US2269591A - Lighter - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 13, 1942. s. M. LOCKER 2,269,591

LIGHTER Filed Jan. 7, 1959 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 13, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,269,591 7 LIGHTER Sidney M. Locker, Bronx, N. Y.

Application. January 7, 1939, Serial No. 249,743 v4 Claims. (01. (iv-v.1) I

This invention relates to an improved igniting device adapted for efiicient and economical combination with a mechanical pencil.

I In pencil and lighter combinations which have been already proposed, the lighter devices have been complicated in structure with springs,

moving parts, spark producing elements, wicks, fuel chambers, etc., for the most part located within the pencil casing, thereby restricting the fuel capacity of the lighter, if not on the other hand making the whole article cumbersome, expensive, and less serviceable. I

Among the highly creditable objects of this invention are provisions of a practicable fuel capacity for the igniting device without substantially reducing space in the article of convenient size for holding a good supply of lead. Another of these objects is to reduce the essential elements of the igniting device to minimum in number, size, and complexity, yet maintaining an efficient cooperation in the functions of the parts used while the cost of manufacture is considerably lowered. Other objects pertaining to the aesthetics, usefulness, and simplicity of design will become apparent from the further description. l

In brief, advantageous features of the improved igniter for obtaining the aims of this invention will be shown to reside principally in having only a fuel chamber and wick occupy space within the pencil holder or casing, and in using a pocket clip device of favorable utility for securely attaching the pencil-igniter article to a garment as an efficient spark-producing member in cooperation with the ignitible wick and a flint properly mounted on the casing.

Further objects and novel features, in addition to those specifically mentioned, will be explained in detail with the ensuing description and the accompanying drawing and will be set forth in the appended claims,

Referring to the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is an enlarged longitudinal view of the pencil and lighter combination with members of the lighter device shown in section.

Figure 2 is a detailed perspective view of a container for a removable flint bar.

Figure 3 is a top view of the pencil and lighter casing.

Figure 4 is a top view taken on the line 11-11 of the casing cover.

Figure 5 is a detailed perspective elevational view of the casing cap with its attached pocket clip which carries a flint bar striker.

' In the several figures of the drawing, like reference numerals will indicate like parts. As shown in Figure 1, the pencil and lighter combination comprises a casing or outer tubular body I which may be circular or polygonal in transverse cross-section, and an inner concentric tubular body 2 for containing a mechanical pencil mechanism and a full sized lead magazine retained in, body 3. The elements of the pencil vmechanism are not completely described nor illustrated, as they form no part of the specific invention except in assembly therewith.

Since it is desired to utilize space in the combined" article to full capacity for a maximum size lead magazine and fuel reservoir, it is of interest to show the entire structure of the fuel reservoir and its relation to the pencil mechanism receptacle. The pencil mechanism in tubular body 3 is operated by manipulation of the ferrule 4 for loading and ejecting of lead through an opening 5 at the apex. I A tubular fuel reservoir 6 which is preferably filled with an absorbent material, such as cotton, to be saturated with a readily ignitible fuel, e. g.

light naphtha, lies between the concentric tubularbodies l and 2 being sealed from the interior of the inner tubular body by a closure 1 and having a lower bottom closure 8 shown as a disc connecting tubular body 2 with tubular body I. At the top of the fuel chamber or reservoir 6, having as. a surrounding side wall, the casing wall I, need be only a cover 9 carrying a wick guide l0 through which is projected a wick II. This cover or closure member may be attached to the casing by a threaded flange l2 screwed onto an outer threading on the casing. The wick guide is preferably an angular narrow tube through which projects the wick into close proximity-with the upper edge of. a spark producing member-I3, which is preferably mountedlon the casing 'in a trough or channel l4 forming only aslightindentationin 'the' casing wall I.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the channel [4 is filled with a removable flint bar held securely by projecting lips Ma and by the cover screwed tight to seal the fuel chamber. As shown in Figure 3, a notch K5 in the cover above the flint permits free passage of a striker off the surface and upper edge of the flint.

In Figure 5 is illustrated a cap l6 which is adapted to slide over the upper portion of the pencil casing I so as to enclose the upper portion of the fuel chamber including the cover, wick and wick guide, and even the flint and a fuel supply screw H. To more firmly attach the cap to the casing so as to prevent fuel evaporation from the wick and to keep the spark producing member clean, the cap may have an inner threading I8 for engaging with threading IS on the casing I. A pocket engaging clip 20 is attached to the cap l6, as by means of rivets 2| and may serve usefully to also carry a frictional spark producing member 23 which has the shape of a friction wheel segment or a bur and is constructed of steel for effective use as a striker on flint. Clip 20, preferably given a curved shape, as shown, is

constructed of resilient or yieldable metal and carries a knob 22 for aiding its function in securely holding the entire article in a pocket of a garment. The knob 22 serves to keep the striker bur 2| removed from contact with the garment.

To use the lighter, cap 16 is detached from the casing, then striker bur 23 is held against the exposed surface ofthe flin bar l3 and drawn along this surface toward the ignitible wick end exposed above notch 15 and substantially in, line with the flint bar surface.

As is customary and convenient, the cap may additionally carry in its crown an eraser, not

to come within the scope of the appended claims,

in which it is desired to claim all novelty which the prior art permits.

I claim:

1. A lighter comprising a fuel chamber having a surrounding side wall. a cover including a narrow wick passage, and a bottom closure, aflint bar mounted in a channel on the exterior of the side wall with one end of said bar contiguous to and overlapped by said cover, a wick projecting from the interior of the fuel chamber throughsaid wick passage to terminate above the cover in proximity to and above said end of the flintbar, a cap adapted to slide over the upperexterior portion of said fuel chamber and thereby enclose the cover and the wick, anda strikermem- I ber mounted on said cap so as to extend along the exterior of the fuel chamber side wall and in position to function as a pocket clip when the upper exterior portionof said fuel chamber is enclosed by the cap.

2. In a device of the class described, a pencil shaped casing, a fuel reservoir at one end of said casing and having the internal casing wall as a surrounding side wall, a closure on said casing serving to cover the fuel reservoir, said closure extending past the external surface of said casing. an angular wick guide forming a restricted passage through said closure, a wick projecting through said guide from the interior of the fuel reservoir and having an igniting end adjacent an external surface of said casing, a spark forming member mounted on the external surface of the casing adjacent said igniting end of the wick and restricted from extending beyond said closure, a detachable cap adapted to house the igniting wick end, the wick guide, and the spark forming member when attached to the casing, and a yieldable member attached to said cap in position to press against an external surface of said casing when the cap is thus attached to the casing, said yieldable member carrying a spark producing frictional surface.

3-. A lighter comprising a fuel reservoir, a tubular casing forming side walls of said reservoir, a wick holding removable cover for said reservoir, a. wick projecting through a restricted passage in said. cover, means for attaching said cover to said tubular casing, means on the exterior of said tubular casing for holding a removable flint bar locked into position by the coverwhen the cover is attached to said tubular casing, the attached cover having a portion protruding over and against one end of removable flint bar in said holding means, a detachable cap adapted to fit over the portion of the tubular casing where the cap can conceal the cover and flint bar holding means, and a flint striker member attached to the cap in a position to extend longitudinally on the exterior of the tubular casing when the cap is attached to the tubular casing.

4. A friction lighter device for combination with a pencil mechanism, comprising a tubular fuel reservoir between two concentric tubular bodies, a cover for one end of the fuel reservoir, said cover being fastened 'to the outer tubular body and having a narrow wick passage, a'wick projecting from within the fuel reservoir through said wick passage toterminatein an igniting end spaced from the surfaceof said cover, means for sealing the opposite end of the tubular fuel reservoir, means for sealing the fuel reservoir from the interior of the inner tubular body which is adapted to contain a pencil mechanism and lead magazine, a spark producing, member mounted exteriorlyon the outer tubular body in position to discharge sparks in a straight line to the igniting wick endvwhen struck with a frictional spark producing member moved in the direction of said igniting wick end witha portion of said cover projecting over the sparkproducing member mounted on the outer tubular body, a cap adapted to be tightly attached to the outer tubular body so as to enclose said cover, said igniting wickend, and said spark producing member mounted on the outer tubular body when the lighter is notrin use, and a pocket clip secured to said cap, said pocket clip carrying a frictional spark producing member.

SIDNEY/M. LOCKER.

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