Patent Publication Number: US-2023137703-A1

Title: Detachable lantern lighting device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Pat. Application No. 63/273,336, filed Oct. 29, 2021, the contents of which being incorporated by reference in their entireties herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Area lights, such as lanterns and work lights, have existed for decades with little to no innovation. Traditionally, lanterns, such as those used in camping and other recreational activities, must be operated by hand and must be repeatedly adjusted to fix an angle of illumination. Continuously moving a lantern from one area to another during a project is not ideal and can be cumbersome. Additionally, it is difficult to orient the illumination provided by a lantern and lanterns tend to be bulky such that they cannot be used in many spaces and various applications. Also, for difficult areas to illuminate, lanterns require use of a hand of an operator, preventing the operator from utilizing both hands to complete a task. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to portable lighting devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a portable lantern lighting device having an independently illuminating base. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG.  1    is a front view of a lantern lighting device including a base and a lantern in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a front perspective view of the lantern lighting device including the base and the lantern in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    is a side view of the lantern lighting device including the base and the lantern in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS.  4 A- 4 C  show a sequence of removal of the lantern from the base of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS.  5 A- 5 B  show a sequence of removal of the lantern from the base of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  6    is a front perspective view of the lantern of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    is a side cross-section view of the lantern of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  8    is a side view of the lantern of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  9    is a bottom view of the lantern of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  10    is a front perspective view of the base of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  11    is a top view of the base of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  12    is a side partial cross-section view of the base of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  13    is a side view of the base of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  14    is a side cross-section view of the base of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  15    is a side cross-section view of the lantern and the base of the lantern lighting device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present disclosure relates to a lantern lighting device having independently illuminating and removable auxiliary lighting devices. As noted above, area lights, such as lanterns and work lights, have existed for decades with little to no innovation. Traditionally, lanterns, such as those used in camping and other recreational activities, must be operated by hand and must be repeatedly adjusted to fix an angle of illumination. Continuously moving a lantern from one area to another during a project is not ideal and can be cumbersome. Additionally, it is difficult to orient the illumination provided by a lantern and lanterns tend to be bulky such that they cannot be used in many spaces and various applications. Also, for difficult areas to illuminate, lanterns require use of a hand of an operator, preventing the operator from utilizing both hands to complete a task. 
     According to various embodiments described herein, a lantern lighting device is disclosed that includes a lantern and a base configured to couple to and/or retain the lantern, where the base has a light emitting element independent that of the lantern. The lantern lighting device may include a base comprising a base power supply and a base light emitting element, and a lantern detachably attached to the base, the lantern comprising a lantern lighting element and a lantern power supply. The base is configured to illuminate the base light emitting element when the lantern is detached from the base, and de-illuminate the base light emitting element when the lantern is detachably attached to the base. 
     Turning now to the figures,  FIG.  1    shows a front view of a lantern lighting device  100 ,  FIG.  2    shows a perspective view of the lantern lighting device  100 , and  FIG.  3    shows a side view of the lantern lighting device  100  according to various embodiments. Referring to  FIGS.  1 - 3    collectively, the lantern lighting device includes a base  103  and a lantern  106 . The base  103  includes a base power supply (e.g., one or more base batteries) and a base light emitting element (e.g., one or more base light-emitting diodes (LEDs)). The lantern  106  may be detachably attached to the base  103 , and the lantern may include a lantern lighting element (e.g., one or more lantern batteries) and a lantern power supply (e.g., one or more lantern LEDs). The base  103  may be configured to illuminate (e.g., turn on) the base light emitting element when the lantern  106  is detached from the base, and de-illuminate (e.g., turn off) the base light emitting element when the lantern  106  is detachably attached to the base  103 , as will be described. 
     To this end,  FIGS.  1 - 3    show an assembled lantern lighting device  100  with a lantern  106  removable from the base  103  and a base  103  that can operate as an independent lantern. When docked, the lantern  106  may be charged by the base power supply (e.g., one or more batteries stored in the base  103 ). In some examples, the base  103  does not illuminate when the lantern  106  is docked in the base  103 . A secondary illumination (e.g., an illumination of the base  103 ) may be activated during an undocking sequence, as will be described. 
     Based on the foregoing, the lantern lighting device  100  can operate and be used as two separate lanterns by undocking the lantern  106  from the base  103 . The base  103  may further include a battery cover  109 , a grip  112  (e.g., a rubber grip), a base power switch  115 , and a base diffuser  118 . The lantern  106  may include a lantern diffuser  121  (e.g., a removable lantern diffuser), a lantern power switch  124 , and a lantern handle  127 . The battery cover  109 , when removed, may expose the base power supply. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1  and  2   , the lantern handle  127  of the lantern  106  may project outwards from a bottom portion of the lantern  106 . The lantern handle  127  may include a member  130  coupled to a top portion of the lantern  106 . The member  130  may include a first member portion  130   a  extending along a vertical axis of the lantern  106  and a second member portion  130   b  projecting outwards at a predetermined angle relative to the first member portion  130   a . In some examples, the predetermined angle is 90 degrees. In other examples, the angle can be acute, obtuse, or variable. 
     Referring to now to  FIGS.  4 A- 4 C  and  FIGS.  5 A- 5 B , a sequence of removal of the lantern  106  from the base  103  is shown. Notably, the base  103  may include a threaded connection mechanism such that the lantern  106  is configured to be detached from the base  103  by rotating the lantern a predetermined degree in a first direction, and pulling in a second direction. For instance, the predetermined degree may be 45 degrees (or other suitable amount), the first direction may be a counterclockwise direction, and the second direction may be a direction away from the base  103 . In other words, for example, an undocking of the lantern  106  from the base  103  may comprise rotating the lantern  106  45 degrees counterclockwise and pulling the lantern  106  out of the base  103 . In other examples, the undocking of the lantern can be accomplished via clips, hooks, magnets, or other conventional fasteners. 
     Moving to  FIGS.  6 - 9   ,  FIG.  6    shows a perspective view of the lantern  106  independent of the base  103 ,  FIG.  7    shows a cross-section of the lantern  106 ,  FIG.  8    shows a side view of the lantern  106 , and  FIG.  8    shows a bottom view of the lantern  106  according to various embodiments. Referring to these figures collectively, and as noted above, the lantern  106  may further include one or more lantern light emitting elements  133  and a lantern power supply  136 . The one or more lantern light emitting elements  133  may include, for example, one or more LEDs or other illumination devices. 
     Further, the lantern  106  may include a heat sink/light emitting element housing  139 . For instance, a heat sink may be integrated into a light emitting element housing with retains heat emitted by the lantern light emitting element  133 . The lantern power supply  136  may include one or more of a lithium-polymer (Li-Po) battery or a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery in some examples, although other types of batteries may be employed (including traditional lead/acid batteries). Further, the lantern  106  may include processing circuitry, which may be implemented in and be part of a lantern printed circuit board  141  in some examples. The lantern  106  may further include lantern charging contacts  144  that may contact and form an electrical connection with corresponding base charging contacts (not shown). 
     Moving along to  FIGS.  10 - 14   ,  FIG.  10    shows a perspective view of the base  103  independent of the lantern  106 ,  FIG.  11    shows a top view of the base  103 ,  FIG.  12    shows a side, partial cross-section view of the base  103 ,  FIG.  13    shows a side view of the base  103 , and  FIG.  14    shows a cross-section view of the base  103  according to various embodiments. Referring to these figures collectively, the base  103  may include one or more base charging contacts  147  configured to engage with corresponding ones of the lantern charging contacts  144  of the lantern  106 . In some examples, as shown in  FIG.  10   , the base charging contacts  147  include pins projecting from a bottom surface of a recess  150  positioned at a top of the base  103 , where the recess  150  is configured to retain a bottom portion of the lantern  106  therein. As noted above, the base  103  further includes a battery cover  109 , a grip  112  (e.g., a rubber grip), a base power switch  115 , and a base diffuser  118 . 
     In some examples, a keyed-dock-and-twist connection mechanism can be used to form a connection between the lantern  106  and the base  103 . For instance, the keyed-dock-and-twist connection may be implemented using a first aperture  153   a  (e.g., a semi-circular aperture) of a first shape that engages with a similarly shaped projection on the lantern  106  and a second aperture  153   b  of a second shape (e.g., a square or rectangular-shaped aperture) that engages with a similarly shaped projection on the lantern  106 . The keyed-dock-and-twist connection mechanism may serve as a safety protocol to ensure that an operator does not reverse the polarity of the base charging contacts  147  and/or the lantern charging contacts  144 . This protects the power supplies of the lantern lighting devices  100  and the processing circuitry housed therein. 
     The base  103  may further include a power supply compartment  156 , a base power supply  159 , the base power switch  115 , and a base printed circuit board  165 . A base power supply  162  may be positioned within the power supply compartment  156 , which may include one or more batteries (e.g., Li-Po or Li-ion batteries). The processing circuitry of the base  103  may be part of and implemented in the base printed circuit board  165 . As such, the base  103  may include processing circuitry configured to detect that the lantern  106  is attached to the base  103  and de-illuminate a base light emitting element  168  when the lantern  106  is attached to the base  103 . Similarly, the base  103  may include processing circuitry configured to detect that the lantern  106  is detached from the base  103  and illuminate the base light emitting element  168  when the lantern  106  is detached from the base  103 . The coupling of the lantern  106  with the base  103  may be detected or not detected by the processing circuitry using at least one presence sensor (not shown) or a change in inductance or resistance of the base charging contacts  147 . 
     In some embodiments, the processing circuitry of the base  103  is implemented using a single base printed circuit board  165 . Similarly, in some embodiments, the processing circuitry of the lantern  106  is implemented using a single lantern printed circuit board  141 . 
     The lantern  106  may include a lantern power switch  124  configured to toggle illumination of the lantern light emitting element  133  and the base  103  may include a base power switch  115  configured to toggle illumination of the base light emitting element  168 . The lantern power switch  124  and/or the base power switch  115  may toggle the respective light emitting elements between different modes of operation, such as high-intensity mode, low-intensity mode, moderate-intensity mode, strobing light mode, and so forth. 
     Turning now to  FIG.  14   , in some embodiments, when the lantern  106  is docked (or coupled to the base  103 ), only the lantern light emitting element(s)  133  in the lantern  106  lights up, and the lantern light emitting element  133  is controlled using the lantern power switch  124  located on the base of the lantern  106 . On the other hand, when the lantern  106  is undocked (e.g., separated from the base  103 ), the base light emitting element(s)  168  located in the base diffuser  118  illuminate. This function can serve as a secondary illumination light. The base light emitting element(s)  168  may be oriented so that the entirety of the base diffuser  118  is illuminated in various embodiments. The base light emitting element(s)  168  may be controlled by the base power switch  115  located on a lower or middle portion of the base  103  in some embodiments. 
     The features, structures, or characteristics described above may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner, and the features discussed in the various embodiments are interchangeable, if possible. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided in order to fully understand the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, a person skilled in the art will appreciate that the technical solution of the present disclosure may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, and materials, and the like may be employed. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the present disclosure. 
     Although the relative terms such as “on,” “below,” “upper,” and “lower” are used in the specification to describe the relative relationship of one component to another component, these terms are used in this specification for convenience only, for example, as a direction in an example shown in the drawings. It should be understood that if the device is turned upside down, the “upper” component described above will become a “lower” component. When a structure is “on” another structure, it is possible that the structure is integrally formed on another structure, or that the structure is “directly” disposed on another structure, or that the structure is “indirectly” disposed on the other structure through other structures. 
     In this specification, the terms such as “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements and components. The terms “comprise,” “include,” “have,” “contain,” and their variants are used to be open ended, and are meant to include additional elements, components, etc., in addition to the listed elements, components, etc. unless otherwise specified in the appended claims. The terms “first,” “second,” etc. are used only as labels, rather than a limitation for a number of the objects. 
     The above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.