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48-490: American inventor George G. Blaisdell founded Zippo Manufacturing Company in 1932 and produced the first Zippo lighter in early 1933, being inspired by an Austrian cigarette lighter of similar design made by IMCO. It got its name because Blaisdell liked the sound of the word " zipper ," and "zippo" sounded more modern. On March 3, 1936, the U.S. Patent Office granted a patent for the Zippo lighter. Zippo lighters became popular in

96-424: A conservative force field, bistability stems from the fact that the potential energy has two local minima , which are the stable equilibrium points. These rest states need not have equal potential energy. By mathematical arguments, a local maximum , an unstable equilibrium point, must lie between the two minima. At rest, a particle will be in one of the minimum equilibrium positions, because that corresponds to

144-482: A factory that could make the Zippo lighter. Blaisdell quit school in grade 5, leading his father to send the inventor to a military academy. Blaisdell attended the academy until his sudden dismissal three years later. Thus, Blaisdell only attended school until grade 8. Thereafter, he worked for his family company, the Blaisdell Machinery Company. Zippo advertisements of the day commonly had

192-403: A Zippo lighter regardless of the lighter's age or condition." In mid-1955, Zippo started year coding its lighters by the use of dots. From 1966 until 1973, the year code was denoted by combinations of vertical lines . From 1974 until 1981 the coding comprised combinations of forward slashes . In 1979, the company inadvertently introduced an error into fabrication, with some lighters reading / on

240-476: A biochemical system only for a particular range of parameter values, where the parameter can often be interpreted as the strength of the feedback. In several typical examples, the system has only one stable fixed point at low values of the parameter. A saddle-node bifurcation gives rise to a pair of new fixed points emerging, one stable and the other unstable, at a critical value of the parameter. The unstable solution can then form another saddle-node bifurcation with

288-517: A black crackle finished steel during the war years because of metal shortages. While the Zippo Manufacturing Company never had an official contract with the military, individual armed forces personnel requested that base exchange (BX) and post exchange (PX) stores carry this sought-after lighter. While it had previously been common to have Zippos with authorized badges, unit crests, and division insignias, it became popular among

336-411: A mechanism to filter out small stimuli and a mechanism to prevent increase without bound. Bistable chemical systems have been studied extensively to analyze relaxation kinetics, non-equilibrium thermodynamics , stochastic resonance , as well as climate change . In bistable spatially extended systems the onset of local correlations and propagation of traveling waves have been analyzed. Bistability

384-507: A phrase of American military jargon for being assigned to burn a village. The M132 armored flamethrower was referred to as a "Zippo". As of March 2022, Zippos carry a suggested retail price between US$ 17.95 and US$ 25,000 (for the Armor 18k solid gold model). In 2001, according to the fall 2003 issue of IUP Magazine , a 1933 model was purchased for $ 18,000 at a swap meet in Tokyo , and in 2002

432-441: A supercritical pitchfork bifurcation with bifurcation parameter r {\displaystyle r} . Bistability is key for understanding basic phenomena of cellular functioning, such as decision-making processes in cell cycle progression, cellular differentiation , and apoptosis . It is also involved in loss of cellular homeostasis associated with early events in cancer onset and in prion diseases as well as in

480-402: A time called the relaxation time . Bistability is widely used in digital electronics devices to store binary data. It is the essential characteristic of the flip-flop , a circuit which is a fundamental building block of computers and some types of semiconductor memory . A bistable device can store one bit of binary data, with one state representing a "0" and the other state a "1". It

528-400: Is marginally stable ( y = 0 {\displaystyle y=0} is stable but y ≈ 0 {\displaystyle y\approx 0} will not converge to y = 0 {\displaystyle y=0} ), while the other two points are stable. The direction of change of y ( t ) {\displaystyle y(t)} over time depends on

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576-523: Is a toggle-type action- work applied to the system below a threshold sufficient to send it 'over center' results in no change to the mechanism's state. Springs are a common method of achieving an "over centre" action. A spring attached to a simple two position ratchet-type mechanism can create a button or plunger that is clicked or toggled between two mechanical states. Many ballpoint and rollerball retractable pens employ this type of bistable mechanism. An even more common example of an over-center device

624-455: Is also used in relaxation oscillators , multivibrators , and the Schmitt trigger . Optical bistability is an attribute of certain optical devices where two resonant transmissions states are possible and stable, dependent on the input. Bistability can also arise in biochemical systems, where it creates digital, switch-like outputs from the constituent chemical concentrations and activities. It

672-418: Is an ordinary electric wall switch. These switches are often designed to snap firmly into the "on" or "off" position once the toggle handle has been moved a certain distance past the center-point. A ratchet-and-pawl is an elaboration—a multi-stable "over center" system used to create irreversible motion. The pawl goes over center as it is turned in the forward direction. In this case, "over center" refers to

720-465: Is bi-stability in the frequency space. Here trajectories can shoot between two stable limit cycles, and thus show similar characteristics as normal bi-stability when measured inside a Poincare section. Bistability as applied in the design of mechanical systems is more commonly said to be "over centre"—that is, work is done on the system to move it just past the peak, at which point the mechanism goes "over centre" to its secondary stable position. The result

768-422: Is often accompanied by hysteresis . On a population level, if many realisations of a bistable system are considered (e.g. many bistable cells ( speciation ) ), one typically observes bimodal distributions . In an ensemble average over the population, the result may simply look like a smooth transition, thus showing the value of single-cell resolution. A specific type of instability is known as modehopping , which

816-669: Is often associated with hysteresis in such systems. In the mathematical language of dynamic systems analysis , one of the simplest bistable systems is This system describes a ball rolling down a curve with shape y 4 4 − y 2 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {y^{4}}{4}}-{\frac {y^{2}}{2}}} , and has three equilibrium points: y = 1 {\displaystyle y=1} , y = 0 {\displaystyle y=0} , and y = − 1 {\displaystyle y=-1} . The middle point y = 0 {\displaystyle y=0}

864-517: Is one of the few butane torch lighters to use a flint and striker wheel. The company also marketed the BLU2, which features a squarer frame and eliminates the fuel gauge on the side of the original Zippo BLU. On January 1, 2016, Zippo discontinued production of the BLU line of lighters and sold the BLU trademark to Lorillard, but continued to service all Zippo BLU lighters. In addition to its 2010 purchase of

912-408: Is poured into the rayon balls (sometimes called the "cotton," or the "batting"), which absorbs it. It also contains a tube that holds a short, cylindrical flint. The tube has an interior spring and exterior cap-screw that keeps the flint in constant contact with the exterior flint-wheel. Spinning this rough-surfaced wheel against flint results in a spark that ignites the fluid in the wick. All parts of

960-543: Is that of Sonic hedgehog (Shh), a secreted signaling molecule, which plays a critical role in development. Shh functions in diverse processes in development, including patterning limb bud tissue differentiation. The Shh signaling network behaves as a bistable switch, allowing the cell to abruptly switch states at precise Shh concentrations. gli1 and gli2 transcription is activated by Shh, and their gene products act as transcriptional activators for their own expression and for targets downstream of Shh signaling. Simultaneously,

1008-599: The Ronson brand in the US and Canada, Zippo also owns W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. of Bradford, Pennsylvania, Zippo UK, Ltd. of London, England, and Zippo Fashion Italia of Vicenza, Italy . George Grant Blaisdell George Blaisdell (June 5, 1895 – October 4, 1978) was an American inventor known for creating the Zippo lighter , based on an Austrian lighter in 1933. In the 1940s, George bought buildings that could create

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1056-477: The United States military , especially during World War II —when, as the company's web site says, Zippo "ceased production of lighters for consumer markets and dedicated all manufacturing to the US military". The U.S. war correspondent Ernie Pyle wrote a letter to the Zippo founder commenting that "Zippo is probably the most important element on the front." Period Zippos were made of brass , but Zippo used

1104-552: The American soldiers of the Vietnam War to get their Zippos engraved with personal mottos. These lighters are now sought-after collector's items and popular souvenirs for visitors to Vietnam. After World War II, the Zippo lighter became increasingly used in advertising by companies large and small through the 1960s. Much of the early Zippo lighter advertising are works of art painted by hand, and as technology has evolved, so has

1152-576: The OUL. These lighters are fueled with butane . In August 2007, Zippo released a new butane lighter called the Zippo BLU. It discontinued the line January 1, 2016. A museum called "Zippo/Case visitors center" is located in Bradford, Pennsylvania, at 1932 Zippo Drive. This 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m) building contains rare and custom made Zippo lighters, and also sells the entire Zippo line. The museum

1200-542: The Shh signaling network is controlled by a negative feedback loop wherein the Gli transcription factors activate the enhanced transcription of a repressor (Ptc). This signaling network illustrates the simultaneous positive and negative feedback loops whose exquisite sensitivity helps create a bistable switch. Bistability can only arise in biological and chemical systems if three necessary conditions are fulfilled: positive feedback ,

1248-500: The Zippo are included in its packaging. Zippo also sell a name-brand lighter fluid . Morley Safer , in his August 5, 1965 CBS News report of the Cam Ne incident and Private First Class Reginald "Malik" Edwards, the rifleman with the 9th Regiment, US Marine Corps Danang (June 1965 – March 1966) whose profile comprises chapter one of Wallace Terry 's book, Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans (1984), describe

1296-408: The company bought one valued at $ 12,000 for its own collection. During the 75th anniversary celebrations in 2007, Zippo sold a near mint 1933 model for $ 37,000. All Zippo windproof lighters carry an unlimited lifetime guarantee, promoted using the trademarked phrase "It works or we fix it free." The corporate web site claims: "in almost 75 years, no one has ever spent a cent on the mechanical repair of

1344-401: The deal was finalized. In March 2011, due to significant decrease of sales from 18 million lighters a year in the mid-1990s to about 12 million lighters a year recently, combined with increasing pressure on people not to smoke, Zippo Manufacturing Co. tried offering a wider variety of products using the Zippo name, such as watches, leisure clothing and eau de cologne. This strategy is similar to

1392-482: The design and finish of the Zippo lighter. The basic mechanism of the Zippo lighter has remained unchanged, but they developed into a popular fashion accessory, with a huge variety of artistic designs produced. In 2002, Zippo expanded its product line to include a variety of utility-style multi-purpose lighters, known as Zippo MPLs. This was followed in 2005 with the Outdoor Utility Lighter, known as

1440-401: The design of the windscreen and adequate rate of fuel delivery. A consequence of the windproofing is that it is hard to extinguish a Zippo by blowing out the flame. However, if the flame is blown from the top down, it will be easily extinguished. The proper way to extinguish the lighter is to close the top half, which starves the flame of oxygen, but unlike other lighters, this does not cut off

1488-495: The dynamics are "bistable". The final state of the system can be either y = 1 {\displaystyle y=1} or y = − 1 {\displaystyle y=-1} , depending on the initial conditions. The appearance of a bistable region can be understood for the model system d y d t = y ( r − y 2 ) {\displaystyle {\frac {dy}{dt}}=y(r-y^{2})} which undergoes

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1536-512: The fuel supply. One of the recognizable features of Zippo is the fact that it burns with a wick. Opening the top lid produces an easily recognizable "clink" sound for which Zippo lighters are known, and a different but similarly recognizable "clunk" when the lighter is closed. This noise is produced by the spring-loaded toggling cam, a small lever that keeps the lid closed or opened securely. Unlike disposable lighters, newly purchased Zippo lighters do not contain fuel. Instructions for safely fueling

1584-541: The initial condition y ( 0 ) {\displaystyle y(0)} . If the initial condition is positive ( y ( 0 ) > 0 {\displaystyle y(0)>0} ), then the solution y ( t ) {\displaystyle y(t)} approaches 1 over time, but if the initial condition is negative ( y ( 0 ) < 0 {\displaystyle y(0)<0} ), then y ( t ) {\displaystyle y(t)} approaches −1 over time. Thus,

1632-399: The initial stable solution at a higher value of the parameter, leaving only the higher fixed solution. Thus, at values of the parameter between the two critical values, the system has two stable solutions. An example of a dynamical system that demonstrates similar features is where x {\displaystyle x} is the output, and r {\displaystyle r} is

1680-471: The initials PCB or SGB engraved on illustrations of Zippo Lighters . These initials were an homage to George's Parents, Philo C Blaisdell and Sarah Grant Blaisdell. George died on October 4, 1978, in Miami Beach, Florida at the age of 83. After his death, his daughters Sarah B. Dorn and Harriet B. Wick took control of the company. Bistability In a dynamical system , bistability means

1728-408: The left and // on the right instead of // on the left and / on the right, but corrected the problem within the year. From 1982 until June 1986 the coding was by backslash . After July 1986, Zippo began including a date code on all lighters showing the month and year of production. On the left of the underside was stamped a letter A–L, denoting the month (A = January, B = February, C = March, etc.). On

1776-416: The lighter are replaceable. The Zippo lighter requires 108 manufacturing operations. Zippo released the Zippo BLU in 2007 (although there are many 2005 pre-release models). These are butane torch lighters , which Zippo has gone to great lengths to make sure are still "identifiable as a Zippo". Specifically, the lid and cam were "tuned" so that the lighter still makes the distinctive "Zippo click", and also it

1824-978: The origin of new species ( speciation ). Bistability can be generated by a positive feedback loop with an ultrasensitive regulatory step. Positive feedback loops, such as the simple X activates Y and Y activates X motif, essentially link output signals to their input signals and have been noted to be an important regulatory motif in cellular signal transduction because positive feedback loops can create switches with an all-or-nothing decision. Studies have shown that numerous biological systems, such as Xenopus oocyte maturation, mammalian calcium signal transduction, and polarity in budding yeast, incorporate multiple positive feedback loops with different time scales (slow and fast). Having multiple linked positive feedback loops with different time scales ("dual-time switches") allows for (a) increased regulation: two switches that have independent changeable activation and deactivation times; and (b) noise filtering. Bistability can also arise in

1872-521: The parameter, acting as the input. Bistability can be modified to be more robust and to tolerate significant changes in concentrations of reactants, while still maintaining its "switch-like" character. Feedback on both the activator of a system and inhibitor make the system able to tolerate a wide range of concentrations. An example of this in cell biology is that activated CDK1 (Cyclin Dependent Kinase 1) activates its activator Cdc25 while at

1920-510: The right was a Roman numeral which denoted the year, beginning with II in 1986. However, in 2001, Zippo altered this system, changing the Roman numerals to Arabic numerals . Thus a Zippo made in August 2004 was stamped H 04. The cases of Zippo lighters are typically made of brass and are rectangular with a hinged top. On most models, the top of the case is slightly convex. Inside the case are

1968-502: The same time inactivating its inactivator, Wee1 , thus allowing for progression of a cell into mitosis. Without this double feedback, the system would still be bistable, but would not be able to tolerate such a wide range of concentrations. Bistability has also been described in the embryonic development of Drosophila melanogaster (the fruit fly). Examples are anterior-posterior and dorso-ventral axis formation and eye development. A prime example of bistability in biological systems

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2016-416: The state of lowest energy. The maximum can be visualized as a barrier between them. A system can transition from one state of minimal energy to the other if it is given enough activation energy to penetrate the barrier (compare activation energy and Arrhenius equation for the chemical case). After the barrier has been reached, assuming the system has damping , it will relax into the other minimum state in

2064-567: The success Victorinox Swiss Army Brands Inc. has had selling watches, luggage, clothing, and fragrance. On June 5, 2012, the company manufactured its 500,000,000th lighter and celebrated its 80th anniversary. In 2018, Zippo announced the sound trademark of its windproof lighter, making the Zippo lighter's click officially one of the most recognised sounds in the world. On June 3, 2020, the company manufactured its 600,000,000th lighter. Zippo lighters, which have gained popularity as “windproof” lighters, are able to stay lit in harsh weather, due to

2112-447: The system has two stable equilibrium states . A bistable structure can be resting in either of two states. An example of a mechanical device which is bistable is a light switch . The switch lever is designed to rest in the "on" or "off" position, but not between the two. Bistable behavior can occur in mechanical linkages, electronic circuits, nonlinear optical systems, chemical reactions, and physiological and biological systems. In

2160-411: The use of Zippo lighters in search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War. Edwards stated: "when you say level a village, you don't use torches. It's not like in the 1800s. You used a Zippo. Now you would use a Bic. That's just the way we did it. You went in there with your Zippos. Everybody. That's why people bought Zippos. Everybody had a Zippo. It was for burnin' shit down." "Zippo squad" became

2208-431: The wick. The bottom of this is covered by a piece of felt approximately 1/4 of an inch thick. Printed on the bottom of the felt (in modern Zippos, not on older models prior to late 1992) are the words, "LIFT TO FILL," to indicate one must lift the felt away from the "cotton" in order to refuel it. The fuel, light petroleum distillate or synthetic isoparaffinic hydrocarbon (commonly referred to as lighter fluid or naphtha ),

2256-416: The works of the lighter. The insert contains the spring-toggle lever that keeps the top closed, the wick, windscreen chimney , flintwheel, and flint , all of which are mounted on an open-bottom metal box that is slightly smaller than the bottom of the outer case, and into which it slips snugly. The hollow part of the interior box encloses five rayon balls (similar to cotton balls) which are in contact with

2304-457: Was featured on the NPR program Weekend Edition on Sunday, January 25, 2009. The museum also contains an enormous collection of Case knives. Since the Zippo company's 60th anniversary in 1992, annual editions have been produced for Zippo collectors. In 2009, Zippo announced plans to purchase Ronson Consumer Products Corporation , a long-time competitor in the lighter market. On February 3, 2010,

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