Compact self-contained utility lights mountable upon a variety of objects.
Bright lighting is essential in accomplishing many tasks in a safe and efficient manner. There is a need for a compact utility light that can be used in providing lighting to perform a variety of tasks in a “hands free” manner with respect to the light. There is also a need that such a utility light is versatile in that it can be removably mounted on a variety of objects so that it can be mounted on a particular object proximate to or related to the task, provide the light needed by the performer of the task, and then removed, and reused for lighting subsequent tasks.
Utility lights of the present disclosure meet this need for versatile lighting. In one aspect of the present disclosure, a utility light is provided comprising a housing comprised of an elongated body having a forward end and a rearward end and defining a longitudinal axis, a first bracket arm and a second bracket arm extending outwardly from the elongated body, and a light source contained in the forward end of the elongated body and operable to emanate light outwardly from the housing. The first bracket arm is comprised of an inner wall opposed to an inner wall of the second bracket arm. The opposed inner walls of the first and second bracket arms define a first open ended cavity capable of receiving a first mounting object. The opposed inner walls of the first and second bracket arms may be comprised of arcuate surfaces defining the first open ended cavity as a cylindrical cavity. The first bracket arm and the second bracket arm may be flexible arms joined to the elongated body.
In some cases, the first bracket arm may be comprised of a first elongated forward member extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongated body, and the second bracket arm may be comprised of a second elongated forward member extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongated body. Each of the first and second forward members may include a recess. The recesses of the first and second forward members and the elongated body define a second open ended cavity capable of receiving a second mounting object. The recesses of the first and second forward members may be comprised of arcuate surfaces defining the second open ended cavity as a cylindrical cavity. The first bracket arm may be further comprised of a first elongated rearward member including a first barb, and the second bracket arm may be further comprised of a second elongated rearward member including a second barb. The first and second barbs and the elongated body define a third open ended cavity for receiving a third mounting object.
In some cases, the light may be further comprised of an elastic pad joined to the elongated body of the housing and extending longitudinally between the first and second bracket arms. In some cases, the light may be further comprised of an elastic pad joined to the elongated body of the housing and contiguous with the second open ended cavity. The elongated body, the first bracket arm, and the second bracket arm may be made of a single piece of material. The light may be further comprised of a switch disposed in the rearward end of the elongated body of the housing, a membrane capable of actuating the switch, and a magnet disposed between the switch and the membrane.
The present disclosure will be provided with reference to the following drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements, and in which:
The present invention will be described in connection with certain embodiments. However, it is to be understood that there is no intent to limit the invention to the embodiments described. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
For a general understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals have been used throughout to designate identical elements. The drawings are to be considered exemplary, and are for purposes of illustration only. The dimensions, positions, order and relative sizes reflected in the drawings attached hereto may vary.
In the following disclosure, the housing and bracket arms are described in combination with a light source, in the context of use as a light. However, the present disclosure is not to be construed as being limiting the housing and bracket arms only to use with a light source. The housing and bracket arms are adaptable to any use in which mounting of a device comprised of the housing and bracket arms on an object is desirable to be provided. Additionally, the description may identify certain components of the light of the present disclosure with the adjectives “top,” “upper,” “bottom,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “forward,” “rearward,” etc. These adjectives are provided in the context of the orientation of the drawings, which is arbitrary. The description is not to be construed as limiting the light of the present disclosure to use in a particular spatial orientation. The instant light may be used in orientations other than those shown and described herein.
It is also to be understood that any connection references used herein (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a collection of elements and relative movement between elements unless otherwise indicated. As such, connection references do not necessarily imply that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other.
Turning now to
In some cases, the push button membrane may be made of a flexible material, such as an elastomer or rubber, which may enable the membrane to actuate the switch, and then spring back into a neutral position when a user's finger or thumb removes pressure on the membrane. Referring to
The first bracket arm 20 is comprised of an inner wall 22 opposed to an inner wall 72 of the second bracket arm 70. Referring also to
The first bracket arm 20 and the second bracket arm 70 may be flexible arms 20 and 70 joined to the elongated body. Such flexibility may enable mounting objects to be received in an interference fit in the first open ended cavity 4. Referring to
In
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In
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In some cases, the elastic pad 88 may be made of closed cell rubber or polymer foam. In one exemplary light 100, a piece of gasket material was used as an elastic pad 88. The material was extruded foam rubber and included a central passageway 89 and a strip of adhesive joining to the housing 10 of the mounting object.
In some cases, the elongated body 10, the first bracket arm 20, and the second bracket arm 70 of the light 100 may be made of a single piece of material. The pieces 10, 20, and 70 may be made in a single piece by molding, or by a subtractive process such as CNC milling, or by an additive process such as fused deposition modelling (FDM), also known as 3D printing. Suitable piece materials include, but are not limited to, plastics and metals. In one case, the housing of the light may be made of polycarbonate plastic.
It is therefore apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the present disclosure, a utility light. The foregoing description of technology and the invention is merely exemplary in nature of the subject matter, manufacture, and use of the invention and is not intended to limit the scope, application, or uses of any specific invention claimed in this application or in such other applications as may be filed claiming priority to this application, or patents issuing therefrom. The following definitions and non-limiting guidelines must be considered in reviewing the description.
The headings in this disclosure (such as “Background” and “Summary”) and sub-headings used herein are intended only for general organization of topics within the present technology, and are not intended to limit the disclosure of the present technology or any aspect thereof. In particular, subject matter disclosed in the “Background” may include novel technology and may not constitute a recitation of prior art. Subject matter disclosed in the “Summary” is not an exhaustive or complete disclosure of the entire scope of the technology or any embodiments thereof. Classification or discussion of a material within a section of this specification as having a particular utility is made for convenience, and no inference should be drawn that the material must necessarily or solely function in accordance with its classification herein when it is used in any given composition.
The description and specific examples, while indicating embodiments of the technology disclosed herein, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the technology. Moreover, recitation of multiple embodiments having stated features is not intended to exclude other embodiments having additional features, or other embodiments incorporating different combinations of the stated features. Specific examples are provided for illustrative purposes of how to make and use the compositions and methods of this technology and, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are not intended to be a representation that given embodiments of this technology have, or have not, been made or tested.
To the extent employed herein, the words “preferred” and “preferably” refer to embodiments of the technology that afford certain benefits, under certain circumstances. However, other embodiments may also be preferred, under the same or other circumstances. Furthermore, the recitation of one or more preferred embodiments does not imply that other embodiments are not useful, and is not intended to exclude other embodiments from the scope of the technology.
Unless otherwise specified, relational terms used in the present disclosure should be construed to include certain tolerances that those skilled in the art would recognize as providing equivalent functionality. By way of example, the term perpendicular is not necessarily limited to 90.00° , but also to any variation thereof that those skilled in the art would recognize as providing equivalent functionality for the purposes described for the relevant member or element. Terms such as “about” and “substantially” in the context of configuration relate generally to disposition, location, and/or configuration that is either exact or sufficiently close to the location, disposition, or configuration of the relevant element to preserve operability of the element within the invention while not materially modifying the invention. Similarly, unless specifically specified or clear from its context, numerical values should be construed to include certain tolerances that those skilled in the art would recognize as having negligible importance, as such do not materially change the operability of the invention.
As used herein, the words “comprise,” “include,” contain,” and variants thereof are intended to be non-limiting, such that recitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other like items that may also be useful in the materials, compositions, devices, and methods of this technology. Similarly, the terms “can” and “may” and their variants are intended to be non-limiting, such that recitation that an embodiment can or may comprise certain elements or features does not exclude other embodiments of the present technology that do not contain those elements or features.
Having thus described the basic concept of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way of example only, and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, though not expressly stated herein. These alterations, improvements, and modifications are intended to be suggested hereby, and are within the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the recited order of processing elements or sequences, or the use of numbers, letters, or other designations therefore, is not intended to limit the claimed processes to any order except as may be expressly stated in the claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/911,910 filed Oct. 7, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The above benefit claim is being made in an Application Data Sheet submitted herewith in accordance with 37 C.F.R. 1.76 (b)(5) and 37 C.F.R. 1.78.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62911910 | Oct 2019 | US |