US2544249A - Pyrophoric cigar and cigarette lighter - Google Patents

Description

`Marizh 6, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 25, 1948 Z 0 52 9 7 00 0 L W/ 223; j w f y, |||||||..l||||l||l E N l y ,Mdm 2 1 \\E., L@ E u 7 2 8 Z ,o Z u Mu M Q n T T wm 4 01J f r .,.....H,. Z.

March 6, 1951 J. R. BAYsToN PYRoPHoRTc CIGAR AND CIGARETTE LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 25, 1948 Patented Mar. 6, 1951 OFFICE PYROPHORIC CIGAR AND CIGARETTE Y LIGHTER John R. Bayston, Van Nuys, Calif. Applicationrebruary 25, 1948, serial No. 10,597

In lighters prior `to the present invention, the

sparking mechanism and abrasive elements have 4been so mounted upon the casing that when one of vthese parts becomes defective it has entailed considerable trouble to secure repairs for the same. Thishas caused many Vlighters to be discarded when, if they could have been readily and quickly repaired their use would have been satisfactorilyrcontinued.v Inl the present invention the sparking mechanism is so mounted upon a `closure for` the casing that when desired K the sparking, mechanism may be removed as a unit and when desired a new one, obtainable' from a supply store or duplicates on hand, may be quickly and easily applied in operative position. Also gin the present construction a fuel tube, ,cartridge or container, obtainable at drugstores or the like, may ,be easily attachedwwithin the casing and when exhausted havea new one substituted therefor. Y. y p

Among the objects of my invention are: to pro- ;vide a novellandimproved lighter of the tYDQIelferred to ;v to provide a lighter havinga sparking Jmechanism removable as a unit; to provide novel 4means for detachably. mounting a fuel container,

tube or cartridge within the casing and easily removable when exhausted; to provide novel means for mounting and holding thecover hood in position on the casing; toprovide novel means in the cover hood forautomatically operating the spark- ,ing mechanism when the cover is being moved .to open positiOIl; to provide a snuffing cap in the means for operating the sparking mechanism;

lto provide a sparking mechanism having a rotatable cylindrical flint, and a resiliently mounted abrasive element yieldably urged yinto scrap- .ing contact'with the rotatable int; to provide aI novel over-running clutch for positively rotating the fiint member in one direction of cover open- .ing and leave the flint member stationarywhen :the cover is being closed; to provide a generally ,improved lighter construction; and such further objects, advantages and capabilities, inherently possessed by my invention, as will later more fully appear.

. My invention further'resides in the combination, .construction and arrangement of parts illustratedv. in the accompanying drawings, and while I have shown therein a preferred embodiment, I wish it understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of my invention;

' Inthe drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section on a median plane of a lighter embodying the present invention, the lower part being shown in elevation.

Fig. 2 ls a transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section similar to Fig. 1,

*but showing the upper portion of the casing in elevation and the cover in open position.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4--4 of Figfl, butshowing the lower edge of the cover and the upper portion of the casing in edge elevation. v Y l Y Fig.'5 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

' Fig.'6 is a section,of a reduced size, on the line '6e-6 of Fig. 5. Y Y Y v Fig. 7 is a fragmentary edge view, partly broken away,` of a cylindrical flint member,v with a modified form of means for resiliently urging the vabrasive member against the int wheel.

trative purposes in the drawings, my improved lighter comprises a main casing I closed at the bottom 2 and having its normally open upper lend iclosedby a bridgemember 3 the marginal `anges 4 of which are slidably inserted into the inside of the upper edges of the casing to be :frictionally but removably held in position there- :in. Swing-ably mounted upon the case i by a hinge membervS is a cover hood 6 of hollow construction and having its front edge, adjacent the `lower edge of the front lip formed with an open- 1 ing 1. The cover hood 6 is normally urged to .move into open position by means of a spring .having a lower portion 8 and an upper portion 9 integrally connected together by any suitable ,number of loops i0. This spring member 8-.40

wardly within the cover and held in place behind A the keeper I2. This spring may be of any detailed construction desired such asspringwire, a flat spring, or the like.

Fixed at its lower end to the inside surface of the casing I is a resilient arm I3 slightly bent inwardly at I4 and I5, and having xed-at its upper end an outwardly extending projection or detent I5. Fixed intermediate of the length of'v arm I5 is a push button I'I slidable in a hole I8 lformed in an adjacent portion of the casing l. The material of the casing around the opening I8 is formed with a depression I9, and the outer end of the button II is curved atv 2D' so that the button will not extend any great distance outwardly, and will thus prevent accidental opening of the cover. Also formed in the flange 4 of the bridge member 3 is an opening 2l through which the projection or detent I6 also slidably extends. Hole l of the cover and hole 2I of the bridge flange are is registry when the cover is closed, and at this time the detent or projection I8 extends through hole 2f and a slight distance into opening 1 under urge of the resilient arm I3. Y

ymember 3 from the. upperend of the casing the button 2D may be pushed a farther extentinwardly to free the projection I6 from hole ZI in 4the bridge flange after whichthe bridge 3 maybe pulled upwardly out of the upper end of the cas- -ing. When the cover isclo'sed the integral strip of metal 22 below opening I will form a stop for thev outer edge of projection I6. d

Bridge member 3 in its central portion isformed with an opening 23 within which is removably positioned the neck 24 of a fuel container, tube,

.for rcartridge 25 adapted to contain any desired 4kind of fuel, liquid or paste, and within which tube or container is positioned a lwick. 26 extend- .ing from the bottom of the: tubev or container upwardly and a short distance outwardly through the central hole 2l formed in neck 24. Neck 24 is formed around its outside with a circumfer ential groove 28, the lower'horizontal edge of which groove is in substantial alignment with the upper surface of bridge member 3.

An exhausted fuel tube or container may be easily removed from the casing by removing the 'bridge 3 from the casing in the manner described tabove, and then removing the sparking mecha.-

nism base plate 29 from 'engagement with neck '24. As seen in Fig. 2A the right hand end of base plate 29 is formed with a slot 30 of a depth to en- -`able this slotted end to be pushed. to therig-ht overthe neck 24 so that the edges of sai'di'slot are seated inthe circumferential groovey `29 of the neck. Bridge 3 at the left hand ondas viewed in Fig. 1 is formed with an upturn'ed cut'f-o'ut por'- A'tion 3I slightly curved inwardly a si'ilc'zin't''dsl tance to receive the rear end 32 of plate 29 after the edges of slot 3D have been pushed into position over the neck and the rear end of this plate pushed downwardly to be seated within the slightly re-entrant surface of projection 3|. This securely locks the neck of the tube or container, and the tube or container, in position within the casing until exhausted after which it may be removed and a new one substituted in the mannerfdesnibed above.

Plate 29 forms the bottom or base of a sparkv-ing mechanism unit designated generally at 33 and comprising a pair of laterally spaced apart upstanding sidewalls 34 and 35 integrally connected at; their lower ends to the base plate 29.

.This forms a supporting bracket between and -through which extends a hollow rivet or other suitable supporting: member 3S which is riveted over at its ends as shown at 31 so as to be fixed in position between the bracket walls 34 and 35. The lower edge portion of side wall 34 of the supporting bracket is outwardly bulged at 38 to afford a wider base for stability. Rotatablyl mounted upon the outside surface of the cylindrical hollow rivet 36 is a sleeve member 39 having iixedly mounted upon the exterior of one of its ends the cylindrical sleeve 40 formed of any suitable flint material wel-l known in the lighter industry. As is well known this fl-intfmaterial when vigorously rubbed with anabrasive material will create a shower of sparks. Also mounted on sleeve member 39 in slightly longitudinally spaced relation to nint member 49 is a toothed gear wheel 4I which i's mounted upon sleeve member 39 with an overrunning clutch connection which in one direction of rotation clutches the sleeve member 39 to ro'- 'tate the same and the' flint sleeve 49, and in the other direction of rotation runs free of said sleeve member 39;

This over-running clutch construction will be understood in Figs'. l, 5, and 6, in which the sleeve member 39 is formed at its right hand end as viewed in Fig. E with circumferentially spaced apart notches or eut away portions 42 which as 'seen in Fig. d are triangularA in cross section so as to provide a long sidel 43 andl a short side 44. Mounted in each of thesecut away portions is a ball 45 of a size such that when the gear 4I rotates in a counterclo'ckwise direction as viewed in Figs; 1 and 6 each of the balls 45 will be forced to roll along the side 43 of the out-awayv portion which side together with the 'inner circumference of the central opening' in the gear forms a space decreasing in height. This causes the balls 45 to grip the gear '4l tor the sleeven'ember 39 to carry these parts together when the gear rotates during opening of the cover 6.. This rotation of sleeve member 39 carries with it the iiiiit sleeve 40 and causes the latter torub against theA abrasive member 45 and creates a shower of sparks directed toward the upper end 411 of the wick 23. This wick being saturated with 'fuel will immediately ignite for lighting purposes.

The abrasive member 46 is fixedy in any de- 'outfroir'r said base plate, or otherwise formed lasl desired. From this it is seen' that the U'- fshaped resilient arrn48 maybev removed from the base plate by pulling the lower portionww out of the pocket under strap 50 for repairs, ora new one inserted if desired. In Fig. 'l this U-shaped arm is shown at 48 as being formed at its free end with an upwardly bent portion 5l to scrape against the circumference of the int sleeve for sparking purposes. In Fig. 8 this U-shaped resilient arm is shown at 418" as having a similar projection 5I' except that instead of this projection being open, the two sides thereof are forced together so that its upperfedge will scrape against the iint sleeve. In Fig. 9 this U-shaped member is shown at 48 as formed at its free end with an upstanding flange 52 to scrape against the fiint sleeve. As seen in Fig. 5 a spacing collar 53 is positioned between the ilintA sleeve 46 and the gear 4l to properly space these Yelements a desired distance apart. Also in Fig.l 5 it will be seen that the open end of the slots or openings 42 are closely adjacent the inner surface of the bracket sideA wall 35 so as to prevent these balls from falling outv of these slots or openings, and conne them in operative position.

VAs seen in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 there is rigidly fixed in the cover or hood 6 a driving element 54 having an upstanding portion 55 curved laterally and downwardly at 56 and Welded or otherwise flxedly secured to the upper inner surface of the cover E. This driving element 54 is formed at its front portion with a circumferentially curved portion 51 to form an upstanding tubular portion spaced apart at the rear edges 58. One of these spaced apart portions 58 as viewed in Fig. 2 extends laterally and at its end is bent into a ange 59 which is welded or otherwise secured to the inner side surface of the cover 6. The opposite edge portion 58 is extended laterally in the opposite direction and then rearwardly to form the toothed sector or quadrant 50, the teeth of which, when the cover is closed, engage with the teeth of the gear 4l. The toothed portion of the quadrant 60 is formed on the arc of a circle about the axis ofthe hinge 5 as a center so that when the cover 6 is swung to open position the teeth of quadrant Sil will, through engagement with the teeth of gear lil cause rotation of the flint sleeve to produce sparks for lighting the wick when the cover is being swung to Lopen position. As seen in Fig. 3, the toothed quadrant 60 has moved a substantial distance away from the gear M when the cover is completely open., When however the cover is again swung to closed position the teeth of quadrant 65 will again engage the gear 4l but due to the overrunning clutch, described above, there will be no rotation of the flint sleeve, and no sparks produced during the closing of the cover.

Fixed within the tubular portion 51 of the driving member 54 is a snuiling tube 6I the upper portion of which is closed at 6 2 and the lower portion of which is formed with an outwardly flared skirt 63 which when the cover is closed snugly ts over the curved upper surface of the neck 24 to snulf out the flame of the wick. As seen in Fig. 3 this snufling cap 6| is moved away from the wick at the start of the opening movement of the cover so as to leave the wick exposed for ignition by the sparks.

The fuel tube or cartridge 25, as well as the sparking mechanism 33 as a unit, may each or both be obtainable at drug stores or other places of sale, and may be quicklyy and easily applied to the lighter of the present invention when such renewals are required.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A lighter, comprising, a main casing, a cover hood swingably mounted on said casing, a bridge in one end of said casing, said bridge having a fiat top and a central opening adapted to removably receive the neck of a fuel tube, a

fiat base plate longitudinally slidable in face to face contact with said bridge and having in its forward end a slot adapted to slide forwardly over said tube neck when the latter is in said opening, said bridge having a projection to prevent rearward movement of the .base plate when the slot is over the neck, sparking mechanism on said base plate including a rotary flint member and an ab-rasive element resiiiently urged against the flint member, and means in said hood to rotate the flint member when the hood is Yswung open, said fuel tube neck having a circumferential groove to receive the edge walls of said slot.

2. A lighter as claimed in claim l, in which said means includes a toothed quadrant member fixed in said hood, and a snumng cup iixedly mounted in said quadrant member, tne teeth of said quadrant engaging ccmpieniental teeth on the rotary ilint member as the hood approaches closed position and being removed a substantial distance away from said complemental teeth when said hood is fully open.

3. In a lighter, a casing, a bridge, a base plate removably mounted on the bridge, sparking mechanism carried by the base plate and including a rotatable fiint member and a resilient arm removably` attached at one end to the base plate and adjacent its free end having meansl to frictionally engage the rotatable flint member, said bridge having an intermediate open-- ing, a fuel tube neck protruding through said opening, means at one end of the plate for connecting it to said neck, a detent projection on the bridge at the other end of the plate, whereby said other end may rbe raised above said projection and the plate moved longitudinally on the bridge to free said connection with the neck and remove the sparking mechanism and plate as a unit from the bridge.

4. In combination in a lighter, a casing, a bridge detachably secured in one end of the casing and having a central opening, a fuel tube in said casing and having a grooved neck removably positioned in said opening, a plate slidably mounted on said bridge and having a slotted end straddling the tube neck with an edge of the slot seated in the groove of the neck whereby the tube may be removed by sliding the plate to release the neck, and sparking mechanism mounted on said plate to be removed from the bridge with the plate as a unit when the plate is removed from said neck by a sliding movement of the plate.

5. In combination in a lighter, a casing, a bridge having a marginal flange removably seated in one end of the casing, a cover swingably mounted on said casing, said cover and bridge iiange having apertures that register when the cover is closed, a resilient arm secured at one end to the inside of the casing and having on its free end a projection adapted to snap into said registering apertures, a button fixed to an intermediate portion of the length of said arm and being slidable in an opening in the casing, the outer face of the casing around said last mentioned opening being depressed to enable the use of a short button to prevent accidental releasing of the cover and to enable said projectiorn toi bev moved inwardly' clear of: the aperture` in the: iiange forl removal of the bridge from. the. casing, and sparking means on said bridge.

6l.` In a lighter, a casing having an open end, a bridge having a at top formed with an intermediate opening and. a marginal flange removably inserted in. the open end, of thecasing, a fuel. tank having a neck` adapted to extend through said opening... said nat top having an upstanding. projection. adjacent one end, a base plate having at onel endl an. edge portion adapted to seat under. a shoulder formed in said. neck, sparking mechanism mounted on said base plate andv including. a rotatable cylindrical flint membei'. and ai resilient arm having an. abrasive ele ment,r said. base plate being longitudinally slidable on. the: top o the bridge,` whereby the base plate may be slid longitudinally of the bridge to bring one end portion of the base plate: under the shoulder oi said neclc and. its opposite end pushed. downwardly behind said projection to rmly hold the sparking. mechanism and plate in` position, and when: desired the endl of the 8e base plate behindl the projection can be lifted. thereabove and the base plate slid rearwardly from the neck to remove the base plate. and sparking mechanism from the bridge as a unit.

JOHN R. BAYSTON.

REFERENCES CITED Thel following references. are of recordl inthe l'e of thisv patent:

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