U.S. patent application number 10/642738 was filed with the patent office on 2004-03-18 for gas lighting rods.
This patent application is currently assigned to SWEDISH MATCH LIGHTERS B.V.. Invention is credited to Rogelet, Thierry.
Application Number | 20040053179 10/642738 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 31995642 |
Filed Date | 2004-03-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040053179 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rogelet, Thierry |
March 18, 2004 |
Gas lighting rods
Abstract
A gas lighting rod comprises a gas release valve (41) and a
piezo-electric igniting system (14) both operated by a
spring-loaded operating member (10), and a spring-loaded safety
member (25) which has to be operated to release the operating
member. The operating member (10) is aligned transversely and the
safety member (25) comprises a pivoted lever having a lock/release
arm (26) extending generally along the axis of the operating member
(10) and interacting therewith and a control arm (27) engaged on
the other side of the pivot (28, 55) and from the opposite side of
the lighting rod from the operating member (10). The lock-release
arm (26) is substantially enclosed within the operating member, and
its end is sloped such that its engagement with the operating
member (10) tends to urge it into the locked position if the user
attempts to operate the operating member without first fully
operating the safety member.
Inventors: |
Rogelet, Thierry; (Lyon,
FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OLIFF & BERRIDGE, PLC
P.O. BOX 19928
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22320
US
|
Assignee: |
SWEDISH MATCH LIGHTERS B.V.
ASSEN
NL
|
Family ID: |
31995642 |
Appl. No.: |
10/642738 |
Filed: |
August 19, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10642738 |
Aug 19, 2003 |
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09646222 |
Aug 7, 2001 |
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09646222 |
Aug 7, 2001 |
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PCT/IB99/00599 |
Apr 6, 1999 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
431/153 ;
431/255; 431/344; 431/345 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F23Q 2/287 20130101;
F23Q 2/164 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
431/153 ;
431/255; 431/344; 431/345 |
International
Class: |
F23Q 007/12; F23D
011/36 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 5, 1998 |
FR |
98/10078 |
Claims
1. A gas lighting rod comprising a gas release valve and a
piezoelectric igniting system, both operated by a spring-loaded
operating member, and a spring-loaded safety member which has to be
operated to release the operating member, wherein the operating
member is arranged to move in a primarily transverse direction to
the axis of the lighting rod but angled to include a subordinate
longitudinal movement towards the gas release valve when
operated.
2. A gas lighting rod according to claim 1 wherein the casing of
the lighting rod includes a substantially straight portion through
one end of which the operating member is accessible.
3. A gas lighting rod according to claim 2 wherein said
substantially straight portion is substantially at right angles to
the direction of movement of the operating member.
4. A gas lighting rod comprising a gas release valve and a
piezoelectric igniting system, both operated by a spring-loaded
operating member, and a spring-loaded safety member which has to be
operated to release the operating member, wherein the piezoelectric
igniting system includes a piezoelectric member which is carried on
the operating member and engages against a fixed stop when the
operating member is operated.
5. A gas lighting system according to claim 4 wherein the
piezoelectric member is carried in a bore in the operating
member.
6. A gas lighting system according to claim 4 wherein the operating
member includes a bore for receiving a portion of the safety
member.
7. A gas lighting system according to claim 4 wherein the
piezoelectric member is carried in a first bore in the operating
member and the operating member includes a second bore,
substantially parallel to the first bore, for receiving a portion
of the safety member.
8. A gas lighting rod according to claim 4 wherein the safety
member engages against the piezoelectric member.
9. A gas lighting rod according to claim 4 including a lever one
end of which controls the gas release valve and the other end of
which engages with the piezoelectric member.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to gas lighting rods.
[0002] A gas lighting rod is a wand-like device used for lighting
fires, comprising a source of gas and an operating member which,
when manually pressed down, opens a gas flow path to the end of the
device and, by means of a piezo-electric element, generates a spark
for igniting the gas. The operating member is spring-loaded to
return to its normal position after operation. Various examples are
described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,775 (Tokai).
[0003] It is important to provide a safety mechanism, to reduce the
chances of the device being operated by children. The standard
safety technique is to provide a spring-loaded safety member which
has to be operated before the operating member can be operated; the
safety member can be moved transversely to the operating member to
release the operating member. The operating member moves generally
longitudinally along the axis of the lighting rod, and the safety
member thus moves transversely to the axis of the lighting rod.
[0004] We have found that this relationship between the operating
and safety members has significant disadvantages. The application
of a high force on the operating member is liable to cause
distortion of the safety member such that the operating member
becomes freed and can therefore move and cause ignition. The spring
force on the safety member needs to be limited in order to limit
friction with the operating member; if the spring force is too
high, when the safety member is released and the operating member
is operated, the latter may be blocked in an intermediate position.
Further, in such an intermediate state or position, the operating
member may not return fully to its normal position, so holding the
safety member in the release position; the operating member can
then be operated without the safety member having to be operated
first to release it.
[0005] According to the invention there is provided a gas lighting
rod comprising a gas release valve and a piezo-electric lighting
system both operated by a spring-loaded operating member, and a
spring-loaded safety member which has to be operated to release the
operating member, characterized in that the operating member is
aligned transversely and the safety member comprises a pivoted
lever having a lock/release arm extending generally along the axis
of the operating member and interacting therewith and a control arm
engaged on the other side of the pivot and from the opposite side
of the lighting rod from the operating member.
[0006] The end of the lock/release arm is preferably sloped such
that its engagement with the operating member tends to urge it into
the locked position if the user attempts to operate the operating
member without first fully operating the safety member. This arm is
also preferably substantially enclosed within the operating
member.
[0007] The spring force provided by the piezo spring may be enough
to provide the required spring bias to the operating member so that
an additional biasing spring for the operating member is not
required.
[0008] This arrangement has various structural advantages. The fact
that the lock/release arm is substantially enclosed within the
operating member means that even under the application of an
extremely high force on the operating member, the safety member
will remain effective to restrain movement of the operating member.
The spring force on the safety member can be adjusted within wide
limits without resulting in undue friction with the operating
member. Further, the system is virtually immune to the safety
member taking up an intermediate state or position in which the
operating member can be operated a second time without having to
operate the safety member, as the safety member is biased from such
a potential intermediate position towards the correct position.
[0009] The arrangement also has the functional advantage that it is
particularly easy and comfortable to operate. It can readily be
held in the hand in such a way that the user's thumb falls
comfortably onto the operating member on one side of the lighting
rod and their forefinger on the control arm of the safety member on
the opposite side (or possibly vice versa). In contrast, in the
prior art designs, the longitudinal arrangement of the operating
member and the transverse arrangement of the safety member can make
operation of the lighting rod awkward and inconvenient.
[0010] A lighting rod embodying the invention will now be
described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in
which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a simplified view of the lighting rod from the
side, with part of the casing removed, showing the normal state;
and
[0012] FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial simplified views of two
modifications of the lighting rod of FIG. 1.
[0013] Referring to FIG. 1, the main components of the lighting rod
comprise an operating member 10, a safety member 25, a gas
container 40, a nozzle assembly 45, and a casing 50. Only those
elements relevant for present purposes are shown, and in simplified
form.
[0014] The casing 50 is of the clam-shell type, consisting of two
half-shells which are broadly mirror images of each other and fit
together by pin and socket elements around their meeting edges. The
drawing shows the lighting rod with the front half-shell removed so
that the rear half-shell 51 is visible. This casing holds the other
components in place. In particular, it holds the gas bottle 40 at
the right-hand end and the nozzle assembly 45 at the left-hand
end.
[0015] The operating member 10 comprises a button 11 which has a
bore 12 containing a piezo-electric mechanism comprising two
elements 13, 14. The button 11 is urged into the upwards position,
ie the position shown, by a spring 15 which engages in a bore (not
shown) in the button and against a stop 52 formed as part of the
half-shell 51. The piezo spring (not shown) also provides spring
biasing force on the operating button 11. In an alternative
embodiment which is not shown it is possible to provide the
operating button 11 without its own spring 15 but in a way which
relies entirely on the biasing force of the piezo spring (not
shown).
[0016] The button 11 can be manually depressed against the force of
the spring 15, and the piezo spring, moving the piezo-electric
mechanism 13-14 downwards. A lever 19 is located as shown, pivoted
on a pivot bearing 53 formed as part of the casing 50. This lever
19 engages the valve 41 of the gas bottle 40. Downward movement of
the piezo-electric mechanism 13-14 rotates the lever 19
anti-clockwise, so operating the valve 41 and releasing a flow of
gas from the bottle 40. This gas flows to the end of the nozzle
assembly 45.
[0017] The movement of the piezo-electric mechanism 13-14 is
limited by a stop 54 formed as part of the casing 50. Further
pressure on the button results in compression of the two elements
13 and 14 of the piezo-electric mechanism 13-14 together and the
generation of a spark at the end of the nozzle assembly 45. The
compression of the piezo-electric elements occurs after the release
of the gas flow, so the gas flow should have reached the end of the
nozzle assembly by the time the spark is produced.
[0018] The safety member 25 (shown partly in section) consists of
two arms, a lock/release arm 26 and a control arm 27. These two
arms are joined to form an L shape. The vertex 28 of the L forms a
pivot which pivots in a pivot bearing 55 formed as part of the
casing 50. The safety member 25 is urged anti-clockwise by a spring
29, which engages with the inside of the control arm 27 and bears
against the stop 52 formed as part of the casing 50. The outside of
the control arm 27 is normally substantially flush with the casing
50, as shown.
[0019] The lock/release arm 26 of the safety member 25 is contained
within a bore 17 of the button 11. This bore contains a projecting
stop element 16 at its upper end, so that the bore 17 is wide in
its lower part and narrow in its upper part. In the normal position
of the safety member 25, the top end 30 of the lock/release arm
bears against this projecting element 16 as shown. As a result, the
operating member is locked against movement. When the safety member
is operated, however, by manual depression of the control arm 27,
the lock/release arm 26 rotates clockwise. This brings its upper
end 30 out of engagement with the projecting element 16 in the
button 11 and into alignment with the upper part of the bore 17. As
a result, the button 11 is released for movement; this button can
therefore be depressed, with the lock/release arm 26 of the safety
member 25 moving up in the upper part of the bore 17.
[0020] The end 30 of the lock/release arm 26 of the safety member
25 is angled as shown, and the stop 16 in the bore 17 has a
corresponding or greater angle. As a result, the button 11 can be
depressed only if the safety catch has been fully operated. If the
safety catch is not fully operated, ie if the end 30 of the
lock/release arm 26 of the safety member 25 is not moved fully out
of engagement with the stop 16, then the slope on the end 30 of
this arm and the angled surface of the stop 16 will result in any
pressure on the button 11 tending to force the safety member back
anti-clockwise into the locked position.
[0021] After the button 12 has been depressed, the safety button 25
can be released. The arm 26 will then move back anti-clockwise
about the pivot 53, with its end pressing lightly against the side
of the bore 17. When the button 10 is then released, this button
will rise back to the position shown. The end of the arm 30 will
slide along the side of the bore 17, with relatively low friction,
until it reaches the projecting element 16, when it will jump back
into the position shown.
[0022] FIG. 2 shows a modification of this arrangement; the same
reference numerals are used for corresponding parts, with added
"A"s where the parts have significantly different forms. A common
type of piezo-electric mechanism 13-14 has a pair of projections 18
on one of the elements 13-14. In the FIG. 2 arrangement, a
piezo-electric mechanism of this form is used, with the projections
18 being oriented as shown. The lock-release arm 26A of the safety
member 25A is arranged to engage with these projections 18 on the
control rod 12 as shown.
[0023] FIG. 3 shows a further modification of the FIG. 1
arrangement, again with the same reference numerals and with added
"B"s where the parts have significantly different forms. In this
arrangement, the safety member is a lever 31. This lever has a
right-hand arm which is cranked to have an upward extension 26
which engages with the bore 17 and step 16 of the operating member
10 as before. The lever 31 is pivoted at 32, and its left-hand arm
extends horizontally beyond this pivot as shown. This safety member
31 is separate from the control or safety button 25B, which has an
extension at its left-hand end which engages with the left-hand end
of the left-hand horizontal arm of the safety member.
[0024] The spring 15B which engages with the control button 10
engages at its other end with a stop 52B on the casing 50. However,
the spring 29B operates between the safety button 25B and the
right-hand part of the safety member 31.
[0025] It is obvious that the modifications of FIGS. 2 and 3 can
both be applied simultaneously to the arrangement of FIG. 1. It
will also be apparent to persons skilled in the art that other
modifications to the described embodiments are possible whilst
still including the essential elements of the invention as defined
by the appended claims.
* * * * *