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  Portable electronic equipment with integrated lighterUSPTO Application #: 20060281037Title: Portable electronic equipment with integrated lighter Abstract: A lighter has been integrated into portable electronic equipments such as cellular phones, PDAs, or portable game players. The lighter can be completely stowed within the portable electronic equipment so that no parts protrude out of the portable electronic equipment's housing. Thereby not only the size can be reduced but also damage and entanglement with other things the portable electronic equipment is kept together as well as injuries can be avoided. The lighter is operated by a switch which is implemented as button either on the side of the portable electronic equipment or as a GUI menu or button on the display unit. When pressing the switch button the cover on the outlet of the lighter is being removed while at the same time a cylinder is being extended and moving out of the outlet, and a flame ignited in the burner unit appears from inside of the cylinder. The lighter includes a fuel tank which can be either fixed or removable as for instance fuel gas cartridges. A function for detecting the fuel gas amount and displaying it on the screen and a security function to lock the burner of the lighter are also provided. (end of abstract) Agent: Muirhead And Saturnelli, LLC - Westborough, MA, US Inventor: Ulrich Faber USPTO Applicaton #: 20060281037 - Class: 431253000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Combustion, Combined The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060281037. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention is related to portable electronic equipment, for-example, cellular phones, PDAs, and game players, and more particularly to portable electronic equipment with integrated lighter. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Recently, portable electronic equipment, especially cellular phones have become so widespread and the number of people carrying electronic equipments, especially cellular phones, PDAs (personal digital assistants), and game players have much increased in urban areas. The functions of portable electronic equipment also have become so diverse in these days. For example, a cellular phone is not only equipped with the conventional function of transmitting and receiving voice or data but also has got functionality even of a camera and a-remote controller. Much more functions are expected to be added and hence cellular phones and other portable electronic equipment are becoming portable all-purpose equipment. [0005] For the sake of omitting the description of various functions and items of portable electronic equipment, a cellular phone is taken as a general representative example of portable electronic equipment in the following description. [0006] Whenever new and convenient functions and accessories are added to a cellular phone, the original function is maintained and can be fully used while the number of the items that you usually would carry separately with you is reduced. This reduces the weight and the volume of your belongings, thereby making it easy to accommodate the cellular phone with all functions and accessories in a bag or a pocket. At the same time as the number of items that you carry with you is decreased, the probability that you leave something behind or forget or even lose something is reduced. [0007] When someone goes out leaving his house or apartment, he or she always carries the key with him or her. When instead of a key, a cipher signal used for an electronic lock that is wirelessly transmitted to the lock from a cellular phone, the conventional key is not necessary anymore, hence, the number of the carried items can be reduced. Similarly, when functionality of a cash card for a bank is provided by a cipher signal modulated on a wireless signal, it is not necessary anymore to carry a cash card that can be easily forgotten or lost. [0008] A lighter is one of the items very often that are carried in pockets or bags. A lighter is used for example to light a cigarette. Provided that you are a smoker it may be a nuisance when you have left the lighter behind or lost it. When a lighter is mounted on a cellular phone, it is possible to prevent from losing or leaving it behind. A conventional technique in which a lighter is mounted on a cellular phone is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Utility No.3091568 (page. 7 to 10, FIG. 1 and FIG. 5) (hereinafter, referred to as the article 1). [0009] In article 1, a method has been proposed, for attaching a lighter to the distal end of an antenna of a cellular phone with a screw so that it can also be removed again. However, when using it or when attaching it to the screw or removing it there from, there is a danger that the antenna body may be deformed and bent by the weight of the lighter, which may cause the interruption of transmission and reception. [0010] Another embodiment of the above article 1 shown in FIG. 13 depicts a conventional technique for preventing from interruption of transmission and reception. As illustrated in FIG. 13, a structure has been proposed in which the antenna body is removed and instead of the antenna, an external lighter 10 is directly mounted on the housing 11 of a cellular phone 1 by a screw thread connection. An ignition button 101 for the external lighter is provided on the lateral side of the external lighter 10 and ignition is triggered by pushing this button. [0011] In the above-described conventional techniques, a lighter is mounted onto the housing of a cellular phone in a way that it is protruding from the phone housing, which is a serious problem. When putting the cellular phone with the protruding lighter into a trouser pocket, there is a danger of damaging or injuring you. When putting it into a bag, there is a danger that the protruding part gets entangled with other things and thereby damaging the bag and the other things. [0012] In the conventional technique shown in FIG. 13, it is possible to prevent from interruption of communication caused by bending the antenna. However, when removing the lighter in order to refill it with liquid gas, it may be left behind or lost again. Further, in order to use the lighter, the antenna has to be once removed before the lighter can be attached on the housing, which is troublesome. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] In order to solve the above mentioned problems of the prior art, an objective of the invention is to provide portable electronic equipment including a lighter which can prevent from leaving behind and losing a lighter by integrating the lighter into the portable electronic equipment, e.g. a cellular phone. [0014] Another objective of the invention is to provide portable electronic equipment including a lighter in which, since a lighter is built into the equipment, the lighter can be always carried along without leaving it behind when it has been removed from the equipment. And when a user carries the portable electronic equipment putting it into a pocket and a bag, injury to the user and damage of the equipment caused by entanglement with cloth or thread of the bag can be prevented by integrating the lighter completely into the equipment to make the surface of the portable electronic equipment even without any projection. [0015] Yet another objective of the invention is to provide portable electronic equipment including a lighter which size can be reduced while increasing the number of functions. [0016] Further another object of the invention is to provide portable electronic equipment including a lighter which can be refilled with fuel and where the remaining amount of fuel can be easily checked. [0017] Further another object of the invention is to provide portable electronic equipment including a lighter with enhanced security by providing a mechanism of restricting the use to non-authorized persons or infants and prevent from burn injuries from the portable electronic equipment when using the built-in lighter. [0018] According to the first aspect of the invention, portable electronic equipment is composed of at least a key operation unit and a display unit and include a lighter for lighting a flame, wherein a lighter unit for generating a flame is integrated into the housing of the portable electronic equipment. [0019] In the preferred construction, the lighter unit comprises a fuel tank built into the housing, an ignition unit and a switch which controls the flow of fuel gas from the fuel tank to a burner portion provided at an end of the housing and which drives the ignition unit to light a flame. [0020] In another preferred construction, the switch is positioned at a lateral side of the housing in order to open and close a cover for covering the burner portion. When the switch opens the cover, the fuel gas of the fuel tank flows out from the burner portion, and the ignition unit is operated to ignite the fuel gas. [0021] In another preferred construction, an extensible cylinder is provided in the burner portion at the end of the housing. [0022] In another preferred construction, an extensible cylinder is provided in the burner portion at the end of the housing, the switch is positioned at a lateral side of the housing in order to open and close a cover for covering the burner portion, when the switch opens the cover, the fuel gas of the fuel tank flows out from the extensible cylinder, and the ignition unit is operated to ignite the fuel gas, and the extensible cylinder is extended and protruded outward from the housing when the switch opens the cover. The extensible cylinder is drawn back and accommodated into the housing when the switch closes the cover. Continue reading... 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