Portable light

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a portable light. In particular, it is concerned with a light which can be supported on a garment such as a cap, shirt, or jacket. In other instances, the light can be supported on a book, writing tablet, belt or the like.

BACKGROUND

Use of flashlights for mounting on clothing is known. This assists workers and security personnel in freeing the worker's hands so that other activities can be engaged in, while the light can be made to shine on a desired object.

The present disclosure is directed to an improved structure for mounting such a portable light on the garments or other paraphernalia associated with a person who needs to keep at least one hand, and preferably both hands, free for other activities.

The present disclosure seeks to improve the known pocket lights and other techniques for mounting a flashlight in this manner.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to a first aspect, a portable light for mounting on a support is disclosed, comprising: an anchor to be secured with the support; a housing mounted to the anchor; a head with a light source, the head connected with the housing; and a switch for the light source, the switch being actionable by movement of the head relative to the housing.

According to a second aspect, a portable light is disclosed, comprising: a first portion containing a light source; a second portion moveably connected with the first portion, wherein the portable light exhibits a compact condition when the first portion is at a minimum distance from the second portion and a plurality of expanded conditions when the first portion is distanced from the second portion, and wherein the light source is in an off condition when the portable light exhibits the compact condition, and in an on condition when the portable light exhibits the plurality of expanded conditions.

Additional embodiments of the present disclosure are provided in the dependent claims enclosed herein.

The portable light according to the present disclosure is further described with reference to the description and drawings, shown by way of example and not of limitation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the portable light in a closed or compact condition viewed from the front.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the portable light.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the portable light.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the portable light.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the portable light.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the portable light.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the portable light showing the base plate, anchor plate, and hinge member with the head above the hinge member.

FIG. 8 is a view of the portable light in an open or expanded condition, with the head pivotably moved relative to the hinge member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying Figures 1-8.

FIG. 1 shows an anchor, in the form of a plate or housing 10. A base element or plate 11 is mounted on a side of the housing 10. A spring hinge pivoting connection 12 is formed so that a biasing force between the anchor 10, base plate 11 and pivot rod 12a causes the anchor 10 and base 11 to be urged together to form a clip. Therefore, the portable light can be securely mounted on a support which can be a user's garment.

With reference to FIG. 2, movement of a tail, handle or finger grip 13 of the base 11 about the pivot rod 12a causes a front portion 14 of the base plate 11 to open. Therefore, the pivoting connection 12 together with its pivoting rod 12a act as a hinging means to connect the base plate 11 with the anchor 10. FIG. 7 also shows, in an exploded view, a leaf spring 12b mounted in proximity of the hinge 12 to apply a spring action on the hinge 12. In other words, the spring 12b urges the base plate 11 and the anchor 10 toward each other. The hinge area has two downwardly directed pillars, substantially semicilindrical in shape, on which a substantially central portion of the base 11 is mounted to form the spring- hinge relationship illustrated in the bottom portion of FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 2, a garment or other paraphernalia of the user can enter through the mouth area 15 between an underside 16 of the anchor 10 and the top of the base element or plate 11 once the finger grip 13 is actionated by the user. The garment or other support will be located in the area 17 of the portable flashlight between the anchor 10 and the base 11.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a housing or housing portion 21 is mounted on or with the anchor 10. The housing 21 comprises two upstanding pillars 18, 19 forming a second hinge about a pivot point or rod 20. FIG. 2 also shows a slot 21 a which extends between the anchor 10 and the housing 21. In the embodiment shown in the Figures, the anchor 10 and the housing 21 are formed as a shell or casing.

As shown in the Figures, a head 24 is located above the housing 21. The head 24 comprises lateral tab elements 24a, 24b, as better shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. The head 24 also includes two light sources 28, 29 as shown, for example, in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The head 24 further includes a base plate 25 as shown, for example, in FIG. 7.

The head 24 is hingedly movable relative to the housing 21. In particular, a cylindrical sleeve 22 is provided between the upstanding pillars 18 and 19, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 6 and 7. The sleeve 22 extends from the rear portion of head member 24. The cylindrical sleeve 22 allows pivotal movement of the head 24 about the pivot or rod 20, as shown in FIGS. 1, 7 and 8. FIG. 7 also shows a friction element or rubber O-ring 23 which is located around an axle rod 50. The friction means 23 provides a friction effect so that the sleeve 22 is inhibited from unintentional movement about the axle rod 21. In other words, the friction means 23 keeps a distance between the head 24 and the housing 21 during each expanded condition (FIG. 8) of the portable light. Further, the friction means 23 prevents inadvertent closure or opening of the switch. Still further, the friction means allows a desired angle of illumination to be maintained.

Tabs 24a, 24b facilitate the opening and the closing of the head 24 and adjacency with the top panel or surface 35 (see FIG. 7) on top of the mating portion of the housing 21. It should be noted that relative movement of the head 24 by means of the tabs 24a, 24b is very easy and does not require a particular pressure to be exerted. As shown in FIG. 7, the head 24 also comprises a small protrusion 24c which clips into engagement in an indent 24d formed on a step wall formation adjacent to a top face of the housing 21. This ensures a positive locking engagement when the head 24 is in a closed position on the housing 21. FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 show a condition where the head 24 is engaged with the top surface of the housing 21. In FIG. 8, the head 24 is disengaged from the top surface of the housing 21.

The light sources (28), (29) are for example LEDs, accommodated in apertures 26, 27 of the head 24, as shown in FIG. 7. The LEDs 28 and 29 are mounted on a plate 30 which in turn is connected to a circuit board 31 through an appropriate wiring connection 32, as also shown in FIG. 7. The LEDs 28, 29 can form a partially overlapping beam, as shown in FIG. 3 for illustrative purposes. A protrusion 33 (FIG. 8) protrudes from the bottom surface 25 (FIG. 7) of the head 24. In accordance with the position of the head 24, the protrusion 33 moves as the head 24 moves. The protrusion 33 is either inside an aperture 34 formed in the top surface 35 of the housing 21, or outside such aperture. When the protrusion 33 is outside the aperture 34, the switch is turned on and the light sources 28, 29 emit light. The protrusion 33 can be outside the aperture 34 in a plurality of different positions, from a 0° angular position to a 180° angular position, as also shown by the arrow of FIG. 2. Therefore, the inclination of the light is adjustable according to the needs of the user. When the switch is turned off, the protrusion 33 is accommodated in the aperture 34 and contacts one side of a normally on circuit board 31, as shown in FIG. 7. The circuit board 31 is mounted in the support housing 21 in a cavity formed by the outer shell of the housing 21. Therefore, movement of the protrusion 33 acts to close a circuit and open a circuit as necessary. It follows that the protrusion 33 and the aperture 34 act as engageable means allowing switching on and off of the switch.

The protrusion of head engageable means 33 engages with the aperture or top surface engageable means 34 to turn the switch in an off condition and the protrusion or head engageable means 33 disengages from the aperture or top surface engageable means 34 to turn the switch in an on condition. In other words, the portable light according to the present disclosure exhibits a compact condition where the head 24 is at a minimum distance from the housing 21 and a plurality of expanded conditions (see, for example, FIG. 8) where the head 24 is distanced from the housing 21. The light sources 28, 29 are in an off condition when the portable light exhibits the compact condition, and in an on condition when the portable light exhibits the plurality of expanded conditions.

It should also be noted that the head 24 and the housing 21 are mechanically connected through a hinged connection and electrically connectable through the engageable means 33, 34, so that engagement of the engageable means 33, 34 turns the light source in the off condition and disengagement of the engagement means 33, 34 turns the light source on the on condition.

FIG. 7 also shows that the anchor 10 provides a housing for batteries 36 and 37 which are connected through a spring conductor 38 mounted in the base of the anchor 10. The circuit board 31 is suitably fixed to the top of the shell forming the housing 21. Wires 32 connect the circuit 31 to the LEDs 28, 29, under the influence of a control mechanism formed by a tab 51 (FIG. 7) and the protrusion 33 (FIG. 8). When the protrusion 33 contacts the tab 51, LEDs 28, 29 are switched off. When the protrusion 33 does not contact the tab 51, LEDs 28, 29 are switched on. Therefore, elements 31, 32, 33 and 34 form a switch for the light source formed by LEDs 28, 29, so that the switch is actionable by movement of the head 24 relative to the housing 21.

Alternative embodiments of the present disclosure are possible. For instance, the embodiment of FIGS. 1-8 shows a two-part combination of anchor 10 and housing 21. However, such combination can also be a single-component or multicomponent combination. Further, a clip is not necessary and, if present, different kinds of clip formations can be provided. Still further, it is not necessary that a spring mechanism be associated with the clip. A different number of LEDs can be provided, or a light source different from a LED light source can be provided. Preferably, the portable light is water resistant. The LEDs can be super-bright white LEDs, providing, for example, over than 100 hours of battery usage. The body of the light can be made of Xenoy®.

Other securing techniques can be provided for permitting the portable light according to the present disclosure to be affixed to a support. The base can be made of a material inherently behaving like a spring, with a bias towards the bottom of the anchor. Other structures can be used to permit the securing of the light to the support. For instance, a clip-like structure similar to a gem clip can be used. The anchor can have a shape which is different from the shape described and shown in the drawings. For example, it can be realized as an integral unit in which the batteries and circuit are mounted.

The light can also be clipped in positions to aim at different targets while a persons' hands are free for other functions. The angle of the light can change as necessary by opening the head to any desired degree. In some cases, the clip may be provided with a releasable adhesive element employed on the anchor face for securing to a support.

While several illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, numerous variations and alternative embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. Such variations and alternative embodiments are contemplated, and can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.