US2497137A - Lighter - Google Patents

Description

LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. l, 1947 Fiel.

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Feb. M, E950 c. H. H. RODANET LIGHTER` 2 Sheets-Shea?, 2

Filed Feb. l, 1947 Patented Feb. 14, 1950 FTI CE iApplication" February. 1, 1947,3Seria1 No. 7 2521.82 '..InTrance YlFebruary/l,` 194 6 (Claim-+31) "41Claims.

"Thepresent inventionrelates'to'pocket lighters for smokers; it "comprises various improvements to 'such devices vwith-a view to, in particular, making them -simpler and'cheaper in construction, facilitating'disassembly'thereof `and making them"m`oreconvenient'and reliable in use.

One ofsaid improvements concerns the v'mounting `ofthe cap;thehingeor'which'it is` difficult to provide with the desired "strength, 'especially whenthecasin'g of the lighterismade of aluminum or'alighteweiglit alloy. 'The main objectv of the Upresent invention is "to provide 'a lighter of the character described 'wherein the'cover is not directly "hinged to the casing, butis resiliently articulated with A.the container of the lighter through the lmediurnf a resilient strip tted in the cap and pivoted upon `a rigid 'blocksecured to the container.

Another object of the'invention is 'to 'provide a 'lighter of the character 'described wherein therigid Vblock contains .aspring adapted to urge thefiiing in `a horizontal direction'an'd. provided with. allatchthrough whichit is possible tofree theintfrom'the action of`said spring'for'the purpose of .replacing the yflint.

'Alfurthenobject of the invention isto provide, in..a'.li'g`hter.of.the character described, a .thumb wheel rigid with a pair of flint wheels symmetrically disposedat Vbothends thereof, sothat'by reversing .the .assembly lformed by lthe lthumb wheel-andlthe'flint.wheels ontheir common spindle,A it.is...possible.to replacethefilint wheel in use.

The ensuing descriptionmade with 1reference to rtheappended drawings. givenI by way ofA illustration and not of limitation willclearly show how the; inventionmay be performed.

...'In the drawings:

.'F-ig. 1.is a. generallongitudinal sectionof'the lighter, .made-.online I--I o'f'Fig. 2,5the .cover being opened.

d`1.'ig...2..is aplan viewcorresponding-to`Fig.`1, the coverlbeing supposed to be removed.

"Fig-"Sis a section through the cover and they cover-plate, made on lineIII-"III of Fig. 2.

"Fig."5 shows the coverinplan'view as seen from'below.

Figs. 6 and 7. illustrate thellighter in outer'elev-ation and side'view .'respectively.

fIhecasin'g' I 'of the lighter, Whi-chisimadeiof i aluminum vandv isA of paralleler'nipedic shape, contains' a liquid container 2`of`simi-1ar lshape butthe lateralside wall of whichf isformed "with acconca-ve indentation KV'3 to accommodate fa lute'd thumbewheel *2 I "whichfis disposed inca'manner 1"* knownfp'er sefalong one of the vertical edges of said-casing1fsuitablyrecessed to that end. "In the bottom of-thecontainer'2there is soldered a plug-bushing 5 and a pair of tapped plugs f6 engagedbyscrews 'I Yto-rigidly connect the container-Ziwith'theeasing I. Within the'bushingfS .the usualiil'ling plug 8 is threadedly engaged and provided conventionally with a container!! designed'to accommodate va spare flint `Onftlieuprier face of the container 2 there is secured -a rigid'olo'ek Ill of `moulded aluminum provided with two horizontal channels Il andf'l'2 formed l*by casting and sealed by a'thin metal plate I'3 'forming a bridge and secured to said block I-IJ `Aby screws. Within the channel vII a. small plunger vI'4` is `slidable and-is subjected 'to thea-ation of .a coilspring I5 housed in saidcham nel II yarrdcwhich,#surrounds the shank I6 of the plunger. Said plunger constantly urges the'ilint IYI infthe l"channel II against the iiint wheel I 8 which *is 4mounted in Hthe following way:

A vertical spindle ISY'eXtends at its upper-end thro-ughfa hole'formed in said bridge I3 and is maintainedbetweenthe'casing I and the sideewall Bof thefcontainerf'Z by a shaped'plate 2!) (-Fig.l) engaging =afserrated kportion of the spindle 5I9. On said spindleiisfreely rotatable, between" the bridge I3 andthe 'plate 20, an assembly formed by-:a'ithumb'wheel-'I and two flint wheels I8 and Iajthe ends'of which adjacent to said thumb Whel'fare-fslightly'reduced diameter for forcibly engaging- recesses 22 and 22a formed in' said thumb wheel 2| fwhereby'said viiint wheels are rigid ltherewith fand 'symmetrically "disposed at eachf'erd'thereof. Acoil spring 23 surrounding the; spindle I El;y between i the bottom Awall of "the casingl fand thefshapedfplatefz, constantly urges the iatirupperf'face' of v` the lflint wheel IIlv against theubr'dgef I'3Ito `prevent the'fiint I 'Iffrom being en'gaged'on'a*fraction only of its'sectional area. The 1 assembly "formed by the thumb-*wheel and the? iiint=wheels so-arranged is reversible to allow of replacing the flint wheel I8'in use 'by theint wheel f' I8a acting as Ya spare "flint wheel.

Upon the plunger ld'there is 'threadedlyattached a'-Lknob'24 'projecting upwardly'through anr'apeitureiz of f-thebridge I3. Said aperture isf-formedfso `as 'to'include a notch 25' in v`which theknobiizd mayibe engaged after'having been pushed ''baek whilefcompressing the spring vliti. Said notch serves 'l as a latching stop `for the knob to 7free sthe 'int 'from the action ofthe spring* fil andfIa-llow the flint to 'be -eas'ilyejected" and replaced.

t"The cap 21 isnot hinged ldirectlyf to the casing.

3 The block I has a vertical channel 28 through which extends a pivotal pin 29 about which a resilient strip 30 made of spring steel is pivotable through two integral laterally extending lugs 3|, Which pass through an aperture in the bridge I3. Said spring plate 30 is retained in engagement against the top of the cover 21 by a transversely extending locking plate member 32, iitted within said cap as indicated hereinafter. The connection between actuating resilient strip 30 and locking plate 32 is effected by means of a shouldered centering pin 33 integral with a central washer The upper shank 52 of said pin is centered into a recess hole formed in the top of the cap 21 and its lower shank 53 into a hole formed in said locking plate 32, while the central washer 5| is interposed between said plate and said strip. Further, the actuating resilient strip 30 is maintained in correct angular position by means of a second shouldered pin 48 integral with a terminal washer 54 bearing under said strip and the shank of which is forced into a recess hole formed in the top of the cap 21.

The locking plate 32 made of spring steel engages a pair of grooves 34 formed in bosses 34a of the lateral walls of the cap. Between said plate and the washer 5| of pin 33 there is inserted another plate of spring steel 35 which is prevented from being rotated because it engages the interior of .the cap throughout its periphery with the exception of a tongue 35a separated from the rest of the plate by a slot 49 and with the exception of the part recessed for the passage of the lugs 3|; in order to conform to the bosses 34a, said plate is provided with two lateral notches each having two corners 50 bent downwards and blocking the locking plate 32 in position.

To the free end of the tongue 35a there is riveted a snuifer 38 which thus is resiliently applied against the wick-holder 39.

The wick-holder 39 is soldered to the plate forming the upper wall of the container 2, and so are the sockets 4B for the pins of the block I0. The upper and lower walls of the container 2 are soldered to the side-wall thereof.

The lugs 3| of the actuating strip 30, aside from the pivotal pin 29, further carry a second spindle 4| which serves to pivot a link 42 terminating in a ball 43. The ball cooperates with a socket formed as a portion of -a sphere in a plunger 44 slidable in the channel 2. A coil spring 45 located in said channel around the shank 46 of the link plunger 44 constantly tends to retain the cap in the position occupied by the link plunger, either opened or closed, and during closure it insures that said closure is effected thoroughly, preventing it from remaining in any intermediate position. To allow for the resilient pivotal movements of the cap, the edge 41 of the casing is bevelled as well as the corresponding edge of said cap.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A lighter comprising, in combination, a casingI made of a material having a relatively thin cross-section, a liquid container in said casing rigid therewith, a wick extending through said container, a flint wheel adjacent said wick, a flint bearing on said int wheel, means for rotating said flint wheel, means for applying said flint against said flint Wheel, a block having a substantially greater thickness than the casing flxedly mounted on said container, a cap made of a material having a thickness of the same order as the casing, a resilient strip located in said cap for actuating the same, a resilient transverse locking plate resiliently tted in the lateral walls of said cap for maintaining said strip against the top of the cap, means for centering simultaneously said strip and said locking plate with respect to said cap, means for maintaining said strip correctly angularly positioned with re spect to said cap, means for pivoting said resilient strip to said block so that said cap is not directly hinged to said casing whereby the strength of the so formed hinge is independent from the lightness of said casing and cap, and means for simultaneously retaining said cap in the position occupied by said latter, either opened or closed, and for ensuring simultaneously that the closure is effected thoroughly.

2. A lighter comprising, in combination, a casing made of a material having a relatively thin cross-section, a liquid container in said casing rigid therewith, a wick extending through said container, a flint wheel adjacent said wick, a flint bearing on said int wheel, means for rotating said flint wheel, means for applying said int against said int wheel, a block having a substantially greater thickness than the casing fixedly mounted on said container and formed with a vertical channel, a cap made of a material havinga thickness of the same order as the casing, a resilient strip located in said cap for actuating the same, said strip being formed with a pair of downwardly directed lugs positioned within said vertical channel and contacting the lateral walls of said channel, a resilient transverse locking plate resiliently tted in the lateral walls of said cap for maintaining said strip against the top of the cap, means for centering simultaneously said strip and said locking plate with respect to said cap, means for maintaining said strip correctly angularly positioned with respect to said cap, a pivoting pin for connecting said lugs with said lateral walls so that said cap is not directly hinged to said casing whereby the strength of the so formed hinge is independent from the lightness of said casing 4and cap, and means for simultaneously retaining said cap in the position occupied by said latter, either opened or closed, and for ensuring simultaneouslyv that the closure is eilected thoroughly.

3. A lighter comprising, in combination, a casing, a liquid container in said casing rigid therewith, a wick extending through said container, a.

flint wheel adjacent said wick, means for rotating ysaid flint wheel, a block iixedly mounted on said container and formed with a horizontal channel opening upwardly and adjacent said flint wheel, in said channel a fiint bearing on said flint wheel, a spring. for applying- Said iiint against said flint wheel, and a plunger interposed between said flint and said spring, a plate forming a brid-ge over said block for sealing said channel and formed above said channel with an aperture which includes a notch, a knob attached to said plunger for cooperating with said notch when said plunger is retracted, lwhereby said flint is freed from the action of said spring in order to be replaced.

4. A lighter comprising, in combination, a casing formed with a vertical slot opening upwardly and extending on a part of the height thereof, a liquid container in said casing rigid therewith and formed on its total height with a concave recess facing said slot, a wick extending through said container, a block xedly mounted on said 5 container' and formed with a horizontal channel opening upwardly and on the lateral wall of said block facing said wick, in said channel a spring biassed flint adapted to be pushed towards said lateral Wall, a spindle located within the housing formed by said container recess and said casing, a bridge-forming plate servingto journal said spindle, a small plate mounted between said casing and said container in said housing for forming the opposite journal for said spindle, a thumb wheel| two flint wheels rigid with said thumb wheel and symmetrically disposed at each end thereof, the assembly formed by said thumb Wheel and said int wheels being freely rotatably and removably mounted on said spindle, whereby said assembly is reversible to allow of replacing the int wheel in use, and a spring for constantly applying the flat upper end of the int wheel situated above the thumb wheel against said bridge forming plate.

CHARLES HILAIRE HENRI RODANET.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,847,791 Steinfeld Mar. 1, 1932 2,102,108 Bolle Dec 14, 1937 10 2,192,364 Nyden Mar. 5, 1940 2,419,889 Florman Apr, 29, 1947 2,437,354 Gostkowski Mar, 9, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 15 Number Country Date 184,944 Switzerland June 30, 1936 453,757 Great Britain Sept. 17, 1936 879,966 France Dec. l0, 1942 888,068 France Aug. 30, 1943

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