Patent Application
20180172223
The present invention relates generally to the field of flashlights, and in particular to a new and used flashlight with magnetic tail that allows the flashlight to be temporarily held to a ferro-magnetic surface or to be used to pick up small ferro-magnetic item.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a flashlight with magnetic tail comprising a battery housing having a tail portion; a light source connected to a forward portion of the battery housing; a pushbutton assembly mounted in the tail portion; and a magnet ring fixed to the tail portion and extending around the pushbutton assembly.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
In the drawings:
Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to refer to the same or similar elements, the invention is a flashlight 10 with magnetic tail that comprises a battery housing 12 for enclosing one or more batteries such as AA or AAA batteries or others of known type. The battery housing 12 has a tail portion 12a and a light source connected to an opposite, forward portion of the battery housing 12, as will be explained in connection with
An outer ring 14 extends axially outwardly from the tail portion 12a and an inner ring 16 is spaced radially inwardly of the outer ring and extends axially outwardly of the tail portion as well. The inner and outer rings are made of the same material and as one piece with the housing 12, e.g. aircraft aluminum, and they define an annular channel therebetween.
A permanent magnet ring 18 is fixed to the tail portion 12a and is positioned radially inwardly of the inner ring 16, the magnet ring 18 having an outer surface that is substantially coplanar with outer surfaces of the inner and outer rings 16 and 14. The outer axial end of ring 18 may, for example, be the North pole of the magnet, and the inner axial end maybe the South pole, although, the poles may be reversed or places radially. Any known magnetized material may be used to form the magnet ring 18, for example, the very strong Neodymium (rare earth) type magnetic material, or the more conventional magnetized ferro-magnet metals like iron, nickel or cobalt may be used.
A pushbutton assembly 20, 22, 24 is mounted in the tail portion 12a and positioned radially inwardly of the magnet ring 18, the pushbutton assembly having an outer surface that is substantially coplanar with the outer surfaces of the inner, outer and magnet rings 16, 14, 18.
The permanent magnet ring 18 has a radially inner bevel 18a at its outer surface, adjacent the pushbutton assembly and the tail portion 12a has a step 28 radially inwardly of the inner ring 16 on which the magnet ring 18 rests. Magnet ring 18, is fix, e.g. by strong adhesive, either to the inner surface of inner ring 16, or to the step 28, or to both.
With reference to
While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
