GB2234055A - Portable illumination/alarm device - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable illumination/alarm device comprises: (a) a housing (1) containing the components of the device and arranged to be detachably secured to the body, preferably the wrist or ankle, of a user; (b) a light source (12) connectable to a power source (5) by means of a power lead (13) which is retractably extensible from the housing (1); (c) a storage arrangement for storing the power lead (13) in its retracted condition within the housing (1) and for allowing the lead (13) to be extended from the housing; (d) means (14) arranged to clamp the lead (13) in an extended condition with respect to the housing; and (e) circuit means (4) arranged to permit the light source (12) to be used in a regular manner under normal operating conditions and to cause the light source (12) to flash and/or an audible signal to sound under emergency conditions. <IMAGE>

Description

PORTABLE ILLUMINATION/ALARM DEVICE DESCRIPTION This invention relates to a portable illumination and alarm device which can be used for illumination of an immediate area at ordinary times but which can also be used to transmit a distress signal in an emergency situation, such as, a street attack.

Nowadays, parents are becoming increasingly concerned about their childrens' safety in the street and child kidnappings are becoming more and more commonplace. One important reason for these factors is that a child finds its very difficult to let out a distress signal when attacked, its self-defence capability also being weak. Also, other members of society, such as, the elderly are more prone to bodily attack, particularly at night, without having any effective means of transmitting a distress signal.

Accordingly, the invention sets out to provide a device which overcomes, or at least substantially reduces, the chances of a person being kidnapped or at worst, attacked, without being able to transmit some form of alarm or distress signal.

Thus, the invention resides in a portable illumination/alarm device comprising: (a) a housing containing the components of the device and arranged to be detachably secured to the body, preferably the wrist, of a user; (b) a light source connectable to a power source by means of a power lead which is retractably extensible from the housing; (c) a storage arrangement for storing the power lead in its retracted condition within the housing and for allowing the lead to be extended from the housing; (d) means arranged to clamp the lead in an extended condition with respect to the housing; and (e) circuit means arranged to permit the light source to be used in a regular manner under normal operating conditions and to cause the light source to flash and/or a siren to sound under emergency conditions.

Preferably, the circuit means is also arranged to sound a siren incorporated in the device housing under emergency conditions.

The device is preferably securable to the wrist of a user by means of an associated wrist strap of any suitabl design, such as, one provided with a buckle arrangement.

In a preferred embodiment, the retraction/ extension of the power lead into and from the housing is effected by means of a pulley arrangement wherein the pulleys are mounted with respect to the housing upon springs, whereby the lead is biassed towards its retracted condition against the extension pull of a user of the device.

The clamp means for the lead is preferably arranged to clamp the lead in any extended condition thereof with respect to the housing in an "automatic" manner, more preferably by means of fixed and eccentric members, the latter member being rotatable into a clamping position by virtue of its frictional engagement with the lead which, for a short length, is tending to be retracted into the housing under the spring force.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, a preferred embodiment in accordance therewith will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portable illumination/alarm device; Figure 2 is a plan view of the interior of the device shown in Figure 1, with a cover removed; Figure 3 is a view, on an enlarged scale, of a power lead retraction assembly; Figure 4 is a circuit for producing a siren sound; Figure 5 is a circuit for causing flashing of a light source of the device; and Figure 6 is a perspective view of the device in use, secured to the wrist of a user.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a portable illumination/alarm device comprises a housing 1 containing all the other components of the device and having a strap 8 with an associated buckle arrangement for detachably securing the device to the wrist or ankle of a user.

An illumination assembly, indicated generally at 2, comprises a light source in the form of a bulb 12 attached to a power lead 13 having an associated retraction assembly 3 for retracting the lead, when extended with regard to the housing 1, automatically.

The housing 1 consists of a main body 6, a cover 7 therefor and the fastening strap 8. The body 6 accommodates all the above-mentioned assemblies, as shown- in Figure 2, with the cover 6 having a threeway switch 9 and a sound grill 10.

The illumination assembly consists of an extended portion 11 of the housing 1 defining a seat for the light bulb 12 and the power lead 13.

The retraction assembly 3, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, comprises a plurality of spaced pulleys 15 attached to the housing main body 6 by springs 16.

The lead 13 is wound around the pulleys 15 to provide a lead supply within the housing 1. When the lead 13 is in its fully retracted condition, the pulleys 15 are at their greatest separation, as shown in Figure 2, and in the greatest extended condition of the lead 13, the pulleys 15 are in their least separated position, as shown in Figure 3. In the latter position of the pulleys 15, the tension springs 16 are in their greatest stretched positions, so that the extended lead 13 is subject to a force tending to retract it into the housing 1, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 3. However, a lead clamp, indicated generally at 14 and comprising a fixed member 17 and a rotatable eccentric member 18, with the lead 13 located therebetween, clamps the lead in the extended condition against the spring biassing force tending to cause the lead to retract.If the lead is further extended from the housing 1 by a user, then the eccentric or cam member 18 is rotated in the opposite direction to the arcuate arrow in Figure 3, such that the lead clamp 14 is released. If the lead 13 is subsequently released by the user, then the member 18 is rotated in the direction of the arcuate arrow by the retracting lead, so that the lead is then clamp once again against further retraction into the housing 1.

The end of the power lead 13 remote from the bulb 12 is connected -to a printed circuit board 4 and a three-way switch 9, the board comprising two basic circuits, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

The first circuit, as shown in Figure 4, is for generating a siren sound and has two transistors 19,20 forming a suitable Darlington circuit with a very high current amplification ratio. As there will be a small current (bias current) entering the base of transistor 19, the collector current of transistor 20 will have several thousand times amplification, causing a buzzer 21, or other audible means, such as, a siren, to sound.

The second circuit, as shown in Figure 5, is for causing the bulb 12 to flash and has transistors 22 and 23 forming a multivibrator. Whilst working, these transistors 22,23 alternately conduct and cutoff and transistor 24, whose base is connected to the collector of transistor 23, experiences the intermittent conduction thereof, thus causing the the bulb 12, which connected to the emitter of transistor 23, to flash.

As shown in Figure 6, the inventive device can be detachably secured to the wrist of a user by means of the strap 8 and buckle arrangement.

In use, the three-way switch 9 is set to its "OFF" position initially. To use the device for regular illumination purposes, the switch is set to its normal position, thereby lighting the bulb 12. To transmit a distress call signal in an emergency situation, the switch is set to its third, alarm position, whereby the device generates a flashing light illumination and sounds the buzzer 21 or other siren device.

A user of the device can extend the lead 13 merely by pulling it from the housing 1 agianst the retracting bias generated by the springs 16. As discussed above, the lead is then clamped automatically in the desired extended condition with respect to the housing 1 by means of the lead clamp 14. When the user requires the lead to be retracted back into the housing 1, he rotates the eccentric or cam member in the opposite direction to that of the arcuate arrow in Figure 3, thereby releasing the lead 13 and allowing it to retract.

Also, it is to be appreciated that the power source, namely, the battery 5 of the device, can be a solar powered battery and that other components of the inventive device can be replaced or modified without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appendent claims.

Claims (6)

1. A portable illumination/alarm device comprising: (a) a housing containing the components of the device and arranged to be detachably secured to the body, preferably the wrist, of a user; (b) a light source connectable to a power source by means of a power lead which is retractably extensible from the housing; (c) a storage arrangement for storing the power lead in its retracted condition within the housing and for allowing the lead to be extended from the housing; (d) means arranged to clamp the lead in an extended condition with respect to the housing; and (e) circuit means arranged to permit the light source to be used in a regular manner under normal operating conditions and to cause the light source to flash and/or an audible signal to sound under emergency operating conditions.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein means is provided for detachably securing the device to a user, preferably a wrist or ankle thereof.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said power lead storage means comprises a pulley arrangement within the housing, with the pulleys being mounted movably with respect to the housing by means of springs attached therebetween.

4. A device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said lead clamping means comprises a fixed member and a rotatable eccentric or cam member between which the lead is passed, the latter member being rotatable into a clamping position on initial retraction of the lead.

5. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein said circuit means includes separate circuits for generating the audible alarm signal and the flashing light alarm signal.

6. A portable illumination/alarm device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.