GB2174185A - Battery lamps - Google Patents

Abstract

A lamp 10 has a transparent cover 20 slidable on a battery 11. A central battery terminal carries a light bulb 14 whose conductive casing 13 can be engaged by a flexible connector 18 mounted on the other battery terminal 17. Dimples 23 in the cover help to diffuse the light. The cover can be removed to enable the light to be turned on or off by movement of the connector 18 and then replaced. in modifications the connector 18 is mounted on the cover for engagement with casing 13 and terminal 17 on movement of the cover, or the connector 18 can extend through the cover; in these cases the cover need not be removed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to lamps This invention relates to lamps, particularly but not exclusively to lamps for use as a warning of a road or pavement hazard.

According to this invention a lamp comprises a battery, a light bulb electrically connected to one battery terminal, a connector adapted for electrical connection with another battery terminal and movable into and out of electrical connection with the light bulb to energize and de-energize the bulb, and a cover for the bulb through which light from the bulb when energized can be seen.

The connector may be flexible.

The connector may be mounted on the other battery terminal.

The cover may be a sliding fit around the battery.

The connector may be mounted on the slidable cover.

The connector may be fixed to the one terminal and located by the cover so that on movement of the cover the connector is moved into and out of electrical connection with the other terminal. The movement of the cover may be rotary or axial with respect to the battery.

The cover may have shaped formations to assist in diffusing the light from the bulb.

The formations may comprise inwardly concave dimples.

The dimples may be in axially spaced sets, each set having a plurality of angularly spaced dimples.

The connector may be engageable with a conductive casing of a bulb.

The bulb may be fixed to the battery terminal by solder connecting the one battery terminal and an end terminal of the bulb.

The or each battery terminal may comprise a spring part.

Also according to the invention a lamp comprises a battery, a light bulb mounted on one battery terminal and a switch element moveable into and out of electrical connection with the bulb and another battery terminal, and a transparent or translucent cover for the bulb.

The switch element may be mounted on the cover which is moveable relative to the battery.

The invention includes a lamp however defined.

The invention may be performed in many ways and two specific embodiments with possible modifications will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lamp; Figure 2 is a section on the line Il-Il of Fig.

1; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of another lamp.

The lamp 10 has a battery 11, generally square in plan, having a central terminal 12 to which is fixed, for example by solder, the end connection 13 of a light bulb 14 having a metal casing 15, forming the other bulb connection, and a transparent end 16. The other battery terminal 17 has fixed to it, for example by solder, a flexible wire 18 bent into a curve and manually engageable with the casing 15 to energise the lighting element (not shown) in the bulb 14. The wire 18 can be manually moved out of engagement with the casing 15, to de-energise the bulb element, for example the wire 18 can be moved away from the casing 15 as shown or can be moved into engagement with the non-conductive transparent end cover 16 of the light bulb.A transparent or translucent plastics cover 20 is a close sliding fit about the periphery of the battery and has a lower portion 21 with smooth sides and an upper portion 22 with a number of axially spaced sets of inwardly directed part-spherical dimples 23, each set having a plurality of angularly spaced dimples.

The dimples in the various sets may vary in size. The number of sets can be varied. The cover has a closed top 24. The cover can readily be slid off and on to the battery to enable manual movement of the wire/casing switch to energise or de-energise the light bulb. The cover is normally in position on the battery.

The lamp is simple, inexpensive and easily operated. The battery terminals may comprise the bottom ends of helical spring terminals of which the greater part has been removed.

A device for causing the bulb to flash could be included in the wire/bulb circuit.

The dimples serve to diffuse the light from the bulb 14. The dimples can take other shapes and sizes and need not be distributed in a regular formation.

In a modification, a switch element for example a flexible connector, is mounted on the inside of the cover and is so shaped that on appropriate relative movement between the cover and the battery the switch element is moved into and out of engagement with the bulb casing and the battery terminals 1 7 or a spring part attached thereto to energize and de-energize the bulb. In such an arrangement there is no need to remove the cover in order to operate the switch.

In the arrangement of Fig. 3, the battery terminal 1 7 is connected to a spring 30 and a flexible elongate element 31 is fixed to the spring 30 and extends through an aperture 32 in the cover 20. The element 31 is shaped so that in one axial position of the cover the element engages end 16 and the bulb 14 is de-energized and in another axial position the element 31 engages the casing 13 and the bulb is lit. Thus the lamp can be turned on and off by removing the cover up and down without removing the cover from the battery.

In a modification the cover is rotated about a vertical axis in relation to the battery to move the element 31 into and out of engagement with the casing 13; in this case also the cover need not be removed from the battery.

In a modification the element 31 is constituted by the spring 30 which is deformed to extent through the aperture 32.

Claims (17)

1. A lamp comprising a battery, a light bulb electrically connected to the one battery terminal, a connector adapted for electrical connection with another battery terminal and movable into and out of electrical connection with the light bulb to energize and de-energize the bulb, and a cover for the bulb through which light from the bulb when energized can be seen.

2. A lamp as claimed in Claim 1, in which the connector is flexible.

3. A lamp as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the connector is mounted on the other battery terminal.

4. A lamp as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the cover is a sliding fit around the battery.

5. A lamp as claimed in Claim 4 in which the connector is mounted on the cover.

6. A lamp as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, in which the connector is fixed to the one terminal and located by the cover so that on movement of the cover the connector is moved into and out of electrical connection with the other terminal.

7. A lamp as claimed in Claim 6, in which the movement of the cover is axial.

8. A lamp as claimed in Claim 6, in which the movement of the cover is rotary.

9. A lamp as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the cover has shaped formations to assist in diffusing light from the bulb.

10. A lamp as claimed in Claim 9, in which the formations comprise inwardly concave dimples.

11. A lamp as claimed in Claim 10, in which the dimples are in axially spaced sets, each set having a plurality of angularly spaced dimples.

12. A lamp as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the connector is engageable with a conductive casing of the bulb.

13. A lamp as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the or each battery terminal comprises a spring part.

14. A lamp comprising a battery, a light bulb mounted on one battery terminal and a switch element movable into and out of electrical connection with the bulb and another battery terminal, and a transparent or translucent cover for the bulb.

15. A lamp as claimed in Claim 14, in which the switch element is mounted on the cover which is movable relative to the battery.

16. A lamp substantially as herein before described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 1 & 2, or Fig. 3, of the accompanying drawing.

17. A lamp however defined.