US1869315A - Flash light switch - Google Patents

Description

July 26, 1932. G. B. PRATT FLASH LIGHT SWITCH Filed Dec. 26, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR BY ATTORNEYS GOODR/CH B. P/WT July 26, 1932. G. B. PRATT FLASH LIGHT SWITCH Filed Dec;. 26, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Rv 0 mm 5 III, a WM I! Ir? 0 m A EE m Y WM 6 m FIG.3.

Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .GOODRIGH. B. PRATT, OF GBANTWOQD,I NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0. BOND ELECTRIC conronerron, or JERSEY our, nnw JERSEY, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

FLASH LIGHT swi'rorr Application filed December 26, 1930. Serial No. 504,845;

This invention relates to circuit closers or electrical switches and more particularly to switches for electricflashlights, hand-lanterns and the like.

In flashlight constructions, it is customary to provide an inwardly movable member to close the electrical circuit and illuminate the lamp. This movable member has generally been provided withv a lug or finger piece protruding outwardly of the flashlight casing for depression by the finger when, say, a momentary illumination or flash is desired. A slidable switch actuating member has also been provided which, in one posi tion, engages and depresses the finger piece to hold the circuit closed whereby a steady illumination of the lamp is attained. When such a flashlight is not in use and is carried, say, in a pocket or tool box, tools or other objects brought into contact with the inwardly movable member accidentally depress the same, thereby closing the contact and exhausting the battery.

To overcome this objection, safety switches, so-called, have been proposed having an auxiliary pair of contacts in the electrical circuit, which are adapted to be closely independently of the depression of the finger piece. These auxiliary contacts remain open when the finger piece is depressed and are closed only by movement of the slidable switch actuating member which may carry, inwardly of the switch housing, a cam element for that purpose.

It has been found, however, that the slidable switch actuating member is accidentally movable, in some instances, to the position in which the auxiliary circuit is closed, and in which the inwardly movable member can he accidentally depressed to exhaust the battery. To overcome this disadvantage a safety switch is proposed having a safety position in which the switch actuating member is locked in open circuit position, as well as having a flash position in which the circuit may be momentarily closed at the will of the operatorand a position of steady light in which the circuit is held closed,

Morespecifically, the circuit closer to which the. invention relates is of the kind, having spaced main and auxiliary switch terminals connected, respectively, to alamp and a bat tery terminal, which switch terminals, are adapted to be electrically connected to close the flashlight circuit and illuminate the lamp is by-bringing the spaced resilient arms of a circuit closer element into contact therewith, the depression. of the auxiliary circuit closer arm being effected by the movable switch ac tuating member in flash position and the dem pression of both arms being effected by the same member in the position, of steady light.

One object of the invention is the provision of a switch whereofthe movement of the movable switch actuating member is con trolled by one of the circuit closers, say the auxiliary circuit closer.

The invention also seeks a safety switch wherein a fingerpiece on the auxiliary circuit closer locks theslidable member in off posi- 7 tion. v

Still another object of, the invention is. a simplification of existing safety switches to attain a reduction in the number of parts while still affording all of the safety features These and other objectsof the invention and the-means for their attainment will. be more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the ac, companying drawings illustrating one.- em. 8 bodiment by which the invention may be realized, and inv which Figure 1 is a view in vertical section showing a flashlight to which the invention may be applied.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the circuit closing structure taken on the line 2+2 of Figure 1 and looking in thedirection of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a switch of this invention taken 011 the line 33 of Figure 2. and showing the parts in safety or open circuit position.

Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3, but showing the position of the parts of the switch in so-called flash position.

Figure 5 is a view also similar to that of Figure 3 but showing the position of the parts of the switch to afford a steady light.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view of the switch taken on the line 66 of Figure 3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 77 of Figure 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows and showing particularly. details of the co-operating parts locking the swltch in safety position.

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view showing the switch looking from below and taken on the line 8.8 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring first to Figure 1, the invention is shown as applied to a flashlight having a tubular battery containing casing 10- here 1 illustrated as of fibre or other non-metallic or non-conductive material, within which casing 10 one or more dry cells forming the battery-11 are disposed. Obviously, the flashlight casing 10 may be made of metal, it being merely necessary in such case to provide insulation between certain of the parts, as will be understood by those skilled in the art; Each'end of the flashlight casing is provided with threads. As shown, a bottom cap collar12 is secured, as by rivets or eyelets 13,to the lower 'end of the flashlight casing and is formed with threads 14 for the reception of the threaded end 15 of the bottom cap 16. The bottom cap 16'Inay be of any convenient form and provided with any desired battery contact element, here shown as a resilient member 17 seated within the bottom cap 16 and bearing against the bottom of the dry cell to urge the battery 11 upwardly against the contact of the lamp socket support in the upper part of the casing, the bottom cap spring'17, bottom cap 16 and bottom cap collar 12 serving as conductive elements in the electrical circuit including the negative terminal of the battery 11, the circuit being continued to a switch terminal shown in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 7 as a rivet or eyelet 20 in electrical connection with one of the rivets or eyelets 13 securing the bottom cap collar 12 in position by'means' of the electrical conductor 21. extending therebetween. At the upper end of the flashlight, the casing is shown as provided with threads 22 formed on the hood collar 23 secured in any convenient fashion to the casing. Removably threaded to the hood collar 23, is the hood 24 which supports the reflector 25 and lens 26 which are retained thereon bymeans of the lens ring 27. The base 30 ofthe lamp is carried in a lamp'socket 31 mounted upon a lamp socket support, in the form of a fibre disc 32, removably mounted on the upper end of the flashlight. The flbre disc 32 carries a conductive member in electrical connection with the lamp socket formed with portions 33 adapted to interengage with flange portions 34 on an annular member 35 carried on' the 7 end of the fibre casing, insulated from the hood collar 23 by a fibre ring 36, and secured to the end of the casing by an inturned flange on the end of the hood collar 23; Carried beneath the lamp socket support 32, 33, and insulated therefrom by a centrally apertnred iibre disc 37 is a yielding or shock absorbing central'contact member38 adapted to be engaged by the central or positive terminal 39 of the battery 11 and having a portion thereof engaged by the centralterminal 40 of the lamp. The other or let 46 thereon within the switch housing. a;

All of the partshereinbefore described are either well known or formthe subject matter of co-pending applicationsand, forming-no part of thepresent invention, are described briefly merely 'for the purpose of 31 0 general" understanding of the invention and the electrical circuit to be closed.

The switch in accordance with this invention comprises a housing 50 secured outwardly of the flashlightcasing 10, which housing is of, generally elongated shape and has a flange 51 about its periphery by whichit is secured to the casing and enciosin'g the two spaced switch terminals 20 and 43 of the- VVithin the housing 50 is a- 1' lamp circuit. more or less resilient member 53 secured between its ends to the casing 10 as by the eyelet 54, At one end, the member 53 is bent away from the casing to form a spring-like arm 55 which is normally retained in spaced relation to the casing bv the inherent resiliency of thematerial of which it is'made. The arm 55 is provided with a finger piece or push button 56 adapted to extend through an aperture 57-in the top of the casing 50 and is preferably provided therebeneatl'i with a contact point 58 which, when the arm 55 is depressed, is brought into contact with the bared contact portion 43 of the electrical conductor 44. At the other end, the member is bent away from the casing to form an arm 59, which is also normally held in spaced relation to the casing by its inherent resiliency and at its extremity is conveniently bent toward the casing slightly, as at 60, to 1 form a contact for engagement with the switch terminal 20. Inwardly of the end, the arm- 59 is provided with a finger piece or cam member '61 also adapted to pass through an aperture 62 in the top of the casing 50.

It will be observed that the finger piece 61 is substantially flat as distinguished from the rounded shape of the finger piece 56. The latter linger piece 56 may take any desired form for engagement by a finger, it being intended that this shall be the main circuit closer of the switch and be depressed at will to afford intermittent illumination as desired. The finger piece 61, however, serves as a cam member and is adapted to ride beneath a movable switch actuating member, subsequently to he described, and its height is determined, therefore, by the permissible movement of the auxiliary contact closer to auxiliary circuit closing position. It'is also desirable to limit the size of the finger piece 61in that it is sought to prevent its accidental depression and, therefore, it is caused to project above the housing as little as possible and only enough to enable it to engage the slide and for engagement by the finger. Beads 64 are shownformed on the housing on each side of the movable switch actuating member, of a height greater than the top of the finger piece 61 in its outer limit of movement so as to guard the linger piece to prevent accidental contact therewith. y

Slidably mounted onthe top of the housing 50 is a movable switch actuating element or slide 65, which is secured thereto by spaced cars 66 (Figures 5, 7 and 8) bent downwardly for-reception in longitudinally extending slots 67 formed in the top of the housing 50 and extending longitudinally thereof. The cars 6-3 are then bent, say, outwardly to secure the slide 65 movably on the housing 50. A. portion of this slide 65 is pressed outwardly away from the housing 50 into, say, discoidal form, as a projection to be engaged by, the finger by which the slide 65 may be reciprocated on the housing 50. At its forward end, the slide is conveniently bent upwardly as a cam surface 68 to engage the finger piece 56 when the slide is in its forward position and thereby depress the main circuit closer to bring and hold 113 in con tact with the main switch terminal 43. Rearwardly, the slide is providedwith an aperture 70 adapted to register with the aperture 62 in the top of the casing 50 and to receive the cam member 61 when the slide 65 is in fully retracted or safety position.

Normally, when the flashlight is not in use, the parts of the safety switch are in the position shown in Figure 3, in which the slide 65 is to the right as viewed in that figure, with the aperture 7 0 in the slide in register with the aperture 62 in the casing so that the cam member 61 passes through both registering apertures and permits the contact to be moved away from the auxiliary switch terminal 20. Even though the finger piece 56 is pressed downwardly to bring the contact 58 into contact with the main switch terminal 18, the circuit will not, be closed as there is still a gap between the auxiliary closer 60 and the auxiliary switch terminal 20. This contact 60, :20 cannot be closed until thecam member 61- is depressed. It would be extremely awkward to attempt. to close both main and auxiliary contacts by manually depressingboth finger pieces. 56 and 61. The slide 65 is, therefore, availed of to maintain the auxiliary contacts closed while, say, the button 56 is depressedv manually. This is accomplished by depressing the finger piece 61 until it is beneath the slide and then moving the slide 65, say, to the fiashposition shown in Figure 4, at which time the finger piece is held down until anedge on the aperture in the slide .65 is over a portion of the cam member 61 holding the same depressed to bring the auxiliary circuit closer 60 into engagement with the auxiliary switch terminal 20. Then pressure may be applied to the push button 56 to depress the main circuit eloser55 and bring its contact 58 into engagement with the main switch terminal 43 to complete the circuit. Upon release of pressure, the resiliency of arm 55 immediately carries the main circuit closingcontact 58 away from the main switch-terminal 43 and the circuit is broken. 7

If a steady light is desired, the slide is moved still further along the housing until it reachesthe position shown in Figure 5' in which the cam surface 68 on the slide ongages the finger piece 56 and holds it in the depressed position there shown with the main circuit closer 55 in electrical connection with the main switch terminal 43. The cam member 61011 the auxiliary circuit closer is, of course, still held depressed by the slide to maintain the electrical connection between the auxiliary contacts.

When it is no longer desired to illuminate the lamp, the circuit is opened bymoving the slide rearwardly to its extreme position as shown in Figure 3, at which the aperture 7 O in the slide 65 is brought into register with the cam receiving aperture 62 in the housing 50. In this position, the resilient arm 59 tends to move the cam member 61 upwardly into the registering apertures 62, 70 and brings the auxiliary circuit closer away from the auxiliary switch terminal 20, as shown, the main circuit closer 55 also moving away from the main switch terminal 43 so soon as it is released by the cam member 68 on the slide 65.

It will. thus be seen that a safety switch for flashlights has been provided which is extremely simple of construction, is composed of few parts and is'provided with means for locking the same in open circuit or safety position to prevent inadvertent closingof the circuit and the wasting of the battery. To unlock the slide and close the auxiliary circuit requires movement in two directions. First, an inward force must be applied on the finger piece 61 to depress it and release the slide, then a force must be applied at right angles to the first named force to move the slide to a position in which the auxiliary circuit contacts 20 and 60 remain closed. To apply such oppositely directed forces accidentally, in proper sequence, is practically impossible and hence the safety switch of this invention is entirely eiiicacious.

Various modifications willoccur to those skilled in the art in the composition, disposition and configuration of the component elements going to make up the invention as a whole, as well as in the selection and/ or combination of certain of the features independently of others, and no limitation is intended by the phraseology of the foregoing specificat-ion or illustrations in the accompanying drawings, except as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is v 1. A safety switch comprising resilient main and auxiliary circuit ciosers adapted for series connection in an electric circuit and movable means movable in one direction to move said closers to circuit closing position and movable in an opposite direction to move said closers to circuit opening position as a'result of their inherent resiliency, cooperative locking means being providedbetween one of said circuit closers and said movable meansto lock the same in circuit opening position.

7 2. A safety switch comprising resilient main and auxiliary circuit closers adapted for series connection in an electric circuit and movable means adapted to be moved in one direction to progressively move said closers to circuit closing position and adapted to be moved in an opposite direction to permit said closers to progressively move to circuit opening position as a result of their inherent resiliency, interlocking means being carried by one of said circuit closers and said movable means, respectively, to lock said means in circuit opening position.

3. A safety switch comprising resilient main and auxiliary circuit closers adapted for series connection in an electric circuit and movable means adapted to be moved in one direction to move said closers to circuit closing position and adapted to be moved in an opposite direction to move said closers to circuit opening position as a result of their inherent resiliency, one of said circuit closers being adapted to control said movable means to lock sail meansin circuit opening position.

4. A safety switch comprising resilient main and auxiliary circuit closers adapted for series connection in an electric circuit and movable means adapted to be moved in one direction to progressively move said closers to circuit closing position and adapted to be moved in an opposite direction to permit said closers to progressively move to circuit opening position as a result of their inherent resiliency, interengaging means being carried with said auxiliary circuit closer and said movable means, respectively, to lock said means in circuit opening position.

5. A safety switch comprising resilient main and auxiliary circuit closers adapted for series connection in an electric circuit and movable means adapted to be moved in one direction to progressively move said closers to circuit closing position and adapted to be moved in an opposite direction to permit said closers to progressively move to circuit opening position as a result of their inherent resiliency, said movable means being formed with a cutout portion and means carried with said auxiliary circuit closer to be received in the cutout portion of said movable means to lock the same in circuit opening position. 7

'6. A safety switch comprising resilient main and auxiliary circuit closers adapted for series connection in an electric circuit and movable means formed with an aperture and adapted to be moved in one direction to progressively move said closers to circuit closing position and adapted to be moved in an opposite direction to permit said closers to progressively move to circuit opening position as a result of their inherent resiliency,

an exposed finger piece being provided on said auxiliary circuit closer projecting hrough the aperture formed in said movable means to lock the same in circuit opening position.

7. A safety switch comprising resilient main and auxiliary circuit closers adapted for series connection in an electric circuit and movable means adapted to be moved in one direction to progressively move said closers to circuit closing position and adapt ed to be moved in an opposite direction to permit said closers to progressively move to circuit opening position as a result of'their inherent resiliency, one of said circuit closers being adapted to control the movable means to lock the same in circuit opening position.

8. A safety switch comprising resilient main and auxiliary circuit closers adapted for series connection in an electric circuit and movable means adapted to be moved in one direction to progressively move said. closers to circuit closing position and adapted to be moved in an opposite direction to permit said closers to progressively move to circuit opening position as aresult of their inherent resiliency, said auxiliary circuit closer being adapted to control the move- 5 ment of the movable means to lock the same in circuit opening position.

9. A safety switch comprising a pair of spaced switch terminals, circuit closing elements normally retained out of contact with said switch terminals by their inherent resiliency and electrically connected one with another, said circuit closing elements being provided, respectively, with abutments and a movable element adapted to depress said abutments successively to bring the said circuit closing elements into contact with said switch terminals, one of said abutments and said movable element being adapted to interlock to maintain the same in circuit opening position.

10. A safety switch comprising a pair of spaced switch terminals, circuit closing elements normally retained out of contact with said switch terminals by their inherent resiliency and electrically connected one with another, said circuit closing elements being provided, respectively, with exposed finger pieces and a slide formed with an aperture to receive one of said finger pieces to lock the slide against movement, said last named finger piece being depressible to unlock and permit movement of the slide to retain a circuit closing element in circuit closing position.

11. A safety switch comprising a pair of spaced switch terminals, main and auxiliary circuit closing elements normally retained out of contact with said switch terminals by their inherent resiliency and electrically connected one with another, said circuit closing elements being provided, respectively, with finger pieces and a slide formed with an aperture for the reception of the finger piece on the auxiliary circuit closing element to lock the same against movement to retain the parts in circuit open position, said last named finger piece being depressible to unlock and permit movement of the slide into engagement with the finger piece to hold the auxiliary circuit closing element in contact with a switch terminal.

12. A safety switch comprising a resilient circuit closer member having free ends comprising main and auxiliary circuit closers, respectively, finger pieces carried by said circuit closers, respectively, and a slidable switch actuating member provided with an aperture through which the finger piece on said auxiliary circuit closer extends, and said slidable switch actuating member being adapted, upon depression of said finger piece out of said aperture, for predetermined movement, to efiect a depression of said auxiliary circuit closer.

13. A safety switch comprising a resilient circuit closer member having free ends comprising main and auxiliary circuit closers, respectively, finger pieces carried by said circuit closers, respectively, a slidable switch actuating member provided with an aperture

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