US3778219A - Sealed lighter - Google Patents

Abstract

A lighter, of the type having a tubular fluid and wick container on which a lighter head is slideably mounted, has a plate-like cover on one end of the head, to which is secured a rotatable steel wheel, a cap for the wick-bearing end of the container and a flint carrying tube. The cover is rotatable about the flint tube as pivot from a position in which the cap is aligned with the container to a position uncovering the wick end of the container and in which the wheel is in position for lighting the wick. The cap is internally threaded and the wick end of the container has a neck around the wick which is threaded for engagement within the cap. The cap and neck have mating ground seats thereon so that the container may be rotated to seal the wick end of the container. The other end of the container has a removable stop and closure member. The cover is normally spring biased against the end of the head and has a leg at 90* to the cover normally in engagement with one of two adjacent flat sides of the head, the lineal corner between the flat sides having an arcuate groove in its end adjacent the cover so that the cover can only be rotated when it is withdrawn away from the head to clear the wick-bearing end of the container. Stop means are provided on the container to prevent withdrawal of the container from the head when the cap and container neck are not in engagement.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Owens [451 Dec. 11, 1973 SEALED LIGHTER [76] Inventor: Thomas M. Owens, Wanakena, NY.

[22] Filed: Nov. 15, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 306,600

2/1936 Austria 431/152 Primary Examiner-Carroll B. Dority, Jr. Att0rneyBruns & Jenney [57] ABSTRACT A lighter, of the type having a tubular fluid and wick container on which a lighter head is slideably mounted, has a plate-like cover on one end of the head, to which is secured a rotatable steel wheel, a cap for the wick-bearing end of the container and a flint carrying tube. The cover is rotatable about the flint tube as pivot from a position in which the cap is aligned with the container to a position uncovering the wick end of the container and in which the wheel is in position for lighting the wick. The cap is internally threaded and the wick end of the container has a neck around the wick which is threaded for engagement within the cap. The cap and neck have mating ground seats thereon so that the container may be rotated to seal the wick end of the container. The other end of the container has a removable stop and closure member. The cover is normally spring biased against the end of the head and has a leg at 90 to the cover normally in engagement with one of two adjacent flat sides of the head, the lineal corner between the flat sides having an arcuate groove in its end adjacent the cover so that the cover can only be rotated when it is withdrawn away from the head to clear the wickbearing end of the container. Stop means are provided on the container to prevent withdrawal of the container from the head when the cap and container neck are not in engagement.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing lFigures SEALED LIGHTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a lighter of the type having an igniter head slideable on an elongated tubular wick and fluid container, the container having a threaded neck through which the wick projects and the head having an internally threaded cap movable from a position in which the neck and cap may be threadedly engaged to seal the container to a position uncovering the wick for ignition.

Lighters having an igniter head slideable on an elongated container are known as are lighters having a cap for covering and extinguishing the lighted wick. Such flame extinguishing caps, however, have only an imperfect seal around the wick so that vapor from the fluid impregnated wick may escape or, if the lighter is dropped in water or remains in a damp environment, the wick can become wet and non-ignitable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates a lighter of the type having a tubular container on which the igniter head is slideable, the wick projecting from one end of the container through a threaded neck adapted to be engaged within an internally threaded cap. The cap and neck are provided with mating ground seats for providing an absolute seal for the wick end of the container.

The cap is carried secured on a plate-like cover and a rotatable steel wheel and cooperating flint-carrying tube are also secured to the cover. The flint tube is slideably carried in a bore in the head and acts as a pivot so that the cover may be turned, when the cap and container neck are disengaged, from a position in whichthe cap is aligned with the container to a position uncovering the wick and aligning the wheel for igniting the wick.

A stop collar secured to the container is slideable in an appropriate well in the head so that, when the neck is unscrewed from the cap, the wick is positioned for receiving sparks fr m the flint and wheel and the container cannot be wthdrawn from the head.

The flint tube has the usual flint and flint pressure spring therein, the end of the tube being closed by the usual cap screw. Another shorter tube around the flint tube, also engaged by the flint tube closure screw, and a cover-biasing coil spring are contained in an enlarged bore in the head at this end of the flint tube providing for limited counterbiased movement of the cover plate away from the head.

The cover plate has a short leg projecting from one end of the cover plate at 90 thereto and adapted to abut one of two adjacent flat sides of the head. The linear corner between the two flat sides has an arcuate groove at one end adjacent the cover plate so that the cover plate can be rotated from one of its positions to the other only when the cover plate is withdrawn away from the head. This ensures that the cap is raised to clear the wick and its surrounding neck when the cover plate is rotated and the short leg locks the cover plate its selected position when the plate is returned to its position against the head end by its biasing spring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of

I a lighter according to the invention in carrying position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, partly. in section, of the lighter of FIG. 1 in position for use:

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the lighter rotated from the position shown in FIG. 1 and with the cover open for lighting the wick;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 with the cover closed for carrying; and I FIG. 5 is an end view of the lighter as shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the lighter 10 is of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,477,385 to Mayfield issued July 26, 1949, having an elongated tubular fluid and wick container 11 and a lighter body or head 12 slideable back and forth on tubular container 11.

Container 11 is closed at one end by a threaded closure and stop member 13 and closed at the other end by a tubular wick holder 14 for wick 15, the wick holder being secured within the container end by brazing or otherwise. The wick end of the container has a stop collar 16 secured thereon, as shown, by brazing or otherwise, which is slideable in a well 17 in head 12.

The end 18 of wick holder 14 which projects from container 11 is threaded and an L-shaped head cover 19 carries secured thereon an internally threaded closure or cap 20 so that the end 18 of the wick holder may be screwed into engagement with cap 20 when cover 19 is in the position shown in FIG. 1. Both the end 18 of the wick holder and container and the inner end of cap 20 are provided with mating groundseats at 21 (FIG. 1) so that, when container 11 is screwed into the cap 20, the interior of the container becomes a sealed compartment absolutely water and vapor tight.

Container 11 is provided conventionally with floss 22 to absorb lighter fluid and the wick 15 extends down into the floss to keep the wick saturated at all times. The other closed end of container 11 may be filled with liquid lighter fluid 23, as shown in FIG. 2.

Cover 19 has a wheel support 24 secured thereon and the usual steel wheel 25 is rotatably secured on the support. A flint tube 26 is secured at one end to head cover 19, the flint 27 being adapted to protrude therefrom in contact with wheel 25. The other end of tube 26 is closed by the usual screw 28 threaded therein and a flint pressure spring 29 extends from the flint to screw 28.

Surrounding the flint tube 26 and engaged by the head of screw 28 is a short tubular collar 30 engaging one end of a coil biasing-spring 31 around tube 26. Spring 31 and collar 30 lie in an enlarged bore 32 in the head around tube 26 forming a shoulder at 33 (FIG. 1) against which the inner end of spring 31 is engaged.

Tube 26 is rotatable in head 12 and spring 31 may be compressed so that cover 19 may be withdrawn away from the head and rotated on tube 26 as a pivot 90 from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. By withdrawing; cover 19, after unscrewing container 11, cap 20 is clear of wick l5 and, by rotating the cover, wheel 25 is turned to its wicklighting position. In this position, after the wick is ignited, container 11 may be pushed through the head to the position shown in FIG. 2 with the lighted end of the container remote from the fingers grasping head 12 for igniting a hard-to-get-at campfire, a gas range burner, or a pipe, etc.

Cover 19 has a bent-down, longitudinally extending, shorter foot 35, as best seen in FIG. 3, which abuts the head 12. The head is generally rectangular having a flat surface 36, indicated in FIG. 3, and another flat surface 37 at right angles thereto. An arcuate groove 38 is cut in the end of the linear corner between surfaces 36 and 37 so that cover 19 can only be rotated when the cover has been withdrawn away from head 12. When the cover is returned by spring 31 toward head 12, the cover is locked in position by the foot 35. The other end of cover 19, opposite to foot 35 is provided with a portion 39 projecting beyond head 12 to serve as a thumbpiece for withdrawing and rotating the cover, as best seen in FIG. 1. It will be noted that the stop collar 16 in FIG. 1 is spaced from the bottom of well 17 so that, when the container 11 is unscrewed from cap 20, the wick end is withdrawn so as to be opposite the end of flint 27.

In operation, the lighter being in normal carrying position, shown in FIG. 1, the cover 19 is first withdrawn and rotated, as shown in FIG. 3. The wick 15 is then ignited by turning wheel 25. Container 11 is then pushed to the position shown in FIG. 2, and the flame utilized.

To return to the carrying mode, the wick is first blown out, or the parts returned to the positions shown in FIG. 1 thus extinguishing the flame, and the container ll rotated to seal the container. It will be noted that removal of screw 28 allows diassembly of all head carried parts when the container is unscrewed from cap 20 and removal of member 13 allows disassembly of the container from the head.

I claim:

1. In a lighter having a tubular container of substantially uniform transverse diameter, and a head slideable on the container from one end to the other end, the

container having a wick projecting from one end and stop means at either end, the head having wick igniting means and including a closure for the wick, the closure being movable from a closed position to an open position exposing the wick for igniting it, the head being movable when the closure is open to a position on the container remote from the wick, the improvement comprising: the closure being internally threaded, and the tubular container having an externally threaded projection around the wick for threaded engagement within the closure, the closure having an annular ground seat at its end and the threaded projection having a mating ground seat therearound, whereby the container is rotated with respect to the head when the closure is in closed position to seal the wick end of the container closed.

2. The lighter defined in claim 1 having an internally threaded closure cap, and an L-shaped cover plate having a relatively long leg to which the cap is secured and a relatively short locking leg at right angles thereto, the long plate leg having a pivot tube projecting therefrom, the head having a pivot bore slideably receiving the pivot tube and spring means biasing the long plate leg against the end of the head, the head having a first flat side surface and a second flat side surface at a right angle thereto, the linear corner between the flat surfaces having an arcuate groove at its end adjacent the long plate leg, whereby the short locking leg being carried abutting one flat surface and, when the long plate leg is withdrawn away from the head and rotated, the short leg is adapted to turn in the groove and, when the long leg is returned against the head end, the short leg abuts the other flat surface locking the cover plate in position.

Claims (2)

1. In a lighter having a tubular container of substantially uniform transverse diameter, and a head slideable on the container from one end to the other end, the container having a wick projecting from one end and stop means at either end, the head having wick igniting means and including a closure for the wick, the closure being movable from a closed position to an open position exposing the wick for igniting it, the head being movable when the closure is open to a position on the container remote from the wick, the improvement comprising: the closure being internally threaded, and the tubular container having an externally threaded projection around the wick for threaded engagement within the closure, the closure having an annular ground seat at its end and the threaded projection having a mating ground seat therearound, whereby the container is rotated with respect to the head when the closure is in closed position to seal the wick end of the container closed.

2. The lighter defined in claim 1 having an internally threaded closure cap, and an L-shaped cover plate having a relatively long leg to which the cap is secured and a relatively short locking leg at right angles thereto, the long plate leg having a pivot tube projecting therefrom, the head having a pivot bore slideably receiving the pivot tube and spring means biasing the long plate leg against the end of the head, the head having a first flat side surface and a second flat side surface at a right angle thereto, the linear corner between the flat surfaces having an arcuate groove at its end adjacent the long plate leg, whereby the short locking leg being carried abutting one flat surface and, when the long plate leg is withdrawn away from the head and rotated, the short leg is adapted to turn in the groove and, when the long leg is returned against the head end, the short leg abuts the other flat surface locking the cover plate in position.

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