Flameless lighter

Abstract

A lighter includes (1) a housing; (2) a rechargeable electric power source contained in the housing; (3) a heating element operatively connected to the power source; (4) an actuator for selectively connecting the heating element to the power source resulting in electricity being delivered to the heating element to cause heating thereof; and (5) a first feature for indicating a charge level of the power source and for indicating when the heating element is at an optimal temperature for igniting an object. The first feature can also indicate the charge level when the device is being charged.

1 . A lighter comprising: 
 a housing;    a rechargeable battery contained in the housing;    a heating element operatively connected to the battery; and    an actuator that selectively connects the heating element to the battery resulting in electric current being delivered to the heating element to cause heating thereof.    
   
   
       2 . A lighter comprising: 
 a housing;    a rechargeable electric power source contained in the housing;    a heating element operatively connected to the power source;    an actuator that selectively connects the heating element to the power source resulting in electric current being delivered to the heating element to cause heating thereof; and    an indicator that selectively indicates a charge level of the power source and selectively indicates when the heating element is at an optimal temperature for igniting an object.    
   
   
       3 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein the rechargeable power source comprises a rechargeable battery.  
   
   
       4 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein the housing comprises a hollow structure that includes a first compartment for the rechargeable electric power source and a second compartment that contains the heating element.  
   
   
       5 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein the heating element is recessed relative to a wall of the housing such that an exposed portion of the heating element is recessed relative to the wall.  
   
   
       6 . The lighter of  claim 5 , wherein the heating element is surrounded by insulation so as to thermally insulate the heating element and other portions of the housing.  
   
   
       7 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein the heating element has an auto shut-off feature such that after actuating the actuator and after the heating element reaches its optimal temperature, the heating element automatically shuts off by preventing flow of the electric current to the heating element, thereby resulting in cooling of the heating element.  
   
   
       8 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein the indicator comprises a power level indicator in the form of a plurality of LEDs and a controller, wherein the number of LEDs that are illuminated corresponds to a level of charge left in the power source after the heating element is fully energized, the controller being configured such that the more LEDs that are illuminated represents a greater charge left in the power source.  
   
   
       9 . The lighter of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of LEDs comprises more than 4 LEDs with each LED representing that 1/x charge remains in the power source with x being the number of LEDs.  
   
   
       10 . The lighter of  claim 8 , wherein after the heating element shuts off and the lighter is in a power down mode, one or more LEDs blink simultaneously to indicate a relative strength of the power source, wherein a greater number of LEDs that blink indicate a greater stored charge of the power source.  
   
   
       11 . The lighter of  claim 2 , further including: 
 one or more female sockets that are operatively coupled to the power source, with each socket being configured to receive a charging element that is operatively connected to a source of electricity for recharging of the power source.    
   
   
       12 . The lighter of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more female sockets are disposed along one wall of the housing and are accessible by a user, with each female socket being associated with a different charging element for recharging of the power source.  
   
   
       13 . The lighter of  claim 12 , wherein the charging element comprises a cellular phone charger.  
   
   
       14 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein the indicator comprises a plurality of LEDs that illuminate successively to indicate an increasing temperature of the heating element.  
   
   
       15 . The lighter of  claim 14 , wherein illumination of all of the LEDs indicates that the heating element is at the optimal temperature and is fully energized.  
   
   
       16 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein the heating element comprises one of a wire coil and a ceramic heating element.  
   
   
       17 . The lighter of  claim 2 , further including: 
 one or more retractable or insertable jacks that are each operatively connected to the power source to permit the lighter to act as an auxiliary power source when an external object is connected to the jack and electricity is drawn from the power source of the lighter for recharging of the external object.    
   
   
       18 . The lighter of  claim 17 , wherein each retractable jack is a double male jack that includes a first connector and optionally a power cord connected to the power source, the external object having a second connector that is complementary to the first connector to permit electric current to be drawn from the power source to the external device.  
   
   
       19 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein the indicator comprises an LCD display.  
   
   
       20 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein the actuator includes a first power button and a second safety button, the actuator selectively connecting the heating element to the power source when the second button is pressed within a predetermined time period after the first button has been pressed.  
   
   
       21 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein the actuator includes a first power button having a first value and a second safety button and a second value, the actuator selectively connecting the heating element to the power source when a security code represented by a combination of first and second values is entered using the first and second buttons.  
   
   
       22 . The lighter of  claim 2 , wherein an outer shell of the housing includes conductive elements connected to the power source and adapted to be inserted into an external power source to electrically connected the external power source to the rechargeable power source for recharging thereof.  
   
   
       23 . A flameless lighter for igniting an object comprising: 
 a housing;    a rechargeable power source contained in a first compartment in the housing;    a heating element operatively connected to the power source and contained in a second compartment in the housing that is insulated from the first compartment, the heating element having an exposed surface that is accessible along a surface of the housing to permit contact between the object and heating element for combustion thereof;    an actuator that selectively connects the heating element to the power source resulting in electric current being delivered to the heating element to cause heating thereof;    a charging element that is part of the housing and is operatively connected to the power source and is accessible for insertion into a complementary charging base for releasably locking the housing to the charging base; and    a release mechanism including a button that is part of the housing for disengaging the housing from the charging base;    wherein activation of the actuator causes electricity to be delivered to the heating element until the heating element is fully energized at which time an auto shut-off feature of the heating element causes an interruption in the electricity being delivered to the heating element, thereby resulting in a cooling of the heating element.    
   
   
       24 . The lighter of  claim 23 , further including: 
 a visual indicator for indicating a current charge level of the power source after ignition of the heating element and for indicating when the heating element is fully energized, wherein a display of the current charge level is visually different from a display of when the heating element is fully energized.    
   
   
       25 . The lighter of  claim 24 , wherein the heating element is exposed by an opening formed in a side wall of the housing and the visual indicator is formed in a surface that is angled relative to the side wall.