In lieu of lighter fluid and a flint, this lighter uses resistance coils to create heat. It’s the same technology found in car lighters. The small rechargeable battery cell powering the coil can be recharged via USB. On top of that, there’s some flash memory in there to store files. Damn, might as well give it a couple swiss blades and a nose hair trimmer to complete the package. And Kool? Doesn’t anyone still smoke that?
Designer: Nathan Gabriele
That is unusually clever.
I’m taking up smoking just to use that.
That is unusually clever.
This is fine so long as you don’t try to plug the USB end into your cigarette and the hot end into your computer after “working late at the office again, honey”
Kool
And be careful not to try extending the usb dongle immediately after lighting the cigarette. Burned thumbs = bad
I love the concept, but they should dump the Zippo aesthetic. It’s too wide to fit in some USB bays and that faux flint striker wheel is just silly.
I want one built into a 100mm cig case now 🙂
It’s neat, but I’ll stick to matches. Don’t know why, but a I find a small box of matches just as classy as a zippo (plus, much better for pipes and cigars).
i agree it’s cool but it also won’t work on a pipe :/
Yeah, they might want to redesign it. I have a feeling the day they produce one, is they day they get a lawsuit notice from Zippo. You can’t just blatantly steal the design like that. The shape, the click open, the shape of the wind guard, the flint…
…actually, they would probably get away with it, seeing that:
“a patent provides the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing the patented invention for the term of the patent, usually 20 years from the filing date”
so they cant get em on the patent front (unless their flip top locking mechanism violates an active patent – otherwise the internals are completely unique)
they dont have trademark problems as long as they make it obvious that it was NOT manufactured by Zippo.
BUT THEY DO have industrial design rights problems:
“Industrial design rights are intellectual property rights that protect the visual design of objects that are not purely utilitarian. An industrial design consists of the creation of a shape, configuration or composition of pattern or color, or combination of pattern and color in three dimensional form containing aesthetic value. An industrial design can be a two- or three-dimensional pattern used to produce a product, industrial commodity or handicraft.
“
although i would argue that they dont apply because the device IS purely utilitarian.
from what ive read now zippo hasn’t sued anyone for “stealing” the form factor of their lighter, just people who do that AND counterfeit the Zippo name and logo.
Pretty much all flint lighters look just like that, not just Zippo brand.
Wonderful concept!
Give this thing some decent memory capacity (4-8Gb) and i’ll buy one in a heartbeat!
cool thing~
e-lighter has been commercialized
http://www.coroflot.com/public/individual_set.asp?from_url=true&individual_id=124172&set_id=94612&sort_by=1&
wow, it just like tao ma concept about e-lighter …
http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/11/usb-e-lighter-concept-could-fire-up-your-next-carton
这个技术其实早就有了 ~车上运用 ,只是我们没去创新,我喜欢这个~~
Just to clarify: you push down on the hot bit to make the usb male port come out… anyone else see a problem here?
is it possible to buy it somewhere?
where would you buy this?
This looks real good! I'm pretty sure we can produce this here over at MemoTrek if someone was to request that. Check out our 100% customized USB flash drives in your own design! We set up 3D drawings and produce pre-production samples using the new mold for your approval before mass-production:
http://www.memotrek.com/design-your-own-customize…
This looks real good! I’m pretty sure we can produce this here over at MemoTrek if someone was to request that. Check out our 100% customized USB flash drives in your own design! We set up 3D drawings and produce pre-production samples using the new mold for your approval before mass-production:
http://www.memotrek.com/design-your-own-customized-usb-flash-drives-and-memory-sticks.html
sono interessato al vostro prodotto contattatemi al più presto.
here u can find the original, patented USB Lighter:
http://www.memlite.com (128MB – 4GB in different colours)
man i want to buy this!!! i’m serious tried looking it up at ebay and didnt find…. where can i buy it???
I don’t think I want my file storage so close to an open flame.
不可能吧,火机发热了,内存还可以用?
Where could I buy it?
Where can I purchase these flameless lighters?
http://www.usb5168.cn 专业的usb lighter制造商
this awesome…..so how big is the memory? and where can i buy it?
Yeah, but how am I supposed to spark my one-hitter without a flame?
I’m taking up smoking just to use that. <3 (:
Combination of this lighter and USB is really very unique idea for customizing a USB. Thanks for sharing.