IMPROVEMENTS IN POCKET CIGAR AND GAS LIGHTERS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
POCKET CIGAR AND GAS LIGHTERS." A communication from abroad by George
Selden, of Erie, in the County of Eric, State of Pennsylvania, United States
of America.
Sealed the 15th September 1877, and dated the 11th April 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th April 1877.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN POCKET CIGAR AND GAS LIGHTERS." A com-
munication from abroad by George Selden, of Erie, in the County of Erie, State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This Invention consists in the combination of a star wheel of peculiar form, a
spring hammer operated by the star wheel, and a yielding apron over which the
percussion tape is fed, all as herein-after more fully described.
The case is made of any suitable material and form with a removeable cover
retained by a stud which also serves as a centre upon which the coil of percussion
tape is placed. The percussion tape is fed toward the anvil along the surface of a
yielding spring metal apron attached to the case at one end and whose free end
rests against said casing. The percussion tape passes between the anvil and the
curved end of a hammer whose spring end is rivetted to the case, and the hammer
is twisted so as to strike the anvil edgewise. A star wheel having tangential arms
is secured to a stud that is journalled in the side of the case, between the yielding
apron and spring haminer, the said hammer being provided with an aperture through
which the arms protrude as they escape from the haminer spring at the upper
side of the aperture. The spring hammer is permitted to strike the body of the
star wheel as it escapes from the arms, thus relieving the anvil from a portion of
the blow.
The star wheel performs the double function of raising and tripping the spring
hammer and of feeding forward the percussion tape, the projections formed by the
fulminate being located at such intervals on the tape that a single projection is

page_text: thrown forward by each of the arms. The stud that carries the star wheel is
provided with a ring which affords leverage for turning the same. This ring is
capable of folding down against the case when not in use.
At the side of the case opposite the yielding apron a barrel is secured which
guides a wick so that its upper end is opposite the fulminate when it is ignited, and
having been saturated with a solution which renders it easily ignited it is at once
inflamed by the explosion of the fulminate.
This improved apparatus is designed for lighting cigars or gas. To light a cigar
the wick is pulled from its barrel so that its end is opposite the fulminate of the
percussion tape, and the star wheel is turned a part of a revolution, when the percus-
sion tape will be moved forward and struck by the spring hammer. The flame
produced by the explosion of the fulminate is sufficient to ignite the wick, which
may afterwards be employed to light the cigar.
In lighting gas it is unnecessary to draw out the wick. The anvil of the instru-
ment is placed in proximity to the gas-burner, after turning on the gas, when the
fulminate is exploded as before, and the gas is readily ignited.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th
October 1877.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN POCKET CIGAR AND GAS LIGHTERS." A com-
munication from abroad by George Selden, of Erie, in the County of Eric, State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This Invention consists in the combination of a star wheel of peculiar form, a
spring hammer operated by the star wheel, and a yielding apron over which the
percussion tape is fed, all as herein-after more fully described.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing is a side clevation of the improved cigar
and gas lighter, having the cover removed to show the internal working parts;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on line za, Figure 1.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A is a case of any suitable material and form, having a removable cover which is
retained by the stud a, which stud also serves as a centre upon which the coil b of
percussion tape is placed; B is a yielding spring metal apron, along whose surface
the percussion tape is fed toward the anvil c. The yielding apron B is attached to
the caso A. at d, and its free end rests against the casing A at e. O is the hammer
whose spring end is rivetted to the case A at f, and twisted at g, so that its curved
end strikes the anvil c edgewise. A star wheel D having tangential arms i is
secured to a stud E that is journalled in the side of the case A between the yielding
apron B and spring hammer C. The spring hammer C is provided with an aperture
through which the arms i protrudo as they escape from the hammer spring at the
upper side of the aperture j. The spring hammer C is permitted to strike the body
of the star wheel as it escapes from the arms i, thus relieving the anvil c from a
portion of the blow. The star wheel D performs the double function of raising and
tripping the spring hammer and of feeding forward the percussion tape, the projec-
tions formed by the fulminate being located at such intervals on the tape that a
single projection is thrown forward by each of the arms i. The stud E that carries
the star wheel D is provided with a ring & which affords leverage for turning the
This ring is capable of folding down against the case when not in use. At
the side of the case A opposite the yielding apron B a barrel F is secured, which
guides the wick G so that its upper end is opposite the fulminate when it is ignited,
and having been saturated with a solution which renders it readily ignitable, it is
at once inflamed by the explosion of the fulminate.
sale.

page_text: The improved cigar and gas lighter is designed for lighting cigars or gas. To
light a cigar the wick G should be pulled from its barrel, so that its end is opposite
the fulminate of the percussion tape and the star wheel D turned through a part of
a revolution, when the percussion tape will be moved forward and struck by the
spring hammer. The flame produced by the explosion of the fulminate is sufficient
to ignite the wick, which may afterward be employed to light the cigar. In lighting
gas it is unnecessary to draw out the wick. The anvil of the instrument is placed
in proximity to the gas burner after turning on the gas, when the fulminate is
exploded as before and the gas is readily ignited.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The star wheel D in combination with the yielding apron B, over which the
igniting or percussion tape is fed, substantially as and for the purpose described.
2nd. The arrangement of the star wheel D relatively to the anvil c and spring
hammer C, whereby the force of the blow of the hammer is received by the star
wheel, as described.
3rd. The combination of the lighter case A, of the star wheel D, spring hammer
C, and yielding feed apron B, substantially as described.
4th. The spring hammer C, having the aperture j, substantially as and for the
purpose herein shown and described.
In witness whercof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
iny hand and seal, this Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)