US2744187A

US2744187A - Emergency electric lantern

Info

Publication number: US2744187A
Application number: US421579A
Authority: US
Inventors: Chester J Moak
Original assignee: HERBERT L GLIDDEN
Current assignee: HERBERT L GLIDDEN
Priority date: 1954-04-07
Filing date: 1954-04-07
Publication date: 1956-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1973-05-01

Description

y 1956 c. J. MOAK EMERGENCY ELECTRIC LANTERN Filed April 7, 1954 agifixawr ATT'YS United States Patent EMERGENCY ELECTRIC LANTERN Chester J. Moak, Port Huron, Mich., assignor of one-half to Herbert L. Glidden, Roscommon, Mich.

Application April 7, 1954, Serial No. 421,579

2 Claims. (Cl. 240--8.18)

This invention relates to improvements in electric lanterns especially suitable for emergency uses.

When atmospheric conditions create violent disturbances across stretches of the earths surface, storms very often bring destruction of varying kinds to the facilities upon which communities are much dependent for their comfort if not their basic existence. These storms may be snow, sleet, rain, and/or wind. Among the facilities most vulnerable to dishabilitation are the power and communication lines Where they are strung on poles or towers across the landscape. Their temporary disablement often results in great inconvenience where it does not necessarily cause actual suffering. Utility companies, responsible for the maintenance of these facilities, have crews of men ready at a moments notice for dispatch to rehabilitate such facilities as quickly as possible. Often these crews are called out at night and on occasion may require carrying over daylight activities into the night. On such occasions these men have to climb poles or trees and move over the ground from or on which may be hanging or lying portions of live, high-powered wires and cables, accidental contact with which could mean serious injury if not quick death.

On these occasions some kind of light becomes imperative, to permit the eflective work of restoration and to guard against injuries and death. Motor vehicle headlights and conventional lanterns are not always adequate to meet the needs of the workmen involved in undertaking a quick restoration of these wrecked facilities.

The main objects of this invention, therefore, are to provide an improved form of electric lantern especially suitable for use in emergencies; to provide an improved emergency lantern of this kind which may be used to fan out the light rays horizontally or vertically, as changing phases of the situation may require; to provide an improved emergency electric lantern of this kind adapted to give a continuous light beam or a colored flashing signal; to provide improved means for mounting a colored lens in storage in the lantern or for use thereon; to provide an improved relative arrangement of the transport handle and the control switch whereby the switch lever is protected against accidental shifting when the lantern is not in transport; and to provide an improved electric lantern of this kind which is so simple in its construction as to make its manufacture very economical and to make it available for use with almost any source of electric power.

One specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an emergency electric lantern constructed in accordance with this invention, the transport handle being shown in its retractive position for protecting the switch against accidental shifting.

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the lantern with the back closure in open position.

Fig. 3 is an inside perspective view of the colored lens for use when it is desired to have the lantern provide a warning signal.

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Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail illustrating a cable connector for use with a motor-vehicle cigarette-lighter socket.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view illustrating how the color lens is positioned on the housing front, and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical circuits involving a cable connector, the flash unit, the switch, and the light.

The essential concept of this invention involves a housing mounting, a seal-beam headlight, a flasher unit and switch connected in circuit with a length of cable leading to power-line connectors, the housing having a hinged cover for storing a colored lens magnetized for retentive positioning in the cover or on the front of the housing over the headlight lens, a transport handle being secured to the housing for protecting the switch against accidental shifting when the handle is folded down against the housing during stationary use of the lantern.

A lantern embodying the foregoing concept comprises, a housing 11, with a hinged back-closure 12 and a hinged transport-handle 13, on and within which housing 11 are arranged a sealed beam headlight 14, a flasher unit 16, and a switch 17 all connected in circuit with a cable 18 leading to

terminal connectors

19 or 19 attachable to a source of power; a color lens 20 being provided with permanent magnets for positioning the lens in storage in the closure 12 or on the housing front over the light lens 15.

The housing 11 is here shown of rectangular form. It is preferably made of a gage of metal that will constitute a sturdy structure capable of rough usage in all kinds of weather with little likelihood of damage to itself or the parts thereof. The front panel 21 is cut out to accommodate the headlight 14 and has

flanges

22 and 23 along the bottom edge and the adjacent side edge, serving as a safety support for the color lens 20, as presently will be pointed out. At the rear of one side is a slot 24 for the cable 18.

The closure 12 is formed with flanges 26 around the entire perimeter. A pair of side projections 27 permit the closure 12 to be hinged at 28 to the housing sides near the base 29, so that the closure 12 may be swung between a closed position with the flanges embracing the peripheral edges of the top and side walls of the housing 11 and an open position, as respectively shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A small depression 30, formed in the flange 26, to form a protrusion which seats in a similar depression 31 in the top of the housing to yieldingly retain the closure 12 in its closed position on the housing 11.

The handle 13 is here shown of substantial C-shape, with its end lugs 34 hinged to a pair of posts 32 secured on the top 33 of the housing 11. As will be noted most readily from Fig. 1, the lugs 34 have one corner rounded and the other square as at 36. Thus, the handle 13 can be swung in only one direction from its transport position (Fig. 2) to its retracted position against the housing op 33, in which latter position arcuate portion 35 of the handle 13 is around the switch lever 37 and tends to protect it against accidental shifting during the time the lantern is in stationary use.

The headlight 14 is a conventional, seal-beam unit standard with present day motor vehicles. As such it tends to fan out the light rays in one direction nearly axially of the light. The light 14 is secured in the housing frontpanel opening by screws 38 or bolts and nuts.

The flasher unit 16 is a conventional item generally used for so alternating the circuit as to cause flashing of the light 14. This flasher unit 16 is mounted on the inside of the housing top 33 in position to be conveniently connected to the cable 18 along with the switch 17.

The switch 17, also is a conventional item of the double throw type so that it can connect the headlight 14 directly with a continuous flowing source of power or cut in the flasher un t 16 as may be desired by those using this as an emergency lantern. As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the switch 17 is so positioned on the housing top 33 as to locate the lever 37 within the area of the transport handle 13 when it is folded down against the housing top 33.

The cable 18 is a suitable length of conventional material with one of its leads connected to the headlight 14 and the other to the switch 17. At its outer end the cable 18 mounts a connector either of the clamp type 19 or the plug-in type 19'. The former permits attachment to any exposed terminals in a source of electrical power and is especially suitable for connection to a motor-vehicle battery which may often be the only source of current available until some of the lines can be completed. The plug-in connector 19' is here shown of the type suitable for inserting into the cigarette-lighter socket on a motor-vehicle. and stored in the housing 11.

The color lens 20, also is a conventional item and is of a size that can be seated in the closure 12, when not in use, or be set over the headlight 14 when a color warning signal is required. Permanent magnets 39 are secured in the four corners of the lens 20 by means of which it is retained in position in either the closure 12 or on the housing front 21.

This emergency lantern is useful in the following manner:

When light is needed for workmen on the ground the lantern is set on its base 29, as shown in Fig. 1. This will afford a wide angle, horizontally, of strong illumination for men working even a considerable distance from the lantern. When men have to ascend poles or trees, the lantern may be laid on its side so that the rays fan out vertically. With the lantern set only a short distance from the poles illumination will be available to a height quite beyond the highest poles or trees the men will have to ascend.

When it is desired to use the lantern as a warning signal, the color lens 20 is placed on the housing front 21 over the headlight 14. If a flashing signal is required the switch 17 may be turned to cut in the flasher unit 16. With this color lens 20 on the lantern front the lantern may be set either on its base 29 or on one of the sides. In either case the lens 20 rests against the flange 22 or flange 23 which serve to insure against the lens 20 being accidentally displaced.

During the time the lantern is in use, and not being transported, the handle 13 is turned down against the housing top 33 to protect the switch lever 37 from being accidentally shifted.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. An emergency electric lantern comprising a rectangular-shaped housing of a dimension top to bottom and side to side slightly greater than the diameter of a conventional motor-vehicle seal-beam headlight and of a front to rear dimension greater than the axial length of such a headlight, the housing being operatively position- When not in use the cable is coiled up able on either its bottom or one side and having one end open and the other end annularly recessed to receive the headlight lens, a closure for the open end of the housing hinged to the sides of the housing adjacent the bottom, flanges along three sides of the closure for telescopically fitting the housing when the closure is in its closed position, a conventional motor-vehicle seal-beam headlight secured in the housing with its lens disposed in the recessed housing end, a pair of spaced posts on the housing top, a handle hinged to the posts and limited to a one-way swinging between an upright carrying position and a retracted position against the housing top, a switch fixed on the housing top between the posts in position to be operated by a hand grasping the handle in carrying posi tion and to be partially enclosed within the handle in its retracted position against the housing top, and a length of cable having a power line connector on one end and having the other end connected in circuit with the headlight and the switch and storable in the housing when not in use.

2, An emergency electric lantern comprising, a rec tangular-shape metal housing of a dimension top to bottom and side to side slightly greater than the diameter of a conventional motor-vehicle seal-beam headlight and a front to rear dimension greater than the axial length of such a headlight, the housing being operatively positionable on either its bottom or one side and having one end open and the other end annularly recessed to receive the headlight lens, flanges on the housing recessed end along the bottom and the one side edge thereof respectively, a closure for the open end of the housing hinged to the sides of the housing adjacent the bottom, flanges along three sides of the closure for telescopically fitting the housing when the closure is in its closed position, a conventional motor-vehicle seal-beam headlight secured in the housing with its lens disposed in the recessed housing end, a pair of spaced posts on the housing top, a handle hinged to the posts and limited to a oneway swinging between an upright carrying position and a retracted position against the housing top, a switch fixed on the housing top between the posts in position to be operated by a hand grasping the handle in carrying position and to be partially enclosed within the handle in its retracted position against the housing top, a length of cable having a power line connector on one end and having the other end connected in circuit with the headlight and the switch and storable in the housing when not in use, and a rectangular-shaped supplemental color lens dimensioned to fit within the closure flanges and over the headlight lens when resting on the housing flanges, the supplemental lens having permanent magnets at corners thereof adapted to removablyretain the supplemental lens in storage position on the housing closure or in operative position on the housing end over the headlight lens.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 733,766 Sutherland July 14, 1903 982,651 Wellman Jan. 24, 1911 1,459,083 Becker June 19, 1923 1,553,877 Ring Sept. 15, 1925 1,973,361 Smally Sept. 11, 1934 2,147,482 Butler Feb. 14, 1939