# US 10,502,419 B2 · Portable biometric lighter

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- Number: US 10,502,419 B2
- Document ID: US10502419B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/702,252
- Filed: 2017-09-12
- Published: 2019-03-14
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2017-09-12
- Assignees: John Gibson Enterprises INC
- Applicants: John Gibson Enterprises, Inc.
- Inventors: John Gibson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502419B2

## CPC

- F23Q 2/164: {Arrangements for preventing undesired ignition}
- F23Q 2/16: Lighters with gaseous fuel, e.g. the gas being stored in liquid phase
- F23Q 2/32: Lighters characterised by being combined with other objects (combinations with smokers' equipment A24F)
- F23Q 3/002: {using piezoelectric elements}
- G06V 40/13: Sensors therefor
- H10W 42/121: {protecting against mechanical damage (H10W76/00, H10W74/00 take precedence)}
- F23Q: IGNITION (devices or installations peculiar to internal-combustion engines F02P; of cigarettes or tobacco A24F; compositions therefor, chemical igniters C06C); EXTINGUISHING-DEVICES
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A portable biometric lighter device (100) generally involving a control unit (210), a biometric sensor, such as a fingerprint sensor (140), wherein the biometric sensor is configured to scan a biometric data of a user and is operably coupled to the control unit (210), and an ignition element, wherein the ignition element is activated by the control unit (210) upon a match of the scanned biometric data of the user and a biometric data of an authorized user that is stored in a memory device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A portable biometric lighter device, comprising:
a control unit operably coupled to an igniter, the igniter coupled to a flammable power source ignitable upon operation of the igniter;
a memory device coupled to the control unit and configured to store biometric data including at least one fingerprint of at least one authorized user;
a push-button including a biometric sensor, the movable cap configured to move between a deactivated position and an activated position and to activate the biometric sensor and a gas lever when the movable cap is moved toward the activated position, the biometric sensor being operably connected to the control unit and configured to scan a fingerprint of a user;
a light source configured to provide status of the biometric sensor and to indicate, to the user, that the biometric sensor is ready to scan biometric data of the user; and
an igniter operably coupled to the control unit and configured to ignite the flammable power source to produce a flame in response to being activated by the control unit upon a determination by the control unit that the fingerprint of the user scanned by the biometric sensor matches the biometric data of the authorized user stored in a memory device.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the biometric sensor comprises a fingerprint sensor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the biometric data comprises a fingerprint.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the igniter is a piezoelectric pulse igniter.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, further comprising an active switch operably coupled to a biometric sensor, and configured to activate, via the control unit, the biometric sensor, wherein the gas lever is configured to activate the active switch when the gas lever is actuated.

### Claim 6

A method for lighting a portable biometric lighter device, the method comprising:
providing a control unit operably coupled to an igniter, the igniter coupled to a flammable power source ignitable upon operation of the igniter;
providing a memory device coupled to the control unit storing biometric data including at least one fingerprint of at least one authorized user;
providing a push-button including a biometric sensor, the movable cap configured to move between a deactivated position and an activated position and to activate the biometric sensor and a gas lever when the movable cap is moved toward the activated position, the biometric sensor being operably connected to the control unit and configured to scan a fingerprint of a user;
providing a light source configured to provide status of the biometric sensor and to indicate, to the user, that the biometric sensor is ready to scan biometric data of the user; providing an igniter operably coupled to the control unit and configured to ignite the flammable power source to produce a flame in response to being activated by the control unit;
scanning biometric data of the user via the biometric sensor activated after the push-button is moved to the activated position;
determining, via the control unit that the fingerprint of the user scanned by the biometric sensor matches the biometric data of the authorized user stored in a memory device; and
activating, via the control unit, the igniter in order to ignite the flammable power source via the activated igniter.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the biometric sensor comprises a fingerprint sensor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the biometric data comprises a fingerprint.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the igniter is a piezoelectric pulse igniter.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising:
providing an active switch operably coupled to a biometric sensor and configured to activate, via the control unit, the biometric sensor;
activating, via the actuated gas lever, the active switch.