US2159932A

US2159932A - Flashlight bracket and holder

Info

Publication number: US2159932A
Application number: US70947A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bernard F Muldoon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1936-03-26
Filing date: 1936-03-26
Publication date: 1939-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 1956-05-23

Description

y '1939- B. F. 'MULDOON 2,159,932

7 FLASHLIGHT BRACKET AND HOLDER Filed March 26, 1936 M/{M INVENTOR 5" i J 046 ZiTORNEYJ Patented May 23, 1939 TENT OFFHIE FLASHLIGHT' BRACKET AND HOLDER Bernard F. Muldoon, Mountain View, N. J., as-

signor to Henry Hyman, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 26, 1936, Serial No. 70,947

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a device by means of which a flashlight can be supported in various ways and in different positions. At the same time, the flashlight may be so supported that the 5 light thereof will be directed to the desired place or in the desired direction. Adjustments may be so made that the flashlight can be held at various angles on surfaces such as a floor, or table, or a pavement, and the flashlight may also be held by the same adjusting means in such a Way that this adjusting means operates as a sup port or hanger for it. The flashlight may be hung from a nail, ledge, belt or other support, or may be conveniently and readily carried about 15 by the user with either one or more fingers and the light directed wherever desired.

The invention will be understood from the description in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of an il- 20 lustrative embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view at right angles to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view showing the device in an adjusted position; and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the pivoted or hinged member that is attached to the flash- In the drawing, reference character I indicates a flashlight casing, which may be of any of the well-known sorts. It will be understood that the one indicated in the drawing will have 30 a lamp bulb, reflector, etc., at one end and a screw cap at the other end for convenience in removing and inserting batteries. The present invention is preferably, although not necessarily, used in connection with flashlights that have cas- 35 ings with longitudinal corrugations therealong, as indicated by the reference character 2. A typical push button for the flashlight is indicated at 3.

A curved metallic member 4 is attached to the 40 casing l by rivets or by soldering or in any other convenient way, so as to be rigidly and securely attached to the casing. This member 4 serves as a hinge member or a member to which the bracket or holder 5 is connected by a hinge or 45 pivot in such a way that this bracket or holder will be frictionally held in adjusted positions.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention the bracket 5 is pivoted or hinged to the member 4 so as torbe frictionally held in ad- 50 justed positions by a pair of spaced lugs 4' bent up from the member 4 between which lugs 4' other lugs 5 at the end of the bracket or holder 5 are placed with a bolt 5 threaded at its outer end and'passing through the lugs 4 and 5. One

55 of the lugs 4' is threaded to receive the screwthreaded end of the bolt 6 and a sleeve 6' is placed between the lugs 5 through which sleeve the bolt 6 passes. The length of the sleeve 6 is approximately the same as the distance between the lugs 5', so that when the bolt 6 is tightened the lugs 4 are pressed against the lugs 5 to retain the bracket or holder 5 frictionally in whatever position it is moved around the bolt 6 as a pivot.

The bracket or support 5 has at its outer end 10 oppositely extending curved arms 1, whose curvature corresponds to that of the casing l,s0 that when this member 5 is turned into the position shown in Fig. 2, the arms 1 will extend partly around the casing I. The arms I are preferably made long enough to extend slightly more than half way around the casing so that they will snap beyond the diamet'rical line and keep the bracket or holder 5 from being accidentally turned when not in use.

The outer ends of the arms 1 are preferably provided with parallel ends or extensions 8. When the device is used with flashlight casings that have longitudinal corrugations the inner surfaces of the extensions 8 of the arms 1 are provided with small ribs 9 which snap into opposite valleys of corrugations when the member 5 is folded back out of position for using, so that it is thereby securely kept in place.

The member 5 may be provided with a hole or opening it! near its outer end for convenience in hanging the same over the nail head or screw head or the like.

t will beobvious that the member 5 may be used as a bracket or hook for supporting the flashlight, or it may be used as a handle by means of which the user can carry the flashlight and point it in any desired direction. By adjusting the member 5, for example as illustrated in Fig.

3, the flashlight can be placed upon a surface or 40 support in such a way that the rays therefrom can be directed in practically any direction from the horizontal to the vertical, merely by adjusting the position of the member 5 and having its length suitable and the point at which it is attached to the casing l at the right place. It will be noted that even though the end of the flashlight casing i which rests upon the floor or the like is round, the flashlight will not topple over because the spaced corners H together with the end of the casing provide a three point support for the casing. It will also be obvious that the user can place the second and third fingers respectively on opposite sides of the member 5 near its outer end and curve the first and second joints thereof to lie parallel to the portions 8 and between these portions, thus securing a grip by means of which the flashlight can be conveniently directed in all directions. Since the member is frictionally retained in adjusted positions it will be turned while in use to suit the conditions prevailing at the moment. It will also be obvious that the flashlight can be hung from rods, belts, ledges, automobile fixtures, etc., by hooking the ends of the extensions 8 thereover in such a manner that the rods or the like extend at right angles to the member 5 as shown in Fig. 3.

If desired, the shank of the member 5 may be provided with a somewhat tight pivot or 'joint l2 so as to enable the same to be bentin the plane of the shank, thus enabling the light to be pointed in difierent directions even when the flashlight is supported or swung so that its arms I cannot be turned around the shankv of this member as an axis.

Iiclaim:

1. Means for supporting a flashlight in selected angular positions comprising three members, the

first one of said members being attached to said flashlight, the second one being hinged to the first one to move in a plane at an angle to the plane of movement of the second one, the construction and arrangement being such as to adapt said flashlight to be positioned in angular positions above a support or depending from a support.

3. In a flashlight a hinged member attached to the casing of saidflashlight, the outer end of said member being provided with curved arms corresponding to the curvature of the casing of said flashlight; said curved arms being long enough to extend at least half way around said casing, extensions on said arms parallel to said hinged member and ribs on the inner sides of said extensions adapted to snap into corrugations that may be provided along a flashlight casing.

BERNARD F. MULDOON.