CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to cigarette lighters and cigarette holders, and more particularly to cigarette lighter and holder combinations.
2. Description of Related Art
Cigarettes are typically packaged in soft packs that contain multiple cigarettes. People that smoke cigarettes typically carry a pack of cigarettes and a flame source for lighting the cigarettes, such as a cigarette lighter or a book of matches. However, many packs of cigarettes are rather large and bulky, and flame sources are easily separated from packs of cigarettes. Furthermore, for short excursions, a smoker might only want to take 2-3 cigarettes, rather than a large and bulky package with more cigarettes. For these reasons it would be beneficial to have a lighter adapted to store a small number of cigarettes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A cigarette lighter is disclosed including a reservoir, a burner, an ignition system, and a chamber adapted to store one or more cigarettes. The reservoir is used to store a quantity of a combustible fluid. The burner receives a controlled flow of the combustible fluid from the reservoir, and the ignition system is used to ignite the controlled flow of the combustible fluid in the burner.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a cigarette lighter including a reservoir, a burner, an ignition system, and a chamber adapted to store one or more cigarettes;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are side elevation views of the cigarette lighter of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the cigarette lighter of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cigarette lighter of FIG. 1, wherein a cover over an opening that provides access to the chamber is in a partially opened position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a cigarette lighter 10 including a reservoir 12, a burner 14, an ignition system 16, and a chamber 18 adapted to store one or more cigarettes. In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1, the chamber 18 is adapted to store 3 cigarettes 20. In other embodiments, the chamber 18 may be capable of storing, for example, 1 to 5 cigarettes, or 2-4 cigarettes.
The reservoir 12 is used to store a quantity of a combustible fluid 22. In general, the burner 14 receives a controlled flow of the combustible fluid 22 from the reservoir 12, and the ignition system 16 is used to ignite the controlled flow of the combustible fluid 22 from the reservoir 12 in the burner 14. The combustible fluid 22 may generally be a combustible liquid or a combustible gas. For example, the combustible fluid 22 may be or include butane, a highly flammable, colorless, and easily liquefied gas. Alternately, the combustible fluid 22 may be or include naptha, a highly flammable liquid. A flame that results when the controlled flow of the combustible fluid 22 is ignited in the burner 14 may advantageously be used to light one of the cigarettes 20 dispensed from the chamber 18.
In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the cigarette lighter 10 includes a body 24 that houses the reservoir 12, the burner 14, the ignition system 16, and the chamber 18. The body 24 includes a top portion 26 and a bottom portion 28. As shown in FIG. 1, the burner 14 and the ignition system 16 are adjacent one another in the top portion 26. The top portion 26 also has an opening 30 that provides access to the chamber 18. The opening 30 is used to put the cigarettes 20 in the chamber 18, and to remove the cigarettes 20 from the chamber 18. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the chamber 18 is adjacent the reservoir 12, and the body 24 includes a wall 34 that separates the reservoir 12 and the chamber 18.
The top portion 26 of the body 24 is preferably formed from a heat resistant material. For example, the top portion 26 may be formed from a metal. The bottom portion 28 of the body 24 may be formed from, for example, a plastic material.
In general, the cigarette lighter 10 preferably includes a cover 32 that can be removably positioned over the opening 30. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the cover 32 is pivotally attached to the top portion 26 of the body 24. More specifically, the cover 32 includes a pair of ears 36 that extend downward from a main portion of the cover 32 adjacent front and back sides of the top portion 26 of the body 24. A pin 38 passes through each of the pair of ears 36 and the top portion 26 of the body 24 adjacent the opening 30, pivotally attaching the cover 32 to the top portion 26 of the body 24. The cover 32 and the pin 38 are preferably formed from substantially rigid materials such as hard plastics or metals.
In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the pair of ears 36 contact the adjacent front and back sides of the top portion 26 of the body 24, and friction between the pair of ears 36 and the adjacent front and back sides of the top portion 26 of the body 24 tends to keep the cover 32 in the closed position of FIG. 1. It is noted that the top portion 26 of the body 24 and/or the cover 32 may have other latch mechanisms that function to keep the cover 32 in the closed position. Further, the top portion 26 of the body 24 and/or the cover 32 may include a sealing mechanism that prevents water from entering the chamber 18 when the cover 32 is in the closed position of FIG. 1.
In general, the cigarette lighter 10 includes a structure 40 that provides the controlled flow of the fluid 22 from the reservoir 12 to the burner 14. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the structure 40 includes a tube that extends in to the reservoir 12, and a valve adjacent the burner 14. The valve is controlled by a lever 42. The lever 42 has one end in contact with the valve, and an opposed accessible end 44 at a side of the cigarette lighter 10 as shown in FIG. 1. When the accessible end 44 of the lever 42 is in the upper position as shown in FIG. 1, the valve is closed, and blocks the flow of the fluid 22 from the reservoir 12 to the burner 14. When the end 44 of the lever 42 is depressed, the valve is opened, and allows the fluid 22 to flow from the reservoir 12 to the burner 14.
In other embodiments, the structure 40 may be or include, for example, a wick. In such embodiments the lever 42 shown in FIG. 1 may not be present, or may control a cover positioned over the burner 14 that is removed from the burner 14 when the end 44 of the lever 42 is depressed.
In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the ignition system 16 includes a conventional striker wheel and a sparking stone (e.g., a flint) in contact with the striker wheel. The striker wheel is positioned between, and driven by, a pair of knurled drive wheels 46. When one or both of the drive wheels 46 are turned (e.g., manually by a finger), the striker wheel rotates, and the sparking stone produces multiple sparks. In other embodiments, the ignition system 16 may be electric, and may include a filament that is heated by a flow of electricity, or may produce an electrical arc or spark between a pair of electrodes.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are side views of the cigarette lighter 10 of FIG. 1. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the striker wheel described above is labeled 50. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and described above, the striker wheel 50 is positioned between, and driven by, the pair of knurled drive wheels 46.
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the cigarette lighter 10 of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cigarette lighter 10 of FIG. 1 wherein the cover 32 is in a partially opened position, and ends of the cigarettes 20 stored in the chamber 18 are extending upward through the opening 30 in the top portion 26 of the body 24.
While the invention has been described with reference to at least one preferred embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims.
Patent Application
20060275726
