US2294270A - Cigarette case - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 25, 1942.

E. BERNHARDT CIGARETTE CASE Filed .July 11, 1940 I N V E N TO R. EDMUND BERNHHRDT MXO Patented Aug. 25, 1942 UITED STATES angers CIGARETTE CASE Edmund Bernhardt, London, England Application July 11, 1940, Serial No. 344,936 In Great Britain July 25, 1939 2 Claims.

provided whereby the lighter is automatically Z ignited upon closing the lid of the case. Prefer ably a control member is provided which projects into the range of movement of the lid of of, a tensioning ring is provided which, when' the case, and adjustably mounted on the lighter the said control member by its displacement" the closed position the ignition device of the lighter, constructed for semi-automatic operation, and

Figure 2 a section of the lighter along line II-II of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 shows the ignition device of the v lighter after the actuation of the trigger, that is to say, after the ignition of the wick not shown, while Figure 4 shows a section on its line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Figure 5 shows in elevation part of one end of a lighter, while Figure 6 illustrates in perspective view a cigarette case opened complete with the inserted or built-in lighter.

The ignition device l of a lighter 2 is slidably insertable by means of the projecting walls 3 into a suitable recess 4 (Fig. 5) forming part of the top of the petrol container 5. The ignition device I is constructed in a manner known in itself and consists of the wick cap 6 which can be rotated around an axis 1 upon which axis the friction wheel 8 is rotatably mounted in a known manner. A projection 9 on the cap 6 engages a spring H), which is fastened at its other end to a trigger II. The trigger H can be swung about a pin 12 and co-operates with the projection 9 of the cap 6 through the intermediary of the end l3 of the trigger. The guide and pressing means i4 and 15 for the flint are fitted between the walls 3. The pressing means for the flint consists of a wire spring l5 one end I! of which rests against the flint l6, and the other end against the abutment I9, it being possible by means of a handle I8 to remove the clearly;

spring when it is desired to release the flint it by lifting it off an abutment l8. In order to prevent the two straight ends of the spirally wound wire spring spreading too far apart under the influences of the elastic forces therethe end of the spring is lifted away from the abutment l9, so that the end of the spring H l pressing against the flint H5 is released, keeps the two ends thereof in suitable relative position.

Between the walls 3 of the ignition device l a control member 2i is adjustably mounted to project into the range of movement of the lid 22 of a cigarette case and by its displacement caused by the closing of the lid of the case, moves the trigger ll of the lighter 2 into a position to bring about the ignition of the wick of the lighter. The control member in the example illustrated is constructed as a switch lever 2i rotatably fastened to the lighter 2, and which lever is interposed in the path of rotation of the lid 22 of the case by means of a spring 23 having a straight line extension Zi inserted into theswitch lever 2|. The switch lever 2! has a cam surface 25, with which is associated a guide surface 26 connected with the trigger ll of the lighter. The cam surface 25 of the switch lever 2i which projects into the arcuate range of movement of the lid of the case and is rotatable by the lid out of this range, is inclined to the direction of rotation by movement of the switch lever 2|, as can be seen in particular in Figs. 2 and 4, so that it moves aside the uide surface 26 connected with the trigger ll of the lighter when the lid of the case is closed, but after the guide surface 26 has been passed over by the cam 25 releases it again, so that the trigger it returns to itsinitial position so that it is possible to repeat the operation, as will be explained in more detail. The switch lever 25 is constructed to move transversely to its direction of rotation, so that after the guide surface 26 has been passed over and been pushed aside, it can pass over to rear side 21 of the latter. For the purpose of returning the switch lever H from its position when swung outwardly or transversely to the direction of rotation spring 28 is provided.

The switch lever 25 is, as already explained, mounted on the ignition device, which latter is slidably mounted on the tank casing 5 of the lighter 2 by means of the walls 3. For the purpose of a safe connection of the ignition device l with the petrol tank 5, a locking device 29, 3t

is provided, in order in particular to avoid an undesirable relative movement between the ignition device I carrying the wick cap 6 and the tank casing carrying the burning end of the wick to be sealed by the cap and which movement would prejudice the sealing of the burning end of the wick. The locking device shown is formed by a leaf spring 29 secured to the tank and having an.extremity which is insertable in a doe pression 30 formed in the wall of the ignition device When the lighter 2 is pushed into the cigarette case (see Fig. 6), the leaf Spring 29 is pressed into the. depression 30, so that a secure connection between the lighter tank and the ignition device is obtained. A reliable connection 36-.

. tween these parts is necessary, because the 9.0-,

tion of the lid 22 on the switching member 2| which takes place every time the device is used, may easily loosen or move the ignition device relatively to the fuel container.

The method of working the device is the fol;

lowing When the opened case is closed, th'at is, when the lid 22 of the case is pressed against the body of the case, the wall of the lid presses vupon the switchlever 2|, which projects into the rotation range of movement of the lid22, and displaces, i the lever, overcoming the force of the spring 22,

side of the guide 26 is possible by mounting the switch lever 2| displaceable transversely to thc direction of rotation of the lid, andactuation of the spring 28. The switch lever 2| is, however, returned by the spring 28 after its backward 1 movement around the guide 26, into its starting position, from which it can again act on the inner side of the guide 26 and thereby on the trigger II when the closing of the case takes place again.

The invention provides a cigarette case having.

a built-in or removable pyrophoric lighter which ignitesautomatically on the closing of the lid of the case and provides an arrangement of the simplest construction and accordingly a cigarette case,which is particularly reliable in working, the

invention is not limited by any particular construction of the ignition device, so that it can be used withoutconsiderable alteration with ignition devices of the most varied construction.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

so that cam surface 25 slides on the inside face of the guide member 26 connected with the trigger H and pushes it outwards, so thatthe trigger reaches the position seen in Fig. 3, and in which it has effected the ignition of the wick in known manner. When the closing'of' the lid 22 of the case is completed the cam face 25-slides com pletely over the guide member 26, so that the latter is released and the trigger snaps back into its starting position (Fig. l) underthe 'action of the spring ID, with the wick cap open. (semi-automatic lighter). The case is nowcompletely closed,.the wick of the lighter is, however, burning andthe cigarette previously removed'can' be:

lighted. When the case is completely closed by the lid 22 the switch lever is hold housed within the ignition device. After the cigarette has been lighted the wick cap 6 is closed in the manner known. When lid 22 is again opened, the cam face 25'slides outwards along the outer side 21 of the guide 26, under the influence of the force of the spring 23 and the switch lever -2.| again takes up the position whichcan be seen from Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6. During the opening of the lid 22 the cam face 25 does not .slide back over that side of the guide 26 on which it acted d ing the displacement of the trigger H, but asses round the guide 26, and completes a closed linear track during the actuation of the case. The

sliding back of the cam face 25 along the outer 1. A cigarette case having a built-in pyrophoric lighter, a lid pivotally mounted on said case for movement into and out of closing position, trigger mechanism for actuating said lighter, a displaceable lever having a portion disposed in the path of movement of the lid, said lever and trigger having cooperating cam surfaces whereby the trigger is actuated by the displacement of the lever,the cam surface of the lever being inclined to the directoin of movement of said lever whereby it forces away the cooperating surface of the trigger and passes th'ereover to release the latter, tension means for returning the trigger to its initial position, and manually operable-means independent of said lid for operating said trigger mechanism without regard to the position of the lid.

. 2. A cigarette case having a built-in pyrophoric lighter, a lid pivotally mounted on said case for movement into and out of closing position, ltrigger mechanism for actuating said lighter, a

displaceable lever having a portion disposed in the path of movement of the lid, said lever and trigger having cooperating cam surfaces whereby the trigger is actuated by the displacement of the lever, the cam surface of the lever being inclined to the direction of movementof said lever whereby it forces away the cooperating surface of the trigger and passes thereover to re-- lease the latter, tension means for returning the trigger to its initial position, a spring for retuming the lever from its displaced position, and manually operable means independent of said lid for operating said trigger mechanism without regard to the position of the lid.

BERNHARDT.

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