US4023922A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Smoker's lighter
Assignee: Mansei Kogyo KK
•
Filing: 1975-12-18
•
Granted: 1977-05-17
•
Expires: 1995-12-18
Abstract
Abstract An electrically-ignited gas lighter with a capacitor discharge ignition circuit is provided with a blocking oscillator and an oscillation transformer to increase the level of the voltage from a single silver oxide battery of 1.5 volts to a higher level of at least 100 volts for charging the storage capacitor through a half-wave rectifier. A triggering circuit is provided to discharge the storage capacitor automatically and periodically through a silicon controlled rectifier at a predetermined voltage.
Inventors
- 👤 Kenjiro Goto
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 17:02
CPC Classifications
F; F23; F23Q; F23Q2/00; F23Q2/28; F23Q2/285
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
154 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter comprising: a casing, a fuel tank mounted in the casing and having a gas injecting valve and a gas spouting valve with a burner nozzle, an ignition circuit unit comprising a circuit case accommodating an ignition circuit therein, the ignition circuit comprising a blocking oscillator having an output terminal and a terminal for connecting a battery through a switch, a half-wave rectifier connected to the output terminal and for rectifying the output of the blocking oscillator to charge a storage capacitor, a discharge circuit comprising the storage capacitor, a step-up transformer, and a semi-conductor switching device having a gate; the step-up transformer having an output winding for connecting an ignition electrode to ignite a fuel gas from the burner nozzle, and a triggering circuit connected to the gate of the semi-conductor switching device to trigger automatically and periodically the same by means of the charged voltage of the storage capacitor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
154 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter comprising: a casing, a fuel tank mounted in the casing and having a gas injecting valve and a gas spouting valve with a burner nozzle, an ignition circuit unit comprising a circuit case accommodating an ignition circuit therein, the ignition circuit comprising a blocking oscillator having an output terminal and a terminal for connecting a battery through a switch, a half-wave rectifier connected to the output terminal and for rectifying the output of the blocking oscillator to charge a storage capacitor, a discharge circuit comprising the storage capacitor, a step-up transformer, and a semi-conductor switching device having a gate; the step-up transformer having an output winding for connecting an ignition electrode to ignite a fuel gas from the burner nozzle, and a triggering circuit connected to the gate of the semi-conductor switching device to trigger automatically and periodically the same by means of the charged voltage of the storage capacitor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
67 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the blocking oscillator comprises a transistor, a variable resistor and an oscillation transformer having primary, feedback and output windings; the variable resistor being connected between the base electrode of the transistor and the battery through the feedback winding; the primary winding of the oscillation transformer, the collector-emitter path of the transistor and the battery comprising a closed circuit.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 2 wherein the switch is connected between the battery and the conjunction of the feedback and primary windings of the oscillation transformer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 2 wherein the variable resistor has a resistance value of 10 K ohms maximum.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
50 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the triggering circuit comprises a zener diode, a diac and a resistor in series connection and is connected in parallel with the discharge circuit, the resistor being connected between the gate electrode of the semi-conductor switching device and the cathode electrode.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the triggering circuit comprises at least two diacs and a resistor in series connection and is connected in parallel with the discharge circuit, the resistor being connected between the gate electrode of the semi-conductor switching device and the cathode electrode.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the triggering circuit comprises a zener diode, three diacs and a resistor in series connection and is connected in parallel with the discharge circuit, the resistor being connected between the gate electrode of the semi-conductor switching device and the cathode electrode.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
52 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the triggering circuit comprises a silicon bilateral switch, a zener diode and a resistor in series connection and is connected in parallel with the discharge circuit, the resistor being connected between the gate electrode of the semi-conductor switching device and the cathode electrode.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the semi-conductor switching device is a silicon controlled rectifier.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 9 wherein the resistor connected between the gate and cathode electrodes of the silicon controlled rectifier has a resistance value of 100 ohms ± 30%.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
22 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 9 wherein the trigger voltage of the silicon controlled rectifier is at least 100 volts.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the charged voltage of the storage capacitor is at least 100 volts.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 12 wherein the capacity of the storage capacitor is 1.5 to 2.5 microfarads.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 12 wherein the turns ratio of the step-up transformer is at least 1:60.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the battery is a silver oxice battery having 1.5 volts.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the transistor of the blocking oscillator, the half-wave rectifier, the triggering circuit and the semiconductor switching device are part of an integrated circuit unit.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
17 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 16 wherein the integrated circuit unit has five terminal legs.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
44 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the step-up transformer is disposed in the upper portion of the circuit case and a circuit plate on which the other electric parts are soldered is disposed in the lower portion of the circuit case.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
17 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 18 wherein the circuit plate has a printed circuit thereon.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 18 wherein the other electric parts comprise an oscillation transformer disposed in the lowest portion of the circuit case.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
31 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 20 wherein the oscillation transformer is fixed to the circuit plate by a fixing screw to prevent relaxation oscillation noise of the oscillation transformer.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
25 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 21 wherein the fixing screw engages a nut portion of the circuit case to fix the circuit plate.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
32 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the circuit case is filled with a silicon resin to fix the electric parts in the circuit case and to provide electric insulation.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
24 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 18 wherein the circuit plate has first and second plates between which the electric parts are sandwiched.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
39 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the circuit case has at its lower portion a terminal plate for connecting a pole of the battery and the other pole of the battery is grounded to the casing.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
31 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 25 wherein a spring is disposed between the other pole of the battery and the casing to urge the battery towards the terminal plate.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
39 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the burner nozzle is electrically insulated from the fuel tank through an insulator tube and is connected to the high voltage terminal of the secondary winding of the step-up transformer.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
29 words
An electrically-ignited gas lighter according to claim 1 wherein the circuit case is integrally formed with a switch guide at its upper portion for conduction to a switch actuator.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-05-16 | 1980-11-15 | 1981-05-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-05-16 | 1984-11-15 | 1985-05-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-05-16 | 1988-11-15 | 1989-05-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |