Abstract:
An inexpensive, lightweight, water-resistant, and aerodynamic lighting device securely mounts to the spokes of a bicycle wheel for improved safety and visibility of the bicycle and rider at night. No tools or other materials are required for installation or removal of the device.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/995,288 filed on Jan. 10, 2008, which is the national stage application of PCT/US2006/027692 filed Jul. 14, 2006, which PCT Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/699,152 filed on Jul. 14, 2005. The foregoing applications are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as though fully disclosed herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The spoke-mounted wheel safety light relates in general to safety illumination systems, particularly those associated with bicycle wheels. 
     2. Statement of the Problem 
     It is common for most bicycles to include head lights and tail lights for night riding safety, not only for illumination of the road, but also to improve visibility of the bicycle and rider to drivers of other vehicles sharing the roadway at night. However, since these lights are directed frontward and rearward, they do not necessarily improve visibility on the sides of the bicycle. To remedy this, a number of inventors have attempted to improve bicycle safety by providing lighting devices which make the sides of spinning wheels more visible. Typical of these approaches are as follows: 
     Passive reflectors, which rely on light produced by oncoming vehicles, are generally included as standard issue on most bicycle wheels. However, these devices are ineffective during twilight hours when other vehicles may not yet have their lights on. In addition, wheel-mounted reflectors only work when the bicycle directly crosses perpendicular to the line of travel of the oncoming vehicle&#39;s headlamps which, at close range, may be too late to avoid collision. 
     One of the earliest “active” illumination systems for bicycle wheels employed phosphorescent material attached to or woven through the spokes of bicycle wheels. Although this approach produces a dim glow at night, the phosphorescent material is ineffective during morning and evening twilight hours due to high ambient light level. In addition, the glow is not long lasting and such devices require frequent and inconvenient recharging by exposure to a strong light source. 
     Some bicycle wheel lighting systems employ chemilucent liquids contained in short cylindrical or long tubular containers as a light source affixed to the wheel with assorted clips and clamps. These systems are relatively bulky and the liquid itself is heavy. In addition, once the chemical reaction is initiated, the usable light output only lasts a few hours and the chemilucent material must be removed, discarded, and replenished after each use. 
     Other bicycle wheel illumination systems employ electrically powered arrays of light emitting diodes (LEDs) or electroluminescent wires attached to, wound around, or woven through the wheel spokes. However, even with complex dimming, pulsing, or other energy conserving circuitry, these systems require relatively large batteries that require frequent replacement. The additional weight and complexity of these systems makes them cumbersome, expensive, and difficult to install and removal; and they deteriorate the aerodynamic performance of the wheels on which they are mounted. 
     Another more recent wheel illumination system employs a small LED and battery which are screw-mounted on the threaded stem of the bicycle tire air valve. The attachment method is novel; however, the device needs to be removed frequently and reinstalled for routine maintenance of tire air pressure. Furthermore, the small size of the LED and enclosure provides minimal illumination of the wheel. 
     None of these or other systems provide for bright, long-lasting, and inexpensive illumination of a moving bicycle wheel without adding weight or bulk which might unduly affect the aerodynamic performance and maintainability of the bicycle. What is needed is a bicycle wheel safety lighting system that couples the efficiency and economy of an LED with a means of distributing light which is integral to the device itself in order to provide an illumination system with minimal control circuitry, power consumption, volume, and weight in an aerodynamic form factor which does not require any tooling or special skills to install or maintain. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of a light holder include a switch module, a body member, and a cap member. One such light holder is referred to as a spoke light. One embodiment of a spoke light includes a switch module, a body member, and a cap member. 
     In one embodiment, a mount or spoke light for mounting a lighting device includes a body having a recess for holding a lighting device, a front surface, a hemispherical raised spoke grip extending from the front surface, a right slot and a left slot formed in the hemispherical raised spoke grip, the right slot and left slot including a chamfered slot throat. In one alternative, the mount further includes a back surface on the body, and a right and left bumper, aligned along a longitudinal centerline of the back surface. In another alternative, the recess is located interior to the hemispherical raised spoke grip in the body. Optionally, the recess is a cylindrical cavity at the center of the body. In one alternative, the cylindrical cavity has an annular raised wall extending from a back surface, an annular raised ring or semicircular profile formed on an exterior curved surface of the annular raised wall. In another alternative, the mount further includes a cap interfaced with the annular raised wall and annular raised ring closing the recess. In one option, the cap has a convex hemispherical top surface, a concave hemispherical bottom surface, a convex hemispherical switch actuator extending for the center of the bottom surface, an annular lip which smoothly joins and closes the periphery of the top surface and the bottom surface, and an annular concave groove recessed in the bottom surface near the annular lip. In one alternative, the mount further includes a miniature switch and battery module located in the recess, including a battery harness and a printed circuit board, the battery harness and printed circuit board arranged to hold a battery between them, and a momentary switch element in electrical contact with said circuit board and located to be activated by compression against said circuit board, wherein said momentary switch element is located to be in physical contact with one pole of the at least one battery when said battery is placed between said harness and said circuit board, and said momentary switch element is located between said battery and said circuit board. In another alternative, the momentary switch element includes a diaphragm type switch element. 
     In another embodiment, a mount for mounting a lighting device on bike spokes includes a body having a recess for holding a lighting device, a front surface, a hemispherical raised spoke grip extending from the front surface, a right slot and a left slot formed in the hemispherical raised spoke grip, the right slot and left slot including a chamfered slot throat, with at least one of the right slot and left slot engaged with a first spoke of the bike spokes. In one alternative, the mount further includes a back surface on the body, a right bumper and a left bumper, aligned along a longitudinal centerline of the back surface, the right bumper and the left bumper engaged with a respective second and third spoke of the bike spokes. In another alternative, the mount further includes a miniature switch and battery module located in the recess, including a battery harness and a printed circuit board, the battery harness and printed circuit board arranged to hold a battery between them, and a momentary switch element in electrical contact with the circuit board and located to be activated by compression against the circuit board, wherein the momentary switch element is located to be in physical contact with one pole of the at least one battery when the battery is placed between the harness and the circuit board, and the momentary switch element is located between the battery and the circuit board. Optionally, the recess is a cylindrical cavity at the center of the body. In one alternative, the cylindrical cavity has an annular raised wall extending from a back surface and an annular raised ring of semicircular profile formed on an exterior curved surface of the annular raised wall. The mount optionally includes a cap interfaced with the annular raised wall and annular raised ring closing the recess. Optionally, the cap has a convex hemispherical top surface, a concave hemispherical bottom surface, a convex hemispherical switch actuator extending from the center of the bottom surface, an annular lip which smoothly joins and closes the periphery of the top surface and the bottom surface, and an annular concave groove recessed in the bottom surface near the annular lip. 
     In one embodiment, a method of mounting a mount housing a light on bike spokes includes providing a mount having a body, the body including a recess for holding a lighting device, a front surface, a hemispherical raised spoke grip extending from the front surface, a right slot and a left slot formed in the hemispherical raised spoke grip, the right slot and left slot including a chamfered slot throat, a back surface on the body, a right bumper and a left bumper aligned along a longitudinal centerline of the back surface, and engaging a first spoke of the bike spokes with at least one of the right slot and left slot. In one alternative, the method further includes engaging the right bumper and the left bumper with a respective second and third spoke of the bike spokes, such that pressure from the engagement of the right and left bumper against the second and third spokes contributes to preventing the at least one of the right slot and left slot from slipping on the first spoke. Optionally, the first spoke is located on the front surface of the body and the second and third spoke are located on the back surface of the body. 
     Numerous other advantages and features will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of switch module  100  of spoke light  50  according to one embodiment of a light holder; 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of switch module  100  of spoke light  50  with the battery removed for clarity; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of switch module  100  of spoke light  50  with additional details of the various parts shown; 
         FIG. 4  is an isometric drawing of one embodiment of the switch module as viewed toward front surface  211  of spoke light  50 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an isometric drawing of one embodiment of a spoke light as viewed toward back surface  212  of spoke light  50 ; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a compilation of the front, top, and back orthographic projections of spoke light  50  according to the spoke light of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a longitudinal section of spoke light  50  as viewed from the top with reference to the section cut line indicated on  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is an isometric drawing of the spoke light of  FIG. 6  as installed on a bicycle wheel and viewed toward front surface  211  of spoke light  50 ; and 
         FIG. 11  is an isometric drawing of the spoke light of  FIG. 6  as installed on a bicycle wheel and viewed toward back surface  212  of spoke light  50 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Disclosed herein are embodiments of a light holder. Generally, embodiments of the light holder include a switch module, a body member, and a cap member. The switch module is a device for actuating the integrated light. Generally, the switch module is contained within the body member and cap member. In many optional configurations, the switch module responds to pressure for actuation, the pressure being applied to the body member and/or the cap member. A variety of body members are usable as part of the light holder. Many of the body members have a special purpose. Such purposes include, but are not limited to, attaching to bike spokes, attaching to key chains, attaching to carabineers, and such body members that are wearable as jewelry or wrist bands. Exemplary embodiments of the light holder and the light holder&#39;s subcomponents are described below. One such light holder is referred to as a spoke light. 
     One embodiment of a spoke light  50  comprises: switch module  100 , body member  200 , and cap member  300 . Exemplary embodiments of each module and member are described below. 
     In one embodiment, switch module  100  comprises printed circuit board  150 , momentary contact switch  120 , battery  130 , and battery harness  140 . In this particular example, module  100  is integrated with a light emitting diode (LED)  110  and functions to control the lighting of the LED. 
     Printed circuit board  150  is made of conventional printed circuit board materials and includes electrical traces, such as  122 ,  162 , and  151  ( FIG. 3 ) and an integrated circuit chip  158 . It is of a shape and size to match the dimensions of  130 , which in this case is disk-shaped. In alternatives, the printed circuit board is sized to fit with different size and shape cases. Circuit board  150  includes notches  157 , the function of which will be discussed below. 
     Momentary contact switch  120  includes mechanical switch element (which includes a battery contact)  121 , momentary switch contact (which is also referred to as an electrical trace)  162  on printed circuit board  150 , and logic included in integrated circuit chip  158 . Printed circuit board  150  with bottom face  160  contains an electronic circuit  153  having components associated with the functional performance of the switch and the electronic device  110  that is operated by the switch module  100 , which, in this case is LED  110 . In this example, the circuit  153  controls the level and timing of electrical power provided to LED  110 . The particular circuits for activating and deactivating the momentary switch  120  in response to an electronic pulse and for controlling electronic device  110  are known in the art and will not be discussed in detail herein. It is contemplated that any such circuit may be used. Mechanical switch element  121  comprises a diaphragm  121  having a first battery and momentary switch contact  164  and circuit contacts  165  which are mounted over and make contact with associated conductor traces  122  on the top face  152  of circuit board  150 . A feature is that the momentary switch element  121  also provides the contact to one of the poles of the battery  130 . 
     Battery  130  is a conventional coin cell battery and has negative pole  131  in contact with diaphragm switch battery contact  164  and positive pole  132  facing toward harness  140 . This polarity is selected in this embodiment to cooperate with the voltage required by the logic in integrated circuit chip  158 . However, the opposite polarity is also possible with appropriate logic and circuit adaptations. 
     Battery harness  140  may be any device that stabilizes and holds the battery to the circuit board  150 . A feature of switch module  100  is that the battery harness also provides the contact to one of the poles of battery  130 . In one example, battery harness  140  comprises a disk-shaped conductor  141  having die-cut harness battery contacts  147  located near the center of the disk  141 . Harness  140  also includes legs  144  which extend around battery  130 . Legs  144  each terminate in a flange  143  having an inward bent lip  145 . Flange  143  fits into notch  157  in circuit board  150  to locate harness  140  properly with respect to the circuit elements and prevent rotary motion between the harness and circuit board. Lip  145  fits under the bottom edge of circuit board  150  and makes contact with traces  151  on the circuit board. 
     LED  110  includes electrical terminals  115 , which connect to circuitry  153  on the underside of circuit board  150 , and light output end  111 . 
     Harness  140  holds battery  130  securely in place while allowing installation and replacement of battery  130 , and also provides contact between circuit  153  and the positive pole  132  of battery  130 . An exemplary material for harness  140  is tin-coated steel but may be made of steel with other conductive coatings, brass, or other suitable conductive material or non-conductive material with conducting coatings. In one example, harness  140  is flexible enough to bend sufficiently when pressed to operate the switch, but sufficiently rigid to firmly hold battery  130 . When the battery is inserted, there should be enough tension between the harness, battery, and circuit board to hold the battery firmly without sliding, but not so much tension as to activate mechanical switch element  121 . The actuating area, disk-shaped conductor  141  of harness  140 , lies opposite diaphragm  121  and is flexible enough to deflect slightly when pressed by the user. Battery  130  transfers the movement of actuating area  141  to diaphragm  121  which contacts circuit trace  162  and activates switch  120 . When the user releases pressure, the spring action of diaphragm  121  returns battery  130  and actuating area  141  to their original positions, thus deactivating switch  120 . However, in this position, switch element/contact  121  continues to function to provide an electrical connection between the negative pole  131  of battery  130  and trace  122 . Battery  130  with positive pole  132  and negative pole  131  is mounted in harness  140  and provides electrical power to device  100 . 
     Circuitry  153  including integrated circuit chip  158  is arranged to control the modal state of device  100  when activated. When circuit  153  is off and momentary switch circuit  120  is closed by contact of contact  164  with trace  162 , the circuit  153  is activated and, in this case, LED  110  turns on. When circuit  153  is on and momentary switch circuit  120  is closed by contact of contact  164  with trace  162 , the circuit  153  is deactivated and, in this case, LED  110  turns off. Similarly, if an audio device instead of an LED was integrated with module  100 , the audio would turn on when the circuit  153  is activated and turn off when the circuit is deactivated. Similarly, the switch module  100  may be integrated with many other electronic devices. Circuit  153  may also contain elements to control the operation of the integrated electronic device  110 . For example, the LED may be a multicolored LED and the circuit  153  would include elements to sequentially turn on the various colors according to a predetermined timing sequence. 
     In one embodiment, body  200  of spoke light  50  comprises: front surface  211 ; back surface  212 ; convex curved edge  213 , which smoothly joins and closes the periphery of front surface  211  and back surface  212 ; distal right end  214  and distal left end  215  of edge  213 ; cylindrical container  216  which is recessed in the center of back surface  212 ; LED recess  229  formed as a cylindrical cavity at the center of container  216 ; an annular raised wall  217  formed around the periphery of container  216  and extending from back surface  212 ; an annular raised ring  218  of the semicircular profile formed on the exterior curved surface of wall  217 ; a hemispherical raised spoke grip  220  extending from the center of front surface  211 ; right slot  221  and left slot  222  formed as channels through spoke grip  220 , said right slot  221  and left slot  222  each further comprising chamfered slot throat  223 , narrowed slot neck  224 , and rounded slot bottom  225 ; right bumper  227  aligned along the longitudinal centerline of back surface  212  and extending as a tapered raised semi-cylinder from wall  217  toward a rounded termination near right end  214 ; and left bumper  228  aligned along the longitudinal centerline of back surface  212  and extending as a tapered raised semi-cylinder from wall  217  toward a rounded termination near left end  215 . Body  200  and its comprising elements are formed from a transparent or dye-colored resilient plastic which is capable of conducting light. 
     In alternative embodiments of the light holder, other body members are used. Body members include such alternatives as ball-shaped body members, those that have attachment points for articles such as key chains, those that have attachment points for articles such as carabineers, and those that have body members that are wearable as jewelry or wrist bands. 
     In one embodiment, cap  300  of spoke light  50  comprises: convex hemispherical top surface  301 ; concave hemispherical bottom surface  302 ; convex hemispherical switch actuator  303  extending from the center of bottom surface  302 ; annular lip  303  which smoothly joins and closes the periphery of top surface  301  and bottom surface  302 ; annular concave groove  304  recessed in bottom surface  302  near lip  303 ; and embossed actuation symbol  305  centered on top surface  302 . Cap  300  and its comprising elements are formed from a transparent or dye-colored resilient plastic which is capable of conducting light. 
     In one arrangement, during operation of spoke light  50 , switch module  100  is disposed in container  216  of body  200  with LED  110  further disposed in recess  229  of body  200 , thus allowing light emanating from LED  110  to disperse throughout translucent body  200  and effectively illuminate the entirety of spoke light  50 . 
     The resilient plastic of cap  300  is pliable enough for lip  303  of cap  300  to stretch over ring  218  of body  200 , thus allowing groove  304  of cap  300  to mate and seal with ring  218  of body  200  providing a water- and dirt-resistant compartment enclosing switch module  100  and LED  110 . Removal of cap  300  allows for simple and easy access to switch module  100  for replacement of battery  130 . The resilient material of cap  300  also allows for actuation of momentary switch  120  of switch module  100  when pressure is applied to actuation symbol  305  on top surface  301  of cap  300  and transferred through switch actuator  303  to actuating area  141  of switch module  100 . In one alternative, the resilient plastic is not pliable enough to stretch over the ring of the body; instead, the ring of the body is pliable and deforms to fit. 
     In one example, spoke light  50  is installed on wheel  400  as depicted in  FIGS. 9 and 10  through the following procedure. The user identifies a spoke for mounting and places spoke light  50  behind the selected spoke  401  near the midpoint of spoke  401  with spoke grip  220  and front face  211  of body  200  facing the user. Selected spoke  401  may have a slight rightward or leftward skew relative to a true radial line from the center of the wheel. The user then aligns selected spoke  401  with the chamfered sides of slot throat  223 , choosing either right slot  221  or left slot  222  (whichever best matches the skew of selected spoke  401 ) and, with squeezing force applied to both selected spoke  401  and spoke light  50 , snaps selected spoke  401  through slot neck  224  until selected spoke  401  is fully seated in slot bottom  225 . To complete the installation, user slides spoke light  50  along selected spoke  401  towards wheel rim  402  until right bumper  227  and left bumper  228  of spoke light  50  gently wedge against adjacent spokes  403 . Spoke light  50  remains firmly in this position on selected spoke  401  due to action of the following forces: the gripping action of the undersized slot throat on selected spoke  401 ; the stabilizing wedging action of right bumper  227  and left bumper  228  on adjacent spokes  403 ; and centrifugal forces acting on spoke light  50  which keep it seated in its original installed position whenever the wheel rotates. Modal control of spoke light  50  is accomplished by one or more presses applied to actuation symbol  305  on top surface  301  of cap  300 , and this action also serves to keep spoke light  50  properly seated on selected spoke  401 . 
     Removal of spoke light  50  from wheel  400  is accomplished simply by reversing the installation procedure described above. No tools are required for installation or removal. 
     Other embodiments may additionally include some or all of the following features: larger cylindrical battery sizes and/or multiple batteries arranged in series; location of the battery/switch on variously sized or shaped printed circuit boards; placement of the battery/switch assembly remote from the main circuit board of the device which is served; arrangement of the battery/switch assembly to operate with user actuation pressure applied to the side of the assembly opposite of the diaphragm in lieu of pressure on the battery harness; enclosure of the battery/switch assembly in compartments or containers associated with the device which is served; integration of discrete components of the battery/switch assembly into a single component; incorporation of flexible membranes which transfer actuation pressure by the user and protect the assembly from contamination by water or debris; modification of the profile and shape of the device body for aesthetic or promotional considerations; inclusion of a single mounting slot in the spoke in lieu of separate right-hand and left-hand skewed slots; variations of the profile of the spoke slots to accommodate non-standard spoke shapes; and extension and adaptation of the device for use on non-bicycle spoked wheels. 
     In its various configurations, switch module  100  allows the battery and switch to effectively occupy the same interior volume of space while also freeing up usable area on the circuit board and exterior surface of the device which would otherwise have been devoted to the separate components. Examples of devices which could beneficially employ the switch module include, but are not limited to, the following: remote control transmitters; sound emitting devices; flashlights; battery-operated toys and games; miniature lighting devices; electronic timers; and lighted pushbuttons. 
     A feature of switch module  100  is that momentary switch element  121  can be switched from either side of the printed circuit board. As indicated above, it can be activated by pressing on harness  140 . It can also be activated by pressing on the LED (integrated electronic element)  110  or the circuit board  150 . Another feature of switch module  100  is its compact size. The size is largely determined by the battery. In one embodiment, it is 22 millimeters (mm) in diameter and 8 millimeters (mm) thick, including two coin-cell batteries. The thickness, excluding the battery  130  and electronic device  110 , is from 2 mm to 8 mm thick. In an alternative, it is 3 mm to 6 mm thick. In another alternative, it is 3 mm to 4 mm thick. 
     There has been described an example of light holders such as a spoke light, including a switch module, body member, and cap member. It should be understood that the specific formulations and methods described herein are exemplary and should not be construed to limit the spoke light and its components, which will be described in the claims below. Further, it is evident that those skilled in the art may now make numerous uses and modifications of the specific embodiments described without departing from the inventive concepts. As one example, one or more batteries may be used. As another example, the elements of the device may be incorporated with a type A, type AA, type AAA, type C, or type D battery. The battery will make the module larger, but at the same time the simplicity and compactness of the structure will permit much smaller modules with these types of batteries. For example, a small, pushbutton flashlight can be made using the principles of the light holder disclosed herein.