GB2459518A

GB2459518A - Hand held light

Info

Publication number: GB2459518A
Application number: GB0810571A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Heselden
Original assignee: Hesco Bastion Ltd
Current assignee: Hesco Bastion Ltd
Priority date: 2008-04-04
Filing date: 2008-06-10
Publication date: 2009-10-28
Also published as: GB0810571D0; GB0807304D0

Abstract

A hand held light, comprises a light source 18; a housing 12 and an annular ring 14 connected to the housing to receive a digit of a user's hand. Light source 18 may be a LED, operated by switch 19 and a battery. The light 18 may have a second ring (fig 3, 17) to give control of the light direction when fitted to a user's finger. The housing 12 may be watertight and have a fob shape allowing it to fit into the palm of a hand and be directed toward (fig 2a) or away from a user (fig 2b) while the ring 14 is worn over a digit.

Description

UGHT

The present invention relates to a light, and In particular a personal hand held light.

A torch, or other form of lighting, is an essential piece of equipment for any person who Is an area of little or no natural or artificial light source, for example campers or military personnel in the field. In such situations it is desirable that the lighting device be light, small, reliable and durable whilst providing sufficient directional luminosity to enable the user to see where they are.going.. For these riásons light emitting diodes (LED5) are being used increasingly In portable lighting device, this is at least due in part to their low power requirements, small size, and durability when compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs.

One problem associated with the ever decreasing size of LED based lighting devices, and lighting devices In general, Is that it can often be difficult to locate the device In the dark. Known methods of locating portable lighting devices in low light areas Include designing the device so that it periodically flashes whilst not in use, or to Include a low light chemical reaction Induced chemoluminescence device to the lighting device so that it can always be seen.

However, these solutions require the use of additional hardware and perhaps more importantly mean that light is being emitted when it is not required, which can be particularly undesirable in military use.

Hand held lights such as torches or lamps are known. In use they require the user to actively hold the light In their hand and operate the light as required.

However, situations can arise where the user is required to put the light down to carry out a particular task and then pick the light up again as the need arises. In situations where the hand held light Is the only available light source the light can become lost or misplaced as a resuit of the lack of ambient light.

Furthermore, the user can be required to actively hold the light, which can prevent the user from carrying out a task which requires both illumination and the use of both hands.

The invention seeks to provide for a hand held light having advantages over known such lights.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a personal hand held light, comprising: a user operated light source; a housing for said light source; and a first annular member connected to said housing, wherein said annular member is arranged to receive a digit of a user's hand.

According to a further aspect there is provided a personal hand held light comprising: a housing having a first end and a second end, the first end of the housing being pivotally connected to a first ring to be worn on a user's finger, and the second end of the housing comprising a light source, the housing being arranged to pivot between a first position in which the housing is located in the palm of the user's hand, and a second position in which the housing is located distal the palm of the user's hand.

According to a yet further aspect there is provided a useful article comprising an annular body adapted in shape and size to be fitted snugly on the finger or thumb of a user of the article, the annular body carrying a pendant light source housed in an oblate body adapted in shape and size to be retained comfortably in the palm of the user and accommodating a power supply for the light source and actuation means therefore.

By having the lighting device physically connected the user's finger, the user always had quick and easy access to the device, The lighting device is designed to be convenient to wear whilst sleeping so that the user always has a light source to hand, which can be particularly important if there is an emergency in the dark where response time is critical and further allows the user to retain the light on their hand whilst carrying out a particular task.

Preferably, the personal hand held light comprises a user operated switch which is arranged to be operated by a digit of a user's hand on which the light is mounted.

Preferably still, the personal hand held light further comprising a second annular member arranged to receive the digit of a user's hand.

Preferably the personal hand held light further comprises a second ring pivotally connected to the housing, the second ring located adjacent the second end of the housing, wherein the second ring is arranged to be worn on the finger so that, in the second position, the housing is positioned substantially parallel to the user's finger or thumb.

Advantageously this allows the user to carry out a specific task which requires both illumination and the use of both hands, since the hand on which the light is mounted is not required actively support the light. This also provides the advantage the light can be worn on one finger and does not require a second finger to hold the device in position. A second finger may be required to turn the light on and off, but otherwise the user is free to use their other fingers for other tasks. The direction of the beam of light will substantially follow the direction in which the finger is pointing.

The first ring and/or the second ring may comprise a finger ring or a keyring. A finger ring is likely to be more comfortable for the user, but a keyring would allow the device to be attached to a clip for storage whilst not in use.

Preferably said first and second annular members and said first and second rings are solid rings.

Preferably the first pivot, and/or the second pivot if applicable, comprises a loop formed in the housing. It is desirable to make the housing and the loop(s) out of a single piece of material, This both reduces manufacturing costs and provides a stronger pivot for attachment to the ring.

The housing may be made from stamped leather, plastic, metal, or any other suitable material which is capable of housing a battery, a switch and a light source in a secure manner.

More preferably the housing is substantially planar and is arranged to conform to the palm of a user's hand.

Yet more preferably the housing is arranged to conform to the digit of a user's hand.

This provides the advantage the light sits comfortably in the users hand or against the user's finger.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of using the personal hand held light attached to a keyring comprising: wearing the loop of the keyring over a user's finger; in a first position holding a housing of the light source in the palm of the user's hand; and in a second position holding the housing of the light source between a first finger and a second finger, wherein the light source is directed away from the user.

The present invention will now be described further, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a plan view of the personal hand held light; Fig. 2a illustrates a plan view of the personal hand held light attached to a users finger; Fig 2b Ilustrates a further a plan view of the personal hand held light attached to a users finger; Fig. 3 Illustrates a second embodiment of the personal hand held light, attached to a users finger; Fig.4a Illustrates a plan view of the second embodiment of the personal hand held light; Fig. 4b iflustrates an underside view of the second embodiment of the personal hand held light; Fig. 5b illustrates a side view of the second embodiment of the personal hand held light; Fig. 5b Illustrates a side view of the second embodiment of the personal hand held light Fig. 6a illustrates a front end view of the second embodiment of the personal hand held light; and Fig. 6b Illustrates a rear end view of the second embodiment of the personal hand held light Turning first to FIg. 1, there is provided a plan view of the personal hand held light according to an embodiment of the present invention. The hand held light is provided with a housing 12 to which an annular member l4is pivotaily connected by connection 16. The housing can be any appropriate shape to conform to the palm of a user's hand but is preferably planar and in this regard the housing is ergonomically shaped and enables the fist to be dosed around the housing.

The housing 12 comprises a light source 18 and a user operated switch 19. As will be understood by those skilled in the art; the switch will operate the light source 18 in conjunction with a suitable power source (not illustrated) such as a battery which is arranged inside the housing.

As shown in Figs. 2a and 2b the annular member 14is formed of a ring which into which a users finger or thumb can be inserted thereby allowing the user to wear the hand held lIght. As mentioned the annular member is pivotally connected to the housing 12 by the connection member 16 which is arranged to allow the housing member top so that it sits in the palm of the user's hand.

The connection can form part of the housing as illustrated, or as will be understood by those skilled in the art, it can be a separate member linking the annular member 14 to the housing 12.

The light source can be any appropriate electrical light such as an LED, Laser diode or a grain of wheat bulb for example. The switch 19 can be any appropriate user operated switch. Furthermore, the housing can be watertight or air tight to prevent the ingress of fluids onto the electrical components. In this regard the switch can be operated through an appropriate portion arranged on the housing 12 and corresponding In position to the switch contained therein.

In use, the hand held light Is attached using the annular member to a users finger as shown in FIgs. 2a and 2b. Of course, the annular member 14 can be attached to any digit of a user's hand including a thumb using an appropriately sized annular member 14. Illumination of the light source is achieved by depressing the switch with an appropriate digit. This can be index finger and thumb, and middle finger and thumb respectively but any combination may be used depending on the dexterity of the user.

A further embodiment of the personal hand held light 20 is illustrated in Figs. 3, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a and 6b, wherein like reference numerals correspond to like features described above. In this embodiment a second annular member 17 is provided at a portion of the housing 12 corresponding to the light source 18. The JO provision of the second annular member allows light to be mounted and retained on a user's finger or thumb.

Operation of the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment in that the user simply depresses the switch 19 as required. However, because the light is mounted on the user finger a greater degree of control over the directionality of the light is provided by simply moving the finger in the appropriate direction, The housing 12 can be any appropriate shape to conform to the finger or thumb of the user.

The skilled addressee will appreciate that the housing 12 and annular members 14, 17 can be formed of any appropriate material for example leather, plastics or metal.

Claims

Claims: 1 A personal hand held light, comprising: a user operated light source; a housing for said light source; and a first annular member connected to said housing, wherein said annular member is arranged to receive a digit of a user's hand.
2. The personal hand held light of Claim 1, the housing further comprises means for operating the light source.
3. The personal hand held light of Claim 3 wherein the means for operating the light source comprises a user operated switch and a battery.
4. The personal hand held light of Claim 4, wherein the user operated switch is arranged to be operated by a digit of a user's hand.
5. The personal hand held light of Claims 1 wherein the light source is provided a distal end and the annular member is provided a proximal end of the housing and pivotally mounted thereto.
6. The personai hand held light of Claims 5 and 7, wherein the switch is provided between the distal and proximal end of the housing.
7. The personal hand held light of Claim 1, further comprising a second annular member arranged to receive the digit of a user's hand,
8. The personal hand held light of Claims 6 and 8, wherein the second annular member is provided at the distal end of the housing substantially adjacent the light source.
9. The personal hand held light of Claim 1, said housing is substantially flat and planar and is arranged to conform to the palm of a user's hand.
10. The personal hand held light of Claims 1 and 7, wherein the housing is arranged to conform to the digit of a user's hand.
1 1. The personal hand held light of any of Claims 1 and 7 wherein the housing is watertight.1 0
12. The personal hand held light of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the housing is a fob.
13. The personal hand held light of any preceding claim, whereby when in use the first and second annular members are received by a user's digit.
14. The personal hand held light of any preceding claim, wherein said first and second annular members are solid rings.
15. A personal hand held light substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.17. A method of using a personal hand held light attached to a annular member comprising: wearing the annular member over a users digit; in a first position holding a housing of the light source in the palm of the user's hand; and in a second position holding the housing of the light source between a first digit and a second digit, wherein the light source is directed away from the user.