Smoking-Cessation Lighter
A lighter for tobacco products suppresses the urge to smoke by operant conditioning. It delivers a shock to the user's hand when the lighter is extinguished. This generally happens when the first puffs of smoke are being inhaled. Inhalation of the smoke gives a positive reinforcement of the habit because of the pharmacologic effects of the smoke. The shock provides a negative or suppressive action at the same time. The anticipation of the shock will negate the anticipation of the relief the drugs in the smoke provide. In an alternative embodiment, the shock is applied at the time of activation of the lighter. In yet another embodiment of the invention a negative stimulus is provided by a pin that pricks the user at the time of activation of the lighter.
Maybe I'm not understanding the invention, but it seems to me to be exactly the same as the electric-shock lighters that have been a favorite of pranksters for years. Except that the patent dresses up the prank with some scientific mumbo-jumbo. And instead of being conditioned not to smoke, wouldn't a smoker simply learn not to use that lighter? (Thanks to Sherry Mowbray!)
Comments
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
Well, smokers are dumb/stubborn enough to keep smoking despite the risk of cancer ! What's 20 daily electro-shocks ?
Posted by H-Bob in Denver on 08/11 at 01:12 PM
Well, H-bob, quitting isn't as easy as one would think. I just kicked the habit after 40+ years. My trick was Champix. Really worked for me. The only thing shocking about the ligher is the fact that some idiots will buy it.
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 08/11 at 09:45 PM
Well smoking isn't really that bad, if it was why don't smokers die after a few months or years of smoking? How come people live in to their 90's when they smoked from teens into their sixties? How come the statistics for getting cancer from smoking fall into the same age range as non-smokers getting cancer? Surely people get cancer because their body mutates under its own processes as the aging process corrupts cells. Smoking may not help, but I doubt that it causes cancer like the government would have you believe.
Clearly their is a governmental conspiracy to outlaw smoking, even though America is built on the Tobacco industry.
I find it funny that people don't realise that alcohol is also claimed to cause throat and stomach cancer, but only smokers are dumb! Try stopping drinking and then tell me that alcohol isn't addictive.
Clearly their is a governmental conspiracy to outlaw smoking, even though America is built on the Tobacco industry.
I find it funny that people don't realise that alcohol is also claimed to cause throat and stomach cancer, but only smokers are dumb! Try stopping drinking and then tell me that alcohol isn't addictive.
Posted by derek on 08/12 at 02:14 AM
If smoking isn't so bad, then how does it manage to kill about 400,000 Americans a year? (Yeah, that's just Americans...and possibly an understatement).
As far as cigarettes causing cancer: supposedly the nicotine itself inhibits the body's ability to rid itself of unwanted (i.e. cancerous) cells. Add that to whatever effects the cigarette's other chemicals may cause and you have two potential problems.
Why would the gov't outlaw smoking? Surely they take in millions (if not billions) of dollars yearly in cigarette taxes. If they made it illegal, there'd be a HUGE black market for it. And no tax revenues, either.
As far as cigarettes causing cancer: supposedly the nicotine itself inhibits the body's ability to rid itself of unwanted (i.e. cancerous) cells. Add that to whatever effects the cigarette's other chemicals may cause and you have two potential problems.
Why would the gov't outlaw smoking? Surely they take in millions (if not billions) of dollars yearly in cigarette taxes. If they made it illegal, there'd be a HUGE black market for it. And no tax revenues, either.
Posted by Fred on 08/12 at 11:46 AM
I agree, Fred, lets legalize all recreational drugs and tax the bee-jesus out of them. Why just pick on tobacco?
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 08/13 at 06:57 AM
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Category: Inventions