US1830968A - Lighter - Google Patents

Description

Nov.'10, 1931. B. s. FRANKLIN 1,830,968

LIGHTER Filed Jan. 25. 1929 BERNARD S. FRANKLIN l Patented Nov. 1o, 1931 UNITED STATI-:s PATENT o1-"Fics y 'BERNARD s. FRANKLIN, or Naw vom; N. Y.

mama" Application nled January 25, 1929. Serial No. 334,879.

This invention relates to li hters, and more particularly to a method an means for fueling flint-spark lighters.

A popular type of pocket and table lighter,

I for smokers, is a lighter havinga fuel resery voir, referably containing a sorbent material or holding benzine', gasoline, alcohol, or other volatile fuel, a wick projecting out of the reservoir, and a lint-sparking mechanism for igniting the wick. Such a lighter is refueled b inverting it, removing a screw plug from its bottom, and transferring a quantity of fuel through the resulting opening by means of a medicine ydropper or similar device. To lessen this diiliculty special cans of fuel have been marketed, designed somewhat like an oil can, but these add greatly to the expense of the fuel, and are not nearly so commonly available as are the more 2 usual fuels.

In copendingjoint applications of Jerome B. Stern and the present applicant, Serial Numbers 334,877, and 334,87 8, filed concurrently herewith, there are described self filling lighters arranged to suck'fuel upwards from' an open bod)7 of fuel by first reducing and thereafter increasing the effective internal volume of the lighter. A preliminary reduction in volume is needed to permit of the 3 desired expansion'for filling. A final reduction in volume is desirable to discharge excess fuel above saturation, but this must be followed by an expansion in order to restore the lighter to its normal volume. y

One object of my invention is to eliminate the foregoing wasted movements, and to provide a method for saturatin the absorbent fuel holding material in a lig ter, and to discharge an excess fuel, with only two movements. ltyy method includes connectin the lighter with an open body of the fue, ex-

anding the effective internal volume ofthe ighter above its normal volume in order to suck fuel into contact with the absorbent material, and restoring the initial volume of the lighter to discharge excess fuel. If necessary the foregoing operation may be repeated until the absorbent material is fully saturated, the final contraction to the initial and normal volume serving to discharge the excess fuel.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple and inconspicuous pumping means havin a maximum displacement for a minimum o space, and to this end I providea cylinder 'occupyin and, in fact, constitut- 55 ing one entire side of.J the lighter. The cylinder is in communication with the fuelreservoir and a piston is reciprocated in the cylinder in order to pump fuel into the reservoir.

'The cylinder and iston may be arranged to 60 first reduce, and t ereafter restore, the volurne of the lighter, and thereby suck fuel into the lighter, but I consider it preferable, for

, reasons already suggested, to first increase and thereafter restore the initial volume of y the lighter, thereby insuring that any excess of fuel above saturation is discharged.

- As is described in the joint applications already referred to, in order to connect the lighter with a body of fuel a suction pipe is provided, and to permit this to be placed out of the way when not in use it is pivoted to the lighter body Aand. provided with resilient means for causing it to position itself either substantially parallel to the lighter, or sub- 'Il stantially perpendicular thereto. To prevent free evaporation of thev fuel,means are provided for closing an end of the pipe when 1t is in the parallel position. To prevent fuel from entering the pum c linder, the points of connection of the cy in er and of the suction pi e with the reservoir are placed so far apart t at fuel does not rise in the reservoir tio a level sufficiently high'to enter tlie cylin- My invention is further described in the following specification2 which is accompanied by drawingsin which Figure 1 is av artially sectioned elevation through one fbrm of lighter embodying my invention; Figure i 2 is a partially sectioned elevation through a preferred modification.; and Figures 3 and 4 are details of the arrangement shown in Fi re 2.

gferringto Figure 1 it will be seen that 95 there is a lighter having .a conventional sparking'mechanism, but which is provided with al cylinder 2, forming one of the rounded sides of the lighter body, and a slightly recessed bottom 4, concealing a suction pipde 6. 7

saryrotational movement of the suction pipe 6.

The cylinder 2 carries a piston made up of several laminations of yieldable material 20,

supported between washers 22, clamped together by the nuts 24. rlhe piston is actuated, through a piston rod 26, by a knob 28,

the rod 26 being guided by and closely fitting a bushing 30.

There is a passage 32 between the cylinder 2 andthe fuel reservoir, and an opening 34 leading to free atmosphere.

To fill the lighter it is merely necessary to drop the suction pipe 6, raise the handle 28,l

immerse the pipe in fuel, and depress the handle. The resulting suction draws a quantity of fuel into the fuel reservoir, where it contacts with and saturates the absorbent material 80. y

A copending application of Albert M. Franklin, Serial Number 334,880, filed concurrently herewith, discloses the idea of dispensing with a separate suction pipe by making the wick cap arm act also as a suction pipe. Such a modification is shown in Figure2, in which the wick cap arm 50 is tubular, andis fixed to a square member 52, which engages a resilient spring 54, and -is threaded to a-V ipe elbow 56, in communication with the el reservoir. These connections are shown in greater detail in Figure 3, a fragmentary plan view, and Fi mentary sectional elevation, which are self explanatory, like reference numeralsbeing ap licable.

the arrangement shown vin Figure 2 a slightly different pump action has been shown, embodying a further feature ofmy invention. In this case communication with the reservoir is made from the closed end of the cylinder, that is, the end of the cylinder away from the piston rod, and the resulting point of communication is separated from the point of connection of the suction pipe 50 with the fuel reservoir, in order to prevent fuel from entering the cylinder, by means of a pipe 60. This has been shown as situated on the center line of the lighter, in order to simplify .the drawing, but Iactually will be fitted in one of the recesses formed bg the Junction of the sides of thel lighter wit the cylinder 2.

The` piston rod is loosely riveted at 66 to permit otation of a knurled screw plug 62, thread into the cylinder 2. The piston stop and piston rod guide 64 is` in this case given a gure 4, a frag-- assunse very loose t, for atmospheric access. The piston itself 1s like that shown in Figure 1 except that one washer, 68, is threaded and re laces one of the nuts 24.

operation it is merely necessary tolift the wick cap arm 50, invert the lighter, immerse the end of the wick cap arm in the fuel,- unscrew or release the handle 62, and

then raise the handle andpiston. This draws fuel directly into the fuel reservoir, and into contact with the absorbent material 80. After a slight delay the iston ma be low ered, dischar `ng excess uel, and t e operation ordinarily is complete, owin to the large displacement ofthe pump. owever, if no excess fuel is discharged the operation may be repeated until full 'saturation is obtained.

The pump mechanism shown in Figure 2 has the advantages of not requirin a tight seal between the piston rod and its ushing, and of permitting greater total dis lacement. Either pump system may be emp oyed with either form of lighter shown.

In either lighter the customary manual filling plug 16 is provided, in order to rmit the wick and absorbent material to inserted in the lighter, and to carry spare I prefer to dispense with suction and discharge valves, even though they would make it possible to use a very small cylinder, because with present lighters it is not desirable to have free liquid in the fuel reservoir, owing to leaks. In the present scheme the absorptive property of the absorbent material 'ves the desired valve action, mere saturation bein desired, for the operation may be repeate ,if necessary, until full saturation is reached, and excess fuel is discharged.

I claim:

, 1. The combination with a lighterv of a suction pipe of substantial length movabl attached thereto so that it may be move between an operative position projecting from the reservoir and an inoperative ositlon not rejecting from'the reservoir` or connectlng the lighter with an o n body of the fuel, and means to expand t e effective internal volume of the lig ter above its normal value ibo in order to suck fuel through the pipe into it or to restore the initial volume to discharge i any excess fuel. v p 3. A lighter having a fuel reservoir, a

1,sso,ees

pump comprising a relatively movable cylinder and piston for pumping fuel upwards into the lighter, manually operable means for actuating the pump, and means -to prevent fuel from entering the pump.

4. A lighter comprising a fuel reservoir, a cylinder in communication therewith, a reciprocable piston in the cylinder, means to` reciprocate the piston in order to pump fuel into the reservoir, and means to prevent fuel from entering the cylinder.

5. A lighter comprising a fuel reservoir, a suction pipe connected thereto, a cylinder also `in communication therewith, a reciprocable piston in the cylinder, and means to reciprocate the piston in order to increase the effective internal volume of the reservoir to suck fuel through the pipe into the reservoir, the points of connection of the cylinder and of the pipe with the reservoir being so spaced that fuel does not enter the cylinder.

6. A lighter comprising a fuel reservoir, a suction pipe pivoted thereto and in communication therewith, resilient means for causing said pipe to position itself either substantially parallel to the lighter or substanv tially perpendicular thereto, means for closing an end of the pipe when it is in the parallel position, a cylinder in communication with the fuel reservoir, a reciprocable piston in the cylinder, and means to reciprocate thevl piston in ordertol increase the effective in ternal volume of the reservoir to suck fuel through the pipe into the reservoir.

v7. A lighter comprising al fuel reservoir containing absorbent fuel holding material, a suction pipe connected thereto, a cylinder also in communication therewith, a reciprocable piston in the cylinder, and means to reciprocate the piston in order to increase thev effective internal volume of the reservoir to suck fuel through the pipe into contact with -the absorbent material yto4 saturate it, the points of connection of the cylinder and of the pipe with the' reservoir being so spaced that fuel does not enter the cylinder.

BERNARD S. FRANKLIN.

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