user is a pipe smoker. As is well known, the smoker of a pipe spends, or appears to spend, almost as much time as lighting his pipe as he does smokin. it.

One manner in which the fuel capacity of such a lighter could be increased whilst still retainino an overall shape which would be easy to accommodate in a pocket (or handbag) would be to increase the length of the c 0 2 body of the lighter, e.g. to about 150mm as compared with the typical 70-80mm. Such an elongated lighter would not, however, be able to be held completely in the fist of a user and would tend to slip down through the closed fist of a user in response to the force which has to be exerted to use the lighter. It is broadly the object of the present invention to provide a lighter which provides a greater fuel capacity than conventional lighters but in which the above described problem of lack of controllability in use is overcome or reduced.

According to the invention 1 provide a lighter comprising an elongate hollow body containing a fuel supply; a nozzle and valve assembly for controlled discharge of fuel at an end of the body, and a sparkgenerating device at said end for lighting fuel discharged at said nozzle; said sparkgenerating device and/or said valve requiring operation by exertion of a force in the direction of the length of said body; and an abutment formation at a part of said body between the ends thereof, for engagement by a finger of the user to react said force.

In a lighter in accordance with the invention, the increased fuel capacity is afforded by the elongated configuration of the body compared with the body lenath which is conventional for such lighters. By way of example, it may be of the order of 150mm Iong. The provision of the abutment formation, however, enables the user to react the force exerted on the lighter by his thumb, so it does not slip through the closed hand.

The abutment formation may be afforded by a recess extending into the body. Alternatively it may be afforded by an outward projection from the body. In yet another alternatively, the abutment may be afforded partly, by a recess and partly by a projection, so that the fuel capacity is not unduly diminished as might be the case if the recess were larger, whilst the lighter does not become inconvenient by virtue of the presence of a large projection.

0 A further alternative is that the abutment formation may be movably disposed relative to the body of the lighter, e.g. pivoted between an inoperative position in which it lies parallel to or flush with the body and an operative position in which it is deployed to extend outwardly from the body.

A further possibility is that the abutment formation may be afforded by an abutment device which is completely detachable from the lighter body. This gives the possibility that a lighter user may have an abutment device which is transferred to a new lighter each time a previously used empty lighter is discarded having run out of fuel.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, I provide an abutment device adapted to be secured to the body of a lighter and to afford an abutment formation for reaction of forces exerted on the llahter in use. The abutment device may include a portion which at least partially circumferentially embraces the lighter body. It may be secured in position by a clamping screw or by other means.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:- Figure 1 illustrates how a conventional lighter is used.

Figure 2 diagrammatically illustrates such a lighter, and shows how the body thereof may be elongated; Figure 3) illustrates a lighter in accordance with the inventi ion, compared with other lighters; Figures, 4, 5 and 6 show possible configurations of lighter in accordance with the invention; Flaure 7 shows further detail of a ll-hter in accordance with the invention; Figure 8 shows further modifications of the invention.

4 Referring firstly to Figure 1, a disposable lighter of well known type is shown at 10, held in the closed hand of a user. The lighter has a body 11 which is hollow and contains a supply of liquefied petroleum gas, and at the top end of its body (having regard to the orientation in which it is normally held for lighting) there is a burner assembly indicated generally at 12 which includes a nozzle for outflow of the gas fuel, a valve for controlling such outflow, and a spark-generating device which usually is a flint and striking wheel device for mechanically generating sparks for igniting released fuel. The striking wheel and valve are arranged to be operable by the thumb (13) of the user, and in the course of this the user must exert a substantial downwards force on the lighter. Usually this is reacted by the user holding the entire lighter in his closed or substantially closed fist, with little finger beneath the lower end of the body as indicated at 14.

Figure 2 shows a lighter having an elongate body 21 with, at its upper end with reference to the orientation in which it is drawn, a burner assembly 22. A rotatable striking wheel and a valve-operating member, both operable simultaneously by the thumb of a user, are indicated at 23), 24. It will be appreciated that such operation exerts a substantial force downwardly on the lighter. The body 21 is elongated, being almost twice the length of a conventional lighter such as shown in Figure 1 - the conventional lighter has the lower end of its body approximately where indicated by the broken line 25 in Figure 2.

Figure J3) shows at A a conventional lighter, at B a lighter as shown in Ficure 2, and at C a Ilabter in accordance with the invention. The last C 2C mentioned lighter is substantially as shown in Figure 2, but with the additional 0 provision of an abutment formation just belo-,,,, the position where the body of a conventional lighter ends, so that a user cari en-age his little finger with such formation.

Figure 4 shows the lighter of Figure 3C. The abutment formation is afforded by a recess 26 extending laterally into the body of the lighter.

Figure 5 shows an alternative form, in which the abutment formation is afforded by a protrusion 27 extending laterally from the body of the lighter. The recess and protrusion may be provided together as shown in Figure 6: here there is a recess 28 which does not extend into the body of the lighter as far as does the recess 26, while the protrusion 29 does not extend outwardly as far as does the protrusion 27.

Figure 7 illustrates a lighter in elevation and section: it will be noted that the recess 30 is of rounded configuration in cross-section through the lighter so that the little finger 3 1 of a user can easily engage therewith.

Referring now to Figure 8A, a detachable abutment device 35 with an abutment formation 36 is shown secured to the body of a lighter. As seen in Figure 8B, the abutment device has a pail 37 which at least partially, and preferably completely, circumferentially embraces the body of the lighter. A clamping wheel 38 having screw-threaded engagement with the part 37 is tightenable to hold the abutment device in position on the body. The position may be chosen to suit the size of the hand of the user.

Figure 8C shows a pivotable abutment member 40 which is movable between a position as indicated at 41 in which it does not substantially protrude from the body of the lighter and a position 42 in which it extends laterally outwardly frorn the body to provide a usable abutment formation. The abutment member 40 may be of metal or plastics and is of generally Ushape in cross-section, having portions as indicated at 43) which lie on opposite sides of the body of the lighter and rnay have a snap-enga(-, ement therewith by way of projection and recess fonnations to provide the pivotal movement as required.

Floure 81) shows a removable abutment member 45 with a pivotable abutment formation 46, combining the features of the embodiments shown in Figure 8A and 8C.

0 6 The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of s - uch features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

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Claims (13)

1. A lighter comprising an elongate hollow body containing a fuel supply; a nozzle and valve assembly for controlled discharge of fuel at an end of the body, and a spark-generating device at said end for lighting fuel discharged at said nozzle; said spark-generating device and/or said valve requiring operation by exertion of a force in the direction of the length of said body; and an abutment formation at a part of said body between the ends thereof, for engagement by a finger of the user to react said force.

2. A lighter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the abutment formation is afforded by a recess extending into the body.

3. A lighter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the abutment formation is afforded by an outward projection from the body.

4. A lighter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the abutment is afforded partly by a recess and partly by a projection.

5. A lighter as claimed in claim 3, wherein the abutment formation is movably disposed relative to the body of the lighter.

6. A lighter as claimed in claims 5, wherein the abutment formation is pivoted between an inoperative position in which it lies parallel to or flush with the body and an operative position in which it is deployed to extend outwardly from the body.

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7. A lighter as claimed in anyone of claims 3, 5 and 6, wherein the abutinent formation is afforded by an abutment device which is completely detachable from the lighter body.

8. A lighter as substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

9. An abutment device adapted to be secured to the body of a lighter and to afford an abutment formation for reaction of forces exerted on the lighter in use.

10. An abutment device as claimed in claim 9 wherein the abutment device includes a portion which at least partially circumferentially embraces the lighter body.

11. An abutment device as claimed in claim 9 or 10 wherein the abutment device is secured in position by a clamping screw.

12. An abutment device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

13. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.