Integrated Cigar Splitter and Lighter with Rotating Blade
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of cigars face challenges in efficiently splitting and lighting cigars with substituted fillings, as existing solutions require multiple apparatuses and lack a unified tool for both tasks.
Innovation Solution
A cigar splitter and lighter combination apparatus featuring a housing with a blade for cutting the cigar sheath, integrated with a lighter frame that allows for rotatable and safe operation, enabling both splitting and lighting functions in a single device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate apparatuses are used for splitting and lighting cigars, then each function can be performed with a dedicated tool, but the number of tools needed increases and portability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a cigar splitter blade and a lighter into a single integrated apparatus. The blade is mounted on the lighter body such that both functions (splitting and lighting) are available in one device, eliminating the need to carry separate tools for each task.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus is designed to perform multiple functions: it can split cigars using the blade and light cigars using the lighter component. This multi-functional design allows a single device to replace what would traditionally require two separate tools.
2Ease of operation
If a blade is exposed for easy access during cigar splitting, then the splitting operation becomes more convenient, but user safety is compromised due to potential accidental contact
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is designed to be movable relative to the lighter body, allowing it to transition between an exposed position during use and a retracted position for safety. This dynamic configuration enables the blade to be accessible when needed while minimizing exposure during storage or non-use periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade can be removed from the lighter body entirely, allowing users to separate the cutting function from the lighting function when desired. This extraction capability provides flexibility for users who may not need the blade at all times, thereby reducing safety risks while maintaining ease of operation when the blade is attached.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for opening up the sheath of a cigar and lighting the cigar, comprising a lighter, comprising a lighter frame; and a cigar splitter attached to the base of the lighter frame by an outside surface of the cigar splitter. The cigar splitter comprises a housing having two open ends, an inside wall, and the outside surface, an axis parallel to the inside wall and passing through the two open ends, the two open ends permitting insertion of a cigar along the axis through one of the two open ends and to exit through another of the two open ends; a blade attached to the inside wall and oriented along the axis, the blade suitable for cutting an outer sheath of the cigar as the cigar is inserted through the cigar splitter along the axis; and a loop attached to the outside surface of the housing.