Flashlight with rotatable head and threaded connection...

Illumination – Self powered lamp – Lamp bulb or lamp support axis adjustable or angularly fixed...

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C362S102000, C362S109000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06283610

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to flashlights, and more specifically to the field of flashlights with rotatable heads. Such designs contain a pivotal connection that permits the light beam to be pointed either straight ahead or at right angles with respect to the base of the flashlight. In addition to having a rotatable head, this flashlight design also contains a threaded connection mechanism to allow for its integration with other products that would benefit by being inter-connected with a maneuverable light source. The primary benefits of this design are the lighting versatility and flexibility afforded by the rotatable head, as well as its utility in providing illumination for any products that it can be connected with. Such products may include umbrellas, golf bags, and carpentry tools, to name a few.
2. Background and Description of Prior Art
In the prior art, flashlights with rotatable heads have been designed primarily to provide greater lighting flexibility to the user. Some of the earliest of these designs include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,832,564 of Kuehn. and 2.259,673 of White. Both designs teach how a rotatable head may be constructed by having a flashlight head rotating in a plane oriented at an acute angle typically 45 degrees, to the longitudinal axis of the base. Such structures permit the beam of light projected by the illuminated bulb to be projected along a path ranging from being parallel to the axis of the flashlight base to being perpendicular with respect to it. More recent designs for such flashlights include those of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,278,739 and 5,161,095 of Gammache. The patents of Gammache emphasize the alignment of the pivotal axis with the filament of the bulb, such that the filament remains fixed on the pivotal axis irrespective of the rotated position of the head. No such alignment is provided for nor claimed in the design to be described. The prior art for flashlights with rotatable heads has not yet produced a flashlight that employs battery cells positioned side-by-side, nor one that can be attached to an umbrella or with other products by means of a threaded metal insert. Such a flashlight will provide lighting versatility and flexibility by means of the rotatable head, as well as enhanced utility Linder poor lighting conditions for any products that it can be connected with by means of the threaded metal insert. Combining the use of a rotatable flashlight head with a fixed base also poses problems associated with the mounting of the head to the base and with the electrical connection of the flashlight bulb to the batteries from which they are powered. This provides further opportunity for improvement to the field of such flashlights.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the subject invention concept to provide a flashlight, including a head and a base, with a maneuverable beam for a wide range of products with which it may be inter-connected. In particular, it is an object of this invention to provide a terminal mechanism for a flashlight with a head rotatable with respect to the base, that will maintain electrical contact with the light bulb while the bulb is rotated with the head from one rotated position to another, while the base remains fixed. It is an advantage of this invention to provide a flashlight with a rotatable head that employs two or more batteries arranged in a side by side configuration within a battery casing to minimize the length of the casing, by electrically connecting with the rotatable head by means of a skillfully engineered neck handle, and flashlight head.
It is another object of this invention to provide a flashlight with a rotatable head containing a threaded connection mechanism to enable it to be easily joined with an umbrella handle shaft, either temporarily or permanently.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a flashlight with a rotatable head that enables batteries to be loaded at a point between the neck and the handle casing to enable other products to be joined and inter-connected at the rear end of the handle casing.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a flashlight with a rotatable head and threaded connection mechanism that is durable in construction, water-resistant, economical to manufacture, care-free to maintain easy to assemble, and effective and simple to use.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention a flashlight with a rotatable head includes a base, which further includes a power source. The flashlight also includes a neck, having a base end and a head end, removeably attached to the base at the base end the head, having a neck end and a light end, rotatably attached at the neck end to the neck, and further including a light source at the light end, and a rotatable electrical connection between the power source and the light source. As the head is rotated relative to the base, the aforementioned connections maintain electrical continuity between the power source and the light source.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a flashlight with a rotatable head includes a fixed part, which further includes a power source. The head has a fixed end and a light end. The head is rotatably attached at the fixed end to the fixed part, and further includes a light source at the light end. The flashlight also contains a means to maintain electrical connectivity between the power source and the light source as the head is rotated relative to the fixed part.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the fixed part further includes: a base, which contains the power source, a neck, removeably attached to the base, and an electrical connection between the base and a neck. The means to maintain electrical connectivity between the power source and the light source further includes a rotatatable electrical connection between the neck and the head. As a result, the neck, when attached to the base, remains fixed with respect to the base, the head rotating relative to the neck and the electrical connection between the power source and the light source remaining, in effect as the head is rotated.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the rotatable electrical connection between the head and the neck includes a sliding commutator.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the electrical connection includes a positive circuit and a negative circuit and the sliding commutator further includes a positive commutator which provides continuity for the positive circuit, and a negative commutator, which provides continuity for the negative circuit.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, a switch located in the base is also included, the switch having an on position and an of position the on position connecting the positive and negative circuit to the power source, and the off position disconnecting the positive and negative circuit from the power source.
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, both the neck and the head are in the form of a cylinder having a major axis, with a base at one end perpendicular to the major axis, and the cylinder intersected at the other end by a plane at approximately 45 degrees to the major axis. The light source is located in the cylinder base end of the head, and the neck is attached at the cylinder base end to the base, so that the major axis of the head may be rotated at an angle between 90 degrees and zero degrees relative to the major axis of the base.
According to an eighth aspect of the invention, the power source includes one or more batteries.
According to a ninth aspect of the invention, the light source further includes a bulb, and the commutator further includes a metal pivot pin, an annular metal ring; and a metal strip, so that the bulb remains in electrical contact with the metal pin and by means of a metal strip as the head is rotated and wherein the bulb remains in contact with the annular metal ring by means of a metal strip when the head is rotated.
According to a tenth aspect of the invention, the body has a neck end and a utility end, and it furthe

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