Abstract:
A flashlight and holder cooperate to automatically turn the flashlight on when the flashlight is removed from the holder and turn the flashlight off when the flashlight is returned to the holder. The flashlight includes a bottom cap with a magnetically actuated switch. The holder includes a magnet which cooperates with the switch to turn off the flashlight. The magnet also provides some degree of attraction for retaining the flashlight in the holder. The holder may be a stationary holder for holding a flashlight in a home or workplace, or may be a holster.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to flashlights and in particular to a flashlight which turns on automatically when removed from a cooperating flashlight holder.  
         [0002]     Flashlights are found in almost every shop and household. Flashlights are often used in awkward or confined spaces and/or in situations where one handed use is required. In these instances, it is often difficult to turn the flashlight on.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     The present invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a flashlight and holder which cooperate to automatically turn the flashlight on when the flashlight is removed from the holder and turn the flashlight off when the flashlight is returned to the holder. The flashlight includes a bottom cap with a magnetically actuated switch. The holder includes a magnet which cooperates with the switch to turn off the flashlight. The magnet also provides some degree of attraction for retaining the flashlight in the holder. The holder may be a stationary holder for holding a flashlight in a home or workplace, or may be a holster.  
         [0004]     In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a flashlight and flashlight holder. The flashlight comprises a flashlight body portion having a battery cavity, a flashlight head portion above the flashlight body portion and including a light source, and a flashlight bottom portion below the flashlight body portion. A battery spring in the bottom portion exerts holding force against a battery in the battery cavity and makes electrical contact with the battery. An on/off contact resides in the flashlight bottom portion and cooperates with a contact spring configured to bias the on/off contact into an ON position providing electrical contact between the bottom portion and the battery spring, thereby turning on the flashlight. The flashlight holder includes a magnet which cooperates with the on/off contact to bias the contact to an OFF position when the flashlight resides in the holder, thereby turning off the flashlight. The holder may further include a charging circuit for recharging the battery.  
         [0005]     In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a flashlight and flashlight holster. The flashlight comprises a flashlight body portion having a battery cavity, a flashlight head portion above the flashlight body portion and including a light source, and a flashlight bottom portion below the flashlight body portion. A battery spring in the bottom portion exerts a holding force against a battery in the battery cavity and makes electrical contact with the battery. An on/off contact resides in the flashlight bottom portion and a contact spring in the bottom portion is configured to bias the on/off contact into an ON position providing electrical contact between the bottom portion and the battery spring, thereby turning on the flashlight. The flashlight holster includes a holster bottom portion and a magnet residing in the holster bottom portion. The magnet cooperates with the on/off contact to bias the contact to an OFF position when the flashlight resides in the holster, thereby turning off the flashlight. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0006]     The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is flashlight according to the present invention.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a holster according to the present invention for carrying the flashlight.  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  depicts the flashlight in the holster.  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is a bottom portion of the flashlight.  
         [0011]      FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional view of the bottom portion taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4  showing an on/off contact biased into an ON position by a contact spring.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5B  is a cross-sectional view of the bottom portion taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4  showing the on/off contact biased into an OFF position by a magnet residing in the holster.  
         [0013]      FIG. 5C  is a detailed view of the on/off contact according to the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the holster  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the holster taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is a side of the flashlight residing in a table top holder according to the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the flashlight and holder taken along line  9 - 9  of  FIG. 8 .  
     
    
       [0018]     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     The following description is of the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.  
         [0020]     A flashlight  10  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . The flashlight  10  includes a head portion  12 , a body portion  14 , and a bottom portion  16 . A light source, preferably a light bulb or a Light Emitting Diode (LED) or the like resides in the head portion  12  and provides a beam of light from the flashlight  10 . The body portion  14  includes a battery cavity for carrying one or more batteries for providing power to the light source, and may include a manual switch  15  for manually turning the flashlight  10  on and off. The manual switch  15  may include three positions, a first switch position in which the flashlight  10  is always on, a second switch position in which the flashlight  10  is turned on and off by cooperation with a holder, and a third switch position in which the flashlight  10  is always off.  
         [0021]     The flashlight  10  includes a second (or automatic) switch according to the present invention for automatically turning the flashlight  10  on when the flashlight  10  is removed from a holder, and for automatically turning the flashlight  10  off when the flashlight is returned to the holder. Advantageously, the second switch operates through the cooperation of a contact residing in the flashlight  10  and made from magnetic material (i.e., material which is attracted to or repulsed by a magnet), and a magnet in the holder. As a result, there is no need for openings in the flashlight  10  to allow moisture or the like to enter and damage the flashlight, and there is no need for a protruding switch which may accidentally be turned on or off, or caught on clothing or other objects.  
         [0022]     A flashlight holder comprising a holster  20  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 2 . The holster  20  includes a carrier portion  22  for carrying the flashlight  10 , and a belt loop  24  for carrying the holster  20  on a belt. The flashlight  10  is shown residing in the holster  20  in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0023]     A detailed view of the bottom portion  16  is shown in  FIG. 4 . The bottom portion  16  includes a battery spring  28  for holding the battery in position in the flashlight body portion  14  and making an electrical connection with the battery, and an on/off contact  30  for making an electrical connection between the bottom portion  16  and the battery spring  28 . An o-ring  26  seals the bottom portion  16  to the body portion  14 .  
         [0024]     A cross-sectional view of the bottom portion  16  taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4  is shown in  FIG. 5A . The battery spring  28  is seated in an insulator  29 , whereby the battery spring  28  is electrically insulated from a bottom portion housing  34 . In another embodiment, a coating is provided on a bottom portion of the battery spring  28  to electrically insulate the battery spring  28  from the bottom portion housing  34 , and any magnetically switched flashlight including any insulator for electrically insulating the battery spring  28  from the bottom portion housing  34  is intended to come within the scope of the present invention. The on/off contact  30  is shown biased upward into an ON position by a contact spring  32 , wherein the on/off contact  30  makes electrical contact with the battery spring  28 . The on/off contact  30  is also in electrical contact with the bottom portion housing  34 , for example, through the contact spring  32 , thereby forming an electrical connection between the bottom portion housing  34  and the on/off contact  30 .  
         [0025]     In another embodiment a leaf spring or the like may reside under the on/off contact  30  to bias the on/off contact into an ON position and to provide an electrical contact between the bottom portion housing  34  and the on/off contact  30 . Further, the upward biasing of the on/off contact  30  into the ON position may be provided by a spring, and the electrical connection between the bottom portion housing  34  and the on/off contact  30  may be provided by a lead. The on/off contact  30  may alternatively be a hollow on/off contact and a second contact spring may reside within the hollow on/off contact to bias the on/off contact upward into the ON position. Within the present application, upward or up corresponds to toward the head section  12 , and downward or down corresponds to toward the bottom section  16 .  
         [0026]     A cross-sectional view of the bottom portion taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4  showing the on/off contact  30  biased into an OFF (or downward) position is shown in  FIG. 5B . The on/off contact  30  is pulled downward by a magnet  36  residing in the holster  20  (see  FIG. 7 ), or in the table top holder  38  (see  FIG. 9 ). When the on/off contact  30  is pulled downward into the OFF position, the on/off contact  30  no longer makes electrical contact with the battery spring  28  and thereby turns off the flashlight  10 .  
         [0027]     A detailed view of the on/off contact  30   a  is shown in  FIG. 5C . The on/off contact  30  may be a single conductive magnetic material, or may comprise a conductive tip  30   a  and a magnetic post  30   b  preferably made from a ferro magnetic material or the like.  
         [0028]     A side view of the holster  20  is shown in  FIG. 6 , and a cross-sectional view of the holster  20  taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6  is shown in  FIG. 7 . The magnet  36  resides in a holster bottom portion  20   a  of the holder  20  approximately centered horizontally. The magnet  36  both switches the flashlight  10  off when the flashlight  10  resides in the holster  20  and also provides some degree of attraction for retaining the flashlight  10  in the holster  20 . The holster  20  is preferably made from a flexible material and more preferably made from a nylon material such as ballistic nylon.  
         [0029]     A side of the flashlight  10  residing in a table top holder  38  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 8 . The table top holder  38  may be used on any approximately horizontal surface, for example, on a table, on a desk, on a counter top, on a work bench, inside a drawer, inside a cupboard, etc. The table top holder  38  may further include a cord  40  for a recharger for the flashlight  10 .  
         [0030]     A cross-sectional view of the flashlight  10  and table top holder  38  taken along line  9 - 9  of  FIG. 8  is shown in  FIG. 9 . The on/off contact  30  is held in a down (or OFF) position by the magnet  36 . A battery charger  42  receives power through the cord  40  and provides charging current to the battery  37  through first leads  44 . One of the first leads  44  makes an electrical connection with the bottom portion housing  34 , and the other lead  44  makes contact with a second lead  46  which is electrically connected to the battery spring  28  (see  FIG. 4 ). Thus, when the flashlight  10  resides in the table top holder  38 , the flashlight  10  is turned off, and may be charging. A low cost holder without a battery charger  42  is also useful when keeping the battery  37  charged is not important.  
         [0031]     Various embodiments of a magnetically operated switch for a flashlight are feasible, and any flashlight having a magnetically operating on/off contact for turning a flashlight on upon removing from a holder, and off upon returning to a holder, is intended to come within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0032]     While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.