Patent Document

CONTINUING APPLICATION INFORMATION 
   This is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/987,249 filed Nov. 12, 2004, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,314,286, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/365,177 filed Feb. 12, 2003, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,730, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/104,747 filed Mar. 22, 2002, now issued as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 6,659,621, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/828,620 filed Apr. 6, 2001, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,972, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/455,988 filed Dec. 7, 1999, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,771, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/168,459 filed Oct. 8, 1998, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,824, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/789,916 filed Jan. 28, 1997, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,272. Each of the foregoing applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a flashlight mounting arrangement, whereby the flashlight may be detachably mounted to an object. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Battery-powered flashlights are well known in the art. Many of the known devices incorporate features directed to such problems as hands-free operation and underwater applications. However, the flashlights that incorporate such features typically involved complex electrical and mechanical connections that complicate the manufacture and assembly of such flashlights. The complex configurations tend to reduce the reliability of such flashlights, while increasing the cost of the flashlights to the consumers. It may be desirable for a flashlight to be detachably mountable. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the present invention, a flashlight mounting arrangement may comprise a flashlight body having a source of light therein, and a mounting saddle for detachably affixing the flashlight body upon an object, the mounting saddle detachably engaging the flashlight body. 
   In another aspect, a flashlight mounting arrangement may comprise: a flashlight body for housing a light source and a battery; a light source housed in the flashlight body, and wherein the flashlight body has a receptacle for detachably receiving a mounting device attachable to an object. 
   According to a further aspect, a flashlight mounting arrangement may comprise: a mounting saddle having a mounting arrangement thereon for detachably receiving a flashlight body including a light source thereon; wherein the mounting saddle has a gripping arrangement for detachably gripping a flashlight body; and wherein the mounting saddle is for detachably mounting to an object. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     All of the objects of the present arrangement are more fully set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a flashlight embodying aspects of the present arrangement; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a rear elevational view of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a bottom plan view of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 1  with components removed to show the configuration of the inside of the lamp housing; 
       FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the device shown in  FIG. 3  taken along the line  9 - 9 ; 
       FIG. 10  is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 9  bounded by circle  10 ; 
       FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 5  taken along line  11 - 11 ; 
       FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 6  taken along line  12 - 12 ; 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a reflector incorporated in the flashlight shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 5  taken along line  14 - 14 ; 
       FIG. 15  is an enlarged perspective view of conductive elements and lamp elements incorporated into the flashlight shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 16  is a second enlarged perspective view of the conductive elements and lamp elements illustrated in  FIG. 15 ; 
       FIG. 17  is a third enlarged perspective view of the conductive elements and lamp elements shown in  FIG. 15 , illustrated in combination with a switch; 
       FIG. 18  is an enlarged perspective view of a vent plug incorporated into the flashlight shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 19  is a perspective view of a flashlight mounted in a battery charger embodying aspects of the present arrangement; 
       FIG. 20  is an exploded perspective view of the battery charger shown in  FIG. 19 ; 
       FIG. 21  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the charger shown in  FIG. 20 ; and 
       FIG. 22  is a perspective view of the flashlight shown in  FIG. 1  with the mounting saddle removed and the lamp head in a rotated position. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring now to the drawings and in particular to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a multi-function flashlight  10  according to the present arrangement is shown. The flashlight  10  includes a lamp head  200  pivotally mounted to a body  20 . A ring clip  70  connected to the body  20  allows the flashlight  10  to be clipped onto a pocket or a belt. In addition, a saddle  150  mounts onto the ring clip  70  so that the light can be worn on the users head, or mounted on a helmet. The lamp head  200  includes a dual-parabolic-surface reflector  300 . 
   The general interconnection of the various components of the flashlight is shown more clearly in  FIG. 2 . The body  20  is a generally cylindrical shell having a threaded open end for receiving a battery pack  100 . The battery pack  100  includes one or more batteries disposed in a battery casing  102 . The embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  includes four serially interconnected batteries  120 . A locking collar  90  threads onto the open end of the body  20  to secure the battery pack  100  in the body. 
   A mounting stem  30  on the end of the body  20  is formed for making a pivotable connection with and for mating engagement with a recess  237  formed in the lamp head  200 . A metallic pivot pin  180  extends through an opening in mounting stem  30  and a coaxial opening in the lamp head  200  to provide an electrical path between the body  20  and the lamp head  200 . A lamp socket  280  is mounted within the lamp head housing  205  for receiving two lamp elements  285 ,  286 . Although both lamp elements can be incandescent bulbs, preferably lamp element  286  is an incandescent bulb, and lamp element  285  is a light-emitting diode (LED). Preferably, the LED lamp element  285  has a lower light intensity than the incandescent lamp element  286  so that the LED lamp element is operable to provide low level light intensity when such is desired. In addition, preferably the LED emits a non-white light such as red or green. A non-white LED allows the flashlight to be used in certain situations without significantly impairing the night vision of the operator. 
   The dual-parabolic-surface reflector  300  is mounted in the housing  205  so that the lamp elements  285 , 286  project through two openings found in the reflector. As is discussed further below, the reflector  300  has two parabolic reflecting surfaces: a minor concave reflective surface  306  nested within a major concave reflective surface  304 . In the embodiment shown, the incandescent lamp element  286  projects through the center of the major parabolic reflective surface, and the LED lamp element  285  projects from the center of the minor parabolic reflective surface. 
   A focusing ring  290  having internal threads  292  that engage with external threads  230  on the end of the lamp head housing  205  retains the reflector  300  within the housing. A coil spring  314  disposed between the lamp socket  280  and reflector  300  in coaxial relationship with the incandescent lamp element  286  biases the reflector away from the lamp socket so that the reflector is urged into contact with the focusing ring  290 . In this way, rotation of the focusing ring  290  displaces the reflector  300  relative to the lamp elements  285 , 286 . A gripping ring  295  is mounted in a circumferential groove  294  formed on the external surface of the focusing ring  290 . 
   Electrical energy is provided to the lamp elements  285 , 286  from the battery back  100  via a series of conductive contacts. Referring now to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , a positive battery conductor  145  connects a positive terminal of the battery pack  100  to the metallic pivot pin  180 . The pivot pin is connected to a lamp contact  160  against which one prong of each of the lamp elements  285 , 286  is maintained. A switch contact  170  is connected to a cylindrical conductive shell  185  that is coaxial with and located within the metallic pivot pin  180 . The conductive shell  185  is connected with a negative battery contact  146  of the battery pack  100 . 
   Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the circuit between the battery pack  100  and the lamp elements is controlled by the switch  250 , which has three operative positions. A switch contact  170  selectively contacts one or none of the second prongs of lamp elements  285 , 286  as switch  250  is moved to its various positions. In the first position, a switch contact  170  contacts the second prong of the first lamp element  285  to close the electrical circuit, so that the first lamp element is illuminated. In the second or off position, the switch contact  170  contacts neither of the lamp elements. In the third position, the switch contact  170  contacts the second prong of the second lamp element  286 , so that the second lamp element is illuminated. 
   Flashlight Body 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 2 ,  11  and  12 , the details of the flashlight body  20  are shown more clearly. The flashlight body  20  has a hollow interior. The flashlight body  20  has end cap  25  that is preferably formed integrally with the sidewall of the flashlight body. The distal or open end of the flashlight body  20  has external threads  28  formed thereon. A locking ring  90  has internal threads  92  formed therein for mating engagement with the external threads  28 . 
   Adjacent the end cap  25 , the flashlight body  20  has circumferential groove  26  formed thereon for receiving the clip ring  70 . The groove  26  includes at least one detent  27  extending across the width of the groove  26  which cooperates with ridges in the clip ring  70  as is discussed further below. The clip ring  70  includes a ring portion  72  that is dimensioned to fit within the groove  26 . A clip arm  74  extends from the ring portion  72 . The internal surface of ring  72  includes a plurality of parallel grooves  73  that engage with the detent  27  in the groove  26 . The engagement of a groove  73  with detent  27  prevents the ring portion  72  from easily rotating relative to the flashlight body  20 . When sufficient force is applied to disengage the groove  73  from detent  27 , the clip ring  70  can be rotated to a desired position. 
   The clip arm  74  includes a pair of sockets  75  to facilitate the attachment of a mounting saddle  150 . The mounting saddle  150  is a removable device that allows the flashlight to be affixed upon a curved surface  159  such as a helmet or an operator&#39;s head. As shown in  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 14 , the saddle  150  includes a pair of saddle clips  156  having curved gripping ends. The saddle  150  is attached to the clip arm  74  by inserting the saddle clips  156  into the sockets  75  so that the gripping ends of the saddle connectors  156  engage the inside surface of the clip arm  74 , e.g., when displaced in a predetermined direction relative to body  20 , such as the direction towards lamp head  200 . The flashlight  10  is then mounted on a helmet. Once mounted on a helmet, the operator can direct a beam of light in a desired direction by turning and/or tilting his head. The saddle  150  is attached to the operator&#39;s head or helmet by one or more straps. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the saddle  150  includes a plurality of strap slots  154  for that purpose. Straps are threaded through the strap slots  154  and then wrapped around the operator&#39;s head or his helmet. The saddle  150  can also be affixed to a helmet with double-sided adhesive tape. Saddle  150  has a curved concave surface  151  that is to be placed against a curved convex surface  159 , e.g., of the operator&#39;s head or helmet. 
   Preferably, the flashlight body  20  includes a grip sleeve  87  around the outer surface of the body below the ring clip  70 . In the preferred embodiment, the gripping sleeve  87  is made of an elastomeric material and has a plurality of parallel ridges to facilitate gripping the flashlight  10 . However, the gripping sleeve  87  can also have a smooth surface. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 10 , the end cap  25  of the flashlight body  20  includes an integral mounting stem  30  that is hollow. The mounting stem  30  has a stepped through-bore for receiving a hollow vent plug  40 . As seen in  FIG. 18 , the hollow vent plug  40  includes a trilobal bore  42  through an inner wall thereof. The trilobal bore  42  has a central bore  44  connecting three slots  42  extending through the inner wall of the hollow vent plug  40  and directed radially relative to the central bore  44 . Vent plug  40  also has an external wall  47  that is contoured to maintain the curvature of the surface of stem  30 . 
   A flapper valve  55  is disposed in the central bore  44  of the vent plug  40  and extends through the inner wall of vent plug  40 . The hollow vent plug  40  has an open side  46  to facilitate insertion of the flapper valve  55 . The vent plug  40  is press-fit into the stepped bore of the mounting stem  30  so that the vent plug  40  abuts a shoulder in the stepped bore. The flapper valve  55  includes an enlarged head  56  that engages the inner surface of the vent plug  40  to form a seal over the trilobal bore  42 . The flapper valve  55  includes a stem  59  connected to the enlarged head, which passes through the central bore of the vent plug  40 . An integral barb  58  on the stem  59  is formed on the outer surface of the stem  59  to fix the flapper valve  55  in place on the vent plug  40 . Two passageways extend through the end cap  25  so that the inside of the flashlight body  20  communicates with the stepped bore of the mounting stem  30 . Gases produced by use of the batteries pass through those passageways and then through the trilobal bore  42  in the vent plug  40 . When the gas pressure reaches a threshold level, the head  56  displaces and the gases are vented from the flashlight. In this manner, the flapper valve  55  functions as a one-way valve that allows the release of gases produced from use of the batteries, while preventing fluid from entering the flashlight. 
   Each of the passageways between the body and the mounting stem are configured to receive one of the two battery contacts  145  or  146 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the battery contacts  145  and  146  are fixed in place in the passageway by barbs  148  and  149  on the respective contacts. Prior to inserting the battery contacts  145  and  146  into the passageway, a deoxidizing pellet  38  is placed in a recess in end cap  25 . When inserted in its passageway, the negative battery contact  146  is positioned to maintain the deoxidizing pellet in the recess. 
   Battery Pack 
   Referring again to  FIGS. 2 ,  9 ,  11  and  12 , the battery pack  100  includes a case  102  having a closed end  105  and an open end for receiving one or more batteries  120 . When assembled, the open end is sealed by an O-ring  130  and an end cap  125  that is removably connected to the casing by two screws  135 , 136  that extend through the end cap and into the body of case  102 . The batteries  120  can be either disposable or rechargeable. In the preferred embodiment, the batteries  120  are rechargeable batteries that are serially connected to one another by a plurality of battery connector straps  118 . One of the battery straps is connected to a thermal fuse and a diode, which are not shown, and is engaged by the central screw  135  that attaches the end cap  125  to the housing  102 . A second battery connector strap is engaged by the side screw  136  that connects the end cap  125  to the casing  102 . The battery strap that engages the center screw  135  is separated from the battery strap that engages the side screw  136  by an insulator  142 . The center screw  135  and the side screw  136  are electrically connected to the batteries  120  and act as terminals for recharging the battery  100 . 
   The closed end  105  of the case  102  has an annular flange that is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the flashlight housing  20 . Two holes  108  in the closed end  105  provide access ports for the battery contacts  145  and  146  to contact the respective positive and negative terminals of the battery pack. A recess  107  in the edge of the closed end  105  cooperates with an axially elongated alignment rib  85  projecting from the inner surface of the flashlight body  20 . The alignment rib  85  acts as a key to align the battery pack  100  to ensure that the battery pack is properly oriented within the flashlight housing. The casing  102  further includes an external rib  104  that cooperates with a latch in a recharger  400  used to recharge the battery pack as described below. 
   The battery pack  100  is secured within the flashlight housing  20  by a locking ring  90  having internal threads that engage with the external threads  28  of the flashlight body. The locking ring urges the end cap  125  of the battery pack  100  against O-ring  130  that engages the end of the flashlight body to provide a fluid-tight seal. 
   The Lamp Housing 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 2 ,  8  and  9 , the details of the lamp head  200  are seen more clearly. The lamp head includes a housing  205  that is pivotally connected to the mounting stem  30  of the flashlight body  20 . The housing  205  includes a pair of mounting posts  210  onto which the lamp socket  280  and the lamp contact  160  are mounted. The posts  210  project through holes formed in the lamp socket and the lamp contact respectively. The posts are flared by applying heat and pressure to the ends thereof to retain the lamp socket  280  and the lamp contact  160  in place. The lamp housing  205  further includes an aperture  242  through which the switch  250  projects. Arcuately spaced pairs of parallel ribs  235  are disposed around the inner circumference of lamp housing  205  to serve as guides for mounting the reflector  300  and positioning relative to the lamp elements  285  and  286 . 
   The electrical and mechanical interconnection between the flashlight body  20  and the lamp head  200  is shown more clearly in  FIG. 10 . The first mechanical and electrical connection between the lamp head  200  and the flashlight housing  20  is provided by a hollow metallic pin  180 . The hollow pin  180  has a flanged head at one end thereof. The hollow pin  180  extends through the stepped bore in the mounting step  30  of the body, through a hole in the positive battery contact  145 , through an aperture in the lamp head housing, and finally through an aperture in the lamp contact  160 . The flanged head of hollow pin  180  abuts the wall of stem  30  surrounding the stepped bore to prevent the hollow pin from sliding therethrough. The other end of the hollow steel pin  180  is crimped over onto the lamp contact  160  to fix the pin in place. In this way, the hollow pin  180  provides a pivotal connection between the lamp head  200  and the flashlight body  20 , as well as an electrical connection from the positive battery contact  145  to the lamp contact  160 . An O-ring  198  disposed between the lamp head  200  and the mounting stem  30  provides a fluid-tight seal between the lamp head and the flashlight body  20 . 
   A spacer sleeve  190 , which may be formed of an electrically insulating material, is disposed coaxially through the hollow pin  180 . Spacer sleeve  190  has a flange formed at one end thereof. A second hollow metallic pin  185  extends coaxially through the spacer  190 . The pin  185  extends through an aperture in the negative battery contact  146  and a spring washer  194 . The inner pin  185  has a flanged head that engages a conductive washer  192  which contacts the switch contact  170 . To fix the inner pin  185  in place, the non-flanged end thereof is crimped against the flanged head of the spacer  190 . The insulator spacer  190  supports the crimping forces that are applied to the inner pin  185  so that the crimping forces are not transferred to the outer pin  180 , which could adversely affect the interconnection between the lamp head  200  and the flashlight body  20 . The washer  192  provides an increased surface area to distribute the reaction forces associated with the crimping of the inner pin  185  against the flanged head of the insulator sleeve  190 . The inner hollow pin  185  provides an electrical connection between the switch contact  170  and the negative battery contact  146 . A sealing plug  50  is disposed in a recess in the side of the lamp housing  205 . The recess provides an access port for inserting and crimping the inner and outer hollow pins  180  and  185 . 
   The lamp head  200  includes two lamp elements  285  and  286  that are mounted in the lamp socket  280 . Referring now to  FIGS. 15 and 16 , each lamp element  285 , 286  includes two prongs  288   a ,  288   b , and  289   a ,  289   b , respectively. The lower prongs  288   b ,  289   b  of the lamp elements contact the lamp contact  160 . The upper prongs  288   a ,  289   a  are normally spaced from two resilient arms  176  and  177  of the switch contact  170 . The arms  176  and  177  are resilient and cooperate with the switch  250 . 
   The switch  250  includes a rotatable shaft having two eccentric lobes  262  and  264 . As noted previously, the switch  250  operates in three positions. As shown in  FIG. 17 , the second or off position is illustrated. In the off position, the eccentric lobes  262 , 264  do not urge either of the switch contact arms  176 , 177  into contact with the lamp element prongs. Rotating the switch  250  in the direction of arrow A causes the eccentric lobe  262  to engage the second contact arm  177  and force it into contact with prong  288   a  of lamp element  285 . At the same time, eccentric lobe  264  is rotated away from the second switch contact arm  176  so that the second contact arm does not contact prong  289   a  of lamp element  286 . When switch  250  is rotated in the direction of arrow B, eccentric lobe  264  forces the first contact arm  176  into contact with the second prong  289   a  of lamp element  286 . In this way, the switch operates to control the illumination of lamp elements  285  and  286  independently of one another. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 8 and 12 , the switch  250  is mounted in the aperture  242  in the base of the lamp housing  205 . A plurality of resilient switch-holding fingers  240  engage an annular groove in the switch to retain the switch in the lamp housing. In addition, an O-ring is disposed between the switch  250  and the lamp housing  205  to provide a fluid-tight seal between the switch and the lamp housing. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 11 and 13 , the reflector  300  has a pair of apertures  308  and  309  formed therein for receiving the light elements  285  and  286 . The lamp elements  285  and  286  project through the apertures  308  and  309  as described hereinabove. The reflector includes two parabolic reflecting surfaces. The first is a major parabolic reflective surface generally symmetric about an axis through the central aperture  308 . Nested within a sector of the major parabolic surface is a second minor parabolic reflecting surface  306  that is generally symmetric about an axis through the aperture  309 . In this way, the reflector  300  incorporates a smaller reflective surface  306  nested within a larger reflective surface  304 . The major parabolic reflective surface  304  provides a reflective surface for the central lamp element  286  and the minor parabolic reflective surface  306  provides a reflective surface for the second lamp element  285 . Because of this unique configuration, the minor reflective surface  306  does not substantially interfere with the reflection of the light from lamp element  286  off of the major reflective surface  304 . 
   An O-ring  299  is disposed between the lamp housing  205  and the focusing ring  290  to provide a fluid-tight seal between the focusing ring and the lamp housing. In addition, as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the focusing ring  290  includes an integral lens  298 . 
   Battery Charger 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 19-21 , a battery charger  400  for recharging the battery back  100  in the flashlight  10  is shown. The battery charger  400  includes a housing  410  having a receptacle  415  extending from the top surface of the housing for receiving the contact-end of the flashlight. Alternatively, the socket  415  can be configured so as to receive only the battery pack  100  instead of the entire flashlight  10 . A latch  430  is provided to retain the flashlight or battery pack in the socket  415 . In the embodiment shown, the latch  430  is configured to cooperate with an annular groove  96  found in the locking ring of the flashlight (see  FIG. 2 ). If the socket  415  is configured to receive the battery pack  100 , the latch  430  is preferably designed to cooperate with the retaining rib  104  located on the external surface of the battery case  102 , also shown in  FIG. 2 . 
   The latch mechanism includes a lever arm  434  pivotally mounted to the wall of receptacle  415  by a pivot pin  439 . A latching finger  437  projects from the distal end of the lever arm  434  to engage the annular groove  96  in the locking ring  90  or the locating rib  104  on the battery case  102 . A coil spring  432  biases the proximal end of the lever arm  434 , thereby urging the latching finger  437  about the pivot pin and into contact with the flashlight or the battery pack. 
   To recharge the batteries, two terminals in the battery charger are positioned for contacting the heads of the screws  135 , 136  in the end of the battery pack. The first terminal is a coil spring  424  that contacts the side screw  136 . The second contact is a plunger  420  that contacts the center screw  135 . The plunger  420  is biased into contact with the center screw  135  by a spring  426 . 
   Power is supplied to the battery charger  400  via a jack  450  that is adapted for connection to a power source. The jack  450  includes two terminals  455  that are mounted to a circuit board  460 . The circuit board is mounted within the housing  410  by a plurality of screws or other fasteners, and a protective bottom cover  445  that is fastened to the base by a like plurality of screws or other fasteners. The contact spring  424  and the plunger  420  are also connected to the circuit board, which includes conductive paths interconnecting the spring contact and the plunger to the terminals  455 . 
   To recharge a battery pack  100 , the battery pack or the flashlight is inserted into the socket  415  of the battery charger. A power source is then connected to the jack  450  to provide power to the battery charger. Once the battery pack is recharged, the battery pack or flashlight is removed from the socket by pressing latch  430  to withdraw the latch finger  437  from engagement with the battery pack or flashlight. 
   While particular embodiments of the arrangement have been herein illustrated and described, it is not intended to limit the invention to such disclosures, but changes and modifications may be made therein and thereto within the scope of the following claims.

Technology Category: f