US3399949A - Gas fuelled cigarette lighteer with spark ignition - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 3, 1968 P. RABE 3,399,949

GAS FUELLED CIGARETTE LIGHTER WITH SPARK IGNITION Filed Oct. 22, 1965 Fig.1

Fig.2 1 7 Inventor.- WW

Un ted S at v ,4 3599 949: m v GAS FUELLED CIGARETTE LIGHTER 7 -WITH SPARK IGNITION- I t PeterRabe, Muhlheim (Main), Gcrmany, assignor to Heinrich Maltner GmbH, Otfenbach am Main, .Getmany I .1 r Filed Oct. 22, 1965,58. No. 501,677 i a Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 18, 1964, I

' 11 Claims. (Cl. 431-443) The present invention relates-to alighter adapted to be ignited by an electric spark to beproduced between the free ends of a pair of electrodes and in-which-the two electrodesare mounted on a commonelectrode-mounting plate fixed to thehousing of the lighter.

Electric lighters of this type are known-in the art in which the burner means of the lighter extendinzsubstantially vertical direction and in which the common electrode mounting plate. is arranged substantially in a horizontal plane surrounding the burnermeans of the lighter. This known arrangement of the electrode mountingplat'e has, however, thedisadyantage thatjt obstructs access to the burner means and especially access, to the connection ofthe burnermeans to the lighter fluidcontainer in. the

he conta n h n erend t the burner means- Afthus 'arranged electrode mou nting plate prevents also propennow of ,air, trombeneath to theuppeneud of the. u e mean gr ner; tu ev he h rns t be e tends with fsubstantial,clearance through an openingin the electrode inounting plate. .The known arrangement of, the electrode mounting plate will also leadto undesirable turbulence of the air, about the burnertub e which may lead to extinguishing ofthe flame forming atthe free end thereof. Prop'erand eddy free guidance of the air tothe burner is, however, neees'sary es peciall-y in lightersin which the, burner. tube is located in, thelighten housing. and'in which the flame developed atithelend of the burner tube passes throiigh; an opening. in the burner housing,

0 3,399,949 Patented Sept 3, 1968 a, a means including a pair of electrode means, and. a common electrode mounting plate mountedin thehousing substantially parallel to-the one direction and laterally of the burner means and carrying the electrode means spaced from each other on opposite sides of the burner means. ,1 Due to the arrangement of the electrode mounting plate laterally of, the burner. means,,the plate will not obstruct access to the connection of the burner means or the burner tube to the container and .to any valve located between the container and the upper end. of the burner tube. The thus arranged mounting plate does also not obstruct free flow of air from below to the upperend of the burnertube, to the contrary, the-thus arranged plate will form a guide surface for producing-a smooth flow of air to the upper end of the burner tube. 1 r a A further advantage of the specific arrangement of the electrode mounting plate according to the present inventionis that the plate can be arranged in the housing of the lighter sufliciently spaced from the flame develop-v ing at the upper end of the burner tube so that the plate will not be damaged by the heat developed by the flame,

even if the plate is formed from an insulating material not adapted to withstand high temperatures, for instance, hard paper. In known burners of this type in whichthe electrode mounting plate has been mounted about the burner tube, the plate had to be located due to space limitations within the housing, so close to the upper end of the burner tube and the flame developing thereon so that the plate had to be made from ceramic material in order to withstand the high temperature it is subjected to due to its vicinity to the flame. An insulating plate of hard paper has many advantages as compared with an insulating plate of ceramic material in that a hard paper insulating plate can be easily machined and therefore be manufactured at considerably smaller cost than insulating plates of ceramic material. anging r the lighter and t nyflal l a edetwe n the free ends of the electrode means carried by the plate;

This arrangement will not only result in the smallest possible length of the electrodes but this arrangement will as is mostly the case inlig'ht'ers in which the gas emanat;

ing from the burnet tube; is ignitedby ana mic spark and in which the electrodes which develop a. s'pafrk'above the free end of' the lighter'tube'areto be properly lprotectecl within the housing to prevent contact of e electrodes by the'user of thelighteij. f 1 n It isan object of the pr'Ysentinv'ention to providelfor a lighter adapted to be ignnea'byan 'elect'ric' 'sparlt which f h di a va ta e 9 fhtes. is; lin

known in the art.

also provide for a very advantageous guiding of the air.

According to a further development of the present invention, the electrode mounting plate .is formed with at least one elongated opening extending between the plugs oi the pair of electrode means, which extend through the mounting plate fixedly connected thereto and respectively carry at the ends facing the burner means electrode wires between the free ends of which the spark gap forigniting afiame extends. This elongated opening between the plugs will prevent formation of creepage sparks between the plugs which due to the relative high voltage used in such lighters may otherwise form along the surface of the mounting plate between the plugs extending therethrough.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic'for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic, partly sectioned side view of the lighter according to the present invention; and

FIG. 2, drawn to an enlarged scale, is a front view of the electrode mounting plates and the electrode means carried thereby.

Referring now to the drawing and more specifically to FIG. 1 of the same, it will be seen that the lighter ac cording to the present invention mainly comprises an inner housing 1 which may for instance be formed from plastic material and'which has a bottom portion 2 integrallyformed therewith and having a transverse cross section slightly smaller than the upper portion of the inner housing 1. Mounted in the housing 1 is a tank or container 3 adapted to contain a lighter fluid, for'instance compressed gas, and burner means 4 in the form of an elongated burner tube communicates at the lower end thereof with the interior of the container 3. Arranged within the housing 1 are also various electrical elements of the igniting device, for instance a battery, condenser, transformer, and so on of known construction and the specific arrangement-and construction of these elements does not form part of the present invention and these elements are therefore not illustrated in the drawing. The upper part of the inner housing 1 is covered by a casing 5, which may for instance be formed from sheet metal. Projecting beyond the upper end of the casing 5 is a pushbutton 6 and preferably also a cap 7, indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 1, which forms an upper wall. portion of the housing above the upper end of the burner means 4 and which is provided with an opening 8 through which a flame developing on the upper end of the burner means 4 may project to the outside of the housing. The inner housing 1 is provided with a plurality of vertical slots 9 open at the bottom so as to form between the outer casing 5 and the container 3 a plurality of air passages through which air may pass from below and about the-burner tube 4 as indicated by the arrows.

Electric spark producing means are arranged in the region of the upper free end of the burner tube 4. The electric spark producing means include a pair of electrode means which are mounted on a common electrode mountingplate 10 which according to the present invention is arranged laterally of the burner tube 4 and extending, in the position of the lighter as shown in FIG. 1, in substantially vertical direction. The plate 10 is provided with a pair of projections 11 respectively projecting to opposite sides from lower portions of opposite side edges of the plate and engaging in corresponding cutouts in the front and rear Wall of the housing 1. The walls of the housing 1 are slightly flexible so that the projections 11 on the plate 10 may be snapped into the cutouts in the front and rear wall of the housing, whereby the plate is securely held in the position shown in FIG. 1. The plate 10 carries a pair of plugs 12 and 13 of electrically conductive material extending spaced from each other in transverse direction through the plate 10 fixedly connected thereto and respectively carrying at the end thereof facing the burner tube 4 electrode wires 14 and 15 fixed thereto of a configuration as best shown in FIG. 2 with the free ends of'the wires 14 and 15 spaced from each other and arranged slightly above and to opposite sides of the burner tube 4. Connected to the end of each plug 12 and 13 facing away from the burner tube 4 is a wire 16 which connects the respective electrode means formed by the respective plug and the electrode wire fixed thereto to the aforementioned elements of the ignition device.

As can be clearly seen from FIG. 1, the plate 10 does not obstruct free passage of air around the burner tube 4 and to the upper end thereof, to the contrary, the plate 10 will form a guide surface for the air flowing in direc tion of the arrows to the upper end of the burner tube. The spacing between the electrode mounting plate 10 and the burner tube 4 is chosen in such a manner that the plate may be formed from hard paper without damaging the plate due to the heat developed by the flame.

An elongated opening 17 is formed through the plate between the plugs 12 and 13 as clearly shown in FIG. 2 and the elongated opening extends toward the free ends of the electrode wires 14 and 15. However, the plate extends uninterrupted in vertical direction to opposite sides of a line connecting the free ends of the electrode wires 14 and 15 so as to provide especially at the location where the igniting sparks will form a proper guidance for the air. The elongated opening 17 will however positively sesame.

prevent forming of creepage sparks alongthe surface of the plate 10 between the plugs 12 and 13.

Instead of mounting the plate 10- by means of projections 11 on the front and rear wall of the housing, it is of course also possible to fixedly mount the plate 10 only either on the front or on'the rear wallof the housing, or to mount the plat'eltlon projections extending upwardly from the container 3. The arrangement shown iri FIG. 1 in which the burner tube 4 is arranged adjacen t'to one end wall of thehousing and in which the plate 10 is arranged laterally of the burner tube 4 at the side thereof facing away from this endwall is especially advantageous since the plate 10 extending between the front and rear wall of the housing forms with portions of these walls and with the one end wall of the housing air guide passages for guiding the-air entering at the .bottom of'the housing 1 through the channels 9 about the burner tube 4 in such a manner that the speed ofthe air streams at least in a horizontal 'plane about the upper end of the burner tube will remain substantially constant. This is an essential preconditionfor the desired formation of a vertical lami the electrode wires 14 and 15 and at the same time a valve betweencontainer 3 and burner'tube 4 opened in a known manner not forming part of the present invention so that gas emanating from the upper end of the burner tube will be ignited.

It will be understood'that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of lighters adapted to be ignited by an electric spark differing from the types described above.

- While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a lighter adapted to be ignited by an electric spark in which the electric spark producing means include a pair of electrode means anda common electrode mounting plate arranged laterally and substantially parallel to the burner tube of the lighter and carrying the electrode means spaced from each other on opposite sides of the burner tube, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristicsof the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to'be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence ofthe following claims. j I

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

1. A lighter adapted to be ignited by an electric spark comprising, in combination, housing means having ape ripheralwall and a top wall formed with an opening therethrough; a container carried in said housing means adapted to contain a" lighter fluid; elongated burner means in said housing means and having a lower end communi eating with the interior of said container and an upper end for discharging of gas therefrom and arranged be neath and substantially aligned with said opening in said top wall; and electric spark producing means including a pair of electrode means and a common electrode mounting plate of insulating material in said housing andextending substantially parallel to and laterally from. said elongatedburner means beyond the upper end of the latter and carrying said electrode means spaced from each other. respectively on opposite sides of said burner means,

a portion of said peripheral wall of said housing means and said electrode mounting plate being so arranged with respect to said burner means to form a passage about the latter for guiding air in a substantially turbulent-free manner past the upper end of said burner means and a flame forming in the region of said upper end.

2. A lighter as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said electrode means has a free end spaced from and facing the free end of the other electrode means, and wherein a plane normal to said electrode mounting plate and passing through said free ends intersects said electrode mounting plate between the top and bottom edge of the latter.

3. A lighter as set forth in claim 1, wherein said electrode mounting plate is formed from insulating material adapted to withstand only relatively low temperatures.

4. A lighter as set forth in claim 1, wherein said electrode mounting plate is formed from hard paper.

5. A lighter as defined in claim 4, wherein each of said electrode means has a free end spaced from and facing the free end of the other electrode means, and wherein a plane normal to said electrode mounting plate and passing through said free ends intersects said electrode mounting plate between the top and bottom edge of the latter.

6. A lighter as set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing is of substantially rectangular configuration having a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of end walls shorter than and interconnecting said front and rear walls, wherein said burner means extends adjacent to and substantially parallel to one of said end walls, and wherein said electrode mounting plate extends substantially parallel to said one end wall adjacent to and at the side of said burner means facing away from said one end wall.

7. A lighter as set forth in claim 6, wherein each of said electrode means includes a plug of electrically conductive material extending through said electrode mounting plate fixedly connected thereto and having one end facing said one end Wall of said housing, and an electrode wire fixed at one end thereof to said one end of said plug and being spaced at the other end thereof from the other end of the electrode wire of the other of said pair of electrode means a distance which is smaller than the spacing between the plugs of said pair of said electrode means, said electrode mounting plate being formed with at least one elongated opening extending in said one direction between the plugs of said pair of electrode means for preventing formation of creepage sparks between said plugs.

8. A lighter as set forth in claim 6, wherein said housing has a bottom wall formed with at least one opening therethrough for passage of air into said housing, and wherein said electrode mounting plate extends between said front and rear walls of said housing and defines with said one end wall an air passage about said burner means communicating with said opening in said bottom wall.

9. A lighter as set forth in claim 2, wherein each of said electrode means includes an electrode wire connected at one end thereof to said plate and being spaced at the other end thereof from the other end of the electrode wire of the other of said pair of electrode means a distance which is smaller than the space between the connected ends of said pair of electrode means, and wherein said electrode mounting plate is formed with at least one elongated opening extending in said one direction between said connected ends of said pair of electrode means for preventing formation of creepage sparks between said connected ends.

10. A lighter as defined in claim 1, wherein said common mounting plate has a bottom edge arranged above and spaced from said container so that air may pass through the space between the container and said bottom edge of said mounting plate and along the latter to said upper end of said burner means.

11. A lighter as defined in claim 1, and including pushbutton means projecting upwardly from said housing and arranged laterally of said elongated burner means for operating of the lighter, and wherein said common mounting plate is arranged between said burner means and said push-button means to protect a flame forming at the upper end of said burner means from any air turbulence created during operation of said push-button means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 977,521 12/ 1910 Goldblatt 317-96 2,537,710 1/1951 Schroeder 219-261 3,305,701 2/1967 Remy et al. 317-86 3,311,789 3/1967 Remy 317-86 3,328,641 6/1967 Watkins 317-96 2,045,178 6/1936 De Lancey 317-83 2,120,626 6/1938 Powers et al. 317-83 X 3,200,295 8/1965 Owens et al 317-83 3,295,024 12/ 1966 Newman 317-86 FOREIGN PATENTS 964,945 7/ 1964 Great Britain.

84,700 7/ 1919 Switzerland.

BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

VOLODYMYR Y. MAYEWSKY, Assistant Examiner.

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