A child-resistant lighter, including:
- a main body portion defining a closed compartment for containment of a combustible fluid under pressure and an upper end portion having a forward portion and a rearward portion;
- said lighter having a longitudinal axis extending across said forward and rearward portions of said upper end portion so as to include and intersect said forward and rearward portions of said upper end portion;
- valve means mounted on said upper end portion at the forward portion thereof communicating with said compartment for release of said fluid in a gaseous state, said valve means being normally in a closed condition that prevents release of said fluid from said compartment and being operable to an open condition that releases said fluid from said compartment in said gaseous state;
- means mounted on said upper end portion defining...a depressible pushbutton having a lower surface that is positioned opposed to and normally spaced apart from said rearward portion, said pushbutton lower surface being depressible toward said rearward portion by depression of said pushbutton;
- means engaging said pushbutton with said valve means for operation of said valve means to said open condition in response to depression of said pushbutton lower surface toward said rearward portion by depression of said pushbutton;
- means biasing said pushbutton to return said pushbutton lower surface to said position normally spaced apart from said rearward portion after depression and release of said pushbutton;
- and,
- means operable substantially simultaneously with depression of said pushbutton producing a spark for igniting said fluid;
- wherein the improvement comprises:
- a pair of wall members laterally spaced apart on said rearward portion of said upper end portion on opposite sides of said longitudinal axis, said wall members converging toward each other at a rearward end of said rearward portion with opposed edges of said wall members spaced apart from each other to define a slot between said wall members, said opposed edges defining a pair of guide surfaces which are spaced apart parallel to each other on opposite sides of said longitudinal axis;
- a stop member slidably mounted on said rearward portion under said pushbutton lower surface for movement axially of said longitudinal axis, said stop member having an inboard portion positioned and slidable between inboard surfaces of said wall members and a neck portion extending longitudinally from said inboard portion through and beyond said slot so that an end portion of said neck portion projects outboard of said rearward portion, said neck portion being slidable between said guide surfaces and being restricted by said guide surfaces to movement longitudinally within said slot and to movement upwardly and downwardly toward and away from said pushbutton lower surface, respectively;
- said stop member including a pair of resilient arm members extending laterally from opposite sides of said projecting end portion of said neck portion, said projecting end portion of said neck portion together with portions of said resilient arm members which are immediately adjacent to said projecting end portion defining a thumb-pressible actuator portion of said stop member, said resilient arm members being normally spaced apart from outboard surfaces of said wall members to permit pressing said actuator portion inwardly toward said slot but said resilient arm members having free ends which are in contact with said outboard surfaces of said wall members;
- means cooperatively engaging said free ends of said resilient arm members with said outboard surfaces of said wall members such that when said actuator portion is pushed inwardly toward said slot said resilient arm members are forced to flex and as a result of such flexure said resilient arm members impart a longitudinally-directed return bias to said actuator portion that functions to return said resilient arm members to said position normally spaced apart from said outboard surfaces of said wall members;
- said stop member having a portion thereof located near said neck portion defining a blocking member having a top surface, said pushbutton lower surface normally standing upon said blocking member top surface, stop means limiting longitudinal movement of said stop member in response to said return bias of said actuator portion such that said blocking member top surface normally underlies said pushbutton lower surface and said pushbutton is thereby normally blocked against depression whereby said pushbutton is normally maintained in a locked condition;
- each of said outboard surfaces of said wall members having an upper area and a lower area, said free ends of said resilient arm members being normally positioned on the lower areas of said outboard surfaces, said free ends sliding upwardly toward said pushbutton onto the upper areas of said outboard surfaces when said actuator portion is pushed upwardly toward said pushbutton, and said free ends sliding downwardly toward said rearward portion back onto the lower areas of said outboard surfaces again when said actuator portion is caused to move downwardly toward said rearward portion;
- said pushbutton defining an inner side facing in a direction toward the forward portion of said upper end portion and having a corner in common with said pushbutton lower surface;
- said blocking member defining an outer side facing in a direction toward said actuator portion and having a corner in common with said blocking member top surface;
- by movement of said actuator portion longitudinally inwardly toward said slot, said blocking member top surface being moved against the resistance of said return bias of said actuator portion to a position correspondingly longitudinally inwardly removed from said pushbutton lower surface;
- by movement of said actuator portion upwardly toward said pushbutton while simultaneously maintaining said blocking member top surface longitudinally inwardly removed from said pushbutton lower surface, said blocking member outer side being moved upwardly toward said pushbutton into a position longitudinally opposed to and in slidable frictional contact with said pushbutton inner side, said movement of said actuator portion upwardly toward said pushbutton defining a clearance between said neck portion of said stop member and said rearward portion that is sufficient for depression of said pushbutton lower surface toward said rearward portion for operation of said valve means to said open condition, said pushbutton being then in an unlocked condition, said frictional contact being resiliently maintained by said return bias of said actuator portion and as a consequence thereof said actuator portion being releasable and said pushbutton remaining in said unlocked condition;
- upon depression of said pushbutton a portion of said pushbutton impacting a portion of said stop member so as to push said neck portion of said stop member downwardly against said rearward portion, said blocking member top surface being thereby positioned for re-entry under said pushbutton lower surface;
- means impeding upward movement of said blocking member outer side with said pushbutton inner side due to adherence therebetween caused by said frictional contact, said means impeding functioning to ensure that said pushbutton inner side necessarily slides off said blocking member outer side when said pushbutton is released after having been depressed and as a result said blocking member top surface remains positioned for re-entry under said pushbutton lower surface when said pushbutton is released after having been depressed;
- upon release of said pushbutton said means biasing said pushbutton returning said pushbutton lower surface to said position normally spaced apart from said rearward portion, and simultaneously, said return bias of said actuator portion effecting re-entry of said blocking member top surface under said pushbutton lower surface whereby said pushbutton lower surface is again blocked against depression and said pushbutton is thereby automatically returned to said normally locked condition.