Abstract:
A purse light for illuminating the interiors of purses and other containers comprises a pair of highly flexible plastic sheets having a serpentine-shaped light source secured therebetween. The purse light is positioned within a container and extends along the interior sidewalls and bottom wall thereof. When activated the light source illuminates the interior of the container.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    Applicant(s) claim priority based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. filed Feb. 6, 2008, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       [0002]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a purse light comprising the present invention; 
         [0003]      FIG. 1A  is an enlarged partial sectional view take along the line  1 A- 1 A in  FIG. 1 ; 
         [0004]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view illustrating the installation of the purse light of  FIG. 1  into a purse; 
         [0005]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view showing the purse light of  FIG. 1  installed in a purse; 
         [0006]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating the operation of the present invention when installed in a purse; 
         [0007]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a purse light comprising the present invention installed in a back pack; and 
         [0008]      FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of electronic circuitry that can be utilized in purse lights comprising the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a purse light  8  comprises a length of fiber optic material  10  extending in serpentine fashion from a battery pack  12  equipped with an on/off switch  14 . The length of fiber optic material  10  is sandwiched between a pair of transparent plastic sheets including upper sheet  16  and lower sheet  17 . The serpentine-shaped length of fiber optic material is secured in place by bonds  18  which join the sheets  16  and  17  to one another. 
         [0010]    Either the inside surface or the outside surface of the transparent plastic sheet  17  may be coated with a layer of light reflecting material. If used the layer of light reflecting material directs light emanating from the length of fiber optic material  10  through the transparent plastic sheet  16 . 
         [0011]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the opposed transparent plastic sheets  16  and  17  comprising the purse light  8  are bent into a U-shaped configuration. The entire assembly is then inserted into an empty purse or other container  19  which may be any of the various types typically utilized by men, women and children. Insertion of the purse light  8  comprising the length of fiber optic material  10  and the transparent plastic sheets  16  and  17  into the purse or other container  19  is illustrated by the arrow  20 . 
         [0012]    Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , when the purse light  8  is inserted into the purse or other container  19  the transparent plastic sheets  16  and  17  extend along the interior sides and the bottom thereof. The purse light  8  is retained in the container  19  by conventional fastening devices, for example, hook-and-loop fasteners  22 . When the fiber optic device  10  is actuated it illuminates the interior of the purse or other container  19  from the bottom and sides thereof which facilitates and simplifies finding objects which are contained therein. 
         [0013]    Referring to  FIG. 1A , each hook and loop fastener  22  comprises a first component  24  comprising a backing layer  26  having first components of the hook and loop fastener  22  secured thereto. The side of the backing layer  26  opposite the hook and loop fasteners  22  is provided with an adhesive layer which permanently bonds the hook and loop fastener  22  to the plastic sheet  17  of the purse light  8 . The hook and loop fasteners  22  further comprises a second component  28  comprising a backing layer  30  having second components of the hook and loop fasteners  22  secured thereto. The backing layer  30  is provided with an adhesive layer disposed on the opposite side thereof from the components of the hook and loop fasteners  22 . The adhesive layer of the second component  28  is initially covered by a protective layer  32 . When the purse light  8  is installed in a container the protective layer  32  is removed thereby facilitating an adhesive bond between the layer  30  and the inside surface of the container in which the purse light  8  is installed. 
         [0014]    The use of the hook and loop fasteners  22  facilitates transfer of the purse light  8  from a first container in which it is initially installed to second and subsequent containers as circumstances dictate. For example, purse light  8  might be initially installed in an everyday purse or other container. As the seasons change the purse light  8  can be removed from the initial container and installed in a second or subsequent container depending upon the preferences of the person utilizing the purse light  8 . Use of the hook and loop fasteners  22  also facilitates the transfer of the purse light  8  on a temporary basis such as installing the purse light  8  in a very formal purse or other container for evening wear, installing the purse light  8  in a beach bag or other highly informal container for vacation usage, etc. 
         [0015]      FIG. 5  illustrates the purse light  8  installed in a back pack  36 . Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate the fact that the purse light  8  can be configured in a wide variety of sizes and is therefore readily adapted to usage in containers that are relatively small, intermediate in size, or relatively large. The size and configuration of the purse light  8  can be adapted to the size and shape of any particular container. 
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a schematic illustration of an electronic circuit that may be utilized in the operation of the purse light  8 . The circuit shown in  FIG. 6  is illustrative only, it being understood that various types and kinds of electronic circuits can be utilized in the practice of the invention. 
         [0017]    As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the purse light of the present invention is installed in an empty purse or other container. Thereafter items to be carried are deposited therein. The purse light thereafter directs light upwardly and inwardly through the items in the container thereby facilitating identification and retrieval of the selected items therefrom. 
         [0018]    Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.