Abstract:
A portable, hand-held light display that has a handle or barrel, a transparent enclosure mounted on the handle and a light display mounted for rotation on the handle, visible through the transparent enclosure, the light display having a first rotating support, at least one light support rotatably mounted on the first rotating support, and lamps mounted on the light support.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    Not Applicable.  
         STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0002]    Not Applicable.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Light display devices in which lamps of various sorts have been rotated about two, offset axes to produce different patterns, have been known for many years. Shigley U.S. Pat. No. 2,055,777 is an example of an early motor driven device. Klawitter patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,160 is an example of a mechanically driven device. None of the devices of the prior art, to the best of Applicant&#39;s knowledge, have been hand-held.  
           [0004]    One of the objects of this invention is to provide a lighting device in which one or more lights is rotated about two axes, which device is small and adapted to be hand-held.  
           [0005]    Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the following description and accompanying drawings.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    In accordance with this invention, generally stated, a hand-held light display device is provided which, in the embodiments shown, takes the form of a ball-point pen, although the device can take other forms, from a baby&#39;s rattle to a baton.  
           [0007]    The device has a barrel or handle, a transparent enclosure mounted on the handle and a light display mounted for rotation on the handle, visible through the transparent enclosure. The light display has a first rotating support and means for rotating that support. At least one light support is rotatably mounted on the first support, lamps are mounted on the light support, and means are provided for rotating the light support with respect to the first support when the first support is rotated. The lamps are thus rotated about two different axes, the axis of rotation of the first support and the axis of rotation of the light support. In the embodiments described, the first support is driven by a motor powered by batteries contained in the barrel. In the first embodiment, the light support is in the form of discs mounted for rotation on shafts carried by the first support, and rotated by virtue of the engagement of a roller with a rim of a fixed dish, the lamps being powered by the same batteries that power the motor, through brushes, sliding contacts, the use of which has been known since before Shigley patent U.S. Pat. No. 2,055,777.  
           [0008]    In a second embodiment, a bracket, carried by the first support, carries a motor with a shaft extending perpendicularly to the axis of rotation of the first support, and rotating the light support. In the embodiment shown and described, both motors are powered by batteries contained in the barrel or handle.  
           [0009]    In both embodiments described, the barrel or handle is the stem of an oversized ball-point pen. In one embodiment, the cartridge of the ball-point pen serves as a plunger to close a switch energizing a motor driving a first rotating disc.  
           [0010]    In another embodiment, in which two motors are employed, one to rotate the first support, and the other, mounted on the first support, driving a light support, on which lamps are mounted on an axis of rotation perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the first support, the barrel is also illustrated as being part of a ball point pen, but the cartridge of the pen does not serve the function of a switch actuator, a separate switch being provided, mounted in the side wall of the barrel.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of one embodiment of assembled light display device of this invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a slightly enlarged top plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, an electrical system being shown somewhat schematically, of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of a lower end of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 3;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a second embodiment of light display device of this invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view, partly broken away, of the device shown in FIG. 5, at ninety degrees from the view in FIG. 5;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the device shown in FIGS. 5 and 6; and  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the upper end of the device shown in FIGS.  1 - 3 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]    Referring now to FIGS.  1 - 4 , and  8 , for one illustrative embodiment of this invention, reference numeral  1  indicates the completed assembled device. The device  1  has a barrel  2 , a dome  3  with a transparent hemisphere  4 , a point capsule  5  with a ball point pen point  6  projecting from it and a cartridge-plunger  7  inside, along with a switch  8 . Batteries  9 , electrically coupled in series, are contained within the barrel  2 . A light display  10  is carried by the barrel inside the dome. The light display  10  includes a motor  11  with a motor shaft  12  projecting axially with respect to the barrel  2 . The motor has motor terminals  13  and  14 . A fixed cup  15 , with a rim  16 , has a shaft opening  17 , through which the shaft  12  projects. The cup  15 , which is fixedly mounted against rotation with respect to the motor  11 , barrel  2 , and dome  3 , has an inner bottom surface  18 , in which a fixed disc  19  is mounted. The fixed disc  19  is made up of two concentric bands of electrically conductive material, a negative band  20  and a positive band  21 , electrically separated by either an air gap or an annular strip of electrically nonconductive material. A positive brush or sliding contact  22  is in electrical contact at one end with the positive band  21  of the disc  19 , and at another end, is in contact with a positive upper conductive surface  32  of lamp discs  31 . A negative brush  23  has one end in electrical contact with the negative band  20  of the disc  19 , and another end in contact with a lower conductive surface  33  of the lamp discs  31 . The surfaces  32  and  33  are separated by an electrically insulative intermediate material. Each of the lamp discs  31  is carried by a shaft  28  journaled for rotation in a journal of an arm  25 . The arm  25  is connected to be rotated by the shaft  12  of the motor  11 . Each shaft  28  carries a roller  29  which is in frictional engagement with an inner surface of the rim  16 , so that when the arm  25  is rotated, the shafts  28 , hence the discs  31  are rotated. In FIGS. 3 and 8, for clarity, the arm  25  and discs  31  are shown spaced vertically somewhat farther apart than in actual practice, and the brushes  22  and  23  are shown somewhat schematically; their actual appearance is shown in FIG. 2. Lamps  36  are mounted on the discs  31 , and are connected by means of electrical conductors  37  and  38  to the upper surface  32  and lower surface  33  respectively.  
         [0020]    A positive contact of the contiguous battery  9  is electrically in contact with a conductor connected to a positive motor terminal  13 , and, by way of a conductor  27 , to the positive band of the conducting disc  19 .  
         [0021]    In this embodiment, the barrel  43  is made up of a conductive cylindrical casing  42  and an insulating wrapper  43 . An electrical conductor  39  is electrically connected to the conductive casing  42 , to a negative motor terminal  13  and to the negative band  20  of the disc  19 .  
         [0022]    Referring now to FIG. 4, the capsule  5  has at its lower end an opening  45  through which the pen point  6  extends, the opening being sized so as to retain the cartridge  7  within the capsule  5 . In the illustrative embodiment shown, a simple switch mechanism  8  is illustrated, consisting of a strip of brass or other conductive but springy material, with a lower reach through which an opening  50  extends to receive slidably the cartridge  7 , a switch terminal arm  48 , and a spring arm  49 , a rounded end of which bears against the underside of the terminal arm  48 . The upper end of the cartridge  7  bears against an under surface of the spring arm  49 . The capsule  5  is made of plastic, and is electrically insulative. It is stepped inwardly at its upper end to accommodate a band  46  of electrically conductive material, and to provide a lip to bear against the lower edge of the barrel  2 . A slot  47  dimensioned and positioned to permit the passage of a free end of the terminal arm  48 , permits that end to come into contact with the conductive band  46 , which in turn is in close electrical contact with the conductive casing  42  of the barrel  2 . At the same time, the switch terminal arm  48  is in constant electrical contact with the negative end of the batteries  9 , so that when the terminal arm  48  is moved into engagement with the band  46 , a circuit is completed to the battery and to the lamps  36 . Clearly, numerous types of switch mechanisms can be employed; the one illustrated is merely one example of a simple, economical switch.  
         [0023]    In operation, in the condition shown in FIG. 4, the point  6  is fully extended, and the switch terminal arm  48  is retracted from contact with the conductive band  46 . When the point  6  is pushed inwardly with respect to the capsule  5 , the upper end of the cartridge moves the arm  49 , hence the terminal arm  48 , to a position in which the terminal arm  48  comes into contact with both the negative end of the battery and the inner surface of the conductive band  46 , which completes the circuit to the motor and to the lights. The motor shaft  12  begins to revolve, which rotates the arm  25 , which causes the rollers  29  to rotate by virtue of their frictional engagement with the inner surface of the rim  16 , which causes the discs  31  to rotate, hence the lamps  36 , which are illuminated because of the completion of their circuit. The lamps  36  rotate about the axis of the shaft  12  as well as about the axis of each of the shafts  28 , so that they describe a compound pattern of light display. In practice, by way of illustration, the entire device of this embodiment can be slightly less than 24 centimeters from tip to top, the dome at its greatest diameter, about 6½ centimeters, and the barrel about 1½ centimeters wide.  
         [0024]    Referring now to FIGS.  5 - 7  for another embodiment of this invention, reference numeral  101  indicates the completed device. In this embodiment, an outer barrel  102  is made of plastic or other electrically insulative material. It is topped with a transparent dome  103 , which in this case consists of a cylindrical side wall and a hemispherical dome, all of which is transparent. The barrel has at its lower end a capsule  135 , from which a ball-point pen projects. However, in this embodiment, the ball point pen can have a conventional mechanism indicated schematically as  107 , aligned and supported by a relatively thick annular base  105 , which also serves as a closure for the barrel  102  and the capsule  135 , which have a tight but removable fit on the base  105 , meeting at a parting line  106 . In this embodiment, the switching is not dependent upon movement of the ball-point mechanism. An inner barrel  104  is mounted on the annular base  105 , and can also be made of electrically insulative material. Batteries  109  are mounted in the inner barrel  142 . In this embodiment, a switch  108  is mounted in the outer barrel  102  in such a way as to permit it to be manually operated, and is electrically connected to the negative end of the batteries  109  by a spring contact  141  electrically connected to a conductor  142 . A platform  112  is mounted on an upper end of the barrel  104 . The platform  112  supports a light display  110 . The light display  110  includes a first motor  111 , mounted on the platform and barrel  104 , as shown particularly in FIG. 5. The platform also carries a journal bearing  113 , in which a shaft  114  is journaled for rotation. The shaft  114  carries a platform disc  115 . The first motor  111  has a motor shaft on which a sheave  120  is mounted. The platform disc  115  has a groove around its perimeter. A pulley belt  116  extends around the sheave  120  and the peripheral groove in the disc  115 , to rotate the disc  115  on the shaft  114 . The disc  115  has an upper conducting surface  118  and a lower conducting surface  119 , and an intermediate electrically non-conductive layer between the two surfaces.  
         [0025]    A mounting bracket  122  is secured to the disc  115 , projecting upwardly into the dome  103 . The mounting bracket  122  carries a second motor  123  oriented with a shaft  124  rotating about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the shaft of the first motor  111  and the shaft  114 . The shaft  124  of the motor  123  carries a light disc  125 , which, like the disc  115 , has an electrically conductive front side  126  and an electrically conductive back side  127 , with a layer of non-conductive material between them. Lamps  129  are mounted on the periphery of disc  125 , with electrical connections to the front and back surfaces of the disc.  
         [0026]    A negative conductor  143  is connected to a second side of the switch  108 , to a negative terminal of the motor  111 , and to a brush contact with the upper side  118  of the disc  115 . A positive conductor  147  is in electrical contact with the positive end of the upper battery  109 , with a positive terminal of the motor  111 , and with the lower surface  119  of the disc  115 . A positive conductor  153  is connected to the lower surface of the disc  115 , and at another end, is in sliding contact with the front face  126  of the light disc  125 . A conductor  155  is electrically connected at one end to the upper surface  118  of the disc  115  and at its upper end  156  is in sliding contact with the back side  127  of the disc  125 .  
         [0027]    A negative terminal of the motor  123  is connected to the upper surface of the disc  115 , by a conductor  150 . A positive terminal of the motor  123  is connected, through an opening in the disc, to the lower surface  119  of the disc  115  by means of a conductor  151 .  
         [0028]    In operation, when the switch  108  is thrown to connect the negative end of the batteries to the conductor  143 , both motors are energized, causing the disc  115  to be rotated and the disc  125  to be rotated, and the lamps  129  energized. The rotation of the lamps in a plane parallel to the axis of the shaft  114  and perpendicular to the plane of the disc  115 , creates a three dimensional display.  
         [0029]    In the device illustrated, the plane of the disc  125  is aligned with the axis of rotation of the shaft  114 . However, it can be seen that if the bracket  122  is moved or so arranged as to make the plane of the disc  125  offset with respect to the axis of rotation of the shaft  114 , a different effect will be produced. It can also be seen that two or more of such second motors  123  and discs  125  can be provided, both offset from the center line of the disc  115 , giving yet a different effect. A second disc or even a third disc, equipped with lamps, can be carried by the shaft  124  of the second motor  123 , to produce yet another effect.  
         [0030]    Numerous variations in the construction of the device of this invention, within the scope of the appended claims, will occur to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure. For example, the lamps  36  of the first embodiment can be differently arranged, and either more discs on which lamps are mounted or different numbers of lamps on the same discs can be used. Different combinations of switches can also be used, so as to permit selective use of the light display device when the pen of the first embodiment is employed, or permitting the circuit of the second embodiment to be closed only when the pen point of the pen mechanism  107  is actuated. As has been indicated, different forms of hand-held device can be used, with different shapes or varieties of handle or dome, or with light displays at two ends. or with a handle in the form of a crank, with a sleeve in which a center reach is journaled for rotation and one or more arms carrying at their ends light displays, so that when the handle is rotated in the sleeve, the entire light display moves in a circular path. The handles of these latter types form parts of hand held devices different from writing instruments. The lamp carriers can be inverted, and the barrel made transparent, so that the light display appears near the center, axially, of the barrel. The light disc of the first embodiment can be set vertically (axially) instead of at right angles to the long axis of the barrel. Different kinds of batteries can be used. The two embodiments described can be combined, the horizontal disc carrying lamps as well as the motor bracket. The rollers of the first embodiment can be replaced by gears, engaging gear teeth on the inner surface of the rim  16 , to provide a positive drive instead of the frictional one. A gear on the motor shaft and teeth on the perimeter of the horizontal disc, with or without intermediate gears, can be used instead of the belt of the second embodiment. These variations are merely illustrative.