Valve Action Of Gas-operated Cigarette Lighter

Abstract

This valve action of gas cigarette-lighter having a cap hingedly mounted to the head of the lighter body comprises a floating pivot pin adapted, during the cap opening movement, to actuate a cranked lever actuating in turn the valve control rod and, during the cap closing movement, the cranked lever is actuated in the opposite direction, spring means returning the valve to its closed position.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general of gas-operated cigarette lighters of the known type wherein, in order mainly to solve the problem of the visible cap hinge, considering the unaesthetic appearance of such hinge, or to avoid a costly hinge construction comprising interfitting hinge arms, the cap pivot pin is located under the cap and therefore invisible, and not supported by the body or head portions of the lighter but by the cap itself or an intermediate piece or insert secured thereto. This pivot pin urged by a return spring towards the lighter head portion and independent of this head portion is subjected to position variations, notably in the vertical direction, during the cap opening and closing movements. Therefore, this pivot pin is somewhat movable in space.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Gas-operated cigarette lighters are known, wherein this possibility of changing the position of the cap pivot pin in the space is exploited for closing the gas valve when lowering or closing the cap, the valve opening movement being obtained independently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the essential object of the present invention to provide an improved cigarette-lighter valve action wherein advantage is taken of this change in the position of the cap hinge or pivot pin for controlling on the one hand the opening of the gas valve when the cap is lifted or opened, and on the other hand the closing of said valve when lowering or closing said cap.

According to this invention the axis of the cap hinge or pivot pin is so positioned that the distance between this axis and the top of the head, when said cap is lowered to its closed position, differs considerably from the distance measured between said axis and the outer vertical rear face of said cap, in combination with a lever mounted for free pivotal movement on said head and operatively connected to the gas valve control rod, bears against said pivot pin, so that when the cap is raised to its open position through an angle of about 90.degree. with said head top, the movement thus imposed to the pivot pin causes the pivotal movement of said lever and therefore the opening of said valve, and that when said cap is folded back to cover the head the resulting movement of said pivot pin causes the valve to be closed directly as a consequence of the pivotal movement of said lever in the opposite direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

In order to afford a clearer understanding of this invention and of the manner in which the same may be carried out in practice, reference will now be made to the attached drawing illustrating diagrammatically by way of example a typical form of embodiment of the valve action of this invention, in the specific yet exemplary case of a gas-operated cigarette lighter wherein the above-defined vertical distance is greater than the horizontal distance also defined hereinabove, and wherein the valve is pulled to its open position and comprises a separate return spring for urging it to its closed position.

In the drawing:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are two elevational and sectional views, taken along the lines 1--1 and 2--2 of FIG. 3, respectively with the cap closed;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan and sectional views, the sections being taken along the lines 3--3 and 4--4, respectively of FIG. 1, and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are fragmentary views similar to FIG. 1 but showing on a smaller scale the cap positions during its opening movement and at the end of this movement, respectively, this latter position corresponding to the ignition position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT:

In the drawings the reference numeral 1 designates the body 1 of the cigarette lighter, which constitutes the gas reservoir and comprises a bottom insert 2 ; 3 is the thumboperated milled cylinder for rotating the serrated flint wheel 4 ; 5 designates the pyrophoric flint with its thrust spring 6 ; 7 is the pressure-reducing device, with its feed wick 8 and the burner head 9 comprising a flange 10.

Anchored or otherwise secured to the body 1 is a pressed covering plate 11 constituting the head of the cigarette-lighter. This plate 11 comprises an orifice 12 (FIG. 4) registering with the burner head 9 to permit the passage of the flame therethrough; it closes partially the cavity receiving the flint 5 and acts as a support to the rod surrounded by the flint spring 6.

On the other hand, the cap 13 carries a pivot pin 14 constantly engaged by the free end 15 of a spring blade having its other end bent and anchored to the body 1.

This pivot pin 14 bears against the rear face 16 of the head-forming plate 11 thus acting as a guide member and also as a means for preventing the axial movements of this pin 14 due to the provision of a portion 18 of reduced diameter on said pin.

The body 1 further comprises a pair of upstanding lugs or bosses 19 acting as bearing to a cranked lever 20 engaging with one crankpin 20a the underside of pin 14 with the opposite crankpin 20b the underside of the flange 10 of burner head 9.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, when the cap 13 is closed, the vertical distance x between the pivot pin 14 and the lighter head engaged by the cap is greater than the horizontal distance y between this pin and the rear outer wall 21 of said cap. The cap 13 is resiliently held in this position by the pressure exerted by the free arm of spring 15 on pivot pin 14.

When the cap is pivoted in the opening-direction it bears and slide at the same time with its edge 22 on the upper surface of body 1. Thus, pivot pin 14 begins to rise, thus stretching the spring 15 to a maximal z (FIG. 1) corresponding to the diagonal when this sliding and bearing edge 22 lies vertically below the pivot pin 14 (see FIG. 5).

During this first movement the pivot pin 14 is raised off the crankpin 20a previously engaged thereby, and the valve remains closed.

On the other hand, immediately beyond this position the action of spring 15 causes the pivot pin 14 to be suddenly lowered, thus completing the cap opening movement and simultaneously the pivotal movement of the cranked lever 20 of which the other crankpin 20b lifts the valve to permit the escape of gas from the reservoir.

When the cap is re-closed, the same sequence of movements is obtained but in the reverse order and the thus released valve is closed.

As an alternative, the difference between the positions resulting from the differences between the dimensions x or y and z obtained by opening the cap only incompletely could also be used.

If the difference between the dimensions x or y is used, one may also have as well x>y, as in the case illustrated in the drawing or, conversely, y>x, provided that the lever 20 and its pivot points are adapted thereto.

On the other hand, the drawing illustrates an arrangement wherein the valve is pulled by a separate return spring housed in the valve body, but it is clear that this invention is also applicable to a cigarette lighter comprising a pushed valve. In this case, the lever 20 would comprise a spring for returning the valve to its seated position, or alternatively this lever itself could be made to act as a valve spring.

Although a specific form of embodiment of this invention has been shown and described herein, it will readily occur to those conversant with the art that various modifications and changes may be brought thereto without departing from the basic principles of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed as new is:

1. Valve action for gas-operated cigarette-lighter comprising a lighter body having a head, a hinged cap on said body having a pivot pin independent of the lighter body, said pivot pin being carried by the cap proper or by an intermediate member secured thereto with variations in the position of the axis of said pivot pin in the opened and closed positions of said cap, spring means attached to said lighter body and biasing said pin toward said lighter body, characterized in that the pivot pin of said cap is so positioned that the distance between the axis of said pin and the top of the head of the lighter body when the cap is lowered to its closed position differs definitely from the distance between said axis and the rear outer vertical face of said cap, in combination with a cranked lever pivotally mounted in said head and and having crank pins operatively connected with a gas valve in said lighter body and said pivot pin, said lever bearing against said pivot pin in such a manner that when said cap is raised to its open position in which it extends substantially perpendicularly to the head the movement thus imposed to said pivot pin causes said lever to open the valve, and that when said cap is lowered to cover said head the pivot pin releases its associated crank pin so that the valve may close.