US3138945A - Gas burner lighter mechanism - Google Patents

Description

June 30, 1964 YosHlo KANAMARU ETAL 3,138,945

GAS BURNER LIGHTER MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 11, 1965 INVENTOR YOSHIO KANAMARU HTSUNEO OKABE ATTORNEYS United States Patent O M v 3,138,945 GAS BURNER LIGHTER MECHANISM Yoshio Kanamaru, Chiyoda-ku, and Tsuneo Okabe, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, Japan, assignors to Kanamaru Shoten, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, a corporation of Japan Filed Mar. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 264,149 2 Claims. (Cl. 677.1)

The present application relates to gas fueled cigarette lighters, particularly a mechanism for precisely regulating the flow of the pressurized fuel from the lighter reservoir to the spark producing mechanism.

Previous inventors have attacked the problem Vof regulating the flow of pressurized fuels such as butane in a cigarette lighter so as to effectively control the height of the flame developed at the lighter exterior. A significant patent in this respect is Nissen 2,747,349 wherein the fuel flow is regulated by means of a piercing pin which pierces a slug of deformable material. However, since the piercing is required to be effected by the user of the lighter, the diameter of the pierced hole is variable and inasmuch as the deformable material is of indeterminate depth, precise control of the pressurized fuel flow cannot be obtained.

According to the present invention, the fuel ow regulating mechanism consists in a housing having an inner axial passage with a conical configuration at its lower end and a piston of complementary conical configuration ver-v tically reciprocable within the inner axial passage. By vertically reciprocating the piston within the inner axial passage fuel fiow is regulated as a limit of friction encountered by the pressurized fuel in its travel between the opposed conical surfaces of piston and the axial npassage. Consequently a very precise control is achieved. Also, the lower part of theV piston is especially configured to actually protrude within a narrow bottom orifice of the axial passage which is in itself protected by a bottom flange so as to eliminate oversupply or surging. of fuel to the fuel fiow regulatingmechanism.

Accordingly, it is an object of invention to provide in a gas fueled lighter an improved fuel flow control mechanism.

Another object of invention is to provide in a gas fueled lighter means for precisely controlling the degree of fuel flow.

Yet additional objects of invention will become apparent from the ensuing specification and attached draw-l ings wherein: n

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a gas fuel lighter, showing the filling valve and burner or fuel flow regulating mechanism positioned inwardly of the casing; and

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of the burner mechanism, showing the housing with inner axial passage and cornplementary piston vertically reciprocated therein.

In FIG. 1 the cigarette lighter is shown as comprising a conventional spark producing mechanism 10, a lighter body 12 which forms the pressurized fuel reservoir, a burner 14 and an inlet or filling valve 16.

In FIG. 2 the invention is more particularly illustrated, burner mechanism 14 consisting of a cylindrical housing 18 connected to the casing by thread means and having an axial fuel supply passage, including a lower conically shaped portion 20, terminating in a bottom orifice 28, protected by flange 42 having lateral fuel entry ports 44. The flow of fuel through the burner is indicated by arrows. A piston 22 having an upper cylindrical portion and a lower conical portion 24 complementary to the conical portion is vertically reciprocated within the axial passage. The lowermost tip 40 of piston 22 is extensible into orifice 28. As will be apparent, conical portion 24 of piston 22 is normally spaced by a small gap 26 from corresponding conical portion 20 of the 3,138,945 Patented June 30, 1964 ICC axial passage. This gap controls the supply of fuel through the lateral ports of secondary fuel passage 32 in piston 22 and exteriorly of the lighter to a position adjacent the spark producing mechanism 10. Adjustor piece 30 is threadedly engaged to that portion of the burner housing 18 which extends exteriorly of the casing `and engages the top portion 33 of piston 22 so asto limit vertical reciprocation thereof. Packing 34 maybe provided above lateral ports 35, and intermediate piston 22 and housing 18, thus sealing off fuel flow and requiring flow only through ports 35 and passage 32. A first compression spring 36 may be provided intermediate piston 22 and adjustor 30 so as to urge the piston 22 upwardly and provide sufficient friction against adjustor 30. A sec-- ond compression spring 38 may be positioned intermediate the housing cylinder 18 and the adjustor piece 30 so as to'provide the proper tightness for adjustment turning of piece 30. Packing 46 maybe presented intermediate cylinder 18 and the lighter casing. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a flint supply tube 48 with closing screw 50 may communicate with the spark producing mechanism 10.

` When it is desired to use the lighter the spark producing mechanism 10 is depressed thereby releasing packing .52 from the top of secondary fuel passage 32. The fuel'in the reservoir thereby enters the burner mechanism through orifice 28. Simultaneously lateral ports 44 which may be four in number operate to eliminate the surging of butane into orifice 28 with consequent instability of flame. The infiowing fuel volume is controlled not only by the diameter of tubular orifice 28 but also by the dimension of cylindrical tip 40. It is found that by having tip 40` at the end of piston conical portion 24 a much more precise control of fuel flow is achieved, than if the inner axial passage and piston were to have simply corresponding conical surfaces. Thus, slight movements of adjustor 30 may result in precise positioning of tip 40 with respect to passage 28 so as to control the fuel supply. As the fuel enters orifice 28 and proceeds upwardly through gap 26 between the opposed conical surfaces 24 and 20, it encounters more friction. There is, in fact, a geometric increase of friction which is the result of effecting depressurization of the fuel. The depressurized fuel then passes through lateral ports 35 and up vertical channel 32 where it is caught by the spark of mechanism 10.

inasmuch as all of the parts are made of brass or like metallic materials there is no problem of wearing out of the depressurizing components. The shape of the opposed conical surfaces of the piston and axial passage may be changed in accordance with the necessity and choice of the manufacturer. In principle, the sharper the angle of the conical surfaces, the more friction is applied to the passing fuel. Also, the larger the area of the conical surface the more the friction. Of course, the infiow of fuel can be controlled by changing the diameter of oriflce 28, a larger diameter being capable of supplying more fuel. Also, inflow can be controlled by changing the dimensions of tip 40. The longer and the closer tip 40 is to the wall of the hole 28, the lesser the flow of incoming fuel. Thus, tip 40 gives additional friction to incoming fuel before it gets the main friction encountered by the opposed conical surfaces 24 and 20 defining gap 26. Experimentation has shown that by making tip 40 longer, it is quite easy to get twice as much variation in flame height in terms of degree of twisting of adjustor 30. Since adjustor 30 and piston 22 are separated the turning of adjustor 30 does not result in turning of piston 22. This eliminates wearing of packing 34, which is a major shortcoming of conventional gas fuel flow regulator mechanisms. By utilizing the opposed conical surfaces 24 and 20 as the main medium to frictionize the iiowing fuel and thereby effectively depressurize the fuel, there is obtained not only a geometrically increasing friction but also a very delicate control of fuel flow. The fuel ow in gap 26 is dependent, of course, upon the lateral dimensions of this gap and may be calculated by simple trigonometry as follows:

(1) a=the angle of the conical surfaces 24 and 20 (2) b=the vertical movement of piston 22, caused by the turning of adjustor 30 (3) y=the gap between 20 and 24 through which the pressurized fuel flows Thus, it will be seen pressurized fuel flow is controlled to a very precise degree by the principle of geometrically increasing friction. As a result, an exceptionally constant flame of the desired height is readily provided.

Manifestly, various changes in construction and substitution of parts may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of invention, as dened in subjoined claims.

We claim:

1. A gas fueled lighter comprising:

(A) a casing with a reservoir constructed to hold fuel under pressure;

(B) a gas fuel filling Valve mounted in said casing and communicating with said reservoir;

(C) a spark producing mechanism mounted upon the exterior of said casing and including a flint holding tube extending through said reservoir;

(D) a burner mounted in said casing and interconnecting said reservoir and said spark producing mechanism, said burner including;

(i) a housing with an axial primary fuel passage having an upper cylindrical portion extending above said casing, a median downwardly tapering conical portion having its largest diameter adjacent said upper cylindrical portion, narrow lower orifice and a bottom flange encircling said bottom orifice and including lateral fuel entry ports;

(ii) a complementary piston vertically reciprocated within said primary fuel passage and itself comprising an upper cylindrical portion and a lower conical portion with a protruding tip extensible into the bottom orifice of said primary fuel passage, said upper cylindrical portion including a secondary fuel passage consisting of lateral ports opening from the sides of said conical portion into a vertical channel extending through the cylindrical portion and outside of said housing to an exterior position adjacent said spark producing mechanism; and (iii) a fuel ow adjustor piece engaging the exteriorly extended portion of said housing and the top of said vertically reciprocated complementary piston, limiting vertical reciprocation of said piston and thus the position of said piston conical portion with respect to the conical portion of said axial passage as a limit of fuel flow through said primary fuel passage;

(iv) first spring means intermediate said housing and said adjustor and second spring means intermediate said housing and said piston; and

(v) rst packing means interposed between said piston and said primary passage above said lateral ports and second packing means interposed between said housing and said reservoir.

2. A gas fueled lighter as in claim l, wherein the position of said piston conical portion with respect to the conical portion of said axial passage is determinate of fuel flow according to the following formula:

a=angle of conical portions b=vertical reciprocation of said piston y=distance between opposed conical portions y=b sin a/ 2.

References Cited in the file of this patent

Claims (1)

1. A GAS FUELED LIGHTER COMPRISING: (A) A CASING WITH A RESEVOIR CONSTRUCTED TO HOLD FUEL UNDER PRESSURE; (B) A GAS FUEL FILLING VALVE MOUNTED IN SAID CASING AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID RESERVOIR; (C) A SPARK PRODUCING MECHANISM MOUNTED UPON THE EXTERIOR OF SAID CASING AND INCLUDING A FLINT HOLDING TUBE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID RESERVOIR; (D) A BURNER MOUNTED IN SAID CASING AND INTERCONNECTING SAID RESERVOIR AND SAID SPARK PRODUCING MECHANISM, SAID BURNER INCLUDING; (I) A HOUSING WITH AN AXIAL PRIMARY FUEL PASSAGE HAVING AN UPPER CYLINDRICAL PORTION EXTENDING ABOVE SAID CASING, A MEDIAN DOWNWARDLY TAPERING CONICAL PORTION HAVING ITS LARGEST DIAMETER ADJACENT SAID UPPER CYLINDRICAL PORTION, NARROW LOWER ORIFICE AND A BOTTOM FLANGE ENCIRCLING SAID BOTTOM ORIFICE AND INCLUDING LATERAL FUEL ENTRY PORTS; (II) A COMPLEMENTARY PISTON VERTICALLY RECIPROCATED WITHIN SAID PRIMARY FUEL PASSAGE AND ITSELF COMPRISING AN UPPER CYLINDRICAL PORTION AND A LOWER CONICAL PORTION WITH A PROTUDING TIP EXTENSIBLE INTO THE BOTTOM ORIFICE OF SAID PRIMARY FUEL PASSAGE, SAID UPPER CYLINDRICAL PORTION INCLUDING A SECONDARY FUEL PASSAGE CONSISTING OF LATERAL PORTS OPENING FROM THE SIDES OF SAID CONICAL PORTION INTO A VERTICAL CHANNEL EXTENDING THROUGH THE CYLINDRICAL PORTION AND OUTSIDE OF SAID HOUSING TO AN EXTERIOR POSITION ADJACENT SAID SPARK PRODUCING MECHANISM; AND (III) A FUEL FLOW ADJUSTOR PIECE ENGAGING THE EXTERIORLY EXTENDED PORTION OF SAID HOUSING AND THE TOP OF SAID VERTICALLY RECIPROCATED COMPLEMENTARY PISTON, LIMITING VERTICAL RECIPROCATION OF SAID PISTON AND THUS THE POSITION OF SAID PISTON CONICAL PORTION WITH RESPECT TO THE CONICAL PORTION OF SAID AXIAL PASSAGE AS A LIMIT OF FUEL FLOW THROUGH SAID PRIMARY FUEL PASSAGE; (IV) FIRST SPRING MEANS INTERMEDIATE SAID HOUSING AND SAID ADJUSTOR AND SECOND SPRING MEANS INTERMEDIATE SAID HOUSING AND SAID PISTON; AND (V) FIRST PACKING MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID PISTON AND SAID PRIMARY PASSAGE ABOVE SAID LATERAL PORTS AND SECOND PACKING MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID HOUSING AND SAID RESERVOIR.

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