Flash light

Feb. 12, 1935. f. g. stimson 1,990,504

FLASH LIGHT \ Filed June 3, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

FI6.1.

<img file="US1990504A_D0001.tif" />

Feb. 12, 1935.

F. G. STIMSON

FLASH LIGHT

1,990,504

Sheets-Sheet 2

Filed June 3, 1933

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Patented Feb. 12, 1935

1,990,504

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

1,990,504

FLASH light

Frank G. Stimson, Belleville nt..· Bond Electric Corporation,’ Jersey Ctt/V J° a corporation of Delaware ^{7 y}’

Application June 3, 1933, Serial No. 674,126

Claims. (Cl. 240—10.66) in’wtaei^V«n^{tlOn t0 flashIi}8hts of the kind amh ^{Λ aI1 exposed} Portions are of non-conilriv^Ve ™^atena1· Such flashlights are particularly applicable in situations where it is sought tr°iAi⁰-^{d accidental} short-circtattag of eTectag a SX^entaT^{ieS by in}advertently bringSrewffh _αv n^art °^{n a fiashIig}ht into contact ^{th hea a} mechanic is working on a

1 _cfhiT^e T^tChb°^ard· ^for instance, or sphcmg his work. ^{USing a flashlight} to illuminate ^?t?^rl?^{ary object of} the present invention is ^{aU exposed pai-}ts are of in_ sulattag material and which can be manufactured ° 1T„ 5.^raT^{calandinexpensive} manner. In carrying the invention into effect, there is nrovideTa condiTf^flaShT^{ht Casing of} insulating or nonαΤΤΤϊθ material, such as hard rubber which is movable bottom cap, also of insulating· nr conductive material by which the batteries and other parts of the flashlight may be inserted i circuiTclo^nT™^^{11 the present} invention, the ^closmg means may be actuated by relative movement of a portion, at least, of the bot tom cap means being provided to complete the electrica! circuit between the circtat™ er at ^:UoVrenT ^{flasblight and} the lamp at its upper end. More particularly, the circuit closer m accordance with this invention comprises generally a disc of conductive material electSv connected with a battery positioning spring and normally held by said battery positioning spring in spaced relation with an annular contact ta electrical connection with the lamp by means Z^TMsT,^dUCtlngP?^rtiOn· ^Rel^a«vemoveAnother object of the invention is a simplification of flashlight construction by the provision, of conductive means which may be readfly re moved and inserted in a flashlight casta? of Ln conductive material and which wiTX element of a circuit closer, it is a!s“Tn object the^arJT^^{1110 provlde} conductive means of the character described which is adapted to universally cooperate, on the one hand with the rX^PctarTnri ^UPP&lt;T ^meanS’ “ ^this instance, the reflector, and on the other hand, with the circnnv® to⁸⁶*· ^This’ ^{in the} interest of rapid and ta uw τί ^assei?^{bly dur}ing manufacture and tavSon a^atXT^{nCe Wit}? ^{these aspects of the}, ,°^p’. ^tubular member of conducting material to disposed within the flashlight casing and extends from the upper end thereof to the lower provide^geonr ^{016 tubular mem}ber at each end for that ^{1 muous} contacts on the one band tte SroiTSi™ ““ “ ^han&lt;i ‘°^r

It is a further object of the invention to pro- * SriLLILTT “^{eanS f0r readiIy and} ^kly o t^g^{d releasmg} the conductive means from the exterior non-conductive casing. ^dnslromand Γθη^ί^^{1011 aIS}° ^{Seeks a lamp} socket support 10 and conductive means therefor whereby the circuit is completed between the one terminal _Of the lamp and a terminal of the battery ., ?^{hese and} other objects of the invention and the means for their attainment will be more is apparent from the following detailed descrintion ^c°ⁿ-u^eetion with the accompanying drawfllustratmg various embodiments by which ^{be realized} and in which: οηΓ ^{View> 111 vertical} section, showing ,,ηο, ^IJt°^di?^Cat^{lon oi a} flashlight in accordance in ehvat^Sionr^nti°ⁿ' ^{and lamp being}

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken tn the Plane indicated by the line 2-Γο7 looking m the direction of the arrows and dX ing particularly the interengagingΓοοΤηβΕΖ ductivTcSLg”¹¹⁰¹¹^ ^{meaUS and the non}-^conFigure 4 is a fragmentary view showing the lower end of the flashlight casing and a modiflca- as tion °f the interconnection between the metallic ” conducting member and the non-conducting cas⁵, ^{iS a iragm}entary sectional view taken m the plane indicated by the line 5—5 of Figure 40 4, and looking in the direction of the arrows·

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1, but show- mg a modified form taken by the invention; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view illustrating the position of the circuit closer in position to per- ⁴⁵manently close the circuit for steady light.

Referring first to Figure 1, a tubular casing 10 of non-conductive or dielectric material, such as hard rubber, has what may be considered its upper end constricted or turned inwardly at an “ angle, as shown at 12, to retain a lens 14 of soherica! sh^ap_e, the end 12 forming an inwardly dlrectiigj^a?£t °^{Γ reta}ining ring and defining a light opening ie. At the lower end, the tubular m wfll be understood. .The electrical circuit from the other terminal of the lamp base is through the socket 64 and comprises the reflector 48 and flange 50. ,. . _

In order that an electrical connection may be S made universally at ah times between the reflector 48 and the conductive member extending lengthwise of the casing irrespective of the relative positions of the reflector and the conductor, the conductive member 42 is formed in cyhndn- _Wcal shape so that its upper edge serves as annular contact on which the flange 50 is supported. Similarly, the lower edge 68 of the annular memniftinuavvuiv> w—* -- 4.ν_Λ«_βηί ήρτ 4.2 as 811 annular contact witn. wnicn ““ Sas-sx ¹⁵ — thereof in the casing. . ...

It is also sought by this invention that the flashlight parts be retained in position even though the bottom cap be removed for the m- 20 sertion of a fresh battery. To this tubular conductive member 42 is adapted to be held in position within the dielectric casing 10. Thereby are the lamp, reflector and lens also held against displacement at such time. At the same 25 time, the parts must be capable of disassembly for ready replacement at the convenience of the ^In Figures 1, 2 and 3, the tubular conducting member 42 is illustrated as removably secured to 30 the dielectric casing 10 by means of a catch which takes the form of a resilient member or leaf spring 70 secured at its upper end, as by a rivet 72 or the equivalent, to the conductor 42 and extending downwardly substantially to the 35 lower edge 68 of the conductor 42. Registering apertures 74 and 76 are .provided in the conductive member 42 and in the dielectric casmg 10, respectively, at a point normally covered by the bottom cap 20. Secured to the leaf spring 70 is 40 a locking lug 78 which is movable in the aperture 74 and into and out of the aperture 76, urged by the inherent resiliency of the leaf sprmg carrier 70. Thus, when the locking lug 78 is m the aperture 76, the conductive member 42 is re- 45 tained in position in the dielectric casing 10, but the conductor 42 is removable at wiU to permit access to the parts at the upper ®^nd·

Figures 4 and 5 show a modification of the securing means at the lower part of the 50 casing which may be adopted m heu of that shown, for instance, in Figure 4. The ^diele®, trie casing 10 may be formed in its lowermost nart with a bayonet slot 90 and the conductive casing 42 may be provided on its outer surface 55 with a boss or pin 92. Thus, when the.tubular conductive casing 42 is inserted “ ^.«^ectnc casing 10, the pin 92 is entered in the slot 9C and a turn of the tubular conductor removably locks the parts together. ⁶⁰

Figure 6 illustrates a modification of the invention insofar as the manner ofretaining the lens in position is concerned. The remaining elements shown in this figure are similar tothose heretofore described and corresponding parts are _Comarked with like reference characters

The upper end of the casmg 10, instead of being formed with the inwardly directed lip 12, is of constant diameter and is threaded, as at 80, to receive the threaded portion of a lens retaming 70 ring of insulating or non-conductive The ring has a cylindrical interiorly threaded portion 82 to engage with the threads 80 and an inwardly directed flange 84 similar in shape to the portion 12 of progressively decreasing diam- ₇₅ g 1,990,604 casing 10 is threaded, as at 18, to receive the hot- ’

The bottom cap is also formed of. dielectric or insulating material. It is formed with a tubular inwardly threaded portion 20 and an inwardly directed flange 22 defining an opening 24, and the interior surface 26 proximate the flange 22 is cylindrical in form to provide a cylindrical way or hearing for a relatively movable bottom 28 also of insulating or dielectric material. This bottom 28 is illustrated as disc-like in shape and normally rests upon the flange 22. For convenience in manufacture, the central portion of the disc 28 is convex.as at 30, and the outer margin thereof lies in substantially the plane of the outer margin of the flange 22 so as t_ '----- ~ depression in actuating the circuit closer, This convexity also serves as a recess to receive the eyelet 40 hereinafter described.

The battery 32, composed of one or more dry cells, is positioned and urged upwardly in the rasing by means of a battery positioning member, illustrated as a coil spring 34 resting upon a metallic disc 36 of substantially the same or slightly less diameter than the movable bottom 28. The metal disc 36 serves as the movable element of a circuit closer and rests upon, preferably, a nonmetallic or fibre disc 38, the discs 36 and 38 being secured together and to the coil spring 34 by means ) of an eyelet 40 to form a unitary assembly readily removable and insertable in the flashlight.

A conductive member 42 is provided between the bottom end of the casing 10 and the upper end thereof. This is adapted to form a portion of the circuit between the negative terminal of the battery and one terminal of the lamp 44.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lamp socket 46 is formed directly on the reflector 48, the peripheral flange 50 of which rests on the conductive member 42 and is supported thereby and in turn supports the lens 14. When the lamp is disposed in the lamp socket 46, obviously the positive terminal 52 could be brought directly into contact with the central terminal of the lamp base piping urged in that direction by the bottom spring 34. It is preferred, however, to support the battery yieldingly between resilient terminal members to provide shock absorbing features protecting the lamp from any shock or jar should the flashlight be dropped. Accordingly, a resilient contact 54 is carried upon a removable support. This is illustrated as a disc or annulus 56 of insulating material formed with a central aperture 57 and to the upper end of which is connected a bridge member formed of a flat upper surface 58 and spaced vertical supporting walls 60 terminating below in outwardly directed flanges 62 which are secured in any convenient fashion, _as by rivets, not shown, to the insulatory annulus 56.

। The flat bridge piece 58 is apertured, as at 64, and the aperture is distorted in thread-like form, so as to be screwed onto the outside of the lamp socket 46. Bridging the aperture 57 below the annulus 56 is a conducting member 66 to which is secured, in electrical connection, a downwardly directed resilient contact tongue 54, these being secured together and to the annulus 56 by means of rivets 67 insulated from the bridge member by the disc 56. When the lamp 44 is screwed into the socket 46 and the bridge member 58 screwed onto the socket, the terminal 53 of the lamp base is brought into contact with the bridge member 66, thus completing a circuit between the terminal 52 of the battery through the resilient contact 54, the bridge piece 66 and the lamp terminal 53, as on

1,090,504 eter in the modification of Figure 1. in this instance, the conductive cylindrical member 42 is provided with an outwardly directed flange 86 at r £^{UPper ePd}- *^{hich re}stS upon the toT edge If ³ iefl» ^asmg J⁰· A® before, the flange 50 of the reflector rests upon the upper end of the tubular conducting member 42, in this case the flange 86 Is to!n^PPr^rtS Ji^{he lenS 14 thereon}· The lens ring io fL^th₊b ^{over the lens and} threaded onto hnw^+if^eade&lt;l ^end the dielectric casing 10 to ^assembled relation. With this Sredin “th^ ^tubular ^conductive member 42 is secured in the casing by means of the flange are thlSfifhAirt¹^ ^{retataing ring and} thereby j are the parts held in position when a fresh battery is inserted. At the same time, by means of the lens ring, the flashlight parts in the upper portion of the flashlight casing can be readily . ™^{Ved for} ^Placement, say, of the lamp 44. The operation of the device will be apparent from the foregoing description. Figures 1 and 6 illustrate the flashlight with the circuit closer m off position, the movable contact being held way from the annular contact member 42 by the battery positioning spring 34. If the bottom is pressed inwardly with the finger or thumb the disc 36 is brought into contact with the conduc tive member 42 and so long as it is“held in contacting position, the circuit is closed through the lamp and the lamp illuminated. So soori as Ires sure is relieved, the spring 34 move! the disc fe away from the tubular conductive member 42 thus interrupting the circuit. To close the circuit nernecesStatiM^^iS’ t° ^{a Steady light with}°ut necessitating constant pressure of a finger the bottom cap is screwed further on to the^ca’sine Sriig^ ^brilV’ ^compressing the i ^pring 34 and bringing the movable contact in^iUher? ^C°^{ntaCt edge 68}’ ^{and hold}It will thus be seen that a flashlight has been provided in which all exposed parteare formeS Ιΐηΐ Ai^eCtnC₊^mai^{erlal and in which} the component elements of the flashlight, such as the reflector lamp socket and conductive portions are normally retained in position even though the bottom cap is removed for the purpose of insert“ξη iXrS^ttery; ^{circuit closing eleme}*t is an integral construction which may be assem Sm°bled^{de and inSerted When the flasbligbt} in thwart in tIl^flCati°^nS Γ¹¹ °^{Gcur to those skilled}flgSltS^f thI°^mPOS °ⁿ’ ^^{ροδίΜοη} conmake ul thp it ^c°^mPonent elements going to ⁸ⁿ 5ZE^CatiOn °^{r illustrati}&lt;™ * the an!