Patent ID: 7357540

Claim:
A flashlight, comprising: a housing assembly having at least a top surface, a bottom surface, and one or more side surfaces disposed between the top surface and the bottom surface, and further having at least one aperture formed therein; a light mounted at least partially within the housing assembly and extending at least partially through the housing assembly aperture; a battery holder rotationally mounted on the housing assembly and rotatable between an open position and a closed position, the battery holder rotationally mounted such that it rotates away from one of the side surfaces in the open position and into one of the side surfaces when in the closed position, the battery holder including a battery mount adapted to mount one or more batteries therein, the battery mount disposed (i) substantially outside of the housing assembly when the battery holder is in the open position and (ii) substantially within the housing assembly when the battery holder is in the closed position; a first switch movably disposed on the housing assembly and configured to move between at least an activate position and a deactivate position, to thereby electrically energize and de-energize, respectively, the light from the battery when one or more batteries are installed in the battery holder; and a second switch movably disposed on the housing assembly and configured to move between at least (i) an on position, in which the second switch engages the first switch and moves it to its activate position, and (ii) an off position, in which the second switch is disengaged from the first switch, wherein the battery holder comprises: a pivot arm having at least a first end, a second end, an inside surface, and an outside surface, the pivot arm first end rotationally mounted to the housing assembly, the pivot arm outside surface configured to be substantially flush with the housing assembly side surface when the battery holder is in the closed position, and a battery mount surface extending substantially perpendicular from the pivot arm inside surface, the battery mount surface disposed within the housing assembly when the battery holder is in the closed position.