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  Lighter having safety deviceUSPTO Application #: 20070287114Title: Lighter having safety device Abstract: A lighter includes a gas tank, a piezoelectric ignition device having a piezoelectric contact disposed in a housing, a hammer slidably received in the housing, an actuating member slidably received in the housing and depressible by a user to move and to selectively actuate the hammer to strike onto the piezoelectric contact and to generate sparks, a spring member is engaged between the actuating member and the hammer, a safety device is disposed close to the actuating member for being selectively depressed by the actuating member to resist the final movement of the actuating member and for preventing the lighter from being actuated or ignited by small children inadvertently. (end of abstract) Agent: Charles E. Baxley, Esq. - New York, NY, US Inventor: Ying Fang Huang USPTO Applicaton #: 20070287114 - Class: 431153 (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070287114. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]1. Field of the Invention [0002]The present invention relates to a lighter, and more particularly to a piezoelectric lighter including a greatly simplified structure or configuration for preventing the lighter from being actuated or ignited by small children inadvertently. [0003]2. Description of the Prior Art [0004]Typical lighters comprise an actuating or igniting button slidably attached to a body casing or housing for being depressed or actuated by the users to actuate or to operate an igniting device of the lighter. The typical lighters may be easily depressed or actuated by small children. [0005]For preventing the lighters from being depressed or actuated by small children inadvertently, various kinds of safety locking devices have been developed and provided for attaching to the body casing or housing and for engaging with the actuating or igniting button, in order to prevent the actuating or igniting button from being depressed or actuated or operated by small children inadvertently. [0006]For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,751 to Lee discloses one of the typical lighters comprising a coil spring and a resilient member serially arranged inside an actuation button and arranged to resist actuation unless the coil spring is fully compressed. [0007]However, both the coil spring and the resilient member are flexible and may have a good chance to be distorted and thus may not be effectively depressed or actuated by the users. In addition, the typical lighter have to provide a specifically designed receiving guider to receive the coil spring and the resilient member, and the coil spring and the resilient member may not be attached to the other lighters. [0008]U.S. Pat. No. 6,979,190 to Ichikawa et al. discloses another typical lighter also comprising a first elastic member to resist the movement of the manual actuator, and a second elastic member is further required and positioned to also resist the movement of the manual actuator. [0009]However, a specifically designed supporting or holder member and/or a specifically designed actuation button is required to be provided to mold or to support the specifically designed cantilevered leaf springs, such that the cantilevered leaf springs and the holder member and the actuation button also may not be attached to the other lighters. [0010]The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional safety devices for the lighters. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0011]The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a piezoelectric lighter including a greatly simplified configuration having a safety device for preventing the lighter from being actuated or ignited by small children inadvertently and for allowing the lighter to be easily and quickly and readily made without changing the configuration or structure thereof. [0012]In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a lighter comprising a gas tank including a chamber formed therein for storing fuel gas, and including a compartment formed therein, a gas supply tube disposed in the chamber of the gas tank and including an end portion extended out of the gas tank for supplying the fuel gas out of the gas tank, a housing disposed in the compartment of the gas tank and having a space formed therein, a piezoelectric contact disposed in the housing, a hammer slidably received in the space of the housing, an actuating member slidably received in the space of the housing and depressible by a user to move to engage with the hammer and to selectively actuate the hammer to strike onto the piezoelectric contact and to generate sparks, a spring member engaged between the actuating member and the hammer for spacing the hammer from the actuating member and for being selectively compressed by the actuating member, and a safety device disposed in the compartment of the gas tank and disposed close to the actuating member for being selectively depressed by the actuating member. The actuating member is depressible and movable relative to the hammer for a first moving distance to compress the spring member onto the hammer before contacting with the safety device, and then engageable with the safety device and depressible and movable relative to the hammer for a second moving distance to compress the safety device before actuating the hammer to strike onto the piezoelectric contact. [0013]The safety device includes a bore formed therein for slidably receiving the actuating member. The actuating member includes an enlarged head provided thereon for engaging with and for compressing the safety device. [0014]A thumb-push cap may further be provided and slidably attached to the gas tank and may be engaged with the actuating member for depressing the actuating member against the spring member. [0015]The housing includes at least one guide groove formed therein, the hammer includes at least one projection extended therefrom and slidably received in the guide groove of the housing for guiding the hammer to strike onto the piezoelectric contact. [0016]The guide groove of the housing includes a lateral groove segment and a vertical groove segment formed therein, the lateral groove segment of the housing receives and supports the projection the hammer when the actuating member compress the spring member onto the hammer. [0017]The actuating member includes at least one inclined actuating groove formed therein for slidably receiving the projection of the hammer and arranged for allowing the actuating member to be moved relative to the hammer and the housing before the actuating member is engaged with the projection of the hammer. [0018]A recovering spring may further be provided and received in the space of the housing and engaged with the hammer for spacing the hammer from the piezoelectric contact. [0019]Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a piezoelectric lighter in accordance with the present invention; [0021]FIG. 2 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, illustrating the operation of the piezoelectric lighter; Continue reading... Full patent description for Lighter having safety device Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Lighter having safety device 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. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Lighter having safety device or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Variable input radiant heater Next Patent Application: Safety device for electronic ignition of lighter Industry Class: Combustion ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Lighter having safety device patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.11171 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Computers: Graphics , I/O , Processors , Dyn. Storage , Static Storage , Printers |
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