The present invention relates generally to handheld tools and portable flashlights. More specifically, the present invention is related to orifice inspection apparatuses.
Construction workers and home owners often find the need to look inside an orifice on walls, ceilings, or floors to inspect for possible obstructions, damages, etc. Currently, construction workers and home owners struggle to see inside an orifice with the naked eye as the space is usually dark and with little or no ambient illumination. Trying to see inside an orifice with the help of a flashlight next to the unprotected eye usually results in the light from the flashlight hitting the eye which ends up further obstructing the view. A solution to help improve the vision inside an orifice is to make the hole bigger or remove part of the surface to look inside. However, removing parts of the surface or increasing the size of the orifice requires more tools, more time, increases the amount of debris left from the process, and sometimes is undesirable to do. Another solution to help improve the vision inside an orifice is to use a tool specialized for the purpose of looking inside an orifice, such as borescopes which use a camera connected to a telescopic arm connected to a handle and a display. However, these electronic tools are usually fragile, expensive, need to be plugged-in or recharged, and require some setup prior to use. There is a need for a cheap alternative to improve the view inside an orifice on a surface which does not obstruct the view, provides lighting while not obstructing the view, it is not fragile, it is handheld, and it does not need to be setup or plugged in during use.
An objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which allows the user to look straight inside an orifice with an unobstructed view. Allowing the user to look inside an orifice helps the user see clearly what is inside. Another objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which illuminates the view inside an orifice without obstructing the line of sight. Having an illuminated view that is not obstructed by the rays of light hitting the eye is helpful as the orifice often lacks illumination and oftentimes the small size of the orifices block the ambient light. Another objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which is portable and handheld. Being able to carry the apparatus anywhere is extremely useful and being able to hold the apparatus with one hand helps the user multitask and simplify their work. Another objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that is inexpensive and easy to use. Home owners and similar users who are not in the construction business would benefit from a cheap apparatus that can be easily used whenever the apparatus is needed so the user does not have to buy the more complex and expensive alternatives such as borescopes or infrared cameras.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which does not require a power source while the apparatus is used and which does not require to be recharged. Oftentimes construction workers or home owners have to look inside orifices on surface which are far from a power source, so having an apparatus which is powered by replaceable batteries is convenient and practical to use. Another objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus with a vision enhancer, such as a magnifying lens. It is useful to clearly see small details such as cracks or rust inside an orifice, so having a magnifying lens on the apparatus makes the apparatus more useful to construction workers and home owners. Additional advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Additional advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the detailed description of the invention section. Further benefits and advantages of the embodiments of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description given with reference to the accompanying drawings, which specify and show preferred embodiments of the present invention.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention introduces a lighting device that can be used with an orifice. The effective design of the present invention allows a desired viewing area to be inspected through a peep hole without causing any damage to the surface the orifice traverses through. As an example, if the present invention is being used with an orifice that traverses through a wall, the desired viewing area on the opposite side of the wall can be inspected without causing any damage to the wall. Moreover, by utilizing the present invention, the desired area can be inspected regardless of the lighting conditions.
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When the present invention is used to inspect a desired viewing area through an opening of a surface, the lighting source 6 is used to illuminate the desired viewing area in low light conditions. To do so, the lighting source 6 is electrically connected to the power source 15 and is positioned within the head portion 1. On the other hand, the power source 15 is positioned within the handle 9. The electrical connection between the lighting source 6 and the power source 15 can be established through a lighting printed circuit board (PCB) and a switching PCB. Thus, when the head portion 1 is positioned adjacent the opening, the light from the lighting source 6 is transmitted onto the desired viewing area through the opening the present invention is being used with. The performance characteristics and other properties of both the lighting source 6 and the power source 15 can vary from one embodiment to another. As an example, the wattage of the lighting source 6 can vary in different embodiments of the present invention. The voltage of the power source 15 can also vary in different embodiments of the present invention.
The peep hole 17 is used to inspect the desired viewing area when the desired viewing area is illuminated by the lighting source 6. The desired viewing area can vary based upon the industry the present invention is being used in. As an example, the desired viewing area for an electrician is different from the desired viewing area for a construction worker. As seen in
As mentioned earlier, the lighting source 6 and the power source 15 can vary in different embodiments of the present invention. As further illustrated in
Similar to a flashlight, the head portion 1 is specifically designed to maximize the light emitted from the lighting source 6. As seen in
As further illustrated in
As shown in
As discussed before, the power source 15 is positioned within the handle 9, encircling the handle traversing portion 18. As shown in
As further illustrated in
As discussed earlier, the power source 15 is positioned within the handle 9 and the lighting source 6 is positioned within the head portion 1. Therefore, the current flows from the power source 15 to the lighting source 6 only when the handle 9 is attached to the head portion 1. To maintain the current flow from the power source 15 to the lighting source 6, the present invention further comprises a first electrical contact 23 and a second electrical contact 24 as shown in
As seen in
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As further illustrated in
When the present invention is being used, the following process flow is generally followed. Initially, the power source 15 is inserted into the handle 9. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of batteries 16 are positioned around the handle traversing portion 18. To secure the plurality of batteries 16 within the handle 9, an end cap 100 is mounted onto a first end 10 of the handle 9. To access the peep hole 17 through the end cap 100, a cap opening 101 would centrally traverse through the end cap 100. Moreover, the cap opening 101 will be concentrically aligned with the handle traversing portion 18. If the first set of threads 21 and the second set of threads 22 are being used, the first set of threads 21 is engaged to the second set of threads 22. When the head portion 1 and the handle 9 are connected, and the present invention is ready to be used, the distal end 5 of the head portion 1 is positioned against the opening that traverses into the desired viewing area. Next, the lighting source 6 is illuminated so that the desired viewing area is illuminated through the opening. To view the desired viewing area which is now illuminated, the user positions an eye at the first end 10 of the handle 9. Since the peep hole 17 extends from the first end 10 of the handle 9 to the distal end 5 of the head portion 1, the desired viewing area can be viewed.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 62/509,581 filed on May 22, 2017.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2320917 | Ely | Jun 1943 | A |
20020149930 | Parker | Oct 2002 | A1 |
20170123216 | Hoover | May 2017 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20180335199 A1 | Nov 2018 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62509581 | May 2017 | US |