US3049902A - Frictional igniter - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 2l, 1959 P2 Fg.7 N

Z auf Mm mi n@ Aug. 21, 1962 T. RUETZ FRICTIONAL IGNITER Filed Oct. 2l, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheetl 2 5 meaefwm United States Patent O 3,049,902 FRICTION AL IGNTER Theodor Ruetz, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland Filed Oct. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 847,747 Claims priority, application Germany June 1, 1959 4 Claims. (Cl. 67-6.1)

This invention relates to an igniter, particularly of the pocket type, being principally characterized by a flint which is turnable about an axle, rests under spring pressure against the friction-wheel and is automatically readjusted by the latter to take up its wear.

Further features of the invention will appear from the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein there is shown, purely by way of example, one form of embodiment incorporating the invention.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a part of the igniter taken on line I I of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows showing the parts in dot and dash lines in the position after actuation,

FIG. 2 is a top view of the igniter with the coverremoved and with certain parts in section,

FIG. 3 is a side View partly in section showing details of the base of the igniter,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the int disk and associated parts,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line V-V of FIG. 1 taken in the direction of the arrows and showing the detail of the cylinder and its plunger and FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line VI-VI of FIG. 1.

According to the embodiment shown, a bushing (FIG. 2) is loosely mounted on a circularly sectional axle 1 which is journalled in anges 29 (FIG. 3) of the sidewalls 30 of the lighter container. On said bushing the -flint 3, in the form of a disk, is loosely supported -by a square. Also loosely supported on another square of the bushing 2 is a wormwheel 4. The flint disk 3 and the wormwheel 4 are connected for rotation with the bushing 2 through the corresponding squares thereof. The wormwheel 4 is in mesh with the worm 5 which extends through the hollow shaft 5a. The end of the shaft 5a forms one member 6 of a claw coupling, whose other member is 7. The latter is carried by a pin 8, one end of which is slidingly supported in an axial thrust ballbearing 9, the other end 8b resting in the hollow shaft 5a. The pin 8 includes a collar 8c, on which bears a spring 10 that engages at its lower end the coupling member 7.

Another spring 11 bears at one end on the lower extremity of the pin 8 and at the other end on the axial thrust bearing 9. The spring 10 has the tendency to press the coupling member 7 into the coupling member 6. At their faces, the coupling members 6 and 7 are provided with corresponding claw teeth 6a, 7a (FIG. 3). The entire shaft system 5, 6, 7, and 8 is axially displaceable and rotatable. The spring 11 steadily presses the ilint disk 3 through the whole shaft system 5, 6, 7, 8 and wormwheel 4 against the friction-wheel 12 (FIG. 1) in the sense of the arrow P. For this purpose, the flint 3 has a peripheral recess 13 through which the iiint 3 rests on the friction-wheel y12.

The wormwheel 4 and the shaft system 5, 6, 7, 8 with the springs 10, 11 constitute a part of a mechanism which, upon actuation of the igniter, always readjusts the flint 3 to take up its wear, the arrangement being such that upon actuation, the mechanism each time tends to readjust the flint 3 to an extent which is greater than the amount of its wear. FIG. 1 illustrates the flint 3 after an amount of wear.

3,049,902 Patented Aug. 21, 1962 For the rest, the readjustment mechanism is designed as follows:

The coupling member 7 designed as a sleeve has a bifurcated extension 14 into which the pin 15 of a plunger 16 projects (FIGS. 1 and 5). The plunger 16 is slidably supported in a cylinder 17 against a spring 18. The plunger 16 has an extension 16a which protrudes through an opening in a wall 19. The space 20 which houses said mechanism, adjoins the main wall 21 of the lighter. The whole mechanism for automatically readjusting the flint 3 is attached to said main wall. In order ot prevent retrograde motion upon actuation of the coupling 6, 7, a lateral extension 34 of the wall 21 accommodates a spring- 36-biased pawl 35 that engages the toothed portion 5a of the worm 5.

The coupling 6 is provided with teeth not only on the end adjacent the coupling part 7 but also on its periphery. On the Awall 21 there is a housing 34 secured thereto in which a bolt 35 is mounted longitudinally movable therein. Under the inlluence of a spring 36 one end of the bolt 35 is in gripping contact with the teeth on the periphery of the coupling part 5 in order to form a ratchet which will lock the spiral 5 against rotation in one direction. The spiral 5 can only rotate in the direction in which the disk 3 may rotate in the direction of the arrow P.

In a casing part 22 there is provided the control mechanism for actuating the friction wheel 12. This mechanism is of :the usual construction and is thus only described to such an extent which is necessary to understand the invention. The friction wheel 12 is mounted on an axle `12a which is secured in anges 19a of the wall 19. `On the wall 119 there is secured an axle 24 around which a single-armed lever 25 swings. A cover 23 which actuates the lighter is connected with the lever 25 with the aid of an axle 26. One end of a spring 27 grips the axle 26 while the other end of this spring is suspended from a pressed out part 19b of the wall 19. On the axle 12a of the wheel 12 there is further provided an oscillating cover front part 28 which in known manner is coupled by a link operator to the friction wheel 12. By means of the lever pin 12b the cover 23 is connected with the cover front part 28. 'Ihe parts 12, 12a, 12b, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and y28 together form a unitary structure which is known and is utilized in many different types of lighters.

These parts are associated with the usual lighter by a screw connection consisting of a screw bolt 37 and a nut 38 so as to be removable. The screw bolt 37 is secured in the Wall 21 with the nut 3S rotatably provided in the Wall 19 of the lighter. The diameter of the nut 38 is somewhat larger than the width of the lighter casing 30 and extends therefore out from two opposite slots 30a in the container wall and thus the nut may be actuated by the fingers of one hand. In FIGS. 2 and 3 the lighter mechanism has been removed, but FIG. 2 shows in dot and dash Ilines the position of the nut 38 when the lighter is completely assembled.

The operation of the lighter is as follows: when the cover 23 is pressed in the direction of the arrow P1, FIG. l, the cover 23 will shift in the position of the dot and dash lines 23a, whereby the lever 25 will assume the position of 25a and the pin 11212 in the position 112C, so that the front cover part 28 will move in the direction of the arrow P2 to the dot and dash line position 28a in the open position. Simultaneously the friction wheel 12 will be rotated whereby the igniter wheel 3 will be actuated to produce a shower of sparks and ignite the lighter wick.

By actuating the lighter or friction wheel mechanism in the aforedescribed manner, each time the cover 23 is actuated, the extension 16a and thus the plunger 16 is pushed into the cylinder 17 and incidentally the coupling member 7 is turned through the distance of one tooth by the pin 15 and fork 14; the pawl 35 locks the coupling part 6 against rotation upon release of the cover, it returns into its position of rest, whereby the plunger part 16a follows under the action of the spring 18 and takes along with it the couplingr member 7, which causes the member 6 and hence the shaft 5 and wormwheel 4 to move in the sense of pressing the flint 3 against the friction-wheel 12. Since the angular movement of the shaft by one tooth corresponds to a greater path than the amount of wear of the flint 3, the shaft system S, 6, 7, and 3 moves back in the axial direction and tensions the spring 11, when the opening or actuating of the lighter is repeated several times. When upon frequent switching, the end pin 8a of the shaft 8 abuts on the bearing end 11b, the plunger extension 16a dwells in the lower position, since the friction in the system is so great that the spring 18 can no longer move the plunger 16 in the cylinder 17. Also in this lower position of the plunger extension 16a, the cover 23 may be freely actuated or moved for the purpose of igniting the lighter.

The axle 1 with the flint '3 and wormwheel 4 can be assembled and disassembled in a simple manner. For this purpose, the main wall 21 (FIG. 3) which represents the container cover, has attached thereto two flanges 29 which are in close contact with the corresponding sidewalls 30 of the lighter. The flanges 29 have openings 31, one each, which form the bearings of the axle 1. The axle 1 itself possesses, at each of its two ends, a pin 1a, lb milled on both sides, with which they can be introduced into the openings 3i. A lever 32 is fast with the axle 1 through a pin 33 (FIG. 2). 1f the axle 1 is insented with its ends 1a, 1b into the openings 31, it can be turned through 90 by the lever 32, so that the axle ends 1a, 1b will occupy the position shown in FIG. 3, in which the axle 1 is locked.

It is understood that, instead of the claw coupling and the spring 111 adapted `to serve for storage, also a usual slip coupling may be provided, whereby a spring equivalent to the spring would have to take over the constant pressure of the flint 3 against the friction-wheel. When the worm drive 4 and 5 is self locking as to the thread angle, then the parts 34, 35, and 36 may be omitted. The coupling part 6 does not require to be provided with teeth on its periphery.

FIG. 6 shows the friction wheel 12 on the left side provided with grooves Il2. which cooperates with a spring disk 12" mounted on the axle 12a. The leaf spring is mounted on the axle 12a but abuts against the cover 23. The spring 12 has a projecting part which cooperates with the side grooves 12.

The operation of the friction wheel appears to be quite obvious from FIG. 6 and it is quite evident that in one movement, that is the opening movement of the lighter, the cooperation of the spring i12." will permit rotation of the friction wheel 12 whereas in the corresponding movement of the lighter case, the spring and its detent is such that the spring will hold ithe friction wheel to prevent rotation thereof. Thus the friction wheel will only rotate in the clock-wise direction as indicated by the arrow in FIG. l.

Through the invention an ignited is created which, as compared with embodiments of the type known heretofore, allows considerably more sparkings or ignitions to be made with the iiint.

It is understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that other variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the appended claims.

Whatl claim is:

l. An igniter comprising an axle, a disk-shaped flint rotatably mounted on the axle, said ilint having a peripheral recess, a second axle, a friction wheel rotatable on the said second axle parallel to that of the disk-shaped flint, said friction wheel engaging said recess in the flint, and a spring biasedmeans adapted to turn said flint to maintain a portion of said recess in contact with said friction wheel.

2L An igniter according to claim l, in which means are provided to compress said spring means upon each actuation of the igniter.

3. An igniter according to claim l, in which the spring biased means includes a worm wheel and cooperating worm, said disk-shaped flint being connected with said worm wheel and said worm wheel engaging the worm, said spring biased means including spring means, said worrn being axially movable under the action of said spring means, and in which a claw coupling means is provided in communication with said worm and means for actuating the claw coupling.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,779,l79 Smith Jan. 29, 1957

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