Abstract:
The present invention provides a dropper having a light that can be switched on and off. The light provides illumination when liquid is being dispensed from a hollow tube of the dropper. The light helps to see how much of the liquid is being dispensed so that liquid would not be wasted.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to the field of droppers, and more particularly to a dropper having a light that can turn on and off. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Droppers are used to move oils and liquids contained inside a bottle to a something else, such as for example, a cartridge of an e-cigarette or other electronic smoking devices. Typically a person removes the dropper from the bottle, compresses the bulb top to draw-up some amount of the liquid inside the hollow tube, and then releases the bulb to dispense the liquid into or onto something else. Sometimes a person wants to count the number of drops being dispensed, so as not to waste the liquid or oil being dispensed. The problem with the current droppers is that it is hard to see the number of drops of liquid being transferred. This is especially true in vape lounges or bars that are darker or have low lighting. This makes it almost impossible to see the e-vape liquid being transferred from a bottle at the vape bar into the e-cigarette. When the oil or liquids are expensive, undue waste is occurring because it is hard to see how much liquid is being dispensed. Therefore, what is needed is a dropper that illuminates so a person can see a liquid or the number of drops of the liquid being transferred. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention provides a dropper having a light in the top. The light can be turned off and on by pressing a button on the top, on the side, twisting the top or turning a level at the top. 
         [0004]    The present invention in one embodiment is a dropper comprising a tube, a screw cap connected to the tube, a bulb connected to the tube, and a housing connected to the top of the bulb, the housing having a button on the top or the side of the housing, the housing storing a spring, a switch, a battery, and an illumination device, the spring connected to the button and the switch; the battery connected to the switch and the illumination device. 
         [0005]    The present invention in another embodiment is a dropper comprising a hollow tube being tapered on one end, a screw cap connected to the hollow tube, a bulb connected to the hollow tube, a button, a spring connected to the button, a switch connected to the spring, at least one battery connected to the switch, and an illumination device connected to the at least one battery. 
         [0006]    Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed and not to limit it. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates a glass dropper with a light in its top according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates a fully assembled dropper according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  illustrates a schematic view of a dropper according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective, schematic view of a dropper according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side, schematic view of a dropper according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  illustrates a front view of a dropper according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  illustrates a view of a dropper bulb according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0014]    The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates a dropper  10  with a light in its top according to an embodiment of the present invention. The dropper  10  comprises a hollow tube  12 , a cap  14 , a bulb  16 , a button  18 , housing  20 , a spring  22 , an on/off switch  24 , batteries  26  and a light bulb  28 . The hollow tube  12 , cap  14  and the bulb  16  are typically sold together or commercially available either individually or in combination and come in various lengths and styles. 
         [0016]    The dropper  10  has a tube (or pipette)  12  which is also known as a Pasteur pipette, a dropper or an eye dropper. The tube  12  when hollow (or solid) is used to transfer small quantities of liquids. The tube  12  can be made of glass or plastic. The tube  12  usually tapers to a narrow point  12   a  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The tapered end  12   a  is used to dispense liquid in droplets. The other end  12   b  of the tube  12  is flared or wider as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The tube  12  fits into the cap  14  and is held in place by a bulb  16  which fits into the cap  14 . In another embodiment, instead of dropper  10  having a tube  12 , a solid (non-hollow) cylindrical piece could be used. The solid piece also would taper at one end  12   a  as shown in  FIG. 1  and may also be flared at the other end  12   b.    
         [0017]    In the dropper  10 , the inside of the cap  14  has the proper circular dimensions to screw onto the threads on the top or neck of a bottle  30 . In other embodiments the cap  14  may not screw but be held by other means known to those skilled in the art. The cap  14  can be made of rubber, plastic or any other suitable material. The cap  14  may also include a plastic or rubber washer (not shown) inside the cap  14 , where the washer has a centered hole for holding the tube  12  in place. The tube  12  would be inserted into the washer from the top of the cap  14 , where the tapered end  12   a  of the tube  12  would extend through the washer, and the flared top  12   b  (which is wider or larger than the hole or opening in the washer) of the tube  12  would fit onto the washer, holding it in place inside the cap  14 . 
         [0018]    The bulb  16  is flexible material, usually made of rubber, plastic or any other material. Bulb  16  is hollow, and is the portion of the dropper  10  that is used when it is compressed, via suction draws liquid inside the hollow tube  12 . One end of the bulb  16  fits over the flared top  12   b  of hollow tube  12 . 
         [0019]    In the top of the bulb  16  is a housing  20 . Housing  20  is the area used for storing the parts of the light for illuminating the tube  12  of dropper  10 . The top of the housing  20  has a button  18  that can be pressed or tapped to turn the light bulb  28  on or off. In another embodiment, a rubber piece (or other material) may fit over the button  18  and the some or all the housing  20 . In another embodiment, button  18  can be replaced with a twist device, whereby the twist device could be twisted to either turn on or off the light  28 . In some embodiments, housing  20  and the bulb  16  can be the same piece. 
         [0020]    The parts of the lighting system are held inside the housing  20  and comprise a spring  22 , a switch  24 , a battery  26 , and a light or a LED  28 . The button  18  at the top of the housing  20  connects to the spring  22 . The spring  22  connects to the switch  24 . One side of the battery  26  connects to the switch  24 , and on the other side of the battery  26  connects to the light  28 . 
         [0021]    In one embodiment, the button  18  can be used. The spring  22  is a metal piece and is used to turn switch  24  on and off. Switch  24  is commercially available and is a switch that turns the light  28  on and off when the switch  24  is compressed. Battery  26  comprises at least one commercially available mini-battery, although a group or set of similar commercially available batteries can be stacked on top of each other in other embodiments. Light bulb  28  is a LED (light-emitting diode) or something similar, and is used to illuminate the tube  12  of the dropper  10  when it is turned on. The light bulb  28  connects to the batteries  26  and is held in place and inside the top of the tube  12  using a base that is flat and has connection points. This base has holes for where the light bulb  28  would be inserted into the base, where the holes have silicon (or similar material) that connects the outlets on the light  28  to the batteries  26 . 
         [0022]    The bottle  30  is a container that stores or holds oil, liquid or some other material or liquid. Bottle  30  is commercially available and normally has threads at the top or on the neck so that the cap  14  can be screwed onto the bottle, such as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The tube  12  is inserted into the bottle and into the liquid, if there is any liquid being stored inside the bottle  30 . 
         [0023]    The parts of the lighting system are housed or held inside housing  20 . However, in other embodiments, the parts of the lighting system could be housed or held inside the bulb  16  instead of the housing  20 , or the bulb  16  and housing  20  could be one part instead of two parts. In other embodiments, some of the lighting parts could be housed inside both the bulb  16 , while other lighting parts could be housed inside the housing  20 . The present invention is intended to cover all different locations and combinations of where the lighting system could be housed in dropper  10 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  illustrates a schematic view of a dropper according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, there is a connector strip  30  that connects the switch  24  to the light bulb  28 . The connector strip  30  is similar to a circuit-board switch where a plastic base (or other suitable material known to those skilled in the art) has a strip of silicon or other electrical-conducting material that conducts electricity from the batteries  26  through the switch  24  to the light bulb  28  to turn the light on or off. The switch  24  in this embodiment is commercially available and has a button  25  located on the top. To turn the switch  24  on or off, the housing  20  is made from plastic (or other suitable material known to those skilled in the art) where it can be pressed at a certain location to push the button  25  located on the top of the switch  24 . The switch button  25  is shown in later figures described below. 
         [0025]    The three batteries shown in  FIG. 3  are housed in a battery cap  32 . When the cap  32  is placed on the top of the housing  20 , the batteries  26  also connect to the connector strip  30  at one end. The battery cap  32  can be removed from the housing  20  by pulling or unscrewing it. The inside of the battery cap  32  can have the notches for screwing to the top of the housing  20  so that the cap  32  is securely fastened to the housing  20  especially when dropper  10  is being moved or used. 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective, schematic view of a dropper according to an embodiment of the present invention. This view also shows the dropper  10  where the housing  20  comprises the switch  24  (having a button  25 ), where the switch  24  is connected to a connector strip  30 . One end of the connector  30  strip connects to the batteries  26  (when the cap  32  is attached to the housing  20 ). The other end of the connector  30  connects to the light bulb  28 . The button  34  (which is manufactured into the housing  20 ) makes contact with the button  25  when it is pressed to turn the light switch  24  on and off. When the switch  24  is on, an electric current flows from the batteries  26  along one end of the connector strip  30  to a terminal in the switch  24 , then through the switch  24  to another terminal on switch  24  that connects to the connector strip  30  and eventually to the light bulb  28 . The light bulb  28  is attached to the other end of the connector strip  30 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side, schematic view of a dropper according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 5  shows the terminals  36 ,  38  of the switch  24  that are connected to the connector strip  30 . In  FIG. 5 , connector strip  30  is shown as two pieces sandwiched together, although one piece could be used as well. The button  34  that is built into housing  20  is separated from the button  25  of switch  24 . The button  34  can be formed of the same material as housing  20 , or another suitable material known to those skilled in the art. 
         [0028]      FIG. 6  illustrates a front view of a dropper according to an embodiment of the present invention where the cap  32  (that stores the batteries) is attached to the housing  20 , and where the housing  20  connects to the tube  12 . The button  34  is located on the outside of the housing  20  where there is an indentation between button  34  and the rest of the housing  20 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 7  illustrates a view of the housing  20  without battery cap  34  according to an embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 7 , the housing  20  shows the button  34  and an opening  40  at one end of the housing  20 . This opening  40  is where the connector strip  30  contained inside would protrude from the housing  20  (not shown). When the battery cap  32  is attached to the housing  20 , the connector strip  30  would make contact with the batteries  32  stored inside the cap  32 . In alternative embodiments, a connector strip could be attached to the cap  32 , and then when the cap  32  is attached to the housing  20 , the connector strip would make contact to the connector strip  30  located inside the housing  20 . 
         [0030]    While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.