Abstract:
A device is provided for mounting a light source to a gun and for alternatively attaching the light source to a second object. The device includes a clip and detachable mount. The clip connects to one of a variety of flashlights and is easily transported with the flashlight. The clip has a flexible clip arm that allows the flashlight to be clipped to a belt, a shirt pocket or other convenient location. The mount attaches to a gun, weapon, tool or other implement and cooperates with the clip arm on the clip so that the flashlight can be easily connected to the gun, weapon, tool or other implement when desired. The clip disconnects easily from the mount so that the flashlight and clip can readily be removed from the mount and clipped to another object.

Description:
This Application hereby claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/244,366 filed Oct. 30, 2000. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a flashlight mount, in general, and, in particular, to a mounting body and a combination clip and mounting body as for mounting a flashlight. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Police officers and other individuals who use guns in dark conditions often desire a portable light to illuminate their surroundings. A handheld light, such as a flashlight, can provide illumination, but it becomes unmanageable when the gun user must use both hands to control the gun. A light attached to a gun requires no use of the user&#39;s hands, but it adds unnecessary weight to the gun when the light is not in use. Therefore, it is desirable to have source of light that is easily detached when the light is no longer needed. In addition, it is desirable to have source of light that is easily attached to different objects once it is removed from the gun. In the latter instance, the individual may desire to clip the light to a belt, pocket or the like. As a result, there is a need for a device which can mount a light source onto a gun, permit easy detachment from the gun, and allow attachment of the light source to a different object. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     With the foregoing in mind, the present invention is a device for mounting a light source, such as a flashlight, to an object, such as a gun, weapon, tool or the like and alternatively for attaching the flashlight to a different article, such as a pocket or belt. The invention includes a clip and a detachable mounting body. The clip is adapted for attachment to a flashlight and includes a resiliently flexible arm having a latch. The mounting body is adapted for attachment to an object and has a channel that cooperates with the latch on the clip arm. The channel releasably receives the clip arm and has an engaging surface that releasably engages the latch on the clip arm to connect the flashlight to the object. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a mount body is adapted for receiving a flashlight and includes a first engaging feature and a second engaging feature. The first engaging feature is configured to engage a first object, such as a gun, weapon, tool or the like. The second engaging feature is adapted for engaging a flashlight, so that the mount body connects the flashlight to the object. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side section elevation of a light mounting device in accordance with the invention mounted to a gun. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the clip portion of the mounting device of FIG. 1 disassembled from the flashlight. 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the clip portion of the mounting device of FIG. 1 assembled with the flashlight. 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B are isometric views from different perspectives of the mounting body shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded isometric view of the mounting body of FIG. 1 disassembled from the flashlight and clip of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 6 is a side section elevation of the clip and mounting body of FIG. 1 fully assembled. 
     FIG. 7 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the flashlight mounting device in accordance with the invention. 
     FIGS. 8A and 8B are isometric views from different perspectives of the clip portion of the mounting device of FIG.  7 . 
     FIGS. 9A and 9B are isometric views from different perspectives of the mounting body of the mounting device of FIG.  7 . 
     FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the assembled mounting device in FIG. 7 with the mounting ring disassembled. 
     FIG. 11 is a partial side section elevation of the assembled mounting device in FIG. 7 with the mounting ring disassembled. 
     FIG. 12 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment of a flashlight having a clip affixed to the flashlight housing. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the same components across the several views, and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown a flashlight mount  10  mounted on a gun  5  with a barrel end  6 . The flashlight mount  10  holds a generally cylindrical flashlight  15  having a head  16 , a tail end  17 , a cylindrical housing  18  and tapered neck  19 . When the flashlight  15  is mounted as shown, the longitudinal axis of the flashlight is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of gun  5 . In addition, the head  16  of flashlight  15  faces the barrel end  6  of gun  5  to direct light in the direction in which the gun is pointed. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, the flashlight mount  10  includes a clip  20  releasably attached to a mounting body  40 . The clip  20  includes a rounded nose  29 , a base  21 , a latch  28  and an elongated arm  26  that connects the base to the latch. Latch  28  includes a tip  27  and a tapered face  30  adjacent to the tip. The base  21  of clip  20  has a hollow cylindrical body  22  having a coaxial cylindrical bore or opening  23  axially spaced from the longitudinal axis of arm  26  and adapted to receive flashlight  15 . The cylindrical body  22  has an annular beveled edge  24  in its outer periphery that faces the latch  28 . A hole  25  is cut through the base  21  in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of arm  26  and is adapted to receive a set screw  31 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 2-3, the cylindrical body  22  forms a bore  23  adapted to receive the tail end  17  and housing  18  of flashlight  15 . The latch  28  is configured and positioned such that the latch tip  27  is proximal to, and preferably rests on, the flashlight housing  18  when the flashlight  15  is inserted through the cylindrical body  22 . The nose  29  on clip  20  is configured to bear against the tapered neck  19  of flashlight  15  when the flashlight is fully inserted into the cylindrical body  22 . Preferably, nose  29  is elliptical or rounded to cooperate with the tapered neck  19  of flashlight head  16 , thereby providing greater stability to the flashlight in the clip  20 . Once flashlight  15  is fully inserted into clip  20 , tip  27  of latch  28  is proximal to, and preferably rests on, flashlight housing  18 , as shown in FIG.  3 . The set screw  31  is of a sufficient length to extend through the set screw hole  25  to bear against the flashlight housing  18  and secure the flashlight within the cylindrical body  22 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, clip  20  is preferably formed of a resiliently flexible material, such as nylon, nylon  6 , reinforced nylon or other plastic, which provides flexibility and resiliency to arm  26 . As used herein, “resiliently flexible” refers to the flexibility of arm  26  that allows it to deflect outwardly and away from housing  18  and return substantially to its original position, thereby imposing an inward force on the arm that permits clipping of flashlight  15  onto an object, such as a belt, pants pocket or mounting body  40 . When the clip  20  containing flashlight  15  is initially clipped onto an object, the object pushes against the tapered face  30  of latch  28 , displaces the latch and arm  26 , and wedges in between the arm and flashlight housing  18 . The resiliency of arm  26  biases the arm and latch tip  27  inwardly to clamp down onto the object and secure the flashlight  15  to the object. When the flashlight  15  and clip  20  are detached from the object, the flexibility of arm  26  allows the latch tip  27  to release the object, and the resiliency of the arm returns it substantially to its original position. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the mounting body  40  is shown with a forward end  60  and a rearward end  62 . Like the clip  20 , the mounting body  40  is preferably formed of a resiliently flexible material, such as nylon, nylon  6 , reinforced nylon or other plastic, but the mounting body need not be flexible or as flexible as the clip  20 . The mounting body  40  includes a sleeve  42  and a pair of pedestals  43  and  44  adapted to receive the clip arm  26  and latch  28 . The sleeve  42  defines a cylindrical aperture  47  and includes an annularly beveled edge  45  on the inward periphery of the forward end  60 . The beveled edge  45  is adapted to mate with the beveled edge  24  on the clip  20 . The cylindrical aperture  47  has a diameter similar to the outside diameter of flashlight housing  18 . The sleeve  42  also extends to define a suitable arrangement for attaching mounting body  40  to a gun or other implement. 
     An example of an attaching arrangement may include a pair of rails  50  and  51  separated by a channel  54 . Rails  50  and  51  include longitudinal grooves  52  and  53 , respectively, which face inward toward the channel  54 . Rails  50  and  51  also contain a pair of transverse slots  56  and  57 , respectively, that completely penetrate through the rails. Slots  56  and  57  are adapted to receive various means for securing the mounting body  40  to the gun  5 . For example, slots  56  and  57  may be adapted to receive a pair of locking pins, or may be aligned with holes in gun  5  to allow the mounting body  40  to be screwed to the gun. 
     Mounting body  40  includes an arrangement of features for engaging clip  20 . Pedestals  43  and  44  and a section of sleeve  42  between said pedestals extend to form an arc-shaped tongue  46  at the rearward end  62  of mounting body  40 . Pedestals  43  and  44  further define a groove or channel  49  on the exterior of mounting body  40  for receiving clip arm  26 . A notch  48  adapted to mate with latch  28  of clip  20  protrudes into the end of tongue  46  and is centered on the longitudinal axis of said tongue. Notch  48  provides an engaging face for engaging latch tip  27 . The exterior base of channel  49  forms a guide ramp that extends radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the sleeve, beginning at the forward end  60  of the mounting body  40  and expanding radially outwardly as it reaches the rearward end  62  of the mounting body. The gradual outward expansion of ramp  99  allows the arm  26  to initially engage the ramp surface with minimal deflection of the arm. As the arm  26  and latch  28  are slid further between the pedestals  43  and  44 , the contour of the ramp  99  gradually causes the arm and latch to deflect outward from the flashlight  15 . Once the latch  28  is slid beyond the end of the ramp and over the notch  48 , the resilient property of the arm  26  forces the latch back toward the flashlight  15  and into the notch  48 . Engagement of the latch  28  and latch tip  27  in notch  48  assists in minimizing lateral and longitudinal movement between the clip  20  and mounting body  40 , thereby holding light  15  in a desired position in relation to gun  5 . 
     The use of the flashlight mount  10  will now be described. Referring back to FIG. 2, the flashlight housing  18  is held in coaxial alignment with the bore  23  of clip  20 , such that the tail end  17  of flashlight  15  is adjacent to cylindrical body  22 . The tail end  17  of flashlight  15  is then inserted through bore  23 , followed by the flashlight housing  18 . The flashlight housing  18  is slid through bore  23  until nose  29  of the clip  20  abuts the tapered neck  19  of flashlight  15 , as shown in FIG.  3 . The set screw  31  is then rotated clockwise in the set screw hole  25  as needed to bear against the flashlight housing  18  and secure the flashlight  15  against the inside wall of the cylindrical body  22 . With the flashlight  15  inserted into the clip  20 , the flashlight can be clipped to an object or article of clothing. 
     To mount the flashlight  15  and clip  20  to a gun  5 , as shown in FIG. 1, the flashlight  15  is held in coaxial alignment with the mounting body  40 , such that the tail end  17  of the flashlight is adjacent to the cylindrical aperture  47  of the mounting body, as shown in FIG.  5 . The latch  28  and arm  26  of clip  20  are deflected outwardly from flashlight  15  in the direction marked A. Preferably, clip arm  26  is sufficiently flexible to permit manual deflection without the assistance of any leverage tools. The tail end  17  of flashlight  15  is then inserted into the aperture  47 , followed by the flashlight housing  18 . Once the housing  18  has entered the aperture  47 , the latch  28  and arm  26  are released so that the latch tip  27  rests on the guide ramp  99  of mounting body  40  shown in FIG.  4 B. The housing is then advanced through aperture  47 , with the latch tip riding along the contour of guide ramp  99 . As the latch tip  27  rides along the guide ramp  99 , the latch  28  and arm  26  deflect outwardly from the flashlight  15 . Once the latch tip  27  reaches the notch  48  in tongue  46 , the latch tip and arm  26  deflect back inwardly toward flashlight  15 . At that point, the annular beveled edge  45  of mounting body  40  mates with the beveled edge  24  of clip  20  so that the clip and mounting body are in cooperation, as shown in FIG  6 . Referring back to FIGS. 1,  4 A and  4 B, grooves  52  and  53  are mated with corresponding surfaces on gun  5  to slidably mount the flashlight  15  to the gun. The gun  5  may be one of a variety of types of guns, including handguns, long guns or shot guns. 
     Thus far, the preferred embodiment has been described as a device for mounting a flashlight  15  to a gun  5 . However, the present invention is adaptable to mount a flashlight to a variety of objects in addition to guns, including tools, tables and walls. Therefore, it is intended that the mounting device  10  be used for mounting lights to a variety of objects and structures. 
     Referring now to FIG. 7, an alternate embodiment of the invention is illustrated and designated generally  110 . The device  110  includes a clip  120  adapted to hold a flashlight  115 , a mounting body  140  and a metal mounting ring  170  fastened to the mounting body. The flashlight has a head  116 , a tail end  117 , a housing  118  and a tapered neck  119 . The clip  120  is releasably attachable to the mounting body  140 . A bore  171  through the center of ring  170  is adapted so as to allow the ring to be slipped over part of a gun, such as a gun barrel. 
     As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, clip  120  includes a base  121 , a hollow cylindrical body  122  and an elongated arm  126  extending from the base. The arm  126  has two ends: a flanged end  125  connected to the base  121  and a distal end  124 . The distal end  124  of arm  126  contains a latch  128  similar to the previous embodiment. The latch  128  includes a latch tip  127  and a tapered face  130 . A ridge  129  protrudes from the arm  126  on the side opposite of the latch  128  and extends along the longitudinal axis of the arm so as to bisect the arm. The ridge  129  is flush with the arm at the distal end and protrudes increasingly outwardly as it reaches the flanged end  125  to add proportional strength and stiffness along the length of the arm. 
     The cylindrical body  122  forms a bore  123  adapted to receive the tail end  117  and housing  118  of flashlight  115 . Bore  123  has a diameter that is similar to the outside diameter of housing  118  such that the outside surface of the housing is proximal to the inside surface of the cylindrical body  122  when the flashlight is inserted into the clip  120 . Similar to the previous embodiment, when the flashlight  115  is inserted into clip  120 , the latch tip  127  is proximal to, and preferably rests on, flashlight housing  118 . After the housing  118  has been inserted through cylindrical body  122 , the tapered neck  119  of the flashlight  115  prevents further insertion of the flashlight into the cylindrical body. The clip  120  is preferably formed of a resiliently flexible material, such as nylon, nylon  6  or reinforced nylon, providing flexibility and resiliency to arm  126 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the mounting body  140  is shown with a forward end  160  and a rearward end  162 . The mounting body  140  includes a sleeve  142  that forms a rectangular channel  147  extending longitudinally from the forward end  160  to the rearward end  162 . The sleeve  142  flares outwardly at the forward end  160  to form a pair of wings  144  and  145 . A pair of rectangular grooves  152  and  153  extend longitudinally along the interior of wings  144  and  145 , respectively, and adjoin with rectangular channel  147  so as to form a polygonal aperture  148  at the forward end  160 . The polygonal aperture  148  is shaped to receive arm  126  and flange  125  of clip  120 . 
     The sleeve  142  contains means for attaching the mounting ring  170  to the mounting body  140 . As shown in FIG. 7, the mounting ring  170  includes an elongated bar  172  that secures the ring to the mounting body  140 . The bar  172  is attachable to the mounting body  140  in a number of ways, including screws, bolts, rivets or other fastening arrangements. The mounting ring  170  could also be molded with the mounting body  140 . In FIG. 7, the elongated bar  172  is shown as being riveted to the mounting body  140  with a pair of rivets,  174  and  175 . The mounting body  140  includes a pair of mounting slots  156  and  157 , shown in FIG. 9A, to allow the mounting ring  170  to be riveted to the mounting body. Referring to FIG. 9B, an access port  158  and arc-shaped groove  159  on the underside of the mounting body  140  allow a riveting tool or other tool to reach the slots  156  and  157  from the underside of the mounting body when fasteners are to be connected. Once the mounting ring  170  is connected to the mounting body  140 , the mounting ring can be slid around part of a gun, such as a gun barrel. 
     The mounting body  140  is also mountable directly to the stock of a gun without the use of the mounting ring  170 . After slots  156  and  157  are aligned with similar holes in the stock, screws or bolts are inserted through the underside of the mounting body  140  and screwed into the stock of the gun. The access port  158  and groove  159  provide clearance for a screwdriver in the event that screws are used. 
     The operation of flashlight mount  110  is similar to that of the previous embodiment. Referring to FIG. 10, the tail end  117  and housing  118  of flashlight  115  are inserted through the bore  123  of clip  120 . With the flashlight  115  inserted into clip  120 , the flashlight can be clipped to an object or article of clothing. To attach the clip  120  to the mounting body  140 , arm  126  is aligned with the aperture  148  at the forward end  160  of the mounting body. Once aligned, the distal end  124  of arm  126  is inserted into aperture  148  and advanced through the channel  147  so that the distal end emerges through the sleeve  142  at the rearward end  162  of mounting body  140 , as shown in FIG.  10 . During insertion of the arm  126 , the flange  125  slides into grooves  152  and  153 , thereby minimizing lateral movement of the arm within the sleeve  142 . Upon completion of the insertion of arm  126  through the sleeve  142 , the latch tip  127  passes over the tongue  146  so that the arm and latch  128  are flush with the tongue, as shown in FIG.  11 . Tongue  146  provides an engaging surface for engaging tip  127 . Contact between latch tip  127  and tongue  146  assists in minimizing longitudinal movement of the arm  126  within the sleeve  142 , and assists positioning light  115  in relation to an object to which it is mounted. 
     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been herein illustrated and described, it is not intended to limit the invention to such disclosure, but changes and modifications may be made therein and thereto. For instance, flashlight  15  and clip body  22  have thus far been described as having a round or cylindrical shape. However, the flashlight housing  18  can also be polygonal, having one or more flat sides or an irregular cross-sectional shape that cooperates with an irregularly shaped bore in clip body  22 . One skilled in the art will also see that the flashlight  15  and clip  20  need not be separate and distinct components. Referring now to FIG. 12, a clip  220  can be affixed to a flashlight housing  218  so that the clip is an integral part of flashlight  215 . Clip  220  can be molded to flashlight  215  or attached to the flashlight using glue, bolts or any other common fastener. In such a case, the clip  220  does not require a cylindrical collar to secure the clip to the flashlight  215 . The cylindrical body  22  on clip  20  has been described herein as being a closed cylinder with no partition or break in the cylinder wall. However, the cylindrical body that receives the flashlight could also be an open or “C-shaped” cylinder with a cut through the wall. This opening would allow the cylinder to flexibly expand to accommodate flashlights of varying diameters. The cylinder could include a cut in its wall and an adjustable coupling fastened over the opening. The coupling could contain one or more screws to adjust the size of the bore, or could be resiliently flexible as needed to accommodate flashlights of different sizes. 
     As a result, the scope of the invention should be determined in accordance with the following claims.