US20070009845A1

US20070009845A1 - Lighter

Info

Publication number: US20070009845A1
Application number: US11/178,090
Authority: US
Inventors: Wen Xu
Original assignee: Zreative Product Inc
Current assignee: Zreative Product Inc
Priority date: 2005-07-07
Filing date: 2005-07-07
Publication date: 2007-01-11

Abstract

The present invention discloses a lighter having a light effect arrangement, which includes a power source disposed in a power source cavity, an illuminator which is supported on a light window of the lighter casing to electrically connected to the power source; and a light effect actuator movably supported on the lighter casing between a light-off position and a light-on position, wherein at the light-off position, the illuminator is electrical disconnected with the power source to generate a light-off effect within the light window, and at the light-on position, the illuminator is electrical connected to the power source to generate a light-on effect within the light window.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a lighter, and more particularly to a lighter which comprises a light effect arrangement to provide a light-on effect and a light-off effect according to an ignition operation of the lighter.
2. Description of Related Arts
A lighter is a common tool that replaces matches for igniting cigarettes and cigars. Generally, there are two types of lighter, namely the disposable lighter that the lighter is disposed after the fuel is used up and the refillable lighter that the fuel thereof is adapted for being refilled to prolong the service life span of the lighter.
As far as these two options concerned, most smokers preferred to choose refillable lighters which could be used in a recycling manner. First of all, the disposable lighters still contain flammable fluid when they were failed to be serviceable. And more importantly, the users want to stick to their personal style by exclusively using their favorite refillable lighter. For those smokers, a cherished refillable lighter has been his or her long term personal belongings. As a result, a plurality of luxury lighters or specially designed refillable lighters were widely available in the market. Commonly, the refillable lighter includes flint type lighter incorporated with a flint-wheel ignition system and the piezoelectric lighter incorporated with a piezoelectric type ignition system.
In brief, a favorite lighter is an indispensable personal stuff for most smokers. The lighter is carried by the user in his pocket from time to time like other personal stuffs, such as family pictures, sacred logo, and religious images. However, most people are willing to hide their personal images in a private manner. It is highly desirable to develop a lighter wherein the personal images could be attached thereon in an alternatively exposable manner.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a lighter which comprises a light effect arrangement to provide a light-on effect and a light-off effect according to an ignition operation of the lighter.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lighter having a mirror attached onto the lighter body for enriching the lighter function.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lighter, wherein the private image is normally received in the lighter casing and is only viewable from outside when the user wish to ignite the lighter.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lighter having a half mirror attached onto the lighter body, wherein the half mirror is adapter to define a dark compartment within the lighter casing, under normal circumstance, the light is reflected by the half mirror, and when the ignition button of the lighter actuated, a luminary element is lighten up for exposing the image hidden in the dark compartment to outside.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lighter, wherein the above mentioned functioned could be achieved without altering the original lighter structure so as to minimize the manufacturing costs of such lighter.
Accordingly, to achieve above mentioned objects, the present invention provides a lighter, comprising:
a lighter casing having a liquefied fuel storage, a power source cavity, and a light window;
a gas nozzle received in the lighter casing and communicating with the liquefied fuel storage for controlling a flow of gas therefrom;
means for producing sparks towards the gas nozzle to ignite the gas emitting therefrom;
an ignition actuator movably supported on the lighter casing for releasing the gas from the liquefied fuel storage and actuating the sparks producing means so as to ignite the gas ejected from the gas nozzle; and
a light effect arrangement, which comprises:
a power source disposed in said power source cavity;
an illuminator which is supported on the lighter casing within the light window to electrically connected to the power source; and
a light effect actuator movably supported on the lighter casing between a light-off position and a light-on position, wherein at said light-off position, said illuminator is electrical disconnected with the power source to generate a light-off effect within the light window, and at the light-on position, the illuminator is electrical connected to the power source to generate a light-on effect within the light window.
These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the lighter according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lighter according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3A is a sectional view of the lighter according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the mirror is reflecting the light impinged onto the light surface.
FIG. 3B is a sectional view of the lighter according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the hidden image is exposed to outside when the actuator is pressed.
FIG. 4 is a rear view of the lighter according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the light according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the lighter according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The lighter 1 comprises a lighter casing 10 having a liquefied fuel storage 11, a power source cavity 12, and a light window 13, wherein a gas nozzle 14 is received in the lighter casing 10 and communicating with the liquefied storage 11 for controlling a flow of gas therefrom.
The lighter 1 further comprises means 15 for producing sparks towards the gas nozzle 14 to ignite the gas emitting therefrom, and an ignition actuator 17 moveably supported on the lighter casing 10 for releasing the gas from the liquefied fuel storage 11 and actuating the sparks producing means 15 so as to ignite the gas ejected from the gas nozzle 14.
The lighter further comprises a light effect arrangement 20 which comprises a power source 21 disposed in the power source cavity 12, an illuminator 22 which is supported on the lighter casing 10 within the light window 13 to be electrically connected to the power source 21, and a light effect actuator 23 movably supported on the lighter casing 10 between a light-off position and a light-on position, wherein at said light-off position, the illuminator 22 is electrical disconnected with the power source 21 to generate a light-off effect within the light window 13, and at the light-on position, the illuminator 22 is electrical connected to the power source 21 to generate a light-on effect within the light window 13.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the light effect arrangement 20 further comprises a mirror wall 24 mounted within the light window 13 to selectively generate a mirror effect as the light-off effect when the illuminator 22 is switched off and to generate a see-through effect as the light-on effect when the illuminator 22 is switched on for allowing an interior of the lighter casing 10 to be seen from an exterior thereof.
Preferably, the light effect arrangement further comprises a picture frame 25 mounted within the light window 13 at a position spacedly behind the mirror wall 24 such that the picture frame 25 is adapted to be seen from the exterior of the lighter casing 10 when the illuminator 22 is switched on.
Commonly, a mirror is produced by coating metal on one side of the glass. Various new functions could be conferred to mirrors by changing their shapes or combining them with other flat mirrors. Here, the mirror wall 24 has a predetermined shape and size to be securely disposed within the lighter casing 10. According to the present invention, the mirror wall 24 is embodied as a half mirror for transmitting portion of light irradiated onto the mirror wall 24. Compared with conventional mirror, the mirror wall 24 of the present invention has a reduced thickness of coated metal applying onto the glass surface. Such arrangement would enable half the light go through the mirror wall 24, while reflecting the remaining half. In other words, such a mirror wall 24 will behave like a mirror under the light-off condition and like a glass under a light-on position as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B.
Putting this arrangement in plain term, the picture frame 25 is separated by the mirror wall which has a dimmer system. According to the present invention, the picture frame 25 is isolated within a dark compartment 131 of the light window 13, wherein the other side of the mirror wall 24 is in light side. Now, let's assume that the mirror wall 24 has a 50% light transmission rate. Then 50% of light coming from the exterior goes through the mirror wall 24 to the dark compartment 131 where the picture frame 25 is disposed. The remaining 50% of light reflects back from the mirror wall 24. In the light-off condition, light is not available in the dark compartment 131, so there will be neither reflected nor transmitted light from that side. The mirror wall 24 mounted onto the light window 13 is functioned as a mirror for a user, wherein the light from outside will be reflected by the mirror wall 24. That is to say, a user could see his face under the light-off condition.
However, under the light-on position, the illuminator 22 is lightened up to emit a light transmitting through the mirror wall 24 from the dark compartment. Here, the mirror wall 24 is functioned as a glass for enabling the picture frame 25 viewable from the exterior.
Here, the illuminator 22 is a LED supported within the light window 13 at a position between the picture frame 25 and the mirror wall 24 to generate lights towards a rear side of the mirror wall 24. As shown in FIG. 2, the LED is electrically powered by one or more batteries received within the power source cavity 12. This is due to the fact that the LED is less electricity consumed so as to maintain a relative longer life span of such lighter 1.
For a convenient assembly and maintenance of the light effect arrangement, the light effect arrangement 20 further comprises a window frame 26 mounted within the light window 13 of the lighter casing 10, wherein the illuminator 22 is substantially supported within the window frame 26 to selectively generate the light-on effect and the light-off effect within the window frame 26.
That is to say, the mirror wall 24, the illuminator 22, and the picture frame 25 are integrally formed with the window frame 26, wherein the mirror wall 24 is defined as a front wall of the window frame 26, and the picture frame 25 is defined as a rear wall of the window frame 26. The illuminator 22 is disposed between the mirror wall 24 and the picture frame 25 for impinging a light towards the picture frame 25 so as to reflect the picture light to the exterior under the light-on position.
In the present invention, the sparks producing means 15 could be embodied as either conventional flint friction sparking means, or piezoelectric sparking means. Preferably, a piezoelectric sparking means is applied to the present invention. This is due to the fact that most users will choose a high end or a luxury lighter as their personal lighter for selectively showing a private image or cherished logo.
As shown in FIG. 2, the sparks producing means 15 is embodied as a piezoelectric unit 151, which is disposed in the lighter casing 10 for generating piezoelectricity, comprising a movable operating part 152 extended upwardly and an ignition tip 153 extended to a position adjacent to the gas nozzle 14, wherein when the movable operating part 152 is depressed downwardly, sparks are generated from the ignition tip 153 to ignite the gas emitted from the gas nozzle 14 at the same time.
It is noted that the ignition actuator 17 is moveably supported on the lighter casing 10 for simultaneously releasing the gas from the liquefied fuel storage 11 and actuating the sparks producing means 15 so as to ignite the gas ejected from the gas nozzle 14. The ignition actuator 17 comprises a pusher lever 171 pivotally supported a supporting ridge 111 integrally and upwardly projected from the liquefied fuel storage 11, wherein a first end 172 of the pusher lever 171 is disposed a position below the lower end of the moveable operating part 152 and a second end 173 of the pusher lever 171 is securely coupled to a gas releasing valve 112 of the liquefied fuel storage 11 in such a manner when the moveable operating part 152 is depressed downwardly, the movable operating part 152 is not only generating the spark from the ignition tip 153, but also downwardly depressing the first end 172 of the pusher lever 171 so as to pivotally tilt up the second end 173 of the pusher lever 171 to release the gas releasing valve for emitting gas contained in the liquefied fuel storage 11 as shown in FIG. 4.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the light effect arrangement 20 comprises a lighter cap 27 pivotally mounted on the lighter casing 10, wherein at the light-off position, the lighter cap is pivotally and downwardly folded on the lighter casing 10 to enclose the gas nozzle 14 for preventing the lighter 1 from being ignited, and at the light-on position, the lighter cap 27 is pivotally and upwardly folded to expose the gas nozzle 14 for ignition.
As shown in FIG. 2, the light effect actuator 23 comprises an engaging trigger 231 provided at a pivotal portion 271 of the lighter cap 27 and a switching element 232 electrically connected to the power source 21 and supported in the lighter casing 10, wherein the engaging trigger 231 is integrally formed at an extreme end of the pivotal portion 271 and defined to have a predetermined shape in such a manner that when the lighter cap 27 is pivotally and upwardly folded to expose the gas nozzle 14 for ignition, the engaging trigger 231 is inwardly extended to bias against the switching element 232 to complete a circuit for lighting up the illuminator 22.
In other words, the engaging trigger 231 is electrically connected to the illuminator 22, while the switching element 232 is electrically coupled to the power source 21. In the light-off position, the switching element 232 and the engaging trigger 231 is physically separated. Once the lighter cap 27 is pivotally and upwardly folded, the engaging tripper 231 disposed at the pivotal portion 271 of the lighter cap 27 is inwardly extended to contact the switching element 232 for electrically completing the circuit between the power source 21 and the illuminator 22 so as to lighten up the illuminator 22 to generate the light-on effect.
Referring to the FIG. 5, the light effect arrangement according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Here, the light effect actuator 23′ is integrally formed at the ignition actuator 17′ to form an integral button, wherein at the light-off position, the ignition actuator 17′ is normally supported on the lighter casing 10′ in a downward sliding manner, and at the light-on position, the ignition actuator 16′ is downwardly depressed to actuate the illuminator 22′ and to ignite the lighter 1 at the same time.
In the second preferred embodiment, the engaging trigger 231′ is integrally and downwardly extended from the ignition actuator 17′. Accordingly, the switching element 232′ is provided at a top wall of the liquefied fuel storage 11′. In the light-off position, the engaging trigger 231′ is physically separated with the switching element 232′. In the light-on position, the ignition actuator 17′ is downwardly depressed lowering the engaging trigger 231′ engaged with the switching element 232′ so as to complete a circuit between the power source 21′ to the illuminator 22′.
One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. Its embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A lighter, comprising:

a lighter casing having a liquefied fuel storage, a power source cavity, and a light window;

a gas nozzle received in said lighter casing and communicating with said liquefied fuel storage for controlling a flow of gas therefrom;

means for producing sparks towards said gas nozzle to ignite said gas emitting therefrom;

an ignition actuator movably supported on said lighter casing for releasing said gas from said liquefied fuel storage and actuating said sparks producing means so as to ignite said gas ejected from said gas nozzle; and

a light effect arrangement, which comprises:

a power source disposed in said power source cavity;

an illuminator which is supported on said lighter casing within said light window to electrically connected to said power source; and

a light effect actuator movably supported on said lighter casing between a light-off position and a light-on position, wherein at said light-off position, said illuminator is electrical disconnected with said power source to generate a light-off effect within said light window, and at said light-on position, said illuminator is electrical connected to said power source to generate a light-on effect within said light window.

2. The lighter, as recited in claim 1, wherein said light effect arrangement further comprises a mirror wall mounted within said light window to selectively generate a mirror effect as said light-off effect when said illuminator is switched off and to generate a see-through effect as said light-on effect when said illuminator is switched on for allowing an interior of said lighter casing to be seen from an exterior thereof.

3. The lighter, as recited in claim 2, wherein said light effect arrangement further comprises a picture frame mounted within said light window at a position spacedly behind said mirror wall such that said picture frame is adapted to be seen from said exterior of said lighter casing when said illuminator is switched on.

4. The lighter, as recited in claim 3, wherein said illuminator is a LED supported within said light window at a position between said picture frame and said mirror wall to generate lights towards a rear side of said mirror wall.

5. The lighter, as recited in claim 1, wherein said light effect arrangement further comprises a window frame mounted within said light window of said lighter casing, wherein said illuminator is substantially supported within said window frame to selectively generate said light-on effect and said light-off effect within said window frame.

6. The lighter, as recited in claim 2, wherein said light effect arrangement further comprises a window frame mounted within said light window of said lighter casing, wherein said illuminator is substantially supported within said window frame to selectively generate said light-on effect and said light-off effect within said window frame.

7. The lighter, as recited in claim 3, wherein said light effect arrangement further comprises a window frame mounted within said light window of said lighter casing, wherein said illuminator is substantially supported within said window frame to selectively generate said light-on effect and said light-off effect within said window frame.

8. The lighter, as recited in claim 4, wherein said light effect arrangement further comprises a window frame mounted within said light window of said lighter casing, wherein said illuminator is substantially supported within said window frame to selectively generate said light-on effect and said light-off effect within said window frame.

9. The lighter, as recited in claim 1, wherein said light effect arrangement comprises a lighter cap pivotally mounted on said lighter casing, wherein at said light-off position, said lighter cap is pivotally and downwardly folded on said lighter casing to enclose said gas nozzle for preventing said lighter from being ignited, and at said light-on position, said lighter cap is pivotally and upwardly folded to expose said gas nozzle for ignition.

10. The lighter, as recited in claim 3, wherein said light effect arrangement comprises a lighter cap pivotally mounted on said lighter casing, wherein at said light-off position, said lighter cap is pivotally and downwardly folded on said lighter casing to enclose said gas nozzle for preventing said lighter from being ignited, and at said light-on position, said lighter cap is pivotally and upwardly folded to expose said gas nozzle for ignition.

11. The lighter, as recited in claim 7, wherein said light effect arrangement comprises a lighter cap pivotally mounted on said lighter casing, wherein at said light-off position, said lighter cap is pivotally and downwardly folded on said lighter casing to enclose said gas nozzle for preventing said lighter from being ignited, and at said light-on position, said lighter cap is pivotally and upwardly folded to expose said gas nozzle for ignition.

12. The lighter, as recited in claim 8, wherein said light effect arrangement further comprises a lighter cap pivotally mounted on said lighter casing, wherein at said light-off position, said lighter cap is pivotally and downwardly folded on said lighter casing to enclose said gas nozzle for preventing said lighter from being ignited, and at said light-on position, said lighter cap is pivotally and upwardly folded to expose said gas nozzle for ignition

13. The lighter, as recited in claim 1, wherein said light effect actuator is integrally formed at said ignition actuator to form an integral button, wherein at said light-off position, said ignition actuator is normally supported on said lighter casing in a downward sliding manner, and at said light-on position, said ignition actuator is downwardly depressed to actuate said illuminator and to ignite said lighter at the same time.

14. The lighter, as recited in claim 3, wherein said light effect actuator is integrally formed at said ignition actuator to form an integral button, wherein at said light-off position, said ignition actuator is normally supported on said lighter casing in a downward sliding manner, and at said light-on position, said ignition actuator is downwardly depressed to actuate said illuminator and to ignite said lighter at the same time.

15. The lighter, as recited in claim 7, wherein said light effect actuator is integrally formed at said ignition actuator to form an integral button, wherein at said light-off position, said ignition actuator is normally supported on said lighter casing in a downward sliding manner, and at said light-on position, said ignition actuator is downwardly depressed to actuate said illuminator and to ignite said lighter at the same time.

16. The lighter, as recited in claim 8, wherein said light effect actuator is integrally formed at said ignition actuator to form an integral button, wherein at said light-off position, said ignition actuator is normally supported on said lighter casing in a downward sliding manner, and at said light-on position, said ignition actuator is downwardly depressed to actuate said illuminator and to ignite said lighter at the same time.

17. The lighter, as recited in claim 1, wherein said illuminator is a LED supported within said light window of said lighter casing to electrically connect to said power source.

18. The lighter, as recited in claim 5, wherein said illuminator is a LED supported within said light window of said lighter casing to electrically connect to said power source.

19. The lighter, as recited in claim 9, wherein said illuminator is a LED supported within said light window of said lighter casing to electrically connect to said power source.

20. The lighter, as recited in claim 13, wherein said illuminator is a LED supported within said light window of said lighter casing to electrically connect to said power source.