HK1067691B - Multi-mode lighter - Google Patents

Description

Multi-mode lighter

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to lighters, such as pocket lighters used to light cigarettes and cigars, or utility lighters used to light candles, barbecue grills, fireplaces, or campfires, and more particularly to such lighters that are protected from inadvertent or undesired operation by unintended users.

Background

Lighters for igniting tobacco products, such as cigars, cigarettes and cigarette bags, have been proposed for many years. Typically, these lighters either employ a rotating friction element or a piezoelectric element to generate a spark near a nozzle that ejects the fuel in the fuel container. Piezoelectric mechanisms have become popular because they are relatively simple to use. U.S. patent No.5262697 to measury ("the' 697 patent"), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, discloses one such piezoelectric mechanism.

Lighters have also evolved from small cigarette lighters or pocket lighters to a wide variety of lighters for use in life. These lighters are widely used in various applications such as lighting candles, barbecue grills, fireplaces, and campfires. Earlier ideas on these lighters relied primarily on lengthening the actuating handle to accommodate a typical lighter at the tip. U.S. patent nos. 4259059 and 4462791 include examples of this principle.

Many compact and practical lighters have some mechanism for preventing an undesired child from igniting the lighter. These mechanisms are typically on/off switches that can shut off the fuel source or prevent an actuator, such as a button, from moving on the lighter. There are problems with such on/off switches that a user can switch between the "on" and "off positions. For example, an adult may forget to push the switch back to the "off" position after use, and thus such a switch is not effective.

Other small and useful lighters include a spring-biased latch that resists or prevents movement of the actuator or button. Various examples of such lighters are disclosed in U.S. patent No.5697775 to Saito and U.S. patent No.5145358 to Shike et al.

Thus, there remains a need for a lighter that prevents inadvertent or undesired operation by unintended users, but which allows each intended user to successfully ignite the lighter so that the lighter meets the needs of the individual using the lighter.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lighter having at least two modes of operation. In both modes of operation, the lighter preferably does not employ a latching mechanism that prevents or inhibits movement of the actuating member when the wand assembly is partially or fully in the extended position.

In one embodiment the present invention is directed to a lighter generally comprising a housing containing fuel, an actuating member for actuating the lighter, and a plunger member. The plunger member is preferably movable between a high-actuation-force position or first member position and a low-actuation-force position or second member position. The user is required to exert a first actuating force on the actuating member to ignite the fuel when the plunger member is in the first member position and a second actuating force on the actuating member to ignite the fuel when the plunger member is in the second member position. The first actuation force is greater than the second actuation force.

Specifically, in one embodiment, the plunger member in the high-actuation-force position indirectly actuates a biasing member such that the biasing member provides a first opposing force that counteracts or resists the actuation of the lighter. The biasing member will provide a second, different force that counteracts or resists the actuation of the lighter when the user changes the position of the plunger member or moves it to the low-actuation-force position.

Preferably, the first opposing force provided by the biasing member is greater than, and optionally substantially greater than, the second opposing force. Alternatively, the second opposing force provided by the biasing member may be substantially zero. The biasing member in the low-actuation-force mode may not react against the actuation portion or resist movement of the actuation member when a user applies a force to the actuation member to the same extent as in the high-actuation-force mode. In one embodiment, the plunger member in the high-actuation-force position is operatively engaged with, or in contact with, or connected to the actuation member. In the low-actuation-force position, the plunger member may be in contact with or disengaged from the actuation member such that the biasing member does not significantly impede or oppose movement of the actuation member.

According to one embodiment, the actuation member may selectively dispense fuel, actuate the ignition assembly, or perform both functions. The lighter may optionally have an ignition assembly that is actuated by an actuating member. The ignition assembly includes a piezoelectric unit. The actuation member may be at least one trigger. In the high-actuation-force position, the biasing member may prevent the trigger from moving to the actuated position by increasing the force required to actuate the trigger.

In another aspect, the latch member is operatively connected to the plunger member. The latch member may be connected to the housing in a variety of ways, such as pivotally, slidably, cantilevered, or a combination thereof. In a pivotal connection, one end of the latch member is connected to the housing, while the other end is free to move. Movement of the latch member may move the plunger member between the high-actuation-force position and the low-actuation-force position. The latch member may be separate from the externally applied biasing member or may be resiliently deformable, or the plunger member may be moved or repositioned directly by the user.

In an alternative embodiment, the lighter includes a plunger member having an engagement portion, the plunger member being movable between a first, rest state and a second state, and an actuating assembly having an engagement portion. In the first state, the engagement portion of the plunger member is connected to the engagement portion of the actuation assembly, and the actuation assembly moves the engagement portion of the plunger member. In the second state, the engagement portion of the plunger member is not engaged with the engagement portion of the actuation assembly.

It is a preferred aspect of the multi-mode lighter of at least one embodiment of the present invention that the first and second trigger forces required to operate the lighter in either mode remain substantially constant, and preferably the first trigger force remains substantially constant, after multiple actuations of the lighter. Thus, the first and second opposing forces exerted by the biasing member preferably do not substantially diminish with use of the lighter.

According to yet another embodiment, a lighter includes a housing containing fuel, an ignition assembly for igniting the dispensed fuel, an actuating member associated with the housing, and a repositionable plunger member operatively connected to the housing. A predetermined activation force is required to move the activation member to the activated position to activate the lighter. In the first position, the plunger member is connected with the actuation member such that a first actuation force is required to move the actuation member to the actuation position, the first actuation force being greater than a force of the operating system.

In accordance with a preferred aspect of the multi-mode lighter, the first or high-actuation-force mode is preferably dependent on physical characteristics of the user, and more particularly on the force characteristics, while the second or low-actuation-force mode is preferably dependent on the user's identification ability and skill. In another preferred alternative aspect of such a lighter, the user may actuate the lighter with a single finger in the high-actuation-force mode. Additionally, in accordance with another preferred alternative aspect of the lighter, the user is required to actuate the lighter with two fingers in the low-actuation-force mode. Another preferred optional feature of the lighter is that the lighter may be actuated in the high-actuation-force mode with a different actuation sequence or movement than in the low-actuation-force mode.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a lighter includes a housing containing fuel, an ignition member for selectively igniting the fuel, an actuating member associated with the housing, and first and second inhibiting members for at least increasing the difficulty of moving the actuating member to ignite the fuel. The at least one blocking member may move the actuating member but may stop it sufficiently to prevent ignition of the fuel.

According to another aspect of the invention, a first latching force is required to move the latch from the first latching position to the second latching position when a user attempts to move the latch before the actuation member moves. When the user moves the actuating member a predetermined distance before moving the latch, a second latching force is required to move the latch from the first latching position to the second latching position. The second latching force is different from the first latching force.

When the latch is in the first latch position (e.g., "high-force mode"), a first actuation force needs to be applied to the actuation member to ignite the fuel, and when the latch is in the second latch position (e.g., "low-force mode"), a second actuation force needs to be applied to the actuation member to ignite the fuel. The first actuation force is different from the second actuation force. The first actuation force is preferably greater than the second actuation force.

According to one embodiment, the second latching force may be greater than the first latching force or the latch may be substantially prevented from moving from the first latching position to the second latching position when a user moves the actuating member a predetermined distance before attempting to move the latch.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the lighter has a movable wand assembly. According to one embodiment, the lever assembly is operatively connected to the actuating member such that when the lever member is in the first position, the actuating member is sufficiently deactivated to prevent ignition of the fuel. The actuation member may be sufficiently deactivated to prevent release of fuel and/or to prevent sparking. When the rod-like member is in at least one second position, the actuating member is moved sufficiently to ignite the fuel. In a preferred embodiment, the actuation member may be substantially stopped when the lever assembly is in the first position. The lever assembly is preferably pivotally connected to the housing and the actuating member is preferably slidable.

The lighter also includes a cam follower having a first portion that interacts with a cam surface formed on the wand assembly and a second portion that interacts with the actuating member. The cam follower may be biased toward the cam surface. Pivoting of the lever assembly causes the cam surface to move the cam follower. The cam follower second portion may substantially stop the actuation member when the lever assembly is in the first position, thereby preventing ignition of the fuel. The cam follower second portion may cause the actuation member to move sufficiently to ignite the fuel when the lever assembly is in the second position.

The cam surface includes a first detent that engages a first portion of the cam follower when the lever assembly is in the first position. The cam surface further includes a second stop spaced a distance from the first stop for providing resistance against movement of the lever assembly. The first portion of the cam follower is engaged with the second detent when the lever assembly is in the second position. The first position is in the closed position and the second position is in the extended position, and the cam surface further includes at least one or more additional detents located between the first and second detents for engaging the first portion of the cam follower when the lever assembly is in at least one or more intermediate positions.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the lever assembly is pivotally connected to the housing and has a high lever force position and a low lever force position for rotating the lever assembly. A pivoting force acting on a point on the lever assembly and sufficient to pivot the lever assembly is greater when the lever assembly is in the high lever force position than when the lever assembly is in the low lever force position. Preferably, there is at least one high lever force position and at least one low lever force position between the closed and extended positions of the lever assembly. At least one additional high lever force position is located in the extended position and/or the closed position of the lever assembly. Alternatively, at least one additional low lever force position is in the extended and/or closed position.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the lever assembly is releasably disposable in at least one intermediate position between the closed position and the extended position. The cam follower releasably positions the lever assembly in the at least one intermediate position. The lever assembly is also releasably positionable in an extended position and/or a closed position.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the lighter includes an ignition assembly for igniting the fuel, an actuating member for selectively operatively actuating the ignition assembly, and a conduit extending through the wand assembly. The conduit includes a tube defining a passage for delivering fuel from the container to the nozzle. A coiled wire is received within the passage and is electrically connected to the ignition assembly and the nozzle. The lighter also includes an insulated wire connecting the ignition assembly to the metal rod, the insulated wire being at least partially coiled around the tube.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the lighter includes at least one component that fluidly couples the fuel source to the nozzle and electrically couples the ignition assembly to the nozzle. The lighter includes a wand assembly pivotable about a pivot axis, the at least one component being spaced a distance from the pivot axis and extending at least partially through the wand assembly. The lever assembly defines an aperture spaced a distance from the pivot axis through which the at least one component extends. The aperture is preferably an arcuate slot. The at least one component may be a conduit for transporting fuel with a wire and/or a partially insulated wire therein.

Drawings

Preferred features of the present invention are disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

fig. 1 is a side view, partially cut away, of an embodiment of a utility lighter with various internal components removed for clarity and easier understanding, the lighter being shown in an initial state with the wand assembly in a closed position, the trigger and latch assembly in the initial state, and the plunger assembly in a high-actuation-force position;

fig. 1A is an enlarged exploded perspective view showing several components of a fuel delivery unit for use on the lighter of fig. 1;

fig. 1B is an enlarged side view, with a portion cut away, of the rear portion of the utility lighter of fig. 1;

fig. 2 is a partial side view of the lighter of fig. 1 with many of the components removed for clarity and better understanding of various internal parts such as the latch member, the plunger member, and the biasing member, showing the trigger and the latch member in an initial state and the plunger member in a high-actuation-force position;

fig. 3 is an enlarged, exploded, perspective view of the lighter of fig. 1 with the housing removed and the various components removed;

fig. 3A is an enlarged exploded perspective view illustrating another embodiment plunger member and piston member for use with the lighter of fig. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the components shown in FIG. 3;

fig. 5 is an enlarged, partial side view of the lighter of fig. 1, showing the plunger member in a high-actuation-force position and the trigger in an initial position;

fig. 6 is an enlarged, partial side view of the lighter of fig. 1, showing the plunger member in a high-actuation-force position and the trigger in a depressed position;

fig. 7 is an enlarged, partial, side view of the lighter of fig. 1, where the latch member has been depressed, the plunger member is in the low-actuation-force position, and the trigger is in the initial position;

fig. 8 is an enlarged, partial, side view of the lighter of fig. 1, showing the latch member depressed, the plunger member in the low-actuation-force position, and the trigger in the depressed position;

fig. 9 is an exploded partial perspective view of the lighter of fig. 1, showing the housing and the wand assembly separated;

fig. 9A is an exploded partial perspective view illustrating various components of a wand assembly for use with the lighter of fig. 1;

fig. 10 is an enlarged, partial side view of the front portion of the lighter of fig. 1, showing the wand assembly in the closed position;

fig. 10A is an enlarged, partial, side view of the front portion of the lighter of fig. 10, showing the partially-extended wand assembly pivoted approximately 20;

fig. 11 is an enlarged, partial, side view of the front portion of the lighter of fig. 10, showing the partially-extended wand assembly pivoted approximately 45;

fig. 12 is an enlarged, partial, side view of the front portion of the lighter of fig. 10, showing the partially-extended wand assembly pivoted approximately 90;

fig. 13 is an enlarged, partial, side view of the front portion of the lighter of fig. 10, showing the wand assembly fully extended, pivoted approximately 160;

fig. 14 is an enlarged, partial, side view of the front portion of the lighter of fig. 10, showing the partially-extended wand assembly pivoted approximately 135;

fig. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of the lighter cam follower of fig. 1;

fig. 16 is a side view, partially cut away and partially in section, of a lighter according to a second embodiment of the present invention, with the trigger and latch member in an initial state and the plunger member in a high-actuation-force position;

fig. 16A is a schematic top view illustrating a portion of the piston member, plunger member and high tension spring of the lighter of fig. 16;

fig. 17 is a partial perspective view, partially cut away, of the lighter of fig. 16, with the lighter in a depressed state of the latch member and the plunger member in a low-actuation-force position;

fig. 18 is a partial perspective view, partially cut away, of a third embodiment of the lighter of the present invention, showing the lighter in an initial state with the plunger member in a high-actuation-force position;

fig. 18A is a schematic top view illustrating a portion of the piston member and plunger member of the lighter of fig. 18;

fig. 19 is a partial perspective view, partially cut away, of the lighter of fig. 18, with the lighter in a depressed state of the latch member and the plunger member in a low-actuation-force position;

fig. 20 is a partial side view, partially cut away, of a fourth embodiment of the lighter of the present invention, showing the trigger and latch member in an initial state and the plunger member in a high-actuation-force position;

fig. 21 is a partial side view, partially cut away, of the lighter of fig. 20, with the lighter in a depressed state of the latch member and the plunger member in a low-actuation-force position;

fig. 22 is a partial side view, partially cut away, of a fifth embodiment of the lighter of the present invention, showing the wand assembly in the closed position;

fig. 23 is a partial side view, partially cut away, of a sixth embodiment of the lighter of the present invention, showing the wand assembly in the closed position;

fig. 24 is a partial side view, partially cut away, of the lighter of the present invention shown in fig. 23, with the wand assembly in an extended position;

fig. 25 is a partial side view, partially cut away, of a seventh embodiment of the lighter of the present invention, showing the wand assembly in the closed position;

fig. 26 is a partial side view, partially cut away, of the lighter of the present invention shown in fig. 25, with the wand assembly in an extended position;

fig. 27 is a partial side view, partially cut away, of an eighth embodiment of the lighter of the present invention, showing the wand assembly in the closed position;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the trigger, electrical contacts and conductive strip of FIG. 27;

FIG. 29 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the ninth embodiment of the invention with the plunger assembly in the high-actuation-force position and the trigger in the initial position;

fig. 29A is an enlarged, partial, side view of the lighter of fig. 29, showing the plunger member in a high-actuation-force position and the trigger in a depressed position;

FIG. 30 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the tenth embodiment of the invention with the plunger assembly in the high-actuation-force position and the trigger in the initial position;

fig. 30A is an enlarged, partial side view of the lighter of fig. 30, showing the plunger member in a high-actuation-force position and the trigger in a depressed position;

FIG. 31 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation showing an eleventh embodiment of the invention with the trigger in an initial position;

fig. 31A is an enlarged, partial, side view of the lighter of fig. 31, showing the trigger in a depressed position.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, there is shown one embodiment of a utility lighter 2 constructed in accordance with the present invention, in which case it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous variations and substitutions of the various components may be made. Although the present invention has been described in terms of a utility lighter, it is readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that such description may be applied to conventional pocket-mounted pocket lighters and the like.

Lighter 2 generally includes a housing 4 that is constructed primarily of a molded rigid polymer or plastic, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene terpolymer or the like. The housing may also be formed in two parts which may be welded together by methods well known to those skilled in the art, such as ultrasonic welding.

The housing 4 includes various support members such as a support member 4a described below. Other support features are also formed on lighter 2 for various purposes, such as support elements or control element movement paths. The housing 4 further comprises a handle 6 forming a first end 8 and a second end 9 of the housing. A lever assembly 10, to be described below, is rotatably connected to the second end 9 of the housing.

Referring to fig. 1, 1A and 1B, the handle 6 preferably includes a fuel delivery unit 11 that includes a fuel container or body 12, a valve actuator 14, an injection valve assembly 15, a spring 16, a guide 18, and a retainer 20. The container 12 supports the other components of the fuel delivery unit 11 and defines a fuel compartment 12a and a small chamber 12b, and further includes a pair of spaced support members 12c, the support members 12c projecting upwardly from the top edges thereof. The support member 12c forms an opening 12 d. The fuel compartment 12a contains fuel F, which may be a compressed hydrocarbon gas such as butane or a mixture of propane and butane, etc.

Referring to fig. 1A and 1B, the valve actuator 14 is rotatably supported on the compartment 12 below the support member 12 c. The valve actuator 14 is connected to an injection valve assembly 15 comprising an injection rod or valve stem 15a and an electrode 15b, the electrode 15b being optional. The injection valve assembly is of a normally open valve design and is closed by the pressure of the spring member 16 acting on the valve actuator 14. Or the injection valve assembly may also be of a normally closed valve design.

Suitable fuel delivery units 11 are disclosed in U.S. patent No.5934895 ("the' 895 patent"), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Alternative arrangements of fuel delivery unit 11 may also be employed as disclosed in U.S. patent No.5520197 ("the '197 patent") or U.S. patent No.5435719 ("the' 719 patent"), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The fuel delivery units disclosed in the above-mentioned patents may be employed, all of the disclosed components may be employed, or various components such as windshields, latch springs, latches, etc. may be eliminated, as desired by one of ordinary skill. Other arrangements of the fuel delivery unit may also be employed.

Referring to fig. 1A, the guide 18 has a wall that forms a notch 18a and a projection 18 b. When the lighter is assembled, the guide 18 is disposed between the support members 12c, and the support members 12c may be bent outward to fit into the guide 18. Once the projection 18b is aligned with the opening 12b, the support member 12c returns to its original vertical position. The interaction of the projection 18b and the opening 12b allows the guide 18 to be secured within the body 12.

Referring to fig. 1A and 1B, the retainer 20 includes a first portion 20a forming an aperture 20B and an L-shaped rear portion 20 c. A fuel connection 22 is arranged at the top of the nozzle 15a, in which a fuel conduit 23 is mounted. However, the connector is optional, and the conduit may be provided directly on the nozzle 15a if the connector is not used.

The positioner 20 correctly positions the fuel conduit 23 relative to the injection valve assembly 15 by passing the conduit 23 through the aperture 20b so that the conduit 23 is located within the connector 22. The details of the guide duct 23 are explained below. The rear portion 20c of the retainer 10 is disposed in the notch 18a of the guide 18. The locator 20 and guide 18 are formed so that these components can be snapped together quickly to properly position the conduit 23 relative to the injection valve assembly 15. The guide 18 and the locator 20 are optional and the housing 4 or other components of the lighter may be used to support and locate the connector 22 and the conduit 23. In addition, the guide member 18 and the retainer 20 may have different structures as long as they can function to dispose the connection member 22 and the guide tube 23 on the nozzle 15 a.

The container 12, guide 18, retainer 20 and connector 22 may be made of plastic. However, the valve actuator 14, the valve stem 15a and the electrode 15b are preferably made of conductive materials. The fuel delivery unit 11 may be a pre-assembled unit comprising a fuel delivery container 12, an injection valve assembly 15 and a biased valve actuator 14. The housing support member 4a helps to locate and maintain the position of the fuel delivery unit 11 when the unit 11 is disposed in a lighter, as shown in fig. 1. The housing support unit 4b helps to position the locator 20.

Referring again to fig. 1, lighter 2 further includes an actuating member 25 which actuates movement of the valve actuator to selectively release fuel F. In this embodiment, the actuating member also selectively actuates the pilot fuel ignition assembly 26. Or the actuating member may perform both the discharge of fuel and the ignition operation, while another mechanism or assembly may perform other operations. The actuation member 25 in the exemplified embodiment comprises a trigger. In another embodiment, the actuation member may be part of an actuation assembly, as explained below.

Referring to FIG. 1B, although not necessary for all aspects of the invention, the preferred ignition assembly 26 is an electrical ignition assembly such as a piezoelectric mechanism. The ignition assembly may alternatively include other electronic ignition components such as those shown in U.S. patent nos. 3758820 and 5496169, spark wheels and flint assemblies, or other well known mechanisms used in the art to generate a spark or ignite a fuel. The ignition assembly may alternatively comprise a battery having, for example, a coil connected at both poles thereof. The piezoelectric mechanism may be of the type described in the' 697 patent. The piezoelectric mechanism 26 is shown schematically in FIG. 1B and is described in detail in the' 697 patent.

The piezoelectric unit 26 includes an upper portion 26a and a lower portion 26b that are slidable relative to each other along a common axis. A coil spring, or return spring 30, is disposed between the upper and lower portions 26a and 26b of the piezoelectric unit. The return spring 30 is intended to oppose the pressure of the piezo-element and, when arranged in the actuation member 25, to prevent a depression of the actuation member 25. The lower portion 26b of the piezoelectric unit is housed in the mating chamber 12b of the fuel delivery unit 11. The piezoelectric unit 26 also includes electrical contacts or cam members 32 fixedly attached to the upper portion 26 a. In the starting position, the upper and lower portions 26a and 26b are separated by a gap X, and the cam member 32 is formed of an electrically conductive material. The upper portion 26a is connected to the actuating member 25. The spark wire or wire 28 is partially insulated and may be electrically connected to the electrical contacts 29 of the piezoelectric unit in any known manner.

As shown in fig. 1, the latch member 34 is located on the top side of the handle, and the actuating member 25 opposes the latch member 34, near the bottom side of the handle. Referring to fig. 2-4, the latch member 34 generally includes an unsupported movable front end 36 including a downwardly extending post 36a and a rear end 38 rotatably secured to a pivot 40 of the housing 4. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill that the latch member 34 may be otherwise connected to the housing, such as in a cantilevered, sliding or rotating manner. When the latch member 34 is slidable, it may be used with a cam.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, leaf spring 42 includes a front end 42a and a rear end 42 b. As best seen in fig. 4, the leaf spring 42 is curved such that the front end 42a is spaced above the rear end 42 b. The leaf spring may be shaped, for example, may be shaped in a planar shape, depending on the configuration of the components of the lighter and the space considerations necessary. Alternatively, the leaf spring may be disposed at the front of the latch member 44. Alternatively, the leaf spring may be replaced with a coil spring, a cantilever spring, or any other biasing member suitable for biasing the latch member 34.

Referring to fig. 5, the rear end 42b of the leaf spring 42 is disposed within the housing 4 between the support members 4c such that the end 42b is connected to the housing 4, the spring 42 being substantially similar in operation to a cantilever member. Due to the construction, size and material of the spring 42, the front end 42a is free to move and is biased upwardly so as to return the latch member front end 36 to its original position, as shown in FIG. 5. The unsupported front end 36 of the latch member 34 can move downwardly with the front end 42a of the spring 42.

The latch member 34 is preferably made of plastic, while the leaf spring is preferably made of a resilient metal, such as spring steel, stainless steel, or other types of materials. It should be noted that although leaf spring 42 is shown housed within housing 4, it may be attached to other components of the lighter.

Referring to FIG. 1, additional details of the actuating member or trigger 25 are described below. The trigger is preferably slidably connected to the housing 4. The trigger 25 and housing 4 may be sized and configured such that forward and rearward movement of the trigger is limited. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the trigger may be otherwise coupled or connected to the housing, such as in a pivotal, pivotal or cantilevered manner. For example, the trigger may be a linkage system or may be formed of two pieces, one of which is slidably connected to the housing and the other of which pivots.

Referring now to fig. 3, the trigger 25 includes a lower portion 44 and an upper portion 46. Referring to fig. 3-4, the lower portion 44 includes a front finger actuation surface 48, a first chamber 50 (shown in phantom), and a second chamber 52 (shown in phantom). When the trigger 25 is housed within the housing 4, the finger actuation surface 48 extends from the housing so that it can be operated by a user's finger (not shown).

In this embodiment, the upper and lower portions of the trigger 25 are formed as one body. Or the upper and lower parts may be formed as two separate pieces which may be welded together, or the trigger may be part of a multi-part unit.

Referring to fig. 4 and 5, the first and second chambers 50 and 52 of the trigger 25 are horizontally disposed. The first chamber 50 is located below the second chamber 52, and the first chamber 50 is configured to receive an actuating return spring 53. The spring 53 is disposed between the trigger 25 and the first spring stop portion or support member 4d of the housing 4. Referring to fig. 4, the trigger 25 further includes an extension 54 extending rearwardly from the lower portion 44 into which the second chamber 52 projects. The second chamber is configured to receive an ignition assembly 26 (shown in FIG. 1).

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the upper portion 46 of the trigger 25 includes two L-shaped guides. In this embodiment, the guide is a side cut out in the side wall 57 as represented by cut out 56. The cutout 56 includes a first portion 56a and a second portion 56b in communication with the first portion 56 a. The second portion 56b includes a wall 56c that is substantially parallel to the vertical axis V. The vertical axis V is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L and the transverse axis T (shown in fig. 1). In this embodiment the guide is a cut-out, but in another embodiment the trigger may have solid side walls and the guide may be formed on the inner surface of the side walls.

Referring to fig. 3, the upper trigger portion 46 also includes a rear cutout 58 and a notch 60 in an upper trigger wall 61. The upper portion 46 also includes a forwardly projecting engagement portion 62 having an engagement surface 62a, the function of which engagement portion 62 will be described in greater detail below.

Referring to fig. 1 and 3, in this embodiment, the upper portion 46 of the trigger 25 and the guide 56 form part of a dual mode assembly. The dual mode assembly also includes a plunger member 63 and a piston member 74. In this embodiment, the upper and lower portions 46 and 44 of the trigger are formed as one piece. In another embodiment, the upper and lower portions 46 and 44 may be formed as separate pieces that are operatively connected together.

The plunger member 63 is positioned below the latch member 34 when installed in the lighter. The plunger member 63 is substantially T-shaped having a longitudinally extending body portion 64 and a transversely extending head portion 66. As can be seen in fig. 4, the head 66 has a flat front surface 66 a. This surface 66a is generally parallel to the vertical axis V when the plunger member 63 is installed in the trigger 25.

Referring to fig. 3, the main body portion 64 includes two laterally extending pins 68 at the rear end, a recess 70 on the upper surface and a vertically extending projection 72 that projects from the bottom surface of the main body portion 64. The recess 70 is optional.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in other embodiments, the wall 56c of the trigger 25 and the wall 66a of the plunger member 63 may have different configurations. For example, the walls may be inclined with respect to a vertical axis. For example, walls 66a and 56a may be sloped, generally parallel to a line A1 that is offset from vertical axis V by an angle β. Walls 66a and 56c may alternatively be sloped, generally parallel to a line A2 that is offset from vertical axis V by an angle θ. Or wall 56c may be formed to include a V-shaped notch and wall 66a may include a V-shaped projection that may be placed in the V-shaped notch of wall 56c, or vice versa.

Referring to fig. 4 and 5, the piston member 74 includes a rear portion 76 and a front portion 78. The rear portion 76 includes a vertical rear wall 76 for contacting a high-force spring or biasing member 80. The spring 80 is disposed between the wall 76a and a second spring stop portion or support member 4e of the housing 4. Referring again to fig. 4, the rear portion 76 also includes a horizontal cutout 76b that forms a stop member 76 c. The cutout 76b and the stop member 76c allow the piston member 74 to be slidably mounted on a track (not shown) of the housing and allow the piston member 74 to slide a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction to allow the plunger member 63 to function, as will be described below.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the front portion 78 of the piston member 74 includes two spaced arms 82, the arms 82 and the front portion 78 forming cutouts 84 that receive the pins 68 of the plunger member 63. The cutout 84 and the pin 68 of the plunger member 63 are shaped and dimensioned to allow the plunger member 63 to rotate relative to the piston member 74, as will be described in greater detail below. In this embodiment the plunger member 63 is rotatably connected to the piston member 74, whereas in another embodiment the plunger member 63 is fixedly connected to the piston member 74, but the plunger member is elastically deformable.

The front portion 78 of the piston member 74 also includes a downwardly extending support portion 86 that includes a horizontal table 88 having an extending pin 90. Referring to fig. 3 and 5, when the piston member 74 is assembled in the lighter, the platform 88 passes through the rear cutout 58 of the trigger 25 and the pin 90 is aligned with the pin 72 of the plunger member 63 such that the pins 72 and 90 secure the plunger return spring 92 therebetween. The plunger member 63 contacts the upper wall 61 (see fig. 3) by the action of a return spring 92 which biases the plunger member upwardly back to its starting position.

Referring to fig. 3A, a preferred embodiment of a plunger member 63 'and a piston member 74' are shown for use in the lighter 2 of fig. 1. Plunger member 63 ' is similar to plunger member 63 except that body member 64 ' includes a single central pin portion 68 ' and a notch 68. The piston member 74 ' is similar to the piston member 74 except that the front portion 78 ' of the piston member 74 ' includes a single arm 82 ' that forms a cutout 84 ' for rotating the pin 68 ' that supports the plunger member 63 '. The notch 68 receives the arm 82 'as the plunger member 63' is rotated downwardly.

The operation of the actuating member 25 will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 6 and 8. Referring to fig. 9, in accordance with another aspect of lighter 2, the lighter includes a wand assembly 10, the details of which are described below. Wand assembly 10 may be removably attached to housing 4 and/or formed separately from housing 4. Wand assembly 10 is rotatable between a first or closed position, shown in fig. 1 and 10, and a second or open or fully extended position, shown in fig. 13. In the closed position, the wand assembly is folded against the housing 4 for transport and storage of the lighter 2. In the fully extended position, wand assembly 10 is extended outwardly, away from housing 4.

Referring to fig. 9 and 9A, wand assembly 10 includes a wand 101 fixedly attached to a base member 102. The shaft 101 is a cylindrical tube of metal that can receive the catheter 23 (shown in fig. 1) and the guidewire 28. The stem 101 also includes a small projection 101a integrally formed near the free end of the stem. Or a separate tab may be attached to the rod.

Referring to fig. 9 and 9A, the base member 102 may be received in a recess 104 formed in the second end 9 of the housing 4. The recess 104 is located between the sides of the housing 4. Thus, wand assembly 10 is positioned between these sides.

The base member 102 includes two body portions 106a and 106b, generally cylindrical in shape, defining an aperture 108. According to the illustrated embodiment, the bodies 106a and 106b form a channel 106c such that when the body portions 106a and 106b are welded together, a chamber 107 is formed in the channel 106 c. One method for welding the base member pieces is ultrasonic welding, however the present invention is not limited to this configuration and shape of the base member 102.

The body portion 106b defines an aperture 109. as best shown in fig. 10, the aperture 109 is an arcuate slot that extends through the body portion 106b and communicates with the channel 106c and the chamber 107 (see fig. 9) defined therein. The function of the arcuate slot 109 will be described in detail below.

Referring again to fig. 9, the housing 4 includes a pair of shafts 101a and 101b formed on an inner surface 112 thereof. Shaft 101a is a male component and shaft 101b is a female component. These shafts 101a and 101b are shaped and dimensioned so as to snap together quickly during welding. The shafts 101a and 101b may be welded by ultrasonic welding, or other welding methods known to those of ordinary skill. In another alternative, the shafts 101a and 101b may be separated by a distance. Once assembled, the shafts 101a and 101b extend into the apertures 108 to rotatably couple the wand assembly 10 to the housing 4. The shaft 101 thus constitutes a pivot axis P for the rotation of the lever assembly. The pivot axis P preferably extends laterally (i.e., from one side of the housing 4 to the other side, not extending perpendicularly therefrom) and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L, although other orientations of the pivot axis P are possible within the scope of the invention. The housing 4 also includes a gasket 113 formed on the inner surface 112 of the housing 4 to support the base member 102 in the recess 104. The base member 102 also includes a pair of selectively frictional members on opposite sides thereof. For example, a pair of rubber O-rings are secured on opposite sides of the base member against the gasket 113. The optional friction member may be used to provide resistance to rotation of wand assembly 10 about pivot axis P.

Returning to fig. 1, the lighter housing 4 also includes a vertical wall 4f at the front end 9. The base member 102 also includes a generally radially extending projection 106 d. The engagement between this wall 4f and the projection 106d may prevent the lever 101 from moving in the direction W1 significantly beyond the fully extended position shown in fig. 13. In addition, there is a slight gap between the vertical wall 4f and the projection 106d of the base member 102 when the lever assembly is in the fully extended position.

Referring to fig. 10-14, the lighter 2 has a cam member 116 that releasably positions and secures the wand assembly 10 in different ones of the closed position (see fig. 10) and the fully extended position (see fig. 13), as well as intermediate positions therebetween (see fig. 11 and 12). Cam follower 116 may also prevent a user from moving or, more specifically, sliding trigger 25 sufficiently to ignite lighter 2 when wand assembly 10 is in the closed position shown in fig. 10, and may continue to prevent such substantial movement of trigger 25 until wand assembly 10 has been rotated to a predetermined position, such as from the closed position to a position of about 40 deg., as will be explained below. This stopping of the trigger 25 may prevent ignition of the lighter or ignition of the flame by preventing the release of fuel. For example, flame generation may be inhibited by inhibiting spark generation.

Referring to fig. 15, cam follower 116 is rotatably mounted on a post 117 (best shown in fig. 9) formed on housing 4. The cam follower 116 includes a hub 118 and first and second engagement portions 119 and 120 extending from approximately opposite sides of the hub 118. The hub 118 includes a bore 118a for receiving the post 117. The first engagement portion 119 includes a follower end 112 that can interact with a camming surface 124 formed on the base member 102 (see fig. 9). The second engagement portion 120 includes a second engagement surface 126a that contacts the first engagement surface 62a (see fig. 10) formed on the trigger 25. Although the first and second engagement surfaces 62a and 126a are shown as hook portions 62 and 126, other forms of engagement surfaces known to those of ordinary skill are also suitable for the scope of the present invention. The hook 126 may alternatively engage other components of the lighter, such as a connecting member, to prevent the generation of a flame.

Referring again to fig. 10, the cam follower 116 is biased counterclockwise by a biasing member 128, shown in the figure as a compression spring, such that the follower end 122 contacts and follows the cam surface 124. A seat 130 is formed on the housing 4 and a projection 132 (see fig. 15) is formed on the first engagement portion 119 to secure the biasing member 128 in place. The seat 130 and projection 132 are formed on opposing parts in another embodiment. In addition, the biasing member 128, which is shown as a coil spring in the figures, may also be a tension spring or leaf spring, or any other form of suitable biasing member known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Follower end 124 may alternatively provide a spring bias of cam follower 116 against cam surface 124. For example, the cam follower 116 may be a resilient member compressed within the housing 4 such that the follower end 122 may be resiliently biased against the cam surface 124.

Camming surface 124 is an undulating surface that includes a series of first engagement portions 134a-d, which are shown as detents 134 a-d. The first engagement portions 134a-d engage the follower end 122 of the first engagement portion 119. The detents 134a-d are shown as grooves formed in the base 102. The groove may receive an outward projection of the follower end 122 such that the follower end 122 may move radially inward to rotate the cam follower 116 clockwise about the post 117. In the illustrated embodiment, the first detent 134a is a slanted cut, larger than the other detents 134b-d, and the remaining detents are concave cuts. The detent 134a includes an inclined surface portion 135 such that the inclined surface portion 135 forms a low pressure angle as the follower end 122 moves along the cam surface 124 over the first detent 134 a. Due to this low pressure angle, biasing member 128 is gradually compressed as base member 102 rotates clockwise, while follower end 122 moves from first detent 134a to second detent 134b, thereby providing a smooth gradual rotation to the user as lever assembly 10 is rotated away from the closed position. This low pressure angle also reduces wear and stress on the cam follower 116 and base member 102.

The present invention is not limited to the shape and configuration of the detents 134a-d shown in the drawings and the detents 134a-d may be, for example, lugs, ridges or projections formed on the base member 102 that engage the follower end 122 and cause the end to move radially outward causing the cam follower to rotate counterclockwise. The invention is also not limited to the number and location of the detents shown in the figures. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the shape and configuration of cam follower 116 and ends 122 and 126. The configuration of cam follower 116, ends 122, 126 and detents 134a-d may be varied, for example, to vary the force necessary to move rod assembly 10, such as to vary the force necessary to maintain the rod assembly in the closed position or the extended position including the intermediate position, or the configuration of cam follower 116, ends 122, 126 and detents 134-d.

Referring again to fig. 10, lighter 2 is shown with wand assembly 10 in the closed position. In this position the follower end 122 is biased against the first detent 134a at a first radial distance R1 from the pivot axis P. Because first detent 134a includes sloped surface 135, wand assembly 10 must be rotated a predetermined distance, preferably 40, before hook 126 can be disengaged from hook 62. When wand assembly 10 is in the closed position, or the angle of rotation is less than a predetermined distance, hook 126 remains in opposition to hook 62 of trigger 25, such that walls 26a and 126a of the hook will engage upon depression of actuation 25. The hooks 62, 126 may be spaced apart, or configured to partially depress the trigger 25, but not sufficiently depress to ignite the lighter 2, or configured to not depress the trigger 25 at all.

The hook walls 62a and 126a contact when the hooks 62 and 126 engage each other. The hook walls 62a, 126a are shown in the figures as being oriented substantially parallel to a vertical axis V that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L and the pivot axis P. This configuration of the hooks 62, 126 may increase the force required to depress the trigger 25 sufficiently to ignite the lighter.

The hook walls 62a, 126a may alternatively be angled, for example the hook walls 62a, 126a may be angled substantially parallel to a line B1, which line B1 is offset from the vertical axis V by an angle γ, such that the hooks 62, 126 interlock. This hook configuration may increase the force required to depress the trigger 25 sufficiently to ignite the lighter. The force required for the interlocking structure may be greater than the force required for the vertical wall structure.

The hook walls 62a, 126 may alternatively be inclined to a generally parallel line B2 that forms an angle δ with the vertical axis V. Upon application of a predetermined force, the hook will deform and disengage. This hook configuration may increase the force required to depress trigger 25 sufficiently to ignite the lighter, but to a lesser extent than if walls 62a and 126a were perpendicular or at angle γ.

According to the embodiment of hooks 62 and 126 shown in fig. 10, trigger 25 may be depressed sufficiently to ignite lighter 2 when wand assembly 10 is in the closed position, but, due to the interaction between hooks 62, 126, a greater force is required than would be required if the wand assembly were rotated to the extended position or an intermediate position therebetween. The amount of increased force required to fully depress trigger 25 to ignite lighter 2 when wand assembly 10 is in the closed position may be varied by, for example, varying the angle of hook walls 62a, 126a and/or varying the material from which hooks 62, 126 are made.

Wand assembly 10 provides resistance to inadvertent rotation when in the closed position because wand assembly 10 is moved to the extended position or in first direction W₁Will cause the follower end 122 to slide along the ramped surface 135 and compress the biasing spring 28. Thus, to rotate wand assembly 10 when wand assembly 10 is in the closed position, a user must apply a significant amount of force to the wand assembly in order to cause follower end 122 to move over sloped surface 135 and compress biasing member 128.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate and understand that the force required may also be varied by selecting a biasing member 128 having a particular spring constant and/or by varying the geometry of camming surface 124. These features are used to releasably secure wand assembly 10 in the closed position. Referring to fig. 1, lighter 2 further includes an optional projection (not shown) in recess 4f of housing 4 to releasably secure the wand 101 in the closed position.

Referring to fig. 10A, 11 and 12, lighter 2 is shown with wand assembly 10 in a partially extended or intermediate position. In thatIn the initial position, as shown in FIG. 10, the wand assembly has a central axis C_W1. In a first intermediate position, as shown in FIG. 10A, wand assembly 10 is rotated through an angle of rotation α of about 20, which is formed at the starting central axis C of wand 101_W1And the central axis C is shown in the figure_W20With follower end 122 (shown in phantom) on first detent 134 a.

In a second intermediate position, as shown in fig. 11, wand assembly 10 is rotated through an angle of rotation α of about 45 °, which is formed at the starting central axis C of wand 101_W1And a central axis C in the position shown in the figure_W45In this case, the follower end 122 is located on the second piece 134 b.

In a third intermediate position, as shown in fig. 12, wand assembly 10 is rotated through an angle of rotation α of about 90 °. The rotation angle alpha is formed at the center axis CW of the shaft 101₁And a central axis C in the position shown in the figure_W90With the follower end 122 located on the third detent 134 c.

In a fourth intermediate position, as shown in fig. 14, wand assembly 10 has been rotated through an angle of rotation α of about 135 °. The rotation angle alpha is formed at the starting center axis C of the lever 101_W1And a central axis C in the position shown in the figure_W135With the follower end 122 intermediate the third detent 134c and the fourth detent 134 d.

In the fully extended position, as shown in FIG. 13, wand assembly 10 is rotated through an angle α of approximately 160. The rotation angle alpha is formed at the starting center axis C of the lever 101_W1And a central axis C in the position shown in the figure_W160With the follower end 122 located on the fourth detent 134 d.

Referring to fig. 10A, the cam follower 116 is shown in its initial position in solid lines and in its radially displaced position in phantom lines. When lever 101 is rotated 20 from its initial position, follower end 122 (shown in phantom) contacts sloped surface 135 in detent 134a and cam follower 116 rotates slightly about post 117, yet hook 126 (shown in phantom) and hook 62 are aligned and remain engaged when trigger 25 is depressed. Thus, in this position, the trigger 25 cannot be moved to ignite the lighter 2 without applying a force greater than that which would ignite the lighter in the remaining intermediate positions (shown in fig. 11-12 and 14) and the closed position (see fig. 13).

Referring to fig. 11-13, when the follower end 122 is positioned in these positions in the second, third and fourth detents 134b, 134c and 134d, respectively, the follower end is positioned a second radial distance R2 from the pivot axis P. The second radial distance R2 is greater than the first radial distance R1 (see fig. 10) and, as a result, when lever assembly 10 is rotated from the closed position to the intermediate and fully extended position, follower end 122 moves toward first end 8 of housing 4 (see fig. 1), causing cam follower 116 to rotate clockwise about post 117 and hook 126 to become misaligned with hook 62. Thus, in these three positions, the hook walls 62a and 126a do not engage when the trigger 25 is fully depressed. In fig. 11, the cam follower 116 is shown in phantom in its starting position and in phantom for the distance of radial movement thereof. In fig. 12-14, cam follower 116 is shown in its other radially displaced position.

Wand assembly 10 exhibits variable resistance to rotation. Follower end 122 contacts one of detents 134a-d when the lever assembly is in one or more high lever force positions, such as in the closed position (see fig. 10), the extended position (see fig. 13), and some intermediate position between the closed position and the extended position (see fig. 11 and 12). In any of these high lever force positions, rotation of lever assembly 10 will cause first portion 119 to compress biasing member 128 as follower end 122 moves along cam surface 124 and radially outward by second, third, or fourth detents 134b, 134c, and 134d, respectively. The force required to move the lever from the closed position is less than the force required to move from the position shown in figures 11 and 13 because the detent 134a has an inclined surface portion 135. As discussed above, the user must apply a significant amount of force to the lever assembly 10 in order to compress the biasing member 128 and move the follower end 122 out of the detent, thereby rotating the lever assembly 10. Thus, lighter 2 may be selectively releasably positioned or secured and stabilized in whichever of the intermediate or extended positions is most appropriate. For example, the intermediate position is suitable for lighting a vibrating candle, while the fully extended position is suitable for lighting a barbecue grill. Those of ordinary skill will know and appreciate that cam surfaces may have a number of detents 134a-d separated by various distances, thereby allowing wand assembly 10 to have any number and combination of different closed, intermediate, and extended positions. It will also be appreciated and understood by those of ordinary skill that any number of high and low beam force positions may be configured between the closed and fully extended positions. Additionally, the closed position may be a high or low lever force position, and the fully extended position may also be a high or low lever force position.

Referring to fig. 14, lighter 2 is shown with wand assembly 10 in the low-wand-force position. In the low lever force position shown, the lever assembly is partially extended, at an angle of about 135 ° from the closed position. Follower end 122 presses against cam surface 124 between third brake 134c and fourth brake 134d at point A and is located a third radial distance R from the pivot₃The position of (a). The third radial distance R₃Is the nominal radius of cam surface 124 and therefore follower end 122 is located a third radial distance R from pivot axis P whenever follower end 122 is not aligned with any of detents 134a-d₃A third radial distance R₃Greater than the first radial distance R₁And a second radial distance R₂As a result, the third radial distance positions follower end 122 such that hook 126 is disengaged from hook 62. Thus, when the follower end 122 contacts the cam surface 124 between the detents 134a-d, the trigger 25 can be depressed to ignite the lighter. As discussed above, only blocking movement of the trigger 25 prevents ignition of the lighter when the wand assembly 10 is in the closed position or within about 40 from the closed position. This angle may vary in another embodiment.

Still referring to fig. 14, wand assembly 10 is shown in the low-wand-force position, in which the follower ends contact cam surface 124 between detents 134c and d, and therefore follower ends 122 do not contact detents 134c and d. The force required to rotate the lever assembly 10 in this position is less than the force required for the high lever force position in which the follower ends are located in detents 134 a-d. In the low lever force position, lever assembly 10 still provides some resistance to rotation because biasing member 128 is in its most compressed state such that follower end 122 is pressed against camming surface 124, at which time friction will be created between follower end 122 and camming surface 124 as lever assembly 10 is rotated. Thus, when wand assembly 10 is in the low-wand-force position, the user need only apply a small amount of force to overcome these frictional forces and rotate wand assembly 10. The high lever force position requires that lever assembly 10 be rotated with a greater force than the low lever force position because the user must provide additional force to further compress biasing member 128 and move follower end 122 out of detents 134 a-d. When follower end 122 is positioned between detents 134a and b and detents 134b and c, the lever assembly is also in the low lever force position.

The geometry of detent 134 and follower end 122 may be varied to increase or decrease the force required to rotate lever assembly 10 when in the high lever force position, the detent may be relatively deep and sized and shaped to closely fit follower end 122, thus requiring a large increase in force when in the high lever force position. Alternatively, the detents may be made shallow or oversized relative to the follower end 122 so that only a small increase in force is required when in the high-stick-force position.

Referring to fig. 10 and 13, the rod 101 is oriented in a first direction W₁A second opposite direction W₂Can move the lever 101 to the closed position. When moved to the closed position, the lever 101 functions as described above in that the lever is releasably secured in an intermediate position during movement (see fig. 11 and 12).

Referring now to fig. 9A, one embodiment of a conduit 23 for use with the lighter 2 of fig. 1 is shown. The conduit 23 includes a hose 140 that constitutes a fluid delivery passage 142 that connects the fuel delivery unit to a nozzle 143. The hose can thus convey fuel F (see fig. 1) from the fuel delivery unit to the nozzle 143. A suitable material for the hose 140 is plastic. An uninsulated electrical conductor 144 is disposed in the passageway 142 and extends from a first end 146 of the hose 140 to a second end 148 of the tube 140. a suitable material for the conductor 144 is copper or the like. In this embodiment, the wire 144 is at least partially helically coiled. The spiral is more tightly wrapped in some portions than in others. In another embodiment, the wire 144 may not be helical. The fuel connector 22 is connected to the first end 142 of the tube. Nozzle 143 is connected to second end 148 of tube 140 by a connector 147. Thus, wire 144 acts as a conductor to deliver charge to nozzle 143, creating a spark, igniting the fuel. The wire 144 may also reinforce the hose 140, providing resistance against twisting.

The conduit 23, connector 147 and nozzle 143 are supported on a pair of guides and insulating members 145, only one of which is shown. Once the pair of members 145 surround the members, an insulating member 146 is fitted over the ends of the members 145. The rod 101 is then deployed.

As shown in fig. 1-1B and 16, the tube 140 is supported in the bore 20B of the spacer 20 and connected to the fuel connector 22 such that the lead 144 passes through the fuel connector and makes electrical contact with the electrode 15B. The second end 148 of the tube 140 is connected to the nozzle 143 near the head 152 of the wand 101. Tube 140 can therefore deliver fuel F from fuel delivery unit 11 through passage 142 to nozzle 143 at top 152 of wand assembly 10. The nozzle 143 may optionally include a diffuser 154, preferably in the form of a coil spring.

Referring to fig. 1 and 11, the conduit 23 and the wire 28 extend from the interior of the housing 4 through at least a portion of the stem assembly 10. The lead 28 is electrically connected near the end where the metal rod 101 is connected to the bottom part 102. The wire 28 is at least partially wound around the tube 140. The conduit 23 extends to the nozzle 140. To facilitate rotation of the lever assembly relative to the housing 4, the guide tube 23 and the wire 28 extend through an aperture 109 in the base member 102, through a chamber 107 in the base member 102 (see fig. 9). The hole 109 is preferably spaced from the pivot axis P. Thus, when wand assembly 10 is rotated relative to housing 4, the conduit 23 and wire 28 slide in the arcuate slot from end 109a to end 109 b. The length of the catheter 23 and the wire 28 also allows the shaft 101 to rotate.

Once the wand assembly 10 is moved to a partially or fully extended position, the lighter may be operated in two different modes. Referring to fig. 5, the various modes are designed to variously prevent unwanted operation by an inadvertent user. The first or high actuation force mode (i.e., high force mode) and the second or low actuation force mode (i.e., low force mode) are configured such that one mode or the other can be applied. The high-force mode of lighter 2 resists inadvertent operation of the lighter by unintended users, primarily based on physical differences, and particularly based on the force characteristics between unintended and intended users. In this mode, the user needs to exert a high actuating or operating force on the trigger 25 in order to operate the lighter. Alternatively, the amount of force required to operate lighter 2 in this mode is greater than the force that an unintended user may apply, but is within the range of forces that an intended user may apply.

The low-force mode of lighter 2 is more based on the ability of an intended user to identify to prevent an unintended user from inadvertently operating the lighter than the high-force mode. In particular, the second mode primarily combines identification capabilities with physical differences, specifically, deters operation of the lighter based on physical characteristics and dexterity between intended and unintended users.

The low-force mode depends on the user operating two components of the lighter to change the force from a high-actuation force to a low-actuation force, which when applied to the lighter, ignites the lighter. The low-force mode is dependent upon a user changing the position of the plunger member 63 from the high-actuation-force position to the low-actuation-force position. The user depresses the latch member 34 to push the plunger member 63. After moving the plunger member, the lighter may be ignited by the user simply applying a small force to the trigger. The low-force mode may depend on physical differences between intended and unintended users as well as discriminative power differences, such as by changing the shape, size, or position of the latch member relative to the trigger, or alternatively or in addition to changing the force and distance required to actuate the latch member and the trigger. The requirement to operate the trigger and latch components in a particular sequence may also provide a desired level of resistance to inadvertent operation.

Referring to fig. 5, one embodiment of lighter 2 having a high-force mode and a low-force mode is illustrated. The lighter shown in fig. 3 and 5 has a movable plunger member 63 that is operatively connected to the latch member 34.

In the initial or rest position of the high-force mode, as shown in fig. 5, the plunger member 63, and specifically the portion 66, is located in the portion 56b of the cutout 56 formed in the trigger 25. The wall 66a of the plunger member 63 contacts the vertical wall 56c of the slot 56 and is therefore in the high-actuation-force position. When a user attempts to actuate the trigger 25, the vertical wall 66c will exert a force against the vertical wall 66a, which in turn exerts a force on the piston member 74 that passes through the wall 76c to compress the spring 80. The spring 80 exerts a spring force F_SThe spring force opposes the movement of the trigger 25. In the initial position, the spring 80 is uncompressed and has a length D1.

In this embodiment, the length D1 is substantially equal to the length between the support 4D and the end wall 76a of the piston member 76. In another embodiment, length D1 may be greater than this length so that spring 80 is compressed to a predetermined load when installed, or length D1 may be less than this length.

To actuate the lighter in this high-force mode, i.e., when portion 66 is located in notch portion 65b, the user needs to apply at least a first actuating force F_T1Acting on the trigger 25 with a force substantially equal to or greater than the spring force F_SAnd all further reaction forces F_OP(not shown) is added. The elastic force F_SIncluding the force required to compress spring 80. Reaction force F_OPIncluding various other elements and assemblies moved and actuated in order to ignite the lighterForces such as the force of return spring 30 (see fig. 1B) in piezoelectric unit 26, the force of compression spring 53, frictional forces resulting from movement of the actuating member, and other forces created by the various springs and biasing members forming part of or in addition to the actuating member or actuating assembly, fuel container, or forces that need to be overcome to actuate the lighter. Specific force F to prevent ignition of the lighter_OPDepending on the structure and design of the lighter, it will therefore vary from one lighter design to a different lighter design. In this mode, if the force acting on the trigger is less than the first actuation force F_T1The lighter will not be ignited.

As shown in fig. 6, when the user will at least equal or greater than the first actuation force F_T1Acting on the actuator 25, the trigger 25 will move a distance d and the plunger member 63 and the piston member 75 compress the spring 80. Referring to fig. 1B, this movement of trigger 25 causes upper and lower portions 26a and B of piezoelectric unit 26 to be compressed together, thereby causing cam member 32 to move over upper portion 26a, which causes valve actuator 14 to act on injection valve assembly 15, thereby causing valve stem 15a to move forward to discharge fuel F from compartment 2 a. When the cam member contacts the valve actuator 14, electrical contact is made between the piezoelectric unit 26 and the wire 144 (see FIG. 9A). Further depression of the trigger 25 may cause a hammer (not shown) in the piezoelectric unit to strike a piezoelectric device (not shown) also in the piezoelectric unit. Striking the piezoelectric device or piezoelectric crystal will generate an electrical pulse that is transmitted along the wire 28 (see fig. 1) to the small protrusion of the rod 101, thereby forming a spark gap with the nozzle 143. The spark also passes from cam member 32 to valve actuator 14 and then to valve stem 15a and through injection valve 15 to electrode 15b and wire 144 and then to connector 150 and nozzle 143. An arc is generated in the gap between the nozzle 143 and the rod 101, thereby igniting the delivered fuel.

In the high-actuation-force mode, the length D2 (see FIG. 6) of the spring 80 is less than the length D1 (see FIG. 5) when the trigger 25 is depressed. During this mode of operation, the latch member 34 remains substantially in the home position, and the post 36a does not prevent movement of the trigger 25 due to its position and forward movement in the slot 60.

When the trigger 25 is released, the return spring 30 (see FIG. 1B) and springs 50 and 80 in the piezoelectric mechanism 26 move or assist in moving the piston member 74, plunger member 63 and trigger 25 to their initial rest positions. A spring 16 (see fig. 1B) biases the valve driver 14, thereby closing the injection valve assembly 15 and stopping fuel delivery. This extinguishes the flame emitted by the lighter. As a result, upon release of the trigger 25, the lighter automatically returns to its original state, i.e., the plunger member remains in the high-actuation-force position (see fig. 5), where a high-actuation-force actuation of the trigger is required.

The lighter may be designed such that in order to ignite the lighter in the high-actuation-force mode, the user must have a predetermined amount of force. The lighter may optionally be configured such that a user may ignite the lighter with one motion or one finger in the high-actuation-force mode.

Or, if the intended user does not wish to have a very high first actuation force F_T1(i.e., high-actuation-force) to the trigger in such a manner as to act on the lighter, an intended user may operate the lighter 2 in a low-actuation-force mode (i.e., low-force mode), as shown in fig. 7. This mode of operation involves multiple actuation motions, in the illustrated embodiment, the user performs two motions to actuate, moving two components of the lighter. If a rotatable wand assembly (see fig. 1) and cam follower 116 are incorporated into the lighter, operation of the lighter in the low-actuation-force mode may include three actions, including moving the wand assembly to the extended position.

In the lighter of fig. 7, the low-force mode includes changing the position of the plunger member 63 downward so that the spring 80 does not oppose movement of the trigger 25 to the same extent that the high-force mode does. Substantially equal to or greater than the second actuation force F in the low-force mode_T2A force (i.e., a low actuation force) acts on the trigger 25 to ignite the lighter as the latch member is depressed.In this mode of operation the second actuation force F_T2Preferably less than and selectively substantially less than the first actuation force F_T1。

As shown in fig. 7, in the low-force mode of this embodiment, operating the lighter 2 includes depressing the free end 36 of the latch member 34 downward from an initial position (shown in phantom) to a depressed position against the trigger 25. Due to the operative linkage between the latch member 34 and the plunger member 63, downward movement of the latch member 34 will move the post 36a which in turn moves the forward end of the plunger member 63 downward. When the latch member 34 and plunger member 63 are in their depressed positions, the recess 70 (see fig. 3) receives the post 36a of the latch member 34, the groove 70 forming a horizontal contact surface for the post when in this position.

The latch member may be partially depressed or fully depressed with different results. Depending on the configuration of the lighter components, the wall 66a may contact the vertical wall 56c or be close to the vertical wall 56c if the latch member is partially depressed. If the latch member 34 is depressed so that the wall 66a contacts or is proximate to the vertical wall 56c of the actuating member 25, the lighter 2 is still in the high-force mode. If the latch member 34 is depressed so that the wall 66a is level with the wall 56c or below the wall 56c, the lighter slides to, or is in, the low-force mode. In some constructions, the lighter may be designed such that when the latch member is fully depressed, the plunger member 63 is fully out of contact (e.g., below) with the upper portion 46 (see fig. 4) of the trigger 25.

To actuate the lighter in the low-force mode, the force acting on the trigger, i.e., the second actuating force F_T2At least the reaction force F as described above has to be overcome_OPTo actuate the lighter. Additionally, if the plunger member 63 contacts the trigger 25, the second actuation force must also overcome the frictional forces generated by such contact during movement of the actuation member. However, depending on whether the user partially or fully depresses the latch member, the user does not necessarily need to overcome the additional spring force F exerted by the spring 80_S(see FIG. 5). If partially depressed, the lighterDepending on whether the vertical wall 66a contacts the vertical wall 56c or the trigger 25. In the case where the vertical wall 66a contacts the vertical wall 56c, the user must still overcome the high spring force caused by the extension 66 remaining in the notched portion 56 b.

Referring to fig. 8, in the case where the plunger member 63 contacts the upper surface of the notch portion 56a, the force caused by the contact must be overcome. If fully depressed, the user does not need to overcome any spring force because the wall 66a is not in contact with the wall 56 c. As a result, the second actuation force F required for the low-force mode_T2First actuation force F less than high force mode requirement_T1. If the lighter is designed so that full depression of the latch member 34 disengages the plunger member 63 from contact with the actuating member 25, the spring force F_S(see fig. 5) may be substantially zero. Thus predetermined actuating force removes the spring force F_SAnd the external force is basically zero. However, the user must apply sufficient force to ignite the lighter to overcome other effects in the lighter.

In the lighter low-force mode shown in fig. 8, when the trigger 25 is depressed, the gap g (see fig. 7) decreases. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, spring 80 is uncompressed and has an original length D1, the piston remains in its starting position, spring 53 is compressed, and the trigger moves relative to extension 66. This allows the lighter to be ignited in the low-force mode. When the trigger 25 and latch member 34 are released, the spring 30 and return spring 53 in the piezoelectric mechanism will move or assist in moving the trigger 25 to the initial position. In addition, the leaf spring 42 and the spring 92 return the latch member 34 and the plunger member 63 to the initial positions. Thus, the lighter automatically returns to its initial position in which the plunger member 63 is in the high-actuation-force position and the lighter requires a high actuation force to ignite.

Preferably, to perform the low-force mode, the user must have a predetermined level of dexterity and dexterity to depress the latch member 34 and move the trigger 25 in the correct sequence. In the low-force mode, the user may apply the actuation force with a different finger by pressing the latch member 34 with the thumb. The lighter may be designed such that the actuating force is applied after the latch member 34 is depressed, preferably to perform the correct sequence of operations to ignite the lighter. Or that additional sequences of operations may be employed for actuation, the invention is not limited to the disclosed sequences but also encompasses alternative sequences as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill. For example, the sequence may be to partially pull the trigger, depress the latch member, and then fully pull the trigger. The low-force mode lighter may also take advantage of physical differences between intended and unintended users, such as controlling the spacing of the trigger and latch member, or adjusting the operating force of the latch member, trigger, or lighter, or their shape and size.

To make the lighter so that it is not too difficult for the intended user to actuate, a high actuation force F_T1Preferably no greater than a predetermined value, F may be considered for the lighter shown in fig. 5_T1With preferred values of less than about 10kg, more than about 5kg, preferably less than about 8.5kg, more than about 6.5 kg. Such a range of forces may be considered to not significantly adversely affect the use of the lighter by the intended user, and may also provide the desired resistance to operation by the unintended user. These numbers are illustrative, and the operating force in the high-force mode may be greater or less than the above-described range.

One of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that a variety of factors may increase or decrease the high actuation force that may be conveniently actuated by the intended user. Such factors include, for example, the lever mechanism that pulls or actuates the trigger provided by the lighter design, the coefficient of friction and spring of the lighter components, the trigger structure, the complexity of the trigger actuation action, the location, size and shape of the components, the predetermined actuation speed, and the characteristics of the intended user, among others. Such as the position and/or relationship between the trigger and the latch component and whether the intended user's hand is large or small.

The design of the internal components, such as the structure of the actuating assembly, the structure of the attachment mechanism, the number of springs, and the force generated by the springs, all affect the force that the user applies to the trigger to ignite the lighter. For example, the force required to move the trigger along a linear actuation path may not be equal to the force required to move the trigger along a non-linear actuation path. Actuation may require the user to move the trigger along multiple paths, which makes actuation more difficult. While the disclosed embodiments have shown the preferred trigger with a linear actuation path, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill that the present invention may employ a non-linear actuation path.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 7, the second actuation force F of the low-force mode_T2Less than the first actuation force, preferably less than about 2kg (but not necessarily). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the low actuation force F_T2Preferably less than about 5kg and more than 1kg, and most preferably more than about 3 kg. As noted above, these values are exemplary, and the invention is not limited to these values, as the particular values required are determined by many of the above-described lighter design factors and the resistance required to operate the lighter by an unintended user.

One feature of the lighter 2 is that in the high-force mode, a variety of actuating operations are possible, as long as the necessary actuating force is applied by the user. Another feature of the lighter is that in the low-force mode, a variety of actuating operations are possible, so long as the user depresses the latch member and adds the necessary actuating force and action required to ignite the lighter. Specifically, if the lighter is not lit for the first time, the user may continue to depress the latch member and still actuate the trigger again in the low-force mode to ignite the flame.

Another embodiment of lighter 202 is shown in fig. 16 and 16A. The lighter 202 is similar to the lighter 2 shown in fig. 1-4. Lighter 202 includes a trigger 225 having an upper rib portion 246 that extends longitudinally. The trigger 225 also includes engagement portions 226 on either side of the rib portion 246 that cooperate with the engagement portions 126 of the cam follower 216 portion. Lighter 202 also includes a plunger member 263 slidably coupled to piston member 274 (as shown in fig. 16A). The plunger member 262 includes a U-shaped front portion and a rearwardly extending cylindrical member 262a that receives two high-actuation-force springs 280. The spring 280 extends into the piston element 274. The spring 280 biases the plunger member 262 toward the front of the lighter. The piston member 274 is rotatably coupled to the housing 204 and is urged upward by a spring 292.

In the high-actuation-force or initial position, as shown in fig. 16 and 16A, the piston member 274 and plunger member 263 are aligned with the upper rib 246 such that if the trigger 225 is depressed in this mode, the spring 280 will exert a spring force F_SActing on the plunger part 263. This force must be overcome to ignite the lighter.

In the low-actuation-force position or low-force mode (shown in fig. 17), latch member 234 is depressed downward, which moves the forward end of piston member 274, and thus plunger member 263 (shown in fig. 16A), downward, such that plunger member 263 enters gap g (see fig. 16). Thus, when the trigger 225 is depressed, the upper rib portion 246 moves toward the rear end 208 of the lighter and does not oppose the spring 280 (shown in fig. 16A). Upon release of the latch member 234 and trigger 225, the trigger returns to its original position due to the action of the return spring in the piezoelectric unit and a spring similar to spring 53 (see fig. 1). Additionally, the piston member 274 and the plunger member 263 return to their original positions due to the spring 292 (see fig. 160. As discussed for the lighter 2 of fig. 1, additional latch springs may be added to assist in returning the latch member 23 to its original position. thus, in the low-actuation-force position, a lower actuation force is required to actuate the lighter than in the high-actuation-force position, because in the high-actuation-force position, the upper rib portion 246 interfaces with the plunger member 263, only the spring 280 primarily opposes movement of the trigger 225. in the low-actuation-force position, the aforementioned friction or other forces resist movement of the trigger.

Fig. 18 shows another embodiment of lighter 302. The lighter 302 is similar to the lighter 202 shown in fig. 17-18. The lighter 202 includes a trigger 325 having a longitudinally extending upper rib portion 346. The trigger further includes engagement portions 362 on either side of the rib portion 346 which cooperate with the engagement portions 326 on the cam follower.

As shown in fig. 19A, the lighter 302 further includes a generally U-shaped plunger member 363 and a piston member 374. The plunger member is slidably coupled to the piston member 374. The high-actuation-force spring 380 is disposed between the plunger member 374 and the support member 304e of the housing. The piston member 374 is slidably coupled to the housing 304. The plunger member is pressed upward by a spring 392.

In the high-actuation-force or initial position, as shown in fig. 18, the plunger member 363 is aligned with the upper rib portion 346 such that if the actuation member 325 is depressed in this mode, the plunger member 363 and the piston member 374 move rearwardly, compressing the biasing spring 380, which compresses the spring force F_SActing on the piston member 374, the plunger member 363 and the trigger 325. This force must be overcome to ignite the lighter.

In the low-actuation-force position or low-force mode, as shown by force 19, the latch member 334 is depressed downwardly which moves the plunger member 363 downwardly in front of the piston member 374 so that the upper rib portion 346 can move over the plunger member 363 toward the rear end 308 of the lighter when the trigger 325 is depressed. As a result, the plunger member does not move piston member 374 and thus biasing member 380 does not oppose movement of trigger 325.

Upon release of the latch member 334, the latch member 334 and the plunger member 363 return to their initial positions under the action of the spring 392 (see fig. 18). As described above with respect to lighter 2 of fig. 1, additional latch springs may be added to assist in returning latch member 334 to its initial position. Thus, in the low-actuation-force position, the lighter may be actuated with a lower actuation force than in the high-actuation-force position because the spring 380 substantially prevents movement of the trigger 325 when the upper rib portion 346 abuts the plunger member 363. In the low-actuation-force position, the frictional and other forces described above may resist movement of the trigger.

Fig. 20 shows another embodiment lighter 402. The lighter is similar to the lighter 2 shown in fig. 1. Lighter 402 includes a fixed rod and an actuating assembly that includes a trigger 425 slidably connected to housing 404. The actuation assembly also includes a rotating member 425a and a link 425 b. The tie bar 425b has an upper rib portion 425c that forms a gap g. This actuation assembly is described in U.S. patent application No. 09/704688. In lighter 402, ignition assembly 426 is located in front of trigger 425.

The lighter 402 also includes a dual-mode assembly including a plunger member 463 having a structure similar to the plunger member 63 of fig. 3 and a piston member 474 having a structure similar to the piston member 74 of fig. 3. The plunger element 463 is rotatably connected to the piston element 474. A high actuation force spring 480 is disposed between the piston member 474 and the support member 404 e. The piston member 474 is slidably attached to the housing 404, and the plunger member 463 is pressed upward by a spring 492.

In the high actuation force or initial position (as shown in fig. 20), the plunger part 463 is opposite the upper rib portion 425c of the connecting rod 425b such that if the trigger 425 is depressed in this mode, the rotating part 425a will move the connecting rod 425b forward, contacting the plunger part 463. Thus, plunger element 463 and piston element 474 will move rearward, compressing biasing element 480, which will therefore exert a spring force F_SActing on the piston part 474, the plunger part 463, the connecting rod 425b, the rotating part 425a and the trigger 425. The spring force must be overcome to ignite the lighter.

In the low-actuation-force position or low-force mode, as shown in fig. 21, moving the latch member 434 downward from its initial position (shown in phantom) will cause the plunger member 463 to move downward at the front of the piston member 474, so that when the trigger 425 is depressed, the upper rib portion 425c of the connecting rod 425b can move forward, not opposite the biasing member 480, because the rib portion 425c does not move the piston member 474, while the plunger member 463 is received by the gap g (shown in fig. 20). Upon release of the latch member 434, the latch member 434 and plunger member 463 return to their original positions under the action of the spring 492 (shown in fig. 20). Thus, in the low-actuation-force position, the lighter may be ignited with a lower actuation force than in the high-actuation-force position because the spring 480 only prevents movement of the trigger 425 when the rib portion 425c abuts the plunger member 463.

Fig. 22 shows another embodiment of lighter 502. The lighter 502 is similar to the lighter 2 of fig. 1. Lighter 502 includes an actuating assembly that includes a trigger 25 slidably connected to a housing 504. The actuation assembly further includes a rotation assembly 525a and a connecting rod 525 b. The connecting rod 525b has an upper rib portion 525c and an engagement end portion 525 d. This actuation assembly is described in U.S. patent application No. 09/704988. In lighter 502, ignition assembly 526 is located in front of trigger 525.

The lighter 502 also includes a wand assembly 510 that is similar in construction to the wand assembly 10 of fig. 9-14 and a cam follower 516 that has an engaging end portion 516a and a follower end 522 that is similar in construction to the cam follower 116 shown in fig. 9-15. Similar to the lighter 2 of fig. 9-14, the wand assembly 510 includes a cam surface 524 and detents 534 a-d.

When the lever assembly 510 is in or near the closed position shown, the follower end 522 of the cam follower 516 enters the first detent 534a and the end 516a of the cam follower 516 is aligned with the engagement end 525d of the link 525 b. Cam follower 516 may prevent linkage 525b and trigger 525 from sliding sufficiently to ignite lighter 502. In lighter 502, cam follower 516 rotates counterclockwise when the wand assembly is extended.

In various intermediate and fully extended positions of the wand assembly 510, as described above with reference to lighter 2, the cam follower 516 may be rotated such that the end 516a may not be aligned with the engagement end 525d of the link 525 b. In this position, the cam follower 516 may cause sufficient movement of the connecting rod 525b and trigger 525, thereby pressurizing the ignition assembly 526 and igniting the lighter.

Fig. 23 shows another embodiment of lighter 602. The lighter 602 is similar to the lighter 2 of fig. 1. The lighter 602 includes a trigger 625 having an engagement portion 662 that includes a bore 662 a. The lighter also includes a cam follower 616 that includes a portion having an engagement portion 616 a. In the closed position and various intermediate positions, as described above with respect to lighter 2, the cam follower is configured and dimensioned such that engagement portion 616a may engage aperture 662a, thereby preventing trigger 625 from sliding sufficiently to ignite lighter 602.

As described above with respect to lighter 2, in various intermediate and fully extended positions of the wand assembly 610 (as shown in fig. 24), the cam follower 616 is rotated counterclockwise such that the end 616a is disengaged from the aperture 662. In this position, the cam follower 616 may cause the trigger 625 to move sufficiently to ignite the lighter.

Fig. 25 shows another embodiment of lighter 702. The lighter 702 is similar to the lighter 2 shown in fig. 1. Lighter 702 includes an actuating assembly that includes a trigger 725 slidably connected to housing 704. The lighter 702 also includes a wand assembly 710 that is slidable relative to the housing 704. Similar to lighter 2 shown in fig. 9-14, wand assembly 710 includes a cam surface 724 and detents 734 a-d. Lighter 702 also includes a cam follower 716 having an engagement end 716a and a follower end 716 b. The structure of the cam follower 716 is similar to the structure of the cam follower 116 shown in fig. 9-15.

When the lever assembly 710 is in the closed position shown in FIG. 25, the follower end 716b of the cam follower 716 enters the first detent 734a and the engagement end 716a of the cam follower 716 is aligned with the engagement end 762 of the trigger 725. Thus, when the lever assembly 710 is in the closed position, the cam follower 716 may prevent the trigger 725 from sliding sufficiently to ignite the lighter 702. Ignition occurs upon actuation of the piezoelectric element 72b and fuel is emitted from the fuel cell 711. In lighter 702, cam follower 716 rotates clockwise when the wand assembly is extended.

In various intermediate and fully extended positions of the wand assembly 710 (see fig. 26), the cam follower 716 is rotated such that follower end 716b is positioned in detents 734b-d and engagement end 716a is no longer aligned with engagement portion 726 of trigger 725, and in these positions of the wand assembly 710, the cam follower 716 may move the trigger 725 sufficiently to pressurize the ignition assembly 726 and ignite the lighter 702. As described above, the rod assembly 716 is in the high rod force position when the follower end 716a is in the detents 734 a-d. The lighter 702 is made as follows: in various intermediate positions of the wand assembly 710, the trigger 725 may not be moved sufficiently to ignite the lighter 702.

Fig. 27 shows another embodiment of lighter 802. Lighter 802 is similar to lighter 2 of fig. 1. Lighter 802 includes a housing 804 with a support 804a for releasably securing a conductive strip or member 890 within housing 804. Prior to attaching conductive member 890 to housing 809, the uninsulated end of wire 28 (shown in fig. 1B) is brought into electrical contact with conductive member 890. The uninsulated end may be disposed between conductive member 890 and housing 804. The conductive member 890 thus secures the wire 28 in this position within the housing 804.

Trigger 825 is similar to trigger 25 described above, is coupled to piezoelectric unit 826, and includes an electrical conductor 892 electrically coupled to piezoelectric unit electrode 29 (shown in FIG. 1A).

Referring to fig. 27 and 28, when installed, electrical conductor 892 is slidable along conductive member 890, and conductive member 890 and electrical conductor 892 electrically connect lead 28 to electrode 29 (shown in fig. 1A and 1B).

Referring to fig. 29 and 29A, another embodiment of lighter 2 is shown. The lighter 902 is substantially similar to the lighter 2 shown in fig. 1-4, with only the differences described below. The force required to depress latch 934, which is shaped and sized for lighter 902, may vary with the sequence of operations of latch 934 and trigger 925. Specifically, if a user depresses trigger 925 before depressing latch component 934, the force required to depress latch 934 increases. Referring to fig. 29, lighter 902 is shown in a high-force modeAnd the trigger 925 is in an initial position. In this mode, if the user depresses latch 934 before depressing trigger 925, then a first latching force F is required_L1Latch 934 is depressed and lighter 902 is switched from the high-force mode to the low-force mode. Referring to FIG. 29A, if a user depresses trigger 925 before attempting to depress latch 934, a second latching force F is required_L2(this force may be and is preferably greater than the first latching force F_L1) Latch 934 is depressed and lighter 902 is switched from the high-force mode to the low-force mode. Thus, if lighter 902 is in the high-force mode, a user attempts to switch lighter 902 to the low-force mode by depressing trigger 925 and subsequently latch 934, the latch force F_LWill increase and will stop depressing latch 934.

Causing a latching force F_LAn illustrative structural example of this variation is shown in fig. 29 and 29A. As shown, first engagement surface 967 is coupled to latch member 934, and second engagement surface 927 is coupled to a portion (e.g., wall 956c) of trigger 925. For ease of illustration only, the first engagement surface 967 is shown as a ramped surface formed on the plunger member 963, while the second engagement surface 927 is shown as a matching ramped surface formed on the trigger 925, although other configurations may be employed. For example, first engagement surface 967 may be formed on latch member 934 or piston member 974, while second engagement surface 927 may be formed on housing 904.

When lighter 902 is in the high-force mode and trigger 925 is in the initial position, as shown in fig. 29, first engagement surface 967 and second engagement surface 927 are configured such that if a user wishes to depress latch 934 to switch lighter 902 to the low-force position, the total movement of plunger member 963 will not substantially engage first engagement surface 967 and second engagement surface 927. Thus, in this state, the force F required to depress latch 934 and switch lighter 902 to the low-force mode_L1It is sufficient that the forces of the spring 992 and optional leaf spring 942, as well as any incidental frictional forces, can be overcome. In FIG. 29In the lighter, the first engagement surface 967 and the second engagement surface 967 are separated by a distance X that is large enough to allow a first latching force F to be used_L1The latch member 934 is switched to the low-force position.

If the user depresses trigger 925 before depressing latch 934, as shown in fig. 29A, the distance between first engagement surface 967 and second engagement surface 927 will decrease (the decreased distance is denoted X'). As a result, first engagement surface 967 engages second engagement surface 927 when a user depresses latch member 934. This engagement creates a resistance to depression of latch 934 in addition to the resistance created by spring 992, optional leaf spring 942, and incidental frictional forces that may occur, and as a result, latch force F_L2Greater than latching force F_L1. In particular, the interaction between first engagement surface 967 and second engagement surface 927 (e.g., sliding between mating angled surfaces) caused by depressing latch 934 may move plunger 963 toward piston member 974 and compress spring 980. This compression of spring 980 causes additional resistance to movement of latch 934. Alternatively or in addition, the interaction of first engagement surface 967 and second engagement surface 927 moves trigger 925 and/or latch 934 against the user's fingers and also simultaneously creates additional resistance to movement of latch 934.

It will be known and appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that lighter 902 should be configured such that trigger 925 may be partially depressed before first engagement surface 967 and second engagement surface 927 are brought into engagement with one another (e.g., upon initial depression of latch member 934, distance X may be so great that partial depression of trigger 925 does not cause first engagement surface 967 to contact second engagement surface 927). In this case, the user may move trigger 925 a predetermined distance before depressing latch 934, at which time the force required to depress latch 934 and switch lighter 902 to the low-force mode remains at first latch force F_L1(ii) a However, when the distance of movement of trigger 925 is greater than the predetermined distance, the force required to depress latch 934 will increase to a second latching force F_L2。

Referring to fig. 30 and 30A, there is shown a lighter 1002 as a variation of lighter 902. Lighter 1002 is substantially similar to lighter 902, except that the user is substantially prevented from depressing latch 1034 if trigger 1025 is depressed before latch 1034 is depressed. Thus, if a user depresses trigger 1025 when lighter 1002 is in the high-force mode and then attempts to depress latch 1034, switching lighter 1002 to the low-force mode, first engagement surface 1067 will engage second engagement surface 1027, thereby substantially preventing or inhibiting latch 1034 from switching to the low-force position. This can be accomplished by forming first engagement surface 1067 and second engagement surface 1027 as surfaces or raised edges that can overlap or abut, for example, when trigger 1025 is depressed prior to depressing latch 1034. As shown in fig. 30 and 30A, there is little clearance between first and second engagement surfaces 1067 and 1027 such that first and second engagement surfaces 1067 and 1027 engage only when latch component 1034 moves a predetermined distance after trigger 1029 moves a predetermined distance. Or substantially no gap may be formed between first and second engagement surfaces 1067 and 1027 such that these surfaces are in contact before latch component 1034 moves the predetermined distance.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 30 and 30A, the first and second engagement surfaces 1067 and 1027 are substantially parallel to one another, however the first and second engagement surfaces 1067 and 1027 may be angled with respect to one another. Additionally, although first and second engagement surfaces 1067 and 1027 are shown as generally horizontal planes in the figures (e.g., substantially parallel to direction Z of movement of trigger 1025), these engagement surfaces may be slightly angled surfaces (e.g., angled with respect to direction Z). In an exemplary embodiment, first engagement surface 1067 and/or second engagement surface 1027 may be inclined at an angle of about 5 ° with respect to direction Z. However, other angles of inclination are possible. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill that first engagement surface 1067 and second engagement surface 1027 are not limited to the configuration shown, and other configurations may be used. For example, first engagement surface 1067 may be formed on piston member 1074, and second engagement surface 1027 may be formed on housing 1004. Additionally, first engagement surface 1067 and/or second engagement surface 1027 may be hook-shaped, or any other engagement shape known to a skilled artisan.

When lighter 1002 is in the high-force mode and trigger 1025 is in the initial position, as shown in fig. 30, first engagement surface 1067 and second engagement surface 1027 are separated by a distance Y that should be so great that if a user attempts to depress latch 1034 to switch the lighter to the low-force position, the total movement of plunger member 1063 will cause first engagement surface 1067 and second engagement surface 1027 to be substantially disengaged. Thus, in this state, the user may depress latch 1034, switching the lighter to the low-force mode, provided that latch force F is applied_LThe force of the spring 1092 and optional leaf spring 1042, as well as incidental frictional forces, can be overcome.

If the user depresses trigger 1025 before depressing latch component 1034, as shown in FIG. 30A, first engagement surface 1067 overlaps second engagement surface 1027. Thus, first engagement surface 1067 abuts second engagement surface 1027 when a user depresses latch 1034, which substantially prevents or blocks depression of latch 1034. To depress latch 1034 when first engagement surface 1067 is against second engagement surface 1027, a user must apply a substantial force to break or deform one or more lighter 1002 components. Thus, according to this embodiment, if trigger 1025 is depressed before latch 1034 is depressed, the user is substantially prevented from switching latch 1034 to the low-force mode.

It will be appreciated and understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that lighter 1002 may be configured such that trigger 1025 may be partially depressed prior to engaging first engagement surface 1067 and second engagement 1027 with one another. In this case, the user may move trigger 1025 a predetermined distance before depressing latch 1034, and may still depress latch 1034, switching lighter 1002 to the low-force mode; however, when trigger 1025 moves a distance greater than the predetermined distance, first and second engagement surfaces 1067 and 1027 will engage so that movement of latch 1034 may be substantially prevented or blocked.

Referring to fig. 31 and 31A, there is shown a lighter 1102 as another variation of lighter 902. In this embodiment, moving trigger 1125 a predetermined distance before moving latch 1134 will disable the function of latch 1134 (i.e., latch 1134 may still move from the first latch position to the second latch position, but such movement does not enable the function of latch 1134 (e.g., switching the lighter from the high-force mode to the low-force mode)). For example, the structure of latch 1134 and/or plunger 1164 may be altered such that when trigger 1125 is moved a predetermined distance before latch 1134 is depressed, latch 1134 is substantially disengaged from plunger 1164, which may disable the function of latch 1134. Specifically, as shown in fig. 31, when trigger 1125 is in the initial position (i.e., the undepressed position), post 1136a and plunger 1164 are at least partially facing (e.g., slightly overlapping) each other, and depressing latch 1134 can stop plunger 1164 from moving from the high-force position (shown) to the low-force position (not shown). In the state shown in fig. 31, the latch force F required to depress latch 1134 and switch lighter 102 to the low-force mode is required_L1It is sufficient to overcome the forces of spring 1192 and optional leaf spring 1142, as well as any incidental frictional forces. However, as shown in fig. 31A, when trigger 1125 is moved a predetermined distance before latch 1134 is depressed, post 1136 and plunger 1164 will move out of alignment (e.g., without any overlap) and, as a result, depressing latch 1134 will not move plunger 1164 from the high-force position to the low-force position. In the state shown in FIG. 31A, the latch force F required to depress latch 1134_L2It is sufficient to overcome the force of optional leaf spring 1142 and any incidental frictional forces, however, as described above, movement of latch 1134 does not switch lighter 1102 to the low-force mode. One of ordinary skill will know and appreciate that lighter 1102 is not limited to the configuration shown and described, and any number of components may be employed such that contact is made before latch 1134 is depressedWhen trigger 1125 moves a predetermined distance, latch 1134 loses its function.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that lighters 902, 1002, 1102 are not limited to the structures shown and described, and that any number of members may be used to vary the latching force. One of ordinary skill will recognize that latch members 934, 1034 and 1134 are not limited to the "dual mode" latches described herein, and that the technician may control other functions of the lighter in an alternative or in addition to a manner.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be recognized that the different features of the various embodiments may be used separately or in combination. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. In addition, it should also be apparent that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may devise various modifications that are within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, at least one helical coil spring concentrically disposed outside the conduit 23 may be used in place of the insulated wire 28 (shown in FIG. 1B); in such a case, the helical coil spring is preferably at least partially insulated to prevent unwanted arcing between the spring and other lighter components. As another example, the lever assembly may alternatively be configured to rotate about a different axis relative to the housing, or be configured to move or slide relative to the housing. As yet another example, in all embodiments, separate biasing members may be employed with and without the latch member returning to its original position after depression. When separate biasing members are employed, the latching members are preferably resiliently deformable. As the skilled person will appreciate, such a variant may require further modifications in order to form an electrical connection between the piezo-element and the nozzle.

Additionally, while in the presently discussed embodiment, the low-force mode depends on the user operating two components (e.g., a trigger and a latch), in another embodiment, the low-force mode depends on the user operating another additional component (e.g., a trigger and two latches; or a trigger, a latch, and a fuel release button).

As another example, the plunger assembly in any of the embodiments described above may be formed and positioned such that the finger actuation portion of the plunger assembly is located outside of the housing and the remainder of the plunger assembly is located within the housing. The plunger member is thus movable from the high-actuation-force position to the low-actuation-force position by a user touching the finger-actuated portion of the plunger member. In such embodiments, the lighter does not include a latch member.

In another example, lighter 2 (fig. 1) may lack spring 53. In such an embodiment, the plunger member 63 may be configured to include a protrusion and the housing 4, or other components may interact with the protrusion such that in the high-force mode, the spring 80 may be compressed to prevent ignition of the lighter. The spring 80 returns the trigger to its initial position when released after ignition in the high-force mode. In the low-force mode, however, interaction with the projection may prevent the high-force spring from compressing to the same extent as the high-force mode, so that the force required to ignite the lighter is low. In such lighters, the trigger may be returned to its initial position after depression by a return spring in the piezoelectric unit.

Additionally, the lighter includes the dual mode aspect of the lighter, the dwang assembly aspect of the lighter, the cam follower aspect of the lighter, and the conduit aspect of the lighter described above, which may be used alone or in any combination. As a result, the features of lighter 2 may be applied alone or in combination with each other or other known features.

Accordingly, all suitable modifications readily apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that are within the scope and spirit of the invention are to be considered as further embodiments of the invention. Additionally, these features of the embodiments may be combined with additional means of identification, such as a more complex trigger actuation path, to make lighter actuation more difficult. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims.

Claims (115)

1. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an actuating member for selectively igniting the fuel, the actuating member being connected to the housing; and

a latch member movable by a user between a first latch member position and a second latch member position, wherein when the latch member is in the first latch member position, the user applies a first actuating force to the actuating member to ignite the fuel, and when the latch member is in the second latch member position, the user applies a second actuating force to the actuating member to ignite the fuel, the first actuating force being greater than the second actuating force.

2. The lighter according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member operatively associated with the latch member.

3. The lighter according to claim 1, further comprising a plunger member operatively associated with the latch member.

4. The lighter according to claim 1, wherein the actuating member is required to be moved to the actuating position with a predetermined actuating force to actuate the lighter, and the first actuating force is greater than the predetermined actuating force.

5. The lighter of claim 1, wherein the second actuating force is substantially zero.

6. The lighter according to claim 1, wherein the actuating member is a trigger movably connected to the housing.

7. The lighter of claim 1, wherein the actuating member is part of an actuating assembly.

8. The lighter of claim 1, wherein the lighter is actuated by two different actuating motions.

9. The lighter according to claim 1, further comprising an ignition assembly for igniting the fuel, wherein the ignition assembly comprises a piezoelectric unit.

10. The lighter of claim 1, wherein the latch member is pivotally connected to the housing.

11. The lighter of claim 3, wherein the latch member further includes a first end and a second end, the first end being movable from an initial position in which the plunger member is in the first member position to a final position in which the plunger member is in the second member position.

12. The lighter according to claim 3, wherein the actuating member further includes a wall, and the plunger member contacts the wall when the latch member is in the first latch member position.

13. The lighter according to claim 12, wherein the plunger member disengages from the wall when the latch member is in the second latch member position.

14. The lighter according to claim 3, wherein the plunger member is operatively connected to the actuating member when the plunger member is in the first latch member position.

15. The lighter of claim 3, further comprising a piston member slidably connected to the housing and a biasing member disposed between the piston member and a support member of the housing, and wherein the plunger member is pivotally connected to the piston member and is movable to compress the biasing member and the lighter is actuated when the latch member is in the first latch member position.

16. The lighter according to claim 15, wherein the plunger member and the piston member are unable to move sufficiently to compress the biasing member when the latch member is in the second latch member position and actuates the lighter.

17. The lighter according to claim 3, further comprising a piston member pivotally connected to the housing and a biasing member disposed between the piston member and the plunger member, and the plunger member is slidably connected to the piston member.

18. The lighter according to claim 1, wherein the first actuating force remains substantially constant after multiple actuations of the lighter.

19. The lighter according to claim 1, wherein when the latch member is disposed in the first latch member position, actuation of the actuating member requires between about 6.5kg and about 8.5kg of force to be applied to the actuating member, and when the latch member is disposed in the second latch member position, actuation of the actuating member requires between about 3kg and about 5kg of force to be applied to the actuating member.

20. The lighter of claim 1, wherein when the latch member is in the first latch member position, actuation of the lighter requires a single finger of a user, and when the latch member is in the second latch member position, actuation of the lighter requires the first and second fingers of the user.

21. The lighter according to claim 1, wherein the lighter is constructed and adapted to be operated by moving the latch member prior to moving the actuating member.

22. The lighter according to claim 1, wherein the lighter is constructed and adapted to operate by relying on physical characteristics of the user when the latch member is in the first latch member position and relying more on the identification capabilities and dexterity of the user when the latch member is in the second latch member position.

23. The lighter according to claim 1, wherein the lighter is a utility lighter.

24. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an actuation member for selectively releasing fuel;

an ignition assembly for igniting the emitted fuel;

a latch member connected to the housing for movement between a first latched position and a second latched position;

a plunger member operatively associated with the latch member; and

a biasing member operatively associated with the plunger member;

wherein at least a portion of the plunger member is repositionable with the latch member from a first member position in which the biasing member resists movement of the actuating member to a second member position such that the biasing member cannot resist movement of the actuating member to the same extent as in the first member position;

and, when the plunger member is in the first member position, and when the plunger member is in the second member position, the actuation member is movable to ignite the released fuel.

25. The lighter according to claim 24, wherein the plunger member is separate from the latch member.

26. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an ignition assembly for igniting the dispensed fuel;

an actuating member connected to the housing, wherein a predetermined actuating force is required to move the actuating member to an actuating position to actuate the lighter; and

a plunger member associated with the housing, the plunger member being changeable by a user to a first position, wherein in the first position the plunger member is associated with the actuation member such that the actuation member needs to be moved to the actuation position with a first actuation force being larger than the predetermined actuation force.

27. The lighter of claim 26, wherein the plunger member is movable to a second position such that a user can move the actuating member to the actuating position with a second actuating force; the second actuation force is less than the first actuation force.

28. The lighter of claim 26, wherein the actuating member is at least one trigger.

29. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an actuating member for selectively igniting the fuel, the actuating member being connected to the housing; and

first and second user-operated inhibiting members for at least increasing the difficulty of moving the actuating member to ignite the fuel;

wherein one of the blocking members always allows movement of the actuating member and the other blocking member immobilizes the actuating member to substantially prevent ignition of the fuel.

30. The lighter according to claim 29, further comprising a movable wand assembly, and wherein the first inhibiting member increases the difficulty of moving the actuating member based on the position of the wand assembly.

31. The lighter of claim 29, wherein the second inhibiting member comprises a plunger member.

32. The lighter of claim 29, wherein when the plunger member is in the first member position, a user applies a first actuating force to the actuating member to ignite the fuel, and when the plunger member is in the second member position, a user applies a second actuating force to the actuating member to ignite the fuel, the first actuating force being greater than the second actuating force.

33. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an actuation member for selectively igniting the fuel, the actuation member being connected to the housing and movable to be operable in a high-actuation-force mode and a low-actuation-force mode; and

a movable latch member to switch the actuation member between said high-actuation-force mode and low-actuation-force mode, wherein the actuation member is always movable to ignite the fuel.

34. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an actuating member movably coupled to the housing to selectively ignite the fuel; and

a latch movable between a first latched position in which a first actuating force must be applied to the actuating member to ignite fuel and a second latched position in which a second actuating force must be applied to the actuating member to ignite fuel, the first actuating force being different from the second actuating force;

wherein a force required to move the latch between the first latched position and the second latched position varies depending on the actuation member and the operational sequence of the latch.

35. The lighter according to claim 34, wherein:

when moving the latch prior to moving the actuating member, a first latching force is required to move the latch from the first latching position to the second latching position;

when the actuating member is moved a predetermined amount before the latch is moved significantly, a second latch force is required to move the latch from the first latch position to the second latch position; and is

The second latching force is greater than the first latching force.

36. The lighter of claim 34, wherein the latch is substantially prevented from moving from the first latch position to the second latch position when the actuating member is moved a predetermined amount prior to substantial movement of the latch.

37. The lighter of claim 34, wherein the first actuating force is greater than the second actuating force.

38. The lighter of claim 34, wherein the first actuating force is between about 6.5kg and about 8.5kg and the second actuating force is between about 3kg and about 5 kg.

39. The lighter of claim 34, further comprising:

a first engagement surface associated with the latch;

a second engagement surface associated with the actuation member;

wherein the first engagement surface engages the second engagement surface upon moving the actuation member a predetermined amount prior to substantially moving the latch.

40. The lighter of claim 39, wherein the first engagement surface engages the second engagement surface when the latch is moved a predetermined distance after moving the actuating member a predetermined amount.

41. The lighter of claim 39, wherein the first engagement surface is substantially disengaged from the second engagement surface upon movement of the latch prior to movement of the actuating member.

42. The lighter of claim 39, further comprising a plunger member coupled to the latch, the first engagement surface being formed on the plunger member.

43. The lighter of claim 39, wherein the actuating member includes a trigger, and the second engagement surface is formed on the trigger.

44. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an actuating member movably coupled to the housing to selectively ignite the fuel;

a latch movably connected to the housing for movement between a first latched position in which the actuation member is in the high-force mode and a second latched position in which the actuation member is in the low-force mode;

a first engagement surface connected to the latch; and

a second engagement surface connected to the actuation member;

wherein the first engagement surface engages the second engagement surface upon moving the actuation member a predetermined distance prior to substantially moving the latch to prevent movement of the latch from the first latched position to the second latched position.

45. The lighter of claim 44, wherein a first actuating force of less than about 10kg must be applied to the actuating member to ignite the fuel when the actuating member is in the high-force mode, and a second actuating force of less than about 5kg must be applied to the actuating member to ignite the fuel when the actuating member is in the low-force mode.

46. The lighter of claim 44, wherein the first engagement surface engages the second engagement surface upon moving the actuating member a predetermined distance prior to substantially moving the latch to substantially prevent movement of the latch from the first latch position to the second latch position.

47. The lighter of claim 44, wherein the first engagement surface and the second engagement surface do not substantially inhibit movement of the latch from the first latch to the second latch position when the latch member is moved prior to moving the actuating member.

48. The lighter of claim 44, further comprising:

a plunger member operatively connected to the actuating member;

a biasing member operatively connected to the plunger member to selectively prevent movement of the actuating member;

wherein at least a portion of the plunger member is movable from a first member position in which the biasing member prevents movement of the actuation member to a second member position in which the biasing member does not prevent movement of the actuation member to the same extent as in the first member position.

49. The lighter of claim 48, wherein the first engagement surface is formed on the plunger member and the second engagement surface is formed on the actuating member.

50. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

a trigger movably coupled to the housing for selectively igniting the fuel;

a latch movably coupled to the housing to selectively vary an amount of force required to move the trigger from a high-force mode to a low-force mode;

wherein:

when moving the latch before moving the trigger, a first latch force is required to switch the lighter from the high-force mode to the low-force mode;

when the trigger is moved a predetermined distance before moving the latch, a second latch force is required to switch the lighter from the high-force mode to the low-force mode; and

the second latching force is greater than the first latching force.

51. The lighter of claim 50, wherein the latch substantially blocks movement between the high-force mode and the low-force mode when the trigger is moved a predetermined amount prior to moving the latch.

52. The lighter of claim 50, further comprising:

a plunger member operatively connected to the trigger;

a biasing member operatively connected to the plunger member so that movement of the trigger can be selectively prevented;

wherein the trigger moves the plunger member to compress the biasing member when the lighter is in the high-force mode.

53. The lighter of claim 52, further comprising:

a first engagement surface formed on the plunger member; and

a second engagement surface formed on the trigger, the second engagement surface normally disengaged from the first engagement surface;

wherein the first engagement surface engages the second engagement surface when the trigger is moved a predetermined amount prior to substantial movement of the latch.

54. A utility lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source, the housing including a handle portion;

an elongated stem extending away from the handle portion, the elongated stem having an outlet to release the fuel at a location a distance from the handle portion;

a trigger slidably coupled to the housing for selectively igniting the fuel; and

a latch movable between a first latched position in which a first actuating force must be applied to the trigger to ignite the fuel and a second latched position in which a second actuating force must be applied to the trigger to ignite the fuel, the first actuating force being different from the second actuating force;

wherein a force required to move the latch between the first latch position and the second latch position varies depending on the actuation member and an operational sequence of the latch.

55. The utility lighter of claim 54, wherein:

when moving the latch prior to moving the trigger, a first latching force is required to move the latch from the first latching position to the second latching position;

when the trigger is moved a predetermined distance before the latch is moved substantially, a second latch force is required to move the latch from the first latch position to the second latch position;

the second latching force is greater than the first latching force.

56. The utility lighter of claim 54, wherein the rod defines a rod length and the handle portion defines a handle length, the rod length being approximately equal to the handle length.

57. A lighter, comprising:

having a fuel source housing;

an actuating member movably coupled to the housing for selectively igniting the fuel; and

a movable latch, movement of which varies the amount of force required to move the actuating member to ignite the fuel;

wherein the actuating member is moved a predetermined amount prior to substantial movement of the latch to prevent variation in the amount of force required to move the actuating member to ignite the fuel.

58. The lighter of claim 57, wherein upon substantial movement of the latch prior to moving the actuating member, the latch is movable to vary the amount of force required to move the actuating member to ignite the fuel.

59. The lighter of claim 57, wherein the latch is movable between a first latch position and a second latch position to vary an amount of force required to move the actuating member to ignite the fuel, the actuating member being moved a predetermined amount prior to substantial movement of the latch to prevent movement of the latch from the first latch position to the second latch position.

60. The lighter of claim 59, wherein a first actuating force must be applied to the actuating member to ignite the fuel when the latch is substantially in the first latch position, and a second actuating force must be applied to the actuating member to ignite the fuel when the latch is substantially in the second latch position, the first actuating force being greater than the second actuating force.

61. The lighter of claim 57, further comprising:

a first engagement surface connected to the latch;

a second engagement surface connected to the actuation member that is normally disengaged from the first engagement surface;

wherein the first engagement surface engages the second engagement surface upon moving the actuation member a predetermined distance prior to substantial movement of the latch.

62. The lighter of claim 61, wherein: further comprising a plunger member connected to the latch, wherein:

a first engagement surface formed on the plunger member;

the actuation member includes a trigger; and

the second engagement surface is formed on the trigger.

63. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an actuation member movably connected to the housing for selectively igniting the fuel, the actuation member being operable in a high-force mode in which a first actuation force must be applied to the actuation member to ignite the fuel and a low-force mode in which a second actuation force must be applied to the actuation member to ignite the fuel, the first actuation force being different from the second actuation force; and

a latch for switching the actuation member between the high-force mode and the low-force mode;

wherein the latch is incapable of switching the actuation member from the high-force mode to the low-force mode when the actuation member is moved a predetermined distance before the latch is substantially moved.

64. The lighter of claim 63, wherein the latch is operable to switch the actuating member from the high-force mode to the low-force mode when the latch is moved substantially prior to moving the actuating member.

65. The lighter of claim 63, wherein:

the latch is movable between a first latching position in which the actuating member is in the high-force position and a second latching position in which the actuating member is in the low-force position;

the latch is substantially prevented from moving from the first latch position to the second latch position when the actuating member is moved a predetermined distance prior to substantial movement of the latch.

66. The lighter of claim 63, wherein movement of the latch fails to switch the actuating member from the high-force mode to the low-force mode when the actuating member is moved a predetermined distance before substantial movement of the latch.

67. The lighter of claim 66, further comprising a plunger member normally connected to the latch, wherein the latch is disconnected from the plunger member upon movement of the actuating member a predetermined distance prior to substantial movement of the latch.

68. The lighter of claim 67, wherein the latch is generally at least partially aligned with the plunger, and wherein the latch moves out of alignment with the plunger member when the actuating member is moved a predetermined distance before the latch is moved substantially.

69. The lighter of claim 63, wherein the first actuating force is greater than the second actuating force.

70. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an actuating member movable to selectively ignite fuel, the actuating member connected to the housing; and

a movable rod assembly connected to the housing, the rod assembly being operatively connected to the actuating member such that when the rod assembly is in the first position, the rod assembly contacts the actuating member to prevent the actuating member from moving a distance sufficient to ignite the fuel.

71. The lighter of claim 70, wherein the actuating member is movable sufficiently to ignite the fuel when the wand assembly is in the at least one second position.

72. The lighter of claim 71, wherein the actuating member is movable sufficiently to ignite the fuel when the wand assembly is positioned between the first and second positions.

73. The lighter of claim 71, wherein the actuating member is sufficiently deactivated to stop ignition of the fuel when the wand assembly is positioned between the first and second positions.

74. The lighter of claim 70, wherein the actuating member is substantially deactivated when the wand assembly is in the first position.

75. The lighter of claim 70, wherein the wand assembly is pivotally connected to the housing.

76. The lighter of claim 70, wherein the actuating member is slidable.

77. The lighter of claim 76, wherein the actuating member is at least partially prevented from sliding when the wand assembly is in the first position.

78. The lighter of claim 70, further comprising a cam follower operatively connected to the housing and including a first portion that interacts with the wand assembly and a second portion that interacts with the actuating member.

79. The lighter of claim 78, wherein the wand assembly includes a cam surface and the first portion of the cam follower interacts with the cam surface.

80. The lighter of claim 79, wherein the cam surface defines a first detent for engaging the first portion of the cam follower when the lever assembly is in the first position.

81. The lighter of claim 80, wherein the cam surface further defines a second detent spaced from the first detent to provide resistance to movement of the lever assembly, and the cam follower first portion engages the second detent when the lever assembly is in the second position.

82. The lighter of claim 81, wherein the first position is a closed position and the second position is an extended position, the cam surface further defining at least one additional detent between the first and second detents such that the cam surface engages the first portion of the cam follower when the lever assembly is in at least one intermediate position between the first and second positions.

83. The lighter of claim 70, wherein the actuating member is a trigger.

84. The lighter of claim 70, wherein the actuating member is part of an actuating assembly.

85. A lighter, comprising:

having a fuel source housing;

an actuating member for selectively igniting fuel in operation, the actuating member being connected to the housing; and

a lever assembly pivotally connected to the housing, wherein the lever assembly is movable from a first position in which a first lever positioning force is required to a second position in which a second lever positioning force is required, the first lever positioning force being greater than the second lever positioning force.

86. The lighter of claim 85, wherein a pivoting force applied to a point of the wand assembly sufficient to pivot the wand assembly is greater in the first position than in the second position.

87. The lighter of claim 85, further comprising a cam follower operatively connected to the housing and including a first engagement portion, and wherein the wand assembly includes a second engagement portion, the first and second engagement portions being in contact when in the first position.

88. The lighter of claim 87, wherein in the second position, the first and second engagement portions are out of contact.

89. The lighter of claim 87, wherein the first engagement portion is an outwardly projecting projection and the second engagement portion is a recess.

90. The lighter of claim 87, wherein the first engagement portion is a recess and the second engagement portion is an outwardly projecting projection.

91. The lighter of claim 85, wherein the wand assembly is pivotable between a closed position and an extended position, the first position and the second position being between the closed position and the extended position.

92. The lighter of claim 85, wherein the wand assembly is slidable between a closed position and an extended position, the first position and the second position being located between the closed position and the extended position.

93. The lighter of claim 85, wherein in the first position, the wand assembly is in the extended position, and in the second position, the wand assembly is in the closed position.

94. The lighter of claim 85, wherein in the first position, the wand assembly is in the closed position, and in the second position, the wand assembly is in the extended position.

95. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an actuating member operable to selectively ignite the fuel, the actuating member being connected to the housing; and

a lever assembly movable between a closed position and an extended position, wherein the lever assembly is releasably positionable in at least one predetermined intermediate position between the closed position and the extended position and is releasably securable relative to the housing in the at least one predetermined intermediate position between the closed position and the extended position.

96. The lighter of claim 95, wherein the wand assembly is releasably positionable in the extended position.

97. The lighter of claim 95, wherein the wand assembly is releasably positionable in the closed position.

98. The lighter of claim 95, further comprising a cam follower operatively connected to the housing, the cam follower releasably positioning the wand assembly in the at least one intermediate position.

99. The lighter of claim 98, wherein the actuating member is movable to selectively ignite the fuel, and the cam follower causes the actuating member to be sufficiently arrested from igniting the fuel when the wand assembly is in the closed position.

100. The lighter of claim 99, wherein the cam follower is operable to move the actuating member sufficiently to ignite the fuel when the wand assembly is in the extended position.

101. The lighter of claim 100, wherein the cam follower is operable to stop the actuating member sufficiently to prevent ignition of the fuel when the wand assembly is in the at least one intermediate position.

102. The lighter of claim 95, wherein the housing defines a longitudinal axis, and the wand assembly is pivotable about a laterally extending pivot axis that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

103. The lighter of claim 102, wherein the housing defines a first side and a second side, and wherein at least a portion of the wand assembly is positioned between the first side and the second side.

104. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an actuating member operable to selectively ignite the fuel, the actuating member being connected to the housing; and

and a lever connected to the housing, the lever being movable between a first position and a second position;

wherein the actuation member requires a first actuation force to selectively ignite fuel when the lever assembly is in the first position and a second actuation force to selectively ignite fuel when the lever assembly is in the second position, the first actuation force being greater than the second actuation force.

105. The lighter of claim 104, wherein the wand assembly is rotatable between the first position and the second position.

106. The lighter of claim 104, further comprising a cam follower operatively connected to the housing and including a first portion for interacting with the wand assembly and a second portion for interacting with the actuating member.

107. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an ignition assembly for igniting the fuel;

a lever assembly connected to the housing;

a nozzle that releases fuel;

an actuating member operable to selectively actuate the ignition assembly; and

a catheter extending through the rod assembly, the catheter comprising:

a tube defining a passage for delivering fuel from a fuel source to the nozzle;

a coiled wire housed in the passageway and electrically connected to the ignition assembly and the nozzle.

108. The lighter of claim 107, wherein the wand assembly further comprises a metal wand, and the lighter further comprises an insulated wire electrically connecting the ignition assembly to the metal wand.

109. The lighter of claim 108, wherein the insulated wire is at least partially coiled around the tube.

110. A lighter, comprising:

a housing having a fuel source;

an ignition assembly for igniting the fuel;

a wand assembly pivotally connected to the housing, and having a nozzle;

an actuating member operable to selectively release fuel from the nozzle and actuate the ignition assembly;

at least one component fluidly connecting the fuel source to the nozzle, the at least one component electrically connected to the ignition assembly and the nozzle;

wherein the lever assembly is pivotable about a pivot axis and the at least one component is spaced a distance from the pivot axis and extends at least partially through the lever assembly.

111. The lighter of claim 110, wherein the wand assembly defines an aperture spaced from the pivot axis, and the at least one component extends through the aperture.

112. The lighter of claim 111, wherein:

the shaft assembly includes a hub portion rotatable about an axis;

the bore is defined on the hub portion; and

the bore is spaced from the shaft.

113. The lighter of claim 110, further comprising:

a first electrode operatively supported by the housing;

a conductive member spaced from the first electrode and operatively supported by the housing;

a wire electrically connecting the first electrode to the conductive member;

a second electrode forming part of the ignition assembly;

an electrical conductor operatively connected to the actuation member such that movement of the actuation member moves the electrical conductor, the electrical conductor being electrically connected to the electrically conductive member.

114. The lighter of claim 113, wherein the electrical conductor is slidable along the conductive member.

115. The lighter of claim 113, further comprising a wand assembly movably coupled to the housing, the wand assembly including a first electrode at the free end, the first electrode being the nozzle.