GB2170891A - Lighter case with a windbreak hood - Google Patents

Abstract

A lighter case (10) comprises a case body (1) and a windbreak hood (2) held therein, in which the case body (1) is tubular shaped and includes a chamber (12) for holding a lighter (3); and has an opening at the top portion for enabling a user to operate the lighter. The hood (2) consists of a side wall (24) which is semi-ellipsoidal or U-shaped in cross- section and may have a top plate (23) having an opening (21) therein. The hood (2) is disposed between the inner surface of the case body (1) and a lighter (3) held in the chamber (12) and is slidable upwards and downwards relative to said case body (1). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Lighter case with a windbreak hood This invention relates to a lighter case for lighters, especially non-returnable or disposable lighters which are discarded when the fuel has been consumed, and more particularly to lighter cases provided with a windbreak hood.

A conventional disposable lighter has no hood to prevent the flame from being blown out by the wind, so that it is difficult if not impossible to ignite such a lighter when it is used in windy outdoor places.

This disadvantage can be solved by providing a protecting windbreak hood for the lighter but it is difficult to realize this idea commercially. Because the most effective advantage of a conventional disposable lighter lies in its cheapness and convenience of portability, it is not a good attempt to give it a costly manufacturing and large size configuration.

The present invention therefore aims to provide a lighter case which can receive a conventional disposable lighter and which enables this lighter to be ignited easily even at windy outdoor places.

According to the invention, there is provided a lighter case comprising a case body having an opening at a top portion and a chamber adapted to receive and hold a lighter therein and a windbreak hood movably held in said case body, wherein said hood is substantially tubular and has a side wall of substantially Ushaped cross-section, said hood being arranged to be disposed between the inner surface of said case body and a lighter held in said chamber of the case body and being longitudinally slidable relative to said case body.

By means of the lighter case according to the invention, a flame from a lighter can be protected from being blown out in a windy place when the lighter is ignited by pushing the hood to an upper position relative to the case body to provide an effective windbreak.

On the other hand, under windless conditions, such as indoors, the hood can be retracted downwards and the lighter used in a conventional manner. When the fuel of the lighter is exhausted, the lighter can simply be replaced by a new lighter.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a lighter case according to the invention containing a conventional disposable lighter and showing a usual condition in use; Fig. 2 is a front view of the lighter case shown in Fig. 1 and showing an opening in the side wall of the case body; Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lighter case shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lighter case shown in Fig. 1 showing a windbreak hood in an upper or projecting position; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modification of the lighter case shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a lighter case according to the invention containing a conventional disposable lighter; Fig. 7 is a front view of the lighter case shown in Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a windbreak hood of the embodiment shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

Reference will first be made to Fig. 1 of the drawings in which a lighter case 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention consists of a case body 1 which is tubular shaped and includes a chamber 12 for holding a lighter 3 of disposable type and a windbreak hood 2 which is slidably held in said chamber 12 of the case body 1 and covers partially the lighter 3.

The case body 1 has a top portion 11 which is open to allow the lighter 3 to be put into and taken out of the chamber 12 and to receive the windbreak hood 2 and also an opening 13 in a side of the body 1 through which a finger of an operator can contact the outside of the hood 2 and can move the hood 2 slidably in an axial or longitudinal direction.

As shown in Fig. 3, the windbreak hood 2 consists of a tubular side wall 24 which is semi-ellipsoidal or U-shaped in cross-section and which serves to enclose the ignition port 130 of the lighter 3 and a top plate 23 that defines a space in the hood 2 for protecting the ignition flame from strong winds. A side opening 20 is defined on one side of the side wall 24 so as to embrace the lighter 3, and an opening 21 is formed in the top plate 23 so as to allow the flame to pass therethrough.

The bottom portion 22 of the hood 2 is completely open so that the hood 2 and lighter 3 can move longitudinally relative to each other.

The top of the hood 2 may alternatively be fully open instead of covered, but the type shown in the drawings is preferred since it will be more effective in obtaining a windbreak effect.

Referring to Fig. 2, it is easily possible to move the hood 2 up and down by providing a non-slip surface 19 on the outer side of the hood 2 in the region accessible through the side opening 13 of the case body 1. If the configuration and dimensions of the case body 1 are matched with that of a disposable lighter available on the market in order to allow the hood 2 to move slidably between the case body 1 and the lighter 3, there is no need to include any guide for the hood movement. Alternatively, however, a lighter case 10 can be provided with guide means for use with another lighter different in size or for holding a windbreak hood in position when no lighter is held in the lighter case.

A pair of slots 25 and 26 are formed at the bottom edge portions of the side wall 24 of the hood 2 so as to form a pair of legs 9a, 9b which are defined between the slots 25, 26 and the side edges of the wall 24. These slots 25 and 26 function for controlling the sliding movement of said hood 2 upwards and downwards relative to the case body 1. When the sliding movement of the hood 2 becomes loose, the legs 9a and 9b can be bent or spread out so as to increase the distance between them whereby the hood 2 can slide in the chamber 12 of the case body 1 under a desired frictional condition because said hood 2 contacts the inner face of the case body 1.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a lighter case 100 of a modification of the above embodiment of the present invention in which the interior surface of the case body 101 has an area which is recessed radially outwardly, along the ellipsoidal tubular interior surface 111 of the case body 101, to form a U-shaped space 112 between the inner surface of the case body 101 and the outer surface of the lighter 3 to accommodate the hood 2 firmly without clearance therein.

The functional and advantageous illustration of this first embodiment are as follows; Figs. 1 and 2 show a lighter case according to the present invention holding in it a disposable lighter. Referring to Fig. 1, the lighter case 1 can be used as usual because the windbreak hood 2 is in the lowest position and the opening 21 coincides with the flame port 130. Fig. 4 shows the windbreak hood 2 moved up to an upper or projecting position.

The hood 2 can easily be moved upwards by pushing up the non-slip surface 19 provided on the front side of the hood with a finger of a user through the opening 13 of the case body 1.

When the lighter is ignited with the hood 2 pushed up, ignition is easy to achieve since the ignition port 130 is protected from wind.

Figs. 6 to 8 show another embodiment of the present invention in which the lighter case 50 comprises a case body 51 and a hood 30 slidably inserted in said case body 51. An opening 31 and a slit channel 32 connected with said opening 31 and extending downwardly from said opening 31 are formed on the front side wall of the case body 51. A projection 33 is provided on the front face of the hood 30 and consists of a stem portion and an enlarged head portion. The opening 31 is circular or oval in shape and has such a size that the head portion of the projection 33 can easily be inserted therein.The width of the slit channel 32 is such that the head portion of the projection 33 cannot pass through it once the latter is engaged therewith through said opening 31 but the stem portion of the projection 33 is freely slidable in the slit channel 32 so that said channel functions as a guide means of the hood 30 sliding in the chamber 12 of the case body 51.

When the lighter case 50 is to be assembled, the hood 30 is set in the chamber 12 of the case body 51 by the projection 33 being inserted in the opening 31 in the first step, and when said hood 30 is moved downward along the inner wall of the case body 51, the projection 33 moves downward along the slit channel 32.

In usage of the lighter 3, a user can move the hood 30 by putting his finger on the projection 33 and moving it upwards or downwards. When said hood 30 is moved and positioned upwardly to an upper position in which the hood projects from the upper end of the case body 51, it forms an effective wind shield.

In this second embodiment, other constructional parts or basic constructions of the case body 51 and hood 30 are similar to those of the case body 10 and hood 2 illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 to which reference should be made for a full description of these components. Further, in this second embodiment, such a modification as shown in Fig. 5 can be applied to the lighter case 50.

As described above, according to the present invention, a lighter case including a windbreak hood slidable in the case is provided, so that it can be used with the hood in the down position indoors, and a lighter can easily be ignited in windy places by simply pushing up the hood to an upper position, resulting in an inexpensive and convenient lighter case.

Although the invention has been described in connection with the illustrated embodiments, modifications and variations thereof will readily occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention which is therefore not restricted to the disclosed embodiments.

Claims (8)

1. A lighter case comprising a case body having an opening at a top portion and a chamber adapted to receive and hold a lighter therein and a windbreak hood movably held in said case body, wherein said hood is substantially tubular and has a side wall of substantially U-shaped cross-section, said hood being arranged to be disposed between the inner surface of said case body and a lighter held in said chamber of the case body and being longitudinally slidable relative to said case body.

2. A lighter case according to claim 1, wherein the top portion of said hood is covered by a top plate provided with an opening for enabling a flame of the lighter to pass therethrough.

3. A lighter case according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least one opening is formed on the side wall of the case body whereby the side wall of the hood can be engaged through said opening in the case body to move the hood upwards or downwards by engagement of the side wall by a finger of a user.

4. A lighter case according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a slit channel is formed in the side wall of the case body and a projection is provided on the side wall of the hood, said projection engaging with said slit channel and extending therethrough so as to enable the hood to be moved upwards or downwards by engagement of said projection by a user.

5. A lighter case according to any preceding claim, wherein the inner surface of the case body is provided with a guide channel for the hood.

6. A lighter case according to any preceding claim, wherein means are provided for ensuring a frictional contact between the hood and the case body.

7. A lighter case according to claim 6, wherein said frictional contact ensuring means comprise deformable strips provided at or adjacent to the lower end of the hood.

8. A lighter case substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1 to 9, Fig. 5 or Figs. 6 to 8 of the drawings.