Friction Igniter for Tobacco Products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ignition sources for tobacco-based products, such as gas lighters, matches, and electronic lighters, face issues like environmental impact, reliability in windy or wet conditions, and safety concerns, particularly for accidental fires and misuse by minors.
Innovation Solution
An igniter apparatus with a first and second member that slidingly engage, featuring a projecting portion with a cavity and a rib, and concave surfaces forming a chamber to receive and ignite a sensitized tobacco-based product tip, using an abrasive coating for friction ignition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gas lighters are used as ignition sources, then they can be reused and provide consistent flame, but they require fuel storage, are affected by wind and rain, and create environmental pollution from disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful fuel storage and disposal aspects from the ignition system by using a sensitized tip that ignites through friction with an abrasive surface. The tobacco product itself contains the ignition mechanism, eliminating the need for separate fuel-containing lighters that pollute the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The tobacco product becomes self-igniting through a sensitized tip coated with combustible material that reacts with an abrasive surface. The product carries its own ignition capability without requiring external fuel sources, making the system self-sufficient and environmentally friendly.
2Device complexity
If matches are used as ignition sources, then they are simple and disposable, but they are sensitive to environment (wet or windy conditions) and can be misused by minors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the ignition function directly into the tobacco product through a sensitized tip. The tip contains combustible material that reacts with an abrasive surface, merging the match head functionality into the product itself while eliminating the need for separate matchsticks that are vulnerable to environmental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensitized tip is applied locally to the end of the tobacco product, creating a concentrated ignition zone with specific chemical properties. This localized treatment provides reliable ignition in various environmental conditions without requiring the entire product to be a complex ignition device.
3Ease of operation
If electronic lighters are used, then they are reusable and controllable, but they require bulky batteries, frequent recharging, and pose environmental hazards from battery disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the heavy battery and electronic control components from the ignition system. Instead, it uses a simple mechanical friction-based ignition mechanism where a sensitized tip reacts with an abrasive surface, eliminating the need for power sources and reducing device weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the electronic-mechanical system of lighters with a purely mechanical friction-based ignition system. The sensitized tip ignites through contact with an abrasive surface, substituting electronic components with a simple mechanical action that is lightweight and reliable.
4Ease of operation
If strike pads on cigarette packs are used, then they provide ignition capability, but the product can be broken during ignition and the strike pad loses abrasive qualities
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the cigarette strike against a pad (external abrasive), the patent inverts the approach by placing the abrasive material on the cigarette tip itself. The sensitized tip with abrasive coating ignites when struck against any suitable surface, eliminating the risk of breaking the cigarette during ignition and preventing loss of abrasive qualities.
Solution Approach 2:
The abrasive and sensitized coating is applied to the cigarette tip during manufacturing, preparing it for ignition before the product is used. This preliminary preparation ensures the tip has the necessary ignition properties without requiring the user to handle delicate strike pads or risk breaking the cigarette during the ignition process.
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
Provides a reliable, environmentally friendly, and safe method for igniting tobacco-based products, reducing the risk of accidental fires and misuse, while being compact and easy to use.
Implementation Method 1
the sensitized tip is dragged down the strike pad to create enough friction to ignite the tip
Data Source
AI summary
An igniter apparatus for igniting a tobacco-based product having a sensitized tip. The igniter apparatus includes a first member and a second member cooperatively defining a chamber having sides supporting an abrasive. The first member and second member are biased at a first position with a bias element and movement of the first member toward the second member compresses the bias element, reduces the size of the chamber, and thereby decreases the distance between the abrasives located at the side of the chamber. Insertion of the tobacco based product in the first position locates the sensitized tip adjacent to the abrasives. Compression of the bias element reduces the size of the chamber such that the sensitized tip contacts the abrasive. Removal of the tobacco-based product from the reduced-in-size chamber ignites the sensitized tip, thereby lighting the tobacco-based product for smoking.