Illumination – With heater or refrigerator
Patent
1996-10-07
1998-10-27
Lazarus, Ira S.
Illumination
With heater or refrigerator
362 32, 362 80, 362 26, 362 30, F21V 3300
Patent
active
058269673
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to cigar lighters, especially for a motor vehicle, and more particularly it relates to the illuminating sleeve which is part of such a cigar lighter, of the kind which is described, for example, in the document FR-A-2 630 057.
Such a cigar lighter (FIG. 1) comprises a lighter body 1 which serves to receive a heating plug 2, and an illuminating sleeve 7 which is lit by operation of the switch for the lights and indicators of the vehicle.
The body of the illuminating sleeve 7 is provided on its front face with an illuminating collar portion 8 that surrounds the mouth of the lighter body 1, which is provided with a bimetal fastening element (which has no reference numeral).
The sleeve 7 serves for fastening the cigar lighter to a fixed wall P of the vehicle, such as the fascia or console of the latter.
The lighter body 1 is mounted within the sleeve 7.
The plug 2 is lodged within the body 1, and includes a grasp cover member 9, which surrounds an annular body 10 having an accessible front face 14.
This body 10 is the body of a part 17, which is movable against a spring 20 that bears on a fixed guide 21 fixed to a ring member 11, which is formed with apertures 12.
The rear end portion 6, in the form of a finger, of the sleeve 7 is mounted in facing relationship to a window 5 of an opaque housing 3 which is carried by the finger 6.
This housing 3 includes a light source, which in this example is an electric light bulb 4.
In this example, the ring member 11 is opaque, and the apertures 12 allow light to pass through, the collar portion 8 being illuminated when the light 4 is lit. The body 10 is of a material which transmits light so that the light rays R from the apertures 12 are incident on the posterior face 13 of the body 10, and are refracted towards the front face 14.
When the body 10 is pushed in, the terminal shroud (not indicated with a reference numeral), which contains a heating resistance, comes into engagement with the bimetal fastening element so as to complete an electric circuit and heat up the heating resistance.
In a modified version, the cover member 9 may be omitted and the collar portion 8 may be visible.
In all cases, the rear zone of the illuminating sleeve acts as a light guide, and unwanted light is emitted towards the rear of the lighter body.
This light may be reflected by any part whatever of the fascia or transverse bulkhead of the vehicle, so as to emit undesirable light rays.
An object of the present invention is to overcome this drawback in a simple and inexpensive way.
According to the invention, an illuminating sleeve of the type described above is characterised in that the rear face of the illuminating sleeve is covered with an opaque mask.
This arrangement enables the emission of undesirable light rays to be avoided in a simple and inexpensive way.
In addition, more uniform luminosity is obtained in the region of the end collar portion of the illuminating sleeve which can be seen by the occupant of the vehicle. The mouth into which the plug is introduced is thus perfectly visible.
The mask may be made from a film which is deposited hot on the rear face of the illuminating sleeve. In another version, it may be in the form of paint deposited on the rear face of the illuminating sleeve, or of an opaque material which constitutes the rear face proper.
The following description illustrates the invention with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a view in axial cross section of a cigar lighter in accordance with the document FR-A-2 630 057;
FIG. 2 is a view of the illuminating sleeve in accordance with the invention.
For simplicity those elements which are common to the prior art and to the present invention will be given the same reference signs.
Thus, FIG. 2 shows at 7 the illuminating sleeve which is fixed on the fixed wall P of the vehicle, being inserted into the aperture 32 in the wall P, which is for example the fascia of the vehicle or a console of the latter.
In a modification it may consist of the transverse bulkhead of the v
REFERENCES:
patent: 2701297 (1955-02-01), Thibault
patent: 4079242 (1978-03-01), Seibel
patent: 4163428 (1979-08-01), Ishikawa
patent: 4205367 (1980-05-01), Arnold, III
patent: 4218726 (1980-08-01), Fukasawa et al.
patent: 4625262 (1986-11-01), Sakakibara et al.
patent: 4713733 (1987-12-01), Fitz et al.
patent: 5030811 (1991-07-01), Von Gaisberg et al.
patent: 5295049 (1994-03-01), Terada
Lazarus Ira S.
Lee David
Valeo Vision
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