US3336505A - Automatically ignited lighter - Google Patents

Description

g 1957 M. E. LIESSE 3,336,505

AUTOMATICALLY IGNITED LIGHTER Filed Feb. 8, 1965 3 sheets sheet 1 MA Ore/CE 1 MRSSE 9 M. E. LIESSE 3,336,505

AUTOMATICALLY IGNITED LIGHTER Filed Feb. 8, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 M. E. [JESSE AUTOMATICALLY IGNII'ED LIGHTER I: Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 8, 1965 MAUR/CE E. L/EssE ATTY United States Patent '0 3,336,505 AUTOMATICALLY IGNITElD LIGHTER Maurice E. lLiesse, 2 Rue Diderot, Champigny, France Filed Feb. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 431,063

7 Qlaims. (Cl. 317-86) ABSCT 01F THE DISCLOSURE An automatic lighter has a plunger which is spring urged downwardly and which is maintained in raised position by the support on which the lighter rests. When the lighter is lifted, the plunger drops and (1) opens a gaseous fuel reservoir; (2) swings one electrode adjacent the other electrode; and (3) flicks a vibratory switch to produce a series of currents through the electrodes. One of the electrodes is the gaseous fuel outlet nozzle.

This application is a continuation-in-part of copendin patent application Ser. No. 258,797, filed Feb. 15, 1963, now Patent No. 3,193,642, issued July 6, 1965.

The present invention relates to burners incorporating automatic igniting means, and particularly to small, selfcontained devices of this type adapted to be picked up and held in the hand.

This invention concerns devices which burn liquid or gaseous fuels in order to produce small flames for lighting cigars, cigarettes, or the like, or for providing small emergency lights.

The prior art contains many such devices, all of which have two basic elements in common with the present invention: an element for feedingfuel to a combustion zone in communication with the air; and means for generating suflicient heat to ignite the fuel.

However, all of the commonly used prior art devices have the drawback that they require a multiplicity of operations to produce a flame; even the simplest of these devices must first be picked up and then subjected to at least one simple or complex manipulation which exposes the burner to the air and/ or triggers the fuel igniting system.

The prior art devices which have, to date, required the simplest manipulation are those which produce fuel ignition by the spontaneous heating experienced by an exotic material when exposed to the air. In such devices it is therefore only necessary to expose this material to the air in order to ignite the fuel. However, these devices present serious drawbacks in that: the exotic material is quickly used up because it continues to be heated as long as it is so exposed, i.e. as long as the lighter is in use; this material could become dangerous if accidentally exposed to the air without the users knowledge; and such materials are relatively expensive.

Other fuel ignition systems have been proposed which comprise a pair of spark electrodes disposed on opposite sides of the fuel combustion zone and an electric oscillator circuit connected across said electrodes for generating a series of gas-igniting sparks therebetween. The oscillator may be triggered merely by lifting up the device, and hence its operation is relatively simple. Despite the simplicity of its operation, this device also presents serious drawbacks because a large quantity of electrical energy is required since its particular electrode arrangement requires a high voltage to create sparks (for reasons which will be discussed below) and since the oscillator continues to operate, and to produce sparks, for as long as the device is in use.

It is therefore an object of this invention to eliminate the above-noted drawbacks.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to ignite a fuel, by merely picking up the lighter device while using a system which only operates for the period required to produce ignition.

A further object herein is to ignite the fuel by means of a series of sparks passing between a point electrode and the outlet end of the fuel burner orifice.

Yet another object of the invention is to produce the ignition sparks with the aid of a mechanical vibrator which is actuated by the action of lifting the lighter device and which is reset by replacing the lighter device on a sup port surface.

Still another object of the present invention is to produce a lighter device which is highly reliable and which is economical to use.

Briefly stated, the present invention contemplates the construction of a lighter which may be used, for example, as a cigarette lighter or as a temporary night light and which can be made to produce a flame merely by picking it up from its resting place. To thi end, the novel structure of the invention comprises: a spring-loaded lever and actuating rod terminating in an abutment which bears against the surface upon which the device normally rests so as to maintain the device in an inactive condition; a mechanical vibrator connected to a source of electrical energy and adapted to produce a train of current pulses when triggered, said vibrator being triggered by the movement of said lever and rod under the influence of their spring when the device is raised from the surface upon which it normally rests; and a pair of electrodes connected to said vibrator and placed in proximity to the fuel outlet so as to provide a train of sparks, generated by said vibrator current pulses, for igniting the fuel.

In addition, when a gas fuel, such as butane, is used, the lever and control rod are arranged to open the gas reservoir outlet by the same movement as that which I triggers the vibrator.

According to a valuable auxiliary feature of the present invention, one of the electrodes is constituted by the fuel burner tip itself, which arrangement simplifies the overall structure and substantially reduces both the voltage and energy required to produce sparks.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description when taken together with the attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention with its casing removed;

FIGURE 2 is a partly schematic top view of the device of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the plane III-III of FIGURE 2;

FIGURES 4a and 4b are cross-sectional views taken along the plane IV-1V of FIGURE 2 and showing the device in its rest condition and in its activated condition, respectively;

FIGURE 5 is a detail view of the electrodes of the present invention.

Since all of the figures represent a single embodiment, they will be referred to as a group in the following detailed description.

As may be seen in the various figures, and most clearly in FIGURE 1, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is presented in the form of a cigarette lighter intended to be kept on a desk or table and constituted by a support carrying the various working elements of the lighter and inserted in a cylindrical base 2 whose lateral wall acts together with an external shoulder 1 of support 1 to form a groove into which fits the lower end of a decorative casing K for the assembly. This casing may, for example, be in the form of a gas lamp, a bottle, or a miniature powder keg, and will be firmly joined to support '1 by clamps, screws, or cement, etc.

Support 1 carries, preferably integrally therewith, a series of upwardly directed projections including a housing 3 for a fuel reservoir, a housing 16 for an electric battery B, support posts 10 and 14, and a bearing unit 15. Base 2 is detachably mounted on support 1 by means of a screw, for example, so that it may be easily removed to permit the replacement of battery B or of the fuel reservoir through suitable passages arranged in support 1 (see FIGURES 3, 4a and 4b).

The fuel reservoir, which in the preferred embodiment contains a gaseous fuel such as butane, comprises, at its upper end, a suitable mechanically actuated, gas release valve; this reservoir may be securely positioned by any known means such as the compression spring 4, indicated in FIGURES 4, disposed between base 2 and the bottom of the reservoir.

At the top of post 10 there is rigidly mounted, by means of screws for example, a vibrating switch assembly 25 comprising (see FIGURE 3) a stationary contact 26 and a vibratory blade 27, both of which are held by a stationary support having insulating layers disposed between the contact 26 and blade 27 and between blade 27 and post 10. Blade 27 carries a contact 27 in registry with contact 26.

The structure and mode of electrical connection of switch 25 is identical with that shown and described in my US. Patent No. 3,193,642, July 6, 1965, with the exception that the structure of the present invention employs a different triggering arrangement comprising: a lever 5 pivotally mounted, by means of pin 7, between a pair of posts 3 projecting upward from the top of housing 3; a tension spring 6 connected between an anchoring point 5 on lever 5 and a stationary lug 25' on switch 25 for urging lever 5 to pivot downwardly into a position in which it depresses the fuel reservoir valve and thus opens the passage between the reservoir and the orifice 9; and a shank 11 having its upped end bent substantially at right angles to act as an abutment finger for abutting against the lower surface of the free end of lever 5, said shank being supported for free axial movement in bearing 15 and having its lower end rigidly connected to be a flattened bearing member 17 which bears against the surface upon which the assembly rests When not in use so as to urge the lever shank unit into a rest position. When lever 5 is in its rest position, it permits the reservoir valve to close the passage leading to orifice 9. The rotational movement of the abutment finger of shank 11 is limited by a pair of downwardly directed legs of a retaining member 5" rigidly fastened on lever 5. In FIGURE 4 one half of member 5" has been removed to permit a clear showing of the upper end of shank 11.

Vibrating switch blade 27 carries at its free end a weight 29 constituted by a permanent magnet which cooperates with an armature 13 rigidly mounted on shank 11 in order to trigger the vibration of blade 27 in a manner which will be described below.

Shank 11 is mounted so that it may be rotated through a small angle about its longitudinal axis, by means of a rotation of bearing member 17, in order to cause the lower surface of armature 13 to rest on the upper surface of a horizontal projection of post 10. The height of projection 10' is chosen so that when armature 13 rests thereon, blade 27 is maintained in a neutral position and lever 5 is held in its rest position. In this state, which is shown in FIGURE 3 and 4a, the assembly is locked, with contacts 26 and 27' separated, and may be safely shipped or stored without presenting the danger of becoming accidentally ignited.

The fuel igniting electrodes consist of a point electrode 12 and the orifice 9 itself. For this reason, the support 1 and its projections 3 and 14, as well as pin 7, lever 5 and, of course, orifice 9 are all desirably made of conducting material so as to form a low resistance path between orifice 9 and the electric circuit of switch 25. The advantages of this arrangement and the criteria governing the 4- relative positions of orifice 9 and electrode 12 will be discussed in detail below.

The electrical circuit connecting switch 25 to electrodes 9 and 12 is almost identical to that shown in the abovementioned copending application and comprises a battery B connected in series with the primary winding of transformer T, the resulting series circuit being connected in series with a parallel arrangement of a storage capacitor C and the contacts 26 and 27' of switch 25, the stationary contact 26 being connected to the junction of capacitor C and battery B. The secondary of transformer T is connected across the electrodes, one end of this secondary being connected to orifice 9 through support 1 and through both pin 7 and a circuit comprising spring 6 and a lug 25 of switch 23, which lug is connected to post 10 by means of the metal screws holding switch 25. Similarly, the common junction of the transformer primary, capacitor C and contact 27 is connected to support 1, the support serving as a ground for the electric circuit.

Battery B is held in place by an insulated plate 18 supported, by a pair of nuts, on a threaded bolt 19 rigidly mounted on housing 16. Plate 18 carries a pair of suitable contacts for the battery and serves as a support for capacitor C. The electrical connections to switch 25 are effected through the intermediary of two solder terminals (see FIGURE 3) integral with contacts 26 and 27', respectively, and a solder terminal grounded to support 1 through a conductive screw which holds switch 25 in place. As may be seen from FIGURE 3, this latter terminal is directly connected to one side of capacitor C and to the terminal associated with contact 27', while the terminal of contact 26 is connected to the side of capacitor C which is also connected to one of the battery terminals.

Transformer T is mounted on post 14 in such a way that one end of each of its windings is grounded to support 1 directly through this post. The other end of the primary winding is connected to the other battery terminal and the other end of the secondary winding is connected to electrode 12, this electrode being mounted, in the embodiment shown, directly on the transformer casing.

It should be appreciated that the positions shown for the various electrical components are almost purely arbitrary and are determined primarily by their sizes and shapes and by the shape of the space defined by the casing which will enclose the entire assembly.

The use of orifice 9 as one of the electrodes of the fuel igniting unit represents a substantial improvement over prior art devices which employed a pair of electrodes spaced across from one another on opposite sides of the gas flow path. The improvements resulting from the arrangement of the present invention may best be understood by reference to FIGURE 5 wherein electrodes 12 and 12 represent a prior art arrangement, while electrodes 12 and 9' constitute the structure of the present invention.

With the prior art arrangement, an extra electrode 12' was necessary and the two electrodes had to be relatively far apart because if they were inserted too far into the flame they would become excessively coated with carbon and, as a result, the production of an arc therebetween would be rendered more difficult, and because the are produced had to extend into a region where the fuel was mixed with air. Furthermore, they were necessarily so positioned that gas which they were to ignite flowed therebetween. Since most gaseous fuels, such as the commonly used butane fuels, are good dielectrics, it resulted that the presence of gas between the electrodes increased the voltage gradient required to produce an arc. It thus resulted that the spacing between the eletcrodes and the presence of gas therebetween made it necessary that a relatively high voltage source, capable of delivering a substantial quantity of power, be used.

The electrode structure of the present invention represents a substantial improvement in several respects. Firstly, it is structurally simpler because one element serves as both an electrode and the fuel orifice. In addition, the novel electrode arrangement of the present invention permits a substantial reduction in both the voltage and the power required to produce a fuel-igniting arc. This reduction is made possible (1) by the fact that electrodes 9 and 12 may be moved as close together as desired, the distance d between them being determined solely as a function of the voltage gradient required to produce arcing, and the length of are necessary to generate sulficient heat to ignite the fuel, and (2) by the fact that when electrode 12 has its tip touching the outer surface of the fuel mass, which is the preferred position for this electrode, the arc is permitted to travel along the outer surface of this fuel mass and thus travels through a medium having a smaller dielectric constant than does the gas. This phenomenon naturally results from the fact that lines of electric force tend to concentrate along paths of least resistance. At the same time, the arc is substantially in contact with the fuel mass and hence is capable of efficiently raising the fuel to its ignition temperature.

It should be understood that where, as in the present invention, the orifice 9 moves slightly as the lever rotates, the above considerations are intended to apply to the position of the orifice when the reservoir valve is fully opened.

The functioning of the above device is also aided by the fact that the inner surface of orifice 9 tapers outwardly towards its outlet extremity so as to cause its upper rim to have a small thickness. This form presents two advantages in that the tapering tends to cause the fuel to expand laterally in leaving the orifice, and thus to more effectively communicate with the tip of electrode 12 while the thin orifice rim facilitates the generation of sparks.

According to variations of this construction, the thickness of the rim may be further reduced by tapering the outer surface of the upper end of orifice 9 and by shaping this upper end so as to cause it to flair outwardly.

The operation of the lighter of the present invention may be best understood with reference to FIGURES 3 and 4a, which show the device locked in its rest postion, and FIGURE 4b, which shows the device unlocked and in its actuated position.

As may be seen in FIGURES 3 and 4a, the apparatus is locked when shank 11 has been rotated to a position in which armature 13, which is rigidly connected to shank 11, rests on the upper surface of projection In this position, the blade 27 is held, by magnet 29, substantially in a position in which it is subjected to no bending stresses. As a result blade 27 will be able to preserve its shape during a. long period of use. This position is also selected so as to assure that contacts 26 and 27a are normally open, thereby permitting battery B to charge up capacitor C. Once this charging operation has been completed, the battery current falls substantially to zero since it need only continue to supply the capacitor leakage current. Shank 11 urges lever 5 upwards, against the action of spring 6, into a position where it does not push downward, and hence does not open, the fuel reservoir valve. Finally, in this locked position the bottom surface of bearing element 17 is flush with the bottom surface of base 2. It thus results that, even if member 17 and shank 11 were rotated so as to cause armature 13 to be free of projection 10, when base 2 rests on a substantially uniform surface, member 17 would ensure that blade 27 and lever 5 remain in the above-described positions.

In order to unlock the lighter, it is necessary to rotate member 17 so as to cause armature 13 to clear projection 10'. In the embodiment shown, this would be accomplished by rotating member 17 clockwise, as viewed from the bottom, until the projection on the upper end of shank 11 encounters one leg of the retaining element 5" of lever 5. The lighter is now ready for use;

In order to produce a flame, it is only necessary to pick up the assembly so that member 17 no longer abuts against a surface. The movement of lever 5 and shank 11 is then primarily controlled by spring 6, which urges these two elements downward.

This downward movement produces two simultaneous effects: it causes lever 5 to depress the fuel reservoir valve so as to permit fuel to escape through orifice 9; and it causes armature 13 to move downward and to draw magnet 29 down with it, thereby flexing blade 27 until a point is reacted where the deflection-resisting force of blade 27 exceeds the force of magnetic attraction between elements 29 and 13, at which point magnet 29 separates from armature 13. The potential energy stored in blade 27 then causes it to vibrate while magnet 29 acts as a weight whose inertia gives the vibration a relatively large amplitude and insures that contact 27a will be firmly applied against contact 26. During this vibration, a series of closings and openings are produced between these contacts. Each closing causes capacitor C to discharge through these contacts and each opening permits the capacitor to rapidly recharge, producing an abrupt variation in the current flowing through the primary of transformer T, which variation induces a spark between the electrodes. The series of sparks thus produced constitute an are which heats the fuel and raises it to its ignition temperature. The lighter actuating position is shown in FIGURE 4b.

In order to reset the lighter, it is only necessary to rest it on a substantially uniform surface which will push member 17 back into engagement with support 1, member 17 then acting to push lever 5 upward into a position where it no longer depresses the reservoir valve, and to urge armature 13 into a position where it once again engages magnet 29.

The illustrated embodiment is of course intended to be used with a casing having a certain configuration, and in particular a certain height. If it were desired to use the same assembly in a taller casing, as indicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 1, this could be easily arranged by placing electrode 12 so that it can pass through an opening in the top of the casing, which top could, as indicated, be in the form of a candle, and connecting the electrode to transformer T, by mounting a second orifice, made of conducting material, on the top of the casing in proper spaced relation to electrode 12, and by joining orifice 9 to the second orifice by means of a flexible tube. It is of course necessary to ensure that this second orifice be electrically connected to the transformer secondary, preferably through support 1. This may be achieved by making the flexible tube of a conducting material or by means of a conductor, which may be painted on the inside surface of the casing, or constituted by a wire, as indicated, connected between support 1 and the second orifice.

While a single preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described in detail herein, it should be appreciated that many variations and modifications could be made thereto, particularly insofar as concerns the nature and positioning of the electrical components, without departing from the spirit thereof, and that the scope of the present invention should therefore be limited only by the breadth of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic fuel lighter comprising, in unitary assembly, a normally open vibratory switch having a stationary contact and a vibratory blade carrying a second contact in registry with said stationary contact, a source of fuel, a pair of electrodes positioned in a region where fuel is to be ignited, an electric circuit connected to said switch contacts and to said electrodes for generating a succession of fuel-igniting sparks in response to a train of openings and closings between said switch contacts each time said switch is caused to vibrate, actuating means for causing said switch to vibrate each time said lighter is lifted, said actuating means comprising trigger means for first deflecting and then abruptly releasing said vibratory blade, biassing means for urging said trigger means in a direction to deflect and release said blade, abutment means positioned to rest on the same surface as said lighter for rendering said biassing means inoperative as long as said lighter rests on said surface, said blade of said switch being cantilever-mounted and having a Weight attached to its free end, said weight being constituted by a magnet and said trigger means comprising a ferro-magnetic element positioned to engage said magnet, said source of fuel comprising a reservoir for a fuel to be dispensed in gaseous form, said reservoir having a mechanically openable fuel-release valve, said trigger means comprising a lever pivotally mounted for opening said valve when said biassing means are rendered operative, and a shank mounted between one end of said lever and said abutment means, said shank being mounted to move in the direction of its longitudinal axis, said ferro-m-agnetic element being rigidly connected to said shank.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 wherein said lever is cantilever-mounted; said shank is attached to the free end of said lever; and said biassing means is connected at an intermediate point on said lever and acts on said lever in such a way as to urge said shank downward.

3. A device is recited in claim 1 wherein one of said electrodes is in the form of a fuel outlet orifice mounted to be connected to the reservoir so as to serve as the burner for the lighter.

4. A device as recited in claim 3 wherein the other one of said electrodes is positioned to have its tip touch the outer edge of the zone defining the flow of gas out of said orifice.

5. An automatic fuel lighter comprising, in unitary assembly, a normally open vibratory switch having a stationary contact and a vibratory blade carrying a second contact in registry with said stationary contact, a source of fuel comprising a reservoir for a fuel to be dispensed in gaseous form, said reservoir having a mechanically openable fuel-release valve, ,a pair of electrodes positioned in a region where fuel is to be ignited, an electric circuit connected to said switch contacts and to said electrodes for generating a succession of fuel-igniting sparks in response to a train of openings and closings between said switch contact each time said switch is caused to vibrate, actuating means for causing said switch to vibrate and for opening said fuel-release valve each time said lighter is lifted, said actuating means comprising trigger means for first deflecting and then abruptly releasing said vibratory blade and for opening said fuel-release valve, biassing means for urging said trigger means in a direction to deflect and release said blade, and abutment means positioned to rest on the same surface as said lighter for rendering said biassing means inoperative as long as said lighter rests on said surface and for rendering said biassing means operative each time said lighter is lifted.

6. An automatic fuel lighter as claimed in claim 5, said blade of said switch being cantilever-mounted and having a weight attached to its free end, said weight being constituted by a magnet, and the trigger means comprising a ferro-magnetic element positioned to engage said magnet.

7. An automatic fuel lighter as claimed in claim 5, said trigger means comprising a lever pivotally :mounted for opening said valve when said biassing means are rendered operative.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,070,121 2/1937 Gibson 317-81 2,493,662 1/ 1950 Fitzpatrick 31788 2,536,468 1/1951 Russell 317- 92 3,193,642 7/1965 Liesse 33589 3,246,207 4/ 1966 Remy 31781 ANTHONY BARTIS, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD M. WOOD, Examiner.

V. Y. MAYEWSKY, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. AN AUTOMATIC FUEL LIGHTER COMPRISING, IN UNITARY ASSEMBLY, A NORMALLY OPEN VIBRATORY SWITCH HAVING A STATIONARY CONTACT AND A VIBRATORY BLADE CARRYING A SECOND CONTACT IN REGISTRY WITH SAID STATIONARY CONTACT, A SOURCE OF FUEL, A PAIR OF ELECTRODES POSITIONED IN A REGION WHERE FUEL IS TO BE IGNITED, AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID SWITCH CONTACTS AND TO SAID ELECTRODES FOR GENERATING A SUCCESSION OF FUEL-IGNITING SPARKS IN RESPONSE TO A TRAIN OF OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS BETWEEN SAID SWITCH CONTACTS EACH TIME SAID SWITCH IS CAUSED TO VIBRATE, ACTUATING MEANS FOR CAUSING SAID SWITCH TO VIBRATE EACH TIME SAID LIGHTER IS LIFTED, SAID ACTUATING MEANS COMPRISING TRIGGER MEANS FOR FIRST DEFLECTING AND THEN ABRUPTLY RELEASING SAID VIBRATORY BLADE, BIASSING MEANS FOR URGING SAID TRIGGER MEANS IN A DIRECTION OF DEFLECT AND RELEASE SAID BLADE, ABUTMENT MEANS POSITIONED TO REST ON THE SAME SURFACE AS SAID LIGHTER FOR RENDERING SAID BIASSING MEANS INOPERATIVE AS LONG AS SAID LIGHTER RESTS ON SAID SURFACE, SAID BLADE OF SAID SWITCH BEING CANTILEVER-MOUNTED AND HAVING A WEIGHT ATTACHED TO ITS FREE END, SAID WEIGHT BEING CONSTITUTED BY A MAGNET AND SAID TRIGGER MEANS COMPRISING A FERRO-MAGNETIC ELEMENT POSITIONED TO ENGAGE SAID MAGNET, SAID SOURCE OF FUEL COMPRISING A RESERVOIR FOR A FUEL TO BE DISPENSED IN GASEOUS FORM, SAID RESERVOIR HAVING A MECHANICALLY OPENABLE FUEL-RELEASE VALVE, SAID TRIGGER MEANS COMPRISING A LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED FOR OPENING SAID VALVE WHEN SAID BIASSING MEANS ARE RENDERED OPERATIVE, AND A SHANK MOUNTED BETWEEN ONE END OF SAID LEVER AND SAID ABUTMENT MEANS, SAID SHANK BEING MOUNTED TO MOVE IN THE DIRECTION OF ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS, SAID FERRO-MAGNETIC ELEMENT BEING RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID SHANK.

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