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  Utility lighter with safety mechanismUSPTO Application #: 20060286496Title: Utility lighter with safety mechanism Abstract: A utility lighter includes a trigger adapted to simultaneously engage a fuel valve and piezo-electric element. A safety mechanism engages the trigger to prevent inadvertent ignition of the lighter or use of the lighter by a small child. The safety mechanism physically restricts movement of the trigger when engaged. The safety mechanism may be disengaged to allow the trigger to be activated. The safety mechanism may be released without extinguishing the flame and is re-engaged when the trigger is released. (end of abstract) Agent: Chan Law Group Lc - Los Angeles, CA, US Inventor: Weizhong Tu USPTO Applicaton #: 20060286496 - Class: 431153000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Combustion, Correlation Of Fuel Or Power Supply With Component Movements In A Disabling And Enabling Sequence The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060286496. 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 utility lighters, more particularly to utility lighters with safety mechanisms to prevent inadvertent ignition or ignition by a small child. [0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0004] Utility lighters, i.e., lighters with an extension to separate the burner and the handle, have become ubiquitous in the modern household for a variety of reasons. The extension allows a user to safely and easily ignite a flame in otherwise difficult to reach areas, such as barbeque grills, pilot lights on gas appliances, and fire places. Moreover, the distance between the handle and the burner allows the lighter to be kept aflame for extended periods of time without burning the user--thus permitting the user to light, quickly and easily, a large number of candles, ignite several points in a pile of kindling, or otherwise maintain a flame as desired. [0005] Despite their convenience, utility lighters, as with any flame producing device, can be unsafe if inadvertently ignited or operated by a small child. Consequently, many safety mechanisms have been developed to prevent inadvertent ignition of and/or to make it difficult for a small child to operate utility lighters. Typically such safety mechanisms comprise a combination of two switches or triggers that must be operated simultaneously or in sequence before the lighter can be ignited. In most cases, a safety switch is engaged by the user's thumb and a trigger is pulled by the user's index finger. The coordination required to ignite the lighter significantly reduces or eliminates the possibility of inadvertent or accidental ignition. Likewise, the required coordination is typically too complex for a small child, essentially rendering the lighter inoperable in a small child's hands. [0006] For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,992 to Sung ("Sung") discloses a utility lighter having a safety switch that must be engaged before the trigger on the device may be activated to ignite the burner. When engaged, the safety switch of Sung simultaneously opens the outlet valve of a pressurized fuel container and disengages a lever that would otherwise block the travel of the trigger. When the fuel valve is opened, fuel travels through a tube to the burner. The user may then activate the trigger, which compresses a piezo-electric element that in turn generates an electrical charge. The electrical charge is discharged as a spark in the vicinity of the burner, thereby igniting the gas to generate the desired flame. One drawback of the Sung device is that unburnt fuel may be vented to the atmosphere merely by activating the safety switch (which opens the fuel valve), thus creating a potential safety hazard and wasting fuel. In other words, because the igniting spark is generated only when the trigger is activated, failure to pull the trigger once the safety switch is activated will result in fuel flowing through the burner and into the atmosphere. Another drawback of the Sung device is that the release of the safety switch will cut off the flow of fuel to the burner, thus extinguishing the flame. As a result, if the user wishes to maintain a flame for any length of time, the user must keep the safety switch engaged. As the safety switch is typically engaged by the user's thumb, preserving this position over the desired period of time may become uncomfortable or difficult. [0007] In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,383 to Jon ("Jon") discloses a utility lighter having a safety switch that must be engaged before the trigger on the device may be activated to ignite the burner. Unlike the Sung device, the trigger of the Jon device simultaneously activates a fuel valve and triggers a piezo-electric igniter. However, the safety switch operates by holding a blocking plate in place against one side of the piezo-electric igniter. Consequently, if the safety switch is not held in place by the user, the igniter cannot be compressed and no ignition will occur. Nonetheless, the trigger may still be activated, thus opening the fuel valve. Thus, similar to the Sung device, merely activating the trigger of the Jon device, without holding the safety switch in place, will allow un-burnt fuel to be vented to the atmosphere, creating a safety hazard and wasting fuel. Unlike the Sung device, however, the Jon device does allow the user to release the safety switch after ignition while still keeping the fuel valve open with the trigger which, because it is activated by the index finger, is more ergonomically efficient and thus more comfortable to the user. [0008] U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,877 to Wang et al. ("Wang") also discloses a utility lighter having a safety switch that must be engaged before the trigger on the device may be activated to ignite the burner. However, unlike the Sung device, the safety switch of the Wang device repositions an actuating member within the lighter--when the safety switch is depressed, activation of a trigger causes the actuating member to engage both a fuel valve and a piezo-electric igniter simultaneously. Consequently, fuel cannot be vented without being ignited, thus avoiding the waste and hazard associated with the venting of unburnt fuel. However, the use of an intervening actuating member increases the mechanical complexity of the lighter, thus increasing the complexity of manufacture and the possibility of component failure. In addition, the actuating member of the Wang device must slide across the base of the safety switch for the lighter to operate. The friction arising from this interaction can make the lighter undesirably difficult to operate or, conversely, require the use of components manufactured to higher tolerances to reduce friction. Furthermore, if the safety switch of the Wang device is released during use, the actuating member returns to the safety position, thereby closing the fuel valve and extinguishing the flame. Thus, like the Sung device, the safety switch must remain engaged if the flame is to be maintained. Because the safety switch is oriented such that it is activated by the thumb, maintaining the safety switch in the activated position may be uncomfortable to the user over prolonged periods of time. [0009] Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a safety mechanism for a utility lighter that prevents inadvertent ignition. It also would be desirable to provide a safety mechanism for a utility lighter that renders the lighter difficult or impossible for a small child to operate. It also would be desirable to provide a safety mechanism for a utility lighter that prevents the venting of unburnt fuel to the atmosphere. It also would be desirable to provide a safety mechanism for a utility lighter that is ergonomically efficient, allowing a user to maintain a flame for a prolonged period of time with little or no physical discomfort. It would also be desirable to provide a safety mechanism for a utility lighter that is simple to manufacture and reliable in use. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0010] A utility lighter according to the present invention includes a housing and a fuel container disposed within the housing. A fuel lever is affixed within the housing and engages a fuel valve to allow fuel to be delivered from the fuel container to a burner. A piezo-electric element is affixed within the housing and a trigger, which is slidably mounted to the housing, is adapted to simultaneously engage the fuel lever and the piezo-electric element. [0011] A safety mechanism is provided to prevent the inadvertent ignition of the lighter or operation of the lighter by a small child. The safety mechanism includes a safety switch slidably mounted on the housing and a safety lever pivotally disposed within the housing. The safety lever is positioned between and adapted to engage the safety switch and selectively engage the trigger. Thus, in order to operate the trigger (thereby opening the fuel valve and generating a spark from the piezo-electric element), the safety switch must first be released. In addition, the safety lever is adapted to allow the safety switch to be released without extinguishing the flame, thus allowing a flame to be comfortably maintained by the user so long as the trigger is held in the engaged position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional side view of a utility lighter according to the present invention. [0013] FIG. 2 shows a partial cross-sectional side view of the trigger mechanism of the utility lighter of FIG. 1 in a first operational state. [0014] FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-sectional side view of the trigger mechanism of the utility lighter of FIG. 1 in a second operational state. [0015] FIG. 4 shows a partial cross-sectional side view of the trigger mechanism of the utility lighter of FIG. 1 in a third operational state. [0016] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional side view of an alternate embodiment of a utility lighter according to the present invention. [0017] FIG. 6 shows a partial cross-sectional side view of the trigger mechanism of the utility lighter of FIG. 5 in a first operational state. [0018] FIG. 7 shows a partial cross-sectional side view of the trigger mechanism of the utility lighter of FIG. 5 in a second operational state. [0019] FIG. 8 shows a partial cross-sectional side view of the trigger mechanism of the utility lighter of FIG. 5 in a third operational state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0020] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, a utility lighter 10 according to the present invention comprises a housing 12 and a lighter tube 14. The housing 12 contains a trigger 24, a safety switch 26, a fuel container 28, a fuel valve 30, a piezo-electric element 32, a safety latch 34, and a fuel lever 36. The lighter tube 14 contains an ignition mechanism 16, a burner 18, a gas flow tube 20 and ignition wires 22. Continue reading... Full patent description for Utility lighter with safety mechanism Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Utility lighter with safety mechanism 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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