Fireplace lighter

The lighter of the present invention includes a handle for grasping by the user connected to a chamber for holding a disposable lighter. The chamber has a trigger mechanism connected thereto for depressing the fuel releasing element of the lighter. The chamber also has a hollow metal rod extending therefrom and aligned with the fuel supply element of the lighter in such a manner as to convey the fuel from the lighter to the end of the rod.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to fire-igniting devices especially 
adapted for use in lighting fireplaces and furnaces. In using fuel or 
gas-burning appliances such as furnaces, heaters, ovens, and the like, it 
is necessary on occasion to ignite flames therein. Even if a furnace uses 
a pilot light, the pilot light itself must be relit after the furnace has 
been shut down or the fuel gas supply interrupted. 
If the gas-burner is often in a location of difficulty to reach by hand, 
lighting it may be an awkward and unsafe task. Holding a match near the 
burner may be difficult and often results in the match flame being blown 
out by the air that rushes out of the burner when displaced by the gas. If 
gas is allowed to accumulate outside the burner before the flame is 
applied, a small explosion occurs which may result in singeing or 
seriously burning the person igniting the gas. 
Various forms of ignition devices having elongated handles for igniting 
inaccessible burner elements or the like are known. Examples of some of 
the previously patented devices of the various types of lighting 
mechanisms of the prior art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,013,398; 3,890,087; 
3,410,261; 3,033,275; 2,781,653; 2,728,212; and, 2,581,304. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The lighter of the present invention includes a handle for grasping by the 
user connected to a chamber for holding a disposable lighter. The chamber 
has a trigger mechanism connected thereto for depressing the fuel 
releasing element of the lighter. The chamber also has a hollow metal rod 
extending therefrom and aligned with the fuel supply element of the 
lighter in such a manner as to convey the fuel from the lighter to the end 
of the rod.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawings, a perspective view of the invention is shown in 
FIG. 1. As can be seen in FIG. 1, and in FIGS. 2-7, the lighter of the 
present invention includes a hollow chamber, generally indicated by the 
numeral 10, which is rectangular in shape and contains four sides, 10a 
through 10d. The front wall of the chamber is labeled 10a and the rear 
wall is labeled 10c, and the two side walls are 10b and 10d. 
Extending from the front wall 10a of chamber 10 is a hollow tube, 
preferably metal, indicated by the numeral 12. Located on the bottom 10e 
of chamber 10 is a handle 14 for grasping by the user. Handle 14 may have 
a pistol grip as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or it may be of any other desired 
configuration. 
Located in the bottom 10e of chamber 10 is slot 17 containing a portion 16b 
(see FIG. 6) of trigger 16. Trigger 16 is held in slot 17 by tab 16a (see 
FIGS. 6 and 7) and is slidable in the slot 17. 
As shown in FIG. 1, chamber 10 is adapted to receive a disposable lighter 
referred to generally as "butane lighters" which have gained wide 
acceptance as conventional lighters for lighting cigarettes, cigars, and 
the like. Examples of such lighters are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,890,087 
and 4,013,398. The disposable lighters have a spring loaded valve 18a 
which, when depressed, releases butane or other flammable gas from a hole 
in the front end 18b of the lighter. 
As can be seen in FIG. 7, tab 16a connected to trigger 16 is adapted to 
contact valve 18a on disposable butane lighter 18. Thus, when trigger 16 
is pulled backward as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7, tab 16a 
strikes valve 18a of lighter 18 and releases butane therefrom. Tube 12 is 
aligned to receive butane released from lighter 18 and to convey it to the 
end 12a of tube 12. 
The butane then may be ignited at the end of tube 12 to form flame 13 shown 
in FIG. 1. Ignition of the butane is by match, spark, or some other flame 
source. The embodiment of lighter 18 shown in the drawings does not 
contain means therein for ignition of the butane, although such means 
could be added if desired. Tube 12 may be slidable in wall 10a of chamber 
10 to assure a tight fit over the fuel supply hole of the disposable 
lighter. 
Thus, to operate the lighter of the present invention, the trigger 16 is 
depressed as shown by the arrow and "ghosted" portion of FIG. 1 and a 
match is placed at the end 12a of tube 12. As a result, flame 13 occurs 
and then may be placed inside a fireplace or furnace to light a pilot 
light or the fireplace. The flame is extinguished by releasing the 
pressure on the trigger 16. 
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been 
disclosed and described in detail above, it should be understood that the 
invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is to be determined 
by that of the following claims: