Patent Publication Number: US-4060202-A

Title: Valve for gas lighter

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a valve for a gas lighter and, more particularly to a valve for a lighter of the disposable type. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Gas lighters, whether or not of the disposable type, are generally equipped with a burner-valve member mounted to slide vertically in the valve body under the action of a lever for controlling the opening and closing of the valve member, with a gasket integral with the burner-valve member, with a valve body forming a valve member seat, with a pressure-regulating filter and with a support member for this filter fitted in the valve body. This burner-valve member is thus a tubular part which is quite long to ensure that it is correctly guided in the valve body. 
     Since the channel for the passage of gas has a relatively small diameter, this burner-valve member, which may be manufactured by cutting out or molding, creates fabrication problems owing to the difficulty in stripping it from the spindle serving as a core, from which results low productivity. 
     OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention intends to remedy this drawback while facilitating automation of the assembly operations, so as to reduce the cost of these lighters. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To this end, in the valve to which it relates, the filter-support member and valve body in which the filter-support member is fitted with the interposition of said filter, are constituted by concentric tubular parts and, beyond the valve gasket, the burner-valve member comprises a cylindrical skirt engaged and sliding on the valve body, which serves as a guide for the latter. 
     Owing to this arrangement, the length of the burner-valve member may be considerably reduced in the same manner as the length of the gas-outlet channel of the burner-valve member, which considerably reduces the cost of this part. 
     It should be noted that the large-diameter shoulder formed below the burner by the cylindrical skirt of the burner-valve member constitutes a large support surface for the lever controlling the valve member, which makes it possible to provide a lever of larger dimensions and consequently one which is less expensive for the same mechanical strength. 
     Furthermore, it will be noted that assembly by stacking the four parts constituting the valve, as well as fitting the filter and filter support member in the body of the valve, require solely a repetition of the same vertical movements which greatly facilitates automation of this operation. 
     Advantageously, the filter-support member, located upstream of the latter, is made from a material which is a nonconductor or poor conductor of heat, whereas the valve body and burner-valve member are made from a material which is a good heat conductor in order to ensure a good heat transfer from the burner to the gas-evaporation chamber located downstream of the filter and thus promote evaporation of the liquefied gas. 
     According to another feature of the invention, also facilitating the manufacture of the burner-valve member, the gas-outlet channel has a substantially frustoconical profile, the small end being located adjacent the burner and the large end adjacent the gasket, retention of the latter being ensured by radial fins between which passages for the gas are provided. 
     It has been mentioned above that, owing to the shape of the burner-valve member, it is possible to provide a lever of large dimensions. According to yet another feature of the invention, a flexible lip able to be engaged by force and displaced axially on the burner is provided in the part of the lever which surrounds the burner. 
     Thus, the movement for assembling the lever is also a simple vertical movement. 
     Preferably, the distance between the radial fins supporting the gasket and the upper side of the valve body is such that the former may be brought into contact with the latter after slight crushing of the gasket constituting the flap valve. This arrangement facilitates rigid support of the burner-valve member on the valve body during assembly of the lever for controlling the valve member. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The invention will be better understood by means of the ensuing description referring to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, whereof the sole FIGURE shows a embodiment of this valve in axial section. 
    
    
     SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION 
     Provided in the body or housing 2 of a gas lighter is a hole or well 3 intended to receive the valve and connected to the reservoir 4 by an opening 5. 
     According to the invention, the valve body 6 in the upper side of which is provided the flap-valve seat 7 and the part 8 fitted in the body with interposition of the pressure-regulating filter 9, are concentric tubular parts. 
     Furthermore, the burner-valve member 11 whose outer end 11a constitutes the burner proper and whose inner end supports the flap valve 12 is provided, beyond the flap valve 12, with a cylindrical skirt 13 whose inner diameter is intended to facilitate its sliding engagement on the valve body 6 which serves to guide the latter during its axial movement for opening and closing the valve. 
     Owing to this arrangement, the distance between the flap valve 12 and the burner part 11a of the burner-valve member 11 may be considerably reduced, since guidance of said burner-valve member is ensured by a cylindrical extension independent of this distance. 
     Consequently, it is no longer necessary to provide a gas outlet channel 10 of great length which, taking into account its small section, was difficult to produce. 
     Since the burner-valve member 11 is machined or molded, its cost price is thus considerably reduced. 
     To ensure good transfer of heat from the burner 11a to the evaporation chamber 14 located downstream of the filter 9 and thus to facilitate the evaporation of the liquefied gas, the burner 11a and its tubular extension 13 are made from a good heat conducting material. 
     Conversely, in order to reduce the risks of evaporation of the liquefied gas in the moistening chamber 15 located immediately upstream of the filter 9, the support member 8 for the latter is made from a material which is a nonconductor or poor conductor of heat. 
     According to another feature of the invention, the flap valve 12 is retained by radial fins 16, between which are provided passages for the gas released by the filter 9. 
     As is clear from the drawing, the tubular extension 13 of the burner-valve member 11 forms a large diameter shoulder 17 below the head 11a of the burner the shoulder being engageable by a lever 18 for controlling the opening and closing of the valve member, which lever has large dimensions and consequently is of low cost. 
     According to yet another feature of the invention made possible by the large dimensions of the lever 18, the part of the latter which surrounds the burner 11a and which may be produced by a circular cut out or an end cut out is constituted by a flexible lip 19 able to be forced over the head 11a of the burner and to then engage under the shoulder 21 of the latter, on which the lip 19 bears during the operation of the lever 18 in the direction of raising the flap valve 12. 
     It will be apparent that all the operations for assembling the parts constituting this valve involve vertical movements for the engagement of the valve body 6 on the support member 8, for the fitting of these two parts, for the engagement of the burner-valve member 11 on the valve body 6 and for the assembly of the lever 18 on the burner-valve member 11. This considerably simplifies the automation of assembly. 
     To facilitate assembly of the lever 18 on the burner-valve member 11, by creating a rigid support for the latter, the distance between the radial fins 16 and the upper side of the valve body 6 is such that the former may be brought into contact with the latter after slight crushing of the flexible gasket constituting the flap valve 12. 
     Furthermore, it may be noted that the tubular shape of the support member 8 is utilized for the assembly of the plunger tube 22. 
     It may also be noted that as the filter 9 can be a porous membrane such as that described in my concurrently filed patent application Ser. No. 692,729. 
     Naturally, the invention is not limited to the single embodiment of this valve which was described above as a non-limiting example. On the contrary, it includes all variations.