Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6682203
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Patent Number
6,682,203
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Date Filed
Friday, June 14, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, January 27, 200420 years ago
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Inventors
-
-
Examiners
- O'Shea; Sandra
- Tsidulko; Mark
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 362 202
- 362 187
- 362 206
- 362 207
- 362 184
- 362 205
- 362 186
- 362 188
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International Classifications
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Abstract
A flashlight includes a conductive barrel, a lamp unit, a connecting device and a tail cap unit. The connecting device includes a conductive ring, an insulator seat, a conductive biasing member and a positioning cap. The biasing member is disposed in a retaining hole in the insulator seat, and is prevented from removal from the retaining hole by the positioning cap.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a flashlight, more particularly to a flashlight with a connecting device for connecting lamp terminals of a lamp unit to a barrel and a battery unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional flashlight includes a conductive barrel, a lamp unit, a connecting device, and a tail cap unit. The conductive barrel is adapted to receive a battery unit therein, extends in a longitudinal direction, and has a front end and a rear end. The battery unit has a first electrode and a second electrode opposite to the first electrode in the longitudinal direction. The lamp unit is disposed at the front end of the barrel, and includes a lamp base and a lamp retained on the lamp base. The lamp unit has a central lamp terminal and a peripheral lamp terminal. The connecting device includes a conductive ring disposed between the lamp base and the front end of the barrel to connect the peripheral lamp terminal electrically to the barrel, an insulator seat fitted in the conductive ring and formed with a through hole that is aligned with the central lamp terminal, and a conductive biasing member disposed in the through hole and having a first biasing end that is adapted to contact electrically the first electrode and a second biasing end that contacts electrically the central lamp terminal. The tail cap unit is mounted on the rear end of the barrel, and is adapted to connect electrically the second electrode to the barrel.
The following is a drawback of the aforesaid conventional flashlight: When the tail cap unit is removed during replacement of the battery unit, the conductive biasing member of the connecting device may fall out of the insulator seat since there is no positioning mechanism for preventing undesired removal of the same, thereby resulting in inconvenience or even failure of the flashlight due to component loss.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a flashlight that can overcome the aforesaid drawback associated with the prior art.
Accordingly, a flashlight of this invention comprises:
a conductive barrel adapted to receive a battery unit therein, the barrel extending in a longitudinal direction and having a front end and a rear end, the battery unit having a first electrode and a second electrode opposite to the first electrode in the longitudinal direction;
a lamp unit disposed at the front end of the barrel and including a lamp base and a lamp retained on the lamp base, the lamp unit having a central lamp terminal and a peripheral lamp terminal;
a connecting device including
a conductive ring disposed between the lamp base and the front end of the barrel to connect the peripheral lamp terminal electrically to the barrel,
an insulator seat fitted in the conductive ring and formed with a retaining hole that is aligned with the central lamp terminal, the retaining hole having a first open end remote from the central lamp terminal, and a second open end proximate to the central lamp terminal,
a positioning cap mounted on the insulator seat at the first open end of the retaining hole and formed with a through-hole, and
a conductive biasing member disposed in the retaining hole and having a first biasing end that extends through the through-hole in the positioning cap and that is adapted to contact electrically the first electrode, an intermediate section that is connected to the first biasing end, that is wider than the through-hole, and that is disposed in the retaining hole, and a second biasing end that is connected to the intermediate section, that extends through the second open end of the retaining hole, and that contacts electrically the central lamp terminal; and
a tail cap unit mounted on the rear end of the barrel and adapted to connect electrically the second electrode to the barrel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
FIG. 1
is an exploded sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of a flashlight according to the present invention; and
FIG. 2
is an assembled sectional view showing the preferred embodiment of a flashlight according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the preferred embodiment of a flashlight according to the present invention is shown to include a conductive barrel
1
, a tail cap unit a lamp unit
4
, a connecting device
5
and a head assembly
6
.
The conductive barrel
1
is made of metal and is adapted to receive a battery unit
2
therein. The barrel
2
extends in longitudinal direction, and has an externally threaded front end portion
13
with a distal front end face
11
, and an externally threaded rear end portion
14
with a distal rear end face
12
. Preferably, the outer wall surface of the conductive barrel
1
is coated with an insulator layer (not shown). The battery unit
2
includes one or more batteries, and has a first electrode
21
and a second electrode
22
opposite to the first electrode
21
in the longitudinal direction.
The tail cap unit
3
is mounted on the rear end portion
14
of the barrel
1
, and includes a tail cap member
31
, a push button member
32
, a conductive biasing member
33
, and an annular blocking member
34
. The tail cap member
31
has an end wall
313
and a tubular wall
314
extending from a periphery of the end wall
313
in the longitudinal direction. The end wall
313
is formed with a button hole
310
. The tubular wall
314
has an inner wall surface formed with an internally threaded segment
315
that is spaced apart from the end wall
313
in the longitudinal direction and that cooperates with the end wall
313
to form a contact receiving space
312
. The internally threaded segment
315
threadedly engages the rear end portion
14
of the barrel
1
, and forms an annular shoulder
311
at a boundary with the contact receiving space
312
. The push button member
322
is made of metal, and has an operating portion
322
slidably extending through the button hole
310
, a conductive contact portion
323
connected to the operating portion
322
and extending into the contact receiving space
312
, and a tubular support
321
that extends from the conductive contact portion
323
and slidably into the rear end portion
14
of the barrel
1
. The conductive contact portion
323
is disposed to confront the distal rear end face
12
of the barrel
1
in the longitudinal direction. An insulator layer
324
on the outer wall surface of the push button member
32
prevents electrical connection between the conductive contact portion
323
and the barrel
1
via the tail cap member
31
. The tubular support
321
is formed integrally with the conductive contact portion
323
and is formed with a cavity
326
, where a spare lamp
327
can be disposed. The blocking member
34
, such as a C-shaped ring in this embodiment, is made of an insulator material, is disposed within the contact receiving space
312
, and a buts against the annular shoulder
311
. The blocking member
34
may be circular or rectangular in cross-section. When the cross-section is circular, the push button member
32
can be forcibly removed from the tail cap member
31
. When the cross-section is rectangular, the blocking member
34
can guard against the push button member
32
from the tail cap member
31
. The conductive biasing member
33
has a first biasing end adapted to contact electrically the second electrode
22
of the battery unit and a second biasing end disposed in the tubular support
321
and electrically connected to the conductive contact portion
323
.
The lamp unit
4
is disposed at the front end portion
13
of the barrel
1
, and includes a head cap
41
, a conductive lamp base
42
, a lamp
43
retained on the lamp base
42
, and a biasing member
44
. The head cap
41
has an inner wall surface formed with an internally threaded segment that threadedly engages the front end portion
13
of the barrel
1
. The lamp
43
has a central lamp terminal
431
and a peripheral lamp terminal
432
around the central lamp terminal
431
. The lamp base
42
and the lamp
43
are disposed inside the head cap
41
and are urged towards the distal front end face
11
of the barrel
1
by the biasing member
44
.
The connecting device
5
includes a conductive ring
52
, an insulator seat
51
, a conductive biasing member
53
and a positioning cap
54
. The conductive ring
52
is disposed between the lamp base
42
and the distal front end face
11
of the barrel
1
such that the peripheral lamp terminal
432
is connected electrically to the barrel
1
via the lamp base
42
and the conductive ring
52
. The insulator seat
51
is fitted in the conductive ring
52
, has an end surface
511
confronting the lamp base
42
, and is formed with a retaining hole
513
that is aligned with the central lamp terminal
431
. The retaining hole
513
has a first open end
5132
remote from the central lamp terminal
431
, and a second open end
5131
proximate to the central lamp terminal
431
. The positioning cap
54
is mounted on the insulator seat
51
at the first open end
5132
of the retaining hole
513
, and is formed with a through-hole
541
. The conductive biasing member
53
is a coil spring in this embodiment, is disposed in the retaining hole
513
, and has a first biasing end
532
that extends through the through-hole
541
in the positioning cap
54
and that is adapted to contact electrically the first electrode
21
of the battery unit
2
, an intermediate section
533
that is connected to the first biasing end
532
, that is wider than the through-hole
541
, and that is disposed in the retaining hole
513
, and a second biasing end
531
that is connected to the intermediate section
533
, that extends through the second open end
5131
of the retaining hole
513
, and that contacts electrically the central lamp terminal
431
. The second open end
5131
of the retaining hole
513
is narrower than the intermediate section
533
of the conductive biasing member
53
. Since the intermediate section
533
of the conductive biasing member
53
is wider than the through-hole
541
, the positioning cap
54
can prevent untimely removal of the biasing member
53
from the retaining hole
513
.
The head assembly
6
includes a reflector cap
61
coupled threadedly to the head cap
41
of the lamp unit
4
, a reflector
62
disposed in the reflector cap
62
and having an open tail end to receive the lamp
43
, and a biasing member
63
disposed between and abutting against the head cap
41
and the reflector cap
61
such that when reflector cap
61
is controllably translated relative to the barrel
1
, the relative distance between the reflector
62
and the lamp
43
is adjusted, thereby adjusting the lamp light focusing.
In practice, the tail cap member
31
is adjustable relative to the barrel
1
to switch on and off the lamp
43
.
To turn on the lamp
43
, either the tail cap member
31
is threadedly rotated to move toward the rear end portion
14
of the barrel
1
or an external pressing force is applied on the operating portion
322
of the push button member
32
SO as to move the latter in the longitudinal direction against biasing action of the biasing member
33
to abut the conductive contact portion
323
against the distal rear end face
12
of the barrel
1
, thereby forming a closed circuit constituted by the second electrode
22
of the battery unit
2
, the biasing member
33
, the push button member
32
, the barrel
1
, the conductive ring
52
, the lamp base
42
, the peripheral lamp terminal
432
, the central lamp terminal
431
, the biasing member
53
and the first electrode
21
of the battery unit
2
.
On the other hand, to turn off the lamp
43
, the tail cap member
31
is threadedly rotated to move away from the rear end portion
14
of the barrel
1
such that by virtue of the biasing action of the conductive biasing member
33
, the conductive contact portion
323
is urged to abut against the end wall
313
of the tail cap member
31
and is spaced apart from the distal rear end face
12
of the barrel
1
to break electrical connection between the conductive contact portion
323
and the barrel
1
.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Claims
- 1. A flashlight comprising:a conductive barrel adapted to receive a battery unit therein, said barrel extending in a longitudinal direction and having a front end and a rear end, the battery unit having a first electrode and a second electrode opposite to the first electrode in the longitudinal direction; a lamp unit disposed at said front end of said barrel and including a lamp base and a lamp retained on said lamp base, said lamp unit having a central lamp terminal and a peripheral lamp terminal; a connecting device including a conductive ring disposed between said lamp base and said front end of said barrel to connect said peripheral lamp terminal electrically to said barrel, an insulator seat fitted in said conductive ring and formed with a retaining hole that is aligned with said central lamp terminal, said retaining hole having a first open end remote from said central lamp terminal, and a second open end proximate to said central lamp terminal, a positioning cap mounted on said insulator seat at said first open end of said retaining hole and formed with a through-hole, and a conductive biasing member disposed in said retaining hole and having a first biasing end that extends through said through-hole in said positioning cap and that is adapted to contact electrically the first electrode, an intermediate section that is connected to said first biasing end, that is wider than said through-hole, and that is disposed in said retaining hole, and a second biasing end that is connected to said intermediate section, that extends through said second open end of said retaining hole, and that contacts electrically said central lamp terminal; and a tail cap unit mounted on said rear end of said barrel and adapted to connect electrically the second electrode to said barrel, wherein said second open end of said retaining hole is narrower than said intermediate section of said conductive biasing member.
- 2. The flashlight as claimed in claim 1, wherein said conductive biasing member is a coil-spring.
- 3. The flashlight as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lamp unit further includes a head cap mounted on said front end of said barrel and having said lamp base and said connecting device disposed therein.
US Referenced Citations (3)