Abstract:
A portable light includes: a cylindrical housing having a longitudinal axis and receiving a bezel and a lamp for projecting a light radially away from the longitudinal axis; and a cradle assembly including a clamp for receiving the cylindrical housing, wherein the clamp includes a plurality of features for engaging selected ones of corresponding features on the cylindrical housing to secure the cylindrical housing at a selected rotational position about its longitudinal axis with regard to the cradle assembly.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This patent application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/586,699, filed Jan. 13, 2012, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    This application relates to portable lights such as headlamps and flashlights, and more particularly, to a portable light adapted to be spatially adjustable with regard to a base. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Portable lights using light emitting diodes (LEDs) are rapidly replacing conventional sources of illumination such as incandescent bulbs. LEDs are significantly more efficient that incandescent bulbs and thus offer greater illumination power and battery life. Moreover, LEDs are typically less fragile and are thus more robust than incandescent bulbs. 
         [0004]    LEDs are not the only recent advance in the flashlight arts. For example, given their light weight yet powerful illumination power from relatively small batteries, it is conventional to mount LEDs in headlamps. In such headlamps, the light source is mounted to a headband such that a user can typically adjust the elevation angle of the light beam. Similar light sources can be mounted to vests and offer analogous adjustability. However, the adjustability of the light with respect to its mount makes it difficult or cumbersome to remove the light source should the user desire to use it as a handheld flashlight. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, there is a need in the art for providing improved flashlight mounts that enable positioning of the light beam while still allowing a quick disconnect of the flashlight from its mount. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    In accordance with a first embodiment of the invention, a portable light is provided that includes: a cylindrical housing having a longitudinal axis and receiving a bezel and a lamp for projecting a light radially away from the longitudinal axis, the housing including a plurality of first engaging features; and a cradle assembly including a clamp for receiving the cylindrical housing, wherein the clamp includes a plurality of second engaging features, the cradle assembly being biased to engage selected ones of the first and second engaging features together to secure the cylindrical housing in a desired rotation about its longitudinal axis with regard to the cylindrical housing. 
         [0007]    In accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, a portable light is provided that includes: a cylindrical housing having a longitudinal axis and receiving a bezel and a lamp for projecting a light radially away from the longitudinal axis; a cradle assembly including a clamp for receiving the cylindrical housing, wherein the clamp includes a plurality of first features for engaging selected ones of a plurality of second features on the cylindrical housing to secure the cylindrical housing at a selected rotational position about its longitudinal axis with regard to the cradle assembly; and a pivoting mount for rotatably receiving the cradle assembly with respect to a plane defined by the pivoting mount. 
         [0008]    In accordance with a third embodiment of the invention, a method is provided that includes: biasing a pair of tabs together to open a clamp; rotating a cylindrical housing within the opened clamp to a desired orientation, wherein the rotation is about a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical housing, the cylindrical housing including a flashlight bezel projecting radially with regard to the longitudinal axis; and releasing the tabs to secure the cylindrical housing within the clamp at the desired orientation. 
         [0009]    The scope of the invention is defined by the claims, which are incorporated into this section by reference. A more complete understanding of embodiments of the present invention will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed description of one or more embodiments. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawings that will first be described briefly 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a portable light in accordance with a first embodiment. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the portable light of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the cradle assembly and associated mount for the adjustable light of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a portable light including a rotatable cradle and a swiveling mount. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the portable light of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a perspective of a portable bicycle light including a rotatable cradle and a swiveling handlebar or frame mount. 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the portable bicycle light of  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
       [0017]    Embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    Turning now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows an example portable light  100  adjustably held in a cradle assembly  105  that in turn is secured to a mount  110 . Cradle assembly  105  holds a cylindrical housing  115 , which may be better seen in the corresponding exploded view of  FIG. 2 . Housing  115  provides a longitudinally-extending casing for batteries such as four AA batteries  200 . A flashlight bezel  120  projects radially from housing  115 . Bezel  120  receives a plurality of LEDs  205  mounted on an LED board  210 . As is conventional in the flashlight arts, bezel  120  also receives a reflector  215  and a lens  220 . A retainer  225  is threadably received by bezel  120  to secure lens  220  as well as associated seals  221  and  222  to bezel  120 . Because bezel  120  is directed radially with regard to the longitudinal axis of housing  115 , light will also project radially with regard to this longitudinal axis. 
         [0019]    Advantageously, a user may readily rotate the position of housing  115  (and hence angularly adjust a light beam projected from lens  220 ) with respect to cradle assembly  105 . During normal operation, cradle assembly  105  rigidly clamps housing  115  in a fixed orientation. For example, as seen in  FIG. 1 , the fixed orientation may be one of projecting the light beam orthogonally with respect to a plane formed by mount  110 . However, a user may desire another orientation such that the projected light is tilted with regard to the mount plane, which is readily achieved as described further herein. 
         [0020]    Cradle assembly  105  forms a spring clamp  301  to hold housing  115  such as shown in  FIG. 3 . In one embodiment, clamp  301  includes a center flange  300  that interdigitates between a pair of outer flanges  305  and  310 . Each flange ( 300 ,  305  and  310 ) ends in a raised tab  320 . A user may thus readily pinch center flange  300  towards either of the outer flanges using just two fingers. For example, a thumb may engage tab  320  on outer flange  310  while an index finger engages tab  320  on center flange  300 . By pinching or biasing these two fingers together, the user not only biases center flange  300  away from outer flange  310  but also from outer flange  305  so as to expand spring clamp  301 . The user could then simultaneously longitudinally move housing  115  away from clamp  301  to free housing  115  so as to use portable light  100  as a conventional hand-held flashlight. In contrast, the conventional flashlight mounting techniques such as through the use of a friction-coupling do not provide such a readily dismountable housing from its cradle. 
         [0021]    A variety of engaging mechanisms may be used for spring clamp  301  to hold housing  115 . For example, an inner surface of spring clamp  301  may include a plurality of elongated ridges  325  configured to engage with corresponding elongated grooves  130  ( FIG. 2 ) on an inner surface of cradle assembly  105 . Both ridges  325  and grooves  130  are aligned with the longitudinal axis of housing  115 . Ridges  325  may circumferentially surround housing  115  such that a user may selectively position housing  15  across a full revolution on its longitudinal axis with respect to cradle assembly  105 . In general, however, a user will typically want to project the light beam away from mount  110  such that the practical range of rotational positioning for housing  115  is one hundred and eighty degrees. At either end of this angular range, the light beam would project in the plane defined by mount  110 . The orientation of housing  115  to mount  110  shown in  FIG. 1  would thus correspond to  90  degrees in this range of  180  degrees. Note that ridges (or lands)  325  and grooves  130  may be interchanged. In other words, the grooves may be placed on housing  115  and the ridges on the inner surface of cradle assembly  105 . In that regard, housing  115  may be considered to have a set of first engaging features and cradle assembly to have a set of corresponding second engaging features, wherein the first and second sets are configured to engage with each other. 
         [0022]    During normal operation, the spring force from spring clamp  301  rigidly engages grooves  130  and ridges  325  in whatever rotational orientation housing  115  has been set with regard to cradle  105 —but note that such an ability to freely select a rotational position assumes that grooves  130  cover a sufficient circumferential range of housing  115  to be able to engage ridges  324  in the desired rotational position of housing  115 . Should grooves  130  cover only a partial circumference of housing  115 , then the rotational positioning is curtailed accordingly. It will be appreciated that as the diameter of grooves  130  (and thus the corresponding diameter of ridges  325 ) is decreased, the finer is the incremental tolerance for the resulting position-ability of housing  115  with respect to cradle  105 . 
         [0023]    Mount  110  may comprise a standardized Molle mount so that cradle  105  may be mounted to Molle-compatible vests and other articles. Referring again to  FIG. 2 , housing  115  includes a suitable recess to receive bezel  120  and printed circuit board  230 . A distal end of housing  115  receives a switch circuit board  235  and a corresponding switch boot  240 . In one embodiment, several switches are provided to invoke various operating modes such as variable-output primary LED activation mode, a secondary white-LED illumination mode, a secondary red-LED illumination mode, and a maximum-output primary LED illumination mode. Housing  115  may include a straight-edge anti-roll feature  241  to prevent housing  115  from rolling on surfaces when removed from cradle  105 . Batteries  200  may be received by corresponding printed circuit boards  245  and  250 . A battery compartment cap  255  threadably engages a proximal end of housing  115  to contain batteries  200  within housing  115 . 
         [0024]    Although portable light  100  thus advantageously enables a quick dismount from cradle  105  yet provides a rotational adjustment on the longitudinal axis of housing  115 , a user may desire even greater adjustability such as through the swiveling mount of portable light  400  shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5  and also for portable bicycle light  600  shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . Portable light  400  includes a mount  405  that clips onto a user&#39;s clothing or other suitable material. As seen in the exploded view of  FIG. 5 , mount  405  comprises a plurality of cantilever arms  410  that act to bias a captured piece of the user&#39;s clothing (e.g., a vest pocket) against a friction pad  415  held in a mounting pad  435 . To assist in the frictional grasp of the user&#39;s clothing, the distal ends of arms  410  may be made resilient such as through the addition of room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) pads  420 . An additional cantilever arm  430  may aid in providing friction. A cradle assembly  440  holds housing  115  as discussed with regard to cradle assembly  105  of  FIGS. 1-3 . In contrast to cradle assembly  105 , cradle assembly  440  pivots in the plane defined by mounting pad  435  through the action of a rotational base  445 . Rotational base  445  includes a circular opening lined by gear teeth  455 . A biased ball detent  450  engages gear teeth  455 . Ball detent  450  is biased with regard to a fixed mount  460  so that rotational base  445  can be held in a desired rotation with regard to mounting pad  435  and fixed mount  460 . A user thus can both pivot housing  115  about a radial axis defined through mounting pad  435  and also about its longitudinal axis with regard to cradle  440 . 
         [0025]    An analogous pivoting base  605  may be used for portable bicycle light  600  of  FIGS. 6 and 7 . Pivoting base  605  mounts through a clamp  610  to a bicycle component such as the handlebars or the frame. There is no need for any cantilever arms to grasp clothing so a cradle  705  holding the housing for light  600  rotatably mounts to clamp  600  through rotational base  445  and fixed base  460  as discussed analogously with regard to portable light  400  of  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
         [0026]    Embodiments described above illustrate but do not limit the invention. Thus, it should also be understood that numerous modifications and variations are possible in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined only by the following claims.