Abstract:
The present invention provides an ignition switch, which includes a switch member, a closed device, a knob, an electromagnetic valve, and a driving device. The switch member has a receiving chamber to receive the driving device therein. The driving device connects the knob and the electromagnetic valve such that the electromagnetic valve is operated by manipulation of the knob.

Description:
This is a continuation-in-part application of Ser. No. 10/922,902 filed on Aug. 23, 2004 now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a gas stove and more particularly to an ignition switch of the gas stove. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A conventional ignition switch mounted in a gas stove has a closed device and an electromagnetic valve. While user turns a knob of the stove, it drives a shaft of the closed device pushing a plug of the electromagnetic valve for gas flowing to a burner of the stove for burning. After that, a heater, which electrically connects the electromagnetic valve, generates current to activate the electromagnetic valve according to the heat of the burner. 
     In the conventional ignition switch, the electromagnetic valve is arranged next to the closed device, so that the ignition switch has a greater length. As a result, the stove has to provide sufficient length in height or in width to receive the ignition switch. In other words, the conventional ignition switch makes the stove large. 
     For an improved ignition switch, the electromagnetic valve is arranged perpendicular to the closed device to reduce the length thereof. Typically, there are two types of that. First, a coupler is provided to connect the shaft of the closed device and the plug of the electromagnetic valve. The plug of the electromagnetic valve is activated by the shaft of the closed device via the coupler while the knob is turned. The ignition switch has to change the orientation of the gas channel, so that the switch is totally different from the conventional switch and that increases the cost. Second, a transmission device is provided to connect the knob and the electromagnetic valve. The electromagnetic valve is activated by the knob via the transmission device. The transmission device is installed independently that might be easy to be impacted and damaged in assembly. There is no ignition switch in the present market without any drawback. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an ignition switch of a gas stove, which the gas channel is kept as the conventional one and the transmission device will not be impacted and the length of the switch is decreased. 
     According to the objectives of the present invention, an ignition switch includes a switch member, a closed device, a knob, an electromagnetic valve, and a driving device. The switch member has a base, in which a cone valve, a receiving chamber, a gas bore communicated with the valve chamber and the receiving chamber, and a gas inlet communicated with the receiving chamber are provided, a main flame tube connected to valve chamber of the base, a receiving tube connected to the receiving chamber of the base with a check port therebetween, and a cap on the base and corresponding to the valve chamber. The closed device is received in the valve chamber of the base. The knob is provided on the cap and connected to the closed device. The electromagnetic valve is received in the receiving tube with a gate to seal and open the check port. The driving device includes a driving member, a pushing member and a transmission member. The driving member is connected to the knob. The pushing member is received in the receiving chamber and against the gate of the electromagnetic valve. The pushing member has at least a channel to communicate the check port and the gas bore. The transmission member is operated for reciprocation to connect the driving member and the pushing member. When the knob is pressed, the driving member moves the pushing member through the transmission member so that the pushing member moves the gate of the electromagnetic valve to open the check port for gas flowing to the valve chamber through the channel of the pushing member and the gas bore. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is top rear view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view along the 4-4 line of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is perspective view of the pushing member of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the motion of the driving device; 
         FIG. 7  is top rear view of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8A  is side view of the pushing member of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8B  is end view of the pushing member of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional view along the 9-9 line of  FIG. 8 , and 
         FIG. 10  is a sectional view of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the motion of the driving device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 5 , an ignition switch  10  of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a switch member  12 , a closed device  13  in the switch member  12 , a knob  14  at an end of the switch member  12  to drive the closed device  13 , an electromagnetic valve  16  beside the switch member  12  and an ignition device  17 . These elements are as same as the conventional one, so I&#39;ll not describe the detail. The characters of the present invention are described hereunder: 
     The switch member  12  has a base  22  and a cap  24 . The base  22  has a base body  221 , a main flame tube  222 , a mother flame tube  223 , a receiving tube  224 , a cone valve chamber  225 , a receiving chamber  226 , a gas bore  227  communicated with one of the chambers  225  and  226 , and a gas inlet  228 . The valve chamber  225  is communicated with the main flame tube  222  and the mother flame tube  223 . The receiving chamber  226  has a first chamber  229  and a second chamber  230  communicated with each other. The first chamber  229  is communicated with the cap  24 , and the second chamber  230  is communicated with the gas bore  227  and the receiving tube  224 . Between the second chamber  230  and the gas bore  227  is a check port  23 . The first chamber  230  is provided with an order bore  232  on a sidewall thereof. The base  22  further has a chamber  26 , which has a first chamber  28  on a top thereof, a second chamber  30  communicated with the first chamber  28  and the valve chamber  225  and an order hole  31  communicated with the first chamber  28 . The closed device  13  is mounted in the receiving chamber  226 , the electromagnetic valve  16  is mounted in the valve chamber  225  and the knob  14  is mounted on the cap  24 . 
     The closed device  13 , the knob  14 , the electromagnetic valve  16 , and the ignition device  17  are as same as the conventional devices. The closed device  12  is received in the valve chamber  225 . The knob  14  and the ignition device  17  are mounted on the cap  24 . The electromagnetic valve  16  is received in the receiving tube  224  with a gate  161  sealing and opening the check port  231 . 
     The switch  10  of the present invention further comprises a driving device  18  mounted in the chamber  26 , which has a driving member  32 , a transmission member  34  and a pushing member  36 . 
     The driving member  32  has a main member  40  on which a hole  42  is provided to fit a shaft  38  of the knob  13  and a pressing portion  44  projected from the main member  40 . 
     The transmission member  34  has a beam  46  and an elastic device  48 . The shaft  46  is inserted in the first chamber  28  having a post  50 , a first block  52  at a bottom end of the post  50  and a second block  54  at a top end of the post  50  to be connected to the pressing portion  44 . The elastic device  48  is a spring  48  fitted to the post  50  between the second block  54  and a pad plate  56  mounted in the order hole  31 . An O-ring is mounted in the order hole  31  connected to a bottom thereof. The O-ring  58  is fitted to the post  50  to prevent gas from leakage out of the first chamber  28 . 
     The pushing member  36  is received in the second chamber  30  having a barrel-like base portion  60 , in which a channel  61  is provided, a pushing portion  62 , a plug  161  on the base portion  60  to be connected to the electromagnetic valve  16 , a positioning portion  64 , which is a slot, and an inclined stop portion  66  in the positioning portion  64 . The first block  52  of the beam  46  is connected to the stop portion  66  and is restricted by the positioning portion  64 , so that the first block  52  is restricted between the stop portion  66  and the positioning portion  64 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , while the knob  14  is pressed, the shaft  38  is moved downward to drive the beam  46  of the transmission member  34  downward. In the meantime, the first block  52  of the beam  46  pushes the pushing member  36  to activate the electromagnetic valve  16  for gas flowing to a burner of the stove through the channel  61  of the pushing member  36 , a gas bore  227 , the valve chamber  225 , the main flame tube  222  and the mother flame tube  223 . While the knob  14  is moved back to its original position, the shaft  38  is moved upward and the elastic device  48  forces the beam  46  and the driving member  32  upward. As a result, the pushing member  36  is moved back by the gate  161  to its original portion by the electromagnetic valve  16 . 
     The ignition switch  10  of the present invention, under a circumstance of not changing the gas channel of the conventional ignition switch, provides the chamber  26  and the driving device  18  in the switch member  12  and beside the closed device  13  to control the electromagnetic valve  16 . To compare with the conventional ignition switch as described above, the ignition switch  10  of the present invention has a shorter length, which helps the stove to decrease the size thereof and to use the space in the stove more flexible. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7  to  FIG. 10 , it provides an ignition device  80  of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is similar to the ignition device  10  as discussed above, except that there is no ignition device in this embodiment. Beside that, a pushing device  82  has a base portion  84 , which is a post, a pushing portion  86  and a stop portion  88  are a block and a cone block on the base portion  84 , and a positioning portion  90  including a plurality of ribs projected from an outer side of the base portion  84  to an outer end of the stop portion  88 . Between the positioning portion  90  and a base portion  84  is a plurality of channel  92 . Therefore, the pushing device  82  has the positioning portion  90  against an interior wall of the second chamber  94 . The area of the positioning portion  90  against the second chamber  94  is smaller than that of the pushing device  36  and the interior wall of the second chamber  94  as discussed above that the motion of the pushing device will be smooth. The stop portion  88  and the first block  98  of the transmission device  96  are complementary that the motions of both are smooth too. Each of the channels provides a better flow of gas than the channel  61  as discussed above. 
     In conclusion, the ignition switch of the present invention still applies the conventional switch member and the electromagnetic valve under the circumstance of not changing the gas channel of the conventional ignition switch and has a shorter length, which helps the stove to decrease the size thereof and to use the space in the stove more flexible. In addition, the present invention prevents the transmission device form being impacted and damaged.