Back to results
US 11,079,110 B2Granted
Childproof ignition device
AssigneeZippo Manufacturing Company
InventorsBrian J. Barber, Shaun M. Panek
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lighter has a safety button and an ignition trigger arranged on the lighter housing such that an activation force required to move the safety button to an activate position and an ignition force required to move the ignition trigger in an ignition direction are directed opposite to one another. The safety button is arranged on the housing for contact by the purlicue of the user's hand and the trigger is arranged on the housing for contact by a finger of the hand. Consequently, operation of the safety button is concealed during use, and the lighter is operable using only one hand.
Claims18
A lighter comprising:
- a housing sized to be grasped in a hand of a user;
- a fuel reservoir for containing lighter fuel;
- a burner in communication with the fuel reservoir;
- a fuel ignition system having a safety configuration in which the fuel ignition system is inoperable to release and ignite lighter fuel from the fuel reservoir and an ignition configuration in which the fuel ignition system is operable to release and ignite lighter fuel from the fuel reservoir, wherein the fuel ignition system is biased to normally assume the safety configuration, and wherein the fuel ignition system includes an ignition trigger mounted on the housing for movement relative to the housing in an ignition direction toward a rear of the housing to operate the fuel ignition system when the fuel ignition system is in the ignition configuration;
- and
- a safety button mounted on the housing for movement relative to the housing toward a front of the housing to an activate position to selectively reconfigure the fuel ignition system from the safety configuration to the ignition configuration;
- wherein the safety button and the ignition trigger are arranged on the housing such that an activation force required to move the safety button to the activate position is directed toward the front of the housing and an ignition force required to move the ignition trigger in the ignition direction is directed toward the rear of the housing;
- wherein the safety button is arranged on the housing such that the activation force is applied by the purlicue of the hand and the trigger is arranged on the housing such that the ignition force is applied by a finger of the hand.
5 more elements
A lighter comprising:
- a housing sized to be grasped in a hand of a user;
- a fuel reservoir for containing lighter fuel;
- a burner in communication with the fuel reservoir;
- a fuel ignition system having a safety configuration in which the fuel ignition system is inoperable to release and ignite lighter fuel from the fuel reservoir and an ignition configuration in which the fuel ignition system is operable to release and ignite lighter fuel from the fuel reservoir, wherein the fuel ignition system is biased to normally assume the safety configuration, and wherein the fuel ignition system includes an ignition trigger mounted on the housing for movement relative to the housing in an ignition direction to operate the fuel ignition system when the fuel ignition system is in the ignition configuration;
- and
- a safety button mounted on the housing for movement relative to the housing to an activate position to selectively reconfigure the fuel ignition system from the safety configuration to the ignition configuration;
- wherein the safety button and the ignition trigger are arranged on the housing such that an activation force required to move the safety button to the activate position and an ignition force required to move the ignition trigger in the ignition direction are directed opposite to one another;
- wherein the fuel ignition system includes a displaceable detent member, the detent member being arranged in a lockout position to prevent movement of the ignition trigger in the ignition direction and thereby render the fuel ignition system inoperable when the fuel ignition system is in the safety configuration, and the detent member being arranged in a detent release position to allow movement of the ignition trigger in the ignition direction to operate the fuel ignition system when the fuel ignition system is in the ignition configuration;
- wherein the lighter further comprises a trigger reset spring arranged to urge the ignition trigger in a direction opposite from the ignition direction.
6 more elements
A lighter comprising:
- a housing sized to be grasped in a hand of a user;
- a fuel reservoir for containing lighter fuel;
- a burner in communication with the fuel reservoir;
- a fuel ignition system having a safety configuration in which the fuel ignition system is inoperable to release and ignite lighter fuel from the fuel reservoir and an ignition configuration in which the fuel ignition system is operable to release and ignite lighter fuel from the fuel reservoir, wherein the fuel ignition system is biased to normally assume the safety configuration, and wherein the fuel ignition system includes an ignition trigger mounted on the housing for movement relative to the housing in an ignition direction to operate the fuel ignition system when the fuel ignition system is in the ignition configuration;
- and
- a safety button mounted on the housing for movement relative to the housing to an activate position to selectively reconfigure the fuel ignition system from the safety configuration to the ignition configuration;
- wherein the safety button and the ignition trigger are arranged on the housing such that an activation force required to move the safety button to the activate position and an ignition force required to move the ignition trigger in the ignition direction are directed opposite to one another;
- wherein the fuel ignition system includes a piezoelectric igniter compressible to generate a spark to ignite lighter fuel from the fuel reservoir, the ignition trigger is in operative engagement with a first end of the piezoelectric igniter, and the piezoelectric igniter travels in an uncompressed condition with the ignition trigger when the ignition trigger is moved in the ignition direction while the fuel ignition system is in the safety configuration.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.