US1346138A - Flash-light device - Google Patents

Description

P.'c. SMALLEY.

FLASH LIGHT DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29' 1919.

1,346,138. Patented July 13,1920.

A TTOHNE Y.

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' star PAUL G. iBIMALLE-Y, 0E NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

v FLASH-LIG'H'I' DEVICE.

To all whom ma concern:

Be it hown t at 1, PAUL C. SMALLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in l lash-Light Devices, of which the following is a' full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make, construct, and use the same, reference being had. to the accompanying drawings, and to numerals of reference marked thereon, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to search lights or flash lights, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a lens made of glass or other transparent material of peculiar construction, the employment of which will efi'ectively insulate the reflector from the casing without the use of any other insulating means thereby preventing the shortcircuiting of the battery.

The employment of my improved lens, also enables me to dispense with the usual screw threaded annular lens retaining member which has screw threaded engagement with the end of the metallic tubular casing containing the. cylindrical batteries by means of which the lens is commonly fastened in said annular member and to said casing, thereby reducing the actual number of parts comprising an operative device to an irreducible minimunn.

With search lights or flash lights ofthe construction hitherto used, the amount of battery power which can be obtained, is necessarily not great, and it quite frequently happens when devices of this character are employed for work about machinery, etc., and the device is not in use, it is often placed in a tool box or in association'with metal tools, where frequently the tools will complete the connection, or such connection will be completed by the metallic parts of the machine, and the-energy of the battery expended. uselessly, by causing the lamp to burn for hours without the knowledge of the operator and to no useful purpose. W1th the construction of the lens of the present invention, this is absolutely impossible.

With this end in view, my invention consists in certain novelties of construction and arrangements of parts and is productive of a device exceedingly simple and effective in Specification of Letters Patent.

construction, comparatively inexpensive in cost and durable in use.

While the preferred forms of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, yet it is to be understood, that minor changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof.

in the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 represents a cross section through an embodiment of my invention, illustrating the batteries and lamp in eleration.

Fig. 2 represents a fragmentary cross section of a modified form of my invention.

Fig. 3 represents a fragmentary side elevation of another modified form of my invention, and

Fig. t represents a transverse cross section taken on line aa-a, Fig. 3, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the above described views to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to the said drawings, the reference character 1 indicates a metallic tubular casing containing the cylindrical batteries 2, though of course thiscasing may be of any convenient form, or other suitable material. 3 represents a screw threaded closure, having screw-threaded engagement with the bottom' of the casing 1-, wherein a coiled spring 4 is seated for contacting with the zinc electrode of one of the batteries.

.The top of the casing 1 is preferably screw threaded to receive the screw threaded portion of the lens 5 by means of which the lens may be fastened in the casing 1. The reflector 6 is provided with the usual central opening into which the lamp socket 7 of the lamp 8 is mounted by any suitable means. The base part 9 of the lamp forms one of the poles, the other pole being shown at 10. When mounted in the casing, one pole of the battery is connected to the casing through the spring 4;, as described, and the other pole 11 of the battery is connected di rectly to the terminal 10 of the lamp, leav-' therewith, and which is slidable in said caslatented July i3, 192% Application filed march 29, 1919. Serial No. 286,186.

ing to en age the reflector 6, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2 or the drawings. The end 13 of the movable member 12 is turned up to form a sliding contact with the reflector, so as to insure a bright surface, due to the rubbing of the end 13 over the reflector 6, and thereby a good contact.

Suitable means for operating the memdrawings and fully described and claimed in Patent 1,210,225 granted to me on December 26, 1916, this annular recess being designed to receive the circumferential edge of the reflector 6, thus providing means formed in the lens to prevent the reflector from touching the casing, thereby positively insulating the lamp and battery terminals one from the other, until it is desired to complete the circuit therethrough.

In this manner the edge of the reflector is effectively insulated from the casing and the current is prevented from shunting through the reflector withou the use of any other insulating means th eby positively preventing the short-circuiting of the battery.

As heretofore stated, by providing the inner or outer peripheral surfaces 16 and 17 of the lens 5 with screw threads corresponding with the screw threaded end of the casing 1, I am thereby enabled to fasten the lens to said casing without employing the usual screw threaded annular lens retaining member, thereby reducing the actual number of pants and the actual cost of manufacture to a minimum.

I have also found that the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings is very eflective for securing the lens 5 to the casing 1, which consists in providing the circumferential outer surface of the lens casing with protuberances and the lens with recesses.

Experience has demonstrated that the organization above described is a highly efficient one, and while I have shown the preferred embodiment of my present invention, I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as obvious modifications thereof, not involving the exercise of invention, may be made by any skilled mechanic, and such departure from what is herein set forth, I consider within the scope and terms of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a flash light device of the class described, the combination of a casing, batteries and a lamp therein, a contact device for establishing electrical connections between said batteries and said lamp, a lens provided with integral holding means for securing it to said casing and means on the lens for positioning a reflector circumferentially free within said casing and insulating the reflector from said casing.

2. In a flash light device of the class described, the combination of a casing, batteries and a lamp therein, a contact device for establishing electrical connections between said batteries and said lamp, a recessed lens for positioning a reflector circumferentially free within said casing provided with a screw threaded portion for securing it to the casing and insulating the reflector from said casing.

This specification signed and witnessed this 25th day on March, 1919.

PAUL C. SMALLEY.

- Witnesses:

FRED?K G. Idrscrrnn, FERDINAND None.

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