Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02591523 2007-04-19
ONE HANDED FIRE STARTING TOOL
This invention relates to a self-contained fire-starting tool that can be
manually operated by one
hand, producing a high volume of extremely hot sparks of ignited particles of
a pyrophoric element.
The hardened steel striker facilitating the friction process against the
pyrophoric element to
discharge the ignited particles is self-contained within the device. No
external tool or object is
required to manipulate the action of the device to cause the sparking effect
to take place. This
increases the user-friendliness of the device in relation to recreational uses
and also true survival
situations.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
There have been several different designs invented with the intention to
produce a fire-starting tool
based on using a pyrophoric element to generate sparks upon striking or
scraping the surface with a
sharp metallic object, which in turn ignites a combustible material and starts
the fire-lighting
process. Many of these inventions are intended to use two hands, one to hold
the pyrophoric
element and the other to use a striking device against the pyrophoric element,
in order to
successfully create the fire-starting process. While this may be a simple
means of fire starting, both
hands are still required in some fashion to be at least moderately successful
in causing ignition of
combustible materials. There are situations where it would be very
advantageous to have a fire-
starting tool that could be operated sufficiently with the use of only one-
hand. The advantage of
such a device can easily be realized in the event that the user only has the
functional use of one hand
due to injury. There are some designs intended to be used with one hand, there
are however also
drawbacks associated with the current designs on the commercial market,
thereby reducing the user
friendliness of the device. One such device is quite small and as such does
not generate a substantial
quantity of sparks for fire-lighting purposes. Also because of the small
quantity of sparks it cannot
conveniently be used as an emergency signaling device at night. Nor can
someone wearing heavy
gloves use it without much difficulty, in an inclement weather environment.
Another style of device
is much larger and can generate more sparks, but this comes at the expense of
a much heavier,
larger, and bulkier package. It also requires a hard surface on which to rest
the pyrophoric element
in order to initiate the striking process. There are many situations where
there may not be a hard
enough surface in the surrounding environment to operate the device, in which
case two hands are
once again required to make the process work, thereby negating the sought
after one-handed
operation ability. Because this device needs a hard surface to function one-
handed, it does not lend
itself to being easily used as an emergency signaling device without the use
of both hands or
potentially burning ones fingers from being to close to the sparks as they are
generated.
Some of the previous fire-starting tool designs are:
Cited documents: US5919037 BRILLHART III, STEWART
CA2095687 HUTCHENS, STEWART
CA2062322 WOLFORD
US4698068 JENSEN
US4188192 LEVENSON, LEVENSON
The current designs have limitations and drawbacks inherent to their designs
and are not made to
provide both true one-handed operation, with or without gloved hands, and
generation of very large
quantities of hot sparks to easily ignite a combustible material to start a
fire. Nor are they able to be
easily used as an emergency signaling device in the event of a survival
scenario. These limitations
and drawbacks are solved by this current application.
CA 02591523 2007-04-19
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a self-contained fire-starting tool that can be
manually operated by one
hand, producing a high volume of extremely hot sparks of ignited particles
from a pyrophoric
element. The hardened steel striker facilitating the friction process against
the pyrophoric element
to discharge the ignited particles is self-contained within the device. No
external tool or object is
required to manipulate the action of the device to cause the sparking effect
to take place. The fire-
starting tool is composed of two main bodies interconnected, which contain the
mechanisms for
generating the hot sparks required to ignite a combustible material. The
primary body houses the
pyrophoric element, the main action spring and the tinder storage compartment.
It also is designed
to allow the secondary body to slide into the primary body housing. The
secondary body houses the
striker device, which rests against the pyrophoric element, and the tension
spring that pushes the
striker device up against the pyrophoric element. To operate, the user simply
grasps the fire-starting
tool with one hand, positioning the frontal portion of the device in the
direction he/she wishes the
sparks to travel, depresses the secondary body with a finger or thumb into the
primary body, thereby
compressing the main action spring, and then releases the secondary body while
pointing the device
in the chosen direction. It could be towards a pile of combustible material
for igniting or in the
direction required to signal an aircraft, vehicle or individual.
DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
FIG. 1: Indicates the inside of the two halves of the main body of the fire
striker device.
FIG. 2: Indicates an enlarged example of the striker arm with oblique and
front views of the striking
surface that scrapes against the pyrophoric element.
FIG. 3: Indicates a side view of the striker arm.
FIG. 4: Indicates the carriage frame which houses the striker arm.
FIG. 5: Indicates the pyrophoric element.
FIG. 6: Indicates the stainless steel springs used to power the device.
FIG. 7: Indicates the carriage mechanism with the striker arm, tempered steel
striker and stainless
steel springs installed in the carriage frame.
FIG. 8: Indicates a cross section of the main body of the device with the
carriage mechanism
installed.
FIG. 9: Indicates a cross section of the main body of the device with the
carriage mechanism
installed and in a retracted or loaded position compressing the main spring.
FIG. 10: Indicates a frontal and rear view of the device.
FIG. 11: Indicates the cover for the storage compartment at the rear of the
device.
FIG. 12: Indicates the fully assembled fire starter device.
CA 02591523 2007-04-19
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
With reference to the accompanying Figures, an inside view of one half of the
"two piece" main
body section of the One Handed Fire Starting Tool, is depicted in FIG.1. Item
#1 indicates the
interior of one side of the two halves while item #la indicates the other
interior of the other side.
These two sections are joined together to form the main body of the One Handed
Fire Starting Tool.
Item #2 indicates one of the five joining tabs, which are built into the edges
of each half, one side
consisting of female ends and the other side composed of male ends. Item #3
indicates the centering
tabs for the metal shield to be inserted on the interior of each half of the
main body sections. Item
#4 indicates the interior barrier wall, which separates the working mechanism
of the One Hand Fire
Starter from the storage compartment, which will contain tinder fuel. Item #5
indicates the
elongated groove cut into the main body of the device, in the frontal mid
section, designed to allow
the front guide rail to move back and forth within the device. Item #6
indicates the metal shield
inserted in each half of the main body sections which extends below the
frontal elongated groove,
item #5, to provide additional strength and to protect the polymer walls from
the extremely hot
sparks. Item #7 indicates the opening designed into the main body designed to
act as a storage
compartment for tinder, and the instruction sheet. Item #8 is the eyelet
groove cut through the main
body section to allow a lanyard to pass, for securing the device to the user.
Item #9 of FIG. 1
indicates the elongated groove cut into the rear lower portion of the sidewall
of the device designed
to allow the lower rear guide rail to slide back and forth during the
functioning of the device.
Indicated in FIG.2 is item #10, which depicts the raised portion of the
striker arm and the shape and
design of the striker surface, used to scrape against the surface of the
pyrophoric rod to generate
sparks. Indicated in item #11 is the shape of the striker surface, which comes
in contact with the
rounded edge of the pyrophoric element rod. Item #12 indicates the striker arm
from an oblique side
view, which clearly shows the angle of the striking surface, item #11. Item
#13 indicates the half-
barrel slot of the striker arm, opposite from where the raised portion of the
striker arm, item #10, is
located. This slot is fitted onto the pivot point, as shown in FIG. 4, item
#22, on the carriage frame,
item #18.
Indicated in FIG.3, item #14, is a representation of the striker arm, with
raised portion of the striker
arm, item #10, and striker surface, item #11, on one end and the half-barrel
slot, item #13, located on
the opposite end.
Indicated as FIG.4, item #18, which is the carriage frame into which the
striker arm, item #14, is
inserted. Item #19, indicates the forward guide rail integrally molded as part
of the carriage frame,
and used to center and maintain the correct movement of the carriage within
the main body of the
device. Item #20 indicates the cavity within the carriage frame designed to
receive the lower end of
the short compression spring, which applies upward pressure to the striker
arm. Item #21 indicates
the slot within which the rear end of the striker arm is inserted, and item
#22 indicates the pivot
point to which the half barrel slot on the striker arm is attached.
Item #23 indicates the cavity in the back of the carriage frame, designed to
receive the forward end
of the long compression spring. Item #24 indicates the rear guide rail molded
into the carriage
frame, designed to center and guide the function of the carriage frame as it
moves back and forth
within the main body of the device.
Indicated in FIG.5 item #25 is the pyrophoric element used within the One
Handed Fire Starting
Tool. Item #26 indicates the shape of the front end of the pyrophoric element,
which protrudes
slightly from the front open end of the device.
CA 02591523 2007-04-19
Indicated in FIG.6 are the two compression springs used within the device,
item #27 being the long
compression spring which governs the back and forth pressure of the carriage
frame, where as item
#28 indicates the short compression spring, which governs the pressure of the
str>7cer arm against the
pyrophoric element.
Indicated in FIG. 7 is the assembled striker arm and carriage frame, also
showing both compression
springs inserted into their respective cavities within the carriage arm.
Indicated in FIG. 8 is the depiction of the striker arm and carriage frame
installed in one half of the
main body of the device, showing the long compression spring in a relaxed or
non-compressed
manner.
Indicated in FIG. 9 is the depiction of the striker arm and carriage frame
installed in one half of the
main body of the device, showing the long compression spring in a compressed
or loaded manner.
Indicated in FIG. 10 is the depiction of the front of the device, item #lb and
the rear of the device
item #1c. Item #lb showing the front of the device, indicates the open end,
exposing the front end
of the pyrophoric element, item #25, the spring steel striker, item #10, and
the front or contact
portion of the carriage arm, item #18. Item #29 indicates the exterior
protruding ridge, which covers
the interior frontal groove item #5 designed to receive the frontal guide
rail. Item #30 indicates the
exterior protruding ridge, which covers the interior rear groove item #9
designed to receive the
lower rear guide rail. Item #31 depicts the topside approximate location of a
protruding tab, which
extends below the storage cover that is shown as item #32. Item #33 indicates
the shape of the edge
where the movable cover meets the solid molded rear cover of the device shown
as item #34.
Indicated in FIG. 11 is a side view of the movable cover, which encloses the
storage compartment
item #7. As well within FIG.11 is depicted the rear end view of the device
showing the storage
compartment cover in an open position.
Indicated in FIG.12 is a side view of the One Handed Fire Starting Device,
once it has been fully
assembled, with both halves of the main body of the device encompassing the
carriage frame. The
carriage frame is designed to slide back and forth within the device and
create sparks as the spring
steel striker is forced to scrape against the pyrophoric element, once it has
been released after being
compressed by the thumb of the user.
