Abstract:
A stackable LED flare and system for use at night, in low light conditions or during the day where a lighted flare provides greater visibility. The flare comprises a multi-sided housing with a panel on each side and having a top and a base. It has a plurality of LEDs aligned in windows positioned in at least one of the panels. The flare includes a re-chargeable battery encased in the housing for powering the flare and a circuit for delivering power and operational control from the battery to the LEDs upon activation by a switch. A set of contacts positioned on the outside of the housing deliver a charge to the battery. The contacts are configured to allow multiple flares to be stacked and charged simultaneously. The system also includes a charging station that accommodates a stack of two or more flares during the charging operation.

Description:
RELATED CASE INFORMATION 
     This case is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/105,994 filed May 12, 2011, entitled LED Flare, and also claims priority benefit from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/723,425, filed Nov. 7, 2012 entitled Stackable LED Flare and System, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The present application is also related to commonly-owned, co-pending U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/391,694 filed May 12, 2001, entitled “LED Flare.” and issued on Feb. 21, 2012 as D654,387. 
    
    
     COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
     Portions of this disclosure contain material in which copyright is claimed by the applicant. The applicant has no objection to the copying of this material in the course of making copies of the application file or any patents that may issue on the application, but all other rights whatsoever in the copyrighted material are reserved. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Battery powered LED flares are used by police, fire, airport workers, construction crews, emergency personnel and others to provide warning signals of all kinds at night, in low light conditions or even during the day where a lighted object provides greater visibility. 
     These types of devices are limited by the number and configuration of LEDs that are incorporated in them. It is desirable to increase the distance at which the warning signals can be seen. Additionally, devices of this type may not be durable to withstand harsh treatment such as being dropped on the ground or operating in inclement conditions such as very cold temperatures, rain, sleet or snow. Another shortcoming is that they are battery operated and require maintaining a backup set of batteries in the event that the batteries fail. In cases where the devices use rechargeable batteries, they must be removed from the unit and placed in a separate charger. Charging multiple LED flares at the same time may require an individual charger for each LED flare or a large charging station that takes up significant space. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A-1F  show a variety of views of a LED flare in a first embodiment; 
         FIGS. 2A-F  show views of a LED flare in a second embodiment 
         FIGS. 3A-D  are perspective views of a LED flare including its component parts; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective partial view of a LED flare with a window having a magnifying lens; 
         FIGS. 5A-5E  are perspective views of a LED flare charger by itself and in charging position on a LED flare in a first embodiment; 
         FIGS. 6A-6C  show perspective views of a LED flare charger by itself and in charging position on a LED flare in a second embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a carrying case kit with LED flares and accessories; 
         FIG. 8  shows a block diagram of an electrical circuit of the LED flare; and 
         FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of an LED flare in a third embodiment; 
         FIGS. 10A-E  show the components of a retractable charger contact pin for use in a stackable charging LED flare; 
         FIGS. 11A-C  show views of two stacked LED flares; and 
         FIGS. 12A-D  show views of multiple stacked LEDs and embodiments of charger stations for charging multiple LEDs at the same time. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Throughout  FIGS. 1-12 , like elements of the invention are referred to by the same reference numerals for consistency purposes. 
       FIGS. 1A-1F  show a variety of views of a LED flare  101 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1A , LED flare  101  has a body that is multi-sided. In  FIG. 1A , LED flare is octagonal, but it may be formed with any number of sides around the periphery. In the embodiment shown, periphery or side  103  is made up of 8 pairs of stacked panels. In each pair, there is a lower panel  105  and an upper panel  107 . Upper panel  107  is angled inwardly towards a top  109  of flare  101  while lower panel  105  is at approximately a right angle with a bottom  111  of flare  101 . A window  113  is formed in each upper panel  107  and in each lower panel  105 . A protective casing  115  or shield made of rubber, plastic or silicone is formed in a top component  115   a  (see  FIG. 3 ) and a bottom component  115   b  (see  FIG. 3 ) over the body of flare  101  to cushion the internal components of flare  101  in the event that flare  101  is dropped, hit or otherwise subjected to harsh conditions. Cut-outs in protective casing  115  are aligned with windows  113  so that light emitted through windows  113  is not blocked by protective casing  115 . A hanger  117  is integrated into protective shield  115  through which a string, wire or carabiner can be passed to allow LED flare  101  to be hung from a hook or other rod-shaped device. A switch  118  is mounted in top  109  to turn LED flare  101  on and off as well as perform other operational functions. 
     Both top  109  and bottom  111  of LED flare  101  are substantially flat on one side as can be seen in a top up view of LED flare  101  shown in  FIG. 1C  and a bottom up view of LED flare  101  shown in  FIG. 1D . Backs  121  in the form of nuts or other similar holding components in combination with binding posts  119  which may be screws rivets or other attachment pins hold top  109  and bottom  111  of LED flare  101  together while a pair of charging posts  123  are used to connect a charger that recharges one or more re-chargeable batteries housed inside of the body of LED flare  101 . Attachment device  125  is preferably a magnet so that it can be easily and quickly attached, removed and re-attached to magnetic objects such as the side of vehicle or a metal sign without damaging the object to which it is attached. As an alternative, attachment device  125  may be one side of Velcro® type hook and loop fasteners or a reusable sticky material. 
       FIGS. 1E and 1F  are a top and bottom perspective view of LED flare  101 , respectively. Flare  101  may be produced in any number of different sizes that provide for a lightweight, durable and easy to use, store and carry flare  101 . A configuration of 8 pairs of LEDs on the periphery  103  generates light patterns that are visible at multiple angles and from long distances to signal to people there is an emergency situation or other circumstances where a warning is appropriate. LED flare  101  with eight sides may have dimensions as follows: bottom diameter—4.528 inches (115 mm); top diameter—3.976 inches (101 mm); lower side panel width—0.730 inches (18.542 mm); upper side panel width—0.730 inches (37 mm) where the upper panel meets the lower panel and gradually narrowing to 0.5118 inches (13 mm) where the upper panel meets the top; lower side panel height—1.1024 inches (28 mm); upper side panel height—0.8661 inches (22 mm); and the angle between lower panel and upper panel—in the range of 15-30 degrees. These dimensions are provided as an example and other dimensions can be implemented as desired. It should be recognized that configurations with more LEDs or fewer LEDs could be implemented without altering the operation of the flare, including having more or fewer side panels than the eight described. 
       FIGS. 2A-2F  show the same set of views as  FIGS. 1A-1F  for a second embodiment of LED flare  101 . In this second embodiment, LED flare  101  is designed with six sides instead of the eight shown for the LED flare shown in  FIGS. 1A-1F . LED flare  101  with six sides may have dimensions as follows: bottom diameter—3.975 inches (100.965 mm); top diameter—3.575 inches (90.8 mm); lower side panel width—0.730 inches (18.542 mm); upper side panel width—0.730 inches (18.542 mm) where the upper panel meets the lower panel and gradually narrowing to 0.530 inches (13.462 mm) where the upper panel meets the top; lower side panel height—0.875 inches (22.225 mm); upper side panel height—0.970 inches (24.638 mm); and the angle between lower panel and upper panel—in the range of 15-30 degrees. These dimensions are provided as an example and other dimensions can be implemented as desired. It should be understood that throughout the specification, reference to LED flare  101  shall include a flare with 6 or 8 sides, or in any number of other practical configurations. 
       FIG. 3A  is an exploded perspective view showing the individual components of LED flare  101  in relative position to each other. Top  109  and bottom  111  are formed of clear hard plastic and fit together to form a housing with a seal ring  201  fitted between them to resist penetration of water into the interior of the housing. Binding posts  119  and backs  121  hold the housing together. Fitted over the housing of flare  101  is a molded casing made of two parts, bottom case panel  115   a  and top case panel  115   b . Both case panels are made of a rubber material that is semi-rigid to allow for easy installation over the housing of flare  101 , while providing cushioning in the event that flare  101  is dropped or banged against a hard surface. The molded case also provides a texture over the housing of flare  101  for easy and comfortable grip. 
     Inside the housing of flare  101  are LED modules  303   a  and  303   b . The modules are each configured in the shape of the housing with one or more LEDs positioned to align with windows  113  along periphery  103  of flare  101 . LED modules  303   a  and  303   b  are positioned inside of the housing so that each upper panel  107  and a corresponding lower panel have an LED stacked one on top of the other. A rechargeable battery  305  is also enclosed in the housing and is in electrical connection with charging posts  123 . 
       FIGS. 3B-3D  show perspective views of a light focusing component  311  that may be used in LED flare  101 . Light focusing component  311  includes a bottom section  313  and a matching top section  315  that fit together to form light channels  317  that surround each of the individual LEDs in LED modules  303 . Bottom section  313  may fit between bottom  111  of flare  101  and light module  303   b  in  FIG. 3A  and top section  315  may fit between light module  303   b  and seal ring  301  to encase light module  303   b  and direct light from the LEDs in a radially outward direction through window  113 . Similarly another light focusing component  311  fits around light module  303   a  with bottom section  313  between light module  303   a  and seal ring  301 , and top section  313  between light module  303   a  and top  109  of flare  101 . 
       FIG. 4  is a close up perspective view of lower panel  105  and upper panel  107  on periphery  103  of flare  101  with flare  101  in a bottom facing up position. Windows  113  are centered within each panel. Individual LEDs are positioned within each window to emit light through window  113 . A magnifying lens  401  may be integrated in window  113  to magnify the light emitted by the LED behind window  301 . LED flare  101  may operate with or without magnifying lens  401  and with or without light focusing component  311 . As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , a pair of LEDs stacked one on top of the other in lower panel  105  and upper panel  107 . The stacking configuration enables a multitude of light patterns from the LEDs. Also shown in  FIG. 4  are loops  403  formed in casing  115 . In the event that flare  101  is dropped and lands on a loop  403 , the rubber loop depresses providing a cushioning action to lessen the impact when flare  101  hits a surface. 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  show perspective top and bottom views, respectively, of a charger  501 . In  FIG. 5A , a charger  501  is shown that attaches to flare  101  for charging battery  305 . Charger  501  has charger contacts  503  that protrude slightly from the face of charger  501  to engage charging posts  123  on flare  101 , which are slightly recessed into protective casing  115  on flare  101 . Recessing the ends of charging posts  123  below the surface of casing  115  is preferred to avoid an inadvertent short circuit of battery  305  which is in electrical connection with charging posts  123 . 
     It should be understood that while charger  501  may be any shape provided it houses charging contacts to align with charging posts  123 , configuring charger  501  in a multi-sided shape with side panels  505 , such as that pictured in  FIGS. 5A-D  with eight sides, permits charger  501  to fit within a raised frame  507  outlined in protective casing  115  on flare  101 . Charger  501  also includes an attachment device  509  such as a magnet that is opposite in polarity to magnet  125  mounted inside of flare  101  so that they attract and hold charger  501  in place against flare  101 . 
       FIG. 5C  shows a bottom up perspective view of LED flare  101  with charger  501  attached to charger contacts  503 . Charger  501  is used to charge battery  305  housed inside of LED flare  101  by making contact with charger contacts  503 . Charger  501  has a removable power cord  511  that can be plugged into charger at connector  521  and that draws power either from an AC or DC. Attachment device  509  holds charger  503  in place against LED flare  101  during charging with charger contacts  503  aligned and in electrical connection with charging posts  123 . Power cord  511  may include a USB type connector  513  that is adapted to be plugged directly into a USB port on a computer (not shown), other device with a standard USB port to provide power to charger  501 , or AC adapter  515  as shown in  FIG. 5C . 
     Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 5D , USB connector  513  may be connected to a DC adapter such as a standard vehicle lighter adapter  517  for drawing power from a car lighter.  FIG. 5E  shows a LED flare  101  with attachment device  125  and charging posts  123  that are configured to connect to charger  501  as shown in  FIGS. 5A-5D . 
       FIGS. 6A-C  shows an alternative embodiment for a charger designed for use with a hexagonally shaped flare  101 . The overall shape of charger  501  in this second embodiment is hexagonal with cutouts  633  and a connector  519  for the power cord (not shown). A power indicator light  637  indicates when charging is active. Charger  501  in this six sided embodiment operates in the same manner as eight sided charger  501  (described above) with charger contacts  503  protruding to make contact with charging posts  123  when charger  501  is in place against flare  101 . 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a carrying case base  701  capable of holding four LED flares  101  with integrated charging for each LED flare  101 , and storage areas for accessories including power cord  511  with USB connector  513 , AC adapter  515  and DC adapter  517 . Carrying case base  701  is equipped with integrated charger contacts  705  to re-charge the batteries of LED flares  101  when placed in carrying case  701 . Power cord  511  can be plugged into carrying case base  701  at carrying case base connector  703 . The other end of power cord  515  is then plugged into a power source such as a USB port on a computer, an AC outlet using AC adapter  515  or DC adapter  517 . A pair of case charger contacts  705  are integrated into carrying case base  701  and function in the same manner as charger contacts  503  on stand-alone charger  501 , drawing power through power cord  511  that is connected into carrying case base  701  at case connector  703 . An attachment device such as a magnet  707  holds flare  101  in place in a recessed slot  709  of carrying case base  701 . Magnet  707  is particularly useful if charging is being performed with the case open and where there may be a chance of LED flare  101  being knocked out carrying case base  701 , or to prevent rattling of LED flare  101  in carrying case base  701 . 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , carrying case base  701  has a hinged cover  711  with a cover handle  713  that lines up with base handle  715  when cover  711  is closed. Protrusions  716  in cover  711  are appropriately shaped, and aligned with recessed slots  709  in carrying case base  701  to hold LED flares  101  and accessories such as flare stands  721  firmly in place when carrying case base  701  is in the closed position. Cover  711  may be locked in place on carrying case  701  by snapping down clasps  717  over protrusions  719  on carrying case base  701 . 
     Carrying case base  701  and cover  711  may be manufactured using molded plastic which is lightweight, hollow and durable. Wires (not shown) may be run inside of the hollow area in base  701  between connector  703  and charger contacts  705 . 
       FIG. 8  is a block diagram of a circuit  801  mounted on one of the LED panels  303   a  or  303   b , and enclosed within the housing of flare  101  made up of lower panel  105  and upper panel  107 . Circuit  801  includes a controller  803  for controlling the operation of the multiple LEDs  105  housed within flare  101 . Controller  803  is typically an integrated circuit and is programmed with one or more patterns for flashing and/or maintaining illumination of LEDs  105 . Switch  111  is used to power on and power off flare  101 . Switch  111  may also be used to cycle through any number of different light patterns of flare  101 . For example, each LED  105  may be turned on for a fraction of a second in the sequential order as they are positioned around the periphery of flare  101 . Alternatively, illumination may be set to alternate between LEDs  105  on opposing sides of the housing of flare  101 . It should be understood that the number of patterns possible is only limited by the number of LEDs  105  that are used in flare  101 . 
     Controller  803  is powered by a battery  305 , which in turn is recharged by a recharging circuit  807  connected to an adapter  809 . Adapter  809  may be either an AC adapter  515  or a DC adapter  517  for supplying AC or DC to circuit  801  from a wall outlet, a cigarette lighter or another power source. A voltage stabilizing circuit  811  receives power supplied by battery  305  and delivers it directly to controller  803  and LEDs  105 . 
       FIG. 9  is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of LED flare  101 . In this third embodiment, LED flare  101  is designed with six flat sides without a tapered upper side panel as in LED flare  101  of the first and second embodiments in  FIGS. 1A-1F  and  2 A-F, respectively. LED flare  101  of the third embodiment with six sides may have dimensions as follows: top and bottom diameter—approximately 3.975 inches (100.965 mm); side panel width—approximately 0.730 inches (18.542 mm) and side panel height—approximately 1.25 inches (3.175 cm). These dimensions are provided solely as an example, and other dimensions can be implemented as desired. It should be understood that throughout the specification, reference to LED flare  101  shall include but not be limited to a flare with 6 or 8 sides where each side is flat with a single panel on each side as shown in  FIG. 9 , or with two or more subpanels on each side (for example as shown in  FIGS. 1A-1F  and  2 A- 2 F) where an upper or lower side subpanel may be angled and tapered to join the top or bottom of the flare, or in any number of other practical configurations. 
     LED flare  101  is configured to be stacked. Stacking two or more LED flares  101  makes simultaneous charging possible with a single charger eliminating the need for a separate charger for each LED flare and saving space compared to a charging kit where multiple flares may be charged simultaneously in individual charging positions, for example as shown in the portable charging case of  FIG. 7 . 
       FIGS. 10A-E  show the components of a spring-loaded contact pin  1000  for use in stackable LEDs with a multi-flare charging feature. Spring-loaded contact pin  1000  has: 1) a base  1005  that is shown in detail in  FIG. 10B ; 2) a floating contact  1010  with a cylindrical collar  1015  shown in detail in  FIG. 10C ; 3) a spring  1020  shown in detail in  FIG. 10D  that biases the floating contact  1010 ; and 4) a screwable crown  1025  shown in detail in  FIG. 10E . When assembled, spring-loaded contact pin  1000  has spring  1020  fitted over the top of floating contact  1010 . The top portion of floating contact  1010  fits through the hole in crown  1025  with spring  1020  biasing floating contact  1010  in a downward direction when crown  1025  is screwed down over the top of base  1005 . Base portion  1005  fits inside of a hole that replaces binding posts  119  (as shown in  FIG. 3A ) in top  109  of flare  101 . 
       FIGS. 11A-C  show views of two stacked LED flares. Spring-loaded contact pins  1000  with floating contacts  1010  can be seen in top  109  of flare  101  in  FIG. 11A .  FIG. 11B  is a cut-away side view of two LED flares  101  stacked in alignment.  FIG. 11C  is a perspective view of two flares that are aligned and in a ready position to be stacked. As can be seen, the lower flare  101  has contact pin  1000  aligned to contact charging post  123  of the LED flare that is positioned above it. In this way, charging may occur simultaneously for any number of stacked flares as the charge flows through the lower flare and passes through to the flare above it. Floating contact  1010  of lower flare  101  is depressed in a downward direction when it comes in contact with charging post  123  of upper flare  101  above it ensuring that good contact is made as long as the two flares are in the stacked position. Dotted lines  1105  show the alignment between contact charging posts  123  in upper flare  101  and floating contacts  101  on lower flare  101 . 
       FIGS. 12A and 12B  show four stacked LED flares  101  in a first and second embodiment respectively of a charger station  1200 . Each charger station  1200  has a base  1205  configured to accept the bottom LED flare. Sidewalls  1210  form a hexagonal interior space to hold each LED flare securely in place in a stack with fitted cut-outs  1220  ( FIG. 12A  only) to accept shaped portions of the sides of each LED flare. The stack of flares  101  are charged simultaneously as described above with respect to  FIGS. 11A-B . Indicator lights  1215  show that the unit is on and operational and whether a complete charge has been achieved. 
       FIG. 12C  shows a top down view of the second embodiment of a charger station  1200  without any LED flares loaded for charging. Floating contact pins  1000  similar to those shown on the top of flare  101  in  FIG. 11A  are positioned in base  1205  to align with charger posts  123  on the bottom of LED flare  101  when it is loaded into base  1205 . A cord  511  that plugs into charger station  1200  at one end is plugged into a standard wall outlet and may or may not use an adapter  515  and USB connector  513 . 
       FIG. 12D  shows a top down view of the second embodiment of charger station  1200  with flares  101  loaded for charging. 
     Operation of the invention will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 1-12 . Initially, flare  101  is powered off. Power is turned on by a user activating switch  111 . Power is then delivered from battery  305  through voltage stabilizing circuit  811  to controller  803  and LEDs  105 . Controller is programmed with a number of different lighting patterns through which the LEDs are cycled turning them on and off in accordance with the programmed patterns. Each pattern may be used to indicate a signal such as an emergency of a particular type, or just to maintain all of the lights in an illuminated state so that a parked vehicle is visible at night or in low light conditions. To cycle through the different illumination patterns, the user simply depresses switch  111 . Alternatively two switches could be implemented with one delivering power and the second for changing the light pattern. 
     The foregoing invention has been described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiment may become apparent to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the invention. Accordingly the scope of legal protection afforded this invention can only be determined with reference to the claims. For example, it should be understood that while the invention has been described with respect to a variety of multi-sided LED flares that may be stacked for charging concurrently, the inventive concepts may be applied for use with flares of any shape. These may include round flares, triangular flares, rectangular flares, pentagonal flares or any other shaped designs that are best suited for a particular purpose and chosen by the designer. To meet the requirements of the invention, the flares have a point of contact on a top surface and a point of contact on a bottom surface on which contact pins and charging posts and are positioned so that the charge can be passed through from one flare to the next flare when the flares are positioned in a stack.