Abstract:
A modular light arrangement is described which is useful for an individual engaged in a sport activity. It easily can be converted from a single to a dual light bulb housing arrangement while maintaining stability and rigidity. It includes a clamp positioned to grip one or more light housings between a pair of opposed jaws. A pair of spaced indexing pins is provided on one of the jaws and a corresponding pair of spaced indexing posts are provided on the other jaw. These pins and posts collectively engage complementary sockets in the housing(s) to facilitate the gripping. One of the jaws is movable toward and away from the other to facilitate changing the number of light housings that are gripped.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application is related to U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,992 entitled MODULAR INDIVIDUAL LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR SPORTS ACTIVITIES and naming one of us as a coinventor, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a light for an individual engaged in a sport activity and, more particularly, to a modular lighting arrangement which provides a stable and rigid light source irrespective of whether a single or dual light bulb housing arrangement is utilized. 
     As discussed in the patent application identified above, individual lighting arrangements have been designed for certain participatory sport activities. Such lighting arrangements are available, for example, for mountain biking participants. These arrangements typically include one or two actual light bulbs contained in one or more housings mountable via an intermediary receiver and an appropriate mount to, for example, a rider&#39;s helmet (for mountain biking) or the handlebars of the bicycle. These lights typically also include a power source, such as a battery pack, which is carried, for example, in a back or fanny pack by the rider or within the bicycle&#39;s mounting structure for a water bottle. A power cord or the like extends from the power source to light bulb(s) within the housing(s) to deliver the necessary electrical power to the light bulbs. 
     In most lights of this type, if one purchases one having a single light bulb and then wishes to upgrade to a dual light bulb arrangement, the full arrangement or, at least, the single light bulb housing has to be replaced. The invention described in the patent application referred to above focuses on this issue by providing a modular arrangement that is convertible from a single light bulb one to a dual light bulb one. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a modular light of the type described in the earlier patent, which invention assures that the light housing(s) is/are rigidly gripped and stably pointed. In its basic aspects the invention includes a clamp which is positioned to grip one or more light housings between a pair of facing opposed jaws and point the resulting light beam stably toward an area to be illuminated. Desirably, at least one of the jaws is movable toward and away from the other to facilitate changing the number of light housings that are gripped. Moreover, at least one of these jaws preferably has a pair of spaced indexing pins which selectively engage complementary sockets in the housing to facilitate such gripping and stable pointing. The other jaw most desirably includes a pair of spaced indexing posts which are opposed to the pins and similarly engage a pair of complementary sockets in the housing. The spacing between the two pins and the two posts is selected such that the pins and posts alternatively can engage opposed sockets on one housing or opposed sockets on a pair of housings. 
     Other features and advantages of the invention either will become apparent or will be described in connection with the following, more detailed description of the invention and variations. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     With reference to the accompanying drawing: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic, stick figure type showing of a portion of a bicycle with a rider and a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic, stick-figure type showing similar to FIG. 1 showing an alternate preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the first preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded, isometric view of such first preferred embodiment; 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded somewhat schematic view of a pair of light bulb housings of a light of the invention and an insert for the same; 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a pair of light housings interacting with a single clamp and mount of the first preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing the manner in which the mount provided for such embodiment allows limited adjustment of position about a generally vertical axis; and 
     FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the alternate embodiment showing how the mount enables limited vertical adjustment about a generally horizontal axis. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following, relatively detailed description is provided to satisfy the patent statutes. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, though, that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention. 
     A first preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1, combined with a typical mountain bike and rider (both shown schematically and partially). The lighting arrangement is generally referred to by the reference numeral  11 . Such light includes a source of electrical power, e.g., a battery pack  12  held on frame bar  13  of the bicycle. The battery pack simply can be a number ( 5 ,  7 , or  11  are typical) of C-type NiCd or NiMH batteries which are secured together via, for example, shrink wrapping. 
     A light source provided by housing  16  and housing  16 ′ respectively for light bulbs, are mounted parallel to one another by a clamp  18  (FIGS. 3 and 4) and handlebar mount  19  to handlebars  21  of the bicycle to provide an illuminating light beam. A power cord  22  is illustrated delivering power from the battery pack  12  to the light source. In this connection, cord  22  includes plug connectors which mate with complementary sockets provided in housings  16  and  16 ′ (see the earlier patent). It should be noted that the power is not directly delivered to the bulb in each housing, but by a typical arrangement within the housing which provides interaction between the bulbs and such cord. 
     The preferred embodiments are modular arrangements. A major aspect of the first preferred embodiment relates to the light bulb housings  16  and  16 ′. They are identical and one, housing  16 , is illustrated in some detail in FIGS. 3 and 4. This housing has an exterior configuration which is attractive and yet enables the same to be selectively attached to housing  16 ′ for another light bulb. It includes a female cavity  24  (FIG. 5) which interacts with an insert  26  which fills the same. 
     As can be seen best from FIG. 5, the insert  26  is designed to project outward beyond the housing  16 . When the light of the invention is used in an arrangement having a single light bulb housing, the insert  26  adds to the attractiveness of the unit. In this connection, its shape generally conforms to the curvature incorporated into the housing. When the light of the invention is used in an arrangement having two light bulbs, housings, the insert  26  secures the housings together at its location and acts as one point of a triangular, three-point securance connection. (The other two points will be identified below.) 
     Housing  16  is symmetrical, i.e., the side of the housing opposed to that side shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is identical to that shown. A push-button  27  for activating the light bulb is also included at the top of the housing. A pair of Phillips head screws  25  (only shown in FIG.  3  and only one being on the side shown) extend through each of the housings, through a gasket  28  which maintains the light bulb and its casing in place, and into the upper portion of a bezel  31  for such housing. The lower portion of each bezel is held in position on its associated housing by a standard slot and tab arrangement partially provided by a flange  32 . 
     The clamp  18  grips the housing between a pair of opposed jaws  33  and  34 . In this connection, the end of the housing opposite the end from which light is to issue includes a pair of opposed slots  36  and  37  for receiving such jaws. 
     Jaws  33  and  34  provide a rigid grip on the end of the housing with which they are associated. As illustrated, jaw  33  includes spaced indexing pins  38  and  39  which fit respectively into complementary sockets  41  and  42  in the housing slot  36  when the jaw  33  is within such slot. 
     Jaw  34  includes a pair of spaced indexing posts  43  and  44  which similarly fit into complementary sockets  46  (only one of which is shown) in the housing when the jaw  34  is in the slot  37 . 
     The pins  38 ,  39  and the posts  43 ,  44  enhance the grip provided by the clamp. 
     The jaws  33  and  34  are movable with respect to one another. This is best shown in the exploded view of FIG. 4 from which it can be seen that the clamp  18  is made of two parts, an upper part  46  and a lower part  47 . The lower part  47  is stationary with respect to the mount  19 , whereas the upper part is movable with respect to such mount. In this connection, the upper part includes a pair of projecting runners  48  which slide within a pair of complementary channels  49  in the part  47 . A pair of pinch tabs  50  are included, with one being integral with the body of the upper part and the other controlling the position of a placement tab  51 . When the upper and lower parts are in proper position with the jaws and their associated pins and posts, respectively, engaging with a light housing, the tab  51  engages within a slot  52  of the lower part, thus locking the upper and lower parts in position with the opposed, facing jaws gripping the associated housing(s). 
     It is the lower part  47  of the clamp that is fixed to the mount  19 . That is, it is tightly secured via a threaded insert  53  and a bolt  54  to an intermediate mount receiver  56 . Such receiver is, in turn, connected via a machine screw  57 , a washer  58  and a solid cylindrical nut  59  to a handlebar collar  61 . In this connection, the cylinder nut  59  fits within a slotted nut collar portion  62 . The fact that collar portion  62  is slotted enables an installer to rotate the collar relative to the handlebars to move the light vertically somewhat for aiming. An inner collar  63  is also provided to facilitate securance to the handlebars of a bicycle. The provision of such an inner collar helps prevent the mount  56  from premature releasing seen because of a heavy load. 
     As mentioned previously, the invention is a modular light arrangement in which more than one housing can be gripped by the single clamp. FIG. 6 illustrates this in some detail. Two housings  16  and  16 ′ are secured together with a single insert  26  and a single clamp  18 . In this connection, the jaws  33  and  34  (only jaw  33  being shown in FIG. 6) fit within the-slots  36  of both of the housings with the indexing pins and posts engaging the end sockets in each. In this connection, the spacing between the pins and the spacing between the posts are selected to correspond to the spacing between the sockets on a single housing as well as the spacing between the two end sockets on two housings to hold the same in proper position parallel to one another. 
     As also mentioned previously, there is a three-point triangular connection when there are two housings and only one clamp. The connection between the two housings provided by the insert  26  provides one of these three points and the pin and post connections provided on the respective housings provide the other two. (There are actually five [two triangles] when the housing tops and bottoms are considered together.) This spaced connection adds to the stability of the arrangement. 
     The construction enables limited horizontal adjustment about a generally vertical axis, of the positioning of the two housings without interfering with the rigid grip provided by the clamp. In this connection, as is shown in FIG. 4 the upper surface of the collar  61  includes gearing teeth  66  which interact in a common fashion with similar gearing teeth (not shown) on the bottom of the receiver  56  to hold the mount in an adjusted position. To adjust the position, one need only loosen bolt  57 , move the light housing(s) to a desired position and then tighten bolt  57  again. FIG. 7 shows the extent of adjustment with the construction shown with one of the extreme positions being shown in solid lines and the other being shown with phantom lines. 
     An alternate preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 8. This embodiment differs from the earlier described embodiment only in the manner in which it is secured for a rider. In this connection, like parts are referred to by like primed reference numerals. 
     Instead of mounting on the handlebars of a bicycle, the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 8 is mounted on the helmet  71  of a rider and the batteries  12 ′ are mounted on the rider&#39;s back. The manner in which the jaws  33 ′ and  34 ′ with their associated indexing pins and indexing posts interact with the housings  16 ″ and  16 ′″ is the same as the manner described earlier in which the jaws  33  and  34  interact with the housings  16  and  16 ′. The only meaningful differences between the embodiments is the manner in which they are mounted. The helmet mount includes a base plate  72  which is rigidly secured in position to the helmet  71  via a pair of horizontally spaced adhesive bars  83 . The plate  72  supports a pair of vertical side rails  74  which are spaced apart and are at the respective side edges of plate  72  (only one of the side rails is shown in FIG.  8 ). As illustrated, the upper end of each of the rails  74  is serrated with notches which define adjusted positions for the light housings. In this connection, a pair of pinch tabs  76  are provided (only the one which interacts with the shown side rail  74  is illustrated in FIG.  8 ). Each of these pinch tabs includes a protuberance  77  which protrudes outwardly of its associated pinch tab and is urged by such pinch tab into engagement with a notch in the side rail. In this connection, the pinch tabs are somewhat flexible and are mounted to normally urge and maintain the protuberances  77  engaged within opposite notches in the two side rails. 
     It will be seen that with such construction it is only necessary for a user to pinch the two pinch tabs toward one another to disengage the associated protuberances from a pair of notches and move the light housings to a different vertical position. 
     Although the invention is described in connection with the conversion of a single light bulb arrangement to a dual light bulb arrangement, it will be recognized that from the broad standpoint the invention is also applicable to an arrangement in which there will be three (or more) light bulb housings. While a three light housings arrangement may be unusual, it is usable in some situations, e.g., by a security force with one of the lenses being red. The invention can provide the same. One way is simply to use two clamps on opposed sides of a center housing to interact with side light housings. If enough room is available for two clamps and mounts, a clamp can be provided for each of the end units with the central unit being “squeezed” between the two. 
     As mentioned at the beginning of the detailed description, applicant is not limited to the specific embodiments and variations described above. They are exemplary, rather than exhaustive. And although the invention is being described in connection with mountain biking embodiments, it is useful for other sports activities, such as cross country skiing. The claims, their equivalents and their equivalent language define the scope of protection.