US2475534A - Electric cigarette lighter - Google Patents

Description

July 5, 1949. N. B. WALES ELECTRIC CIGARETTE LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17, 1949 W W u %i Z 1 7%5NToR July 5, 1949. N. B. WALES ELECTRIC CIGARETTE LIGHTER Filed Feb. 1'7, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m. pm my .D mm m IYI U D m INVENTOR. KF/[d Patented July 5, 1949 -ELEGTRIGCIGARETTE,LIGHTER Nathaniel B. WalesyNew York,=N. 'Y., assignorto Industrial Patent- Corporation, New York,*N. Y.

Application February 17, -1-94-9,;Serial N0. 7.6 987 5 Claims. (or 219-42) .This invention relates to cigarette lighters and its explicit objectisto providemeanslfor storing :the necessary operative energy for an indeterminateperiod in the form of a spring. prior tothe lighter s use.

.To lig t a cigarette-the end of vthe-cigarette ,isilightly pressed against .the resistance grid of ;the,.lighter, the storedtenergy in thespring orits {equivalent .is .thereby automatically .released ,by suitable .trip mechanism. actuated .by. a slight displacementof the. gridelement, and ,the grid is energized-by-the, stored energy operatingan electric generator. In this manner, the storedenergy is released at the preciseinstant when energization of vthegrid is required with the important provision that the cigarette, is .coincidently in physical contact with thelignition grid for its lighting.

11; has been 'foundby much experimentation that it is difficult and awkward to. actuate a, lever or otherwise forcibly manipulate actuatingmechzanism necessary for operating the electric igenerator whileat the same time guidingthe end ,of

.a cigarette onto a relatively small resistance grid.

.Another objectisto utilize thenormal. and relatively great gripping force of thehand and not ,any ;one finger thereof tocompress the case of thelighter which is made telescopic across its major .geometric dimension. that the averageperson:caneasily exert a twenty- .five-poundforcein-agrip of the hand. The case -of the lighter is therefore "dimensioned so as to take -.-advantage of this gripping power of the hand to transfertand to store .up energy-thereby "within (the actuating sprin .in the lighter. By experimentation git has been .found that the iresistance'g-rid requires .three watts electric energizatiomoveran approximate ;period;of two secondsrto readily light a cigarette. If the electric generator has an-overall .efliciency of 70%, and

taking into account the lossiinherent in the gear .train between the spring .and the armature of 'theugenerator; and the maximum distance through which the case may be compressed by thegripping reason it is-all the-more evident thatthisenergy must be generated "by successive winding operations which accumulatively store energy due to a plurality 'of winding'actuations and stored prior to the actual lighting of -the'cigarette and furthermore that an assuredgrid'contact be made coin- It is well known 2 cidently with .the limited period of grid energization.

.T reason why the ma r dimension .of th :case is compressed bya manual grippingthereof is to increase the available stroke or distance through which the energy. of the grip is absorbed .without increasing the overall size of the ,case.

.All of these factors must be taken advantage of .toattain a practical lighter and one which the publicwillaccept.

,Another b ct of thisinvention is to devise a hot electric resistance grid wherein asthe end of the cigarette makes contact therewith, the hot grid will be certain to touch one or more points of the paper wrapper of the cigarette. .Cigarettepaper has a lower ignition point than tobacco and this important detail facilitates the lighting of the cigarette.

A furtherobject is to recess the resistancegrid in a protective housing whereby air currents are minimized and wherein the heat insulative plate inafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out-intheappended claims,

In .describing theinventionin detail, reference will be had-to the accompanying drawingswherein like characters ,denote like orcorresponding parts throughoutthe several .views, and in which:

Figure vl-is an.enlarged endsection in elevation takenon line .l .-l-in Figure 2.

Figure-2 is an enlarged frontalsection taken on line 2-2 in Figure 1 with; a portionof thegenlerator ,field laminations broken away to more clearly show .therelease ortripmechanism conta t n the armature of thegenerator.

Figure ,3,.is anenlarged view in elevation looking in the direction of arrows v3.3 in Figure 1 to showin detailthe ratchet-acting pinion engaging the rack element on its up Qr-case-compression stroke.

"Figure A is thesame. as Figure 3 but shows the disengaging position the ratchet-acting pinion assumes on the down stroke of the rack element.

Figure is an enlarged view taken on line 55 in Figure 2 to show the inverted conic form of resistance wire in the ignition element so formed to contact the perifery of a cigarette in contact therewith.

Figure 6 is an approximate actual scaled view in perspective of the electric lighter,

Referring to the drawings, in Figure 1 the exterior case of the lighter is composed of two telescopic case portions, the upper one designated as I and the lower as 2. Advantage is taken to permit a long compression stroke, as will be explained in detail later, by telescoping case portions I and 2 along the major dimension of the normal contour of the case, see Figure 6. This major dimension of the case being such that it can be encompassed by a gripping of the hand.

Numeral 3 is the shaft for main spring 4, the inner scroll of which is suitably secured thereto by pin 5. Shaft 3 is journaled in bearings formed in parallel bearing plates 5 and I secured to each other by studs and spacers 8. The outer scroll of main spring 4 is secured by pin 9 to gear ID, freely journaled on shaft 3. A rack member I! is suitably secured to lower case 2. Rack II is normally in engagement with pinion I2, which in turn is in mesh with gear I3 secured to shaft 3; see Figures 3 and 4. Pinion I2 is journaled in stub shaft I4 which in turn is cradled in arcuate slot I5 in mounting plate I6 therefor, secured to case I. A spring member I'I secured in slot I5 presses against stub shaft I4 and maintains it in the position in arcuate slot I5 as is seen in Figure 3, so that when the lighter casings I2 are manually compressed, the rack II, see arrow 23, engages pinion I2 which in turn meshes with gear I3 secured to shaft 3 and thereby winds main spring 4. The pawl member I8 overrides the teeth on gear I3 which has been rotated in the direction of arrow I8. When the stroke in the direction of arrow is completed, a relatively weak compression spring 2| positioned between the inner wall of case 2 and a foot support member 22 secured to case I having been compressed during the telescoping of cases I and 2 now exerts sufiicient pressure on the manual re lease of cases I and 2 to return cases I and 2 to the position as is seen in Figures 1 and 2. Now as rack member I I starts to move with case portion 2 in the direction as is seen by arrow 23 in Figure 4, the initial meshing of the rack II with pinion I2 carries pinion I2, movably journaled in stub shaft I4, along slot I5 by the continued meshing of pinion I2 with the now stationary gear I3 locked by pawl I8, thus operating as a sun gear thereto, so that spring I! is compressed, see Figure 4, and an one tooth of rack I I temporarily passes out of mesh with pinion I2 and thereby permits rack I I to move in the direction of arrow 23 under the urging of spring 2! in Figure 1. In this manner spring 4 can be progressively wound by the repeated telescopic action, manually induced, by cases I and 2.

Returning to Figure 1, the gear Ill meshes with pinion 24 shown integral with shaft 25 which is journaled in bearing plates 6 and I. Large gear 26 secured to shaft 25 in turn meshes with pinion 2'I keyed to shaft 28 journaled in bearing plates I and 29. Plate 39 is in spaced relation with plate I and is secured to case I by suitable stud means 30 and which means likewise secure the laminated field member 3| to case I. Armature 32 is. broken 4 away in Figure 1 to show the armature 32 secured to shaft 28.

A field Winding 33 is conventionally wound over the horseshoe-shaped field member 3|. The armature 32 is preferably made of Alnico, a permanent magnetic alloy. Suitable electric connections 35 connect the electrical output of field winding 33 with the resistance grid wire 36, see the enlarged view in Figure 5. Grid wire 36 is supported by a Larvite cup 31 which preferably has periferial fingers 38 and inner shorter bosses 39 to which and around which the grid wire 35 is suitably secured to form an inverted conic contour, so that when a cigarette 40, see Figure 2,

" is contacted therewith, the contact is first made along the perifery of the cigarette to assure a lighting of the cigarette paper, which is less by. droscopic than the tobacco and more easily ignited and which in turn when lighted, forms a temperature ignition feeder to the tobacco. A suitable housing 4i protects the grid wire 36. An orifice 42, see Figure 6, gives accessibility to the cigarette All to make contact with the grid wires 36.

One of the important mechanical considerations which becomes an object of the invention and which dominates the lighters operation is the fact that approximately 4-5 ft. lbs. of energy representing a. considerable torque at the main springs axis, shaft 3, is stored up by the accumulative windings of spring 4. In order to trip or release this torque for generator excitation, for instance by the slight pressure which can be exerted by the end of a cigarette bearing against the resistance grid. element 33, it is very necessary to have a sensitive trip mechanism. Therefore, it is preferable to take advantage of the approximately 900 to 1 gear train step-up in R. P. M. between the spring and the armature 32, which greatly reduces this existing torque. I, therefore, take advantage of this torque reduction factor by positioning the trip or release mechanism on the armature of the generator. In this manner I obtain a sensitive acting manual trip release which will be practical and can be maintained in operative condition for thousands of lightings.

In this manner the Larvite cup 31 is suitably secured to a lever 43 which is supported in a fulcrum bearing 44 suitably supported in case I. The lower end of the lever 43 terminates in a brake shoe or its equivalent 45 bearing against the circumference of the armature 32 which is shown slightly extended at 45, see Figure 1. A light spring 4'! biases the lever 43 so that the armature 32 will not revolve during or after winding of main spring 4 unless the shoe 45 is manually relieved of the bias of spring 41 by the pressing of a cigarette end or its equivalent against the grid wire 36 which is displaced inwardly thereby and is coincidently energized by the rotation of armature 32.

From the descriptive operational subject matter already fully described in detail, it is evident that stored energy transferred into the spring 4 by its manual winding is available at any indeterminate time thereafter by the simple and normal operation of contacting a cigarette to the grid element 33 suificiently to displace it and release brake shoe 45, and while the cigarette contacts the grid 36, the stored energy is thereby released and transferred into wattage which energizes the grid 35 and ignites the cigarette.

To facilitate the lighting of a cigarette by the lighter in the darkness, the interior surface of housing 4I may be coated with a phosphorescent substance 48 in order to guide a cigarette to the grid 36 by its glow or the Larvite cup 31 may be so coated with substanc 48.

What I desire to protect by United States Letters Patent is encompassed in the following claims:

1. An electric cigarette lighter comprising a case, a main spring therein, an electric generator, a gear train connecting said main spring with said generator, an electric resistance grid displaceably mounted in said case and accessible to the end of a cigarette, electric circuit connections between said grid and said generator, manually actuated means for repeatedly Winding said main spring in order to store energy therein and means actuated by the displacement of said grid to release the stored energy in said spring to rotate said generator and thereby energize said resistance grid.

2. An electric cigarette lighter comprising a telescopic case, a main spring therein, an electric generator, a gear train connecting said main spring with said generator, an electric resistance element displaceably mounted in said case and accessible to the end of a cigarette, electric circuit connections between said resistance element and said generator, means to accumulatively wind said main spring by the manual compressions of said telescopic case in order to store up energy therein and means actuated by the dis- Placement of said resistance element by the end of a cigarette in contact therewith to release the stored energy in said main sprin to rotate said generator and thereby energize said resistance element.

3. A cigarette lighter comprising a case, a main spring therein, an electric generator, a gear train connecting said main spring with said generator, an electric resistance ignition element pivotally mounted in said case and accessible to the end of a cigarette, electric circuit connections between said ignition element and said electric generator, manually actuated means for accumulatively winding said main spring in order to store energy therein and means through the displacement of said ignition element by the instrumentality of a cigarette to release said stored energy in said main spring to energize said ignition element by the rotation of said generator.

4. An electric cigarette lighter comprising a case, a spring motor, an electric generator, an armature for said generator, a gear train connecting said spring motor with the armature of said generator, an electric resistance grid accessible to a cigarette and pivotally mounted in said case, a brake shoe operatively mounted to contact said armature and means connecting said pivoted resistance grid with said brake shoe, spring means to normally bias said brake shoe against said armature to prevent said armature from rotation, electric circuit connections between said grid and said generator, manually actuated means for winding said spring motor in order to store energy therein whereby when said grid is moved on its pivot by the pressure of a cigarette in contact therewith, said spring bias is overcome to permit said armature to revolve by the stored energy in said spring motor to energize said grid and ignite said cigarette.

5. An electric cigarette lighter comprisin a case, a spring motor, an electric generator, a gear train connecting said spring motor with said generator, brake means to prevent the operation of said generator, an electric resistance grid accessible to a cigarette and piovtally mounted in said case, means connecting said pivoted grid with said brake means, electric circuit connections between said generator and said grid, manually actuated means for winding said spring motor in order to store energy therein whereby when said grid is moved on its pivot by the pressure of a cigarette in contact therewith, said brake means is released to permit said generator to be operated by the stored energy in said spring motor to energize said grid and ignite said cigarette.

NATHANIEL B. WALES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,015,298 Cleland Jan. 23, 1912 1,186,422 Morgan June 6, 1916 1,219,340 Morgan Mar. 13, 1917 1,400,819 Higgins Dec. 20, 1921 1,460,002 Uran June 26, 1923 1,512,468 Johnson Oct. 21, 1924 2,085,331 Ramlau June 29, 1937 2,092,845 Holmes Sept. 14, 1937 2,117,976 Morris May 17, 1938 2,243,889 Shively June 3, 1941 2,244,269 Springborn June 3, 1941 2,247,901 Alexander July 1, 1941 2,299,497 Rosenthal Oct. 20, 1942 2,468,146 Vissing Apr. 26, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 102,154 Australia Sept, 29, 1937 630,748 France Aug. 29, 1927

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