Patent Publication Number: US-2007115652-A1

Title: Hands-free flashlight suspended from neck of user

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This invention claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/638,756, filed Dec. 23, 2004.  
      This application is a continuation-in-part of pending application Ser. No. 11,301,617 filed Dec. 13, 2005 and a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/749,708 filed Dec. 31, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,008,075, issued Mar. 7, 2006. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates generally to a hands-free flashlight and, more particularly, to a lightweight device that is suspended from a person&#39;s neck to illuminate a region in front of the person.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method and apparatus for illuminating the area in front of a person without requiring the use of the person&#39;s hands, by suspending from the neck of the person a housing containing at least one LED light source emitting a light beam extending forwardly from the person, a battery power supply for the light source, and a switch connected between the light source and the power supply for energizing and de-energizing the light source. The housing is shaped to rest against the chest of the person so that the direction of the light beam remains substantially stable. The light source may comprise a plurality of LED light sources.  
      In one embodiment, a connector is hinged to the housing, and a flexible loop is coupled to the connector for suspending the housing from the neck of the person so that the housing is located in front of the chest of the person. The housing is pivotable relative to the connector to permit the light beam from the light source to be directed forwardly from the person through a preselected range of angles both above and below a horizontal axis. The hinge between the connector and the housing may restrict the movement of said housing after it has been positioned to direct the light beam at a desired angle.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The invention may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1A  is a front perspective view of a person wearing a hands-free flashlight, according to one embodiment of the present invention, with the light beam directed slightly downwardly,  
       FIG. 1B  is the same as  FIG. 1A  but with the flashlight the light beam directed upwardly,  FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective view of the flashlight shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B ,  
       FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of the flashlight of  FIGS. 1A and 1B ,  
       FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view of the flashlight of  FIGS. 1A and 1B ,  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the interior of the rear section of the flashlight of  FIGS. 1A and 1B ,  
       FIG. 6  is the same perspective view shown in  FIG. 5  with the batteries removed,  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of one side of the circuit board contained in the front section of the flashlight of  FIGS. 1A and 1B ,  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the other side of the circuit board contained in the front section of the flashlight of  FIGS. 1A and 1B ,  
       FIG. 9  is an electrical schematic of the electrical circuit contained in the flashlight of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , and  
       FIGS. 10 and 11  are plan views of two parts of a two-part adjustable band for use with the flashlight of  FIGS. 1-9 ; and  
       FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the flashlight shown in  FIGS. 1A-1C  with the housing attached to the clip with an orientation inverted from that shown in  FIGS. 1A-1C . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS  
      Although the invention will be described next in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to those particular embodiments. On the contrary, the description of the invention is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalent arrangements as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.  
      Turning now to the drawings, and referring initially to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , a flashlight  10 , according to one embodiment of the present invention, includes a housing  11  made of molded plastic material and adapted to be suspended from the neck of a user (see  FIGS. 1A and 1B ). By suspending the housing  11  from the neck of the user so that the housing rests against the chest of the user, the light beam produced by the light source in the housing remains relatively stable. For example, the direction of the light beam does not move with movements of the user&#39;s head. Because the housing  11  can be pivoted about a horizontal axis (as described in detail below), the elevation angle of the beam may be adjusted to direct the beam downwardly (as depicted in  FIG. 1A ) or upwardly (as depicted in  FIG. 1B ) from horizontal. Thus, the light beam may be directed onto different objects located at different elevations, or to illuminate regions at varying distances in front of the user.  
      As can be seen in  FIG. 2 , the housing  11  includes a front section  12  and a rear section  13  which mate to form an internal cavity to contain the components described below. The front section  12  and the rear section  13  are molded, along their respective joining internal edges, to form a snap fitting of the kind well known in the state of the art. The front and rear sections  12  and  13  may thus be easily taken apart for access to the internal cavity. Alternatively, the two parts may be joined by an integral “living hinge” on one side and an integral snap-type latch on the opposite side to hold the two sections  12  and  13  together.  
      The front housing section  12  forms a substantially oval aperture  14  for receiving a translucent or transparent lens  15  through which light from sources inside the housing can be transmitted forwardly from the housing. In the illustrative embodiment, the front housing section forms upper and lower rims  16  and  17  along the upper and lower edges of the aperture  14  to prevent light from being transmitted straight up or down from the aperture. The ends of the aperture, however, are unobstructed so that light can be transmitted laterally directly from the end edges of the aperture  14 .  
      The illustrative flashlight  10  forms a unit that may be made small and compact for ease of packaging, handling and use, and to reduce cost. For example, one preferred embodiment uses a housing of approximately 2⅛ inches in the x dimension, 1⅝ inches in they dimension and approximately ⅞ inches thick or deep. It will be understood, however, that the dimensions of the housing may be varied for different shapes and designs.  
      A hinge section  20  is molded as an integral part of the rear housing section  13 , and mates with a complementary hinge section  21  formed as an integral part of an attachment clip  22 . A pin  20   a  is inserted through the two hinge sections  20  and  21  to hold them together while permitting rotational movement of the two hinge sections relative to each other. The opposed surfaces of the two hinge sections  20  and  21  that move relative to each other are roughened to increase the friction between those surfaces, to inhibit swinging movement of the housing  11  and thereby improve the stability of the light beam. Thus, the angular position of the housing  11  can be adjusted relative to the clip  22  to optimize the illuminated area in front of a person wearing the flashlight, and the housing will remain in the selected position. The hinge also permits the housing to be rotated 180 degrees so that it lies flat against the clip  22  before the clip is attached to the loop used to suspend the housing from the neck of a user, thereby providing a shorter unit.  
      The clip  22  also forms a pair of T-shaped slots  23  and  24  opening through opposite edges of the clip for receiving and holding a loop  25  (see  FIGS. 1A and 1B ) adapted to fit around the user&#39;s neck. As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , the housing  11  depends from the bottom edge of the clip  22 , and the lens  15  is located toward the lower end of the housing  11 , so that the light emanates from the lens a couple of inches or more below the loop  25 . The loop  25  can be made of a variety of different materials, such as those commonly used to suspend a pair of glasses from the neck of a person. The loop is preferably adjustable to permit the housing  11  to be positioned at different elevations on the user&#39;s chest, and to accommodate users of different sizes. The loop may also be made of an elastic material to facilitate the application to, and removal from, the user&#39;s neck.  
      An on/off switch  30  is located on the bottom of the front housing section  12 . A pattern area  31  and a lip  32  are molded into the housing to provide finger and thumb surfaces that can be felt and gripped when opening the housing  11  to change batteries or to access the interior of the housing for other purposes such as to replace the light sources.  
       FIG. 5  shows the interior of the front housing section  12 , which contains an internal circuit board  40 . Three 1.5-volt alkaline batteries  41 ,  42  and  43  are mounted on the rear side of the circuit board  40 , making contact with three pairs of conventional battery terminals  44   a  and  44   b,    45   a  and  45   b,  and  46   a  and  46   b  attached to the circuit board  40 .  FIG. 6  is the same view as  FIG. 5  with the batteries removed to more clearly show the battery terminals and their attachments to the circuit board  40 .  
       FIGS. 7 and 8  show the circuit board  40  without the housing. It can be seen that the lens  15  is mounted on the front side of the board  40 , and three light emitting diodes (LEDs)  47 ,  48  and  49  are mounted on the board directly below the lens  15  (see  FIG. 8 ). The center LED  48  is positioned to emit a light beam directed straight forward, while the two side LEDs  47  and  49  are positioned to emit light beams directed slightly outwardly. The LEDs preferably emit white light with about 12,000 to 14,000 millicandelas. This combination of light beams is capable of illuminating an area extending as far as 200 feet in front of the user, with a beam width that is at least 5 feet wide at a distance of about 10 feet in front of the user. It will be understood that the LEDs may be varied in both number and size, but it is preferred that the source or sources be sufficient to illuminate an area extending at least 10 feet, most preferably at least 20 feet, in front of the user.  
      An incandescent lamp  50  is also mounted on the front side of the board  40 , for a purpose to be described below. Finally, the on/off switch  30  is also mounted on the front side of the board  40 , adjacent the bottom edge of the board.  
       FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram of the electrical circuit provided the circuit board  40  to interconnect the various components mounted thereon. The three 1.5-volt alkaline batteries (AAA)  41 - 43  are electrically connected in series to provide 4.5 DC volts to the circuit through a sliding SPST on/off switch  30 . The three white LEDS  47 - 49  are connected in parallel with each other and in series with the switch  30  so that all three LEDs are illuminated when the switch  30  is turned closed. The incandescent, tungsten-filament lamp  50 , of the kind used for ornamental lighting, e.g., as in Christmas tree light string, is used as a constant current ballast resistor in the circuit. The current flowing through the tungsten filament of the lamp  50  varies with the available voltage from the batteries  41 - 43  due to the positive temperature coefficient of the filament, thereby providing a substantially constant amount of current to the LEDs  47 - 49 . By using the incandescent lamp  50  as a variable resistor, the life of the batteries is extended and the intensity of the white LEDs  47 - 49  is more uniform over the life of the batteries  41 - 43 .  
      If desired, a variable impedance may be added to the circuit to permit the intensity of the light beam to be adjusted by a manually operated adjustment device (e.g., a knob) accessible on an exterior surface of the housing. A mechanically adjustable reflector may also be used to permit the light beam width to be adjusted.  
      If desired, red or green LEDs or lenses may be used instead of white LEDs and a clear lens. Red and green light assists night vision (e.g., for hunting), and animals are more comfortable with green light. Combinations of LEDs of different colors may also be used, with one or more switches to permit selection of a light beam of the desired color.  
       FIGS. 10 and 11  illustrate a two-part band  200  that can be sold with the flashlight to accommodate different applications and users of different sizes. The band  200  comprises two adjustable bands  201  and  202  of different lengths, with mating male and female clip elements  201   a,    201   b  and  202   a,    202   b  attached to opposite ends of the respective bands. The male element  201   a  or  202   a  of either band  201  or  202  also mates with the female element  201   b  or  202   b  of the other band  201  or  202 , i.e., the male elements  201   a  and  202   a  are interchangeable, and the female elements  201   b  and  202   b  are also interchangeable. The band  201  is also made adjustable in length by using a glide/slide  203  that allows the band to double up to shorten the band, or to be extended to a single layer to lengthen the band.  
      The flashlight may be used with either band  201  or  202  alone, or the two bands may be connected in series with each other, as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , to form a larger-diameter band. Thus, the two separate bands  201  and  202 , combined with the adjustability of each band, permits the user to choose a desired size from a wide range of possibilities. For example, having a single package that accommodates all sizes of users and all applications reduces inventory, shelf space and manufacturing costs.  
      Any desired fabric may be used to form the bands  201  and  202 , such as cotton, nylon, polyester or polypropylene. The bands  201  and  202  are preferably made of an elastic material.  
       FIG. 12  illustrates how the housing  11  and attachment clip  22  can be adapted for interchangeable use as a head lamp. The housing  11  is attached to the clip  22  with an orientation inverted from that shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , so that the back of the housing  11  can be pivoted flush against the front surface of the clip  22 . The hinged connection between the housing  11  and the clip  22  permits the housing to be easily tilted to different angles, such as the angle illustrated in  FIG. 12 , to direct the light beam forwardly or downwardly at different angles to illuminate desired objects or areas. For example, the light beam can be directed downwardly onto a book for reading, or straight forward for walking.  
      The orientation of the housing  11  and clip  22  illustrated in  FIG. 12  is achieved by removing the screw  20   a  that extends through the holes in the integral hinge portions of the housing and clip. The housing is inverted and then re-attached to the clip with the hinge screw  20   a  and a mating nut that is threaded onto the free end of the screw. In the embodiment illustrated, both the screw head and the nut are recessed in countersunk portions of the end surfaces of the hinge section  21 .  
      While particular embodiments and applications of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variations may be apparent from the foregoing descriptions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.