Miniature flashlight

Abstract

A waterproof flashlight wherein the flashlight is activated by means of a switch located in the flashlight's end cap. Another aspect of the invention being the orientation of the positive terminals of the flashlight's batteries away from the head assembly.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A flashlight, comprising: 
       a lamp bulb holder;  
       a head assembly, said assembly including a lens through which light from a bulb held by said lamp holder can be emitted;  
       an elongated battery retainer for retaining one or more dry cell batteries in series, each of said batteries having a positively and a negatively charged terminal, said positively charged terminal oriented away from said head assembly;  
       a spring to bias said batteries away from said head assembly;  
       an end cap opposite said assembly from said battery retainer; and  
       a switch mechanism in said end cap including a nonconductive contact housing, said housing including a recess having a depth slightly less than the height of said positively charged terminal and a width slightly greater than the width of said positively charged terminal, said positive terminal being received by said recess and being protected from damage by said housing.  
     
     
       2. The flashlight of  claim 1  wherein said housing comprises two interlocking pieces. 
     
     
       3. A waterproof flashlight, comprising: 
       an elongate battery retainer for retaining one or more dry cell batteries in series, each of said batteries having a positively and a negatively charged terminal;  
       a bi-pin lamp bulb holder;  
       a bulb-battery contact adapted to electrically connect one pin of a bi-pin bulb held by said holder to one of said terminals of a dry cell battery retained by said battery retainer;  
       a head assembly, said assembly including a lens through which light from a bulb held by said lamp holder can be emitted;  
       means for creating a fluid-tight seal between said assembly and said battery retainer;  
       an end cap opposite said assembly from said battery retainer;  
       means for creating a fluid-tight seal between said end cap and said battery retainer;  
       means to electrically connect said end cap to the other pin of a bi-pin lamp held by said lamp holder; and  
       a switch mechanism in said end cap, said mechanism comprising:  
       a nonconductive contact housing which defines a cavity;  
       a battery-cavity contact adapted to electrically connect said cavity to a terminal of a dry-cell battery retained by said retainer having a charge opposite to said terminal electrically connected by said bulb-battery contact to said bi-pin bulb;  
       a means-cavity contact adapted to electrically connect said other pin connecting means to said housing cavity;  
       an electrically conductive shorting member adapted to be movable within said cavity of said housing so as to selectively electrically connect and disconnect said battery-cavity and said means-cavity contacts;  
       a plunger/button;  
       a fluid-tight diaphragm separating said plunger and said shorting member, said plunger adapted to force said diaphragm against said shorting member in order to move said member in said cavity.  
     
     
       4. A waterproof flashlight of  claim 3 , further comprising one or more dry-cell batteries retained by said battery retainer, said batteries having positive terminals oriented away from said head assembly. 
     
     
       5. The flashlight of  claim 4 , wherein said contact housing includes a recess having a depth slightly less than the height of said positive terminals of said batteries and a width slightly greater than the width of said positive terminals of said batteries, one of said positive terminals being received by said recess and being protected from damage by said housing. 
     
     
       6. The flashlight of  claim 5 , wherein said contact housing comprises two interlocking pieces. 
     
     
       7. The flashlight of  claim 6 , further comprising a reflector within said head assembly and means to adjust the relative position of said reflector and a bi-pin lamp bulb held by said holder to adjust a beam of light emitted by said flashlight. 
     
     
       8. The flashlight of  claim 7 , further comprising a flexible neck between said head assembly and said retainer to permit the position of said head assembly to be varied independently of said retainer. 
     
     
       9. The flashlight of  claim 3 , wherein said contact housing is comprised of two interlocking pieces. 
     
     
       10. The flashlight of  claim 9 , further comprising a reflector within said head assembly and means to adjust the relative position of said reflector and a bi-pin lamp bulb held by said holder to adjust a beam of light emitted by said flashlight. 
     
     
       11. A flashlight of  claim 10 , further comprising a flexible neck between said retainer and said head assembly to permit the position of said head assembly to be varied independently of said retainer. 
     
     
       12. The flashlight of  claim 3 , wherein said contact housing comprises two interlocking pieces. 
     
     
       13. The flashlight of  claim 3 , further comprising a reflector within said head assembly and means to adjust the relative position between said reflector and a bi-pin lamp bulb held by said holder to adjust a beam of light emitted by said flashlight. 
     
     
       14. The flashlight of  claim 3 , further comprising an adjustable neck between said head assembly and said retainer to permit the position of said head assembly to be varied independently of said retainer. 
     
     
       15. A waterproof flashlight, comprising: 
       a generally cylindrical elongate anodized conductive battery retainer including a hollow generally cylindrical chamber for holding one or more dry cell batteries in series, said retainer including a radially inwardly directed lip along one end, a set of external threads proximate said lip, an o-ring within an annular groove opposite said lip from and proximate to said external threads, and a set of internal threads within the other end of said retainer;  
       a lamp holder, said holder including a two-piece nonconductive pin housing containing a pair of channels for receiving the pins of a bi-pin lamp bulb, a bulb-spring contact within one of said channels for connecting one of said pins to a conductive battery-biasing spring which is adapted to electrically connect the negative terminal of the one of the batteries retained by said retainer and bias said batteries away from said lamp holder, and a bulb-retainer contact within the other of said channels for connecting another of said pins to said retainer;  
       a generally cylindrical head assembly, said assembly comprising:  
       a head casing, said casing including external threads at one end, a bore through said casing slightly larger in diameter than the exterior diameter of said retainer, and internal threads within said bore, said threads being interengageable with said exterior threads of said retainer;  
       a substantially parabolic reflector having an opening at its apex through which the head of a bi-pin lamp bulb is loosely slideable, a generally radially outward directed annular lip having an outer diameter larger than said bore and smaller than said external threads of said casing, and a series of pins spaced along the convex edge of said reflector and substantially parallel to the axis of said reflector for receiving and retaining spare bi-pin lamp bulbs;  
       a generally circular planar lens through which light can be emitted from a bi-pin lamp in said holder said lens having a diameter essentially equal to said outer diameter of said annular lip; and  
       a head cap including a bore through said head cap, internal threads at one end, said internal threads being interengageable with said external threads of said casing, a generally L-shaped inner annular lip at the other end, the space between said lip and said bore forming an annular groove;  
       an o-ring in said annular groove for forming a fluid-tight seal with the outer edge of the circular surface of said lens and forcing said lens tightly against said reflector and said reflector tightly against said casing;  
       an end cap, said end cap defining a waterproof chamber and a button/plunger chamber;  
       an o-ring within said annular groove in said end cap for forming a fluid-tight seal with said retainer;  
       a switch mechanism for selectively opening and closing the electrical circuit of said flashlight, comprising:  
       a plunger, said plunger including a shaft portion, radially outward extending ribs includes cam surfaces proximate said shaft portion, and an actuating portion;  
       a cup-shaped button upon which force may be applied to operate said mechanism, having an open end within which said shaft portion of said plunger is rotatable and slideable, and radially outward extending guides, said guides forming a series of axially extending cam surfaces along the rim of said open end for interacting with said cam surfaces of said plunger to rotate said plunger;  
       a plunger cylinder which fits within said plunger/button chamber and within which said button and plunger are slideable, said cylinder defining three chambers; an access chamber at the mouth of said end cap which permits said closed and of said button to slide beyond the end of said end cap; a grooved guide chamber having grooves for receiving and slideably retaining said guides and cam surfaces for interacting with said cam surfaces of said ribs to rotate said plunger, and a rotational chamber within which said ribs of said plunger are freely rotatable;  
       a flat annular ring which fits tightly against the shoulder between said waterproof chamber and said plunger/button chamber and has an inner diameter such that said actuating portion of said plunger is freely slideable therethrough;  
       a circular diaphragm having an axially-raised annular lip and a axially raised axial cylindrical projection;  
       a two-piece, cup-shaped, interlocking, nonconductive contact housing, said housing defining a cavity and including external threads at one end for interengaging said internal threads of said end cap, cylindrical recess opposite the interior of said housing having a depth slightly less and a diameter slightly greater than the height and width, respectively, of a positive terminal of a dry cell battery in said retainer;  
       a battery-cavity contact adapted to connect the positive terminal of a battery located within said recess of said switch contact housing to said cavity;  
       a cavity-end cap contact adapted to connect said cavity to the interior wall of said end cap; and  
       a cylindrical, electrically conductive shorting member slideably mounted within said cavity to selectively electrically connect and disconnect said battery-cavity contact and said cavity-end cap contact;  
       a member-biasing spring within said cavity adapted to bias said member against said diaphragm.  
     
     
       16. A flashlight comprising: 
       
         a elongate battery retainer for retaining at least one dry cell battery therein;  
       
       
         a head assembly rotatably disposed external to one end of the retainer and containing a lens, a reflector and a lens bulb;  
       
       
         an end cap disposed proximate the opposite end of said retainer from said head assembly and defining a chamber therein;  
       
       
         circuit means for electrically coupling a first contact of the lamp bulb to a first battery electrode and a second contact of the lamp bulb to a second battery electrode;  
       
       
         a switch mechanism disposed in said end cap for selectively opening and closing said circuit means within said end cap, said mechanism comprising:  
       
       
         a plunger including a shaft portion, radially outward extending ribs including cam surfaces proximate said shaft portion, and an actuating portion;  
       
       
         an actuating member upon which force may be applied to operate said mechanism, having an open end within which said shaft portion of said plunger is rotatable and axially slideable, and radially outward extending guides, said guides forming a series of axially extending cam surfaces along the rim of said open end for interacting with said cam surfaces of said plunger to rotate said plunger;  
       
       
         a plunger cylinder which fits within said chamber in said end cap and within which said actuating member and said plunger are axially slideable and from which said actuating portion of said plunger projects, said cylinder defining a grooved guide chamber having grooves for receiving and slidably retaining said guides and cam surfaces for interacting with the cam surfaces of said ribs to rotate said plunger and alternately dispose said plunger in a retracted or extended position with respect to said cylinder;  
       
       
         an electrical contact member disposed within said end cap and axially movable therein between a first position and a second position in response to axial sliding movement of said plunger to open and close said circuit means; and  
       
       
         a spring member for biasing said contact member toward said first position. 
       
     
     
       17. The flashlight of  claim 16  wherein rotational movement of the head assembly with respect to the retainer varies the relative positional relationship between the reflector and the lamp bulb when said lamp bulb is energized thereby providing an adjustable focus of light emission from the flashlight lens independent of said switch mechanism. 
     
     
       18. The flashlights of claims  16  or  17  wherein the dry cell battery is retained in a fixed disposition within said battery retainer. 
     
     
       19. A flashlight, comprising: 
       
         an elongate battery retainer for retaining at least one dry cell battery therein;  
       
       
         a head assembly rotatably disposed external to one end of the retainer and containing a lens, a reflector and lamp bulb;  
       
       
         an end cap disposed proximate the opposite end of said retainer from said head assembly and defining a chamber therein;  
       
       
         circuit means for electrically coupling a first contact of the lamp bulb to a first battery electrode and a second contact of the lamp bulb to a second battery electrode; and  
       
       
         a switch mechanism disposed in said end cap for selectively opening and closing said circuit means, said mechanism comprising:  
       
       
         a cylindrical member disposed within said chamber in said end cap;  
       
       
         an actuating member slidably mounted within said cylindrical member;  
       
       
         a plunger slidably mounted within said cylindrical member adjacent said actuating member and including an actuating portion projecting from said cylindrical member;  
       
       
         means defined by said cylindrical member, actuating member and said plunger for alternately projecting and retracting said actuating portion of said plunger with respect to said cylindrical member upon an axial force being applied to said actuating member;  
       
       
         an electrical contact member axially movable within said end caps between a first position and a second position in response to axial sliding movement of said plunger to open and close said circuit means; and  
       
       
         a spring member for biasing said contact member to said first position. 
       
     
     
       20. The flashlight of  claim 19  wherein rotational movement of the head assembly with respect to the retainer varies the relative positional relationship between the reflector and the lamp bulb when said lamp bulb is energized thereby providing an adjustable focus of light emission from the flashlight lens independent of said switch mechanism. 
     
     
       21. The flashlight of claims  19  or  20  wherein the dry cell battery is retained in a fixed disposition within said battery retainer. 
     
     
       22. A flashlight comprising: 
       
         an elongate battery retainer for retaining at least one dry cell battery therein;  
       
       
         a head assembly rotatably disposed external to one end of the retainer and containing a lens, a reflector and lamp bulb;  
       
       
         an end cap disposed proximate the opposite end of said retainer from said head assembly;  
       
       
         circuit means for electrically coupling a first contact of the lamp bulb to a first battery electrode and a second contact of the lamp bulb to a second battery electrode;  
       
       
         a switch mechanism in said end cap for selectively opening and closing said circuit means within said end cap, said mechanism including a plunger adapted for axial reciprocal movement within said end cap, an actuating member for moving said plunger, a contact member mounted for axial reciprocal movement within said end cap between a first position and a second position in response to axial movement of said plunger to open and close said circuit means, and a spring member for biasing said contact toward said first position; and  
       
       
         wherein rotational movement of the head assembly with respect to the retainer varies a relative positional relationship between the reflector and the lamp bulb when said lamp bulb is energized thereby providing an adjustable focus of light emission from a flashlight lens independent of said switch mechanism. 
       
     
     
       23. The flashlight of  claim 22  wherein said dry cell battery is retained in a fixed disposition within said battery retainer. 
     
     
       24. A flashlight comprising: 
       
         an elongate battery retainer for retaining at least one dry cell battery therein;  
       
       
         a head assembly rotatably disposed external to one end of the retainer and containing a lens, a reflector and a lamp bulb;  
       
       
         means for electrically coupling a first electrode of a battery to a first contact of the lamp bulb;  
       
       
         means including said elongate battery retainer for electrically coupling a second electrode of a battery to a second contact of the lamp bulb;  
       
       
         an end cap switch assembly disposed proximate the opposite end of said retainer from said head assembly, said switch assembly including a contact adapted to be moved toward and away from said head assembly between a first position and a second position, independently of said head assembly, in response to movement of at least a portion of the switch assembly with respect to the battery retainer for selectively closing an opening one of the electrically coupling means to energize and deenergize the lamp bulb; and  
       
       
         wherein rotational movement of the head assembly with respect to the retainer varies the relative positional relationship between the reflector and the lamp bulb when said lamp bulb is energized thereby providing an adjustable focus of light emission from the flashlight lens independent of the end cap switch assembly. 
       
     
     
       25. The flashlight of  claim 24  wherein said end cap switch assembly includes a spring member for biasing said contact from electrical communication with one of the electrodes of the battery. 
     
     
       26. A flashlight having a flashlight circuit comprising: 
       
         a elongate battery retainer for retaining at least one dry cell battery therein;  
       
       
         a lamp bulb;  
       
       
         a first contact member for electrically coupling a first electrode of a battery to a first contact of said bulb;  
       
       
         an end cap disposed adjacent one end of said retainer;  
       
       
         a second contact member adapted for electrical contact with a second electrode of said battery;  
       
       
         a switch within said end cap for electrically coupling said second contact member to a second contact of said bulb;  
       
       
         a head assembly rotatably disposed external to a second end of said retainer and containing a lens, a reflector and said lamp bulb, wherein rotational movement of the head assembly with respect to the retainer varies the relative positional relationship between said reflector and said lamp bulb.