Asymmetric Button Table-Top Lighter Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing handheld lighters require specific orientation in the hand to activate the button or trigger, which can be inconvenient and uncomfortable for some users, and also limits activation options when the lighter is placed on a surface.
Innovation Solution
A table-top lighter design featuring a base with a flame ignition assembly and a button with a platform that can be pressed from any orientation, allowing activation from various angles while held or placed on a surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional handheld lighter with a button or trigger is used, then the lighter can be activated by pressing the button with the thumb, but the lighter requires specific orientation in the hand to activate, which is inconvenient and uncomfortable for some users
Solution Approach 1:
The button is positioned asymmetrically on the housing such that it protrudes from a side of the housing rather than being centered or located at the end. This asymmetric positioning allows the button to be accessible from multiple orientations, enabling users to activate the lighter regardless of how they are holding it, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and activation orientation flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The lighter is designed with a button that can be activated from multiple orientations and positions, making it universally usable by different users with different hand sizes, strengths, and preferences. The button can be pressed from the side, top, or bottom depending on how the user holds the lighter, providing multi-functional activation options that accommodate diverse user needs
2Adaptability or versatility
If the lighter is placed on a surface for activation, then multiple users can potentially activate it, but traditional lighters limit activation options when placed on a surface due to button positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The button protrudes from the housing in an asymmetric manner that makes it accessible from multiple directions when the lighter is placed on a surface. Users can activate the lighter by pressing the button from the side, top, or bottom depending on their position around the lighter, enabling easy activation from surface placement while maintaining accessibility for multiple users
3Device complexity
If the button is positioned at one end of the housing for traditional activation, then the structure is simple, but the lighter must be held in a specific orientation to activate the button
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than positioning the button at the end or center of the housing, the button is positioned asymmetrically on the side of the housing and made to protrude outward. This asymmetric positioning achieves orientation independence without significantly increasing structural complexity, as it primarily involves repositioning the button and adjusting its mounting angle rather than adding complex mechanisms
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables easy activation of the lighter from any orientation, eliminating the need to reposition the lighter in the hand or on a surface, and allows multiple users to activate it from different positions.
Implementation Method 1
a flame ignition assembly (300) at least partially disposed in the base (102)... When the button (120) is pressed, the button (120) causes the flame ignition assembly (300) to produce a flame
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~3
Figure 4
AI summary
Lighters are disclosed herein. An example lighter includes a base and a flame ignition assembly at least partially disposed in the base. The flame ignition assembly includes a nozzle. The example lighter also includes a button having an opening. The nozzle is disposed in the opening of the button. The is button to, when depressed, cause the flame ignition assembly to produce a flame at the nozzle.