US1899868A - Portable convertible lamp - Google Patents

Description

' Patented Feb. 28, 1933 I i 1,899,868

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE J'- HFRLBAUER, OF LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK I 4 V -.Appllcation filed April 2, 1930. Serial no. 440,880.

My present invention is concerned with ment of the head, one section of the shell or portable electric lamps and while capable of battery casing is made displaceable. a wide and varied range of usefulness, is The desired pivotal action is accomplished especially adapted for embodiment in a comwithout in any way interfering with the nor- 5 bination trouble light, desk light and hand mal electrical circuit from the battery flash light. I 7 through the lamp and without the need for An object of the invention is to provide a special types of switch mechanism. device of this character which in ordinary use Preferably the effective base area of the retains the appearance of a conventional hand battery casing or shell is optionally enlarge- 7 flash light yet may be readily converted into able. One convenient means for accomplish acute angle upon the surface which supports lamp carry a self-supporting trouble light capable of ing this result is by the provision of a pluprojecting its beam'in any desired direction. rality of pivoted arcuate feet, normally Another object of the invention is to profolded compactly wlthin the area defined by vide a device of this character which is parthe base and adapted to.be swung outwardly 15 ticularly well suited for an emergency desk in generally radially extended position to Q or table lamp in that the flash light may be practically double the effective base of the stood in erect position on the flat bottom of flash light and further minimize the danger its elongated cylindrical casing and a beam of'its tilting over. 7 from the lamp thrown downwardly at an It is to be understood, however, that the g head is so designed and so the casing, related to the usual shell and its enclosed Another object of the invention is to accome batteries that the pivotal axis of the head plish the foregoing results while retaining Intersects the common longitudinal axis-of substantially all of the compactness of an the batteries and shell, and the head is to ordinary flash light yet providing a space in some extent counterbalanced so that it may which one or more spare bulbs may bestOred. be swung to any desired angle without over- Other and more general objects of the inbalancing the shell or Casing even without vention are to provide a portable convertible sing the extensible feet. The latter are 0 lamp of simple, practical, rugged and durmore especially adapted for preventing inable construction, capable of being convenadvertent upsetting of the lamp when used so iently transported and readily converted, well on a desk, or to prevent the lamp from besuited to meet the requirements of economical illg blown Over when stood on the open and manufacture and to withstand the careless Oftenrough surfaced road under a car when handling and usage to which such devices are used as a trouble light. o apt to be subjected. V The invention may be more fully under- Preferably the device embodies the usual stood from the following description in concylindrical battery casing or shell and the nection with the accompanying drawings usual finger operated switch for cutting the wherein, lamp in and out of circuit. A head carrying Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a port- Q the lamp, lens and the projector may b adable lamp embodying the invention.

justed at any desired angle even while the F ig; 2 is a similar view taken a proxi lamp is standing on its base without danger mately at right angles to Fig. 1 and s owin of upsetting-0r over-balancing the lamp. the feet of the lamp swung to extended pos1- In a preferred embodiment of the invention. 9

tion, the lamp-mounting and beam-projecting Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational detail 5 head portion is'normaly axially aligned with showing the upper part of the structure with the cylindrical battery casing. This head the displaceable casing section retracted to however is mounted for pivotal movement permit adjustment of the lamp carrying r throughout a rangeof more than 90. In head.

" order to accommodate for the pivotal move- Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view on tially extended position.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary elevational view showing in full lines, the lamp head swun to project a beam downwardly and in dotte lines indicating another position of adiustment of the head.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view I through the head and adiacent structure of a modified form of lamp, this View being taken on the line 99 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 10 is a view generally similar to Fig. 9 but taken at right angles thereto and on the line 1010 thereof.

Fig. 11 is an elevational detail'illustrating a further modification and showing the lamp head set approximately at right angles to the axis of the casing.

Fig. 12 is an elevational view of the type of lamp shown in Fig. 11 butwith the head in upright position and the displaceable shell section in position to prevent adjust.- ment of the head, and

Fig. 13 is a transverse. sectional view taken on the line 1313 of Fig. 12.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 8 of the drawings I have shown a portable lamp which in its normal position closely simulates the appearance of a conventional battery operated hand flash light. .In the present instance the battery casing or shell 10 is of generally cylindrical form adapted to receive the usual dry cell batteries 11 of the type shown respectively in-full and dotted lines in Fig. 4. As is customary in the art these batteries are introduced into the shell through what may be termed for convenience its lower end, said end having threads 12 pressed therein for the reception of the threaded flange 13 of a closure cap 14. The usual coiled spring 15 is interposed between the cap 14 and the bottom of the lowermost battery 11 and exerts the desired endwise thrust on the batteries so that the terminal 16 of the upper battery is maintained pressed against a corresponding contact member 17 which will be more fully hereinafter described.

-' The head of the lamp in the present instance inciudes a generally hemispherical body 18 preferably of molded insulating material having a short cylindrical" extension 19 to which is fixed by screws 20 or otherwise the inwardly turned'flange 21 of an upstanding threaded collar 22.- A. sleeve 23 threaded into the collar 22 is shouldered at 24 to receive a flanged periphery of a beam projecting reflector member 25 (usually of hemispherical shape) and the lens 26 of the lamp is clamped between the reflector flange and an inwardly turned bead 27 at the top of the sleeve 23.

The central portion of the reflector is'provided with an opening 28 of diameter at least as great as that of the lamp bulb 29, the latter being mounted in a suitable socket 3O fixed in a recess 30 in the body 18. When replacing a burnt out bulb it is merely necessary to unscrew the sleeve 23 which carries with it the lens 26 and reflector 25 and renders the bulb readily accessible for manual removal.

Before discussing the electrical circuits between the lamp and the batteries I shall explain the manner in which the entire head structure is pivotally adjustable relative to the shell or casing 10. To accomplish this result the cylindrical portion 19 of the body is preferably provided at its lower end with a downwardly facing shoulder 31 abutting the upper end of the metal shell 10. Just below this shoulder the block 18 is pivotally connected to the shell by diametrically opposite pivot pins 32 and one side of .the shell between the pivot pins is deeply recessed or cut away at 33 in order to provide clearance for the pivotal movement of the head structure to a position where the beam from the lamp is directed downwardly at an angle of approximately forty-five to sixty degrees as shown in Fig. 8. Due to the counterbalancing aflorded by the lamp structure and block.

structure at opposite sides of the pivot and the due further to the fact that the pivot axls intersects the major axis of batteries and shell 10, there is little tendency for the lamp to tip over when supported on its base plate 13, regardless of the angle to which the head may be tilted.

Under ordinary conditions the cut away 33 is inconspicuous due to the fact that a slidably displaceable supplemental lamp casing section 34, shown 1n perspective in Fig. 6 is moved into position behind the cut away. This slide member may assume many forms. As herein illustrated it consists of a cylindrical lower slide portion 35 adapted to frictionally fit within the shell 10 between such shell and the batteries 11. The slide is formed with a generally semi-cylindrical upward extension 36 constituting the displaceable section and having an opening 37 therein receiving the reduced shank 37 b of a handle button 87a, said shank being upset against the inner face of member 36. The shank of this handle member works in a longitudinal slot .38 in the shell 10, this slot having an angular locked its upper edge also abuts the shoulder or projection 31 and effectively blocks pivotal movement of the lamp carrying head.

If desired the more or less standard flash light switch 39 may be employed and mount ed in the usual position on the exterior of theshell 10. This switch may include a button member 40 having a depressible portion 41 which closes a circuit through the lamp and which acts when the button is slid longitudinally in the slot 42 to hold the circuit closed. The construction and operation of this type of switch is so well recognizedthat the'details of it have not been shown, the present invention being more particularly concerned with .when the light is to be used as a trouble light permitting the desired pivotal movement of the lamp head without breaking any circuits or otherwise interfering with the normal operation of this switch.

This result may be accomplished b various means, one preferred -mechanism eing illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. It will be recalled that the customary circuit with this general type of lamp is a circuit from the battery through i the lamp, through the switch 39 to the shell which serves as a ground. A similar circuit is employed here with the switch 29 in its usual relation in the circuit. The lamp bulb 39 has two'terminals, the usual ring terminal which contacts With the socket shell 30 and the usual end terminal 43 which contacts with a. spring pressed plunger 44 working in a suitable socket or recess 45 in the plug 18. The spring 46 which urges the plunger upwardly against the lamp terminal is connected by an electrical conductor 47 which is integral with an arcuate contact strip 48 preferably embedded in the plug 18 as an incident of molding the latter. A second contact strip 49 spaced from and parallel with the first one makes contact with the socket terminal 30 by means I of an integral piece 50 extending through the plug and electrically connectedto a coiled expansion spring 51 working in a second socket 52 in the body and pressing against the flange 30ayof the socket member 30.

' Coacting with the arcuate contact strips 48, 49 are a pair of stationary contact strips 53 and 54 extending longitudinally of the casing 10 and insulated therefrom by'a sheet 55 of insulating material. e The'lower end of the strip 53 is bent inwardlyto definethe spring terminal arm 17 which presses against the top terminal of the upper battery and the other strip 54 is bent laterally at 56, following the contour of the shell, and held by its own resiliency against one terminal 57 of the switch 39, the other switch terminal being grounded on the shell.

Retracing this circuit it willbe seen that current flows from the battery through the arm 17, strip 48, lead 47 and plug 44 to the lamp terminal 43 thence from the lamp through the terminal 30a, spring 51, lead 50, strips 49 and 54 and switch 39 to ground.

Inasmuch as the strips 48 and 49 are struck on a circular radius, thecenter of which is coincident with the pivotal center of the head, pivotal movement of the head is inoperative to move the strips 48, 49 out of contact with I the strips 53, 54 and consequently these pairs of strips are maintained in electrical engagement with each other throughout the entire range of-pivotal movement of the head. The wiping engagement of members 48, 49 with members 53, 54 which, prevents breaking of the lamp circuit even though the head is tilted back and forth while the lamp is lit.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that head has little tendency to disturb the normal center of gravity of the lamp and the lamp will not topple over under normal conditions regardless of the angle at which the head may be disposed.

Inasmuch however as it is not infrequently necessary to use this trouble light under an automobile or to support it on uneven surfaced roads while the wind is blowing I have provided the supplemental base structure which minimizes the danger of the lamp up setting even under the most adverse conditions.

Such structure as best seen in Figs. 4 and 7 does not require any major alternation 1n the usual construction of the cap 13 even per mitting the cap to be centrally recessed at 58 for the reception of the usual hinged handle ring 59.

The supplemental base structure consists of I and locking such arm against inadvertent outward swinging or engaging the pivoted tall 3 end of an adjacent arm and limiting its outward swinging movement.

The tripod efl'ect afiorded by the three feet when in outwardly swung position approximately doubles the efiiective diameter of the lamp base and renders it substantially selfsustaining against tipping over even in the wind or when inadvertently jostled by a workman at a desk or table which it is being or more spare bulbs and I have shown the arm 53 provided with a lateral extension 65 the ends of which are bent up to provide a U clip 66 adapted to snap over and grip the neck of a spare bulb 68. The bulb may be readily applied to or removed from its carrier clip by simply withdrawing slide mem ber 34 and inserting the fingers in the cut away opening 33 in the shell.

I In Figs. 9 and 10 I have illustrated a modified form of construction in which the slide member 34 is again used to optionally conceal a cut away opening 3 1n the battery shell 10. With this form of the invention,

while the conventional outside switch (not shown) is retained, different means for maintaining circuit between this switch and the battery through the lamp 29 may be used.

Here the lamp carrying head may be substantially similar to that shown in connection with Figs. 1 to 8 insofar as the general arrangement of collar 22, sleeve 23, lens 26 and reflector 25 is concerned. Instead of using the generally hemispherical head plug however the fla'nge 21 of the collar is screwed at 20 to a disk of insulating material 74 carrying a pendant cylindrical collar 75 pivoted on diametrically opposed pivot pins 76 passed through the shell 72 and the collar.

The flange 30a of the lamp socket 30 lies against the under face of the disk 74, the socket passing upward through the disk. A contact arm otherwise secured at 78 to the under face of the disk 74 is formed with a free ofii'set end 79 contacting the lamp terminal 43 and formed with a pendant ear 80. The sleeve terminal of the lamp is fixed to a contact plate 81 by pin 82 said contact plate being turned downwardly to form a second car 83 spaced from and parallel to the ear 80 and out of electrical contact therewith except through the lamp 29.

77 which has one end bolted or A pair of conductive secured to the interior of the lamp casing by pins 86 and are insulated in the manner illustrated against contact with each other or with the shell 10.

These strips at their upper ends are twisted at right angles and turned inwardly providing arm portions 87 and 88 respectively which are resilient and which press inwardly into firm frictional contact with the pendant ears 80 and 83.

The lower end of the arm 84 is provided with aspring terminal extension 89 to contact the upper battery terminal 16 and the other arm 85 is provided with a lateral extension 90 contacting. with the lamp terminal strip 91 of the swith 39.

With this form of invention the ears 80 and 83 are in substantial alignment with the pivotal axis of the lamp head so that swinging the head from one extreme position to the other fails to carry'the ears out of contact with the arms 87 and 88 and consequently is inoperative to interfere with the circuit from the battery through the lamp and the switch.

The circuit in this instance may be traced from the battery terminal 16 through the spring arm 89, strip 85, arm 87, car 80, arm 77, lamp terminal 43, socket 30, car 83, arm 88, ofl'set 90 and strip 91 to the switch 39 and the ground.

In Figs. 11 to 13 I have shown a further modification in which for the sake of simplicity I have avoided all illustration of the details of the lamp carrying head or of the circuit making mechanism. It may be as sumed however that the lamp carrying head 100 is substantially similar to the head shown in Figs. 9'and 10, and circuits are established as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10. The important featureof novelty in connection with this particular form of the invention isthe use of a rotatably displaceable member rather than a slidably displaceable member to close the cut away section 101 of the shell 10.

In this case the pivot pins 102 for the head lie flush with the outer surface of the lamp casing 10 and a sleeve member 103 encircling the upper end of the lamp casing is provided with a cut away portion 104 corresponding in size and shape to the cut away 101 of the lamp casing. The sleeve 103 is slipped over the casing prior to the application of the lamp carrying head. With the head assembled and in normal position the sleeve 103 is held against axial movement in one direction by the lamp head and in the other direction by the switch 39. Preferably the sleeve carries a pin 105 adapted to engage notches 106 or 10 in the shell 10 whereby the rotary movementof the sleeve is limited and the sleeve in either extreme position is positively locked against axial movement. This locking feature is of special importance where the lamp strips 84 and 85 are I head is in the position of Fig. 11 and there would be nothing to block movement of the sleeve upwardly if the pin 105 and slot 107 were not operative to perform this function. From the fore oing description it willbe apparent that which simulates in all res ects the appearance of a conventional hand fl sh light, said lamp however carrying a head normally locked against accidental movement but selectively manually adjustable upon retraction of a movable lamp casing section.

It will also be evident that the invention provides effective means for carrying spare amps, for supporting the lamp casing against toppling over and for maintaining lamp circuits established in all positions of adjustment of the lamp head, all without resorting to unduly complex structure or to ard or' cumbersome circuit making mech Thus there is herein described apparatus in tion and is well suited to meet the requirements of practical use.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A ortable electric hand lamp including an e ongated battery casing, a lamp-carrying, beam-projecting head, a switch mechanism mounted on the casing and controlling the lamp circuit, said head having a projection and being movably mounted relatively to the casing, and the latter including a section to engage the projection and maintain the head 1n stationary position, said section being operable to provide clearance when the head is to be moved, and being mounted with respect to the casing so as to be always coaxial thereof. 2. A hand flashlight including an elongated battery casing, a lamp-carrying, beam-projecting head, a switch mechanism mounted on the casing for controlling the lamp circuit, said head having a projection and being movably mounted relatively to the casing, the latter being cut away to provide clearance for such movement and means for engaging the projection and holding the head against movement, said means being operable to release the head and being so mounted with rect to the casing as to be always coaxial 3. A hand flashli ed battery casing, a amp-carrying, beam-pro- 5 jecting head, a switch mechanism mounted on provide'a portable lamp substantial movement of the ht including an elongatthe casing for controlling the lamp circuit,

gated battery casing, a lamp carrying, beam-f projecting head, a. switch mechanism mounted on the casing for controlling the lamp circuit, said head being movably mounted relatively to the casing and having a projection, the casing being cut away to provide clearance for such movement and means for normally closing the cut-away part of the casing, said last mentioned means when in closed position, cooperating with the casing to block movement of the head by engaging the projection and whenwithdrawn, permitting a tion to alter the normal direction of beam projection thereof by morethan 90, said means being so mounted as axial with the casing. p

5. A portable flashlight including a cylindrical battery casing and a lamp-carrying, beam-projecting head pivotally mounted in one end thereof, said casingbeing cut away to accommodate for pivotal movement of the head, a switch controlled lamp circuit unaffected by such movement and a movable section operative to normally close'said cutaway, the casing supporting said section so that the latter is always coaxial thereof.

6. A portable flashlight includinga cylindrical battery casing and a lamp-carrying, beam-projectln head pivotally mounted in one end thereo said casing being cut away to accommodate for pivotal movement of the head, a'switch controlled lamp circuit unaffected by such movement and a movable casing section coaxial with said casing and 0perative to normally close said cutaway. said casing section including a slide member of cross sectional shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the casing portion against which it slides. V a

7. A portable flashlight including a cylindrical battery casing and a lamp-carrying, beam-projectlng head pivotally-mounted in one 'end thereof,.said'casing being cut away to accommodate for pivotal movementof the head, a switch controlled lamp circuit unaffected by such movement and a movable cashead in a direc-' to be always'coing section operative to normally close said cutaway, said .casing section including a slide member ing to the cross-sectional shape of the casing portion against which it slides, said casing having a slot therein, and a handle on the slide member working through the slot.

of cross sectional shape correspond position, prevents pivotal movement of the head.

9. A portable flashlight including a cylindrical battery casing and a lamp-carrying head, pivotally mountedin the upper end thereof and movable into line with the 'longi-' tudinal axis of the casing, with the pivotal axis of said head intersecting the longitudinal axis of the casing, and a displaceable casing section adapted to provide clearance for the pivotal movement of the head, said casing section being displaceable by movement longitudinally of the casing.

10. A portablevflashlight inclu 'ng acylindrical battery casing and a lamp-carrying head, ivotally mounted in the upper en thereo and movable into line with the longitudinal axis of the casing, with the pivotal axis of said head intersecting the longitudinal axis of the casing, and a displaceable casing section adapted to rovide clearance for the pivotal movement 0 the head, said casing section being displaceable by movement longitudinall of the casing, said head being capable 0 pivotal movement through an arc of more than 90, whereby its-beammay be projected downwardly when the casing 1s m upright position restin on its bottom.

11. A portable flashlight including a cylindrical batter casing and a lamp-carryin head, pivotal mounted in the upper en thereof and movable into line with the longitudinal axis of the casing, with the pivotal axis of said head intersecting the longitudinal axis of the casing, and a displaceable casing section adapted to provide clearance for the anced whereby adjustment of the head is ineffective to materially change the center of gravity of the flashlight when the latter is in such upright position.

12. As a new article of manufacture, a portable electrical flashlight including a cylindrical casing having a beam projecting head at one end and a closure cap at the other end, i

and means lying in a single transverse plane and-attached to the closure cap and normally confined within the circumference thereof, adapted to be projected outwardly in said plane to provide an enlargedbase for the flashlight, said means comprising arcuate feet, which when folded inwardly, cooperatively define a circle and which, when opened outwardly, project approximately radially pivotal movement of the'head, said cas ing section being displaceable by movementlongitudinally of the casing, said head being from the base cap, the bottom of the closure cap being recessed, a handle ring pivoted to the cap and normally lying in the recess, said feet, when swung inwardly, being arranged in non-interfering relationship with the handle ring.

13. As a new article of manufacture, an electric flashlight including an elongated cylindrical body, an adjustable lamp carrying head, said body having a cut-away portion and a displaceable section to uncover said portion and permit the adjustment of the head and a spare lamp carrier secured adjacent said head to the interior of the body and accessible without removal of the head when the body section is displaced.

14. As a new article of manufacture, a flashlight including a cylindrical battery casing and an adjustable head, said casing being cut away at its upper end to permit adjust- .ment of the head, and a sleeve member rotatable on said casing normally operative to conceal said cutaway and having an opening therein to expose said cutaway. when rotated to a predetermined position.

15. As a new article of manufacture, a flashlight including a'cylindrical battery casing and an adjustable head, said casing being cut away at its upper end to permit adjustment of the head, and a sleeve member rotatable on said casing normally operative to conceal said cutaway and having an opening therein to expose said cutaway when rotated to a predetermined position, the uncutaway portions of the sleeve and the casing normally tendin to block movement of the head.

16. tery casing, ahead of insulating material movably mounted in one end of the casing, a lamp carried thereby, and contact mechanism for the lamp substantially self contained within said head and adapted to coact with, corresponding contact mechanism carried by the casing,'said contact mechanism being constructed and adapted to enable ,the lamp to be illuminated in various positions of said head.

1-7. An electric flashlight including a battery casing and head of insulating material movably mounted in one end of the casing, a

lamp carried thereby, contact mechanism embedded in said head to be engaged by the terminals of the lamp when the lamp is mounted in the head, and said contact mechanism being constructed and adapted to enable the lamp to be illuminated in various positions,

terminals carried by the casing to cooperate with said mechanism, part of said terminals being elongated to enable the latter to be connected to the circuit in various positions of the head.

11 electric flashlight including a bat- 18. An electric flashlight including a: bat- I tery casing, a lamp carryinghead pivotally mounted rel tive to the casing, the latter being shaped to permit movement of the head and a movable sleeve carried by the casing to cooperate therewith in permittlng such movement, said sleeve and said casing engaging each other so that the sleeve is always coaxial with the casing.

19. An electric flashlight accordin to claim 18 wherein the sleeve is slidable wit respect to the casing; 20. An electric flashlight according to claim 18 wherein said sleeve is rotatable with res ect to the casing.

igned at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 31st day of March A. D. 1930. Y v JOSEPH J. HERLBAUER.

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