US2013866A - Lighter - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 10, 1935.

J. SMITH 2,013,866

LIGHTER Original Filed Oct. '18, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 V INVENTOR Joseph L. Sm

BY M Y W'ATTORNEYS J. L. SMITH Sept. 10, 1935.

LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Oct. 18, 1928 Y INVENTOR Joseph 1161221112,

I BY ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 10, 1935 LIGHTER Joseph L. Smith, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Faries Manufacturing Company, Decatur, 111., a corporation of Illinois 1932, Serial No. 596,862

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in lighters and particularly to that type of lighter in which a torch carrying an inflammable substance is ignited by an electric spark, as disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 313,304,

filed October 18, 1928, for improvements in lightters, which issued November 1, 1932, as Patent No. 1,885,869, of which this application is a division.

The present invention comprehends, generally,

the provision of means for igniting an inflammable substance carried by a torch member, the latter preferably including an absorbent element, to be saturated with fuel, carried by a metallic stem. The igniter includes an insulating base carrying an electrode or spark button arranged in a secondary circuit of high potential and associated with switch means in a primary circuit, the switch means being operable by insertion of the torch into the igniter, whereby an electric spark will be directed from the spark button to the metallic stem of torch member, for igniting the inflammable substance or fuel carried by the absorbent element. The arrangement of the electrodes or spark means of the secondary circuit within the unitary igniter base precludes the likelihood of contact of the spark with external objects or with the hand of the operator.

7 These and other objects and advantages, in-

cluding those relating to the formation and arrangement of parts, will become apparent from the following description of one typical embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a complete device that incorporates the principles of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, vertical section, taken at right angles to the view of Fig. 1, through the igniter.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating electrical circuits of the device.

v In the drawings I have shown the device mounted within a casing adapted for use as a cigar lighter, but it is obvious that the elements of the device may be differently arranged for use as a cigar lighter in a smokers stand, or

as a lighter for use in a kitchen or on an automobile.

In the illustrated form in the drawings, it represents the casing of the device which may have a top H and side walls 12. Carried by one of the side walls I2 is the spark coil 13 having primary and secondary windings and an electric battery l 4 in circuit with the primary winding.

Arranged at some convenient place in the top I l is the insulating base or electrode sleeve iii of my device. This member is preferably of porce- 5 lain or other durable insulating material and is provided with a rather deep mouth or well ll beneath which is an enlarged bore l8, thus providing a shoulder 19. Mounted in the bore I8 is a movable shank or secondary electrode 2! having 10 an enlarged head 29 for abutment with the shoulder I9. The shank extends downwardly through a guide aperture in a plate 22 arranged at the bottom of the insulating base and also through an insulating switch plate 23 for actuat- 15 ing a primary circuit switch 2 1, to be hereinafter described. The insulating base is provided at its base with a peripheral flange 2%; which delineates a reduced portion 26. An aperture 21 is formed in the top H of the casing, and the reduced por- 20 tion is adapted to fit into this aperture. An escutcheon plate 28 may be placed under the flange if desired.

The guide plate 22 is held against the lower surface of the reduced portion 26 of the insulat- 25 ing igniter base or electrode sleeve by a bolt 29, which is securely cemented or otherwise fastened within the base and extends outwardly beyond the surface of the base. A nut 39 threaded to bolt 29 serves to retain the guide plate in posi- 30 tion. The outer end of the bolt extends through a plate 3! which engages the under surface of the top H, and carries a nut 32 for securing the base to the casing. This bolt may also serve as a terminal for a high tension wire 33 of the sec- 35 ondary circuit. Disposed within the bore l8 of the insulating base is a helical contact spring 36 which extends about the shank 2 I, being confined between plate 22 and head 20 of the shank. This spring electrically connects plate 22 with the 40 member 2! and serves to maintain the latter in its upper position as shown in the drawings.

The electrode base or sleeve 15 is provided with a stationary secondary electrode or spark button 31, the latter extending through, and be- 45 ing secured within, an aperture 38 formed in the base near the upper end of the well ll. This electrode is connected to a high tension wire 39, one end of which passes into and through a hole 49 formed in the sleeve. The other end of the 50 high tension wire 39 is connected to a secondary terminal $3 of the spark coil 13, while the high tension wire 33 is connected to the secondary terminal A2 of the coil. v

. As shown in Fig. 2, the insulated switch plate 55 23 is secured to the bottom surface of the top H of the casing and extends centrally across the opening 2'! formed in the top. As hereinbefore stated, the shank or plunger 2i passes into and through this plate and has its lower end engaged with a switch arm 45 of the primary circuit switch 24, so that as the movable member 2| is depressed, as hereafter described, the switch arm 45 will be moved downwardly into contact with a switch arm 46, so as to close the primary circuit. The switch arms 55 and #61 are carried by the insulated switch plate 23 and are held in place by bolts 4'! and it, respectively, which bolts also provide terminals for primary wires 49 and 50, respectively. Primary wire 59 is connected to the primary terminal 5! of the spark coil 13, and primary wire 49 is connected to a terminal 52 of the battery It. The other terminal 53 of the battery [4 is connected to the secondary terminal 43 of the spark coil by a wire 54. As illustrated in the drawings, the spark coil employed in this device is one having but three terminals, one terminal serving as a combined primary and secondary terminal. Obviously, where two separate primary terminals are employed, the wire 54 would be connected to the second individual primary terminal.

Arranged at some convenient place in the top ll of the case is the fuel tank 60 of my device. This tank is preferably set into an opening El formed in the top, and is held in position by means of an annular flange 62 formed on the tank, which engages with the upper surface of the top II. The body 63 of the tank is preferably made of sheet metal having a bottom 84 and a top 65. The top is provided with a centrally arranged filler opening into which is screwthreaded a feed tube 66. This tube is provided with a flange 61 which contacts with the top 6.5 of the tank, where it may be sealed by a suitable gasket if desired. The lower end of the tube extends substantially to the bottom 66. of the tank. Rising from the top of the tube is a funnel 68 which acts as a holder for the torch 69, and also serves to extinguish the flame of the torch when it is placed within the tube. The central opening of the tube is filled with plugs 10 of felt or other suitable material which will readily absorb liquid fuel in the tank, but which will positively seal the contents of the tank against explosion. In the lower portion of the tube are formed a plurality of feed openings, which may take the form of perforations or of longitudinal slots 17 as shown in Fig. 3. In the upper end of the tube is a cylinder ll, which may be also of felt or other tightly woven fabric material provided with a central bore 12, with which the absorbent element E3 of the torch is engageable. The torch is preferably provided with a handle 14 made of suitable insulating material, such as porcelain or bakelite. A metallic rod or stem 15 is fastened in the lower end of the handle 1 3 for carrying the absorbent element 13. The absorbent element may be made of any suitable material but is preferably of asbestos cord wound about a core and fastened in place by a semi-spherical washer '16, at each end of the element.

When my device is to be put into operation, the torch 69 is removed from the feed tube and funnel 68, where it has been saturated with the inflammable fluid contained within the feed tank. The absorbent element 73 of the torch is now placed within the mouth ll of the electrode sleeve I6, and the semi-spherical washer it at the lower end of the torch brought into contact with the head of member 2!. The torch is now depressed, thereby moving the electrode 2!! downwardly against the resistance of spring 36, and since the lower end of the member 2| is in contact with the primary switch arm Q5, this arm will also be moved downwardly until it contacts with the primary switch arm 46. This serves to close the primary circuit which energizes the spark coil and causes a high tension spark to pass from the stationary secondary electrode or 1 spark button 3'! into adjacency with the absorbent portion E3 of the torch, the electrical current arcing from the member 31 to the portion of the stem 15 beneath the absorbent portion or to the washer 15 adjacent thereto, and 1 thence flowing through the electrode 28. The torch will thus be ignited and may be removed from the mouth ll of the base IE to be used to ignite whatever is desired, after which it may be placed within the mouth of the fuel container 2 to extinguish the flame and replenish the torch with fuel for subsequent use.

Obviously, some modifications of the details herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or 25 the scope of the appended claims, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the exact embodiment herein shown and described, the form shown being merely a preferred embodiment thereof. gm 3 What is claimed is:

1. An igniter for a smoking device, or the like, comprising an insulating base having an open ing therethrough for receiving a torch, a spark button carried by said base upon an upper wall 3 portion of the opening, a contact element beneath said opening, and a member disposed in said opening and movable by the torch into electrical connection with said element.

2. An igniter comprising an insulating base 4, having an opening therethrough, said opening having a shoulder intermediate the ends thereof, a guide member at one end of the base, a contact member having a stem movable in said guide member and opening and having a head 45.

confined between the guide member and shoulder, a contact element beneath the guide member for electrical connection with the contact member when the latter is moved to space the head from the shoulder, resilient means for urging the con- 5 tact member into abutment with the shoulder, and an electrical spark button on the wall of said opening adjacent the side of the base opposite the guide member.

3. In apparatus of the class described, an in- 5 sulating electrode sleeve formed with a central bore terminating in a deeply formed mouth, a movable secondary circuit member mounted within the bore, means for normally retaining said movable member at the upper end of the 6 bore and at the lower end of the mouth, a stationary secondary circuit electrode carried by said sleeve adjacent the upper end of the mouth thereof, a primary circuit switch and mechanical means connecting said movable member with 65 5. An igniter for a torch comprising an insulating base having an opening therethrough, an electrode carried by said base upon an upper wall portion of the opening, a contact member beneath said opening and supported by the base, movable conductor means carried by the base adjacent the lower end of the opening and movable into contact with said contact member, and resilient means for normally retaining said movable conductor means out of contact with the contact member.

6. A lighter comprising an insulating base having a relatively deep well receding from one face thereof for receiving the metallic stem of a torch carrying an inflammable substance, a contact member at the base of the well for being con tacted by such stem of the torch when the latter is inserted in the well, an electrode carried by the base adjacent the mouth of the well, whereby electricity may pass between the electrode and contact member by arcing between the electrode carried by the base and the stem of the torch when the latter engages the contact member.

7. A lighter for operating in conjunction with a torch of the type having a metallic stem surrounded by a body containing an ignitable substance, comprising a one piece electrode sleeve formed with a central bore terminating at its upper end in a deeply formed mouth for receiving a torch, an electrode mounted within the bore and adapted to be contacted by the metallic stem of the torch, and another electrode carried by 15

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