Lighting equipment for a key ring

A lighting equipment includes a cylindrical tube having a profile formed in a bottom. The profile has a pair of lower grooves and a pair of higher grooves. A barrel, a spring, a cell and a braket are received in the cylindrical tube. A rod is coupled to the bracket. A pin is laterally provided on the rod. The pin is actuated to follow the profile so that the pin is laid in either the upper grooves or the lower grooves. A center electrode of the cell is actuated either to contact or to be separated from a prong of a light bulb in order to turn on or turn off the light bulb.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a lighting equipment, and more 
particularly to a lighting equipment for a key ring. 
Key rings are designed for supporting or stringing keys. It is usually hard 
to find the key holes in the dark in order that keys may be readily 
inserted into the key holes. Therefore, a key ring having a lighting 
equipment is highly desired. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is to provide a lighting equipment for a key ring, 
the key hole may be lighted by the lighting equipment so that the key 
which is strung on the key ring can be easily inserted into the key hole. 
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a 
lighting equipment which is coupled to a key ring. The lighting equipment 
includes a cylindrical tube having a profile formed in a bottom. The 
profile has a pair of lower grooves and a pair of higher grooves. A lower 
end of a barrel is received in the cylindrical tube. A ring element is 
provided around the upper end of the barrel and contacts an upper end of 
the cylindrical tube. A light bulb which has two prongs is received in the 
upper end of the barrel, one of the prongs is connected to the ring 
element, and a resilient leg is coupled to another prong. A spring and a 
cell is received in the lower end of the barrel. A bracket is provided 
between the barrel and the cylindrical tube, the bracket and the cell are 
biased downward by the spring. A rod extends through a center of the 
bottom of the cylindrical tube and is coupled to the bracket. A pin is 
laterally provided on the rod. The key ring is strung on a lower end of 
the rod. The pin is actuated to follow the profile so that the pin is laid 
in either the upper grooves or the lower grooves and so that a center 
electrode of an uppermost cell is actuated either to contact or to be 
separated from the resilient leg in order to turn on or turn off the light 
bulb. 
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided 
hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a lighting 
equipment for a key ring in accordance with the present invention 
comprises generally a cylindrical tube 20, a face cap 10 provided on an 
upper end of the lighting equipment, and a key ring 65 coupled to a lower 
end of the lighting equipment. 
The cylindrical tube 20 has a profile 21 and an aperture 24 formed in a 
lower end thereof. The profile 21 fluctuates with two pairs of higher 
grooves 22 and two pairs of lower grooves 23 alternatively formed thereon. 
An inner thread 26 is formed in an upper end of the cylindrical tube 20. A 
barrel 30 is substantially cylindrical with a reduced diameter portion 31 
and an outer thread 32 formed on an upper end and an annular recess 34 
formed on a lower end thereof. The inner thread 26 of the cylindrical tube 
20 is threadedly engaged with the outer thread 32 of the barrel 30. A 
notch 33 is vertically formed in the reduced diameter portion 31. A ring 
element 39 has a tongue 391 extending toward a center thereof and 
surrounds the reduced diameter portion 31. The tongue 391 which has a hole 
392 formed in a free end thereof extends through the notch 33 into an 
interior of the reduced diameter portion 31. A light bulb 40 which has a 
long prong 42 and a short prong 43 is received in the reduced diameter 
portion 31. The short prong 43 is fixed in the hole 392 by such as 
soldering so that the short prong 43 is electrically connected to the ring 
element 39. A resilient leg 44 is coupled to the long prong 42. The face 
cap 10 is force-fitted on the reduced diameter portion 31. An opening 11 
is formed in an upper end of the face cap 10 so that a light from the 
light bulb 40 can be emitted through the opening 11. The ring element 39 
electrically contacts the upper end of the cylindrical tube 20. 
A spring 35 and two cells 36, 37 are received in the barrel 30. As is best 
shown in FIG. 3, an annular flange 300 is formed in a middle portion of 
the barrel 30 so that an upper end of the spring 35 is engaged between the 
annular flange 300 and the barrel 30. A bracket 50 which has a center hole 
51 has four equally spaced lugs 52 vertically provided on a peripheral 
edge thereof. A protrusion 53 is formed on an upper and outer end of each 
lug 52. The lugs 52 of the bracket 50 surround the annular recess 34 of 
the barrel 30. The protrusions 53 of the bracket 50 electrically contact 
the inner surface of the cylindrical tube 20. The spring 35, the cells 36, 
37 and the bracket 50 are biased downward by the spring 35. 
A rod 60 has two holes 62, 63 laterally formed therein for slidably 
receiving a pin 64 and the key ring 65 respectively. A reduced diameter 
portion 66 which has a disc 61 provided on an upper end thereof is formed 
on an upper end of the rod 60. The reduced diameter portion 66 of the rod 
60 is engaged in the center hole 51 of the bracket 50. The disc 61 of the 
rod 60 is electrically connected to the case electrode of the cell 37. The 
pin 64 is laid on the profile 21 of the cylindrical tube 20 and is 
actuated to move relatively along the profile 21 by a rotation of the key 
ring 65. The rod 60 is also biased downward by the spring 35 so that both 
ends of the pin 64 are rested either in the lower grooves 23 or the higher 
grooves 22 of the profile 21. 
As shown in FIG. 3, when both ends of the pin 64 are laid in the lower 
grooves 23, the cells 36, 37, the bracket 50 and the rod 60 are biased 
downward by the spring 35 so that the resilient leg 44 is separated from 
the cell 36. The electrical circuit of the lighting equipment is 
disconnected so that the bulb is off. The electrical circuit of the 
lighting equipment runs through the short prong 43, the ring element 39, 
the cylindrical tube 20, the bracket 50, the rod 60, the cells 36, 37, and 
the long prong 42 and the resilient leg 44. 
If it is desired to turn on the lighting equipment, it is only required to 
rotate the key ring 65. The pin 64 is actuated to move along the profile 
21 until both ends of the pin 64 are laid in the higher grooves 22. The 
cells 36, 37 are pushed upwards so that the center electrode of the cell 
36 electrically contacts the resilient leg 44. The electrical circuit of 
the lighting equipment is connected so that the light bulb 40 is on. 
If it is desired to turn off the lighting equipment, it is only required to 
rotate the key ring 65 again until both ends of the pin 64 are laid in the 
lower grooves 23. The cells 36, 37 are pushed downwards so that the 
resilient leg 44 is separated from the center electrode of the cell 36. 
The electrical circuit of the lighting equipment is disconnected again so 
that the light bulb 40 is off again. 
Accordingly, the lighting equipment for a key ring in accordance with the 
present invention can be easily turn on and turn off. 
Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of 
particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been 
made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed 
construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted 
to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as 
hereinafter claimed.