Convertible work light

Disclosed is a work light with two convertible configurations. The first configuration is a light mounted upon a stand with an extendable neck. The second is a flashlight. A third, intermediate configuration is presented when the neck is extended in the flashlight mode. The light head has a standard twist switch and a key interface with the body to maintain a lower portion of the head in a stationary position relative to the body when in the work light is in the flashlight configuration. The stand is a tripod with legs collapsible into a central body to form the flashlight handle, a movable stop being provided to support the legs when deployed and hold the legs, along with the body, when stowed in the flashlight configuration. A double linkage hinge is also provided the head and neck for allowing motion of the head relative the remainder of the work light. Magnets are applied at both the head of the work light and the end of the movable stop such that the work light may be used as an extendable pick up tool with the magnet in the head and it may be mounted solely by the magnet, even against the pull of gravity, by the magnet in the stop.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of portable illumination and more particularly relates to a work light convertible from a work light with a stand to a pocket-sized flashlight.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Portable illumination has become a necessity of modern life. This is especially true in work situations, where relocating a light source can be necessary for effective viewing of a work area, such as inside a furnace, in a crawl-space or other tight situation. Commensurate with the need of relocation, is the need to statically hold a light source in a desired position. To this end, lighting systems using various forms of stands and clamps have been developed to secure light sources of various types in freestanding and supported configurations. Support means have included magnets for ferrous/magnetic surfaces.

One recent innovation has been to provide a work light with a collapsible stand such that it may then be used as a flashlight, with the stand becoming the handle of the flashlight. Until now, any convertible work lights that utilize the same basic principals use complex locking and deployment mechanisms, or independent legs which form a less stable tripod.

The present invention is a convertible work light that presents a tripod base which, when stowed, become the entire grasping portion of a handle for a flashlight configuration. The work light is structured for ease of use with a key structure to secure the head when stowed and for rapid and stable deployment.

The present invention represents a departure from the prior art in that the work light of the present invention allows for rapid and efficient deployment with simple and secure stowage. It also provides additional stability and fastening options and significant extension of the stand portion of the work light when deployed and efficient use when in a stowed, flashlight, configuration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of work lights, this invention provides a convertible work light with increased support when deployed and a smaller profile when in a stowed, flashlight, configuration. As such, the present invention's general purpose is to provide a new and improved extendable work light that is easily deployed, stable, easily stowed and usable when in a stowed configuration. The work light of the present invention also provides complete range of direction for directing an emitted light beam.

To accomplish these objectives, the work light comprises a head portion, containing the light and power sources, and a body portion, containing the legs and support structure, being connected by an extendable neck. The legs are spring biased to maintain an open, work stand, configuration while the head itself serves to hold the legs against the spring bias to maintain a stowed, flashlight, configuration. A twisting switch configuration is utilized to turn the light on and off. A keying structure is provided to lock a lower portion of the head against the body assembly and/or tripod legs when the work light is stowed for ease of activating the light. Magnets may be provided to anchor the work light on ferrous surfaces, such magnets being sufficient to secure the work light upside down against gravity. The work light may also act as an extendable pickup tool for dropped metal parts and tools.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, the preferred embodiment of the work light is herein described. It should be noted that the articles “a”, “an”, and “the”, as used in this specification, include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

With reference toFIG. 1, the work light1comprises a head10and a stand20, the stand further comprises three legs22that are hingedly attached to a body24near a top of the stand20. As shown inFIG. 2, the legs22fold against the body24to form a handle20athat is graspable by a user such that the work light may be used as a flashlight1a. It should be noted that the legs22form an entire perimeter of the handle20a,FIG. 2. The legs22are biased outward in the stand configuration20by springs26, shown inFIGS. 6 and 7. They are also hingedly connected by support braces28to a movable stop30. When opened, each leg22pulls on the stop30in different directions, keeping it centered below the body24. As the support braces28are of fixed length, the stop30is then drawn upwards against the body24, thus preventing further extension of the legs22and providing a stable tripod upon which the work light is mounted. This is accomplished by each of the support braces28being attached to the legs22above the stop30. The angles and lengths of the legs22and the stop30and body24are such that when deployed, the stop/body combination may act as a center, fourth leg. Utility is increased by the addition of a foot magnet32on the lower end of the stop30, as seen inFIG. 9. This foot magnet32may be used to further anchor the work light1on ferrous surfaces and preferably should have sufficient strength to secure the work light upside down or on a vertical surface. The magnet's strength then allows use in otherwise hard to use places, like a furnace interior, or be placed in more convenient positions, such as on a metal car fender as opposed to unlevel gravel when changing a tire. The body24and stop30both are shaped to accommodate the legs22and support braces28when stowed.

The head10is a generally cylindrical construction with a light source, preferably one or more LED's with an adequate battery. These components of the light source are located in chambers12aand12bof the head10, shown inFIG. 9. The switching mechanism may be any type known in the art, but the preferred mechanism is a twisting switch, where upper14and lower16portions of the head10are in a threaded relationship and contact is made or broken between the light and battery by twisting the portions relative to each other, thus joining or separating them and the appropriate contacts. The upper portion14houses the light itself in chamber12a, along with any focusing and lens structure, while the lower portion16houses the battery in chamber12b.

The head10is connected to the body24by an extendable neck18. Neck18allows the head10to be elevated with respect to the body24when it is in either the deployed or stowed states. When stowed, the neck is stored in a bore of the body24, shown inFIG. 9. A head magnet34may also be provided for the head so that the work light may be used as an extendable “hand” while stowed; the user then being capable of using the light to locate a dropped part or tool and extending the neck18to magnetically attract and pick up said part or tool with the head magnet34. The neck18is also double hinged38at the head10and allows the head10to rotate, giving a wide range of directional freedom for the head10. The hinge structure38stops when the head is in a vertical orientation so as to ensure alignment with the neck18when stowing the work light. The preferred hinge structure, shown inFIGS. 4A,4B,9and10, comprises two plates40which sandwich an end connection piece on the head44and a similar piece on the neck46between themselves. Bolts42secure the plates40at two tabs, one on each connection piece. The plates are rounded on one side and have a block corner on the other, thereby forming the limit of rotation needed to ensure the head10is in a vertical, coaxial orientation with the neck18and the body24.

Since the preferred switch is a twisting mechanism, a keying structure to lock the lower portion16of the head10relative to the body24is desirable. This is best shown inFIG. 5. Such a structure allows the user to hold the body/legs when the work light is stowed and just twist the top portion14of the head10. A positive shape is manufactured either on the lower portion16(as shown inFIG. 5) or on the body22. A corresponding negative shape is fashioned on the other. In the preferred embodiment, the negative shape is formed by the legs22when they are collapsed into the stowed position and the positive shape is provided by the end piece of the head44, shown inFIGS. 4A and 5. The negative shape is excentuated by a tab extending upward from the top of each leg22. In the preferred embodiment, the keying structure also holds the legs22against the spring bias. This is further accomplished by the addition of a rim36about the lower portion16. As can best be seen inFIG. 9, the legs22rest next to the end piece of the head44while the rim36nests around the legs22when they are stowed. This arrangement keys them as well and keeps them in place against the springs26. There must then be sufficient overlap of the rim36over the legs22and legs22over the end piece44to provide adequate interaction, but such sufficiency is determined by many factors, including the strength of the spring, where it is mounted and attaches to the legs, length and material strength of the legs, etc. When the user then wishes to deploy the work light1, the user merely extends the neck18while holding the legs22and then releases the legs22and positions the work light1. An elastomeric (usually rubber or plastic) O-ring48is positioned about a circumference of the end piece of the head44to provide a cushion and tolerance for the legs22as they close.

Preferred construction of most of the work light's parts is from extruded aluminum. The referred light source is a matrix of at least one LED, the head10and body24then providing an excellent heat sink. Three legs22are preferred, though more may be used. Any fractioning pattern or design and overall cross-sectional shape may be used on the legs22to provide a positive gripping surface.