US3201580A - Flashlight - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 17, 1965 R, F. MOORE 3,201,580

FLASHLIGHT Filed April 14, 1964 IElEz-I IINVENTUQ WEERT F. Magma United States Patent O ELZQLSS) FLASHMGHT Robert E. Moore, Rte. i, Box 303, helby County, naar Waldron, llnd. Filed Apr. lvl, 1964i-, Ser. No. 359,@513 1 Claim. (Cl. 24u-1&6)

This invention relates to an electric lamp, and more specifically to what is commonly termed a flashlight. The invention involves the use of a lamp bulb of a certain rated voltage in combination with a battery delivering a voltage much higher than that oi the rated voltage or the lamp bulb, and in this relationship, there is means provided for preliminarily heating the low voltage lamp bulb element to bring it up gradually whereby the greater voltage of the battery may be employed to increase the illuminating effect of the lamp bulb.

Also the invention includes the specic means for transmitting the current from the battery which is located externally of the tlashlight, doing so through a plug and jack combination wherein the plug is of the elongated nature and extends substantially at right angles from the housing of the llashlight, and then also including in the electrical circuit a rheostat having a control extending from that housing at right angles to the plug.

The liashlight involved in this invention would be employed among other usages as an illuminating means in night hunting in wall-:ing through the woods, the flashlight would be so controlled as to give a substantially normal beam of light, and then when game is located, the illumination directed from the Flashlight may be quickly increased, so that the game such as a raccoou normally hie/h up in a tree could be located, and the ilashlight held along the side of, but preferably under a rifle or other gun so that the beam of light of the high intensity is on the animal while the gun is sighted.

f course the llashlight would have many other usages, but this particular example, the extending plug forms a means for abutting the operators hand thereagainst when the plug is turned downwardly, and then the voltage controller element protruding from the side of the flashlight is turned at righ angles to the axis of that plug, extending from the ilashlight from its left hand side when held by a right hand operator in his left hand, so that the rheostat control member may be manipulated by the ngers and thumb of the operator to adjust the flashlight to the intensity of light beam desired.

Further advantages and purposes of the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of one particular form of the invention as illustrated in the drawing, in which FlG. 1 is a view in top plan or" a dashlight embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in left han-d side elevation and including an external battery and carrier;

FIG. 3 is a view in front end elevation of the flashlight; and

FIG. 4 is a wiring diagram.

A ashlight generally designated by the numeral l@ has an elongated tubular body il with a bulbous front end portion l2 within which an incandescent lamp i3 is mounted centrally of a reliector lll, all as is well known to those versed in the art. The lamp bulb i3 is of a low voltage type, such for example without limitation thereto as the usual sixeight volt bulb.

The battery i5 is of the long type variety and is preferably of the dry cell construction. ln the present form of the invention, this battery has a rated output of twelve volts. This of course may vary as the operator may desire, so long as the output exceeds the rated capacity of the lamp bulb i3. The battery .l5 is preferably Sblb@ Patented Aug. l?, i965 carried in a container i6 to which is attached a shoulder strap i7 so that the battery may be conveniently carried swung from the shoulder of the operator.

A coiled, flexible cable 18 comprising of a multiple number of turns leads from the two terminals i9 and 19a of the battery to a plug Ztl of the usual and well known type for interconnecting one part of a circuit through the plug 2) to a jack 2l. The jack 21 is within the tube lll, preferably near the rear end. As indicated, the plug 2li is entered and maintained in removable relation with the jack 2l to be at right angles to the tube 1l, that is the axis of the plug Ztl is normal to the longitudinal axis of the tube ll.

There is a cut-olf switch 22 mounted on the top side of the tube li in relation to the plug Ztl extending downwardly therefrom. This switch 22 is also of the usual and well known type employed in conjunction with tlashlights, and is permanently affixed to the tube ll.

A further element is added. This element designated by the numeral 23 is essentially a rheostat and has a controlling shaft 24 extending outwardly from the tube il near its forward end, and preferably under the switch 22 to extend generally perpendicular to the axis of the tube ll, and to be at right angles to the plug Ztl.

Referring to the electrical circuit diagrammed in FG. 4, the terminals of the battery i5 are connected with the plug Ztl in the usual manner, and the plug Ztl is engaged with the jack 2l. This circuit from the jack 2i consists of the Wire 25 and the wire 26, which include therebetween in series the switch 22, the rheostat 23, and the lamp bulb i3.

In operation, the battery :strap 17 may be swung over the shoulder of the operator, and the plug Ztl engaged with the tjack. Normally the rheost'at 23 would be 4adjusted to the shaft 24 to be set for a full complete resistance included in the circuit so that there would be no visible illumination of the lamp 13, and the switch 22 under such condition would be closed, .and normally left closed during use of the ,llashlight 19. When the Hashlight is -to be used simply .as illumination of the ground or terrain over which the operator is walking, the shaft 2A will -be rotated only sufficiently to give illumination for visibility to that terrain. This illumination would be such as would lbe had, for example, as between four and six volts across the lamp terminals.

Then when a far reaching and more brilliant beam of light is desired, the rheostat shaft 24 will be rotated around gradually to :supply less resistance in series in the circuit .so that more voltage from the .battery is actually applied to the lamp i3, even up to the full twelve volts of the battery in the example described herein. This higher voltage on the low voltage rated lamp is per-missible `since the heating of the lamp is gradual, and the full voltage is not applied instantaneously, otherwise the lamp filament would .be burned out immediately. The lamp filament is however of suciently rugged construction in the normal lamp as to penmit this application of the higher voltage in the manner indicated.

In .holding the flashlight l@ in the left hand as above indicated, the palm `of the hand may be abutted by one edge against the protruding plug Ztl so as to give a rm positioning of the lamp lll in the hand, whereupon the thumb will come up and Jaround .adjacent to the rheostat .shaft 24, and at least the index and the second lingers will be brought `around so that the shaft 24 may be manipulated between the thumb and one or both of those lingers to give the `desired voltage application to the circuit. In other words, the flashlight is designed to be carried and operated by one hand. Referring to FIG. 2, the carrying bag L16 is broken .away .at the top to show the uppermost end -of the battery 1S, `and normally there will be a retaining strap 26 over the top .of the battery, but here shown as only as la fragmentary attaching end 26a in order to prevent .concealing the upper end of the battery.

W-hile I have herein shown and described my invention -in the one `particular form, it is obvious that structural changes may be employed without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, and I therefore -do not desire to be limited to this precise form beyond the limitations which may be imposed by the yfollow-ing claim.

I claim: A flashlight `comprising the combination with a body, Ia lamp bulb normally operated on a rated voltage and mounted .at one end of the body; and a switch mounted on the body: of Y la portable battery having a rated ou-tput Voltage higher than that of said bulb; a jack carried by said body; Ia plug removably received by said jack; a iiexible loable interconnecting said battery and said plug; a rheostat carried by said body and operated -by a shaft; said'plu-g engaging .said jack .at `approximately a right angle to said body; said shaft extending from said body at approximately 4 ya right angle thereto `at a position approximately ninety degrees around vrfrom the plug and spaced intermediate the plug and said bulb; `said switch being Vspaced at approximately one hundred eighty degrees around from said plug and intermed-iate said plug and said bulb; vand a circuit from said battery through said cable including -in series said lamp, said switch, said rhe-ostat, `and .said jack;

said rheostat normally set to provide minimum current -low through said lamp upon a closed switch, and, upon turning of said shaft permitting increased battery voltage to =be impressed upon said lamp bulb.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Holmes Z110-10.66

Deppe 240-59 X NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

Images