BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to a light assembly, and in particular to a light assembly adapter.
Performing household duties may require a tool to assist in completing the duty. For example, paintbrushes, brooms, mops, or the like are used to assist in completing the household duties. Often times, while performing household duties, such as cleaning or painting, many areas are poorly lit. In addition, these household duties may be performed during darker time periods of the day or at night. As such, it is often hard to see the area in which the household duty is being performed.
SUMMARY
In one embodiment, the invention provides a light assembly configured to connect between a handle and a work implement. The light assembly includes a housing that defines an interior. The housing includes an adapter. The adapter includes a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a first axis that extends centrally through the adapter between the first and second ends. The first end defines a bore configured to couple to the handle. The second end defines an extension configured to couple to the work implement. The light assembly also includes a battery receptacle disposed within the interior of the housing. The battery receptacle is configured to receive a battery. The light assembly also includes an elongated flexible arm that extends from the housing. The flexible arm includes a first end adjacent the housing and a second end opposite the first end. The light assembly further includes a light disposed at the second end of the elongated flexible arm.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a light assembly configured to connect between a handle and a work implement. The light assembly includes a housing that defines an interior. The housing includes an adapter. The adapter defines a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a first axis that extends centrally through the adapter between the first and second ends. The first end is configured to couple to the handle and the second end is configured to couple to the work implement. The light assembly also includes a battery receptacle disposed within the interior of the housing. The battery receptacle defines a longitudinal axis that extends centrally through the battery receptacle. The longitudinal axis is parallel to and offset from the first axis. The light assembly also includes an elongated flexible arm that extends from the housing. The flexible arm includes a first end adjacent the housing and a second end opposite the first end. The light assembly further includes a light disposed at the second end of the elongated flexible arm.
In another embodiment the invention provides a system including a handle configured to be grasped by a user with an engagement end. The system also includes a light assembly having a housing that defines an interior and includes an adapter with a first end coupled to the engagement end of the handle, a second end opposite the first end, and a first axis extending centrally through the adapter between the first and second ends. The light assembly also includes an elongated flexible arm that extends from the housing. The elongated flexible arm includes a first end adjacent the housing and a second end opposite the first end. The light assembly also includes a battery receptacle disposed within the interior of the housing. The battery receptacle is configured to receive a battery. The light assembly further includes a light disposed at the second end of the elongated flexible arm. The system further includes a work implement coupled to the second end of the adapter.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a light assembly.
FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the light assembly.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the light assembly.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the light assembly of FIG. 1 with a portion of a housing removed.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the light assembly taken along section line 5-5 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the light assembly taken along section line 5-5 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of another portion of the light assembly taken along section line 5-5 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an adapter of the light assembly.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter taken along section line 9-9 of FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the light assembly in use with a paint edger.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the light assembly in use with a paint roller.
FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the light assembly and the paint roller of FIG. 11.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a light assembly 10. The illustrated light assembly 10 is configured to be coupled to a work implement, such as, for example, painting devices like paint brushes, paint edgers, paint rollers, and the like. The light assembly 10 may also be used with work implements that are cleaning devices, such as brooms, mops, dusters, and the like. In addition, the light assembly 10 may be configured to couple to other types of work implements such as tools, extension hooks, suction cups (e.g., for changing high light bulbs), nets, shovels, and the like. The illustrated light assembly 10 includes a housing 14, an elongated flexible arm 18, a battery receptacle 26 (FIG. 3), and a light 30.
With reference to FIG. 3, the housing 14 includes an outer shell comprised of a first portion 34 and a second portion 38. The illustrated housing 14 also includes an adapter 22 positioned within the outer shell. The first and second portions 34, 38 couple together to define an interior 42 of the housing 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the interior 42 of the housing 14 is divided by the outer shell into a first compartment 46 and a second compartment 50 that is adjacent to the first compartment 46. The first compartment 46 receives the adapter 22, and the second compartment 50 receives the battery receptacle 26. In the illustrated embodiment, the outer shell (e.g., the first and second portions 34, 38) and the adapter 22 are separate pieces that are secured together. The first portion 34 of the housing 14 includes a retainer 54 that secures the adapter 22 within the first compartment 46 of the housing 14. When coupled together, the first portion 34 and the second portion 38 of the housing 14 form a collar 58 from which the adapter 22 extends. In addition, the first and second portions 34, 38 define a neck 62 from which the elongated flexible arm 18 extends. In other embodiments, the outer shell and the adapter 22 may be integrally formed as a single piece.
With continued reference to FIG. 3, the flexible elongated arm 18 includes a first end 66 and a second end 70 opposite the first end 66. The first end 66 of the elongated flexible arm 18 is coupled to an electrical connector 74 of the battery receptacle 26. As such, the first end 66 of the elongated flexible arm 18 is fixed relative to the housing 14. The first end 66 also extends through the neck 62 of the housing 14. The elongated flexible arm 18 is bendable, allowing for repositioning of the second end 70 of the elongated flexible arm 18 relative to the housing 14. The elongated flexible arm 18 is flexible, but sturdy enough to maintain a position that the flexible arm 18 is moved to. For example, the second end 70 of the elongated flexible arm 18 may be moved to a variety of angles and/or positions relative to the housing 14 while the first end 66 remains fixed. As such, the second end 70 of the elongated flexible arm 18 is freely movable.
With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the adapter 22 of the housing 14 includes a first end 78, a second end 82 opposite the first end 78, and an adapter axis 86 extending centrally through the adapter 22 between the first and second ends 78, 82. In the illustrated embodiment, the first end 78 of the adapter 22 defines a bore 90 (FIG. 9) with internal threads 94 and the second end 82 of the adapter 22 defines an extension 98 with external threads 102. The extension 98 and the bore 90 are axially aligned along the adapter axis 86. The diameter of the bore 90 and the diameter of the extension 98 are substantially similar in size. As such, the bore 90 and the extension 98 complement each other. In other words, an extension 98 from another adapter or a similar extension from a work implement is operable to screw into the bore 90 using threads to couple the work implement and light assembly 10 together. Similarly, a bore from another adapter or a similar bore from a work implement is operable to screw onto the extension 98 to couple the work implement to the light assembly 10. The illustrated adapter 22 further includes ribs 106 (FIG. 8) that correspond to the retainer 54 of the first portion 34 of the housing 14 to position and secure the adapter 22 within the housing 14.
With reference to FIG. 3, the battery receptacle 26 is generally cylindrical and includes slots 110. Each slot 110 is configured to receive a battery 114. In the illustrated embodiment, the battery receptacle 26 includes three slots 110 that are evenly spaced about the battery receptacle 26. In other embodiments, the battery receptacle 26 may include fewer than three slots 110 or more than three slots 110 to receive fewer or more batteries 114. In the illustrated embodiment, the slots 110 are configured to receive AAA batteries. In other embodiments, the slots 110 may receive other sized batteries. The battery receptacle 26 defines a longitudinal axis 118 that extends centrally through the battery receptacle 26. The longitudinal axis 118 is also an insertion axis along which the battery receptacle 26 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 14. As discussed above, the battery receptacle 26 also includes the electrical connector 74 to provide power from the batteries 114 to the light 30.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing 14 defines a first opening 122 that extends into the first compartment 46 and a second opening 126 that extends into the second compartment 50. The first opening 122 allows access to the bore 90 of the adapter 22 for a handle to be coupled to the bore 90. The second opening 126 allows access to the battery receptacle 26 within the second compartment 50. As such, the battery receptacle 26 is removable from the housing 14, for example, to replace the batteries 114. A battery cover 130 (FIG. 4) is threadably secured to the second opening 126 to retain the battery receptacle 26 within the housing 14.
With reference to FIGS. 3 and 6, the light 30 is positioned adjacent the second end 70 of the elongated flexible arm 18. The light 30 includes a light seat 134, an LED assembly 138, and a lens 142. The light seat 134 extends around the elongated flexible arm 18. The LED assembly 138 is nested in the light seat 134 and includes a single LED 146 (light emitting diode) that illuminates when power is provided by the batteries 114. In other embodiments, the light 30 may include other light sources that are not an LED. In further embodiments, the light 30 may include more than one LED or light source. The lens 142 is threadably coupled to the light seat 134 to secure the LED assembly 138 within the light seat 134. The lens 142 protects the LED 146 and diffuses light emitted by the LED 146 to an area surrounding the light assembly 10.
As shown in FIG. 5, electrical conductors 150 extend from the battery receptacle 26 to the light 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the light assembly 10 includes two electrical conductors 150. In other embodiments, the light assembly 10 may include more than two electrical conductors 150 or less than two electrical conductors 150. The electrical conductors 150 extend through the elongated flexible arm 18 between the first and second ends 66, 70. The electrical conductors 150 also include a first end 154 adjacent the electrical connector 74 of the battery receptacle 26 and a second end 158 opposite the first end 154 and adjacent the light 30. Moving to FIG. 6, the second end 158 of the electrical conductors 150 couple to the LED assembly 138 to provide power to the LED 146. As shown in FIG. 7, the first end 154 of the electrical conductors 150 are coupled to the electrical connector 74.
An actuator 162 (FIG. 2) is positioned on the second portion 38 of the housing 14 to selectively provide power from the batteries 114 to the light 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the actuator 162 is a slider switch. In other embodiments, the actuator 162 may be a depressible button, a rotary dial, and the like. When a user switches the actuator 162, electrical power is provided by the batteries 114. The electrical power is transferred through the electrical connector 74 of the battery receptacle 26 to the electrical conductors 150. The electrical power runs through the electrical conductors 150 from the first end 154 to the second end 158 to transfer the power to the LED assembly 138. The electrical power illuminates the LED 146 to provide light to the surrounding areas of the light assembly 10. In some embodiments, the actuator 162 may be operable to different positions to operate the LED 146 in different modes (e.g., a high beam, a low beam, and off).
As shown in FIG. 7, the adapter axis 86 is parallel and offset from the longitudinal axis 118. The longitudinal axis 118 extends through the first end 66 of the elongated flexible arm 18. As such, the first end 66 of the elongated flexible arm 18 is offset from the adapter axis 86. Although as illustrated, the longitudinal axis 118 extends through the flexible arm 18, when the second end 70 of the flexible arm 18 is repositioned, the longitudinal axis 118 may only extend partially through the elongated flexible arm 18.
FIG. 10 illustrates the light assembly 10 in use with a work implement. Specifically, FIG. 10 illustrates the light assembly 10 coupled to a paint edger 166. The paint edger 166 may include an adapter 170 with a bore that corresponds to the extension 98 of the adapter 22. A user may couple the adapter 22 to the paint edger 166 by screwing the extension 98 into a bore on the paint edger 166. A user may then switch the actuator 162 as described above to provide power to the light 30 to illuminate the area around the paint edger 166. Depending on the light needs, a user may adjust or reposition the second end 70 of the elongated flexible arm 18 to position the light 30 in an optimal position for a user to see a workpiece that is being painted.
FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate the light assembly 10 in use with a work implement. Specifically, the light assembly 10 is coupled to a paint roller 170 and a handle 174. Now referring to FIG. 12 the extension 98 of the adapter 22 is coupled to a bore 178 with internal threads on a handle 182 of the paint roller 170 to couple the light assembly 10 to the paint roller 170. The handle 174 includes an engagement end 186 with external threads that corresponds to the internal threads of the bore 90 of the adapter 22. The handle 174 may be coupled to the bore 90 of the light assembly 10 to provide a user with greater range to use the paint roller 170 while still being able to use the light assembly 10. Similarly, the handle 174 may be coupled to the light assembly 10 to extend the range of any work implement or tool that the light assembly 10 is simultaneously coupled too. Although the illustrated handle 174 includes an elongated shaft that extends the reach of the paint roller 170, in other embodiments, the handle 174 and/or the handle 182 may be relatively shorter so the overall system has a similar length to a standard paint roller.
In other embodiments, the light assembly 10 may be coupled to a second work implement or tool instead of the handle 174. When the light assembly 10 is coupled to the handle 174, the handle 174 and the work implement are axially aligned with the adapter axis 86. As such, a user may easily and intuitively control the work implement as if the light assembly 10 was not present. The longitudinal axis 118 is parallel to and offset from the handle 174 and the work implement. As such, the light 30 may be easily repositioned around the work implement without being blocked by the work implement. A user may use the light assembly 10 with the paint roller 170 or other work implements in a similar manner as described above with respect to the paint edger 166.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
Patent Grant
10724726
