GB2431222A

GB2431222A - Assembly with article and housing comprising a malleable portion

Info

Publication number: GB2431222A
Application number: GB0617706A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Constantine Kulukundis; Thomas Hutton
Original assignee: H K INNOVATIONS Ltd
Current assignee: H K INNOVATIONS Ltd
Priority date: 2005-10-11
Filing date: 2006-09-08
Publication date: 2007-04-18
Also published as: GB0520594D0; GB0617706D0

Abstract

An assembly comprises an article 16 and a housing 2, where the article is at least partly located in the housing. The article may have a function which can be selectively operated by a user to generate a flame, for example, the article may comprise a fuel lighter. The housing has at least a portion which is malleable and which can be manipulated by a user when holding the assembly. Preferably, the malleable material is a silicone based polymer or a putty-like material which can change shape in response to the pressure applied by the user's hands or fingers. In use, the assembly may be used to relieve user stress by the manipulation of the malleable material of the housing.

Description

Assembly with Article and Housing The invention to which this application

relates is an assembly with a housing for use in at least partially enclosing an article which preferably slide, allowing article to be used in its normal manner with the housing in place.

The invention will now be described with regard to the use of the housing in accordance with the invention, in conjunction with an article in the form of a lighter, although it should be appreciated that the Invention as herein described, can be of utility with articles other than lighters and therefore the scope of the protection should be interpreted as such.

Lighters are typically carried by a person who smokes cigars, cigarettes or the like, to allow them to be able to sct light to the cigarette, cigar or pipe whenever they wish. The lighters typically comprise a body portion in which there is provided a reservoir of flammable fluid and a lighting end, at which there is provided a means to create a spark and as a result, cause a flame to be generated, typically via a wick which extends into the flammable fluid in the body.

While it is found that the lighters have to be carried in the body so as to be available for use whenever t Suits the person carrying the same, the lighters have no practical use other than to provide the flame.

The applicant has appreciated that lighters tend to be one of a relatively few number of articles which are almost continuously carried on the person and, as a result, an aim of the invention is to provide a means whereby the article can be utilised for other purposes which are of use to the person carrying the same.

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an assembly including an article having a function which can be selectively operated by a user to generate a flame and a housing is provided for the article, and in which the article is at least partly located wherein said housing has at least a portion which is malleable and which can be manipulated by the user when holding the as scm b ly.

In one embodiment, at least all of the outer surface of said housing is malleable and can be manipulated, thereby allowing the malleable material to be manipulated by the user to alter the shape and/or appearance of the same.

Tn one embodiment, the housing includes a cavity into which the article is fitted, said cavity typically of a shape and/or dimension so as to create a friction fit between the article and the housing to retain the housing in position on the same, without the need for engagement means, although these can be provided if recpired.

In one embodiment, the surface of the cavity is formed from a relatively rigid material in comparison to the remainder of the housing thereby allowing the cavity shape to be maintained and the article to be retained in position in the housing.

Typically, a portion of the article extends from the housing and in a preferred embodiment, this portion is a working part of the article, thereby allowing the article to still be used for its intended purpose, even when in position in the housing.

In one embodiment, the article is a lighter and the body of the lighter is located in the cavity, with the portion which allows the ignition and the emission of a flame, extending from the said housing In one embodiment, the malleable material is in the form of a putty-like material which reacts to pressure being applied by fingers or the hand and alters shape in accordance with the area onto which the pressure is applied and in response to the level of pressure.

Typically, the material is such that once moved to a particular position by the application of pressure, the material will substantially stay in the same shape until further pressure is subsequently applied. Typically, the location of the article within the housing, and/or the consistency of the material, means that there is some resistance to movement under the application of pressure.

In one embodiment the article and housing act as a stress relieving means whereby a person who may be particularly stressed at, for examplc, work, can use the housing to apply pressure thereto via the fingers and/or hand to relieve pressure or stress which they may be under at that time. Furthermore as the housing is fitted onto an article which is used frequently by the person there is a very strong likelihood that the same will be available on the person when required to relieve stress.

It will therefore be appreciated that by providing the housing for the article of a material which is malleable, so the combination of the housing and article provides a completely new use for the article. For example, with a lighter, rather than the lighter only being used when a person wishes to smoke a cigarette, cigar or pipe, the article, in combination with the housing, can now be used to relieve stress by the manipulation of the malleable material of the housing. Furthermore, and particularly when the article is a lighter, if a person is attempting to give up smoking, while they may still be smoking a reduced number of cigarettes, if they have an urge to smoke at any given time and reach for the lighter and the lighter is in the housing as herein described, then they may simply opt to overcome the urge for a cigarette by manipulating the malleable material rather than actually using the lighter for the originally intended purpose.

It is therefore believed that the invention as herein described may act as a means for helping to reduce or eliminate smoking.

In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a housing for an article, said housing including location means to allow the housing to be located with the said article, and wherein said housing has at least a portion which is formed of malleable material which can be manipulated by a person when holding the housing.

ln one embodiment the malleable material which is used can be a silicone based polymer which is formed in a mould. However other materials and/or forming processes can be used to suit specific purposes.

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:- Figures 1 a to c illustrate elevation, plan and side views of a housing in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and Figures 2a to c illustrate an elevation. Side view and plan of the housing of Figures Ia to c in conjunction with an article located therewith in accordance with the invention.

Referring firstly to Figures Ia to c, there is illustrated a housing 2 in accordance with the invention. The housing 2 includes an outer surfacc 4, base 6, and an inner cavity 8 with an opening 10 leading into the same. The inner surfaces of the cavity are provided of a relatively rigid material so as to ensure that the cavity shape is maintained and thereby ensures that the article to be placed therein can be moved into the cavity and retained in position, typically via a friction fit. Leading from the cavity inner surface, to the outer surfaces 4 of the housing, these are formed by a malleable material such as a putty or plasticine-like material. 1-lowever the material is such that the same is retained as a single unitary body and the outer surface 4 is exposed so as to allow manipulation of the same by the application of pressure via fingers or the hand gripping the housing.

Thus it will be appreciated that although in the figures shown herein, the outer surface is a relatively uniform shape, which will typically be the case upon purchase or first use of the housing, once the housing has been used for a period of time, the outer shape of the housing will become more irregular with bumps and indents and the shape will change over time, as the housing is used. While the material may have a certain resilience, there will be sufficient flexibility so as to allow the outer surface of the housing to be changed in shape as a result of the application of pressure.

Figures 2a to c illustrate the housing 2 in accordance with Figure 1 with an article, in this case in the form of a lighter 16, placed therein The lighter has a body portion 18 shown in broken lines which is located within the cavity of the housing. The working portion 20, i.e. that part of the lighter which allows the ignition of the flame and includes a switch 22 and flame generator 24 with a wick leading to the flammable 1iuid in the body portion, is mounted so as to be clear of the housing and therefore allow normal operation of the same. It is envisaged that when the article is a lighter, the material used for the housing, will be of a non-flammable type so as to meet the recjuired safety standards.

There is therefore provided in the embodiment shown in Figures 2a to c, an article and housing combination which allows the article to continue to be used in a normal manner but also, with the provision of the housing, allows the combined product to be used even when a lighter function is not required, to the benefit of the user whether it is simply as a means for passing time or as a means for releasing pressure or stress which the user may be under, by the manipulation of the housing material.

Claims

Claims 1. An assembly, the assembly including an article having a function

which can be selectively operated by a user to generate a flame, and a housing provided for the article and in which the article is at least partly located wherein said housing has at least a portion which is malleable and which can be manipulated by the user when holding the assembly.
2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein at least all of the outer surface of said housing is malleable and can be manipulated.
3. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein the manipulation of the malleable material alters the shape and/or appearance of thc housing.
4. An assembly according to claim I wherein the housing includes a cavity into which the article is fitted.
5. An assembly according to claim 4 wherein the cavity is of a shape and/or dimension so as to create a friction fit between the article and housing.
6. An assembly according to claim 4 wherein the walls of the cavity are formed from a relatively rigid material in comparison to the remainder of the housing to maintain the cavity shape.
7. An assembly according to claim I wherein a portion of the article extends from the housing and said portion is a working part of the article to allow the article to still be used for its intended purpose when in the housing.
8. An assembly according to claim I wherein the article is a fuel lighter with thc body of the lighter located in the housing and the portion which allows the ignition of the fuel and emission of flame, extending from the housing.
9. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the malleable material is a putty-like material which reacts to pressure being applied by fingers or the hand.
10. An assembly according to any of the preceding claims wherein the article and housing are provided as an integral unit.
11. A housing for an article, said housing including location means to allow the housing to be located with the said article, and wherein said housing has at least a portion which is formed of malleable material which can be manipulated by a person when holding the housing.
12. A housing according to claim 11 wherein the malleable material which is used is a silicon based polymer.
1 3. A housing according to claim II wherein the malleable material forms substantially all of the external surface of the housing.
14. A housing according to 11 wherein the housing includes a cavity in which the article is received, said cavity defined by a relatively rigid material and to which the malleable material is attached
15. An assembly as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
16. A housing as heretofore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.