Lock Mechanism for Increasing the Safety of a Lighter

Abstract

A child resistant lighter includes a housing having a trigger slidably mounted thereon. A latch, internal to the housing, prevents movement of the trigger and thus prevents ignition of the lighter. A lever is pivotally mounted on the trigger. In one position, the lever is flush with the trigger, and not readily discernable as a lock release mechanism. In a second position, the lever is raised off of the trigger. In the raised position, the lever contacts the latch to slide the latch in a direction that enables movement of the trigger.

1 . A lighter comprising: 
 a housing;    a trigger slidably mounted on the housing and including a lever pivotably mounted on the trigger, the lever having a first, locked position for locking the lighter, wherein the lever is biased against an upper surface of the trigger, and a second position for permitting use of the lighter, wherein when the lever is pivoted upwardly from the upper surface of the trigger, the trigger can be moved downwardly from a first non-actuated position to a second, actuated position.    
   
   
       2 . The lighter of  claim 1 , wherein, in the first position the lever lies flush on a top face of the trigger.  
   
   
       3 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein the lever extends in length to match a front face of the trigger.  
   
   
       4 . The lighter of  claim 1 , wherein the lighter further comprises an interior plate positioned internally within the housing and defining an ignition cavity and a trigger cavity.  
   
   
       5 . The lighter of  claim 4 , wherein the trigger further comprises: 
 a trigger enclosure, comprising a first wall positioned in the housing adjacent to the interior plate and a second wall having an extension extending beyond an external face of the housing; and    a first spring, coupling the trigger to the lever, the spring for urging the lever to a position flush with a top face of the extension and defining a pivot point for the lever.    
   
   
       6 . The lighter of  claim 5 , further comprising a slot, extending through the interior plate and the first wall of the trigger enclosure; and a latch, aligned with the slot and extending into the trigger enclosure, the latch extending through the interior plate of the lighter when the lighter is in the first, locked position.  
   
   
       7 . The lighter of  claim 6 , wherein the lever further comprises a lever lip positioned on an interior edge of the lever, extending perpendicularly from the lever into the trigger enclosure.  
   
   
       8 . The lighter of  claim 7 , wherein the latch includes a latch lip, extending perpendicularly from a top surface of the latch towards the lever, wherein, when the lever rotates around the pivot point, the lever lip engages the latch lip to urge the latch out of the slot in the interior plate of the housing.  
   
   
       9 . The lighter according to  claim 9  further including a second spring, disposed in an interior of the trigger enclosure and coupled to the latch, the spring for urging the latch into the slot of the interior plate.  
   
   
       10 . The lighter of  claim 5 , wherein the first spring is a torsion spring.  
   
   
       11 . The lighter of  claim 9  wherein the second spring is a torsion spring.  
   
   
       12 . The lighter of  claim 1 , wherein the trigger comprises an extension portion that protrudes from the housing having ridges formed thereon.  
   
   
       13 . The lighter of  claim 1 , further comprising an ignition means, the ignition means comprising a first ignition substance coupled to the trigger enclosure and extending into the ignition cavity and a second ignition substance disposed within the ignition cavity, wherein when the lever is in the second position, the trigger enclosure may be moved to cause contact between the first ignition substance and the second ignition substance.