<P> In 1928, the Connecticut Automotive Specialty Company (Casco) in Bridgeport patented its version of an automotive cigarette lighter, which used a cord and reel . In the reel - type lighters, the igniter unit was connected with a source of current by a cable which was wound on a spring drum so that the igniter unit and cable could be withdrawn from the socket and be used for lighting a cigar or cigarette . As the removable plug was returned to the socket, the wires were reeled back into it . The circuit was closed either by pressing a button or removing the igniter from its socket . </P> <P> The modern "automatic" removable automotive V - Coil lighter was developed by Casco in 1956, for which it received U.S. Patent 2,959,664, issued in 1960 . </P> <P> The lighter is a metal or plastic cylinder containing a thin flat coil of nichrome metal strip, through which high current (~ 10 amperes) passes when the device is activated, usually by pushing it into the socket as though it were a push - button . When pushed in, the lighter is held against the force of a spring by a clip attached to a bi-metallic strip . The heating element glows orange hot in seconds, causing the bi-metallic strip to bend and release the mechanism, and the handle pops out, eliminating the need for the smoker to time the heating operation . If the lighter is then promptly removed from its socket, it can light a cigarette, cigar, or tinder . </P> <P> In newer cars, the socket is equipped with a plastic cover without the lighter heating element, due to declining popularity of smoking . However, the socket has been repurposed and continues to be used to power consumer electronics in vehicles . Often, a vehicle may come with several outlets for convenience, some in the rear passenger area of the vehicle or even the cargo area, for such purposes as powering portable GPS devices, recharging mobile phones, or powering a tire inflator, a vacuum cleaner or a thermoelectric cooler . These outlets usually have a plastic cap tethered to them, and are usually labeled as being only for DC power, because they are not intended to withstand the heat produced by an electrical cigarette lighter . </P>

How to use car lighter to light cigarette
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