Illumination – With implement or hand held holder therefor – Firearm
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-10
2001-08-07
Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)
Illumination
With implement or hand held holder therefor
Firearm
C362S191000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06270231
ABSTRACT:
FIELD
The present invention relates to a flashlight holder for use with flashlights and which permits the user to control the flashlight while handling another item, such as a firearm. The flashlight holder may be removably attached to or may be integral with and form part of the flashlight casing.
BACKGROUND
Conventional flashlight handles, while useful, make it difficult for the user to hold the handle while using the hand for other activities, and as such are unsuitable or undesirable in certain circumstances. For instance, in the area of law enforcement and security operations, it is desirable that a flashlight handle enable the user to readily hold and direct the flashlight while freeing up the same hand for other uses, such as for the control of a firearm. Moreover, many flashlights lack handles altogether. In order to control both a firearm and a flashlight in combination, officers are typically required to hold a flashlight in one hand while holding the firearm in the other, thereby compromising the support and stability that is otherwise available in employing a firearm with two hands. One method of reducing some of the loss of support arising when dedicating one hand to employing a flashlight is for an officer to extend the arm with the hand holding the firearm across and on top of the arm with the hand holding the flashlight. This method, however, requires constant readjustment when an officer is in motion or after discharging a firearm and does not direct the beam of light directly along the light of sight of the firearm muzzle. Existing flashlights with built-in holders aggravate the problems as the holder design is uncomfortable and difficult to grip when using a device such as a firearm. Furthermore, existing flashlights with built-in holders have a design which makes it impractical for an officer to wear such a flashlight around the waist when it is not in use.
In co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/713,217, now issued as U.S. Patent No. 5,743,623, there is provided a flashlight holder which attends to the above needs in the art and enables a user to readily hold a flashlight in combination with a firearm. While the flashlight holder in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/713,217 provides a useful improvement in the art, additional flashlight holder structures presented herein have been invented which offer alternative means for controlling a flashlight. Moreover, with the variety of flashlights on the market, there remains a continuing need for alternative flashlight holders.
As previously mentioned, it is most desirable to use two hands when employing a firearm. There exists in the art flashlight holders which are attached directly to firearms, thereby permitting the user of the firearm to place both hands on the weapon. However there are a variety of difficulties associated with these designs. One known design consists of a specially molded forestock that replaces the standard forestock on a shotgun. Contained within the adapted forestock is a dedicated housing for a flashlight, which includes an integrated pressure switch that operates the flashlight. This design is somewhat impractical and expensive since it requires that the entire forestock of the shotgun be replaced in order to attach the integrated flashlight and holder mechanism. Since the holder and flashlight consist of one piece, the flashlight can also not be removed, should the user wish to do so. This holder design also requires that the flashlight be located underneath the barrel of the gun, so the flashlight is not easy to see and access. More importantly, this design is not suitable for many types of firearms, such as handguns.
Another known flashlight holder consists of a mounting clip in a double collared shape which attaches directly to the end of the barrel, ammunition tube, or forestock of a firearm. This holder is associated with a flashlight that is attached to a pressure sensitive switch located at the end of an expandable, curled cord which allows the user to affix the switch to a convenient location on the firearm. This design can be problematic since the expandable cord could easily become entangled while the firearm is in use and create a safety hazard.
Consequently, a need exists for a flashlight holder which is adaptable to any type of firearm, inexpensive, and easy to install and remove from the firearm. Such a design must also allow the firearm user easy access to the flashlight, and must ensure that the flashlight remains visible. This design will also permit the user to have both hands directly on the firearm without having to place one hand on top of a switch in order to operate the flashlight.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide alternative and improved means of support for flashlights having no holder. It is a further object of this invention provide an improved means of controlling a flashlight when using another article or device, such as a firearm.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a flashlight holder comprising a collar, a spacer arm and a gripping arm. The collar is operative to slidably attach to a flashlight housing proximate a flashlight head. The spacer arm is dimensioned to fit between a thumb and an index finger and is coupled to the collar so as to extend outwardly therefrom. The gripping arm is dimensioned to rest snugly in the palm of a hand and is coupled to the spacer arm at a junction remote from the collar and forms an oblique angle with the spacer arm. In this embodiment, the spacer arm has a length sufficient to permit a user to hold the gripping arm in the palm of the user's hand with the spacer arm between the user's thumb and index finger while the collar is attached to the flashlight housing proximate the flashlight head so as to permit the user to control the flashlight.
The spacer arm may have a substantially flat-faced body so as to fit snugly between the thumb and index finger. The spacer arm can include a finger notch.
The collar may include an elongated base from which the spacer arm extends such that the spacer arm is coupled to a distal end of the base and the base is dimensioned so that the user's hand fits snugly against the base when the gripping arm is held in the palm of the hand. The elongated base, spacer arm and gripping arm can be coupled to form a U-like handle which fits between the thumb and index finger.
The collar may include a threaded aperture operative to receive a set screw so as to firmly engage the collar to the flashlight housing. The collar may be tubular and include a friction enhancing surface on an interior surface thereof. The collar may have a split tubular shape. The collar may also have a cutout dimensioned to fit around a manual on/off switch so as to lock the collar to the flashlight housing without interfering with the on/off switch.
In one embodiment, the flashlight holder comprises a collar and a band-like body which forms a handle. The band-like body is coupled to the collar and dimensioned to encircle the back of a user's hand and at least a portion of the user's palm. The band-like body includes an inner sidewall dimensioned to fit snugly against a back of the user's hand so as to permit a user to hold the band-like body while the collar is attached to the flashlight housing. In this embodiment, the collar extends from an outer surface of the band-like body so as to be positioned proximately above the back of the user's hand when the band-like body is held by the user. The band-like body may include two distal curved ends dimensioned to rest snugly in the palm of the user's hand such that the band-like body has an flattened C-like cross-section. This embodiment may also include means for pivotally coupling the collar to the band-like body so as to permit the band-like body to be pivoted relative to the collar.
In another embodiment of the invention, the flashlight holder comprises a collar coupled to a band-like body, wherein the band-like body is coupled to the collar and dimensioned to permit a nu
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