GB2409018A

GB2409018A - Child proof safety lighter

Info

Publication number: GB2409018A
Application number: GB0328597A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jieming Guan; Qirong Luo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-12-09
Filing date: 2003-12-09
Publication date: 2005-06-15
Also published as: GB0328597D0

Abstract

A pocket lighter comprises a fuel reservoir 1, a valve 7, having an outlet port 3 for regulating the opening and closing of said reservoir 1, a rotatable toothed wheel 5 adapted to produce speaks in combination with a pyrophoric stone 9 and a push button 2. The push button 2 featuring a first end 2a resiliently biased by a spring board 6 and a second end 2b operatively linked with the outlet port 3. In use the depression of the first end 2a results in the raising of the opposite end 2b of button 2 to open the valve outlet 3. The lighter features safety means with button 2, spring board 6 and valve outlet 3 so arranged that button 2 has two stages of operation. In the first stage of operation when the first end 2a of the button 2 is depressed the user meets a resistive force due to the spring board 6 and the valve outlet 3 is not opened. In the second stage of operation the user must overcome this resistive force to depress the first end 2a of the button 2 further in order to open the valve outlet port 3 (status C, fig. 8).

Description

The Child Resistant Mechanism of Pocket Lighter The invention relates to a

pocket lighter comprising: a fuel reservoir; a valve for regulating the opening and closing of said reservoir and having an outlet port; a pyrophoric stone; a rotatable toothed wheel, adapted to produce sparks directed towards said outlet port when rotating in a clockwise direction and rubbing on said stone; a pushbutton with two ends, works as a lever: pushing the first end downward makes the second end travel upwards so that it pushes the said outlet port to rise to open and release the gas out; and a spring board urging the first end of the said pushbutton.

US 4830 603, US 5 090 893 and US 5 002 482 teach safety mechanisms based on the presence of retractable components inhibiting the depression of the pushbutton and, therefore, the opening of the gas passage. Prior to ignition, it is necessary to actuate an extension of the retractable component, which is accessible from the outside, to place it in a release position. After each ignition, spring means return the retractable component to an inhibition position.

US-5 092 764 discloses a lighter in which the valve opening is prevented unless an external member is placed in a particular position prior to ignition.

In this case depression of the pushbutton is not prevented, but the raising of the burner which would lead to the exit of the gas is blocked.

The above described embodiments, further to being in conflict with the small space available for housing the components required for achieving the desired function, require substantial investment in moulds, assembly machinery and facilities. They base the safety in the addition of a further action in the chain of movements leading to ignition. Before rotating the knurled wheel to produce sparks and depressing the pushbutton to open the gas passage, it is necessary to actuate an external means. Actuation of this means has to be easy and obvious, since otherwise the less skilful users, even though they were adults, would be unsuccessful in their attempts.

Furthermore, it is obvious that adding the need to carry out a simple operation to a known sequence does not make it too hard for a child to strike a light, beating in mind that he may have plenty of time, that experimentation is particularly attractive to him and that if the operation may be seen, it will quickly be acquired by mimicry.

On the other hand, many existing mechanisms exert influences in the wheel to prevent the rotation of the said wheel to produce sparks. For instance, the US 4 717 335, lighter in which rotation of the knurled wheel is prevented by the presence of a structure which rotates with the wheel and which in one point of this movement runs up against a fixed obstacle. Its efficacy is low, since it allows partial rotation of the knurled wheel, during which it is possible to strike an odd spark. In the lighter disclosed in US 5 017 128, the obstacle is retractable by external means. Therefore, it has the aforementioned drawbacks of complex manufacture, obviousness of the ignition procedure and rapid learning by mimicry.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks to fulfill a United States Federal Order requiring all lighters marketed to a half childproof mechanisms.

The invention provides a lighter of the type described at the beginning which exerts to hinder the ignition of the lighter by influencing the outlet of gas so that it can achieve the childproof, rather than by influencing the producing of spark; wherein there is a space between the outlet port of the said valve and the second end of the said pushbutton, which is abnormal in other lighters; hence the said second end of the pushbutton may travel to two positions, so does the first end; and the said pushbutton works as two buttons: the fault one and real one; to pressing the fault one we only need to push the first end of the pushbutton to its first position; to start the real button we need to press the first end of the pushbutton further downwards so that the two ends of the pushbutton can arrive to their second position respectively; (a).while the said fault button being pressed, the said space between the said outlet port and the said second end of the pushbutton is reduced so that it reaches to against the outlet port and up to this position the outlet port is still closing; (b).when the first end of the pushbutton is going further downward, it is to say that the said real button is started so that the outlet port of the valve begins to be pushed upwards by the second end of the pushbutton and is open to release the gas from the fuel reservoir; to start the said two buttons, two presses are needed to be made to the first end of the pushbutton.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the said spring board is substantially against the first end of the said pushbutton so that creates a resistance for pressing down the first end of the pushbutton; as the first end of the pushbutton is traveling further downward, the spring board provides bigger resistances; during the process to start the said fault button, the resistance created by the spring board is not so big; but when it comes to press the said real button, the first end of the pushbutton needs to go further downward, bigger resistances is produced so it needs harder effort to push the first end of the pushbutton.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, in order to ignite the lighter, (a) we have to conduct a fast and conscious action to finish the whole ignition process: to rotate the wheel to produce sparks and before the sparks disappear we have to complete the two presses to start the said real button raise the outlet port so that it is open to release gas; if the one who want to ignite the lighter doesn't realize there are two buttons and only when the real button being started can make the outlet port release gas, it would be difficult for her to ignite the lighter as she would just finish in pressing the fault button; moreover (b).during this process, to apply an harder effort to press the said first end of the pushbutton is needed to make it reach to the second position as the spring board against it is offering quite big a resistance to preventing it to traveling further downward. All these provide that although the sparks are produced and there is gas released out from the fuel reservoir, the lighter can not be ignited if the interval between the rotation action and the second press is too long; It increases the difficulty to ignite the lighter, especially for children who may not be able to realize the trick of two buttons; even if they can realize the trick, they are not physically capable to press down the real button immediately after the sparks is produced; most of them may just be able to finish the fault button before the sparks disappear.

Further advantage and features of the invention will be appreciated from the following description in which, without any intention to limit, there are described preferred embodiments, with references to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view, in cross section, of a lighter according to the invention, on a plane of symmetry Figure 2 is a same plane side view of previous figure but with more specific illustration of the lighter components.

Figure 3 is another schematic view on a plane upside to that of the figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view, on a larger scale, of pushbutton on a plane of upside.

Figure 5 is a view, in cross section, of the previous figure, on a plane of symmetry.

Figure 6 is a partial side larger view, on a plane of symmetry; the lighter is in status A: the first end of pushbutton is propped up by the spring board under it; there is space between the second end of pushbutton and the outlet port of valve; the valve is closing.

Figure 7 is the same view with the previous figure, but in the status B: after rotating the wheel, which produces sparks, and the finger finishing the first press to the first end of the pushbutton which is against by the said spring board; there is no space between the second end of pushbutton and the outlet port of valve; the valve is still closing.

Figure 8 is also the same view with figure 6 and 7, but in status C: the finger has finished all the processes of status A, and presses the first end of pushbutton to the second position; the second end of the pushbutton also arrives to its second position and raises the outlet port of the valve to release gas from fuel reservoir; the gas burn after meets the sparks.

The lighter of the invention comprises a fuel reservoir 1 and a valve 7 regulating the opening and the closing of the reservoir 1; the valve 7 has an outlet port 3 adjacent to the second endof the pushbutton 2b whose another end 2a is propped up by the under spring board 6.

There is a pyropgoric stone 9 urged by spring 8 against a wheel 5 with teeth (Figure 2, 6, 7 and 8), which is flanked by two actuating disc 4 (Figure 3); in the illustrated embodiment, the wheel 5 produces sparks when rubbing against the pyropgoric stone 9 direct toward the said outlet port 3, as is usual, by rotating said disc 4 in the clockwise direction; and then push the first end of pushbutton 2a to the second position (Figure 8) after the first press(Figure 7); at the same time, the said valve 7 is actuated as the second end of pushbutton 2b raises the outlet port 3.

In the lighter of the invention, further to the two buttons and the said spring board 6 with which it is of necessity provided, a user may produce sparks by rotating the said wheel 5 and release the gas from the said reservoir I by pressing the said first end pushbutton 2a to the second position, but fail to ignite; there are the fault button and real button needed to be started to release the gas after producing sparks which is disappearing very fast; as a r result, if a user, like a child, can not immediately offer enough pressure from her finger to press the first real button, which is hindered hardly by the said under spring board 3, to release the gas before the spark disappear, she will fail to ignite the lighter; on the other hand, this invention also can offer a reliable ignition for the adult users; because they are powerful enough to place a adaptable pressure to make the pushbutton to reach to the second position(Figure 8) before the sparks disappear. s

Claims

Claims 1.- A pocket lighter comprising: a fuel reservoir (1); a valve (7)

for regulating the opening and closing of said reservoir (1) and having an outlet port (3); a pyrophoric stone (9); a rotatable toothed wheel (S), adapted to produce sparks directed towards said outlet port (3) when rotating in a clockwise direction and rubbing on the said stone(9); spring means (8) urging said stone (9) against said wheel (5); a pushbutton (2) with two ends: the first end (2a) being urged by the spring board (6), and the second end (2b) used to raise the said outlet port (3) to release gas; the pushbutton (2) works as a lever: pushing the first end (2a) downward makes the second end (2b) travel upwards so that it pushes the said outlet port to rise to open and release the gas in the said fuel reservoir out.
2. - The lighter of claim 1, wherein the said pushbutton (2) works as two buttons: the fault one and real one; to pressing the fault button we only need to push the first end of the pushbutton (2a) to its first position and it cannot make the outlet port open to release gas; to start the real button we need to press the first end of the pushbutton (2a) further downwards so that the second end of the pushbutton (2b) can raise the outlet port (3) to release gas;
3. - The lighter of claim I and 2, wherein there is resistance produced by the said spring board (6) to the first end of the pushbutton (2a) preventing it to go further downward; it being necessary, in order to pass from said fault button to said real button, to apply to said positions, to apply said pushbutton (2) an effort.
4. - The lighter of claims 2, and 3 wherein there are the said space and said spring board (6) causing said hindrance when not realizing there are two buttons: the fault and the real one; the lighter will be ignited only when the real button is started before the sparks disappear; quick and conscious action as well as hard effort is needed to start the real button in such a short period.