Lighter

Claim 2

A lighter comprising fuel chamber defining structure having an outlet port, valve means for controlling the flow of fuel from said fuel chamber through said outlet port, said valve means including a first valve member and a second valve member mounted for movement between a valve closed position and a valve open position, a valve actuator for moving said movable member, said valve actuator being a one-piece member and including a first coupling portion secured to said first member, a second coupling portion juxtaposed to said first coupling portion and secured to said second member, a spring portion connecting said first and second coupling portions and normally urging said first and second coupling portions towards one another to move said first and second valve members towards said valve closed position, and an exposed surface portion at the end of said actuator remote from said coupling portions, and manually operated ignition means adjacent said exposed surface portion for operation in coordination with opening of said valve by said valve actuator in response to manual engagement of said exposed surface.

Claim 3

A lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spring portion comprises a resilient, generally C-shaped member disposed between said first and second juxtaposed valve member coupling portions.

Claim 4

A lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second valve member is a cylindrical stem and said first valve member is a resilient member that defines a valve port and a valve seat surrounding said valve port, and said spring portion biases said stem against valve seat to close said valve port.

Claim 5

A lighter as claimed in claim 3 and further including a compressible flow regulator member between said fuel chamber and said valve means to regulate the rate of fuel flow therebetween, and further including a threadedly mounted stem housing member, said resilient member being secured on the base of said stem housing member and acting against said flow regulator member so that rotation of said housing member adjusts the compression of said flow regulator and thereby controls the rate of fuel flow to said valve means.

Claim 6

A lighter as claimed in claim 4 wherein said compressible flow regulator comprises a porous member that is saturated with liquid from said fuel chamber and from which fuel vaporizes when said valve means is open whereby fuel flows from said valve means in vapor form.

Claim 7

A lighter as claimed in claim 5 wherein said porous member is of plastic foam material.

Claim 8

A lighter as claimed in claim 6 wherein said porous member is of thermally reticulated polyester foam.

Claim 9

A lighter as claimed in claim 1 and further including a fuel impermeable tube integral with said fuel chamber defining structure, said tube having a fuel inlet adjacent the lower end of said chamber and a fuel outlet communicating with said valve means, said chamber being charged with a liquid fuel supply that occupies the greater part of said chamber and a compressed gas substantially insoluble in the liquid fuel that occupies the remainder of said chamber, said substantially insoluble gas in said chamber having a volume at atmospheric pressure at least substantially equal to the volume of said fuel chamber so that said compressed gas in said chamber urges liquid fuel in said chamber through said tube toward said valve means under positive pressure throughout the entire useful life of the lighter.

Claim 10

A lighter comprising fuel chamber defining structure having an outlet port, valve means for controlling the flow of fuel from said fuel chamber through said outlet port, said valve means including a first valve member and a second valve member mounted for movement between a valve closed position and a valve open position, a valve actuator for moving said movable member, said valve actuator being a one-piece member and including a first coupling portion secured to said member, a second coupling portion juxtaposed to said frist coupling portion and secured to said second member, a spring portion connecting said first and second coupling portions and normally urging said first and second portions towards one another to move said first and second valve members towards said valve closed position, and an exposed surface portion at the end of said actuator remote from said coupling portions, and manually operated ignition means adjacent said exposed surface portion for operation in coordination with opening of said valve by said valve actuator in response to manual engagement of said exposed surface, a fuel impermeable tube integral with said fuel chamber defining structure, said tube having a fuel inlet adjacent the lower end of said chamber and a fuel outlet communicating with said valve means, said chamber being charged with a liquid fuel supply that occupies the greater part of said chamber and a compressed gas substantially insoluble in the liquid fuel is in the remainder of said chamber, said substantially insoluble gas in said chamber having a volume at atmospheric pressure at least substantially equal to the volume of said fuel chamber so that said compressed gas in said chamber urges liquid fuel in said chamber through said tube toward said valve means under positive pressure throughout the entire useful life of the lighter, a flow regulator between said fuel chamber and said valve means, said liquid fuel saturating said flow regulator and the fuel being transmitted to said valve means in vapor form for ignition by said ignition means when said valve means is open, and means for moving said first valve member to change the compression of said flow regulator to vary the fuel vapor flow rate.

Claim 11

A lighter comprising fuel chamber defining structure having an outlet port, valve means for controlling the flow of fuel from said fuel chamber through said outlet port, said valve means including a first valve member and a second valve member mounted for movement between a valve closed position and a valve open position, a valve actuator for moving said movable member, said valve actuator being a one-piece member and including a first coupling portion secured to said member, a second coupling portion juxtaposed to said frist coupling portion and secured to said second member, a spring portion connecting said first and second coupling portions and normally urging said first and second portions towards one another to move said first and second valve members towards said valve closed position, and an exposed surface portion at the end of said actuator remote from said coupling portions, and manually operated ignition means adjacent said exposed surface portion for operation in coordination with opening of said valve by said valve actuator in response to manual engagement of said exposed surface, a fuel impermeable tube integral with said fuel chamber defining structure, said tube having a fuel inlet adjacent the lower end of said chamber and a fuel outlet communicating with said valve means, said chamber being charged with a liquid fuel supply that occupies the greater part of said chamber and a compressed gas substantially insoluble in the liquid fuel is in the remainder of said chamber, said substantially insoluble gas in said chamber having a volume at atmospheric pressure at least substantially equal to the volume of said fuel chamber so that said compressed gas in said chamber urges liquid fuel in said chamber through said tube toward said valve means under positive pressure throughout the entire useful life of the lighter, a flow regulator between said fuel chamber and said valve means, said liquid fuel saturating said flow regulator and the fuel being transmitted to said valve means in vapor form for ignition by said ignition means when said valve means is open, and means for moving said first valve member to change the compression of said flow regulator to vary the fuel vapor flow rate.

Claim 12

A lighter as claimed in claim 9 wherein said second valve member is a cylindrical valve stem and said first valve member is a resilient member defining a valve seat surrounding a valve port, and said spring portion biases said stem against said valve seat to close said valve port.

Claim 13

A lighter as claimed in claim 10 wherein said flow regulator is a plastic foam member.

Claim 14

In a gas lighter having structure defining a fuel chamber, valve means for controlling the flow of fuel from said chamber, and ignition means adjacent said valve means for igniting fuel flowing from said valve means, the improvement comprising a fuel impermeable tube integral with said chamber defining structure, said tube having a fuel inlet port at its lower end adjacent said lower end of said chamber and a fuel outlet port at its upper end communicating with said valve means, said chamber being charged with a liquid fuel supply that occupies the greater part of said chamber and a compressed gas substantially insoluble in the liquid fuel that occupies the remainder of said chamber, said substantially insoluble gas in said chamber having a volume at atmospheric pressure at least substantially equal to the volume of said fuel chamber so that said compressed gas in said chamber urges liquid fuel in said chamber through said tube toward said valve means under positive pressure throughout the entire useful life of the lighter.

Claim 15

In a gas lighter having structure defining a fuel chamber, valve means for controlling the flow of fuel from said chamber, and ignition means adjacent said valve means for igniting fuel flowing from said valve means, the improvement comprising a fuel impermeable tube integral with said chamber defining structure, said tube having a fuel inlet port at its lower end adjacent said lower end of said chamber and a fuel outlet port at its upper end communicating with said valve means, said chamber being charged with a liquid fuel supply that occupies the greater part of said chamber and a compressed gas substantially insoluble in the liquid fuel that occupies the remainder of said chamber, said substantially insoluble gas in said chamber having a volume at atmospheric pressure at least substantially equal to the volume of said fuel chamber so that said compressed gas in said chamber urges liquid fuel in said chamber through said tube toward said valve means under positive pressure throughout the entire useful life of the lighter.

Claim 16

A lighter comprising structure defining a fuel chamber adapted to receive a liquid fuel supply, structure defining a valve chamber, barrier structure between said fuel chamber defining structure and said valve chamber defining structure, a passage in said barrier structure providing communication between said fuel chamber and said valve chamber, a compressible flow regulator disposed at the base of said valve chamber, a stem housing member in said valve chamber, said stem housing member having an axially extending passage therethrough, an elastomeric member secured at the base of said stem housing member and bearing against said flow regulator, said elastomeric member including a peripheral seal portion engaging the wall of said valve chamber, a port in said elastomeric member in alignment with said axial passage, and a valve seat portion surrounding said port, a stem member disposed in said axial passage, said stem member having an end surface normally biased into sealing engagement with said valve seat portion, means for axially moving said stem housing member in said valve chamber for varying the compression of said flow regulator thereby controlling the rate of fuel flow from said fuel chamber through said flow regulator to said port in said elastomeric member, a valve actuator for moving said stem member axially away from said elastomeric member, and manually operated ignition means adjacent said actuator for operation in coordination with movement of said stem away from said valve seat portion to open said valve to ignite gaseous fuel flowing from said valve chamber through said axial passage in response to manual engagement of said exposed surface.

Claim 17

A lighter comprising structure defining a fuel chamber adapted to receive a liquid fuel supply, structure defining a valve chamber, barrier structure between said fuel chamber defining structure and said valve chamber defining structure, a passage in said barrier structure providing communication between said fuel chamber and said valve chamber, a compressible flow regulator disposed at the base of said valve chamber, a stem housing member in said valve chamber, said stem housing member having an axially extending passage therethrough, an elastomeric member secured at the base of said stem housing member and bearing against said flow regulator, said elastomeric member including a peripheral seal portion engaging the wall of said valve chamber, a port in said elastomeric member in alignment with said axial passage, and a valve seat portion surrounding said port, a stem member disposed in said axial passage, said stem member having an end surface normally biased into sealing engagement with said valve seat portion, means for axially moving said stem housing member in said valve chamber for varying the compression of said flow regulator thereby controlling the rate of fuel flow from said fuel chamber through said flow regulator to said port in said elastomeric member, a valve actuator for moving said stem member axially away from said elastomeric member, and manually operated ignition means adjacent said actuator for operation in coordination with movement of said stem away from said valve seat portion to open said valve to ignite gaseous fuel flowing from said valve chamber through said axial passage in response to manual engagement of said exposed surface.

Claim 18

The lighter as claimed in claim 13 wherein said compressible flow regulator comprises a porous member that is saturated with liquid fuel from said fuel chamber and from which fuel vaporizes when said valve means is open whereby fuel flows from said valve means in vapor form.

Claim 19

The lighter as claimed in claim 14 wherein said flow regulator is a plastic foam member.

Claim 20

The lighter as claimed in claim 15 wherein said porous member is of thermallY reticulated polyester foam.

Claim 21

A lighter as claimed in claim 16 and further including a fuel impermeable tube integral with said fuel chamber defining structure, said tube having a fuel inlet adjacent the lower end of said chamber and a fuel outlet communicating with said valve means, said chamber being charged with a liquid fuel supply that occupies the greater part of said chamber and a compressed gas substantially insoluble in the liquid fuel is in the remainder of said chamber, said substantially insoluble gas in said chamber having a volume at atmospheric pressure at least substantially equal to the volume of said fuel chamber so that said compressed gas in said chamber urges liquid fuel in said chamber through said tube toward said valve means under positive pressure throughout the entire useful life of the lighter.

Claim 22

A lighter comprising structure defining a fuel chamber adapted to receive a liquid fuel supply, structure defining a valve chamber, barrier structure between said fuel chamber defining structure and said valve chamber defining structure, a passage in said barrier structure providing communication between said fuel chamber and said valve chamber, a compressible flow regulator disposed at the base of said valve chamber, a stem housing member in said valve chamber, said stem housing member having an axially extending passage therethrough, an elastomeric member secured at the base of said stem housing member and bearing against said flow regulator, said elastomeric member including a peripheral portion engaging the wall of said valve chamber, a port in said elastomeric member in alignment with said axial passage, and a valve seat portion surrounding said port, a stem member disposed in said axial passage, said stem member having an end surface in alignment with said valve seat portion, means for axially moving said stem housing member in said valve chamber for varying the compression of said flow regulator thereby controlling the rate of fuel flow from said fuel chamber through said flow regulator to said port in said elastomeric member, a valve actuator for moving said stem member axially away from said elastomeric member, said valve actuator being a one-piece member and including a first coupling portion secured to said stem housing member, a second coupling portion secured to said stem member, a spring portion connecting said first and second coupling portions and normally urging said end surface of said stem member into sealing engagement with said seat portion, and an exposed surface portion at the opposite end of said valve actuator from said coupling portions and manually operated ignition means adjacent said exposed surface for operation in coordination with movement of said stem away from said valve seat portion to open said valve to ignite gaseous fuel flowing from said valve chamber through said axial passage in response to manual engagement of said exposed surface.

Claim 23

A lighter comprising structure defining a fuel chamber adapted to receive a liquid fuel supply, structure defining a valve chamber, barrier structure between said fuel chamber defining structure and said valve chamber defining structure, a passage in said barrier structure providing communication between said fuel chamber and said valve chamber, a compressible flow regulator disposed at the base of said valve chamber, a stem housing member in said valve chamber, said stem housing member having an axially extending passage therethrough, an elastomeric member secured at the base of said stem housing member and bearing against said flow regulator, said elastomeric member including a peripheral portion engaging the wall of said valve chamber, a port in said elastomeric member in alignment with said axial passage, and a valve seat portion surrounding said port, a stem member disposed in said axial passage, said stem member having an end surface in alignment with said valve seat portion, means for axially moving said stem housing member in said valve chamber for varying the compression of said flow regulator thereby controlling the rate of fuel flow from said fuel chamber through said flow regulator to said port in said elastomeric member, a valve actuator for moving said stem member axially away from said elastomeric member, said valve actuator being a one-piece member and including a first coupling portion secured to said stem housing member, a second coupling portion secured to said stem member, a spring portion connecting said first and second coupling portions and normally urging said end surface of said stem member into sealing engagement with said seat portion, and an exposed surface portion at the opposite end of said valve actuator from said coupling portions and manually operated ignition means adjacent said exposed surface for operation in coordination with movement of said stem away from said valve seat portion to open said valve to ignite gaseous fuel flowing from said valve chamber through said axial passage in response to manual engagement of said exposed surface.

Claim 24

The improvement as claimed in claim 18 wherein said spring portion comprises a resilient, generally C-shaped member disposed between said first and second coupling portions.