US2358820A - Portable electric flashlight - Google Patents

Description

. 1a. F. M uLDooN PORTABLE ELECTRICI FLASHLIGHT Filed' sept. 21; 194s All sept. 2s,` 1,944.

f 3-3 of Fig. 2; and f Patented Sept. 26, 1944 Bernard Francis Muldoon, Caldwell, N. J., assigner to Henry Hyman,y New York, N Y;

Application september 21, 1943,- serial No. 503,1835

, This invention relates to portable electric flashlights.

.The mainobject of the invention is to provide Other objects of this invention will 1n part be obvious andinY part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the fea-Y tures of construction, combinations-of'elements,

and arrangement of parts which will be eXempli-.l

fied in the construction hereinafterdescribed;v and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the claims.

Certain features shown and/,or described andvr notI claimed herein are shown, described and claimedY in my copending applications Serial No. 377,983, led February 8, 1941, and Serial No; 503,182, filed September 21, 1943. I In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one ofthe various possible embodiments of this invention, f Fig. 1 is a front to back central longitudinal sectionthrough a flashlight embodying the invention; .5 Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through theV head of the flashlight taken, substantially along `the line 1 Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. v3 with the head assembly removed. 1f

ll'teferringr now `in detail to the drawill. the iiashlight I0 embodying the invention therey shown comprises a battery casing I2, a head assembly I4, Va base assembly I6 and anj electrica1 system which includes a switch I8 and various partsof the head and rear assemblies.

.By Way of example, the casing I2 is for the anglehead type of iiashlight and consists of a body portion 20 of cylindrical tubular shape and an'v integral angularly disposed cylindrical tubular head portion 22 molded from plastic electrically non-conductive material such as phenol condensate or cellulose acetate butyrate.

Between the head and body portions is provided a partition 24 which comprises a continuation of awall of the head casing portion 22 insidey ofthe casing I2, said wall thus being of arcuate substantially semi-circular configuration as shown in Fig. 2. The body casing portion 20 houses a sourceA of 'energy such as a set of batteries B, the lower most of which compresses` a battery spring 2li which bears against the zinc cup thereof. Said battery spring rests against a ledge 28 in a bottom closure cap 30 and contacts a ferrule 32 nested in the bottom of the body portion of the casing. `'l'he ferrule in turn is in electrical contact with an electrically conductive strip 34 running to the switch I8.

1 -The switch I8 is adapted to make and break an electric circuit between .the conductive strip 34 and another electrically conductive strip 36. Said second strip Alies in al channelSB formed by apair of spaced ridges 40, 42 extending parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe body portion 20. The Achannel 38 extends through an opening 39 inthe partition 24 to permit the strip 36 to passY freely from the interior of the body portiony to the interior of the head portion.

At the upper end of the strip there is provided an angled extension 44 which runs from the strip toward the iront of the head in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the head portion 22. ,The tip of this angled extension 44 is adapted to make electric contact with the electrically conductive parabolicreflector 46 which itselfis in electric contact with one of the terminals of the lamp 48.

However, rit has proven` extremely difliclt to insure goodfcontact between the tip of this angled extension and the reflector, particularly where the casing is of a molded plastic material,V

To overcome this diiiculty and provide an inexpensive, simple and positive electrical connection between the battery and a reflector, the following construction is employed: J=

Asmall tapered pin.50 ntegrallyextends from the casing. Said pinruns parallel to the longitudinal axis of the head casing portion 22 Vand is securedthereto byanintegral wall 52 .which stops short of the tiprof the pin-so as to provide a slot -54 whose wallsare spaced radially of the longitudinal axis-of. the head .portionof the casing and whichfacestoward thefront ofr said portion. 'f f y The interior diameterof the front end of said head portion is enlarged and provided on its outer surface with threads whichare adapted to mesh with'the female threads of a lens ring` 56. Said lens` ring clamps a lens 58 and a flange 66 on .the parabolic reector 46between the lens ring and the forward end of the head portionv 22. 'Due to the enlargement of the forward end of said head portion a flaring fillet 62 is formed between the part of the casing including the slot' tion 22 lying in the same'radial plane as said Y slot.

' Due to the presenceof this obstruction, when' theV head assembly, including the-reflector 46, is mounted on the head casing portion 22, the refiector will first contact the tip of the angled extension 44 while it is disposed in its relaxed position shown in Fig. 4. As the reflector is urged inwardly it will force the tip of said extension outwardly. This first results in shifting the conductor 36 away from the inner wall 54a of the slot, into engagement with which it is biased when relaxed, and urging said conductor against the outer wall 54h of the slot. Further radially outward shifting of the tip ofthe angled wall 54a and reflector 46, as shown in Fig. 3. This construction thus insures good electrical contact between the extension and the reflectorv and firmly anchors theupper end of the extension in position once the head assembly has been screwed on the casing. It will be appreciated that since the foregoing construction firmly secures one end of the'strip 36 in position, the latter need be held to the casing at but one morek point and must be so mounted that said tip will be engaged automatically by the reflector 46 during positioning of the head assembly. Accordingly said strip is permanently secured to the casing only by a rivet 64 which electrically connects the stripto the'switch I8. Although the rivet vbinds the strip against the casing thestrip'may be rotated about said rivet and it is maintained in proper position for contact-with the reflector by its disposal in the channel 38. In addition,` since the strip passes through the opening 39 inthe partition 24, it cannot be angularly deflected, even accidentally, to such a position that it will not engage the reflector during mounting of the head assembly.

It will be noted that when thetip of the'strip 36 engages the reflector the strip maybe rotated about the rivet 64 and forced against the base of the slot 54. This further serves to securely anchor the strip in the casing so that a good electrical contact will be maintained between the strip and the reflector as long as the head assembly is in position.

It will be understood that the foregoing construction can be employed in any flashlight wherein one leg :of the electric-circuit which energizes the lamp 48 from the batteries B includes the reflector 46 for such lamp. By way of exam'-v ple, I have illustrated one such flashlight in which an electrically conductive threaded ferrule 66 is clinched around the opening at the rear of the reflector in such manner as to provide an inwardly directed flange 68 against which the flange 'l0 of the lamp 48 is seated, The lamp flange is held in this position by a plug 12 of insulating material which is screwed into the ferrule. Said plug has a central bore through which the lamp base freely passes. The central terminal 14 of the lamp extends beyond said plug to engage a resilient electrically conductive contact 16 which is fixed to the partition 24 by a rivet 18. This rivet extends through the partition to Contact the central electrode 80 of the uppermost battery thus completing the energizing circuit for the lamp when the switch I8 is closed.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a device in which the several objects of the invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet theconditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. U y

Having thus described ymy, invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1 A portable electric flashlight comprising a casing of insulating material, a head assembly adapted to be detachably mounted on one end of said casing, the head assembly receiving portion of said casing being hollow and having an internal protuberance, said assembly including a reflector of electrically conductive material which is moved longitudinally inwardly of said portion during mounting of the head assembly and a f lamp whereof one terminal is in electrical contact with said reflector, said reflector beingl included in one leg of an electric circuit for energizing said-lamp from a battery .in the casing, an electrically conductive strip'inside and extending longitudinally of said casing portion, the tip of said strip being so disposed as to engage said reflector during mounting of the head assembly and be forced radially outward thereby, another part of said strip being so disposed as to be forced against and pivoted upon said protuberance as said tip is moved radially outwardly, and still another part of said strip being so disposed as to be forced radially inwardly as said strip pivots about said protuberance, and means to restrict the radial inward movement of said last named strip part whereby the strip will be bowed as its tip isforced radially outwardly during mounting of the head assembly so that the strip is anchored and good electrical contact is secured between said strip and the reflector.

2. A flashlight as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for restricting radial inward movement of the strip part comprises a'pin integrally formed with said casing and having a portion thereof spaced radially inwardly therefrom to provide a slot between the pin and theV casing.

3. A flashlight as set forth in claim 1 wherein the forward end of the casing portion whereon the head assembly is mounted has an inner diameter greater than the inner diameter of the portion of the casing on whichmeans is provided to restrict inward radial movement of the strip part, and wherein the protuberance about which the strip pivots comprises the section of the casing at which the inner casing diameter is enlarged.

'4. A flashlight as set forth in claim l wherein the casing has a body portion integrally connected to the headv assembly receiving portion and disposed at right angles thereto, said two casing portions having an integral `partition therebetween which is disposed within the casing and wherein the conductive strip has an angled leg freely extending through said partition and anchored in said body portion- 5. A flashlight as set forth in vclaim l'wherein the casing has a body portion Aintegrally connected to the head assembly receiving portion and disposed at right angles thereto, said two casing portions having an integral Vpartition therebetween which is disposed within the casing and wherein the conductive strip has an angled leg freely extending through said partition and anchored in said body portion at a single point about which it may be rotated.

BERNARD FRANCIS MULDOON.

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