US2651931A - Cigarette lighter - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet l CIGARETTE LIGHTER flu:

E. P. GAILMARD, SR., ET AL -zoz Sept. 15, 1953 Filed July 5, 1950 by, d

E. P. GAl-LMARD, SR., Sept. 15, 1953 ET AL 2,651,931

CIGARETTE LIGHTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 3, 1950 f/zn /zzo/wxi GM 94. F

Patented Sept. 15, 1953 CIGARETTE LIGHTER Eugene P. Gailmard, Sn, Chicago, Ill., and Eugene P. Gailmard, Jr., Munster, Ind.; said Gailmard, Jr., assignor to said Gailmard, Sr.

Application July 3, 1950, Serial No. 171,898

Claims. 1

The present invention is directed to improvements in devices used for lighting cigars and cigarettes and more particularly to so-called pocket lighters adapted to be carried in a pocket or purse, although its more salient features may be very advantageously incorporated in so-called table or desk lighters customarily used in the home or office.

Devices of this general character are now widely known and used and are available in great variety on the open market. Even the best known and most used types, however, are partially or wholly incapable of uniformly satisfactory performance and service except under optimum conditions, which conditions cannot be consistently maintained with presently known devices and which include, among other considerations (1) A clean, dry flint or other pyrophoric element;

(2) A dry spark wheel or other abradant for striking sparks from the flint;

(3) A moist, but not wet, wick having the proper charge or prime of fuel to cause it to ignite readily and to burn freely with a clear, steady flame.

Presently known devices of this character are more or less seriously defective with regard to the foregoing essentials. Probably the most common defect is over-saturation and flooding of the wick and surrounding parts when filling the fuel chamber. Another similar fault common to such lighters is forced leakage through the wick, caused by vaporization and expansion pressures. At such times the lighter functions imperfectly, if at all, until dried out either by burning off the excess fuel from the wick and other parts, or by evaporation. The first is dangerous; the second keeps the lighter out of service for an indefinite length of time, depending upon the degree of flooding.

Another problem presented by such devices is that of shielding the flame against extinguishment as in out-of-doors use. Known devices employ either a fixed type or a movable type of windshield. The fixed type comprises a permament part of the casing structure extending above the exposed wick. This necessarily increases the overall height and bulk of the assembly and its cover member and compels use of the shield whether needed or not. The movable type shield is adapted to be raised and lowered manually and has never proven satisfactory because of difficulty of manipulation, resulting in broken fingernails and soiled, or even burned, fingers.

The most important problem confronting this art and industry, however, and never before satisfactorily solved in such devices, is that of maintaining in the wick at all times a constant, well balanced prime of its fuel so that it will provide a strong, steady flame each time it is ignited.

Presently known lighters reach maximum efficiency for only a very few days of the interim between servicings, due to lack of fuel balance or priming control. There is no presently known lighter capable of maintaining a uniform moisture prime or. balance in the wick from the time of its first fueling until refueling again becomes necessary.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to maintain the essential working parts of a lighter of the class described in optimum operating condition.

Another important object of the invention is to prevent excess fuel from reaching and escaping through the wick, thereby eliminating possibility of leaking or flooding and necessity of frequent refueling and drying out of the working parts.

Still another important object of the invention is the adjustably controlled metering or admission of fuel to the wick in predetermined fixed quantity and only as needed by the wick to sustain combustion.

Another important object of the invention is to maintain the wick at all times completely out of uncontrolled contact with the main fuel supply and to So control the admission of fuel to the wick that fuel consumed by burning at the top of the wick at each lighting thereof is simultaneously replaced by a compensating amount admitted to the bottom of the wick, thus preserving a balanced prime of moisture in the wick.

It is a further important object of this invention to maintain the wick normally isolated from its fuel source and to mechanically regulate and control all fuel-wick contact in such manner that the wick is caused to acquire its fuel supply in crementally, in successive operations of the lighter, in accordance with the ability of the wick to absorb and retain fuel by capillary attraction.

A still further object of the invention is to pro vide an automatically movable windshield which may readily be rendered operative or inoperative at the option of the user.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of means whereby the outer tip of the wick may be exposed and ignited, the flame shielded, and a fixed amount of replenishing fuel made available to the lower end of the wick simultanegrisly, all by a simple one-finger pressure operaion.

The invention further contemplates, in connection with the advantages and improvements above enumerated, simplicity of working parts, ease and economy of manufacture and assembly, long usage without servicing or replacement of parts or materials, extreme economy of fuel, and complete convenience and facility of servicing and operation.

Other and further advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of this invention.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view of a lighter constructed in accordance with the present invention, taken along the line II of Figures 2 and 13;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the impeller and showing the valve mechanism, taken along the line 1III of Figure 1;

Figures 3 through represent a series of somewhat schematic views showing the sequence of relative movements of the valve anvil or striker plate and the impeller spring arm for triggering the anvil to trip the valve, through a complete cycle of operation, the valve closure return spring being omitted for clarity of illustration;

Figure 11 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view of the windshield and snuffer cap portion of the lighter as shown in Figure 1, with unrelated parts omitted for clarity of illustration;

Figure 12 is a transverse sectional view of the snuffer cap and windshield portion of the lighter taken along line XII-XII of Figure 11, with unrelated parts omitted;

Figure 13 is a top plan view of the lighter in closed position;

Figure 14 is a top plan view of the lighter in opened position;

Figure 15 is a transverse sectional view showing the various operating mechanisms for raising the snuffer cap and rotating the spark wheel,

taken along the line XV-XV of Figure 1; and

Figure 16 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view showing the diaphragm sealing arrangement for the impeller shaft.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure 1 is shown a doubly enlarged view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention adapted to a pocket lighter of modern type, embodying the single action principle of operation for igniting and extinguishing the same.

The structure of Figure 1 has a casing I! of generally flattened ovate configuration and having a top plate I2 and a bottom plate I3, soldered, brazed or otherwise suitably affixed thereon. The top plate I2 has a first opening in which is seated an upstanding neck or collar portion I4 for receiving a wick W; a second opening through which the end of a tube I5 projects, this tube holding a flint or other pyrophoric element I6 projected through its open end; and a third opening through which the open neck portion ll of a tube Ila extends. In this tube an elongated impeller or power shaft IB is mounted for vertical reciprocation.

The impeller shaft 18 is moved downwardly by thumb er finger pressure and upwardly by a coil spring S surrounding that portion of the shaft positioned immediately below the top plate l2 of casing I I. Return spring S is seated in the metal tube Ila, depending freely for a short distance into the interior of casing II.

Impeller shaft E8 is of slightly enlarged section at its upper end to retain spring S seated in its proper position in tube lla. This enlarged upper section of shaft it may be centrally bored and threaded, if desired, for ease and facility of assembly with its reduced lower end section, which projects through a central aperture Ilb in the bottom of tube Ila.

Impeller shaft I8 is adapted to be depressed by a thumb plate 53 welded or otherwise suitably afiixed over the top of shaft iii. Plate i9 is provided with racks |96L engaging pinion gears 20 journaled on an axle 2! carried between up standing lugs 22-22 extending upwardly from opposite sides of the top plate I2 of casing II. Axle 2| also carries a so-called spark. wheel or abrading element 23, the abrading surface of which rests against the top of the flint Flint I6 is constantly urged upwardly into yielding contact with said spark wheel 2 by a coil spring 25 passing upwardl through. tube 213, which tends from the bottom plate I3 through the interior of casing H and terminates slightly above the top of plate I2. The bottom of tube I5 is screw-threaded to receive a closure member 26 on which spring 25 is seated.

As best shown in Figures 1 and 15, spark Wheel 23 is provided on a side face thereof with ratchet teeth 24 for cooperation with a pawl Eda also mounted on axle 23. A snufier El, carrying the pinion gears 29 in its rear side jaws and rotatably mounted on axle 2!, has its outer or cap end positioned over the wick W in wick collar I i. Upon downward pressure being exerted against thumb plate 59, the rack and pinion gears Ella. and 2!) lift the snuifer 2'! from the top of wick W and the spark wheel 23 is rotated by pawl 24a and the ratchet teeth (see Fig. 15) to strike sparks from the flint IE to ignite wick W. Upon release of pressure, thumb plate I9 is urged upwardly by impeller shaft I8 under the bias of its return sprin 5, thereby causing snufier 21 to descend over the top of wick W to extinguish the flame.

The structure and operation of the lighter thus far described are conventional and known to the prior art, with the exception that the power or impeller shaft of the prior art terminates at the bottom of tube Ila, which is closed at that point to prevent ingress of fuel.

In the present invention, as above stated, the tube Ila has a central opening ill) to allow the elongated end section of impeller shaft !8 to project therethrough. To prevent leakage through opening Ilb along impeller shaft 58 it is, of course, necessary to seal off the opening Ilb, which may be accomplished by various known expedients.

By way of illustration only we have shown in Figures 1 and 16 how the opening Ilb may be positively sealed off by means of a sealing diaphragm D of neoprene, plastic, or other liquidproof collapsible material clamped as by snap rings D'-D' around the lower end of tube Ila above opening Ill) and around impeller shaft I8 below the opening ll'b. As is well understood in sealing closures of this type it is only necessary that diaphragm D be sui'ficiently extensible to accommodate the downward motion of impeller I8, since it resumes its own normally collapsed condition upon retraction of impeller I8 to its original position.

Prior art lighters of the class described usually employ a woven cotton or other fabric wick six inches or more in length, freely disposed in a packing of cotton or other absorbent material closely packed inside the casing H', the packing and wick being saturated with a volatile fluid. So long as this packing is moist the wick draws therefrom by capillary action such moisture as it can, varying, of course, according to the amount of moisture in the packing material, which becomes less and less each day following refueling. Repacking and refueling is accomplished through an enlarged opening 28 in the bottom plate [3, which is closed by a screw-threaded closure member 29.

For the illustrated embodiment of the present invention it is preferred to use a Wick of Sp glass fibers and of relatively short length, say of about 1 to 2 inches, although a wick of asbestos or other suitable material may be used if desired. Glass fiber is preferred because it does not burn or char, therefore lasts indefinitely and constitutes, in effect, a part of the permanent assembly. N o cotton or other packing material is used in the casing H which, in the present invention, normally constitutes a reservoir or chamber for a body of free fuel in liquid form. Filling of the reservoir is easily and conveniently accomplished through opening 28 in the bottom plate [3 upon removal of the closure member 29.

As shown in Figure 1, the wick W is enclosed in a metal tube 30 bent into a curved or serpentine configuration and extending downwardly into the interior of the casing to a short distance above the bottom thereof. The upper end of tube 30 terminates in wick stem or collar [4 in top plate l2 of casing H and the wick W extends the full length of this tube, plus about to A,," projecting above the top of collar 14, where it is maintained closed to atmosphere by the snuifer cap 27. It will also be noted that the lowermost end of the tube 38 terminates at a point subjacent the downwardly extended impeller shaft l8 when the latter is in its uppermost retracted or at rest position.

The open lower end of wick tube 30 seats tig tly on the central crowned or domed portion 33 of a valve closure member 34 which is made of metal, bonded or otherwise suitably afiixed as by short studs to the upper crowned portion 33, which is preferably composed of a very hard rubber, r

plastic, or other suitable material which, in case of eventual wear, will simply form a tighter seal with the open end of tube 30.

The valve closure member 34 seats in a short barrel or cylinder 3'! formed by a walled enclosure extended upwardly from around the inner periphery of the enlarged opening 23 in the bottom plate H of casing ll'. Threaded closure member 29 for this opening carries an integral stop pin 38 extending upwardly through the center of a short but relatively powerful spring 36 to a point below the top of said spring which, in turn, terminates against the base portion of closure member 34 and urges the same upwardly into tight sealing engagement with the open end of wick tube 31]. The height of stop pin 38 may be made adjustable, if desired, as by screwthreading it through the center of closure member 29 in known manner, and for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The metal lower portion of the valve closure member 34 has an extended nose or anvil portion 39, preferably of hardened steel to resist wear, projected through a vertical slot 4| in cylinder 3'! and adapted to move up and down in said slot while the bod portion of closure member 34 moves in similar manner within the confines of cylinder 37.

It will here be noted that cylinder 31 is fil ed with liquid so long as there is any appreciable quantity of liquid fuel in the reservoir or casin I i, this fuel entering cylinder 3! through the slot 4| and also through one or more perforations in the cylinder wall as indicated generally at 4 la.

The lowermost end of impeller shaft I8 is positioned above the protruding nose or anvil portion 39 of valve member 34 and has permanently aflixed thereto, as by welding, a short flexible trigger or spring 42 of beryllium copper or other fatigue-resistant material which projects laterally to strike the upper surface of anvil 39 up n depression of the impeller shaft l8, Upon such contact the valve closure member 34 is forced downwardly in cylinder 31, breaking the seal between the lower end of wick tube 39 and the domed upper sealing portion 33 of valve mem 34, and allowing fuel to contact the lowermost end of wick W.

Downward motion of valve member 34 is stopped immediately because of contact with p pin 38 of closure member 29 (see Figure 5), but as impeller shaft it continues its downward movement under pressure of thumb plate l9, the trigger spring 42 is flexed upwardly (Fig. 5) until it snaps past anvil 39, when it again straightens out (see Fig. 6). The instant the trigger 42 clears anvil 39 in its downward motion, the sp 36 snaps the valve closure member 34 upwardly to reengage the domed portion 33 thereof against the bottom of tube 3|], thereby again sealing the tube against ingress of fuel, while impeller l8 continues its downward travel to the full length of its stroke (see Fig. 7).

Upon release of pressure on thumb plate [9 the impeller shaft It is immediately Sp urged upwardly (Fig. 8) toward its initial position by the action of its spring s in housin Ila. In this movement the trigger spring 42, in its upward travel, engages the under side of anvil 39 (Fig. 9) but in this instance is flexed downwardly until it snaps past the anvil 39 and proceeds upwardly to its normal at rest position. Such contact of the trigger 42 with vil 39 has no effect on the valve seal other than to tend, if possible, to tighten it.

As will be noted from the immediately preceding description, the valve can be opened on y momentarily and is then instantaneously reclosed, even though the thumb plate l9 be held fully depressed for an indefinite length of time, as, for instance, while lighting several cigarettes. As will also be observed, there is no reopening of the valve upon release of the thumb plate l9.

It should here be particularly noted that the timing of the interaction between the valving or metering elements, namely, wick tube 30, valve member 34, stop pin 33, impeller 18, trig er 42 and anvil 39 is susceptible of such delicate adjustment as to make it easily possible to p determine the exact amount of fuel to be permitted to contact the wick at each opening of the valve.

The controlling factors in this sequence of operational movements are: the distance of travel of impeller shaft it between thumb plate l9 and the top plate i2 of casing H; the distance of travel of valve element 34 when its seal with tube 39 is broken and. before the bottom of the valve strikes the stop pin 38; the relative heights of stop pin 38 and trigger 42 above the bottom plate |3 when the trigger 42 is in at rest position; and the relative strength of springs S and 36 and trigger spring 42. Obviously, the latter must be strong enough to overcome spring 36 to break the valve seal and force valve 34 down against stop pin 38 with a fast triggering ac tion similar to that of a gun, or a camera shutter. When valve 34 is released by the trigger 4'2 snapping past the anvil 39, the return spring 3% must snap the member 34 back to its seat against tube 39 and hold it there. Spring S, in turn, must be strong enough to pull the trigger spring 42 upwardl past the anvil 39 in returning impeller shaft IE to normal position.

To clarify the interaction of these elements there is shown in Figures 3-10, inclusive, a somewhat schematic chart or series of views of the sequential positions of the valve closure member 54 and the impeller-trigger spring 42, taken in various stages of their relative movements. These views show:

In Fig. 3-valve element 34 and impeller-trigger Iii-42 at rest in their respective top positions;

In Fig. 4--elements 34 and |842 both in downward motion (seal broken) In Fig. 534 seated upon and stopped by stop pin 38; 42 still in downward motion, bypassing 34 at 39;

In Fig. 63 released and in upward motion (urged by spring 35, not shown) Ii -42 continuing in downward motion under pressure on thumb plate l9 (not shown);

In Fig. '7-34 in top rest position (sealing end of wick tube 33); Iii-42 in extreme bottom depressed position;

In Fig. 834 in top rest (sealing) position; |8-42 in upward motion (thumb pressure released);

In Fig. 9-34 in top rest (sealing) position;

42 bypassing 34 at 39 in its upward movement;

In Fig. -34 and Iii-42 both at top rest position, as originally shown in Fig. 3.

From the foregoing it is readily apparent that the cooperating elements provided for opening and closing of the valve are capable of adjustment to split-second timing and minute degree, also that the amount of fuel thus made available to the wick does not vary, since the impulse which opens the valve cannot hold it open. Fuel is allowed to contact only the lowermost end of the wick, to be drawn upwardly by capillary action, and only in a minute quantity at each operation, This valve opening and reclosing action is so fast that the wick receives no fluid by gravity, as by tilting or other motion in normal handling of the lighter, but must pick up its requirements entirely by capillary action. With a properly fitted closure cap or snuffer covering the top of the wick and wick collar there can be little or no evaporation. The entire wick is effectively sealed up, and whatever moisture is in the wick is retained there until the lighter is again used.

Under the circumstances above described it will also be obvious that when the fixed amount of fuel thus metered to the wick is properly correlated to average burning time, i. e., as in lighting a cigar or cigarette, the fuel burned away is simultaneously replaced by fresh fuel, thereby keeping the wick at all times at its properl balanced loading, or prime, constituting the optimum condition of moisture for its best operation.

It will likewise be apparent that with the construction of this invention there can be no fiooding or over-saturation of the wick in any normal use of the lighter, or even by repeated operation of the thumb plate l9. Starting with the very first fueling and a dry wick, such repeated operation can only cause the wick to pick up its needed prime or balance of fuel. Once it becomes sufficiently moistened to ignite and burn freely it will so ignite when the thumb plate is depressed, thus burning and adding fuel simultaneously. If for any reason the flint should occasionally fail to spark and ignite the wick, no undesirable result will follow because the wick, after filling to its prime or point of balance, can not overfill, since it then loses its capillary power and becomes inert. Furthermore, as is well known, the wick normally operates (flames) at something less than its full fuel capacity.

Stated another way, the wick of the lighter of the present invention is caused to determine its own fuel requirements. The mechanism of this invention delivers those requirements but cannot deliver an oversupply.

This automatic compensating and priming feature is believed to be broadly new in devices of this character and, as above stated, may readily be brought to whatever point of adjustment may be deemed necessary. As an example, with the known factors of capacity of the fuel reservoir and the amount metered into the wick at each lighting, the number of such lightings required to deplete the reservoir may be determined. Calculated on the average number of lightings per twenty-four hours, the number of days between refuelings can then be determined with reasonable accuracy.

The wear-life of the flint depends, of course, on its quality and length, but tests have indicated that it is quite possible to so correlate consumption of fuel and wear-down of flint that both will need renewing at approximately the same time. Also, with the present invention, such renewals will be necessary much less frequently than with prior art structures.

Proceeding now to the problem of shielding the flame, as for outdoor usage, there is shown in solid lines in Figure 11 a windshield 5| in its retracted position, and in dash lines in its raised position. In retracted position shield 5| seats in an open space formed by a wall 52 inside casing into which space no fuel is admitted from the main fuel chamber, the points at which wick tube 30 and flint-spring tube i5 pass through the wall 52 (see Fig. I) being suitably sealed as by soldering,

As shown in Figures 1, 11 and 13, the shield 5| comprises a thin metal wall of curvate outline conforming to the peripheral curve of the top plate l2 of casing II, the end section of plate l2 being slotted therearound as at 54 (Fig. 13) to permit raising and lowering of windshield 5|. The upper peripheral edge of windshield 5| is rounded or beaded to comprise, in effect, when in retracted position, a portion of the upper peripheral edge of top plate I2. A series of small apertures or perforations indicated generally at P extend around the windshield wall near the bottom thereof to admit sufficient air to propagate the flame when the shield is in raised position. The shield 5| is entirely open at the top but has a thin metal flange or plate 53 extending partially across the bottom thereof, this plate engaging under top plate l2 when the shield is raised, thereby to prevent the shield from passing entirely out of the casing According to the present invention the windshield may be raised and lowered by the same impulse which raises and lowers the snufier cap 2'! above the wick W. As shown in section in Figures 11 and 12, and as viewed in top plan in Figs. 13 and 14, the snuffer element 21 has a pair of arms 55 positioned rearwardly of the wick cap proper and extending both downwardly and outwardly from the inner side surfaces of the snuffer element 27 to pass through slightly enlarged portions 58 of slot 54 in top plate l2 of casing The lower ends of arms 55 are apertured to detachably engage over the ends of a .pair of pegs or pins 56 permanently engaged for rolling or sliding movement in horizontal slots 5'! formed in the sides of windshield 5| adjacent the upper peripheral edge thereof. The pins 55 have suitably enlarged heads or flanges on each side of the windshield wall to prevent their disengagement from slots 51, with straight stubs or pegs projecting inwardly from the side walls of windshield 5| for reception in the apertured ends of arms 55 as above described.

Pressure on thumb plate I9 causes the snuffer element 2'5 to be raised, carrying with it the arms 55 which, in turn, cause the pins 55 to move upwardly in an arcuate motion. In this arcuate motion the pins are moved with a sliding-rolling motion in slots 51? and caused to exert pressure against the upper edges of said slots, thereby raising the windshield 5| to the position shown in dash lines in Figure 11. In this position, as clearly shown in Figure 14, the arms 55 are extended horizontally outwardly, having emerged from the underside of top plate l2 through the enlarged slots 58, carrying with them the pins Release of pressure on thumb plate i9 reverses the motion above described, returning the windshield 5|, slots 57, pins 55 and arms 55 to lowermost or retracted position. It will of course be apparent that the lower ends of arms 55, the pins 55 and slots 5'l are all concealed in the closed off space formed by the wall 52 below the top plate I2 when the windshield is in retracted position, and are all visible above the top of plate I? when in raised position.

A feature of the present invention is that the use of the windshield is optional, as it is a simple procedure to render the same operative or inoperative, at will.

Assuming that the shield is operatively connected and it is desired to disconnect the same, thumb plate l9 may be depressed to raise the shield above the top of plate l2 to a position where the arms 55 may be pinched or squeezed together slightly to disengage them from the pins 55, whereupon shield 5| will drop back inside casing ll through slot 54 and the pins 55 through enlarged slot 58. Thereafter, arms 55 will be raised and lowered with snuffer 21 but will have no function. To again render the windshield operative the shield 5| may be manually lifted above the top plate i2 and the pins 56 reengaged with the arms 55.

From the foregoing disclosures it will be apparent that in the present invention provision is made for achieving and maintaining optimum operating conditions in lighters of the class described, including means for accurately metering fuel to the wick while preventing flooding or over-saturation; maintaining a constant balance or prime of moisture in the wick; lighting and extinguishing the wick and automatically raising and lowering the windshield; all operating in unison under actuation of a single element and impulse.

It will of course be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of this invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a cigarette lighter, a casing housing a fuel reservoir, a wick in said casing normally isolated from said reservoir and having an end projecting from said casing, igniting means adjacent the projecting end of said wick, self-closing metering means in said casing operable to admit fuel from said reservoir to said wick, a manually movable element for actuating said igniting means, means connected to said element to simultaneously trip said metering means open but inoperable to hold the same open, and an adjustable element positioned to limit the opening of said metering means whereby to .predetermine the time interval the metering means remains open.

2. A device for lighting cigarettes and the like including a casing, said casing having a fuel reservoir therein; an abrading element movably mounted on said casing; a pyrophoric element maintained in yielding contact with said abrading element; a wick having its main body portion inside said casing and its upper end exposed for ignition outside of said casing; a movable closure member comprising a snuffer for normally closing the upper end of said wick from atmosphere; a housing in said casing enclosing said wick and normally maintaining the same out of contact with the fuel supply; valve means associated with said housing and operable to admit a fixed amount of fuel into contact with the body of the wick each time the upper end of the wick is exposed to atmosphere; means operable to raise the closure member and to move the abrading element against the contacting surface of the pyrophoric element to cause sparks therefrom to ignite the exposed wick; a single impeller means operable by pressure to cause all of the operable elements to function contemporaneously; independent means for closing said valve means when said fixed amount of fuel has been admitted to said wick; and means operable upon release of pressure on said impeller to cause replacement of said closure member and extinguishment of the flame.

3. In a cigarette lighter, a body defining a reservoir to contain free liquid fuel; a wick having an end exposed for ignition and having its other end extending into said reservoir; a chamber closely surrounding said wick in said reservoir and having an opening therein adjacent said other end of said wick to permit direct contact between said wick and the fuel in said reservoir; valve means in said opening in control of contact between said wick and the fuel; resilient means urging said valve means into closed position; closure means for covering the exposed end of said wick, and manually actuated trigger means connected to said closure means for simultaneously uncovering said wick and engaging said valve means to momentarily trip said valve means open to admit a small quantity of liquid fuel to the wick but inoperable to hold said valve means open.

4.. In a cigarette lighter, a casing forming a chamber for liquid fuel; a wick to be primed with fuel from said chamber and ignited, said wick having one end exposed for ignition outside of said casing and its other end disposed inside said chamber for priming with fuel; movable closure means for covering said exposed wick-end when in closed position; and means for control- 1 1 ling the fuel prime of said wick including a wick housing in said chamber, said other end of said wick being completely enclosed in said housing; a port in said wick housing below the liquid level in said chamber; means sealing said port against ingress of fuel; biasing means urging said sealing means to closed position; tripping means actuated by opening movement of said closure means and operable to overcome said bias to trip said sealing means open to cause momentary direct fuel-wick contact for at least part of each time said closure means is opened; and stop means for limiting the efiective opening action of said tripping means so that the wick can obtain only an incremental portion of its fuel capacity at any one usage of the lighter.

5. In a cigarette lighter, a body defining a reservoir to contain free liquid fuel; a Wick having an end exposed for ignition and having its other end extending into said reservoir; igniting means adjacent the end exposed for ignition, for igniting the same; said wick consisting of an elongated narrow body; a tube closely surrounding said wick body and extending into said reservoir surroundingly of said wick to said other wick end therein, said tube being open at said other wick end; plug means for closing the open tube end in said reservoir to prevent liquid fuel contact with said other wick end when in closed posi- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,584,258 Thorens May 11, 1926 1,998,339 Stansbury Apr. 16, 1935 2,211,500 Gabritsch Aug. 13, 1940 2,477,398 Shatkin July 26, 1949 2,509,251 Rogers May 30, 1950 2,531,554 Chen Nov. 28, 1950 2,538,627 Pearl Jan. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 144,209 Austria Jan. 10, 1926 586,263 Great Britain Mar. 19, 1947

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