Abstract:
An electric cigarette lighter includes a housing which has finger grips and a case for storing extra batteries. The lighter includes a resistive element that becomes heated when the lighter is activated and attains a temperature sufficient to light a cigarette or other such element, even if exposed to wind, rain or other environmental factors.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to the general art of electric heating devices, and to the particular field of resistive element igniter type electric heating devices. 
   2. Discussion of the Related Art 
   Many people require the use of a lighter while out of doors. The lighter can be used to light cigarettes, campfires or the like. The lighter is ignited and is then used to ignite the item of interest. 
   In the past, people have used matches as well as cigarette lighters for this purpose. When out of doors, these igniters are susceptible to being blown out by wind, rain or like environmental factors. This can be extremely frustrating, especially if the person has a limited time or a limited supply of igniter material. 
   Therefore, there is a need for an igniter device that is not susceptible to environmental factors such as wind, rain or the like. 
   Still further, using a cigarette lighter out of doors may require the user to maintain a firm grasp on the lighter, such as when the lighter is being used by a fisherman whose hands may be damp and slippery. Dropping a cigarette lighter overboard is obviously an undesirable situation. 
   Therefore, there is a need for an igniter device that is not susceptible to environmental factors such as wind, rain or the like, and which can be firmly gripped. 
   Another source of frustration is a lighter device that is out of fuel. If one is using matches, the eminent exhaustion of match supply will be apparent; however, if one is using a hand-held lighter device, such loss of fuel will not be so apparent. A user is therefore required to remember to fuel his lighter periodically. 
   Therefore, there is a need for an igniter device that is not susceptible to environmental factors such as wind, rain or the like, and which can be firmly gripped and which is less likely to run out of power than prior art devices. 
   PRINCIPAL OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
   It is a main object of the present invention to provide an igniter device that is not susceptible to environmental factors such as wind, rain or the like. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide an igniter device that is not susceptible to environmental factors such as wind, rain or the like, and which can be firmly gripped. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide an igniter device that is not susceptible to environmental factors such as wind, rain or the like, and which can be firmly gripped and which is less likely to run out of power than prior art devices. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   These, and other, objects are achieved by an electric cigarette lighter that has a housing with finger grip areas and a battery pack that permits storage of extra batteries. 
   The cigarette lighter embodying the present invention is thus firmly gripped and has a place to store backup batteries that are easily accessed in the event the batteries in the device become exhausted or fail. The electric nature of the lighter makes it less susceptible to environmental factors than igniters that use flames. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an electric cigarette lighter embodying the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of an electric cigarette lighter embodying the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of an electric cigarette lighter embodying the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a circuit diagram for the power unit included in the electric cigarette lighter embodying the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a vertical side to side cross-sectional view of the electric cigarette lighter. 
       FIG. 6  is a vertical cross-sectional view of a head of the electric cigarette lighter, showing a flap thereof in a proximal end covering position. 
       FIG. 7  is a vertical cross-sectional view of the head of the electric cigarette lighter, showing the flap thereof in a proximal end uncovering position, according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
   Referring to the Figures, it can be understood that the present invention is embodied in an electric cigarette lighter  10  that achieves the above-stated objectives. 
   Lighter  10  comprises a hollow housing unit  12  which includes a first end  14  that is a bottom end when housing unit  12  is in use, a second end  16  that is a top end when housing unit  12  is in use, and a longitudinal axis  20  that extends between first end  14  and second end  16 . 
   Unit  12  further includes a first side  24 , a second side  26 , a first face  28  that is a rear face when housing unit  12  is in use, and a second face  30  that is a front face when housing unit  12  is in use. 
   First and second indentations  34  and  36  are defined in the first side  24 , with second indentation  36  being spaced apart from first indentation  34  in the direction of longitudinal axis  20 . First and second indentations  34  and  36  define a finger-grip area  40  that permits a user to maintain a firm grip on housing unit  12 . 
   A battery storage compartment  44  is defined through second face  30  and includes a battery storage compartment cover  46  releasably mounted on second face  30  to cover battery storage compartment  44  when in use. 
   An on/off switch  50  is movably mounted on second side  26  and is located near second end  16  of housing  12 . Switch  50  is movable between an “on” position shown in solid lines in  FIG. 1  and an “off” position shown in  FIG. 1  in dotted lines. 
   A heating element support unit  60  is mounted on second end  16  of housing  12  and includes a base  62  fixed to second end  16 , a neck  64  which extends from base  62  in the direction of longitudinal axis  20 , and a hollow head  66  on the neck  64 . 
   Head  66  includes a first face  70  that is located near second face  30  of housing unit  12 . Head  66  further includes a tubular element  72  having a proximal end  74  on first face  70  and a distal end  76  spaced apart from proximal end  74 . 
   A flap  80  is movably mounted on head  66  adjacent to proximal end  74  of tubular element  72 . Flap  80  moves between a proximal end covering position shown in  FIG. 1  and a proximal end uncovering position and is biased, by a spring hinge or the like, into the proximal end covering position. Flap  80  is moved into the proximal end uncovering position when an object, such as a cigarette, is forced through tubular element  72  into hollow head  66 . In the form shown in  FIG. 1 , tubular element  72  is sized to slidably accommodate a cigarette in a snug manner so air does not flow into the hollow head when the cigarette forces flap  80  into the uncovering position. This will prevent such air, as well as other environmental factors, from reaching the inside volume of head  66 . 
   A resistive heating element  82  is mounted on second end  16  of housing  12  and is located inside hollow head  66 . When flap  80  is closed, air or other environmental factors cannot reach heating element  80 . 
   A power source  84 , such as a battery or the like, is located inside housing unit  12 , and a reserve power source  86 , such as a battery or the like, is located inside battery storage compartment  44 . 
   An electric circuit  90  electrically connects power source  84  to resistive heating element  82  via on/off switch  50  when the on/off switch is in an “on” condition, with power source  84  being electrically separated from the resistive heating element  82  when the on/off switch  50  is in an “off” condition. 
   Operation of the cigarette lighter  10  will be understood by those skilled in the art based on the teaching of the foregoing disclosure and thus will not be discussed in detail. A user grips housing  12  with his fingers in finger-grip area  40  on indentations  34  and  36  to firmly grasp housing  12 . The user then moves switch  50  into an “on” position, and forces a cigarette through tubular element  72  to force flap  80  open. The cigarette is moved until the tip end thereof contacts heating element  82 , which by now is hot due to resistive heating. The cigarette will be lit, and can be withdrawn from the tubular element. Switch  50  is then moved back into the “off” position. Should battery  84  fail, it can be easily replaced with reserve battery  86  which is stored on unit  10 . 
   It is understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts described and shown.