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  Cigarette lighter with limited flint wheel turning radiusUSPTO Application #: 20070224566Title: Cigarette lighter with limited flint wheel turning radius Abstract: A cigarette lighter has a housing, a fluid reservoir, an outlet valve, a flint, at least one flint wheel, a valve actuator and a flint wheel turning radius limiting element. The flint wheel turning radius limiting element is adapted to limit the exposed turning radius of the flint wheel to between about 70° and about 98°. (end of abstract) Agent: Sheldon Mak Rose & Anderson PC - Pasadena, CA, US Inventor: JunJun Ruan USPTO Applicaton #: 20070224566 - Class: 431273000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Combustion, Frictional, Chemical Or Percussive Type Igniter, Spark Projecter, E.g., Flint And Abrasive Striker, Etc. The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070224566. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] Cigarette lighters have been known for more than 50 years. Somewhat more recently, wickless cigarette lighters have become very popular. A typical wickless cigarette lighter of the prior art is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. [0002] The problem with all cigarette lighters, and especially wickless cigarette lighters, is the ease with which a child can produce a potentially lethal flame. Accordingly, much effort has been exerted in attempting to produce cigarette lighters, especially wickless cigarette lighters, which are difficult for a small child to operate. Some of these efforts have been more successful than others. Virtually all such of the more successful efforts, however, have required complex, expensive and/or awkward add-on features to the lighter, making the lighter less useable for an adult. [0003] Accordingly, there is a need for a wickless cigarette lighter which is difficult for a child to use, easy for an adult to use and avoids the aforementioned problems in the prior art. SUMMARY [0004] The invention satisfies this need. The invention is a cigarette lighter comprising (a) a housing having an upper end, a lower end, a forward side and a rearward side, the upper end having a flame nozzle; (b) a reservoir disposed within the housing for retaining an inflammable fluid, the reservoir defining an outlet opening which is in communication with the flame nozzle; (c) an outlet valve disposed across the outlet opening, the outlet valve being capable of alternatively moving between (i) an open position wherein the outlet valve does not impede the flow of fluids from the reservoir through the outlet valve, and (ii) a closed position wherein the outlet valve prevents the flow of fluids from the reservoir through the outlet opening; (d) a flint disposed within the housing; (e) at least one flint wheel disposed within the housing such that it defines an exposed turning radius, the flint wheel being disposed in close proximity to the flint and being adapted to cooperate with the flint to create a spark proximate to the flame nozzle when the flint wheel is rotated; (f) an outlet valve actuator for causing the outlet valve to move from the closed position to the open position, the outlet valve being disposed rearwardly of the flint wheel and at a lesser elevation than the flint wheel such that the thumb of a user can rotate the flint wheel to create a spark and, in the same downward and rearward motion, open the outlet valve with the outlet valve actuator; and (g) a flint wheel turning radius limiting element which limits the exposed turning radius of the flint wheel to between about 70.degree. and about 98.degree.. DRAWINGS [0005] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where: [0006] FIG. 1 is a side view of a cigarette lighter of the prior art; [0007] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the cigarette lighter illustrated in FIG. 1; [0008] FIG. 3 is a side view of a first cigarette lighter having features of the invention; [0009] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the cigarette lighter illustrated in FIG. 3; [0010] FIG. 5 is a front view of a cigarette lighter illustrated in FIG. 3; [0011] FIG. 6 is a top view of the cigarette lighter illustrated in FIG. 3; [0012] FIG. 7 is a side view of the cigarette lighter illustrated in FIG. 3 showing a user rotating the pair of flint wheels; [0013] FIG. 8 is a rear view of the cigarette lighter illustrated in FIG. 3 showing a user rotating the pair of flint wheels; [0014] FIG. 9 is a side view of a second cigarette lighter having features of the invention; [0015] FIG. 10 is a side view of a third cigarette lighter having features of the invention; and [0016] FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic illustration of a cigarette lighter having features of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0017] The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention and several variations of that embodiment. This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments. Practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. [0018] The invention 10 is a cigarette lighter 10 with a unique safety feature which makes it very difficult for a small child to operate the lighter 10. The lighter of the invention 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 3-11. [0019] The cigarette lighter 10 comprises a housing 12 having an upper end 14, a lower end 16, a forward side 18 and a rearward side 20. The upper end 14 of the lighter 10 comprises a flame nozzle 22. [0020] A reservoir 24 for retaining an inflammable fluid, such as butane, is disposed. within the housing 12. The reservoir 24 defines an outlet opening 26 which is in communication with the flame nozzle 22. Continue reading... Full patent description for Cigarette lighter with limited flint wheel turning radius Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Cigarette lighter with limited flint wheel turning radius patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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