Patent ID: 6102689
Filing Date: 2000-08-15
Classification: F23Q

Abstract:
A child-resistant lighter having a lighter housing defining a reservoir for containing a combustible fuel, a fuel release means in communication with said reservoir, a valve means cooperating with a release lever for selective actuation between a normally closed valve position which prevents exit of said combustible fuel from said reservoir, and an open position which permits exit of combustible fuel from said reservoir through said valve means, said release lever having an operational pathway traversing between positions where said cooperating valve is closed and where said cooperating valve is open, said release lever including a thumb pad for actuation of said lever by a user, an axle rotatably engaging a set of support arms projecting from said lighter housing, a strike wheel having a radius and fixed about said axle for interacting with a flint biased against said strike wheel, the improvement comprising:a push button being slidably mounted on said lighter housing, said push button being located either in an initial position or an engaged position, a first end with an actuator pad sufficiently exposed from said lighter housing to allow translation between said initial position and said engaged position upon depression of said actuator by a user,an interference block being mounted to said push button such that when said push button is in its initial position said interference block is positioned in the operational pathway of said release lever, said interference block being sized to prevent sufficient movement of said release lever to cause opening of said valve, said interference block being sized and positioned such that when said push button is in its engaged position said interference block is removed from the operational pathway of said release lever so that said release lever may be operated to the extent necessary to open said valve,means for returning said push button to its initial position being interposed between said push button and said lighter housing such that said returning means applies a force to said push button and cause said push button to return to its initial position, wherein said returning means is a spring,a retention prong being mounted at a first end to said lighter housing and at a second end opposite of the first end being shaped to receive and retain said push button at its engaged position, said retention prong further having deflected and non-deflected positions such that in said non-deflected position said second end will be positioned to retain and receive said push button and in said deflected position said second end will be positioned to release said push button; wherein the retention prong comprises two said retention prongs, each retention prong being positioned opposing the other and sized to mutually receive and retain said interference block, wherein said retention prongs each have a lever arm and a catch claw, said lever arm being mounted at a first end to said lighter housing and having said catch claw mounted at a second end opposite of the first end, said lever arm being comprised of a flexible material to allow deflection between the non-deflected and deflected positions of said retention prongs, said catch claw being shared and positioned to receive and retain said interference block when said push button is in its engaged position,a release lever further comprising a prong actuator and a restraining block,a prong actuator being positioned in operating relation to said retention prong such that as said release lever is deflected sufficiently to open said valve said prong actuator will deflect said, retention prong to its deflected position and release said push button from said retention prong,a restraining block being positioned and sized to receive and restrain said push button when said release lever is deflected sufficiently to open said valve and to cause said prong actuator to translate said retention prong to its deflected position and release said push button from said retention prong such that said push button will slide enough to disengage from said retention prong but not far enough to return to its initial position, said restraining block being further positioned and sized such that with said release lever deflected such that said valve is closed and said push button in its initial position, said interference block will be positioned in the operational pathway of said release lever.