Extension lighter

An extension lighter is described for the ignition of hard to reach material such as fireplaces, grills and the like. A conventional self contained lighter having a switch-on and switch-off control is mounted on an extension comprising a lighter holder and an operating arm or plunger. The lighter is removably mounted on one end of the holder and a trigger grip is provided permitting the user to both ignite and to extinguish the lighter by means of the plunger without directly operating the lighter itself.

This invention relates to lighters and more particularly to an extension or 
remote lighter for use with fireplaces or grills or with other 
inaccessible places. More particularly, the invention relates to a novel 
use of a regular lighter where a lighter is mounted for remote operation 
on an extension and is ignited and extinguished remotely. 
This invention is an improvement upon prior remote ignition devices having 
elongated extensions or handles. It employs a regular hand-held lighter 
having a hand operated ignition and extinguishing means. In the extension 
form of the invention the lighter is both ignited and extinguished 
remotely without direct hand operation of the lighter. It is an 
improvement, for example, over previous lighters such as those illustrated 
in prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,138,944, 3,523,005 and 4,013,398. These prior 
extension lighters were relatively complex and expensive in not being 
adapted to use the simpler mass-produced hand lighters or they failed to 
provide for the remote ignition and extinguishing of the lighter where 
hand-held lighters were adapted for this purpose. 
The present extension means and lighter combination preferably utilizes two 
relatively simple molded plastic elements in combination with a 
mass-produced butane lighter to provide the remote lighting capability. 
The extension mountings include a lighter holder and a cooperating plunger 
both of which are formed as unitary elements molded from a suitable 
plastic. The completed extension lighter is assembled by a simple snapping 
together of the holder and the plunger together with the butane lighter. 
A hand-held lighter of the butane type is used which has an ignition button 
or other control which is pressed or otherwise manipulated to ignite the 
lighter and which is released to extinguish the lighter. For example, one 
preferred lighter is a lighter having a sliding ignition switch which is 
pressed for ignition and released to extinguish the lighter and which is 
manufactured by Feudor Company of 50 Campus Plaza, Edison, N.J. 08817. The 
advantage of this type of lighter is its ability to be both ignited and 
extinguished easily in the preferred remote mounting of the invention as 
described below. 
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved 
remote or extension lighter. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved remote 
lighter utilizing a known butane type hand-held lighter. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an effective and 
relatively inexpensive mounting means for forming a remote lighter 
utilizing a conventional hand-held butane type lighter. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a remote lighter 
which is both ignited and extinguished by remote control. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive 
remotely operated lighter for fireplaces and grills and the like. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a remote type lighter 
having an easy replaceable lighter element. 
Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent 
upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be 
described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various 
advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art 
upon employment of the invention in practice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 illustrates the assembled extension lighter 1 in use. It comprises a 
butane type hand-held lighter 2 mounted in a lighter holder 3 and which is 
operated by a plunger 4 slidably positioned on the holder 3. 
The hand-held lighter 2 is of the butane type. Such lighters are 
commercially available in a form which includes a supply of butane fuel 
supplying a wick which is ignited by a movable ignition button 5 to strike 
a flint. The preferred butane type lighter 2 has a slidable ignition 
button 5 which is pressed downwardly for ignition and which is released 
for extinguishing the lighter. This button is spring loaded so that it is 
depressed to ignite the lighter 2 against the force of a spring means 
which returns the button 5 and extinguishes the lighter when the button is 
released. The exact details of the lighter ignition are not part of the 
present invention as such lighters are available with the suitable spring 
loaded ignition and extingushing mechanisms as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 
3,827,852 of Aug. 6, 1974, for example. 
The lighter holder 3 of the present invention has a spring-like lighter 
gripping or retaining clip 6 with inwardly directed retaining lips 8 at 
its end which permits the lighter 2 to be snapped into place within the 
hollow outer end 7 of the holder 3. In its preferred form the holder 3 is 
a unitary molded member formed of medium impact polystyrene or a similar 
easily molded plastic. The holder 3 has a channel-like upwardly opening 
shape including a bottom wall 9, opposed side walls 10, and a lighter 
retaining end wall 11. Additionally, the inner end of the holder 3 has a 
curved trigger grip 12 which is used in operating the extension lighter 1 
as will be further described below. 
The plunger 4, which is used in operating the extension lighter 1 is also 
preferably molded as a unitary member from a similar plastic. It has a 
channel form including a top wall 14, spaced side walls 15 and an end wall 
16. Lateral reinforcing members 17 are supplied at the gripping or inner 
end. The cross sectional dimensions of the plunger 4 are proportioned so 
that the plunger 4 fits slidably within the hollow holder 3 with the top 
wall 14 of the plunger being slidably retained beneath a pair of spaced 
detents 18 on the holder 3. A detent 19 is positioned on the bottom wall 9 
of the holder 3 to engage the outer end 20 of a pair of elongated slots 21 
formed in the side walls 15 of the plunger 4 to hold the plunger 4 in its 
normal or extinguished position as shown in FIG. 3. A rounded thumb grip 
22 is provided on the top wall 14 of the plunger 4 and three suitably 
shaped finger grips 23 are formed on the opposite lower edges of the 
plunger 4 side walls 15. The extension lighter 1 grip, as illustrated in 
FIG. 1, provides for relative motion between the holder 3 and the plunger 
4 as the lighter 2 is pressed outwardly to activate the lighter button 5. 
The lighter clip 6 at the outer end of the holder 3 is relatively flexible 
because of the inherent flexbility of the preferred plastic and is spaced 
apart at its top or outer portion to be slightly closer than the width of 
the lighter 2 thereby providing a tight mounting grip on the lighter 2. 
As the plunger 4 is moved forwardly of the holder 3 and against the lighter 
2, the lighter 2 is also forced forwardly of the holder 3 causing a 
relative downward movement of the lighter button 5 on the lighter 2 
thereby igniting the butane type lighter (FIGS. 1 and 14). When moved to 
this position against an internal spring means, the lighter 2 tends to 
urge the plunger 4 rearwardly of the holder 3. This permits the lighter 2 
to be extinguished by the return movement of the lighter button 5 as soon 
as the user releases his grip on the trigger 12. 
As seen in FIG. 7, the plunger 4 and slot 21 are proportioned so that the 
plunger 4 may slide forwardly into the normal lighter compartment for the 
packaging of the extension lighter 1. This provides a double advantage by 
reducing the overall length of the packaged lighter 1 and by preventing 
unintentional ignition, as the button 5 is displaced in this position from 
it usual ignition position as described above. 
It will be seen that an improved extension lighter has been provided which 
is remotely ignited and extinguished and which employs a commercially 
available hand lighter in obtaining this improved result. The overall 
combination requires only two relatively inexpensively and easily molded 
plastic elements in addition to the hand lighter and the extension lighter 
is safely and easily packaged for shipment in a compact form. 
As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of 
the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the 
invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be 
understood that all matter herein is to be intrepreted as illustrative and 
not in a limiting sense.