match
Enable an AI agent to recognise an ignition match, assess its condition and suitability, and determine whether it may be stored, struck, extinguished or discarded.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
5 bundles · 10 layers · 10 findings · 20 questions
Match identity Establishes that the item is an ignition match and identifies the individual being assessed.
Ignition-match recognition
Connects observable construction to evidence of intended ignition use.
Headed consumable form
Record the observed head and supporting stem or strip, together with evidence that the item is intended for striking ignition.
- What observed features and product evidence support identifying this item as an ignition match? definition
- Could this instead be a taper, splint or another small combustible item? boundary
Individual and origin
Separates the match from the box or book that supplies its context.
Match unit and package link
Record which physical match is under assessment, whether it remains attached to a book and which source package is known.
- Is the assessed unit one loose match or one identifiable strip still attached to a matchbook? boundary
- Which package or product record establishes its origin and stated type? provenance
Striking requirements Records the match's ignition class and the interface required for an appropriate striking attempt.
Documented match type
Identifies the ignition category without guessing from head colour or shape.
Type evidence
Record whether the match type is documented, tentatively identified or unknown.
- What label or manufacturer instruction identifies the match as safety, strike-anywhere or a specialty type? provenance
- Which ignition requirements remain unresolved if the source package is missing? definition
Striker compatibility
Relates the individual match to an available, suitable striking interface.
Usable striking interface
Record compatibility evidence and any observed condition that prevents relying on the available striker.
- What evidence establishes that the available striking interface is suitable for this match? provenance
- Do missing instructions or an unsuitable striker require deferring the ignition attempt? action
Unspent match condition Assesses the head, grip-bearing stem and relevant exposure before use.
Head and stem integrity
Examines the parts needed to hold and strike the match.
Physical readiness
Record head loss, cracks, bending and the remaining usable stem without equating visual integrity with guaranteed ignition.
- Is the head intact, and is the supporting stem split, bent or broken? measurement
- Does the remaining stem provide an appropriate grip and reach for the intended use under its instructions? action
Moisture and surface exposure
Separates current appearance from known wetting or contamination history.
Exposure-related uncertainty
Record observed dampness, foreign material and known exposure, preserving uncertainty about subsequent usability.
- What current moisture or foreign material is visible on the head and stem? measurement
- Is prior wetting or contamination known, and what product guidance addresses continued use? provenance
Ignition and flame transfer Connects a permitted use to the observed outcome of striking and carrying the flame to its target.
Intended lighting task
Records what the match is intended to light and the conditions governing that action.
Permitted flame transfer
Link the target and setting to the decision to use this match, keeping the target's own properties in its neighbouring model.
- What specific target is this match intended to ignite? boundary
- Do the setting, applicable instructions and available grip permit a controlled striking and flame-transfer attempt? action
Attempt and burning observation
Tracks what actually happened when the match was used.
Observed ignition outcome
Distinguish no sustained flame, a burning match, successful target ignition and an interrupted attempt.
- Did the attempt produce no sustained flame, a brief flare or continuing flame on the match? measurement
- Was flame transferred to the intended target, or must the attempt end with extinction of the match? action
Extinction and disposition Tracks residual burning and decides the next disposition of a used, failed or damaged match.
Residual combustion
Separates visible extinction from unresolved glow or heat.
Extinction evidence
Record observed flame, glow and available evidence of cooling, leaving unobserved conditions unknown.
- Is flame or glow still observable on the head or charred stem? measurement
- What evidence supports treating the residue as cooled rather than merely without visible flame? measurement
Remaining item disposition
Determines what to do with the match after inspection or an ignition attempt.
Retain, set aside or discard
Record the chosen disposition and its basis in head condition, prior use, residual heat and relevant instructions.
- Is the remaining item an unused match, a unsuccessfully struck match, a damaged match or spent residue? definition
- What applicable instructions and observed condition support retaining, setting aside or discarding it? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
- Other names and narrower kinds
- lucifer match, stormproof match
What it is Filled
This draft provisionally interprets vr.tr.match as an individual consumable ignition match and owns its physical identity, ignition requirements, usable condition, burning state and remaining residue; the registry meaning still requires confirmation.
In scope
- An individual match, including its head and supporting stem or strip
- Match type and its required striking interface
- Physical integrity, moisture exposure and evidence of prior use
- Ignition, flame transfer, extinction and residual heat
- Item-specific handling constraints and disposition
Out of scope
- Matchboxes, matchbooks and their collective inventory or packaging design
- Striker surfaces as independently maintained objects
- Lighters, fire steels and other ignition devices
- The object or fuel being lit and the resulting larger fire
- Manufacture of match compositions
- Sporting matches, paired correspondences and computational matching
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise an ignition match, assess its condition and suitability, and determine whether it may be stored, struck, extinguished or discarded.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Look for a consumable stem or strip carrying a distinct ignition head, rather than identifying every small combustible stick as a match.
- Establish that its intended function is to initiate a small flame for transfer, rather than to sustain illumination or provide a decorative effect.
- Check whether ignition is intended to occur through a specified striking interaction, distinguishing it from a wick supplied by a fuel reservoir.
- Distinguish one match from a matchbook or box containing several; record attachment to a book without treating the whole book as one match.
- Use packaging, markings or documented provenance to distinguish match types when appearance alone is inconclusive.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Leave matches within reach of children.
- Strike or use matches near flammable gases, fuels or in no-flame areas.
- Help start fires to damage property or harm people.
Only with a human decision
- Using fire in wildfire-risk areas.
May
- Describe safe use and storage of matches.
- Report a match's condition, such as damp or spent, when monitoring stock.
Moral aspects Filled
- Matches start many accidental and deliberate fires.
- Children playing with matches are at risk.
Who is affected
- Children
- Residents
- Firefighters
Owners Filled
Steward
The person who owns it.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q1194058 - registry parent class
- Q39546 - registry parent class
- Q56147060 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.match
- Wikidata: Q37507 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q37507)
Direct properties required Filled
- Match type: Safety; strike-anywhere; specialty type as documented; unknown
- Stem construction: Wood; paper or card; other documented construction; unknown
- Overall length: mm
- Head integrity: Apparently intact; chipped; partly missing; absent; indeterminate
- Stem integrity: Intact; bent; split; broken; indeterminate
- Moisture condition: Apparently dry; damp; wet; previously wetted; unknown
- Compatible striking interface: Link to a documented compatible striker or surface requirement; unverified; unknown
- Use and combustion state: Apparently unused; struck without sustained flame; flaming; glowing; extinguished with heat unresolved; cooled residue; unknown
- Source package: Link to originating box, book or product record; unknown
Recognition required Filled
- A small wooden or paper stick with a coloured head.
- Sold in boxes or books with a striking surface.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Identify and classify a match using its form and available product evidence.
- Inspect the head and stem for damage, moisture exposure and prior use.
- Associate the match with its documented striking requirements.
- Assess whether striking and flame transfer are permitted and suitable in the current setting.
- Track an authorised ignition attempt through burning and extinction.
- Determine whether the remaining item should be retained, set aside or discarded under applicable instructions.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Fire and burns.
- Wildfire from discarded matches.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- The United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, issued by the United Nations, classify safety matches and strike-anywhere matches separately for transport.
- EN 1783, issued by the European Committee for Standardization, specifies performance requirements, safety requirements and testing for matches.
Context of use required Filled
- Matches are portable ignition items used to light candles, cooking appliances, fireplaces and other intended combustible materials.
- They are encountered in households, outdoor equipment and emergency supplies, where suitability depends on match type, storage condition and the surrounding fire restrictions.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q37507: match - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Match - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does vr.tr.match mean an ignition match, as provisionally assumed from PHY / PHY.OBJ, or another physical referent?
- Does an existing world model already own this concept, requiring a registry link instead of a separate publication?
- Which specialty match types belong within this entry, and which require additional ignition or extinction questions?
- What authoritative product evidence can establish striker compatibility and the treatment of wet, damaged or unsuccessfully struck matches?
- What observable criteria and applicable instructions should govern cooling confirmation and disposal in the intended deployment settings?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q37507/spec.json