Abstract:
A portable utility light, including a reel assembly, a power connector, and a light assembly. The reel assembly includes an electrical cord, and a reel encased within a housing and capable of winding and unwinding the electrical cord. A power connector electrically couples one end of the electrical cord to a power source, such as a vehicle&#39;s cigarette lighter receptacle or 12 volt accessory power outlet. A lamp, or flashlight, is electrically coupled to the other end of the electrical cord. Connectors coupled to the electrical cord are removably attachable to the housing of the reel assembly.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 60/730,985, filed on Oct. 28, 2005. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates in general to lights, and more particular, to a portable utility light for use with motor vehicles and the like. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   Utility lights, such as utility lights powered by a vehicle&#39;s cigarette lighter receptacle, or 12 volt accessory power outlet, have been known for some time. Such prior art utility lights often employ a power adapter within a first housing, a lamp, or flashlight within a second housing, and a power cord interconnecting the two housings. A clip, coupled to the second housing, is sometimes provided to permit the flashlight to be attached to a sun visor, a vehicle&#39;s hood, or another convenient surface, two allow the flashlight to be directed to a target in a “hands free” fashion, permitting the user to use both hands to, for example, conduct an inspection or repair of the vehicle&#39;s engine or other components. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is an improvement over the prior utility lights in that the way that the light facilitates attachment to the vehicle or other surface and provides for a compact assembly that allows for the light to be used over a greater range is unique and comprises an improvement over the prior art. In the preferred embodiment, the light of the present invention includes a light assembly and a reel assembly. 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved light that provides a compact light when the light is not in use. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved, separate reel assembly for use with the compact light assembly. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved light that provides for use over a larger distance. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to produce a light that is economical and easy to manufacture. 
   Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of the housing of the reel assembly of the present invention showing an opening for a retractable cord and a button for retracting the cord; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the reel assembly housing of  FIG. 1  showing a pair of flanges for receiving the female connector and plug; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the reel assembly housing of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a bottom plan view of the reel assembly housing of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the reel assembly housing of the present invention attached to a female connector and a plug; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the light housing and base of the present invention; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the light housing of the present invention having a plug attached to a flange; 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of the light housing and base of  FIG. 6 ; 
       FIG. 9  is a side view of the light housing and base of  FIG. 6 ; and 
       FIG. 10  is a partial cross sectional view of the light housing and base of  FIG. 9 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail one preferred embodiment, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered merely an exemplification of the principles of the invention and the application is limited only to the appended claims. 
   Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to  FIGS. 1 through 10 , there is shown a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The vehicular light of the present invention, generally designated by the number  10 , is shown as having a reel assembly  12  and a light assembly  14 . While the light is disclosed as being attachable to a vehicle surface, it is appreciated that it may be attached to other surfaces and not depart from the scope of the present invention. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1  thorough  5 , the reel assembly  12  comprises a housing  20 , and a female outlet or connector  22  and a male plug or connector  24  connected by a conventional electrical cord  26 . In this example, the connector is a 12V receptacle and the plug is a 12V plug. The housing is preferably formed from a bottom member  28  and a top member  30  that are attached together. Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the top member of the housing may include a plurality of holes or recesses  32  spaced about its perimeter that permit a plurality of screws or other threaded fasteners (not shown) to extend through and engage a plurality of threaded holes  34  on the bottom member  28 . The top member  30  may also include one or more pins  36  for engaging corresponding holes  38  on the bottom member  28  to facilitate the proper alignment of the housing member  28 ,  30  during the attachment process. While the reel housing is shown as substantially circular, it is appreciated that it may be of a variety of shapes including, but not limited to, circular, oval, square or triangular and not depart from the scope of the present invention. 
   Referring again to  FIG. 3 , the reel assembly  12  includes a disc  40  having a hole extending through the center, a plurality of angular teeth  42  positioned on the periphery of on one side of the disc, and a sleeve  44  extending about the hole on the other side of the disc. Together with the sleeve  44 , a pair of curved walls  46 , integrally formed on the disc  40  and spaced apart from the sleeve  44 , form a reel for winding and unwinding the cord  26  through openings  48  in the housing. 
   The bottom member  28  of the housing preferably includes a substantially circular wall  50  integrally formed on the inner side therein for defining a recess or chamber for accepting an insert  52 . The circular wall may have a plurality of curved slots  54  spaced apart along its circumference for accepting corresponding sleeves  56  on the insert member to maintain the insert in place. A hole  58  in the center of the insert  52  is sized to accommodate the base of a spindle  60 . A cover  62  preferably includes a plurality of holes  64  about its periphery to permit screws or other fasteners to be inserted therethrough and into the corresponding sleeve  56  of the insert  52  to attach the cover  62  and insert  52  together. 
   A clip  70  is biased by a spring  72  towards the ratchet teeth  42  on the disc  40  to promote engagement of the ratchet teeth  42  and the clip  70  to normally retain the cord  26  in place. The angled face  74  of the teeth  42  permits the clip  70  to sequentially move over the engaged tooth  42  to engage the next tooth  42 , thereby permitting the cord  26  to be withdrawn from the reel assembly  12 . A spring (not shown) associated with the disc  40  in a known way normally biases the disc  40  in a clockwise direction so that the flat wall  76  of one of the teeth  42  engages the clip  70  to prevent the cord  26  from being retracted through the openings  48  into the reel assembly  12 . Disengagement of the clip  70  from the teeth  42  may be accomplished by depressing a button  78  on the reel housing which overcomes the force of the spring  72  and biases the clip  70  out of engagement with the teeth  42 . Once the clip  70  is removed from engagement with the teeth  42 , the spring associated with the disc  40  acts to rotate the disc  40  and thereby retract the cord  26  into the reel housing  20 . In particular, the spring may be attached to the spindle such that as the cord is pulled from the housing, the spring will be wound in a way such that depression of the button will permit the spring to return to its initial state and wind the cord. 
   The housing  20  preferably includes a pair of flanges  80  to permit the female outlet  22  and male plug  24  to be removably attached thereto for storage and use. In the preferred embodiment, the flanges have a substantial T-shaped cross-section for mating with channels  82  extending longitudinally along the female outlet  22  and male plug  24 . 
   The male connector may be any of the known types of connectors for transmitting power, but is preferably a male adapter or connector for engaging a vehicular cigarette light or other similar outlet in a vehicle, home or elsewhere to provide power to the light assembly. Similarly, the female outlet may be any of the known types of outlets for accepting male plugs or connectors, but is preferably a female outlet for accepting a male adapter of the type shown with respect to light assembly  14  and disclosed herein. A cover or cap  84  may be removably attached to the female outlet  22  to prevent dust and other contaminants from damaging or otherwise adversely affecting the electrical contacts in the female outlet. While a male plug and female outlet are shown and disclosed, it is appreciated that the reel assembly may comprise a pair of male plugs or a pair of female outlets, depending upon the plug it will mate with at the power end and/or the light assembly end, and not depart from the scope of the present invention. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 6 through 10 , the light assembly  14  is shown having a housing  100  pivotally attached to a base member  102 , and a male adapter  103  removably attachable to the light housing  100  for connecting to an electrical socket (e.g., vehicle cigarette lighter) to supply power to the light assembly. In the preferred embodiment, the light housing is substantially cylindrical in shape having one or more lights or LEDs on each end. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the ends of the housing  100 , include recessed areas  104 ,  106  for receiving sockets or plates  108 ,  110  for receiving and holding the lights in place. The embodiment shown and disclosed show five LEDs  112  spaced apart on one end and a single LED  114  located in socket  110  on the other end. Circuitry within the light assembly connects the LEDs to the male adapter  103  to allow power to be supplied to the LEDs when the adapter is operatively attached to a power source. It is appreciated that any number or type of lights or other visual indicators may be used at each end depending on the amount of illumination needed and not depart from the scope of the present invention. 
   Housing members  116  and  118  surround the LEDs  112 ,  114  to provide, among other things, protection for the LEDs. Each of the housing member  116 ,  118  includes a recessed area for receiving a lens  120 ,  122 , which are preferably made of a plastic material but may be made of other known materials. 
   A cylindrical member  126  extends through the center of the housing  100  to serve as a reel for winding and storing the electrical cord  105  when it is in the retracted position. The lighting assembly also preferably includes an annular end member  124  that is rotationally attached to the lighting assembly and operatively attached to the electrical cord  105  for the male adapter  103  so that twisting of the end member or cap  124  will wind the electrical cord  105  back into the lighting assembly  14 . The end member or cap  124  may include a plurality of grooves and/or raised surface areas  125  to facilitate the gripping of the end member  124  during use. Similar to the reel assembly, it is appreciated that the lighting assembly may also include a spring and button release or other similar automatic retraction system for retracting the electrical cord and not depart from the scope of the present invention. 
   A flange  130  is preferably located on the top of the light housing  100  to permit the male adapter or connector  103  to be removably attached thereto when not in use. In the preferred embodiment, the flange has a substantial T-shaped cross-section for mating with a channel extending longitudinally along the male adapter  103 . The male adapter may be any of the known types of connectors or adapters for transmitting power, but is preferably a male adapter or connector for engaging a vehicular cigarette light or other similar outlet to provide power to the light assembly. It is further appreciated that a female outlet may be used and not depart from the scope of the present invention. An opening adjacent the flange  130  or located otherwise on the housing  100  permits the cord  105  to be withdrawn from and retracted into the housing  100 . 
   The housing  100  preferably includes a pair of diametrically opposed cavities or slots  135  on its sides for receiving a first half  132  of a pivot member. It is preferred that the first half  132  of the pivot member includes a cylindrical sleeve  134  having an inner diameter and an outer diameter, and which extends from a substantially round base  136  having a diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of the sleeve. It is appreciated that in order to facilitate manufacturing of the light assembly, the housing  100  may be comprised of two sections that may be attached together in a known way including through holes  140  and corresponding pins. In order to maintain the first half  132  of the pivot member in the slot  135 , the slot preferably has a T-shaped cross-section having walls that extend longitudinally in the slot and are spaced apart a distance that is greater than the outer diameter of the sleeve but less than the diameter of the base. While the sleeve and base preferably include a round or substantially round cross-section, it is appreciated that they may be of a variety of cross-sectional shapes and not depart from the scope of the present invention. 
   The second half  150  of the pivot member, as shown in  FIG. 8 , may also include a cylindrical sleeve  152  having an inner diameter and an outer diameter, and which extends from a substantially round base  154  having a diameter that is larger than the outer diameter of the sleeve  152 . The outer diameter of the sleeve  152  is preferably sized so that it is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the sleeve  134  of the first half  132  of the pivot member, thereby creating a snug fit between the pivot member halves to permit the light housing  100  to be rotated to a variety of different angular positions relative to the base member  102  to provide for directional lighting during use. It is appreciated that the sleeve of the first half may also fit within the sleeve of the second half and not depart from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, while the sleeve and base preferably include a round or substantially round cross-section, it is appreciated that they may be of a variety of cross-sectional shapes and not depart from the scope of the present invention. 
   The base member  102  preferably include a base  160  and a pair of arms  162  extending upward to form a substantially U-shape member. The ends of the arms  162  include holes  164  that are sized to permit the sleeves, but not the bases, of the halves of the pivot member to extend through. Each arm may include a wall  166  that extends substantially around its perimeter to create a recessed area to permit the base  154  of the second half of the pivot member to be recessed therein during use to prevent any accidental or inadvertent disconnections between the pivot member halves. 
   The base  160 , as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , also may have an annular recessed area  170  for receiving a magnet  172  to permit the light assembly  14  to be attached to a metallic or ferrous surface of the vehicle to provide light for maintenance (e.g., attaching to side panel to provide illumination for changing a tire at night) or as a warning to other vehicles of the car&#39;s presence. While a magnet is shown and disclosed, it is appreciated that other means for securely attaching the light assembly onto a vehicle surface such as, but not limited to, suction cups or clips may be used and not depart from the scope of the present invention. 
   In order to assist in maintaining the light assembly in place relative to the surface it is attached to, the base  160  may also include a plurality of cavities  180  for receiving discs  182  comprised of material having a high coefficient of friction to inhibit sliding of the light assembly on the surface due to gravity or other forces. Furthermore, the base  160  preferably includes a central hole  184  to permit light from the LED  114  to provide illumination when attaching the light assembly to a vehicle surface. 
   It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention, but it is understood that this application is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.