EP0433494A1 - Briquet - Google Patents

Briquet Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0433494A1
EP0433494A1 EP89123831A EP89123831A EP0433494A1 EP 0433494 A1 EP0433494 A1 EP 0433494A1 EP 89123831 A EP89123831 A EP 89123831A EP 89123831 A EP89123831 A EP 89123831A EP 0433494 A1 EP0433494 A1 EP 0433494A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
nozzle
vaporizer
valve
burner unit
lighter
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP89123831A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
San Lee
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Chang Kuo-Chen (Mark Chang)
Original Assignee
Chang Kuo-Chen (Mark Chang)
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Chang Kuo-Chen (Mark Chang) filed Critical Chang Kuo-Chen (Mark Chang)
Priority to EP89123831A priority Critical patent/EP0433494A1/fr
Publication of EP0433494A1 publication Critical patent/EP0433494A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F23—COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION PROCESSES
    • F23Q—IGNITION; EXTINGUISHING-DEVICES
    • F23Q2/00—Lighters containing fuel, e.g. for cigarettes
    • F23Q2/28—Lighters characterised by electrical ignition of the fuel
    • F23Q2/285—Lighters characterised by electrical ignition of the fuel with spark ignition
    • F23Q2/287—Lighters characterised by electrical ignition of the fuel with spark ignition piezoelectric
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F23—COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION PROCESSES
    • F23Q—IGNITION; EXTINGUISHING-DEVICES
    • F23Q2/00—Lighters containing fuel, e.g. for cigarettes
    • F23Q2/16—Lighters with gaseous fuel, e.g. the gas being stored in liquid phase
    • F23Q2/162—Lighters with gaseous fuel, e.g. the gas being stored in liquid phase with non-adjustable gas flame
    • F23Q2/163—Burners (gas valves)

Definitions

  • the invention relates to lighter devices of the well-known type wherein on actuation thereof a jet of a suitable fuel such as pressurized liquid butane gas will burst out from a nozzle-valve aggregate and will be met by ignition sparks simultaneously generated by an associated ignition system whereby to provide a burning flame, e.g. for lighting tobacco products such as cigarettes or cigars.
  • a suitable fuel such as pressurized liquid butane gas
  • butane gas lighters there are essentially two main types of such butane gas lighters, namely low standard disposable butane lighters (one way gas lighters), and high quality wind-proof butane lighters.
  • the former type substantially have the following two main defi­ciencies: In the actuated condition the flame is burning directly on top of the nozzle from which the fuel bursts out, thereby directly heating the nozzle parts and tending to impair and ultimately destroy the rubber O-ring and rubber nail inside the nozzle-valve aggregate for controlling the butane gas flow. While this impairment of the nozzle parts may be tolerable to a certain degree in a disposable (one way) cheap lighter, it would obviously unduly limit the useful life of a better quality lighter device. Even in the low cost disposable devices this direct heating of the nozzle by the flame unduly limits the admissible strength of the flame to a very weak flame. This in turn causes the second deficiency of this type of lighter, namely its inherent lack of wind-proof characteristics inasmuch the weak flame is undesirably subject to ex­tinction by even light ambient wind impact.
  • the long pipe will be directly heated by the flame burning on top of it which tends to impair and hurt the rubber cladding on the inside of the connector pipe and other assembled parts.
  • the long connector pipe also provides direct heat transfer between the flame and the nozzle, with a tendency of the latter also becoming (indirectly) heated by the lighter flame, with concomitant damage to the nozzle parts.
  • the invention thus relates to a lighter device of the general type comprising - a lower housing portion housing a fuel tank containing fuel under pressure, preferably pressurized butane liquid gas fuel, - a nozzle-and-valve aggregate connected with said fuel tank and arranged to project from said lower housing portion towards a burning space provided in the upper portion of the lighter, - a burning system comprising a tube-like burner member associated with and arranged above said nozzle-and-­valve aggregate, - an ignition system preferably mounted on the upper portion of the lighter and arranged to provide, on actuation thereof, ignition sparks to said burning space, - actuating means for said valve of said nozzle-and-­valve aggregate, for switching said valve from its normally closed condition into its open condition, in dependence on and coordination wit actuation of said ignition system, whereby to permit a jet of said pressurized fuel to burst out from said nozzle towards said burning space.
  • - said burning system comprises a combined tube-like vaporizer-and-burner unit axially aligned with the nozzle-and-valve aggregate, - said tube-like vaporizer-and-burner unit is vertically positioned with its lower end at a predetermined free distance above said nozzle-and-valve aggregate and cleared therefrom by said free distance, - the lower end of said tube-like vaporizer-and-burner unit has a diameter larger than the diameter of said nozzle.
  • the short tube vaporizer and burner unit is provided as a separate member mounted separately and in­dependent from the nozzle valve; thus there is no direct mechanical connection and correspondingly no direct heat conduction or heat transfer between the burner unit and the nozzle and valve aggregate, whereby impairment of the latter by heat from the burner unit is effectively avoided or diminished.
  • there will be no undue limitation on the size and temperature admissible for the flame which therefore can be a strong, hot, blue-colour flame which in itself has a substantial wind-proof capa­bility.
  • the strong flame is also enabled by the feature that the lower end of the vaporizer-and-burner unit arranged in a predetermined distance above the nozzle has a larger diameter than the nozzle whereby the jet stream bursting out from the nozzle will be substantially completely received in the lower end of the vaporizer unit and simultaneously will draw ambient air into the vaporizer-­and-burning unit whereby to intensely mixing and vapo­rizing the butane gas/air mixture.
  • said combined tube-like vaporizer-­and-burner unit is partitioned into two axially aligned compartments by a horizontally extending perforated partition wall, preferably a piece of perforated metal sheet.
  • This perforated metal sheet effectively contributes to further intensely mix and vaporize the butane/air mixture, thus providing for a particularly efficient type of "turbo"-burning.
  • a catalyzer wire is provided within said tube-like combined vaporizer-and-burner unit in the upper section thereof.
  • the invention provides for a simple to manufacture lighter which will provide reliable operation over an extended long useful life, and has improved wind-proof characteristics by an automatic re-igniting capability.
  • the lighter of the present invention comprises, in a manner general known, a lower portion generally designated at 1 and an upper portion generally designated at 2.
  • Lower portion 1 in conventional manner forms, or contains, the tank for the fuel used, preferably liquid butane gas under pressure, or some other conventional lighter fuel.
  • the lighter upper portion 2 comprises upper seat member 3 mounting the (conventional) ignition and actuation mechanisms and the nozzle and valve mechanism to be described further below, and wind shield 4 mounting and enclosing the specific vaporizer and burner members of the present invention to be described hereinafter.
  • the vaporizer and burner unit of the present invention is in the form of a short metal tube member generally designa­ted at 5.
  • Vaporizer and burner unit 5 in the preferred embodi­ment as shown and described consists of two relatively short tube sections 6,7 arranged coaxially with one another one above the other along the common axis.
  • the two sections 6,7 form a unitary structure.
  • the forementioned unitary vaporizer and burner structure 5 is mounted on wind-shield 4, by means of a horse-shoe-shaped mounting or holding member 8 which as is best seen from Fig. 6 horizontally extends inwardly from the inner wall of wind-shield 4, and accommodates, with its horse-shoe-­shaped portion, the vaporizer and burning unit 5 at a prede­termined vertical height within wind-shield housing 4, as hereinafter described.
  • the two tube sections 6,7 of the short metal tube aggregate 5 have different diameters, the upper tube section 7 having a larger diameter than the lower tube section 6, whereby a step 9 is formed at the junction of the two tube sections. Horizontal step 9 thus formed provides a convenient moun­ting face which rests upon, and is affixed to, the horse-­shoe-shaped portion of mounting and holding member 8.
  • the (substantially conventional) nozzle and valve aggregate 10 is arranged in the upper portion of the left part (as shown in the drawing) of upper seat member 3, with nozzle 10 projecting from and above the upper end of said left portion of upper seat member 3.
  • a conventional flow regu­lator 11 for controlling the flow volume of liquid butane gas passing through nozzle 10 in its open condition and thus regulating the size of the flame, is associated with the nozzle and valve aggregate 10 and projects horizontally from the side wall of the lighter casing, for actuation by the user to control the flow volume and thereby the size of the flame.
  • ignition and actuation mechanisms are mounted on the right hand portion (as shown in the drawings) of upper seat member 3.
  • the ignition mechanism is of the well-known mechanical type comprising a hand-actuated igni­tion wheel or drum 11 and a flint 12 arranged for coopera­tion therewith.
  • ignition wheel or drum 11 comprises two knurled end sections 12,13 of slightly larger diameter for actuation by the user, and a main section 14 of slightly smaller diameter and having a suitably roughened surface whereby to struck ignition sparks from a flint stone 15 arranged to cooperate with the ignition wheel, on actuation thereof.
  • Ignition wheel or drum 11 slightly pro­jects from the upper end of wind-shield 4, for actuation by the user, and flint stone 15 is preferably arranged below the horizontally mounted ignition wheel or drum 11 in a manner that ignition sparks when generated on actuation of wheel or drum 11 will be directed towards the upper end of vaporizer and burner unit 5 within wind-shield 4.
  • the (substantially conventional) actuating mechanism for nozzle and valve aggregate 10, in the embodiment described comprises an actuating lever 16 swivably mounted below ignition wheel/flint stone aggregat 11,15 and substantially extending horizontally.
  • actuating lever 16 At its right end (as shown in the figures) actuating lever 16 is provided with a larger actuating portion 17 suitably associated with ignition wheel or drum 11 in a manner that if the user actuates, with the thumb of the hand holding the lighter, ignition wheel 11, the thumb will come to press upon actuating portion 17 of lever 16 whereby to press lever 7 to swivel from the sub­stantially horizontal normal or rest position shown in Fig. 1,2 and 3, into the actuated position shown in Fig.
  • actuating lever 16 is shown swivelled in the clock-wise direction about its pivot 18.
  • actuation lever 16 pivotably engages with the upper end 19a on the vertical arm of a substantially L-shaped bracket 19, the lower substantially horizontal arm 20 of which engages with the nozzle and valve aggregate 10 for actuation thereof between a closed valve condition as shown in Fig. 1 through 3 and an open valve condition as shown in Fig. 8.
  • the short-tube vaporizer and burner unit 5 with its vertical longitudinal axis aligned with nozzle and valve aggregate 10, is arranged vertically such that the lower end of unit 5 (i.e. the lower end of the lower tube section 6 of unit 5) will be in a predetermined free height above nozzle 10.
  • the lower end of unit 5 i.e. the lower end of the lower tube section 6 of unit 5
  • the diameter of the lower end 6 of vaporizer and burner unit 5 will be larger than the diameter of nozzle 10 of the butane gas tank whereby the (liquid) butane gas jet ejected from nozzle 10 (in the actuated open valve condition thereof) on its way upward into vaporizing and burner unit 5 will draw a stream of ambient air into unit 5, for intensive mixing with, and vaporizing of, the butane gas stream in the lower part of unit 5.
  • a piece of perforated metal sheet is provided horizontally at the junction between the upper and lower sections 7,6 of unit 5.
  • This perforated metal sheet 21 is best shown in Fig. 3, and the perfora­tions 22 are best shown in the enlarged scale top view of Fig. 7.
  • This perforated metal sheet effectively contri­butes to further intensely mix and vaporize the butane-­air mixture, thus providing for a particularly efficient type of "turbo"-burning.
  • a catalyzer wire 23 is provided centrally in the upper section 7 of burner unit 5.
  • the catalyzer wire 23 may be in the form of a wire spring as shown at 23 in Fig. 3, or as a wire net or in some other similar equivalent form admitting of substantially ad­mitting of substantially uninhibited flow of the vaporized gas/air mixture while providing for a distributed contact with such stream.
  • vaporizer and burner unit 5 is arranged vertically in a predetermined vertical distance above nozzle 10.
  • vaporizer and burning unit 5 is vertically positioned such that its upper end is in the vicinity of the ignition sparks travelling in a substan­tially horizontal tangential direction from the point of contact between flint stone 15 and ignition wheel or drum 11,14.
  • the burning space substantially will be between the upper end 7 of unit 5, and thus will be as far removed as possible from the delicate nozzle and valve aggregate 10. Additionally, as there is no direct heat conducting mechanical connec­tion between vaporizer and burner unit 5 and the nozzle valve aggregate 10, the latter will be effectively pro­tected against heat from the burner or the flame.
  • Actuation of ignition wheel or drum 11 will cause the generation of ignition sparks form flint stone 15 coope­rating with wheel or drum 11, said ignition sparks being directed towards the (upper end of) vaporizer and burner unit 5.
  • the simultaneous actuation, by the user, of actua­ting lever 17 will cause nozzle valve 10 to open whereby a jet of liquid butane will burst out from nozzle 10, and on its further high velocity stream upward will draw sur­rounding ambient air (oxygen) into the lower part 6 of vaporizer and burner unit 5.
  • Vaporization of the butane liquid gas and mixing thereof with the air sucked into the lower end 6 of unit 5 will continue within the lower part 6 of unit 5 and will be further intensified and continued during the passage of the mixture through the holes 22 of perforated metal sheet 21 and during further passage of the mixture through the upper part 7 of unit 5.
  • the fully and intensely mixed vaporized butane/air (oxygen) mixture will be ignited by the ignition sparks from flint 15 and will burn in a strong, stable, hot blue-color flame 24, as indicated in Fig. 8.
  • the heated wire catalyzer 23 provided in the upper part 7 of unit 5 will automatically re-ignite fresh vaporized butane/air-mixture which continues to be fed from the nozzle at the lower part of unit 5, as long as actuating member 7 is kept in its pressed actuated state.
  • the invention thus provides for a simple to manufacture lighter which will provide reliable operation over an exten­ded long useful life, and with improved wind-proof charac­teristics by an automatic re-igniting capability.
  • Fig. 9 An embodiment of this type is shown in Fig. 9, wherein the same or simi­lar parts are designated with the same reference numerals as in Fig. 1 through 8.
  • the Fig. 9 embodiment differs from the Fig. 1 through 8 embodiment by the utilization of a piezo type ignition system instead of the flint stone igni­tion system.
  • a suitable piezo unit 25 is mounted in the right-hand part (as shown in Fig.
  • actuating member 26 for the piezo unit 25 is associated with actuating lever 16,17 whereby piezo unit 25 will be actuated if actuating lever 16,17 is pressed down for actuation of the lighter.
  • the electrical output lines 27 of the piezo unit 25 are suitably connected with parts in the vaporizer-and-­burner unit 5, whereby a spark will be generated within unit 5 on actuation of piezo unit 25, and the gas/air mixture passing through unit 5 will be ignited to form a strong flame burning on top of section 7 of unit 5.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Lighters Containing Fuel (AREA)
EP89123831A 1989-12-22 1989-12-22 Briquet Withdrawn EP0433494A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP89123831A EP0433494A1 (fr) 1989-12-22 1989-12-22 Briquet

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP89123831A EP0433494A1 (fr) 1989-12-22 1989-12-22 Briquet

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0433494A1 true EP0433494A1 (fr) 1991-06-26

Family

ID=8202273

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89123831A Withdrawn EP0433494A1 (fr) 1989-12-22 1989-12-22 Briquet

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0433494A1 (fr)

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CH283852A (fr) * 1949-08-27 1952-06-30 Inc Repeter Products Briquet.
FR2017795A1 (fr) * 1968-09-11 1970-05-22 Mansei Kogyo Kk
GB1383987A (en) * 1971-09-16 1974-02-12 Dupont S T Burner devices for liquefied gas fuelled cigarette and like lighters
SU964344A1 (ru) * 1980-12-08 1982-10-07 Burba Yustinas A Устройство дл сжигани топлива
EP0298913A1 (fr) * 1987-07-10 1989-01-11 Ln Industries S.A. Appareil pour l'allumage de matières combustibles
FR2627848A1 (fr) * 1988-02-25 1989-09-01 Segawa Takaaki Briquet a gaz protege contre le vent
EP0347383A2 (fr) * 1988-06-16 1989-12-20 Ln Industries S.A. Appareil pour l'allumage de matières combustibles

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CH283852A (fr) * 1949-08-27 1952-06-30 Inc Repeter Products Briquet.
FR2017795A1 (fr) * 1968-09-11 1970-05-22 Mansei Kogyo Kk
GB1383987A (en) * 1971-09-16 1974-02-12 Dupont S T Burner devices for liquefied gas fuelled cigarette and like lighters
SU964344A1 (ru) * 1980-12-08 1982-10-07 Burba Yustinas A Устройство дл сжигани топлива
EP0298913A1 (fr) * 1987-07-10 1989-01-11 Ln Industries S.A. Appareil pour l'allumage de matières combustibles
FR2627848A1 (fr) * 1988-02-25 1989-09-01 Segawa Takaaki Briquet a gaz protege contre le vent
EP0347383A2 (fr) * 1988-06-16 1989-12-20 Ln Industries S.A. Appareil pour l'allumage de matières combustibles

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