Improvements in and relating to Electric Cigar Lighting Lamps.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Aug., 1892-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION....
Improvements in and relating to Electric Cigar Lighting Lamps.
I, WILLIAM JOSEPH EASTMAN, a Citizen of the United States of America,
residing at No. 25 Stafford Avenue, in the City of Waterville, County of Oneida
and State of New York, one of the United States of America, Electrician, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The main object of this invention is to provide a cigar lighter, for use on the
counters of cigar stores, which will afford a light only as required, thereby saving
the expense of a constantly burning flame.
In my invention I provide a lighter in which the flame is produced in and by the
act of moving the torch from its sheath or holder, and the flame is extinguished in
and by the act of returning the torch to its sheath or holder, substantially as I will
proceed now more particularly to set forth and finally claim.
In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, in the several figures of
which like parts are similarly designated,
Figure 1 is a side elevation, showing the lighter out of use.
Figure 2, a similar view of the other side, showing the lighter in use.
Figure 3 is an end clevation with the torch removed.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the torch disassembled.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 3, and
Figure 6 is a top view of the torch assembled.
The base, a, of material that is a non-conductor of electricity, is adapted to be
secured to a counter or other stand, and supports the sheath or holder. This sheath
or bolder is made as an open-ended tube, slotted longitudinally, and preferably is
composed of complementally curved or otherwise shaped sections, b, of electrically
conductive material, having flanges, c, by which they may be secured to the base, a.
1 prefer
A passage-way, d, is left between the adjacent free ends of the sections, b.
to make the upper end of the base, a, inclined and to incline the sections, b, corre-
spondingly. The sections, b, and the base form, when assembled, a longitudinally
alotted tube, and this is what I herein term a sheath or holder. One end of the
sheath or holder is closed or partially closed by a strip or piece of metal, e, secured
to the base and having a lip, f, overhanging the passage way, d, and the other end
has the edges of the sections next the passage-way cut away preferably on curved
lines, as shown in Figure 5, to facilitate the insertion of the torch.
The torch or lamp, g, is a tube corresponding in cross-section with the interior
of the sheath or holder, and having one end, h, permanently closed and the other
provided with a removable stopper, i. This stopper may be screw-threaded to
engage an internal screw-thread in the tube, and it is provided with a ring, j, or
other device which will afford a convenient handle for using the torch. A wick
tube k, leads out of the tube, g, and the tube, g, is filled with suitable wicking or
other absorbent matter to receive and hold an inflammable substance, part of the
wicking being exposed through the wick-tube.
One end, l, of this wick-tube is curved inwardly toward the wick, and is made
with a projecting lip, m.
A plate, n, is secured to the base, and is made adjustable thereon by means of a
slot, o, and fastening, p, and to this plate is secured an arm, q, of conducting
material, which said arm extends up over the sheath and has applied to it a contact

page_text: spring,, which overhangs the passage-way, d, and so is in the line of travel of the
wick-tube. Connections, s, and t, are made between the arm, q, and sheath and a
battery, u, or other source of electricity, substantially as indicated, the circuit being
normally open. The plate, n, is made adjustable in order to set properly the
arm, g, with relation to the wick-tube, although this adjustment of the arm might
be effected in many other ways.
If, now, the parts be as in Figure 1, and it be desired to obtain a flame, the torch
is pulled out of its sheath, the wick-tube travelling in the passage-way, d. As the
'wick-tube's projection, m, comes against the contact spring, r, the electric circuit
is closed, and when said projection passes or is released from contact with the
spring, r, the circuit is broken with a spark which ignites the wick. The curving
of the wick-tube at, 1, insures the production of the spark over the center of the
wick and above the wick, and so assures a light. The projection, m, lifts the
contact spring out of contact with the wick. After the light has been used,
the torch is returned to its sheath, the curved ends of the passage-way co-operating
with the wick-tube to guide it, and the wick-tube is shoved home beneath the lip, f
thereby extinguishing the flame; and as said lip is springy it may be made to fit
the wick-tube so closely as to prevent undue evaporation of the inflammable fluid
with which the wick is charged.
The parts are inclined so as to assist in or facilitate replacing the torch.
I have thus described the best mode in which I have contemplated applying the
principle of my invention, but I wish to be understood as not limiting my invention
to the exact details of construction set forth, as these may be varied largely.
My invention may be applied, also, to other self-lighting and self-extinguishing
lamps.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A self-lighting and self-extinguishing lamp, consisting essentially of a
stationary sheath or holder, electrodes of an electric circuit applied thereto, and a
torch adapted to be removed from said sheath to close the circuit and thereby
ignite the torch, and to be inserted in said sheath and thereby extinguish the torch,
substantially as described.
2. A self-lighting and self-extinguishing lamp, comprising a base, a sheath or
holder constructed as an open-ended, longitudinally slotted tube mounted thereon,
electric spark producing means, au extinguisher overhanging one end of the sheath
or holder, and a torch fitted to slide in said sheath or holder and having a
projecting wick-tube which travels in the slot, substantially as described.
3. A lamp having a base, a sheath or socket composed of sections secured to said
base and separated by a passage-way, and light producing and extinguishing means,
combined with a torch adapted to be moved into and out of said sheath, and having
a wick-tube travelling in said passage-way, substantially as described.
4. The combination with the tubular slotted sheath and its igniting and extin-
guishing devices, of a torch having a wick-tube fitted to said slotted sheath,
substantially as described.
5. The combination with the tubular, slotted sheath, and its electric igniting
devices, comprising a spring contact overhanging the slot in the sheath, of a
torch having a wick-tube travelling in said slot and curved transversely so as to
insure engagement with the spring contact centrally over its wick, substantially as
described.
6. The combination with the sheath, of a torch having a wick-tube, which torch
is adapted to be slid longitudinally in said sheath, and a stationary end strip having
a terminal overhanging the sheath in the line of movement of the wick-tube and
serving as an extinguisher for the torch, substantially as described.

page_text: 7. A. torch open at one end and thereby adapted to be filled at such end and a
screw-plug for closing such end and terminating in a handle for the torch, substan-
tially as described.
Dated this 30th day of July 1899
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.