GB2080679A - Illuminated mirror compact - Google Patents

Abstract

An illuminated mirror compact (1), Fig. 3, has an outer casing formed by two pivoted together half-shells (2, 3) and an intermediate member (6) mounted on the same pivot. The intermediate member (6) has integral ribs (9, 10) thereon defining a battery compartment (11) and lugs (12) for locating bulb holders (16) for bulbs (15). Contact strips (13, 14) are held in position by the ribs (9, 10) and lugs (12) and form an electric circuit for illuminating the bulbs (15). A further contact strip (17) has a resilient portion (17d, 17e) extending beneath the contact strip (14) and biassed into electrical contact therewith. An abutment (19) on the half-shell (3) bears against the portion (17e) of the further contact when the two half-shells (2, 3) are closed together to press the portion (17d) of the further contact out of engagement with the strip (14) to break the circuit illuminating the bulbs (15). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Illuminated mirror compact The invention relates to an illuminated mirror compact.

Such a compact can be carried by a lady and includes battery powered bulbs which, when the compact is opened, illuminate a mirror so that an image, for example of the lady's face, can be viewed in the mirror even though there is no other incident light than that provided by the bulbs.

Compacts of this kind have previously been proposed but have generally had spring-button switches, the button being spring biassed and released for outward movement upon opening of the compact thereby to close electrical contacts to illuminate the bulbs, such spring-button switches however being relatively expensive to manufacture.

According to the invention an illuminated mirror compact comprises an outer casing comprising a pair of hinged together half-shell casing members, an intermediate member provided between said two half-shell casing members and hingedly mounted on the same axis as the two half-shell casing members, the intermediate member having mountings for at least one battery and at least one bulb, contact members to form an electrical circuit and a switch formed by two of said contact members, one of said contact members comprising a leaf of electrically conductive resilient material biassed for engagement and consequent electrical contact with the other of said contact members and movable, against said bias, out of electrical contact with said other of said contact members by an abutment portion of one of said half-shell casing members upon closing movement of said pair of half-shell casing members to secure the compact in a closed condition.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa plan view of an illuminated mirror compact in a closed condition; Figure 2 is a plan view of the compact of Figure 1 in an open position; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but with an intermediate member of the compact moved to abut an opposite one of a pair of half-shell casing members of the compact to that which it abuts in the position of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, an illuminated mirror compact has a bottom, concave, half-shell casing member 1 with an upstanding peripheral edge 2 and an upper, concave, half-shell casing member 3 with a downwardly depending peripheral edge 4 which, in the closed position of the compact shown in Figure 1, lies against the upstanding edge 2 of the casing member 1 to form a closed container. The halfshell casing members 1 and 3 are hinged together by a hinge 5, which hinge 5 also hingedly mounts an intermediate member 6.

As shown in Figure 2, the casing member 1 has a circular mirror 7 secured to its inside surface and the intermediate member 6 has a square mirror 8 mounted on the face thereof which is uppermost in the position in Figure 2.

The casing members 1 and 3 can be made of a plastics material and can be transparent, semi transparent, translucent or opaque as required. The intermediate member is also formed of a plastics material and preferably of a white translucent mater ial.

On its face which is uppermost in the position of the intermediate member 6 shown in Figure 3, the intermediate member 6 has an integral, upstanding rib 9 which forms three sides of a rectangular frame, the fourth side of the frame being almost closed by a pair of similar upstanding ribs 10. The ribs 9 and 10 form a battery compartment 11 to receive two bat teries, not shown, preferably 121 volt batteries of the UM4 size. Laterally of the portions of the rib 9 which form the sides of the battery compartment 11, a pair of upstanding lugs 12 are provided on each side.A first contact member has a first part thereof formed as a brass strip 13 extending between one pair of lugs 12, along the outside of the adjacent side rib 9, across and within the battery compartment 11 adjacent the ribs 10, down the outside of the other side rib 9 and between the otherpairof lugs 12. A second part 14 of the first contact member is also formed as a brass strip and extends from between the first pair of lugs 12 down the outside of the adjacent side rib 9, across the end of the battery compartment 11 but externally thereof, down the outside of the other side rib 9 and between the other pair of lugs 12.A respective electric light bulb 15, provided with a thermop lastics bulb holder 16 with contact wires from the bulb 15 trailed up the outsides of the thermoplastics bulb holder 16, is engaged between the ends of the parts 13, 14 of the first contact member between the pairs of lugs 12 such that the wires of the bulbs 15 are in electrical contact with the parts 13, 14 of the first contact member. A second contact member 17 of a resilient, electrically conductive metal has a first strip portion 17a extending transversely of the battery compartment 11 and therewithin with inturned end portions 17b whereby it is sprung between the side ribs 9 of the battery compartment 11, battery contact members 17c integral with the strips 17a and curled over, an outwardly projecting portion 17d integral with the strip portion 17a and an abutment portion 1 7e.As best seen in Figure 4, the portion 17d of the second contact member 17 in the position shown has, due to its own resilience, sprung upwardly so that its upper face makes electrical contact with the lower edge of the second part 14 of the first contact member. There is thus a continuous circuit which will cause the two batteries in the battery compartment 11, mounted in parallel with one another, to illuminate the bulbs 15.

Lugs 18 on the intermediate member 6 normally retain the intermediate member 6 in position adja cent the upper one 3 of the half-shell casing mem bers in the position shown in Figure 2 but allow the intermediate member 6 to float slightly towards and away from the half-shell casing member 3. Upon movement of the half-shell casing members 1 and 3 together, that is to say from the position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 1, an upstanding abutment lug 19, Figure 3, on the half shell casing member 3 engages the abutment por lotion 17e of the second contact member 17 to press it away from and thereby break its electrical contact with the second part 14 of the first contact member.

Thus when the compact is in the closed position the electrical circuit is broken and the bulbs 15 are extin 5gushed. Upon re-opening of the compact, the resili ence of the portions 17e, 17d of the second contact member 17 will spring the intermediate member 6 slightly away from the upper half-shell casing member 3 and bring the portion 17d of the second contact member 17 into contact with the second part 14 of the first contact member thereby to complete the electrical circuit and illuminate the bulbs 15.

Thus it can be seen that a very simple switch arrangement can be provided by the contacts 14, 17 to illuminate the bulbs 15 when the compact is opened and extinguish them when the compact is closed. Light from the bulbs 15, diffused by the trans lucent intermediate member 6, illuminates the image in the mirror 8.

Claims (6)

1. An illuminated mirror compact comprising a mirror, an outer casing formed by a pair of hinged together half-shell casing members and an inter mediate memberprovided between said two half shell casing members and hingedly mounted on the same axis as the two half-shell casing member, the intermediate member having on one face thereof mountings for at least one battery and at least one bulb, contact members to form an electrical circuit and a switch formed by two of said contact mem bers, one of said contact members comprising a leaf of electrically conductive resilient material biassed for engagement and consequent electrical contact with the other of said contact members and mov able, against said bias, out of electrical contact with said other of said contact members by an abutment portion of one of said half-shell casing members upon closing movement of said pair of half-shell cas ing members to secure the compact in a closed con dition.

2. An illuminated mirror compact according to claim 1, in which the intermediate member is formed of a translucent material.

3. An illuminated mirror compact according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the mirror is mounted on the other face of said intermediate member.

4. An illuminated mirror compact according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the mirror is mounted on the inner face of the other of said half-shell casing members.

5. An illuminated mirror compact according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the intermedi ate members is a moulding of a plastics material and the mountings comprise integral ribs and lugs pro 5 jecting from said one face thereof to locate the con tact members in positions in which they can be engaged by said at least one battery and said at least one bulb.

6. An illuminated mirror compact substantially as herein before described and illustrated with refer ence to the accompanying drawings.