USRE15249E - John t - Google Patents

Description

1'. T. DRUFVA. PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8. |920.

` Reissued Dec. 20, 1.921.

eff

"va j o UNITED f STATES PATENT-OFFICE.

& C0., INC., F NEW YORK, N. Y.;

A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK'.

roBrABLE ELECTRIG LIGHT.

Specication of '.Reissued Letters Patent.

ReissuedDec. 20, 1921.

Original No. 1,287,262, dated Decemberl, 19,18, Serial No.'226,583, led A111114, 1918. Application for v reissue led November 8,

This inventlon relates more particularly I tothe character of electric flash lights to be held in the hand, and lighted, as Aoccasion may require, by the manual movement of a slide applied upon the exterior casing of the device.v

This .invention resides more particularly in the novel means for completing the circuit through the lamp and battery, one contact spring operable either by the exterior slide or thumb piece or by the push button being 0 adapted to complete such circuit in accordance with the character of light ldesired to be roduced.

ile the drawings show this invention in use with a flash light having a casing of insulating material, it can be applied just as well to lamps with metallic casings by making `obvious modifications.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed. description hereinafter 0 presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section, with the Awrapping on the batte partly broken away, of a ortable flash llght cm- 5 bodying the invention, the casing of the flash light being shown Vin-this instance as a fiber tube;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the tubular ortiony of the flash light, taken` 0 on the dotted line 2-`- 2 of Fi 1;

, Fig. 3 is a detached inner gaceview of the housing or escutcheonapplied to the exterior casing 'and' containing the circuit making and breaking conductor spring;-

Fig. tis a transverse section through the same and a portion of the exterior casing of tliiieltlash light, taken on the dotted line .fl- 4, o ig.` 3; A

F'ig. 5 is a similar section of the same Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view on a larger scale of the contact element.

In the drawings, 10 designates a. tubular'. fiber or other insulating casing, -11 a plural position upon the casing 1920. Serial No. 422,738.

celll battery therein, 12 'a wrappingy of insulating material on said battery, 13 a screwcap of customary construction closin lower end of said casing and engaging a metal sleeve 14; thereon, 15 al conducting sprin compressed between the lower terminal o the battery and the inner surface of said cap, 16 a sleeve screwed upon a sleeve 17 fastened upon the` outer end of said casing, 18a customary lens/held by said sleeve 16, 19 a reflector within the outer .end ofV the casing 10, and' 2O an electric bulb; of known. character having its terminal sleeve 22 at the inner end of said reflector,`the other terminal 23 of the lamp being held in engagement with the upper terminal 24 of the battery .by means of the spring 15.

Within the casing 10 are two normally separated conducting stripsI 25, 26, the lower end of the strip 26 being in electrical connection with the lower terminal of the battery, as usual, and the upper end of the strip 2 5 being carried upwardly to the upper edge ofO the casing 10 and in electrical connection with the reflector 19. The inner endof the strip 26 is securedV tolone wing ofa metal escutcheon or housing 27+ by an eyelet- 28, which aids in securing the escutcheon upon the side of the casing 10, and saidstrip 26 is therefore in electrical connection with said escutcheon or housing. lThel inner end of the lstrip is secured to the casing 10 by means of an eyelet 29 whose outer end is exposed within the escutc'heon or housing27 but is not normally in electrical connectionv therewith. The housing is rigidly secured in 10 by the aforesaid eyelet 28 and an additional eyelet 30.

In a metallic casin would be dispensed Vwith the stripl 25 .and the eyelet 29 would be insulated from the casing; and the eyelet 44: would be insulated from the strip 25. A

U on the exterior flat face ofthe es. cute eon or housing 27 is mounted a thumbieee 0r slide 31 preferablyformed :bent toward each other, not only to secure the thumb-piece or slide in position, but

- also to embrace oneportion of a conducting 33I which is confined within the esspring housing 27 and recessed at op- .cutcheon or vlili the lamp the strip 26 10o from s eet metal and having, at opposite A posite edges, as` at 34, to admit the inner I ends of the tongues 32. The spring 33 is,

by means of the inwardly bent inner ends of the tongues 32, clamped` against the inner face of the escutcheon or housing 27 but is movable with thethumb-piece or slide 31.

The spring .33 is utilized to complete the -`circuit through the lamp and battery when is over the eyelet 29 and possesses a shouli der 37 and a foot portion 38 which engages j and may ride along-.the casing 10; and said portion 36 is' preferably slightly spaced from the adjacent surface of the body of the spring 33. j The spring 33 has a direct j 29 and completes the circuit. The spring 33 Sliding movement when actuated by the thumb-piece 31, and when moved forwardly the shoulder 37 thereon engages the eyelet is yieldingly locked in its normal inoperative and its operative positions by means of a `small stud 39 projecting inwardlyfrom the escutcheon or housing 27 and adapted to receive one or the other of the two holes 40, 41 formed in theilowerI end of the spring 33. In Fig. 3, the hole 40 is being engaged by the stud 39, and when the thumb-piece 31 and spring 33 are slid forwardly, the hole 40 will be sprung from over the stud 39, and when the hole 41 reaches said stud it will snap upon the same. The lower end of the .v spring 33 is free to have limited spring movement toward and from the adjacent surfaces of the escutcheon or housing 27 and said end of the springy 33 having `the holes 40, 41 coperates with the Stud 39 in formf i f lng a spring latchfor yieldingly locking the spring 33in either of its two positions. The houslng or escutcheon 27 is formed f with an aperture 42 infwhich is vmovably mounted a push-button 43whose inner edge 1s anged so as to prevent the push-button from escaping from the escutcheon or houslng 27, as shown in Fig. 1, and said edge of sald push-button is against the upper end of thebody of the spring 33. The upper portion of the spring 33 yis always over or in line with the stud 29, and hence the pushbutton 43 ,may be employed to press the spring against the stud 29 for completing the circuit. The push-button 43 will be made use of when itis desired toflash the light, as in giving signals, whereas the slide or thumb-piece 31 will be employed to move the' spring 33 into engagement with the. stud 29 when it is desired to have a more or less permanent or `steady light. The one spring 33 coperates with both the thumbpiece or slide 31 and the push-button 43, so that the user ofthe device may at his option Hash the light or have a permanent light.

The operation of the portable electrical lighthereinbefore described will be understood without further detailed explanation.

It will be seen that the invention accomplishes its objects in that it provides novel means' for completing the lamp circuit wherein the contact element may be moved to contacting engagement either by sliding, for duration lighting, or by flexure, for flash lighting',- and that these movements are obtained -by lmeans of independent manipulative elements.

made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of this invention; it is, therefore, to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific details shown and described.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A circuit switch mechanism for a portable electric lamp, comprising, an escutcheon It is obvious that various changesmay Vbe mounted on the lamp, a fixed contact, a coable electric lamp, comprising, an escutcheon mounted on the lamp, a flexible contact member slidably mounted in said escutcheon, means for sliding said member into contacting position, and independent means for iexing said" element into contacting position. t

4. A circuit switch mechanism for a portable electric lamp, comprising,'an escutcheon mounted on the lamp, a contact sprin slidably mounted in said escutcheon, a t umbpiece forsliding said spring4 into contacting position, and a push button for iexing sald spring into contacting position.

5. A circuit switch mechanism` for a portable electric lamp, comprising, an escutcheon mounted on the lamp, a contact spring slidably mounted in said escutcheon, a thumbpiece for sliding saidspring into contacting position, and a push button for vflexing said spring into contactmgpos1t1on,.sa1d thumbpiece and said push button belng operable independently of one another to move said spring.

6. A circuit closing switch mechanism for adapted comprising, an lescutcheon mounted on tact and a coperating movable contact ar-l ranged lwholly within said escutcheon,

means for mounting saidmovable contact for sliding'and depressing movements to engage said fixed contact, and means on said escutcheon for selectively 'shifting'.said contact.' i i 7. A circuit closing switch mechanism for a portable electric lamp, comprising, an escutcheon mounted on said lamp, a fixed contact, and a movable element mounted on said escutcheon and havin contacting portions adapted for simple sliding or butt contact engagements with said fixed contact when said element is slid or depressed respectively.

8. A circuit closing switch mechanism for a portable electric lamp, comprising, an escutcheon mounted on said lamp, a fixed contact, a movable element mountedon. said escutcheon and having contacting portions adapted for simple sliding or butt contact engagements with said ixed contact when 'said element is slidV or depressed, respectively, and manipulative means adapted for so selectively eecting such engagement.

9. A circuit closing switch mechanism for a portable electric lamp, comprising, an escutcheon mounted on said lamp, a fixed contact, and a movable element mounted on said escutcheon and having contacting por-v tions adapted for simple sliding or pivotal engagements with said-'fixed contact ,when said element is slid or depressed respectively.

`10. A circuit closing switch mechanism for a portable electric lamp, comprising, an

escutcheon mounted on said lamp, a fixed contact, a movableelement mounted `on said escutcheon and having contacting portions for sliding or pivotal engagement 'Y with said fixed. contact, a thumb piece adapted for effecting said sliding engagement,

and a push button for effecting said pivotal engagement.

11. A circuit switch-mechanism for p ortable electric lights comprising, lin combination, a metal escutcheon having a thumbpiece slidably mounted on its outer face and a spring slidably mounted on its inner faceY and connected with said thumb-piece to slide therewith to circuit closing position, anda push-button vmounted in said escutcheon independently of said thumbpiece and s ring and in line with the free said spring and adapted when manually pressed inwardly to engage said end of said spring and flex the cuit closing positions, said spring1 always being in position to be independent y fiexed by saidI push-button or slid by said thumbpiece, as occasion may require, to complete the circuit.

(Slim-i.hv 12. A circuit switch-mechanism for portspring to cirable electric lights comprising, in combination, a metal escutcheon having a thumbpiece slidably mounted on its outer `face and a spring slidably mounted on its inner face.

tion, said spring always being in position to be independently .flexed by said pushbutton or slid by said thumb-piece, as occasion may require, to complete the circuit, and said escutcheon having a hole in which said push-button is freely movable and said push-button having at its inner edge a flange ilslo 1prevent its escape outwardly from said 13. A circuit switch-mechanism forr portable electric lights comprising, in combination, a metal escutcheon having a thumbpiece slidably mounted on its outer face and a spring slidably mounted on itsinner face and connected with said thumb-piece to slide. vtherewith to circuit closing position, and a push-button mounted in said escutcheon independently of said thumb-piece and spring and in line with the free end of said spring and adapted when manually pressed insoV wardly to` engage said end of said spring and V flex the spring to circuit closing position, said spring always being in position toy be independently flexed by said push-button or slid by said thumb-piece, as occasion may require, to complete the circuit, and said escutcheon having parallel guide slots in `its outer face and said thumb-piece having side fingers, extending inwardly through said ioo slots and folded toward each other upon I a spring strip within said escutcheon and connected with said thumb-piece to slide therewith to circuit closing position and a push-button mounted in said escutcheon independently of said thumb-piece and in line with the free end of said spring and adapted when manually pressed inwardly to flex the spring to circuit 'closing position, said spring always being in position to be independently flexed by said push-button or slid by. said thumb-piece, as occasion may require, toi complete thev circuit, and said spring having a body portion and a return inwardly bent portion having a shoulder to electrically connect with a circuit conductor, and said return bent portion being normally slightly separated from` the body of said spring. f

1 5. A circuit switch mechanism ufor portable electric lights comprising, in combination, a metal escutcheon having a thumbpiece slidably mounted on its outer face and a` spring slidably mounted on its inner face and connected with said thumb-piece to slide therewith to circuit closing position, a pushbutton mountedl in said escutcheon inde- 4 pendently of said thumb-piece Aand in line with the free end of said spring and adapted when manually pressed inwardly to engage and flex the spring tocircuit closing position, said spring being inposition to be independently flexed by said push-button or slid by said thumb-piece, as occasion may require, to lcomplete thel circuit, vand means for yieldingly locking said spring in its inoperative and operative positions, comprising a stud extending inwardly from said escutcheon, and holes provided in said spring` to'engage said stud in the respective positions of said spring.

16; A circuit switch mechanism vfor port- 'i able, electric lights', comprising, Icombination, an escutcheon having a thumb-piece slidably mounted on its outer face and va spring slidably mounted within the escutcheon and connected to said thumb-piece to slide therewith to circuit closing position,

and a push-button mounted in. said escutclieon independently of said thumbpiece and in line with the free end' of said spring and'adapted whenfmanually pressed A inwardly to flex the spring to circuit clos-- ing position, said spring always being inV position to be, independently flexed by said push-button or slid by said thumb-piece, as occasion may require, to complete the circuit.

17. A circuit switch mechanism for Va portable electric lamp, comprising, an escutcheon mounted on the lamp, a flexible contact 'member slidably mounted in said escutcheon, a thumb piece connected to said member and adapted to slide the same to contacting position, and a 'push-button adapted to Hex said membento contacting position. v

\ Signed at New York,- New York, .this 15th day of April, 1920,

JOHN T, VDRUFVA;

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