US2510320A

US2510320A - Combination deck and hand searchlight

Info

Publication number: US2510320A
Application number: US57349A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur P Sauer
Original assignee: KILBORN SAUER Co
Current assignee: KILBORN SAUER Co; KILBORN-SAUER Co
Priority date: 1948-10-29
Filing date: 1948-10-29
Publication date: 1950-06-06
Anticipated expiration: 1967-06-06

Description

June 6, 1950 A, P, SAUER 2,510,320

COMBINATION DECK AND HAND SEARCHLIGHT Filed Oct. 29, 1948 INVENTOR.

ARTHUR? EAUER BY aw-MW ATTORNEY.

Patented June 6, 1950 CUMBINATIQN DECK AND HAND SEARCHLIGHT Arthur P. Sauer, Fairfield, Conn., assignor to The KilbormSauer Company, Fairfield, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application October 29, 1948, Serial No. 57,349

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a combination deck and hand searchlight, particularly of the marine type for mounting upon a boat deck or the like and adapted to be manually 'manipulated to control the direction of the searchlight beam.

An object of the invention is to provide a searchlight structure including a lamp unit and a mounting post, wherein the lamp unit is readily removable from the mounting post so that it may be stored when not in use. A further object is to provide electric contact means cooperating between the post and the lamp-unit adapted to be automatically connected upon assembly of the unit with the post, and further to provide such means which will permit free rotational movement of the searchlight unit in either direction through 360.

Another object is to provide an auxiliary portable socket member, into which the lamp unit may be inserted upon removal from the post, and whereby the searchlight is converted from the deck-type searchlight to a portable hand searchlight. A further object is to provide a searchlight in which the operating parts and the electrical connections are completely closed, so that they are effectually protected against the entrance of water, salt spray and other deteriorating elements.

With the above and other objects in view, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be 'finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a searchlight structure, according to the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the invention, and showing the lamp unit in assembled relation with the post for mounting upon a boat deck.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partially broken away.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, also on an enlarged scale, taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view, taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partially broken away,

showing the lamp unit removed from the post.

Fig. 7 is a Side elevation, partially broken away showing the upper end of the post with a closure cap assembled therewith.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the auxiliary porta- 2 ble socket in which the lamp unit is adapted to be inserted.y

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the combination deck and hand searchlight, according to the illustrated exemplary embodiment of the invention, comprises a lamp casing I Il of conventional type provided with a sealed beam type lamp elementY I I and an operating handle i 2, the lamp casing being provided in its lower side with a horizontally disposed attened bearing portion I3 provided with a circular aperture I4 for receiving the threaded stud I5 of a mounting head It. The mounting head extends outwardly at its upper end from the stud I5 for abutting engage- -ment with the underside of the bearing portion I3, the head being secured to the lamp casing by a washer I1 engaging the upper side of the bearing portion i3 and a nut i8 screwed upon the stud I5. The head I6 is provided near its upper end with an annular abutment shoulder I9 and at its lower portion is slotted, as at 2U, to form a pair of leg portions 2| and 22, the opposed inner surfaces of which are flat and parallel to each other. The external surfaces of the leg portions are cylindrical and are engaged b-y a cylindrical tubular sleeve 23 to enclose the open ends of the slot 2li, the upper edge of the sleeve engaging the shoulder I9 and being 4secured to the head by being soldered or brazed at its upper edge to the shoulder I9 and at its inner circular surfaces to the outer cylinldrie-a1 surface of the leg portion 2 I, the cylindrical surface of the leg portion portion 22 being unattached with respect to the sleeve, so that it may have relative movement toward the leg 2|, as will presently more fully appear. A verticalpassage 24 extends axially through the threaded portion I5 to the upper end of the slot 20 for receiving a conductor wire from the lamp, as will presently more fully appear.

The leg portion 22 is provided with a cylindrical bolt-receiving hole 25 and a cylindrical countersink recess 2E, and the sleeve 23 is provided with a hole 21 registering with the counter-sink recess 26. A threaded hole 28 is provided in the leg portion 2l and the sleeve 23, in axial alignment with the hole 25, for receiving the threaded end of a headed. bolt 29, the head of which is adapted to seat within the counter-sink recess 22. By virtue of the fact that the leg portion 22 is unattached to the sleeve 23, tighteningv of the bolt is adapted to force the leg portion 22 toward the leg portion 2 I. A lock nut 30 is engaged upon the threaded 3 end of the bolt 29 and seats upon a flattened surface provided upon the sleeve 23.

Engaged between the leg portions 2| and 22 is the upper head portion 32 of a plug member 33, this head portion being provided with a transverse cylindrical passage 34 through which the bolt 29 is engaged. The forward and rearward surfaces of the head portion are spherically formed, as at 3'5, and the side surfaces are flat, as at 35, the latter being engaged by the flat side surfaces of the slot 25, and the spherical surfaces 35 allowing relative tilting movement about the axis of the bolt 29 of the head member l5 carrying the lamp casing. This tilting movement is permitted when the bolt 29 is screwed outwardly to release the leg portion 22, tightening of the bolt adapted to force the leg portion 22 toward the leg portion 2l to thus bind against the head portion 32 to lock the position of tilting of the lamp casing.

Below the head portion 32 of the plug member there is provided a cylindrical neck portion 31 which acts as a stop to limit the up and down tilting of the lamp. Thelower end of the plug member is in the form of a cylindricalk plug portion 38 adapted to be insertedY in the upper end of the cylindrical tubular post 39, being provided at its upper end with an annular fiange 40 having a recess 4I into which. the upper edge of the post engages to thus provide a seal against the entrance of water. The post is of any suitable height, and at its lower end is provided with a base d2 adapted to be attached by screws or the like to the decl: of the boat.

The plug portion 38 is provided with an annular recess i3 in which is engaged a split ring member the latter being Aengageable by a set screw 45' provided in the post, tightening of the set screw adapted to frictionally bind the ring 4 against the interior of the post to thus retain the plug member against removal from the post while still permitting itY tok be freely turned in either direction through 360. shown clearly in Fig. 4, the set screw 45 projects inwardly of the outer'cylindrical surface ofthe plug portion 38, so that the plug portion is positively retained against removal. However upon loosening the set screw the plug portion may be readily removed from the post.

A central vertical passage 45 extends upwardly through the plug vmember and is provided at its lower end with an enlarged recess portion 41 in which is engaged an insulating bushing49. The upper end of the passage 46 terminates above the bolt 29 and below the upper flat surface 49 of the plug member, and at one side of the bolt there is provided in the head portion 36 of the plug member a vertical passage i) extending downwardly from the flat surface 49 and intersecting the passage 46. A cylindrical tubular bushing 5| is provided in the passage 50 and extends from the upper flat surface 49 to a point in upwardly spaced relation to the lower end of the passage 59, thus providing a wire-receiving passage through the plug member disposed at one side of the bolt 29 but out of contact therewith.

The insulation-covered conductor wire 52 secured to one binding post 53 of the lamp extends downwardly through the passage 24 of the head member and through the tube `5| at one side of the bolt 29, and thence downwardly through the passage 45. The insulation covering of the wire 52 is removed from its lower end and upon this bared portion of the wire there is soldered a sleeve 54 having a lateral ange 55 at its upper AsV end and a flared flange 59 at its lower end, a contact button 5'! being secured within this flared lower end by being soldered to the end of the wire. The sleeve 54 is slidably engaged with the inwardly fianged upper end 58 of a bushing 59 engaged within the insulating bushing 48, the lower end of the bushing y59 being outwardly flanged, as at 60, to engage the lower end of the bushing 48. A helical spring 5| is disposed about the sleeve 54 between the flange 58 and the ared ange 59, and normally presses the contact button 5l of the wire outwardly while permitting it to yield inwardly upon pressure being applied to the contact button 51.

Within the post 39 and seated upon an annular rib 52 thereof is a centrally apertured metal disk 53, provided with a central contact member 64 insulated from the disk by insulation washers 55 and 55, the contact member being in the form of a hollow rivet having its upper end riveted over upon the upper surface ofthe insulating washer 55, so thatit forms a contact sockety in which the contact button 5t' isV adapted to engage. A binding screw 5T. is provided in the lower side of the contact member 64 for'connection of the end of the conductor wire 58, this conductor wire extending downwardly through the post to a suitable source of current. Another conductor wire 59 is secured by soldering to the disk. 53, and also extends downwardly through the post to the source of current. The disk 53 is in current-conducting contact with the post and through the metal-to-metal contact of the plug member with the post and with the head member IE provides electrical conduction to the lamp casing, to which the lamp is grounded at the opposite side from its connection with the conductor wire 52 by a conductor wire "sil connected between the lamp and the lamp casing, being conveniently connected to the casing by engaging it beneath the washer Il.

In operation the lamp maybe tilted either upwardly or downwardly as desired by vrloosening the bolt 29, and may be fixed at any desired tilted po` sition by tightening the bolt 29. Through the handle I2 the lamp may be directed in any direction through free'rotation of the plug member in the post, the electrical contact connection between the plug and the post permitting free-rotation through 360 in either direction. When not in use the lamp unit may be readily removed from the post for storage and protection simply by loosening the set screw 45 and removing the plug portion from the post. As shown in Fig. rI a closer cap il. may be inserted in the upper end of the post to protect it against theentrance of water, this cap being provided with a recessed flange 'i2 for sealing engagement with the upper edge of the post, and being provided with an annular recess '13 for locking engagement of the set screw therewith.

In Fig. 8 there is illustratedv a portable socket member 'f4 of substantially identical construction to the upper end portion of the post 39,` its lower end being provided with a centrally apertured end wall 'l5 through-which the conductor wires 58 and 59 extend. The plug portion of thev lamp unit is inserted therein when it is desired to use the lamp as a portable hand type searchlight or general utilitylamp.

I have illustrated and described a preferred andV satisfactory embodiment of theY invention, but it will be understood that changes may be'made therein within the spirit and scopethereof as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a searchlight, a lamp unit including a casing, a head member secured to said casing, a plug member pivotally connected to said head member having a cylindrical plug portion provided With an external annular recess, a split ring engaged in said recess, a tubular cylindrical mounting member rotatably engageable by said cylindrical plug portion of said plug member and surrounding said split ring, and a set screw car ried by said mounting member engageable in said recess to restrain said plug member against axial movement while permitting it to rotate, said set screw being engaged with the exterior surface of said ring to bind it within the space defined by Said annular recess and the surrounding tubular mounting member.

2. In a searchlight, a lamp unit including a casing, a head member secured to said casing'and having a wire-receiving passage therethrough and further having spaced leg portions defining a slot between them, a sleeve surrounding said leg portions and enclosing the ends of said slot, at least one of said leg portions being free of attachment at its outer surface to said sleeve, a plug member having an apertured head portion engaged in said slot between said leg portions, a transverse bolt extending between said leg portions and engaged through said apertured head portion to permit relative pivotal movement of said lamp unit relatively to said leg portion, tightening of said bolt adapted to bind said leg portions against the sides of said head portion to secure the lamp unit against tilting, said plug member having a wire-receiving 'passage extending therethrough, a conductor wire extending from said lamp unit through said passage of said head member and through said passage of plug member, and a tubular mounting member engageable by said plug member.

3. In a searchlight, a lamp unit including a casing, a head member secured in said casing and having a wire-receiving passage therethrough and further having spaced leg portions dening a slot between them, a plug member having an apertured head portion engaged in said slot between said leg portions, a transverse bolt extending between said leg portions and engaged through said apertured head portion to permit relative pivotal movement of said lamp unit relatively to said leg portion, tightening of said bolt adapted to bind said leg portions against the sides oi said head portion to Secure the lamp unit against tilting, said plug member having an offset wire-receiving passage extending downward ly from its upper end at one side of said bolt and an axial wire-receiving passage connected to said oil-set passage and extending downwardly there-x from to the lower end of said plug member, a sleeve xedly engaged in said off-set passage in laterally opposed relation to said bolt, and a conductor-wire extending from said lamp unit through said passage of said head member and through said passages and sleeve of said plug member out of Contact with said bolt.

ARTHUR P. SAUER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,270,940 Godley July 2, 1918 1,880,730 Bogue Oct. 4, 19321, 1,987,117 Levesque Jan. 8, 1935 2,414,807 Gross Jan. 28, 1947