Cigarette lighter with improved safety properties

Abstract

A cigarette lighter with improved safety property includes a combustion chamber formed as a receptacle in which a cigarette to be lit is inserted. The receptacle is formed of three concentric vented tubes. The combustion chamber is shaped and dimensioned in a manner to completely envelop the flame produced in the combustion chamber, and to prevent any objects with dimensions larger than diameter of a cigarette to be received in the combustion chamber. A flame stabilizer is secured in the inner tube of the receptacle unit at a predetermined distance from the burner in order to limit the insertion of the cigarette and to prevent the unwanted extinction of the flame if the cigarette is inserted too close to the source of the flame.

1 . A cigarette lighter with improved safety properties, comprising: 
 a combustion chamber,    a burner nozzle coupled to said combustion chamber to deliver a fuel-air mixture thereto, and    an ignition unit operatively coupled to said combustion chamber to ignite said fuel-air mixture therein to produce a flame,    said combustion chamber including a receptacle unit sized to completely contain therein said flame produced in said combustion chamber.    
   
   
       2 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 1 , wherein said receptacle unit has an opening to receive therethrough a cigarette to be lit, said opening having dimensions on the order of substantially the diameter of a cigarette.  
   
   
       3 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 1 , wherein said receptacle unit includes a plurality of concentric tubes.  
   
   
       4 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 3 , wherein said concentric tubes are vented tubes, each tube having openings formed at predetermined locations thereof.  
   
   
       5 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 1 , further comprising a flame stabilizer positioned within said receptacle unit.  
   
   
       6 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 1 , wherein the length of said receptacle unit is on the order or exceeds approximately 3.25″.  
   
   
       7 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 3 , wherein said plurality of concentric tubes includes an inner tube, an outer tube, and a middle tube concentrically sandwiched between said inner and outer tubes, said inner tube having an inner diameter not exceeding approximately 0.38″.  
   
   
       8 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a fuel reservoir, containing a fuel,    an air-fuel mixing chamber coupled to said fuel reservoir through a fuel connection tube, said air-fuel mixing chamber being coupled to said burner nozzle to inject therethrough said fuel-air mixture into said combustion chamber; and    an operation button;    wherein said ignition unit includes a piezoelectric spark device actuated by said operation button, and    a spark ignition wire extending between said spark device and said combustion chamber.    
   
   
       9 . A cigarette lighter with improved safety properties, comprising: 
 a combustion chamber,    a burner nozzle coupled to said combustion chamber to deliver a fuel-air mixture thereto, and    an ignition unit operatively coupled to said combustion chamber to ignite said fuel-air mixture therein to produce a flame therein,    said combustion chamber including a receptacle unit formed from a plurality of concentric vented tubes.    
   
   
       10 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 9 , wherein said plurality of concentric vented tubes includes: 
 a first tube having an outer diameter, and    a second tube having an inner diameter and an outer diameter, said inner diameter of said second tube being greater than said outer diameter of said first tube.    
   
   
       11 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 10 , wherein said vented tubes further include a third tube having an inner diameter greater than said outer diameter of said second tube, said second tube being concentrically sandwiched between said first and third tubes.  
   
   
       12 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 9 , wherein said concentric tube are formed of stainless steel.  
   
   
       13 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 11 , wherein said first tube has an inside diameter not exceeding the diameter of a cigarette to be lit by said flame produced in said cigarette lighter.  
   
   
       14 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 9 , wherein the length of said vented tubes exceeds the length of said flame, said flame being completely contained in said receptacle unit.  
   
   
       15 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 11 , wherein said concentric vented tubes have a plurality of ventilation openings formed in said tubes, said ventilation openings being arranged in a predetermined fashion one with respect to another.  
   
   
       16 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 15 , wherein said ventilation openings of said first and second tubes include circularly shaped openings having a diameter ranging about 3.2 mm.  
   
   
       17 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 15 , wherein said ventilation openings of said third tube include circularly shaped openings having a diameter ranging about 4.8 mm.  
   
   
       18 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 11 , further comprising a flame stabilizer positioned inside said first tube a predetermined distance from said burner nozzle.  
   
   
       19 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 18 , wherein said flame stabilizer includes a mesh structure made of titanium wire.  
   
   
       20 . The cigarette lighter of  claim 9 , further comprising: 
 a fuel reservoir containing a fuel, an air-fuel mixing chamber coupled to said fuel reservoir, said air-fuel mixing chamber being coupled to said burner nozzle to inject therethrough said fuel-air mixture into said combustion chamber; and    an operation button, operatively coupled to said ignition unit to actuate the same to produce the flame in said combustion chamber.