Illumination – Self powered lamp
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-27
2002-02-19
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Self powered lamp
C362S203000, C362S206000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06347878
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a flashlight, more particularly to a flashlight that has an improved electrical conductor unit disposed between a conductive barrel body and a lamp unit so as to provide effective electrical connection therebetween.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a conventional flashlight is shown to include a conductive barrel body
1
with front and rear end portions
10
,
11
, a light bulb assembly
2
mounted on the front end portion
10
, and a switch device
3
mounted on the rear end portion
11
.
As illustrated, the conductive barrel body
1
defines a battery accommodating space
100
that extends in the axial direction between the front and rear end portions
10
,
11
and that is adapted to accommodate a battery unit
12
therein.
The switch device
3
includes a rear sleeve member
31
mounted threadedly on the rear end portion
11
of the conductive barrel body
1
, and a push unit
33
with a dielectric outer sheath disposed inside the rear sleeve member
31
. A biasing member
333
establishes connection between a first end of the push unit
33
and an electrode of the battery unit
12
. The push unit
33
has a conductive radial outward projection
331
normally spaced apart from an end face
13
of the rear end portion
11
of the barrel body
1
in the axial direction, and a second end
335
that extends outwardly of the rear sleeve member
31
in the axial direction.
The light bulb assembly
2
includes a front sleeve member
21
sleeved threadedly on the front end portion
10
of the barrel body
1
, a light bulb seat
23
disposed inside the front sleeve member
21
, a reflector cap
25
mounted threadedly on the front sleeve member
21
, and a light reflector
235
disposed inside the reflector cap
25
and in electrical contact with the barrel body
1
. A biasing member
233
is disposed between the light reflector
235
and the light bulb seat
23
, thereby biasing the light bulb seat
23
to contact electrically with another electrode of the battery unit
12
via a coil spring
237
. Under such a condition, inward pressing action of the second end
335
of the push unit
33
relative to the rear sleeve member
31
will result in contact between the conductive outward projection
331
and the end face
13
of the rear end portion
11
of the barrel body
1
, thereby establishing an electrical connection between the light bulb
236
and the battery unit
12
. The reflector cap
25
can be moved relative to the front sleeve member
21
in order to achieve a variable focusing effect. The conductive barrel body
1
is further formed with a radial outward contact
14
adjacent to the front end portion
10
thereof. As such, in case the battery unit
12
is of a rechargeable type, the conventional flashlight can be disposed in the battery charging device
4
(see
FIG. 2
) so that clamping of the battery unit
12
can commence via the push unit
33
and the contact
14
of the flashlight, and charging terminals
41
,
43
on the battery charging device
4
.
Some of the disadvantages of the aforesaid conventional flashlight are as follows:
(i) Movement of the reflector cap
25
relative to the front sleeve member
21
when varying the focusing effect may result in displacement of the light bulb seat
23
, which in turn, affects proper electrical connection between the light bulb
236
and the battery unit
12
. In addition, the biasing member
233
may suffer from spring fatigue after long term use, thus leading to eventual poor electrical connection between the light bulb
236
and the battery unit
12
.
(ii) The light bulb
236
employed in the aforesaid conventional flashlight is generally a Krypton lamp and requires an electric current flow that is twice the current requirement of an ordinary light bulb. The large current flow can cause the coil spring
237
to melt, and can result in damage to the light reflector
235
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of this invention is to provide a flashlight which is clear of the disadvantages mentioned beforehand.
Accordingly, a flashlight of this invention includes a conductive barrel body, a sleeve member, a lamp unit, and an electrical conductor unit. The conductive barrel body has annular front and rear end portions spaced apart from each other in an axial direction, and a battery accommodating space that extends in the axial direction between the front and rear end portions and that is adapted to accommodate a battery unit therein. The sleeve member is mounted co-axially on the front end portion of the barrel body. The lamp unit is disposed in the sleeve member, and includes a lamp seat and a light bulb mounted removably on the lamp seat. The electrical conductor unit is disposed in the sleeve member between the front end portion of the barrel body and the lamp unit. The conductor unit includes a conductive core member having a first end in electrical contact with the light bulb, and a second end to contact electrically a first electrode of the battery unit inside the battery accommodating space. A dielectric core holding block is formed with an axial core mounting hole. The core member is mounted in the core mounting hole of the core holding block. A tubular conductive coupling member has the core holding block received therein, and has a rear section in electrical contact with the front end portion of the barrel body, and a front section in electrical contact with the lamp seat, thereby connecting electrically the barrel body and the lamp seat.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4187532 (1980-02-01), Naffier
patent: 4323879 (1982-04-01), Kelly
patent: 5461552 (1995-10-01), Tillery
patent: 5752764 (1998-05-01), Shiau
patent: 5997165 (1999-12-01), Lehrer
O'Shea Sandra
Ward John Anthony
LandOfFree
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