Patent Application
20080070172
Referring to the drawings, and initially to
For example, the igniting device 30 also includes a knob 31 and a latch 32 for being depressed or actuated by a user to operate the valve device 20 and to control the gas fuel to flow out through the valve device 20, and a spark wheel 33 for engaging with a typical flint (not shown) and for igniting the gas fuel flowing out of the gas container 10. A shroud 40 is also provided and disposed on top of the gas container 10 and/or attached onto the fences 11, 12 of the gas container 10 for shielding or protecting the flame flowing out through the valve device 20 and ignited by the igniting device 30. The shroud 40 also includes two inwardly folding ears 41 for engaging with the corresponding indentations 13 of the fences 11, 12 of the gas container 10 and for attaching the shroud 40 onto the gas container 10.
The shroud 40 also includes an aperture 42 formed in the upper portion 43 thereof through which a flame emanates, and includes a peripheral flange or wall 44 provided around the aperture 42 of the shroud 40 for forming or defining the aperture 42 of the shroud 40. The above-described shroud 40 is typical and attached or coupled to the fences 11, 12 of the gas container 10 with only the two inwardly folding ears 41 of the shroud 40 such that the shroud 40 may not be solidly secured to the gas container 10 and may have a good chance to be disengaged from the gas container particularly when the lighter is dropped onto the ground. When the shroud 40 is disengaged from the gas container 10, the latch 32, the knob 31, the valve device 20, the igniting device 30 and the other parts or elements will be exposed and will have a good chance to be easily damaged. The above-described structure for the lighter is typical and will not be described in further details.
The lighter in accordance with the present invention further includes a slot 22 formed in each of the fences 11, 12 of the gas container 10, a partition or plate 50 having two sides or end portions 51 engaged into the slots 22 of the fences 11, 12 of the gas container 10 for attaching or securing the plate 50 to the fences 11, 12 of the gas container 10. The plate 50 is preferably disposed or located between the valve device 20 and the spark wheel 33 and includes an opening 52 formed therein, such as formed in the lower portion thereof for allowing the sparks generate by the spark wheel 33 and the flint (not shown) to move or to go through the opening 52 of the plate 50 and to ignite the gas fuel flowing out through the valve device 20. The plate 50 may be solidly secured to the fences 11, 12 of the gas container 10 with such as rivets, latches or fasteners (not shown), adhesive materials, or by welding processes.
The plate 50 further includes a notch 53 formed therein, such as formed in the upper portion thereof. The shroud 40 further includes one or more anchoring members 45, such as two flaps 45 bent or extended from the peripheral wall 44 of the shroud 40 and engaged into the notch 53 of the plate 50 and solidly secured to the plate 50 with such as rivets, latches or fasteners (not shown), adhesive materials, or by welding processes for allowing the shroud 40 to be solidly secured to the fences 11, 12 of the gas container 10 and/or the plate 50 and to prevent the shroud 40 from being disengaged from the gas container 10 particularly when the lighter is dropped onto the ground.
Referring next to
The shroud 40 also includes an aperture 42 formed in the upper portion 43 and defined by a peripheral flange or wall 44, and one or more anchoring members 45, such as two flaps 45 bent or extended from the peripheral wall 44 of the shroud 40 and engaged into the notch 53 of the plate 50 and solidly secured to the plate 50. The difference is that the plate 50 further includes a casing 54 extended from the plate 50 for forming or defining the notch 53 of the plate 50 and for stably receiving or retaining the flaps 45 or the anchoring members 45 of the shroud 40 and thus for further stably anchoring the shroud 40 to the plate 50 and the gas container 10. The igniting device 30 may be a piezoelectric igniting device 30 having an igniting electrode 35 extended through an orifice 55 of the plate 50 for igniting the gas fuel flowing out of the valve device 20 of the gas container 10.
Referring next to
The plate 50 also includes a casing 54 extended from the plate 50 for forming or defining the notch 53 of the plate 50 and for stably receiving or retaining the flaps 45 or the anchoring members 45 of the shroud 40 and thus for further stably anchoring the shroud 40 to the plate 50 and the gas container 10. The difference is that the sides or end portions 51 of the plate 50 may include a relatively reduced size or height or length or dimension or volume for engaging into the corresponding narrower or reduced cavities 14 of the fences 11, 12 of the gas container 10 and for stably anchoring or securing the plate 50 to the fences 11, 12 of the gas container 10, and also for preventing the shroud 40 from being easily disengaged from the gas container 10.
Accordingly, the lighter in accordance with the present invention includes a retaining or securing device or structure for solidly attaching and coupling the shroud onto the gas container and for preventing the shroud from being easily disengaged from the gas container particularly when the lighter is dropped onto the ground.
Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
