Patent Application
20050259420
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable lighting systems for coverable storage containers.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owners have no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
2. Description of Prior Art
A pickup truck or other vehicle can be equipped with covered storage containers permanently attached or placed in the vehicle. The storage container can hold a variety of items such as power and hand tools, and supplies. At night, or in a dark location, retrieving items from such containers becomes difficult due to lack of light. Any light provided by a vehicle manufacturer inside the cab of a vehicle or from the top of a vehicle to illuminate an area of a vehicle, such as a truck bed, is blocked by raising the storage container cover. This lack of light is dangerous due to sharp blades and pieces commonly associated with power and hand tools.
In hazardous situations, such as a flat tire at night, a convenient source of light in the problem area is not provided by vehicle manufacturers. When a conventional flashlight is used, one hand is needed to hold it, reducing the ability of a user to locate and move or retrieve items from within a storage container, or to aim a light where it is needed in the case of a mechanical failure.
Similarly, some trucks are equipped with a tonneau cover over an entire truck bed creating a large storage area. When items are stored in the bed of a pickup truck with a tonneau cover and the tonneau cover is raised, any light provided by the vehicle manufacturer to illuminate the truck bed is blocked by the raised tonneau cover.
Certain automobile trunks lack lighting to illuminate the inside of the trunk restricting the safe and efficient addition, retrieval, or movement of items contained in such trunks.
Construction job site containers with covers are large, secure enclosures used for storage of such items as tools, supplies, and equipment needed at a work site. Such items must be put away in a manner which allows the container to be closed and locked. Often, power is unavailable where the container is located, so when light is needed conventional lights cannot be used. Handheld lights restrict the handling of items to be stored.
The following is a description and the disadvantages of these various known methods of providing light in storage containers:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,677 to Willis 2001 May 8, discloses a portable light. The light in Willis U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,677 is not well suited for storage containers, such as a toolbox, for several reasons. The light disclosed is not equipped with a tilt-sensitive switch; therefore, automatic operation is not possible. The light uses a cold cathode fluorescent lamp that does not lend itself to the rugged environment associated with a work truck or storage container. The light does not provide convenient mounting methods that would allow removal of the light for emergency use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,440 to Roberts, et al 1994 Sep. 13, discloses a portable light. The light in Roberts, et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,440 is not well suited for storage containers, such as a toolbox, for several reasons. The light disclosed in Roberts, et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,440 is not equipped with a tilt-sensitive switch; therefore, automatic operation is not possible. The removal of the lamp unit from the body of the light disclosed in Roberts, et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,347,440 prohibits electrical power from reaching the lamp and thus cannot be used in a location where the lamp body is not available. Incandescent bulbs utilized in this device are inefficient, compared to Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps, resulting in a device with a short battery life. Incandescent bulbs are sensitive to vibration and breakage, so do not lend themselves to the rugged environment associated with a work truck or storage container.
Thus, heretofore known methods and devices for covered storage container lighting suffer from a number of disadvantages as set forth along with reasons the present invention is superior:
Prior art does not provide a system with a tilt-sensitive ON OFF switch along with a manual switch to conserve battery life. Prior art does not provide bright white LED lamps that are durable and are not sensitive to vibration. Prior art does not provide for removal of lighting device from a mounting location for use outside a storage container. Prior art does not allow for use of colored lamps for use in specialized situations, such as a red lamp for use in an emergency situation.
In accordance with the present invention a Storage Container Lighting System comprises a module that houses electronic components, including an automatic ON and OFF function activated by raising or lowering of a surface to which Lighting System is attached, and a base to house module, such system which in its preferred embodiment consists of:
Accordingly, besides the objects and advantages of the Storage Container Lighting System with portability capability previously described, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
The principal object of the Storage Container Lighting System, for toolboxes and tonneau covers for pickup trucks and other vehicles, construction job site boxes, and other coverable storage containers, is to provide: (1) easy to install, (2) durable, (3) low maintenance, (4) adjustable, (5) portable, and (6) simple to manufacture, so that when the cover of a container is raised the Storage Container Lighting System automatically turns on and when the cover of a container is lowered the Storage Container Lighting System automatically turns off; by the methods herein described.
Further objects and advantages of the Storage Container Lighting System are: (1) to provide a system that uses of LED lamps that can be replaced with dual color LED lamps, and (2) that uses a rocker switch that can be replaced with an ON-OFF-ON type manual switch. In these embodiments, the Lighting System acts as either a lighting system for a storage container or as an emergency light in a hazardous situation, such as for a stalled vehicle:
Alternative embodiments, providing further objects and advantages of the Storage Container Lighting System, are: (1) alternative mounting methods; (2) alternative materials; (3) use of three or more LED lamps; (4) use of lamps of varying intensities; (5) option to use varying types of light sources, other than LED lamps; (6) use of multi-colored lights as an emergency marker for a stalled vehicle; and, (7) the use of a flashing function.
The Storage Container Lighting System is portable and can be removed from its normal place in a vehicle storage container or tonneau cover, and aimed at oncoming traffic with red or yellow lights on or flashing, to provide a warning that the vehicle is stalled.
Further, more than one Storage Container Lighting System with portability can be used for additional lighting.
Still further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
a is a side view of Storage Container Lighting System showing mounting surface in resting position.
b is a side view of Storage Container Lighting System showing mounting surface in raised position with lighting system emitting light.
It is an object of the Storage Container Lighting System to provide one or more of the following desirable features not heretofore known or used.
One option for attaching base 12 to a container cover or other fixed location is to use double-sided foam tape 20 on surface of base 12 to adhere Lighting System 10 to fixed location. Another option for attaching base 12 to a container cover or other fixed location is to bore mounting holes 18 into surface of base 12 for use in attaching base 12 with screws to a fixed location. Three Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps 22 on one end of module 14 are automatically activated when Lighting System 10 is tilted to a pre-determined angle.
a is a side view of Storage Container Lighting System 10 showing mounting surface in resting or horizontal position, as it would be with host container cover closed. Double-sided foam tape 20 on formed base 12 adheres Lighting System 10 to a mounting surface. In resting or horizontal position, LED lamps 22 are off when rocker switch 24 is in the ON or OFF condition. Thumb screw 16 on either side of Lighting System 10 (See
b is side view of Storage Container Lighting System showing Lighting System 10 in raised or tilted position with Lighting System 10 emitting light, as it would be with host container cover open. When rocker switch 24 is in ON condition, LED lamps 22 are on. When rocker switch 24 is in OFF condition, LED lamps 22 are off. Thumb screw 16 can be removed to allow formed module 14 to be separated from base 12. Double-sided foam tape 20 holds base 12 to a mounting surface when module 14 is removed from base 12. When mounting surface is lowered, or closed, and Lighting System 10 is returned to resting or horizontal position, LED lamps 22 are automatically deactivated to an OFF condition regardless of condition of rocker switch 24.
LED lamps 22 mount to module 14 at one end of module 14. Resistors 32 are soldered to LED lamps 22. Rocker switch 24 is mounted to module 14 at end opposite LED lamps 22. Tilt-activated switch 26 mounts on side of rocker switch 24. Switch 26 is placed at predetermined angle and is electrically connected in series with rocker switch 24. Insulated wire 38 is electrically connected from switch 26 to resistors 32.
Battery holder 34 mounts on inside surface near the center of module 14 when module is made of metal. In a plastic version of module 14, battery holder is molded part of housing. Battery holder 34 has a positive polarity red wire 36 and a negative polarity black wire 40. Red wire 36 is electrically connected to rocker switch 24. Black wire 40 is electrically connected to LED lamps 22.
Lighting System 10 is tested by inserting batteries 42 into battery holder 34, moving rocker switch 24 to ON position, and rotating Lighting System 10, as shown in
Turning rocker switch 24 back to ON position turns on LED lamps 22. Lighting System 10 is rotated back toward horizontal direction, and when operating properly, LED lamps 22 go OFF after Lighting System 10 reaches an angle of less than approximately thirty degrees from horizontal. When Lighting System 10 is back in a horizontal position, as shown in
Final assembly of Lighting System 10 is accomplished by sliding module 14 over base 12, aligning module thumb screw hole 44 with threaded base thumb screw hole 46 and inserting thumb screw 16 on each side to hold module 14 and base 12 together.
Mounting holes 18 are for use when screws are used as an installation option. Double-sided foam tape 20 is on base 12 for installation without screws.
Accordingly, the reader will see that the Storage Container Lighting System can be used to light a storage container utilizing a module that houses electronic components, including an automatic ON and OFF function activated by raising or lowering of a surface to which Lighting System is attached, and a base to house an impact resistant module.
The Lighting System of this invention utilizes bright white Light Emitting Diode lamps that are battery-powered and activated through use of an internal tilt-sensitive switch to activate the light when container covers are raised, and turn light off when cover is lowered. Double-sided foam tape is utilized for easy installation of base to storage container cover, when mounting surface can accommodate tape; screws can be used when tape will not stick to certain surfaces, including fiberglass and fabric-covered surfaces. A manual switch allows light to be turned off when container cover is left open for an extended period of time to conserve battery life. Thumb screws hold module to base to allow easy removal from base so light can be used in a location separate from a container.
Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example, the formed module and formed base of the Storage Container Lighting System can be made with various types of plastics, metals, and other materials. The size of the Lighting System can vary in size. Additional LED lamps can be added to Lighting System. Functioning light sources other than LEDs may be used. System can be placed in fixed position and turned on by use of the ON OFF switch. System can be attached to surfaces using various forms of attachment including magnets. System can be easily modified to be a portable light for use as a flashlight.
Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.
This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/573,179 filed 2004, May 21.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60573179 | May 2004 | US |
