Illumination – Self powered lamp – Disposable lamp or flexible material casing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-31
2001-11-20
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Self powered lamp
Disposable lamp or flexible material casing
C362S183000, C362S198000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318878
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable lamp and more particularly to a portable reading lamp which can be supported on a conveniently available surface, for example a user's body, so that the light can be directed upon an object such as a book, for example, while the lamp remains in a stable position.
Portable lamps to be attached to a user have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,319,997 discloses a commonplace flashlight arranged for attachment to apparel, such as a cap, to assist in repair of vehicles. Portable reading lamps are known which can be attached to furniture (U.S. Pat. No. DES. 293,029), reading material (U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,042), or to a lap-positioned portable desk (U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,634). One problem that exists in connection with the use of such portable reading lamps is that they are poor solutions to the need for exclusively illuminating reading material without diminishing the comfort of the user, or disturbing other occupants of the darkened space. An example of such circumstances is use of a portable reading lamp while the user is in bed or resting on a chair. Another problem is that portable reading lights frequently utilize pivoted extensions which can present a hazard to the user should he/she fall asleep. Such extensions also suffer from the disadvantage that they can catch on delicate fabrics. Further extensions increase the cost of manufacture of the reading lamp.
A portable reading lamp for illuminating only the reading material should be simple and economical to manufacture and avoid extensions that can catch on material or poke out an eye. Such lamps should be capable of being directed toward the material being read, while at the same time, not being in the line-of-sight of any occupant of the space, or inadvertently being re-directed in that direction. For convenience, the lamp should be within easy reach of the user and be relatively close to the reading material. The lamp should be easily adjustable or positionable, while at the same time, the pattern of illumination should be insensitive to minor movements and capable of easy direction.
U.S. Design Pat. No. DES. 358,984, proposes a lighted bookmark wherein a miniature arrangement develops a relatively low-power illumination and uses a small battery. Other techniques relying on the reading material for support have also been used. For example, the aforenoted U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,042, directed to a book-light supported by the pages or cover of a book, offers a lamp attached to an adjustable linkage that is clamped to the book, the lamp being powered by a small battery or a transformer-rectifier connected to household electricity. In these proposed designs, the light will move with the reading material, and consequently, such movement may disturb adjacent occupants of the space. In addition, the added weight of the lamp apparatus is cantilevered to some extent outwardly from the book, depending on design and individual adjustment, thereby causing fatigue to the user, when holding book and lamp in position. It is not uncommon for people to fall asleep while reading. Thus, the tubular post or connecting arm could present a danger should the person fall into it.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,643 discloses a reading lamp mounted to a lap-positioned desk. The lamp is attached to an articulatable arm, which is attached to a rigid work surface having a cushioned portion underneath. The cushioned portion provides comfort by separating the work surface from the body of the user, and by presenting a resilient surface in contact with the user's body. The cushioned portion has a fixed profile, for example, a tapered profile which provides a slanted work surface and the articulatable arm extends upward in front of the user.
Each of these approaches offer varying degrees of personal illumination to the user. Major factors effecting the ability to provide maximum personal illumination while minimizing disturbance to other individuals include the design of the reflector, lens, lamp, the stability and adjustability of the lamp-mounting arrangement, and the stability of the object on which the lamp is mounted or attached. These factors also determine the useful distance between lamp and illuminated object, but, as with many articles of manufacture, the more sophisticated the design, the greater the cost of manufacture.
The problem to be solved is to provide, at a commercially viable cost and design, a reading lamp which is easily mounted on most surfaces, including the user's body, relatively safe to use, and adjustable in such a way that the light beam is acceptably stable and has a sufficiently narrow span of illumination to achieve an acceptable level of illumination, while being restricted to the reading material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a portable reading lamp which can be readily supported by a convenient surface, including a user's body, to provide a reading lamp that is relatively stable, and which is easily adjustable. The reading lamp is capable of maintaining a sufficiently narrow beam of light for illuminating only the reading material, while being disposed at a comfortable and unobtrusive position such as, for example, the user's lap, chest, or shoulder, while avoiding disturbance of nearby individuals resulting from broadly visible light.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a reading lamp having a housing a lamp assembly disposed in a wall thereof, and an attached, sealed bag of loose, granular material which is easily conformable to the major contour of an underlying surface on which the reading lamp is arranged to rest.
The housing of the present invention includes provision for user-access to batteries mounted therein, a lamp assembly arranged to direct a light beam generally toward the reading material to be illuminated when the lamp is operably positioned, a power switch accessible by the user for connection to one of alternative sources of power. The lamp assembly includes a reflector, lens and bulb arranged so that the user can access and replace the bulb. In one embodiment of the invention, the housing includes provision for capture and retention of the perimeter of the conformable bag assembly.
The power supply provides electrical power to the bulb through an on-off power switch alternatively by at least one battery, or through a jack for receiving a plug connected to a transformer-rectifier arranged for connection too household electricity.
The subject invention is extremely simple in construction and operation. To this end, the conformable bag assembly includes a sealed bag made of flexible material containing displaceable granular material arranged to partially fill the volume of the bag. The displaceable material is arranged to interact with the general profile of the surface beneath the conformable bag assembly, so as to cause the bag to generally conform to the surface profile. The conformable bag assembly is arranged to receive and releaseably retain the housing when a user presses the housing into the displaceable material. The housing thus embedded in the displaceable granular material, attains a desired orientation relative to the underlying surface and tends to remain in place. The desired orientation is determined by adjustment of the light beam emanating from the reading lamp toward the material to be illuminated. For example, while the user is seated in bed (or in a vehicle) and holds the reading material with one hand, the other hand is used to press the portable reading lamp against the user's chest (or lap) so that the conformable bag conforms to the user's body profile. At the same time, the user presses the housing into the displaceable material so that the housing becomes embedded in the material. The user switches the lamp on and adjusts the housing orientation within the displaceable material until the light beam illuminates the reading material. Both the conformable bag assembly and the housing tend to remain in the selected orientation be
Kondracki Edward J.
Miles & Stockbridge P.C.
Neils Peggy
O'Shea Sandra
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