Miniature flashlight

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6799862
  • Patent Number
    6,799,862
  • Date Filed
    Friday, January 3, 2003
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 5, 2004
    20 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Husar; Stephen
    • Zeade; Bertrand
    Agents
    • Barlow, Josephs & Holmes, Ltd.
Abstract
A miniature flashlight consists of a housing, a light emitting diode (LED), a pair of batteries, and a flexible cover and a contact clip that acts as a switch. The LED has a head portion and two contact arms. One of the contact arms is shorter than the other and is displaced at a slight angle relative to the longer contact arm. The LED is received in a seat formed in the housing with the head portion of the diode received in an aperture in the side wall of the housing. The longer contact arm is captured in a channel formed in the bottom wall. The shorter contact arm rests on a shoulder that forms part of the LED seat. A pair of coin cell batteries are received within another seat formed in housing. The lower battery sits on top of the longer contact arm captured in the channel of the bottom wall. A resilient plastic cover is assembled with the housing to maintain the diode and the batteries within the housing.
Description




BACKGROUND OF INVENTION




The instant invention relates to miniature lighting devices, such as key lights, and small personal flashlights, and more particularly to miniature flashlight of the type employing a high brightness light emitting diode.




The recent development of low cost, high brightness diodes, i.e. light emitting diodes, or LED's has provided light manufacturers with a new alternative to conventional filament light bulbs as a light source in flashlights and other types of small personal lights. While there are many different types and kinds of lights, there is always a need for newer constructions and arrangements which reduce the number of parts, simplify manufacturing procedures, and ultimately reduce cost.




SUMMARY OF INVENTION




In this regard, the instant invention provides an improved miniature flashlight construction comprising a housing, a light emitting diode (LED), a pair of batteries, a flexible cover, and a contact device mounted on the inside of the housing that acts as a switch. The housing includes a bottom wall, and a continuous side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall. The bottom wall and side wall cooperate to form an upwardly opening interior cavity for receiving the batteries, and LED therein. The LED has a head portion and two spaced contact arms extending rearwardly from the head portion. One of the contact arms is shorter than the other and is used as part of the switch mechanism. A conventional LED is provided with two identical contact arms.




The shorter contact arm is created by trimming the contact arm. The LED is received in a seat formed in the housing with the head portion of the diode received in an aperture in a side wall of the housing. The longer contact arm extends along the bottom wall of housing and is captured in a longitudinal channel formed in the bottom wall. The shorter contact arm rests on a raised shoulder that is formed as part of the LED seat. A pair of coin cell batteries are piggy backed and received within another seat formed in housing. The lower contact surface of the lower battery sits on top of the longer contact arm captured in the channel of the bottom wall. The contact device is installed into a groove in the raised shoulder thereby contacting the shorter contact arm and retaining the LED. The resilient plastic cover is frictionally received in assembled relation with the side walls of the housing to maintain the batteries within the housing. The first end of the contact device engages the shorter contact arm of the second contact of the diode, while the opposing second end is disposed in spaced relation over the upper surface contact of the upper battery The cover is selectively depressible, i.e. deformable, to selectively move the second end of the contact device into electrical communication with the upper surface of the battery to selectively energize the diode.




Accordingly, among the objects of the instant invention are: the provision of small, lightweight, low cost flashlight having a superior brightness level, and extended longevity; the provision of a miniature flashlight construction that utilizes a high brightness LED as a light source; the provision of a miniature flashlight that uses a resilient housing portion as part of the switch arrangement; the provision of a miniature flashlight having a reduced number of parts; and the provision of a miniature flashlight that can be disassembled to replace spent batteries.




Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS




In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the miniature flashlight of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is an exploded perspective view thereof;





FIG. 3

is an exploded perspective view of the cover assembly thereof;





FIG. 4

is a perspective view of the LED thereof prior to trimming of the upper contact;





FIG. 5

is another perspective view of the LED thereof after trimming of the upper contact;





FIG. 6

is a perspective view of the housing thereof with the cover assembly and batteries removed;





FIG. 7

is a cross-sectional view thereof as taken along line


7





7


of

FIG. 6

;





FIG. 8

is another cross-sectional view thereof showing insertion of the batteries and cover assembly;





FIG. 9

is a cross-sectional view of the assembled flashlight as taken along line


9





9


of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 10

is another cross-sectional view showing depression of the cover assembly and closure of the electrical circuit to energize the LED;





FIG. 11

is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the miniature flashlight;





FIG. 12

is a perspective view of the cover thereof;





FIG. 13

is a perspective view of the LED thereof after trimming of the upper contact;





FIG. 14

is a perspective view of the LED after bending of the upper contact;





FIG. 15

is perspective view of the contact clip thereof;





FIG. 16

is a perspective view of the housing with the cover assembly, contact clip and batteries removed;





FIG. 17

is a top view thereof showing location of the LED and contacts; and





FIG. 18

is a cross-sectional assembly view thereof showing assembly of the batteries, contact clip and cover assembly.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




Referring now to the drawings, a first embodiment of the miniature flashlight of the instant invention is illustrated and generally indicated at


10


in

FIGS. 1-10

. As will hereinafter be more fully described, the instant invention utilizes a high brightness light emitting diode, and long life lithium coin cell batteries in a simple housing to provide a useful, novel and improved flight source.




The flashlight


10


comprises comprising a housing generally indicated at


12


, a light emitting diode (LED) generally indicated at


14


, a pair of batteries respectively generally indicated at


16


and


18


, a cover generally indicated at


20


, and in the first embodiment, a contact strip


22


mounted on the inside of the cover


20


.




The housing


12


is generally diamond shaped and is preferably molded from a rigid plastic material suitable for housing the types of electronic components discussed herein. Generally speaking the housing


12


is approximately the same size as a conventional keyless alarm device provided for many vehicles. However, it is noted that this size is not critical to the device, and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure in any way. The housing


12


includes a bottom wall


24


, and a continuous side wall


26


extending upwardly from the bottom wall


24


. The bottom wall


24


and side wall


26


cooperate to form an upwardly opening interior cavity for receiving the batteries


16


,


18


, and LED


14


therein. The housing


12


further includes an external aperture


27


in the rear end for receiving a key chain or other type of clip, and an internal seat generally indicated


28


at for receiving the LED


14


. The seat


28


is formed by two vertical side walls


30


,


32


and a rear wall


34


extending upwardly from the bottom wall


24


. The rear wall


34


includes a slot


36


for receiving the contact arms of the LED


14


when inserted into the seat


28


. The front of the seat


28


opens into a longitudinally extending aperture


38


sized to receive a head portion of the LED


14


.




Referring to

FIGS. 4 and 5

, the LED


14


preferably comprises a high brightness, gallium nitride LE. The gallium LED


14


emits a soft blue wavelength of light that is particularly suitable for use as a multipurpose flashlight. The gallium LED


14


typically requires an operating voltage of about 4.5 volts which thus requires the use of two 3.0 volt lithium coin cells


16


and


18


(CR


2016


). Other types of LED's are also suitable, such as gallium phosphide red and green LED's. These LED's typically have an operating voltage of about 2.0 volts and require only a single lithium coin cell (CR


2032


) (not shown). The LED's and batteries are interchangeable in the present configuration so that manufacturing is not limited to single source suppliers. The shape of an LED


14


is standard throughout the industry comprising a head portion


40


and two spaced contact arms generally indicated at


42


,


44


extending rearwardly from the head portion


40


. The head portion


40


further includes a flat shoulder


46


which can be used for alignment of the head


40


in assembly. For assembly in the housing


12


, one of the contact arms


42


is shorter than the other


44


, and in the first embodiment includes a contact plate, i.e. stop plate,


48


that is used as part of the switch mechanism. Referring to

FIG. 4

, a conventional LED is provided with two identical contact arms


42


,


44


each having a stop plate


48


,


50


adjacent to the head portion


14


. The stop plates


48


,


50


are typically used as a shoulder stop when inserting the LED


14


into a circuit board. The shorter contact arm


42


, as illustrated in

FIG. 5

, is created by trimming the contact arm


42


at the end of the stop plate


48


and rotating the contact arm


42


by 90 degrees so that the stop plate


48


is presented for use as a horizontal contact plate. Turning to

FIGS. 6

,


7


and


8


, the LED


14


is received in the seat


28


with the head portion


40


thereof received in the aperture


38


. The longer contact arm


44


is slid into the slot


36


in the rear wall


35


of the seat and extends along the bottom wall


24


of housing


12


where it is captured in a longitudinal channel


52


formed in the bottom wall


24


. In

FIG. 8

it can be seen that the upper edge of the contact arm


44


projects upwardly above the surface of the bottom wall


24


to engage the batteries


16


,


18


to be inserted into the housing


12


. The stop plate


50


of the longer contact arm


44


rests within the slot


36


in the seat, and the stop plate


48


of the shorter contact arm


42


rests on top of the rear wall


34


bridging the slot


36


that receives the longer arm


44


.




As indicated above, the coin cell batteries


16


,


18


comprise a pair CR2016 lithium batteries that are piggy backed and received into the housing


12


. In this regard, the side wall


26


of the housing


12


is provided with symmetrically opposed side shoulders


54


(only one shown) and rear shoulder


56


that cooperate to position the batteries


16


,


18


within the housing


12


. Referring now to

FIGS. 8-10

, the lower contact surface


58


of the lower battery


16


sits on top of the longer contact arm


44


captured in the channel


52


of the bottom wall


24


.




The cover


20


is generally diamond shaped to match the housing


12


and is preferably molded from a resilient plastic, or elastomeric material, that is capable of flexing. The cover


20


includes a top wall


60


, and symmetrically opposed insert legs


62


,


64


, and


66


,


68


that are sized and configured to be received in assembled relation within the interior surfaces of the side wall


26


of the housing


12


. In this regard, the cover


20


is maintained in position by friction between the outside surfaces of the insert legs


62


,


64


,


66


,


68


and the interior surfaces of the side walls


16


. The existing friction is sufficient to maintain the cover


20


in position, yet will allow the cover


20


to be removed when the batteries


16


,


18


need to be replaced.




The contact strip


22


is mounted in a recess


70


on the inside surface of the top wall


60


. When the cover


20


is assembled with the housing


12


, the first end


72


of the contact strip


22


engages the stop plate


48


of the short contact


42


of the diode


14


, while the opposing second end


74


of the contact strip is disposed in spaced relation over the upper surface


76


contact of the upper battery


18


(See FIG.


9


).




Referring to

FIGS. 9 and 10

, the contact strip


22


is normally spaced over the upper surface


76


of the upper battery


18


to maintain the circuit in an open condition. However, the center portion of the top wall


60


of the cover


20


is depressible, i.e. resiliently deformable, upon downward pressure (see arrow


78


FIG.


10


), to selectively move the second end


74


of the contact strip


22


into electrical communication with the upper surface


76


of the upper battery


18


to close the circuit and selectively energize the diode


14


. Release of pressure from the cover


20


allows the cover


20


to return to its normal shape (

FIG. 9

) and withdraws the contact strip


22


from engagement with the battery


18


.




Referring now to

FIGS. 11-18

a second embodiment of the invention is illustrated and generally indicated as


100


. The construction of the flashlight


100


is generally the same as in the first embodiment


10


, with a few variations in the housing, circuitry and switch mechanism.




In the second embodiment, the contact strip


22


is replaced with a combination retaining clip and spring biased contact generally indicated at


102


, and the orientation of the LED contacts is slightly different to accommodate the retaining clip


102


.




The retaining clip


102


, shown in

FIG. 15

, comprises a unitary strip of spring metal being bent in such a fashion to serve as a retainer and a spring biased contact switch. The retaining clip


102


has three distinct portions having a stationary end


104


, a movable end


106


and an intermediate portion bent over on itself to form a spring tab


108


. The stationary end is bent downwardly and includes a slot at the forward end for receiving a contact of the LED, the relationship of which will be described hereinafter.




The LED shown in

FIGS. 13 and 14

comprises a head portion


110


and two spaced contact arms generally indicated at


112


,


114


extending rearwardly from the head portion


110


. The head portion


110


further includes a flat shoulder


116


which can be used for alignment of the head


110


in assembly. For assembly in the housing


12


, the upper contact arm


112


is shorter than the other


114


, and is bent at a slight angle as illustrated in

FIG. 14

so that it will rest on the intermediate shoulder


118


. Referring to

FIG. 13

, a conventional LED is provided with two identical contact arms


112


,


114


adjacent to the head portion


110


. The shorter contact arm


112


is created by trimming the contact arm


112


at and bending the contact arm


112


a few degrees out of the plane that aligns with the longer contact arm


114


so that when the LED


110


is installed in the housing


12


the shorter arm rests on an intermediate shoulder


118


of the seat


28


of the housing


12


and is presented for use as a contact point.




Turning to

FIGS. 16 and 17

, the seat


28


for the LED is also slightly different to accommodate and receive the spring tab


108


of the retaining clip


102


. In this regard, the seat


28


for the LED is formed by two vertical side walls


30


,


32


, a rear wall


34


and an intermediate shoulder


118


extending upwardly from the bottom wall


24


. The rear wall


34


includes a slot


36


for receiving the longer contact arm


114


of the LED


110


when inserted into the seat


28


. The front of the seat


28


opens into a longitudinally extending aperture


38


sized to receive a head portion of the LED


110


.




The LED


110


is received in the seat


28


with the head portion


110


thereof received in the aperture


38


. The longer contact arm


114


is slid into the slot


36


in the rear wall


35


of the seat and extends along the bottom wall


24


of housing


12


where it is captured in a longitudinal channel


52


formed in the bottom wall


24


. In

FIG. 18

it can be seen that the upper edge of the contact arm


114


projects upwardly above the surface of the bottom wall


24


to engage the batteries


16


,


18


to be inserted into the housing


12


. The shorter contact arm


112


rests on top of the intermediate shoulder


118


.




The spring tab


108


of the retaining clip


102


(shown in

FIG. 15

) is frictionally inserted into a groove


120


in the side walls


30


,


32


of the seat


28


with a stationary contact end


104


being in electrical communication with the shorter LED contact arm


112


. The stationary contact end of the contact clip


104


presses onto the shorter contact arm


112


retaining it against the intermediate shoulder


118


. This arrangement forms a biased engagement of the clip and contact to form a reliable circuit connection.




Referring to

FIG. 18

, the movable end


106


of the contact clip


102


is normally spaced over the upper surface


76


of the upper battery


18


to maintain the circuit in an open condition. However, the center portion of the top wall


60


of the cover


20


is depressible, i.e. resiliently deformable, upon downward pressure (see arrow


78


FIG.


10


), to selectively move the second end


106


of the contact clip


102


into electrical communication with the upper surface


76


of the upper battery


18


to close the circuit and selectively energize the diode


14


. Releasing of pressure from the cover


20


allows the cover


20


to return to its normal shape and releases the movable end


106


of the contact clip


102


from engagement with the battery


18


.




It can therefore be seen that the instant invention provides a small, lightweight, low cost flashlight


100


having a superior brightness level, and extended longevity. The use of a high brightness LED as a light source provides a long life light source, and the use of lithium batteries extends the normal longevity of such miniature flashlights. The simple construction and mounting of the LED, and switch configuration permit inexpensive manufacturing and further provide the ability to easily replace the batteries and extend the longevity of the flashlight. For these reasons, the instant invention is believed to represent a significant advancement in the art which has substantial commercial merit.




While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.



Claims
  • 1. A flashlight assembly comprising:a coin cell battery having first and second contact surfaces; a lighting element having first and second contact leads, wherein at least said first contact lead is shortened, a frame having a bottom wall and a plurality of wall structures extending upwardly from said bottom wall, said bottom wall and said wall structures cooperating to define a seat for receiving said lighting element and a cavity for receiving said coin cell battery, said plurality of wall structures including a dividing wall that separates said lighting element seat and said battery cavity, said shortened first contact lead being received and supported on said dividing wall when said lighting element is received in said seat; a cover having a top wall adapted to overlie and substantially close said cavity, said frame and said cover including mating formations that interfittingly engage to retain said frame and said cover in assembled relation; and an electrically conductive contact member received in assembled relation within said frame and said cover and overlying said dividing wall, said contact member having a first contact surface in fixed electrically conductive engagement with said shortened first contact lead whereby said shortened first contact lead is captured between said dividing wall and said first contact surface of said contact member, said contact member further having a second contact surface electrically engageable with said first contact of said battery.
  • 2. A housing for a flashlight assembly comprising:a frame including a bottom wall and a plurality of wall structures extending upwardly from said bottom wall, said bottom wall and said wall structures cooperating to define a seat for receiving a lighting element and a cavity adjacent to said seat for receiving a coin cell battery, said plurality of wall structures including a dividing wall that separates said lighting element seat and said battery cavity, said dividing wall supporting at least one shortened contact lead of a lighting element when said lighting element is received in said seat; a cover having a top wall adapted to overlie and substantially close said cavity, said frame and said cover including mating formations that interfittingly engage to retain said frame and said cover in assembled relation; and an electrically conductive contact member received in assembled relation within said frame and said cover and overlying said dividing wall, said contact member having a first contact surface receivable in fixed electrically conductive engagement with said at least one shortened contact lead of said lighting element, and further having a second contact surface electrically engageable with a battery.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a continuation of Application Ser. No. 09/769,160 filed Jan. 24, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,973, which is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 09/374,658 filed Aug. 16, 1999, now abandoned.

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Continuations (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/769160 Jan 2001 US
Child 10/248266 US
Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/374658 Aug 1999 US
Child 09/769160 US