US2210312A - Flashlight - Google Patents

Description

0. T. WOOD FLASHLIGHT Aug. 6, 1940.

Original Filed May 20, 1938 VFIGJ.

FIG.2.

F IG. 3.

INVENTOR ORV/LL6 Z WOOD TTORNEYS Patented Aug. 6, 1940 s 1 r UNITED STATES. PATENTOFFICE I FLASHLIGHT Orville '1. -Wood, Clinton, Mass, assignorrto .Blake Manufacturing Corporation, Clinton, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Original application May 20, 1938, Serial No. 209,034. Divided and this application Decemher 22,1938, Serial No. 247,191

4 Claims. (Cl. 240-403) This invention relates to flashlights and more provided with the passage is closed by an end particularly to flashlights in which the casing is closure member or plug adapted to be releasaby formed of a moldable material, such as a synretained within the openingvand to support a thetic resinoid. spare lamp within the flashlight body. Conven- Many problems present themselves in the creaiently, the closure or. plug is retained in posi- :5v

tion of a flashlight or electric hand lantern of tion by resilient latching means whichmay, if

moldable material since such flashlights must desired, be also utilized to support the spare make use of the standard flashlight cells and lamp.

other parts which are readily purchased in. the Another object of the invention isto provide open market for replacement. In every .flashthe flashlight of this invention with a reflecting to light must be found a'lens, a reflector, a miniasurface which may be used as a signal,- i'or 'inture incandescent lamp, the dry cells aforesaid stance, with reflected light and to thisend the end and some form of circuit closing device. The use closure for the end of the casing'remote from the of moldable material, such as a synthetic resinoid, lens may, if desired, comprise a colored reflectis desirable .for a variety of reasons. It is not ing'button which not on'lyhas theutilitarian purit? conductive and hence may be used in Working pose of'reflectingilig'ht, as will beunderstood but around electrical apparatus with'no danger of adds an ornamentalfeature to the flashlight-encreating a short circuit if the'flashlight is in-- hancing its appeal to the .purchaser.. advertently laid down "upon a piece of the ap- It is :still'another 'objectnof the invention to' 1 paratus or if it is found necessary to place the p vide a e d d fl s s g 0f Ornamental flashlight in a position to throw the-light upon appearance having provision for carrying aspare the part-being repaired or adjusted. A flashlight, lamp, and whichis practical from the standpoint if comprised of exposed metallic parts, might of ease and cheapness of manufacture and concreate a serious short circuit. Moreover, synvenienceand durability in use.

thetic resinoids are now available in many colors These and other objects of the invention and .25 and ornamental and pleasing effects may be obthe means for their attainment will 'be more aptained which have not heretofore been possible parent from the following de ailed description, with the metallic, hard rubber or fiber cases heretaken "in connection with the accompanying tofore used. The question of price, in an era of aw illustrating Various embodiments y 3U, sharp competition, is also material and the moldwhich :the invention may be realized, and in ing of a unitary casing alfords opportunities for which:

a reduction in the cost of manufacture. Figu e is a View h in e a on. one In the art of molding, however, the designer form taken by aflashlight'to which the invention is restricted by reason of the necessity ofadaptmay b pp d. h lower porti f th as n ing the shape of the article to molding practice being in section-:to showdetailsof construction of 235 and to the necessity of providing for the .rethe lower end whereby a Spare mp carrier may moval of the :molded article from the mold. The be used;

requirement, therefore, of adapting a molded F e S a V w Showing a ot e form taken article to the usual tubular form of flashlight by the spare lamp carrier of this invention; and 40 making use of common flashlight practice and F g- 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken utilizing standard parts, presents problems which i e plane indicated by the line F this invention seeks to overcome. There is proure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows. vided in accordance with the present invention It will 'be-obvious 'as the description proceeds a flashlight comprising a one piece molded body that the invention is notlimitedto any particular of tubular cross-section for use as a flashlight moldable composition for the material of the casing containing the standard type of flashlight casing nor to the specific shapeof the flashlight dry cell. To facilitate molding a small hole or casing.

small passage is' formed in the bottom of what This application is a division of my copending would otherwise be the closed end n order to application, Serial No. 209,034, filing date May 5 permit the anchoring of the outboard end of the 20, 1938. core of the mold and thereby attain a more uni- The flashlight casing of this invention may form thickness of the molded plastic casing wall. take the form of a generally elongated tubular The invention seeks a flashlight in which a casing I5 which is apertured at its lower end and spare lamp is carried in a molded flashlight casopen at its upper end, as viewed. While the easing.' Accordingly, the end of the flashlight casing ing may be of constant diameter, both from the 55 standpoint of molding and for the sake of appearance, it is desirable that the casing taper slightly, as at I1, toward the lower end which tapers, as at [8, more sharply to a blunt or rounded point 85 to present a smooth, unbroken suriace.

The inner surface is, conveniently, at its lower end so formed as to provide a shoulder IS on' which may seat the helical spring 28 which engages the bottom of the battery and urges it toward the open upper end. This spring 28 conveniently serves as a portion of the electrical circuit connecting the outer zinc cup terminal 29 of the battery with a conductive strip 3| extending upwardly to the circuit closing instrumentalities 32.

The lower end of the flashlight casing is formed with a bore 83 of reduced diameter as hereinbefore explained. This bore is adapted to be closed by a plug or closure member 84 serving as a bottom closure member. The surface 85 of the closure member merges with the surface I 8 of the casing. As shown, the closure member 84 is provided with an outwardly extending portion 86 overlapping the end surface 81.

The closure member 84 may be of any suitable material. It may be of a material such as colored glass or ruby colored reflecting or lens material whereby light from an exterior source may be reflected therefrom.

The. closure member 84 may conveniently be removably retained on the end of the casing to close that open end, as by a plurality of spring fingers 89 secured in some convenient fashion as by a rivet or eyelet 99 embedded in the material of the closure 84. The fingers 89 are shown as formed with an outwardly deflected portion 9| serving as detents or latch members which, when the material of the fingers 89 is of resilient material, snaps over the upwardly facing shoulder formed by the bottom surface 92 of the'casing to retain the closure member 84 in position.

Two or more such spring fingers may be provided which'may conveniently be bent in substantially U-shape and secured at their midpoint by the rivet 90. These latch members 89, 9| serve, conveniently, as retaining devices for a spare lamp 95 in which event the ends of the spring fingers may be formed with another reversely bent or a corrugated portion 93 adapted to engage an outwardly extending surface portion of the lamp base, such as threads or a flange thereon, to hold the lamp against displacement. When it is necessary to replace a lamp, it only necessary to remove the closure 84 which brings with it the lamp 95, withdrawing it from the bore 83.

A similar end closure and spare lamp carrier is illustrated in-Figures 2 and 3. In this instance the closure member 84 is supported by the latch members 9|. A metallic member 91 is bent at its periphery about the closure portion 86 and to this member are secured, as by a rivet 99, the spring fingers B9. Otherwise the parts of this spare lamp carrier are the same as that previously described and corresponding reference characters are afiixed thereto.

It will thus be seen that an opening desirably present in the casing due to requirements of manufacture is utilized as a spare lamp receiving space and the spare lamp carrier therefore serves to mask the opening.

Various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art in the composition, configuration and disposition of the component elements going to make up the invention as a whole as well as in the selection and/or combination of particular features and no limitation is intended by the foregoing description or illustrations in the accompanying drawing except as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A flashlight comprising a moulded tubular casing having a tapering lower end terminating in a flat transverse surface, said end being formed with an opening, said apertured portion being of a diameter less than the internal diameter of the casing to define an upwardly facing shoulder, an end closure for the opening, a plurality of longitudinally extending resilient arms secured to the end closure, said arms having reversely bent portions to engage the shoulder and other reversely bent portions to engage a spare lamp.

2. A flashlight comprising a molded casing having a lower end terminating in an end surface, said casing being formed with a bore extending from end to end, said bore, inwardly spaced from the lower end, being formed with upwardly facing shoulder means, an end closure for the open lower end, a plurality of resilient arms secured to the end closure and the free ends of which are adapted to enter the bore, said arms having portions so disposed as to engage the shoulder means, respectively, to retain the enclosure in position and said arms comprising means to engage a spare lamp to support the lamp within the bore.

3. A flashlight comprising a casing having a lower end terminating in an end surface, said casing being-formed with a bore proximate the lower end formed with upwardly facing shoulder means inwardly of the end thereof, an end closure for the open lower end, a plurality of resilient arms secured to the end closure and adapted to enter the bore, said arms having portions to engage the shoulder means to retain the end closure in position and said arms comprising means to support a spare la'mp within the bore;

4. A flashlight comprising a casing having a surface formed with an opening, said casing being provided with a tubular portion therewithin in register with the opening, said tubular portion having upwardly facing shoulder means inwardly spaced from said opening, a closure for the opening, a plurality of resilient arms secured to the closure and adapted to'enter the tubular portion, said arms having portions to engage the shoulder means to retain the closure in position and said arms comprising means to support a spare lamp within the tubular portion.

ORVILLE T. WOOD.

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