Integral spare bulb container for halogen work light

A halogen work light (11) with an integral spare bulb container (31) is disclosed. The spare bulb container (31) is attached to the support frame (15) of the halogen work light (11) by welding, for example. The spare bulb container includes a tubular housing (33) and a pair of end pieces (35) that friction fit into the ends of the housing (33). The end pieces include longitudinal holes (43) for receiving the ends of a halogen bulb (45). The end pieces are formed of a soft, resilient material, such as rubber.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to work lights and, more particularly, to halogen 
work lights. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In recent years, a variety of types of high- and low-profile halogen work 
lights have been developed. High-profile halogen work lights include 
halogen lamps located in U-shaped brackets mounted on tripods and other 
elevation-raising mechanisms. Low-profile halogen work lights include 
halogen lamps supported by frames formed of metal having a variety of 
shapes. Some low-profile halogen work lights combine halogen lamps with 
other elements, such as AC outlets, reels for extension cords, etc. The 
frames of low-profile halogen work lights include sections bent to lie in 
a common plane that defines a base or sections welded together to create 
feet. The base or feet are designed to be positioned atop a floor or other 
generally horizontal support surface. In addition to a base or feet, the 
frames include sections or U-shaped brackets for supporting a halogen 
lamp. An elevation control and locking mechanism that allows the beam of 
the halogen lamp to be elevated to a desired position and clamped is also 
usually included in both high- and low-profile halogen work lights. 
In the past, one of the major disadvantages of halogen work lights has been 
the lack of a readily accessible spare halogen bulb for installation when 
a bulb in the work light burns out. In the past, spare bulbs have been 
stored in work boxes, work vehicles, and the like. In such locations spare 
bulbs are often not readily available. Further, they are subject to 
damage. 
As a result, a need exists for a spare bulb container that is readily 
accessible when the bulb of a work light burns out that also prevents the 
spare bulb from being easily damaged. The present invention is directed to 
fulfilling this need. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with this invention, a spare bulb container for halogen work 
lights that is integral with the work light is provided. The spare bulb 
container is elongate and includes soft end pieces that include integral 
apertures sized to receive the ends of an elongate halogen bulb. 
In accordance with other aspects of this invention, the spare bulb 
container is tubular. 
In accordance with further aspects of this invention, the end pieces are 
formed of rubber and are held in the ends of the tubular container by 
friction. 
In accordance with still other aspects of this invention, the spare bulb 
container includes a tubular body formed of metal. 
In accordance with still further aspects of this invention, the tubular 
body is welded to the frame of the halogen work light. 
As will be readily appreciated from the foregoing description, the present 
invention provides a spare bulb container for a halogen work light that 
remains with the work light as it is moved from position to position. 
Thus, the spare bulb in the container is always readily available. 
Further, the spare bulb container is designed to avoid damage to the bulb 
due to the shock and vibration that often occurs when work lights are 
moved and used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 illustrates a halogen work light 11 incorporating the invention. The 
halogen work light 11 includes a halogen lamp 13, shown in phantom, that 
includes an open-sided housing formed of metal, such as aluminum. As well 
known to those familiar with halogen work lights, the halogen lamp 13 also 
includes a reflector mounted in the housing and an elongate halogen bulb. 
The opening in the housing is enclosed by a glass lens that is held in 
place by a frame. The frame supports a protective grill formed either of a 
plurality of thin wires welded together, or cast as a single unit with the 
frame. The grill provides a protective shield in front of the glass lens. 
For a more detailed description of a halogen lamp of the type shown in 
FIG. 1, attention is directed to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 
08/728,660, filed Oct. 10, 1996, the subject matter of which is 
incorporated herein by reference. 
The halogen work light 11 shown in FIG. 1 also includes a support frame 15. 
The support frame 15 includes a U-shaped section 17. The halogen lamp 13 
is mounted between the legs 19 of the U-shaped section 17. More 
specifically, an attachment mechanism in the form of lock bolts 21 having 
T-shaped outer ends pass through holes in the upper end of the legs 19. 
The lock bulbs are threaded into holes in the sides of the housing of the 
halogen lamp 13. Attention is directed to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 
08/728,660, referenced more fully above, and incorporated herein by 
reference, for a more detailed description of this attachment mechanism. 
The frame 15 also includes four legs 23 that are affixed to and extend 
downwardly and outwardly from the center region of the bottom of the 
cross-member 25 of the U-shaped section 17. Preferably, the U-shaped 
section 17 and the legs are formed of iron, and the legs 29 are welded to 
the cross-member 25. 
As will be better understood from the following description, the present 
invention is not specifically directed to halogen work lights of the type 
shown in FIG. 1. That is, the work light shown in FIG. 1 should be taken 
as exemplary, not limiting. Further, in addition to finding use with a 
wide variety of low-profile work lights, including the type shown in FIG. 
1, the invention can also be used with high-profile work lights, i.e., 
work lights mounted on tripods and other elevation-raising mechanisms, as 
shown in FIG. 3 and described below. 
The present invention is directed to a spare bulb container 31 that is 
integral with a halogen work light. In the exemplary halogen work light 
shown in FIG. 1, the spare bulb container 31 is affixed to the 
cross-member 25 of the U-shaped section 17 of the frame 15. 
As shown best in FIG. 2, the spare bulb container 31 includes a stiff 
tubular housing 33 and a pair of end pieces 35. The tubular housing is 
affixed to the cross-member 25. Preferably, the tubular housing 33 is 
formed of iron and is affixed to the cross-member 25 by welding. 
The end pieces 35 are formed of a relatively soft material, such as rubber, 
and sized to friction fit into the ends of the tubular housing 33. More 
specifically, the end pieces have an outer periphery that matches the 
shape of the ends of the tubular housing 33. If the tubular housing is 
cylindrical, as shown in the drawings, the end pieces are generally 
cylindrical in shape. Preferably, the end pieces 35 include one or more 
peripheral teeth 37 surrounding a cylindrical body 39. The teeth 37 taper 
toward the tubular housing 33. Preferably, the outer diameter of the teeth 
37 is slightly greater than the inner diameter of the tubular housing and 
the diameter of the cylindrical body 39 is slightly less than the inner 
diameter of the tubular housing, as best seen on the left side of FIG. 2. 
As a result, the peripheral teeth 37 slightly compress when the end pieces 
are located in the ends of the tubular housing 33, resulting in a friction 
fit. The outer ends 41 of the end pieces 35 are enlarged to limit the 
amount that the end pieces can be slid into the ends of the tubular 
housing 33. 
The end pieces 35 include central longitudinal holes 43 sized to receive 
the ends of a spare halogen bulb 45. More specifically, the ends of the 
end pieces 35 surrounded by the teeth include the central longitudinal 
holes 43. When the end pieces are installed correctly in the tubular 
housing 33, the holes 43 face one another. 
The length of the tubular housing 33 is such that when the end pieces are 
installed, the distance between the holes is such that the ends of a spare 
halogen bulb 45 positioned in the tubular housing 33 are gripped by the 
holes in the end pieces. Because the end pieces are soft, being formed of 
rubber or a similarly resilient material, the end pieces form a 
shock-absorbing support for the spare bulb. 
As noted above, while the illustrated embodiment of the invention has been 
shown combined with a particular low-profile halogen work light, it is to 
be understood that the invention can be used with other types of 
low-profile halogen work lights, as well as with high-profile halogen work 
lights. In this regard, attention is directed to FIG. 3, which shows a 
high-profile work light 51 that includes a telescoping tripod stand 53 and 
a bracket 55 that supports a pair of halogen lamps 57a and 57b. More 
specifically, the halogen lamps 57a and 57b are located at the opposite 
ends of a horizontal bar 59 that forms part of the bracket 55. Affixed to 
the horizontal bar 59 is a spare bulb container 61 similar to the spare 
bulb container 31 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and described above. 
In addition to being incorporated into a variety of different types of work 
lights, rather than being welded to the frame of the work light, spare 
bulb containers formed in accordance with the invention can be attached in 
other manners, such as mechanically (bolts and nuts, rivets, etc.) or with 
a suitable adhesion. Also, rather than being cylindrical, the tubular 
container can have other cross-sectional shapes, e.g., square, triangular, 
hexagonal, etc. Obviously, the cross-sectional shape of the end pieces 
must be changed to match the chosen cross-sectional shape of the tubular 
container. Consequently, within the scope of the appended claims, it is to 
be understood that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as 
specifically described herein.