US3788798A

US3788798A - Chemical ignition system for a cigarette lighter using an ignition aid

Info

Publication number: US3788798A
Application number: US00248264A
Authority: US
Inventors: I Hirschhorn; S Tannenbaum
Original assignee: Ronson Corp
Current assignee: Ronson Corp
Priority date: 1972-04-27
Filing date: 1972-04-27
Publication date: 1974-01-29
Anticipated expiration: 1991-01-29
Also published as: DE2321936A1; AU5492473A; CA983733A; FR2182126A1; AU467632B2; HK20077A; JPS4955470A; FR2182126B1; GB1432621A

Abstract

An ignition system for igniting a gas to produce a flame is shown. It includes a cartridge of aluminum borohydride and a cartridge containing an ignition aid, either methanol or acetaldehyde. These reactants are released in minute quantities into the ignition zone of a lighter and thereby ignite a gaseous fuel such as butane. A coaxially oriented, inertial ignition system and a dual stream system are described in detail.

Description

United States Patent Hirschhorn et al.

[ Jan. 29, 1974 CHEMICAL IGNITION SYSTEM FOR A CIGARETTE LIGHTER USING AN IGNITION AID A [75] Inventors: Isidor S. I'Iirschhom, Orange;

Stanley Tannenbaum, Morristown, both of NJ.

[73] Assignee: Ronson Corporation, Woodridge,

[22] Filed: Apr. 27, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 248,264

[52] US. Cl. 431/267 [51] Int. Cl F23q 2/16 [58] Field of Search 431/267 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,394,982 7/1968 Rogers et al 431/267 X 3,535,065 10/1970 Guenin 431/267 Primary Examiner-Edward G. Favors Attorney, Agent, or Firm-David Toren; Bernard X. McGeady; Leo Stanger [57] ABSTRACT An ignition system for igniting a gas to produce a flame is shown. It includes a cartridge of aluminum borohydride and a cartridge containing an ignition aid, either methanol or acetaldehyde. These reactants are released in minute quantities into the ignition zone of a lighter and thereby ignite a gaseous fuel such as butane. A coaxially oriented, inertial ignition system and a dual stream system are described in detail.

15 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEOJA-29 m4 sum 1 or 2 CHEMICAL IGNITION SYSTEM FOR A CIGARETTE LIGHTER USING AN IGNITION AID Aluminum borohydride Al(BH.,) is a strong reducing agent and is extremely reactive with many materials. It inflames spontaneously in air over a very wide range of conditions, and it reacts with water with explosive violence. The spontaneous ignition of Al(BH in air is a property which can be advantageously used to ignite a fuel such as liquefied petroleum gas (butane, propane, etc.)

It has been suggested that aluminum borohydride be used to ignite fuels in cigarette lighters. ln such lighters, the aluminum borohydride is contained in a compartment separate from the liquefied petroleum gas. The butane is emitted from a reservoir thereof through a burner valve, and the Al(Bl-I is introduced at the mouth of the burner valve into the path of the gas. The aluminum borohydride then ignites spontaneously and the butane gas is ignited. Such a lighter is depicted in US. Pat. No. 3,360,965 entitled, Gas Lighter which issued on Jan. 2, 1968. I

It has been found that lighters using aluminum borohydride do not operate when the relative humidity falls below 25 percent at approximately 70F and below 65 percent at approximately 50F. When the temperature is as low as 40F, they do not operate even at 100 percent relative humidity. It is believed that the reason for the failure of these units at low temperatures is the decreased reaction rate between aluminum borohydride and oxygen in the air. Ignition of aluminum borohydride in air depends on a rapid release of energy generated by chemical reactions; this raises the reactant mass to a temperature at which flame results. The more rapid the reaction and the greater the quantity of energy released per unit time, the more intense the flame. It should be noted, however, that the rate of chemical reaction depends on the specific rate constant and the concentration of the reacting species, and both of these decrease with decreasing temperature.

Another effect of low temperature is to decrease the absolute concentration of water vapor in the air, even though the relative humidity may be high. It has been found that aluminum borohydride will not ignite spontaneously in absolutely dry air. This is believed to be due to the fact that in order for it to ignite in air, it must first undergo a rapid reaction with another specie, such as the hydroxyl group present in water. Whether this reaction introduces reactive species, such as free radicals, that accelerate the subsequent reaction with air, or whether the reaction merely serves to heatup the Al(BH to a higher temperature and, therefore increases its reaction rate with oxygen in the air, is not known at this time.

A method of-achieving spontaneous ignition at low temperatures and low humidity is to eject aluminum borohydride from its container in the form of liquid droplets rather than vapor. This can be achieved by filling a cartridge with liquid aluminum borohydride and omitting the absorbent, such as Kaowool, that is normally used in vapor cartridges. Such designs suffer from four significant disadvantages. Masses of glowing material are discharged which constitute a significant hazard to persons and property as they are extremely hot and can cause ignition of such materials as cloth and paper. The valve that is used to regulate the flow of liquid aluminum borohydride plugs due to formation of a crust of partially oxidized aluminum borohydride. After a brief period of use, the valve is rendered inoperative. The valve frequently leaks due to entrapment of solid material which interferes with the closing mechanism. Finally, a very unpleasant odor is created whenever the unit is actuated because of the relatively high concentration of aluminum borohydride. ln vapor form, the material is at a lower concentration and the odor is hardly noticeable.

It is thus the primary object of this invention to provide a lighter design which efficiently and safely exploits the pyrophoric properties of aluminum borohydrate.

It is a further and related object of this invention to provide an ignition system for igniting a gas using aluminum borohydride in the .vapor phase so that the multiple disadvantages of using liquid aluminum borohydride are avoided.

It is still a further and related object of this invention to provide a convenient mechanical design for lighters using an ignition system including aluminum borohydride and an ignition aid.

These and other objects of this invention are achieved in an ignition system which includes a sealed reservoir of aluminum borohydride, a sealed reservoir of an ignition aid selected from the group consisting of methanol and acetaldehyde and means for releasing a portion of each of the aluminum borohydride and ignition aid into an ignition space to form a reactive mixture and ignite a gaseous fuel contained therein. Desirably, the ignition aid and aluminum borohydride are in sealed cartridges having inertially operated ports therein for release of small quantities of their contents into a confined ignition. space. As discussed further, in connection with the drawings, a coaxial, inertial ignition system for a lighter is shown and a side-by-side, dual-stream ignition system within a lighter housing is also shown.

Although attempts have been made to improve the ignition properties of aluminum borohydride, by bringing it into contact with other reactive materials, such as chloropropane, methylacetate, propylamine and various alcohols, it has now been found that of these several reactants, only methanol and acetaldehyde, as shown below, are suitable for use in ignition systems used in gas lighters. ln fact, these appear to be superior to water as ignition aids. Chloropropane, methyl acetate and propylamine all have about the same volatility as methanol and are all reactive with Al(BH.,) yet they fail to aid ignition. lt seems likely, therefore, that the active species formed in the reaction between Al(BH and a hydroxyl group is an important intermediate in further rapid reactions that lead to spontaneous ignition in air.

The reaction of Al(BI-l,,) with water is believed to proceed stepwise as shown below:

Al(BH anon Anon), 3311,. 3H2

313a,. 9HOH+ 313mm, 9H,

With methanol the reaction would be expected to proceed as follows:

The 8H radical has frequently been proposed as the active intermediate in the oxidation of boron hydrides.

Its presence logically could influence the rate of oxidation of Al(BI-I One additional advantage that methanol and acetaldehyde may have as ignition aids, compared to water, is that they can generate more energy per molecule than water in the overall reaction that occurs.

The reaction Al(BI-I with water or, for example, methanol leads to imcompletely oxidized products, including hydrogen (see above). However, since the reaction in the cigarette lighter involves both a reaction with ignition aid and a subsequent combustion with oxygen in the air, the overall reactions of importance in determining the release of energy are:

Additional water and carbon dioxide are generated per molecule of Al'(BI-I.,) reacted with methanol, since there is one extra carbon and two extra hydrogen atoms present in the methanol. The combustion reaction is accomplished by considerable generation of heat, which increases the temperature of the spark generated.

It has also been found that acetaldehyde is a useful ignition aid for aluminum borohydride. It is believed that acetaldehyde reacts with aluminum borohydride because it contains a hydroxyl group. It is known that acetaldehyde can exist in two tautomeric forms in dynamic equilibrium, i.e.,

OH CH C CH =C Keto Form Enol Form and the enol form contains a hydroxyl group.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a partial cross section of a coaxial inertial ignition system for a lighter;

FIG. 2 is a cigarette lighter, in rest position, having a dual stream ignition unit;

FIG. 3 is the lighter of FIG.2 in a partially actuated (compressed) position;

FIG. 4 is the lighter of FIG. 2 in the sudden release position;

FIG. 5 is the lighter of FIG. 2 in the finger-piecereturn position;

FIG. 6 is a top view, partially in section, of the lighter of FIG. 2 showing the side-by-side cartridges; and

FIG. 7 is a detailed section view of the lighter of FIG. 2 showing the arrangement of the cartridges with respect to the baffle plate. 1

The use of aluminum borohydride along in a cartridge as an igniter for another fuel has been shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,535,065. In FIG. 1, there is shown an ignition system comprising two compartments, 11 and 12, for aluminum borohydride and ignition aid. Both compartments are located within the outer cartridge 13, which is preferably cylindrical in shape. A tapered port 14 is bored into the front wall of the outer cartridge 13. An inner cartridge 15 is reciprocally positioned and coaxially spaced within the outer cartridge 13 such that a clearance space 16 of approximately two-thousandths (0.002) of an inch is maintained. This inner cartridge is closed at its rear by an end cap 17. A

seal retainer 18 which can be integral with end cap 17, if desired, retains thereon a seal 19, in the form of an O-ring. Seal 19 precludes any fluid from leaking into or out of inner cartridge 15. The metal wall is rolled into the gasket.

A coil spring 20 has one end bearing against seal retainer 18 and the opposite end bearing on a plunger 21.

\ The plunger has an enlarged forward portion and a smaller diameter rearward portion thereby forming a shoulder 22 on which the end of spring 20 bears. The plunger is hollow and contains an absorbent material 23 therein which may be Kaowool. The absorbent material is saturated with liquid aluminum borohydride. A front cap 24 closes the. forward portion of the plunger 21. The front cap has a socket 26 therein, into which is press-fit a tapered seal tip 27. The tapered tip 27 mates with tapered orifice, 13a, in inner cartridge 15 to seal orifice 13a. A thin gasket, 34, prevents flow through channel 16 and out through the orifice 14 of outer cartridge 13.

The rear compartment of outer cartridge 13 is closed .by an end cap 28 and an O-ring 29 in the same manner as described with respect to inner cartridge 15. A longitudinal rod 30 is secured to seal retainer 31. An absorbent cylinder 32, which can be packed with Kaowool, for example, is saturated with an ignition aid (methanol or acetaldehyde). A coil spring 33 has one end secured to seal retainer 31; the opposite end thereof bears against the end cap 17 of inner cartridge 15.

In operation, a sharp blow on the front face of outer cartridge 13, adjacent to orifice 14, or a sharp rearward acceleration/deceleration of cartridge 13 will force plunger 21 and inner cartridge 15 rearwardly. Inner cartridge 15 will move against the bias of spring 33 until the end cap 17 strikes rod 30 which limits the rearward travel of inner cartridge 15. The rearward travel of inner cartridge 15 opens a space between inner cartridge 15 and sealing gasket 34. The ignition aid vapor passes from saturated pad 32 into the clear ance space 16 and enters port 14. When the inner cartridge 15 has reached the limit of its travel, plunger 21, because of its inertia, continues to move rearwardly toward the now stationary end cap 17. The tapered seal pin 27, which is fixed to plunger 21, is thereby withdrawn slightly from port in the forward wall of cartridge 15 and port 13a is thus opened. A small amount of aluminum borohydride is released into port 14 which is effectively an ignition zone. In this area, the aluminum borohydride reacts with the ignition aid, substantially improving the spontaneous combustion of the aluminum borohydride.

In FIGS. 27 is shown a lighter having a pair of cartridges disposed in side-by-side relationship rather than in coaxial alignment as in FIG. 1. This igniter design is referred to hereafter as the dual stream ignition unit. The lighter includes a housing 35 which an be made of metal or other suitable material. A fingerpiece 36 is pivotally mounted on the housing about pin 37 and is freely movable on said housing. A return spring 38 which can be a coiled spring is secured at one end, within cavity 39. A plunger 40 is secured to the other end of spring 38 and lies in the path of movement of fingerpiece 36. A striker plate 41 is pivotally secured about a pin 42 within a recess 43 on the fingerpiece. A stop 44 is secured to the fingerpiece 36 across the recess 43. The stop limits the clockwise rotation of the striker plate 41 about pin 42 caused by the bias of spring 43'. Spring 43' is held by a protuberance 45 on striker plate 41. The top Surface 46 of striker plate 41 is sloped in configuration from front to rear.

A pair of cartridges 47 and 48 (see FIG. 6) are movable positioned in side-by-side relationship within a pair of

longitudinal openings

49 and 50 in housing 35.

Coiled springs

51 and 52 surround each cartridge; one end of each spring bears on the housing and the other end bears on the respective end cap flanges 53 and 54 on

cartridges

47 and 48.

Springs

51 and 52 urge the cartridges rearwardly against an impact pin 55 which is secured to housing 35 and extends transversely of the

longitudinal openings

49 and 50.

By pushing fingerpiece 36 inwardly against the bias of spring 38, striker plate 41 will bear against

cartridges

47 and 48 and drive them forwardly. The cartridges pivot the striker plate in a clockwise direction about pin 42 until lower leg 56 of striker plate 41 is prevented from moving further by stop member 44. As the cartridges are moved inwardly by plate 41, a point is reached where

springs

51 and 52 are compressed and end cap flanges 53 and 54 slip past the pointed end of the plate. The cartridges are then forced outwardly and abut violently against impact pin 55.

Cartridges

47 and 48 are designed according to the principles set forth in US Pat. No. 3,535,065 and they contain aluminum borohydride and ignition aid respectively. They simultaneously discharge a minute amount of their contents toward a mixing baffle 57. Baffle 57 is a V-shaped plate (see FIG. 7), the bend in which is slightly offset from the center line between the two cartridges in order to Create a turbulent flow. The offset is desirably between 0.070 and 0.085 inches.

Particularly good optimum performance is achieved by making one face slightly smaller than the other, as shown by faces 57a and 57b. The center line between the cartridges extends through larger face 57b; the cartridge containing aluminum borohydride is in axial alignment with smaller face 570, For example, the dimensions of smaller face 57a are approximately 0.20 X 0.20 inches, and the dimensions of larger face 57b are approximately 0.275 X 0.20 inches. Mixing baffle 57 is held by support wire 58 secured to housing 35 by fastener 59. It concentrates the aluminum borohydride and ignition aid in the ignition zone where spontaneous combustion takes place. Baffle 57 can be moved with respect to the nozzles of the

cartridges

47 and 48 for optimum location.

A fuel reservoir 60 is secured to housing 35 or made integral therewith. It is sealed and is designed to receive a liquefied petroleum gas, such as butane, which is a liquid under pressure but vaporizes readily under atmospheric pressure. An inlet valve 61 such as that shown in US. Pat. No. 3,085,601 is mounted on the reservoir to permit the latter to be refueled. Gas is supplied to the ignition zone by means of a conduit 63 which leads from the fuel reservoir 60 to a burner valve 62, such as that shown in US. Pat. No. 2,620,643. Burner valve 62 can also be of the forklift variety such as that depicted in US. Pat. No. 2,571,435, where the valve is opened by fingerpiece 36. When the aluminum borohydride ignites spontaneously in the reaction zone, it ignites the gas emanating from burner valve 62.

Examples of the performance obtained with various ignition aids are set forth below.

EXAMPLE I METHANOL AS AN IGNITION AID Five coaxial inertial cartridges were tested under different conditions of temperature and relative humidity (R.H.) using methanol as the ignition aid. The results are summarized in Table I.

In comparison with the foregoing results, a cartridge containing no ignition aid does not ignite at temperatures below 40F, or below 50F, when the relative humidity is less than 65 percent.

EXAMPLE 2 CHLOROPROPANE AS AN IGNITION AID Cartridge No. 1 (see Table I) was used. The rear compartment was filled with chloropropane rather than methanol. The results are summarized in Table II:

TABLE II Ignition Performance Using Chloropropane Conditions No. of No. of 7 Temp (F) R.H. Attempts Ignitions Efficiency (71) 39 I8 50 0 O 41 24 20 0 0 41 25 40 0 0 Methanol was then put into cartridge No. l in place of chloropropane. An 87 percent ignition efficiency at 41F and 23 percent relative humidity was obtained.

I EXAMPLE 3 METHYL ACETATE AS AN IGNITION AID Cartridge No. 1 (see Table I) was again used. The rear compartment was filled with methyl acetate rather than methanol. The results are summarized in Table III:

TABLE III Ignition Performance Using Methyl Acetate Conditions No. of No. of Temp (F) R.H. (7r) Attempts lgnitions Efficiency (7:) 34-38 28 4O 0 O Methanol was then put into cartridge No. l in place of methyl acetate. A 65 percent ignition efficiency at 34F and 50 percent relative humidity was obtained.

EXAMPLE 4 ACETALDEHYDE AS AN IGNITION AID In a sustained test with a set of acetaldehyde and aluminum borohydride cartridges in a dual stream ignition unit the data shown in the Table IV below were obtained:

TABLE IV Ignition Performance Using Acetaldehyde Conditions No. of No. of Temp. (F) R.H. Attempts Ignitions Efficiency 35-43 2665 l3l0 1230 94 It can-be concluded from the foregoing examples that methanol and acetaldehyde are responsible fof the successful ignition of aluminum borohydride under conditions of low humidity and temperature.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications and variations of the present invention may be made. In particular, the orientation of the cartridges with respect to one another may be varied. lf may be preferable, for example, to arrange the cartridges in a vertical plane. These and other modifications are included within the invention as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An ignition system for igniting a gas to produce a flame comprising a first sealed reservoir of aluminum borohydride, first means associated with said first sealed reservoir for releasing a controlled quantity of the aluminum borohydride, a second sealed reservoir of an ignition aid selected from the group consisting of methanol and acetaldehyde, second means associated with said second. sealed reservoir for releasing a controlled quantity of the ignition aid, a third sealed reservoir for a flammable material capable of discharge in the gaseous state, third means associated with said third sealed reservoir for releasing a controlled quantity of the flammable material in the gaseous state, means forming an ignition space arranged in direct communication with said first and second reservoirs for mixing the released aluminum borohydride and ignition aid to form a reactive mixture and effect spontaneous combustion, and said third means arranged to direct the gaseous state flammable material so that it is ignited by the spontaneous combustion of the reactive mixture.

2. The ignition system of claim 1 wherein said ignition aid is methanol.

3. The ignition system of claim 1 wherein said ignition aid is acetaldehyde.

4. The ignition system of claim 1 wherein the aluminum borohydride in said ignition space is in the vapor phase.

5. An ignition system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first mean includes an inertially operated port associated with said first reservoir, said second means includes an inertially operated port associated with said second reservoir, said inertially operated ports arranged for releasing the controlled quantities of aluminum borohydride and ignition aid to the ignition space.

6. A lighter including a coaxial, inertial ignition system comprising the elements of:

a. a cylindrical outer cartridge having a port therein in its forward wall;

b. an inner cylindrical cartridge containing aluminum borohydride, within the forward part of said outer cartridge and spring biased against the inner surface of the said forward wall of said outer cartridge, said inner cartridge having a port in its forward wall adjacent to the port in the forward wall of said outer cartridge and having a spring biased plunger with a sealing surface to close off said port;

c. a rear compartment defined by the rear end of said inner cartridge and the rear part of said outer cartridge containing an ignition aid selected from the group consisting of methanol and acetaldehyde; and

d. a stream of flammable gas to be ignited by said ignition system.

7. The ignition system of claim 6 wherein the spring biasing said inner cartridge against the inner surface of the forward wall of said outer cartridge is positioned within said rear compartment and is adapted to compress, under inertial forces, before the spring biasing the plunger of said inner compartment against the port in the forward wall thereof.

8. The ignition system of claim 7 wherein stop means are provided in said rear chamber to'arrest the rearward travel of said inner cartridge.

9. The ignition system of claim 6 wherein said inner cartridge and said rear compartment contain an absorbent medium for said aluminum borohydride and said ignition aid respectively.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said plunger is axially positioned within said inner cartridge and includes an annular shoulder against which said biasing spring abuts, said spring being positioned at its other end against the rear wall of said inner cartridge.

11. A lighter comprising the elements of:

a. a housing; I

b. a first cartridge on said-housing containing aluminum borohydride and having a port therein directed toward a flame ignition zone, said port being sealed by inertially movable means; I

c. a second cartridge on said housing containing an ignition aid selected from the group consisting of methanol and acetaldehyde and having a port therein directed toward a flame ignition zone, said port being sealed by inertially movable means;

d. a fuel system on said housing including a reservoir for liquefied petroleum gas and a valved conduit extending from said reservoir to a flame ignition zone; and

e. a spring-loaded, ignition actuator pivotally mounted upon said housing including means to strike each of said first and second cartridges and thereby simultaneously release a portion of the contents thereof to said flame ignition zone.

12. The lighter recited in claim 11 wherein said cartridges are arranged side by side with one another.

13. The lighter recited in claim 12 wherein a V- shaped, mixing baffle plate is positioned concavely facing the portsin said cartridges, the line forming the V being laterally offset from the center line between the spaced cartirdges.

14. The lighter recited in claim 12 wherein said cartridges are spring loaded within said housing and said ignition actuator comprises a spring-loaded, pivotally mounted finge'rpiece having a spring loaded, pivotally mounted striker plate adapted to move said cartridges against their restraining springs and upon further pivoting to suddenly release said cartridge against a stop member, whereby portions of said contents of said cartridges are released.

15. The lighter recited in claim 11 wherein said cartridges are arranged in a vertical plane.

Claims

2. The ignition system of claim 1 wherein said ignition aid is methanol.
3. The ignition system of claim 1 wherein said ignition aid is acetaldehyde.
4. The ignition system of claim 1 wherein the aluminum borohydride in said ignition space is in the vapor phase.
5. An ignition system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first mean includes an inertially operated port associated with said first reservoir, said second means includes an inertially operated port associated with said second reservoir, said inertially operated ports arranged for releasing the controlled quantities of aluminum borohydride and ignition aid to the ignition space.
6. A lighter including a coaxial, inertial ignition system comprising the elements of: a. a cylindrical outer cartridge having a port therein in its forward wall; b. an inner cylindrical cartridge containing aluminum borohydride, within the forward part of said outer cartridge and spring biased against the inner surface of the said forward wall of said outer cartridge, said inner cartridge having a port in its forward wall adjacent to the port in the forward wall of said outer cartridge and haVing a spring biased plunger with a sealing surface to close off said port; c. a rear compartment defined by the rear end of said inner cartridge and the rear part of said outer cartridge containing an ignition aid selected from the group consisting of methanol and acetaldehyde; and d. a stream of flammable gas to be ignited by said ignition system.
7. The ignition system of claim 6 wherein the spring biasing said inner cartridge against the inner surface of the forward wall of said outer cartridge is positioned within said rear compartment and is adapted to compress, under inertial forces, before the spring biasing the plunger of said inner compartment against the port in the forward wall thereof.
8. The ignition system of claim 7 wherein stop means are provided in said rear chamber to arrest the rearward travel of said inner cartridge.
9. The ignition system of claim 6 wherein said inner cartridge and said rear compartment contain an absorbent medium for said aluminum borohydride and said ignition aid respectively.
10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said plunger is axially positioned within said inner cartridge and includes an annular shoulder against which said biasing spring abuts, said spring being positioned at its other end against the rear wall of said inner cartridge.
11. A lighter comprising the elements of: a. a housing; b. a first cartridge on said housing containing aluminum borohydride and having a port therein directed toward a flame ignition zone, said port being sealed by inertially movable means; c. a second cartridge on said housing containing an ignition aid selected from the group consisting of methanol and acetaldehyde and having a port therein directed toward a flame ignition zone, said port being sealed by inertially movable means; d. a fuel system on said housing including a reservoir for liquefied petroleum gas and a valved conduit extending from said reservoir to a flame ignition zone; and e. a spring-loaded, ignition actuator pivotally mounted upon said housing including means to strike each of said first and second cartridges and thereby simultaneously release a portion of the contents thereof to said flame ignition zone.
12. The lighter recited in claim 11 wherein said cartridges are arranged side by side with one another.
13. The lighter recited in claim 12 wherein a V-shaped, mixing baffle plate is positioned concavely facing the ports in said cartridges, the line forming the V being laterally offset from the center line between the spaced cartirdges.
14. The lighter recited in claim 12 wherein said cartridges are spring loaded within said housing and said ignition actuator comprises a spring-loaded, pivotally mounted fingerpiece having a spring loaded, pivotally mounted striker plate adapted to move said cartridges against their restraining springs and upon further pivoting to suddenly release said cartridge against a stop member, whereby portions of said contents of said cartridges are released.
15. The lighter recited in claim 11 wherein said cartridges are arranged in a vertical plane.