Patent Publication Number: US-2003231491-A1

Title: Illumination apparatus having adjustable structure

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to an illumination apparatus, and more particularly to an illumination apparatus having an adjustable structure.  
       [0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art  
       [0004] Various kinds of typical illumination apparatuses have been developed and comprise one or more light devices coupled to a base with a supporting bracket or coupler or the like.  
       [0005] U.S. Pat. No. 3,969,620 to Brooks, U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,442 to Markey, U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,294 to Bartlett, U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,278 to Huang, U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,054 to Hsu, U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,095 to Moore et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,899 to Adams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,665 to Drake et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,631 to Reutemann disclose several of the typical illumination apparatuses.  
       [0006] However, the supporting bracket or coupler may only rotated relative to the base with a limited rotating angle, such that the light devices may not be freely rotated relative to the base with the supporting bracket or coupler.  
       [0007] U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,967 to Usher et al. discloses another illumination apparatus having one or more light devices pivotally or rotatably coupled to the supporting base or track with ball or universal joints.  
       [0008] However, the light devices also may not be freely rotated relative to the supporting base, and may only rotated relative to the supporting base in a limited angular or rotational range.  
       [0009] The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional illumination apparatuses.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an illumination apparatus including an adjustable structure for allowing the light devices to be freely rotated relative to the supporting base.  
       [0011] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided an illumination apparatus comprising a base including an orifice formed therein, and a coupler including a shaft extended therefrom and rotatably engaged in the orifice of the base, and including a pair of flaps extended therefrom, and a space formed therein or defined between the flaps. The flaps each includes an aperture formed therein, and a plurality of depressions formed therein and communicating with the aperture thereof. A light device includes an extension rotatably received in the space of the coupler, and a tube is laterally extended from the extension and has two ends rotatably received in the apertures of the flaps respectively. The tube includes at least one projection extended outward therefrom and selectively engaged in either of the depressions of the flaps, for securing the light device to the coupler at selected angular positions, and the coupler is rotatable relative to the base about the shaft, and the light device is rotatable relative to the coupler about the tube, for allowing the light device to be rotated freely relative to the base to any suitable or selected angular positions.  
       [0012] The tube includes a cut slot formed therein for defining at least one edge therein, and for increasing a resilience to force the projection to engage in either of the depressions of the flaps.  
       [0013] The projection is preferably located close to the edge for increasing the resilience to the edge and to force the at least one projection to engage in either of the depressions of the flaps.  
       [0014] The coupler preferably includes two half members secured together with fasteners, for allowing the ends of the tube to be easily engaged into the apertures of the flaps before the two half members are secured together with the fasteners.  
       [0015] The shaft includes at least one groove formed therein for forming at least one spring leg therein, the base includes at least one bulge extended inward the orifice thereof, for engaging into the groove of the shaft and for securing the shaft and the coupler to the base at selected angular positions.  
       [0016] The base is preferably a clip for clamping or clasping onto various objects, and for allowing the light device to be clamped or clasped onto various objects.  
       [0017] Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of a detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to accompanying drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0018]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an illumination apparatus in accordance with the present invention;  
     [0019]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the illumination apparatus;  
     [0020]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a coupler;  
     [0021]FIG. 4 is a side view of the apparatus;  
     [0022]FIGS. 5, 6,  7  are enlarged partial side views illustrating the operation of the illumination apparatus;  
     [0023]FIG. 8 is a top schematic view illustrating the operation of the illumination apparatus;  
     [0024]FIG. 9 is a partial cross sectional view taken along lines  9 - 9  of FIG. 4;  
     [0025]FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view taken along lines  10 - 10  of FIG. 9; and  
     [0026]FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG.  10 , illustrating the operation of the illumination apparatus. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0027] Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS.  1 - 4 , an illumination apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises a light device  1  to be pivotally or rotatably coupled to a supporting base  20 , such as a clasp or a clamp or a clip  20  as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and  4 , with a coupler  3 .  
     [0028] The clip  20  includes an orifice  21  formed in one of two arms or jaws  22  thereof, and one or more bulges  23  extended inwardly into the orifice  21  of the clip  20  or of the jaw  22 .  
     [0029] The light device  1  includes a light housing  10  having an extension  11  extended therefrom, and having one or more light tubes or light bulbs or light members  18  attached thereto.  
     [0030] The light device  1  includes a tube  12  attached to or extended from the light housing  10 , such as laterally extended from the extension  11  of the light housing  10 , and having two ends extended outward or beyond the extension  11 .  
     [0031] The ends of the tube  12  each includes a cut slot  13  formed therein for forming or defining a pair of spring edges  14  and a segment  15 , best shown in FIGS.  4 - 7 , and for allowing the edges  14  and/or the segment  15  to be depressed or forced inwardly into the bore  17  of the tube  12  (FIG. 6).  
     [0032] The ends of the tube  12  each further includes one or more projections  16  extended radially outward therefrom, preferably located close to the cut slot  13  or the edges  14  of the tube  12 .  
     [0033] The coupler  3  may include two half members  30  secured together with one or more fasteners  80 , and includes a pair of flaps  31  having a space  39  formed or defined between the flaps  31  for rotatably receiving the extension  11  of the light housing  10 .  
     [0034] The flaps  31  each includes an aperture  32  formed therein for rotatably receiving the ends of the tube  12  respectively, and a number of depressions  38  formed therein and communicating with the aperture  32  thereof for selectively receiving the projections  16  of the tube  12 .  
     [0035] In operation, as shown in FIGS.  4 - 7 , when the tube  12  is forced to rotate relative to the coupler  3  by the light housing  10 , the projections  16  of the tube  12  may be forced to be disengaged from the depressions  38  of the flaps  31 , and the spring edges  14  may be forced inwardly into the bore  17  of the tube  12  (FIG. 6).  
     [0036] The projections  16  of the tube  12  may be forced or biased to engage into the other depressions  38  of the flaps  31  by the spring edges  14  when the projections  16  of the tube  12  are aligned with the depressions  38  of the flaps  31  again (FIG. 7).  
     [0037] Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the light housing  10  of the light device  1  may be rotated relative to the coupler  3  to any suitable angular positions, as shown in solid lines and in dotted lines.  
     [0038] Referring next to FIGS.  8 - 11 , and again to FIGS.  1 - 4 , the coupler  3  includes a shaft  33  extended therefrom for rotatably engaging into the orifice  21  of the supporting base  20 , and for allowing the shaft  33  and the coupler  3  to be rotated relative to the base  20  to any suitable angular position, best shown in FIG. 8.  
     [0039] The shaft  33  includes one or more peripheral flanges  34 ,  37  extended radially and outwardly therefrom for engaging with the base  20 , and for rotatably securing the shaft  33  and the coupler  3  to the base  20 .  
     [0040] The shaft  33  includes a slit or one or more grooves  35  formed therein for forming or defining one or more spring legs  36 , and for engaging with the bulges  23  of the base  20 , and for securing the coupler  3  to the base  20  at the required or selected angular position.  
     [0041] Also, or relatively, the bulges  23  of the base  20  may be engaged into the grooves  35  of the shaft  33  for securing the coupler  3  to the base  20  at the required or selected angular position.  
     [0042] In operation, as shown in FIG. 4, the light housing  10  or the light device  1  may be rotated relative to the coupler  3  freely by the rotational engagement of the tube  12  in the apertures  32  of the flaps  31  of the coupler  3 .  
     [0043] As shown in FIG. 8, the coupler  3  and thus the light device  1  may be rotated relative to the base  20  freely by the rotational engagement of the shaft  33  in the orifice  21  of the base  20 , such that the light device  1  may be rotated freely relative to the base  20 .  
     [0044] As shown in FIG. 2, one or more plugs or couplers  41  may be coupled to the light device  1  with cables or wires  40 , for coupling the light device  1  to the electric power sources of the house buildings or of the vehicles, in order to energize the light device  1 .  
     [0045] Accordingly, the illumination apparatus in accordance with the present invention includes an adjustable structure for allowing the light device to be freely rotated relative to the supporting base.  
     [0046] Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.