Flashlight

Abstract
A flashlight has a switch housing in between the battery compartment and reflector. The neck of the switch housing holds a lamp support at a central position within a reflector. A o-ring on the rear of the switch housing seals the battery compartment. The switch housing partially floats within the flashlight tube to allow for a slight adjustment of the lamp relative to the reflector to insure centering.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates primarily to flashlights.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Various flashlight designs are known in the art. Flashlights include one or more dry cell batteries and in certain designs the batteries are arranged in series in a battery compartment of a barrel or tube which acts as a handle for the flashlight. Electrical energy from the batteries is generally conducted to a lamp or bulb at the front end of the flashlight through a switch mechanism positioned between the batteries and the lamp.




In various flashlight designs, the lamp is supported within the flashlight by a holder or spacer within the barrel and extends into the flashlight reflector. For optimal performance, the lamp must be properly aligned with the reflector. However, due to manufacturing and assembly operations and tolerances, after manufacture of the flashlight is fully completed, the lamp may be permanently misaligned with the reflector, resulting in degraded performance.




In addition, since under certain conditions the batteries can leak, it is advantageous to seal the battery compartment of the flashlight. On the other hand, since batteries can also release gases, it is advantageous to vent the battery compartment without allowing ingress of moisture, contaminants, etc.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In a first aspect, the present invention is directed to a flashlight having an improved switch mechanism which contains a switch assembly with a forwardly extending neck supporting the flashlight lamp. The switch housing partially floats within the flashlight barrel to allow for a slight adjustment of the lamp relative to the reflector, thereby insuring centering of the lamp and the lamp filament to the reflector. In a second aspect, the switch housing has a seal which seals the forward end of the battery compartment. In the third aspect, assembly of the flashlight is improved because of the alignment of the internal component parts.




Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a flashlight having improved means for alignment between the lamp and reflector.




It is another object of the present invention to provide a flashlight with a switch assembly having improved sealing characteristics.




It is a further object of the present invention to provide a flashlight having improved assembly through alignment of internal components.




Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose one embodiment of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:





FIG. 1

is a section view of the present flashlight;





FIG. 2

is an enlarged section view of the switch and bulb holder assembly of the present flashlight;





FIG. 3

is a side elevation view of the switch housing of the switch assembly shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

;





FIG. 4

is a front view thereof;





FIG. 5

is a rear view thereof; and





FIG. 6

is a top view thereof.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Turning in detail to the drawings, as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

, the present flashlight


10


has a barrel


12


having an externally threaded forward or front end and an internally threaded back or rear end. A head


22


is threaded onto the front end of the barrel


12


. A face cap


14


is threaded onto the head


22


. A lens


18


, which may be clear or colored, is held in place in between the face cap


14


and a reflector


20


. A face cap o-ring


16


positioned in a recess in the face cap


14


provides a resilient contact between the face cap


14


and the lens


18


.




A head o-ring


24


seals the face cap


14


against the head


22


. A barrel o-ring


26


rotatably seals the head


22


against the outside of the barrel


12


.




As shown in

FIGS. 3-6

, a switch housing


28


has a neck


30


and a top neck slot


32


. Gussets


34


may be provided for strength purposes. A receptacle bore


36


extends vertically through the switch housing


28


. The receptacle bore


36


is generally double-D shaped, except at the uppermost portion above a shoulder


42


where it is preferably round. An o-ring slot


38


is provided at the rear end of the switch housing


28


. Contact slots or openings


40


extend through the front and back surfaces of the switch housing


28


on opposite sides of the receptacle bore


36


.




Referring back to

FIG. 2

, a lamp holder


58


is slidably positioned within the neck


30


of the switch housing


28


, and biased forward by a spring


54


. A contact


56


is attached to the back end of the spring and a receptacle contact


52


is attached to the front end of the spring


54


. The receptacle contact


52


has a protruding or pointed front end for making electrical contact with the base


61


of the lamp


60


. An insulator


50


overlies the sides of the receptacle contact


52


and has a rear flange


53


which seats against the bulb holder


58


.




A shoulder screw


44


extends through the neck slot


32


in the switch housing neck


30


and is threaded into the bulb holder


58


. A bushing


46


is positioned around the shoulder screw


44


in the neck slot


32


, while a follower


48


is similarly positioned around the head of the shoulder screw


44


above the neck slot


32


.




A lamp retainer


62


threaded onto the forward end of the lamp holder


58


secures the lamp


60


by clamping the lamp flange


63


. A ground contact


66


extends from the switch housing neck


30


into the receptacle bore


36


and is electrically connected with the inside surface of the barrel


12


. The lamp retainer


62


, lamp holder


58


, ground contact


66


, barrel


12


, contacts


56


and


52


, spring


54


and barrel


12


are all electrically conducting materials, preferably metals.




A retaining ring


64


is placed within a groove on the inside surface of the barrel


12


. The front flange


68


of the switch housing


28


seats against the retaining ring to longitudinally position the switch housing


28


within the barrel


12


.




Referring still to

FIG. 2

, a generally cylindrical switch assembly


80


is positioned in the receptacle opening


36


of the switch housing


28


. The switch assembly


80


has a lower switch assembly housing


82


and an upper switch assembly housing


84


. An indexer


86


and a driver


88


are supported in the upper switch assembly housing


84


and cooperate with indexer ridges


90


therein. A return spring


100


biases the indexer


86


upwardly. Clip contacts


92


on opposite sides of the switch assembly


80


have protruding legs


94


. A center contact ring


96


supported on a contact holder


98


alternately makes and breaks contact between the opposing clip contacts


92


as the driver


88


and indexer


86


are depressed to switch the lamp on and off. Alternate up and down movement of the center contact ring


96


with actuation of the switch assembly


80


results in a scrubbing action between the center contact ring


96


and the clip contacts


92


. This scrubbing action improves reliability by helping to prevent a build up of contaminants on the center contact ring


96


and clip contacts


92


. In addition the center contact ring


96


turns incrementally each time the switch assembly


80


is actuated. This turning movement also improves reliability by avoiding excessive wear on any single area of the center contact ring


96


. A switch seal


70


covers the switch assembly


80


and seals a round opening in the barrel


12


over the switch assembly


80


.




At the bottom end of the switch assembly


80


is a set screw


104


and nut


102


which connect the ground contact


66


to the barrel


12


and also vertically position the switch assembly


80


within the receptacle opening


36


.




With the switch assembly


80


installed within the receptacle


36


, the front clip contact


92


touches contact


56


and the back clip contact


92


touches a battery contact


76


supporting a battery connector or spring


74


. The battery contact


76


seals against the back face of the switch housing


28


by an o-ring


78


.




Referring to

FIG. 1

, in the embodiment shown, two ā€œDā€ size batteries or dry cells are contained within the battery compartment of the barrel


12


, with the positive terminal of the front battery contacting the battery spring


74


.




As best shown in

FIG. 2

, the outer circumference of the forward end (positive terminal end) of the battery


72


buts against the back surface rim


120


of the switch housing


28


. This sets the spacing between the positive terminal


73


of the battery


72


and the switch housing


28


. The battery spring


74


is selected and positioned within the switch housing


28


so that it contacts the positive terminal


73


of the battery


72


with sufficient, but not excessive force to avoid leakage caused by caving in the positive terminal.




A tail cap


112


threaded into the back end of the barrel


12


contains a lamp protector


114


cushioning a spare bulb or lamp


60


. The lamp protector


114


is resilient. When removed from the tail cap


112


, the lamp protector


114


may be spread apart to receive or release a spare lamp


60


. When installed in the tail cap


112


, the lamp protector


114


is held closed to cushion the lamp on all sides, e.g., on the glass, flange and/or base


61


of the lamp


60


.




A tail cap spring


118


urges the batteries together and maintains them in contact with each other and the battery spring


74


. A one-way seal


116


in the tail cap


112


allows any build up of gases in the battery compartment to vent to the outside without allowing moisture, contaminants, etc. to enter the battery compartment.




With the flashlight design as shown and described above, the switch housing


28


partially floats within the barrel


12


to allow for a slight adjustment between the switch housing supporting the lamp and the reflector


20


, to facilitate centering alignment of the lamp and reflector. As shown in

FIG. 2

, the switch housing


28


is positioned generally concentrically within the barrel


12


, i.e., the centerlines or longitudinal axes of the switch housing


28


and the barrel


12


coincide. The reflector


20


is also generally concentric with the barrel


12


and switch housing


28


. Accordingly, since the lamp


60


is held by the lamp holder


60


on the centerline of the switch housing


28


, it is also generally centered within the reflector


20


through the alignment of the reflector


20


, barrel


12


, and switch housing


28


. Due to manufacturing tolerances, the diameter of the switch housing


28


is necessarily nominally smaller than the inside diameter of the barrel


12


. This would ordinarily allow the switch housing


28


to freely radially shift slightly within the barrel


12


, thereby causing a misalignment of the lamp and reflector. However, the o-ring


106


, together with the retaining ring


64


allow the switch housing


28


to be slightly adjusted relative to the reflector to insure centering of the lamp with the reflector.




The batteries or dry cells may generate corrosive vapors or gases, which if not contained can corrode the switch assembly


80


electrical components, e.g., the clip contacts


92


, center ring


96


, etc. To prevent leakage of any gases from the battery compartment to the switch assembly


80


and forward thereof, the housing o-ring


106


(and o-ring


78


) seal the battery compartment from the switch assembly


80


and the front end of the flashlight.




Assembly is improved as the switch assembly


80


is placed within the receptacle opening


36


of the switch housing


28


and is positioned therein by the receptacle shoulders


42


, and the switch housing


28


is positioned within the barrel by the retaining ring


64


and o-ring


106


.




Thus, while one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it will be obvious that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.



Claims
  • 1. A flashlight comprising:a flashlight barrel; a reflector located adjacent one end of said barrel; a switch housing adjustably mounted within said barrel relative to said reflector; a lamp holder operatively connected to said switch housing; and a lamp carried by said lamp holder whereby said lamp is moveable relative to said reflector for centering said lamp on said reflector.
  • 2. The flashlight of claim 1 including a retainer on one side of the switch housing and a resilient member on the other side of the switch housing.
  • 3. The flashlight of claim 1 further comprising a battery connector positioned within the switch housing and projecting into the flashlight barrel.
  • 4. The flashlight of claim 2 wherein the resilient member comprises an O-ring.
  • 5. The flashlight of claim 3 wherein the battery connector is a spring.
  • 6. The flashlight of claim 5 wherein the battery connector projects into the flashlight barrel by a predetermined amount for contacting a terminal on a battery in the flashlight barrel with a pre-determined amount of force.
  • 7. The flashlight of claim 1 further comprising a back surface rim on the switch housing and a battery connector positioned within the switch housing and spaced apart from the back surface rim such that the battery connector contacts a terminal of a battery with a pre-determined amount of force.
  • 8. The flashlight of claim 7 wherein the battery connector is a spring.
  • 9. The flashlight of claim 2 wherein the retainer and resilient member allow the switch housing to be adjustably positioned within the flashlight barrel for moving said lamp relative to said reflector.
  • 10. A flashlight comprising:a flashlight barrel; a reflector located adjacent one end of said barrel; a switch assembly located within said barrel; a lamp holder operatively connected to said switch assembly; a lamp carrier carried by said lamp holder; a retainer adjacent one side of the switch housing; a resilient member between the flashlight barrel and the switch housing; and wherein said retainer and resilient member allow said housing to be adjustably positioned within the flashlight barrel relative to said reflector whereby said lamp is moveable relative to said reflector for centering said lamp with respect to said reflector.
  • 11. The flashlight of claim 10 further comprising a battery connector positioned within the switch housing and projecting into the flashlight barrel.
  • 12. The flashlight of claim 10 wherein the resilient member comprises an O-ring.
  • 13. The flashlight of claim 11 wherein the battery connector is a spring.
  • 14. The flashlight of claim 13 wherein the battery connector projects into the flashlight barrel by a predetermined amount for contacting a terminal on a battery in the flashlight barrel with a pre-determined amount of force.
Parent Case Info

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/797,523, filed Feb. 28, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,182 B1; which in turn is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/931,548, filed Sep. 16, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,698; which in turn is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/483,381, filed Jun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,645; which in turn is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/138,918, filed Oct. 18, 1993, now abandoned; which in turn is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/832,857, filed Feb. 7, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,858.

US Referenced Citations (14)
Number Name Date Kind
3798440 Brindley Mar 1974 A
3924116 Brindley Dec 1975 A
4286311 Maglica Aug 1981 A
4388673 Maglica Jun 1983 A
4527223 Maglica Jul 1985 A
4843526 Price, III Jun 1989 A
4939628 Wang Jul 1990 A
4940860 Shiau Jul 1990 A
4951183 Wang Aug 1990 A
4967325 Shiau Oct 1990 A
5260858 Maglica Nov 1993 A
5749645 Maglica May 1998 A
6196698 Maglica Mar 2001 B1
6428182 Maglica Aug 2002 B1
Continuations (5)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/797523 Feb 2001 US
Child 10/210340 US
Parent 08/931548 Sep 1997 US
Child 09/797523 US
Parent 08/483381 Jun 1995 US
Child 08/931548 US
Parent 08/138918 Oct 1993 US
Child 08/483381 US
Parent 07/832857 Feb 1992 US
Child 08/138918 US