US3287939A

US3287939A - Fingerpiece controlled gas lighters

Info

Publication number: US3287939A
Application number: US498182A
Authority: US
Inventors: Zellweger Conrad; Retzler William
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-07-27
Filing date: 1965-09-15
Publication date: 1966-11-29
Anticipated expiration: 1983-11-29

Description

Nov. 29, 1966 c, ZELLWEGER ET AL 3,287,939

FINGERPIECE CONTROLLED GAS LIGHTERS Original Filed July 23, 1963 United States Patent() 3 claims. (cl. 1 -7.1)

Tln's application is a division of pending application, Serial No. 297,128 tiled July 23, 1963, now patent No. 3,208,243 granted Sept. 28, 1965 and assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

This invention relates to gas fueled cigar lighters and more particularly it concerns a tingerpiece operated gas lighter wherein the flow of fuel through a burner nozzle on the lighter is regulated by means of, a movable ngerpiece.

In gas type lighters aV highly volatile fuel is maintained within a reservoir in its liquid form under pressures substantially in excess of atmospheric pressure. During operation of the lighter, this fuel, in passing from the reservoir through a gas passage, is throttled down to atmospheric pressure thus converting it to gaseous form; and it is then expelled out through a lburner nozzle and ignited. The size of the orifice through which the throttling process takes place determines the rate of fuel ow and consequently the height of ame maintained above the lighter.

Fine r gradual flow adjustment means are often provided to vary the size of the throttling orifice within given limits so as to obtain close control of the height of the ame above the lighter. Because of the nature of the fuels involved and because of the influence of these fuels upon ame height, the region over which the orilic is adjusted is small relative to its overall size.

For completely shutting oif fuel ow so as to extinguish the llame and prevent fuel loss when the lighter is not in use, there are also provided positive ilow control means which act to check and uncheck fuel flow either to or from the variable orifice.

The presence of gradual adjustment means and positive flow control means has accounted for a consi-derable portion of the complexity and cost of gas lighters. Very often the controls for these means are such as to require two handed operation of the lighter thus rendering the lighter generally inconvenient to handle and operate.

According to the present invention there is provided a lighter in which both positive flow control and gradual flow adjustment are eflectuated by means of a single depressible tingerpiece element. The control system of the present invention provides simplification of both the construction and the operation of a gas lighter while maintaining complete and full control of fuel flow therein.

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the two functions of positive liow control and gradual flow adjustment are obtained at a single point within a gas passage leading from the lighter fuel reservoir to its burner nozzle. This is achieved by providing at such point a variable constriction which is adjustable from a complete closure to a gas passage opening commensurate with maximum flow. A depressible fingerpiece is provided and is connected to vary this orifice opening over this complete range. Complete and rapid depression of the iingerpiece upon ignition of the lighter ensures immediate and full opening of the fuel passageway; and subsequent partial release of the ngerpiece effects gradual ow adjustment for the control of flame height.

There has thus been outlined rather broadly the more ICC important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject of the claims appended hereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this ydisclosure is based may readily Vbe utilized as a -basis for the designing of other structures for carrying out the several purposes of the invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions as do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

A specic embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description, and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. l is a section view of an upper portion of the lighter embodying the present invention;

PIG. 2 is a section view of the lighter of FIG. l taken along line 2 2;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the lighter of FIG. 1 with its cover attached; and

FIG. 4 is a top view of the lighter of FIG. 1 with its cover removed.

The lighter of the present invention generally designated in the drawings includes a body member 120 formed with a fuel containing recess 122 in its lower portion. A lower cover 124 sealably attached to the bottom of the lighter closes the fuel containing recess. The upper portion of the body is recessed in a manner providingvarious grooves and cavities for the operative elements of the lighter, including a sparking wheel 126, flint element 128, biasing spring and depressible iingerpiece 132. An upper cover piece 134 is attached to the top of the lighter and extends over these operative elements to hold them in place. A leaf type resilient arm 136 extends upwardly from the fingerpiece 132 and abuts the upper cover piece to bias the fingerpiece in a counter clockwise or undepressed position.

A burner tube 137 has a first portion 138 which extends from within the fuel containing recess 122 and up through an opening 140 in its top wall, a second portion 139 terminating in a burner opening 142 in the Vicinity of the sparking wheel 126 and flint element 128, and a third portion 141 connecting the

portions

138 and 139 and extending laterally between these portions at an angle to the portion 138. The burner tube also has a bent, partially attened portion 144 just above the top wall opening 140 at the juncture of the

portions

138 and 141. This flattened portion is resiliently constrictable so that the fuel passage therein at that point may be varied in cross sectional area simply by moving the tube up and down at a point beyond the flattened portion. As shown in the drawings this is accomplished by means of a claw shaped arrangement 146 on one end of the depressible ingerpiece, which arrangement grips the burner tube along the portion 141, that is at a point between the flattened portion 144 and the burner opening 142.

In operating the lighter the iingerpiece is fully depressed to pull upwardly on the burner tube and fully open its resiliently constrictable flattened portion. The sparking wheel is then rotated to ignite the fuel being emitted from the burner tube. When this occurs the iingerpiece may then be partially released to partially constrict the fuel passage in the vicinity of the attened portion 144 and thus to provide adjustment of llame height. Release of the iingerpiece after use allows the burner tube to return to its normal position wherein its flattened portion becomes fully constricted to prevent further ilow 0f fuel from the reservoir.

It can be seen that in the lighter constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention as described above, the entire throttling process takes place across the gradually adjustable portion of the gas passage, the positive fiow control means being such that little or no pressure drop occurs thereacross during operation of the lighter. Ori the other hand, when the lighter is not in use, the entire pressure drop between the lighter reservoir and the atmosphere takes place across the positive ow control means.

The present invention, as will be appreciated, permits the rather numerous and complex operations involved in the ignition, the unchecking, the throttling and the adjustment of flow rate of the liquefied fuel ink a small gas lighter to be accomplished with ease and safety while holding and operating the lighter with one hand.

Having thus described my invention with particular reference to the preferred form thereof, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, after understanding my invention, that various changes arid modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as defined by the claims appended thereto.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A hand held lighter of the gas fuel type comprising a reservoir for maintaining highly volatile fuel under pressure in its liquefied state; a sparking wheel having an abrading surface; a fiint element biased against the abrading surface of said sparking wheel; a burner means including a burner nozzle located near said sparking wheel and said fiint element and a hollow element extending from within said reservoir to said burner nozzle, said hollow element having a first portion terminating in said reservoir, a second portion terminating in said burner nozzle, a third portion connecting said first and second portions and extending at an angle to said first portion, and a resiliently constrictable portion at the juncture of said first and third portions which is internally exposed to reservoir pressure; and a movable fingerpiece connected to said hollow element at said third portion to control constriction of said constrictable portion, said fingerpiece being normally in a position which coincides with complete constriction of said constrictable portion and being movable from said position in a direction to cause movement of the third portion of said hollow element to produce gradual opening of said constrictable portion from a condition of complete constriction to a maximum opening whereby said fingerpiece operates to provide complete control of the checking, unchecking, throttling and flow rate of fuel from said reservoir to said burner nozzle.

2. A hand held lighter of the gas fuel type comprising a reservoir for maintaining highly volatile fuel under pressure in its liquefied state; a sparking wheel having an abrading surface; a fiint element biased against the abrading surface of said sparking wheel; a burner means including a burner nozzle located near said sparking wheel and said iiint element and a hollow element extending from within said reservoir to said burner nozzle, said hollow element having a first portion terminating in said reservoir, a second portion terminating in said burner nozzle, and a resiliently bendable portion located externally to said reservoir at a location between said first and second biased to a position which coincides with maximum bending and complete constriction of said constrictable portion and being movable from said position in a direction to produce gradual opening of said constrictable portion from a condition of complete constriction to a maximum opening whereby said fingerpiece operates to provide complete control of the checking, unchecking, throttling and flow rate of fuel from said reservoir to said burner nozzle.`

3. A hand held lighter of the gas fuel type comprising a reservoir for maintaining a highly volatile fuel under` pressure in its liquefied state; a sparking wheel having an abrading surface; a flint element biased against the abrading surface of said sparking wheel; a burner means including a burner nozzle located -near said sparking wheel and said flint element and an elongated tubular element extending from within said reservoir to said burner nozzle,

said tubular element having a first portion fixed against movement and terminating in said reservoir, a second free portionterminating in said burner nozzle, a third portion connecting said first and second portions and extending laterally between said first and second portions,

and constrictable portion located externally to said res- -ervoir at the juncture of said first and third portions andr I internally exposed to reservoir pressure; a depressible fingerpiece pivotally mounted intermediate its ends above said reservoir and in overlying relationship with the third portion of said tubular element with one end depending therefrom. and connected to said tubular element at said i third portion and with the other end positioned for depression by the finger of the user from a first position to a second position producing movement of the third portion of the tubular element with respect to the rst portion thereof to effect a gradual change in the cross-sectional area of said constrictable portion from zero to a maximum value whereby said fingerpiece operates to permit complete control of the checking, unchecking, throttling and ow rate of fuel from said reservoir to said burner nozzle, and

means for normally biasing said fingerpiece in a direction opposite the direction of depression to normally `hold i it in said first position.

References Cited by the Examiner i UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,565,903 8/ 1951 Zellweger 67-7.1 2,743,597 5/ 1956 Newman 67-7.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 727,195 3/ 1955 Great Britain.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON,` JR., Primary Examiner. ROBERT A. DUA, Examiner.

Claims

1. A HAND HELD LIGHTER OF TH GAS FUEL TYPE COMPRISING A RESERVOIR FOR MAINTAINING HIGHLY VOLATILE FUEL UNDER PRESSURE IN ITS LIQUEFIED STATE; A SPARKING WHEEL HAVING AN ABRADING SURFACE; A FLINT ELEMENT BIASED AGAINST THE ABRADING SURFACE OF SAID SPARKING WHEEL; A BURNER MEANS INCLUDING A BURNER NOZZLE LOCATED NEAR SAID SPARKING WHEEL AND SAID FLINT ELEMENT AND A HOLLOW ELEMENT EXTENDING FROM WITHIN SAID RESERVOIR TO SAID BURNER NOZZLE, SAID HOLLOW ELEMENT HAVING A FIRST PORTION TERMINATING IN SAID RESERVOIR, A SECOND PORTION TERMINATING IN SAID BURNER NOZZLE, A THIRD PORTION CONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS AND EXTENDING AT AN ANGLE TO SAID FIRST PORTION, AND A RESILIENTLY CONSTRICTABLE PORTION AT THE JUNCTURE OF SAID FIRST AND THIRD PORTIONS WHICH IS INTERNALLY EXPOSED TO RESERVOIR PRESSURE; AND A MOVABLE FINGERPIECE CONNECTED TO SAID HOLLOW ELEMENT AT SAID THIRD PORTION TO CONTROL CONSTRICTION OF SAID CONSTRICTABLE PORTION, SAID FINGERPIECE BEING NORMALLY IN A POSITION WHICH COINCIDES WITH COMPLETE CONSTRICTION OF SAID CONSTRICTABLE PORTION AND BEING MOVABLE FROM SAID POSITION IN A DIRECTION TO CAUSE MOVEMENT OF THE THIRD PORTION OF SAID HOLLOW ELEMENT TO PRODUCE GRADUAL OPENING OF SAID CONSTRICTABLE PORTION FROM A CONDITION OF COMPLETE CONSTRICTION TO A MAXIMUM OPENING WHEREBY SAID FINGERPIECE OPERATES TO PROVIDE COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE CHECKING, UNCHECKING, THROTTLING AND FLOW RATE OF FUEL FROM SAID RESERVOIR TO SAID BURNER NOZZLE.