Portable Lighting Devices

• US 20100033963A1
• Filed: 08/08/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MAG Instrument Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MAG Instrument Incorporated
• Inventors: West, Stacey H., Maglica, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,134,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/208
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/005 the device being a pocket lamp F21L4/022, F21L4/045, F21L4/085 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/045 Pocket lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/047 by using spare light sources comprised in or attached to the lighting device and being intended to replace a defect light source by manual mounting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/006 the substrate being distinct from the light source holder
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/009 the casing being inside the housing of the lighting device
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0414 specially adapted to be used with portable lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0428 the switch being part of, or disposed on the lamp head portion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/17 Operational modes, e.g. switching from manual to automatic mode or prohibiting specific operations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49828 Progressively advancing of work assembly station or assembled portion of work

Abstract

A flashlight having a locking mechanism for securing a head skirt to a head assembly is disclosed. A circuit for temporarily remember the mode of operation of the flashlight is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A head and switch assembly for a flashlight comprising:

a hollow head having an outer surface, the outer surface of the head has a front section, an aft section, and a cylindrically midsection, the cylindrically midsection has a plurality of protuberances, each of the protuberances has a cut facing to the front section, each of the protuberances has a lock member forms under the cut; and

a skirt lock ring having an inner surface, the inner surface of the skirt lock ring has a front end, an aft end and a middle portion, the middle portion has a plurality of first indexing bumps and the aft end has a plurality of second indexing bumps, each of the first indexing bumps is aligned to one of the second indexing bumps to form a plurality of channels, each of the first indexing bumps and the second indexing bumps is constructed by two high plateau regions that separate by one of the low plateau;

wherein the skirt lock ring is locked by the head when each of the protuberances is aligned with a low plateau.

2. A head and switch assembly for a flashlight of claim 1 further comprising a head skirt having an inner surface, wherein the aft section of the head has an annular groove sized to receive a portion of a ball, wherein at least one of the high plateau regions of the second indexing bumps has a hole sized to receive the ball, wherein the inner surface of the head skirt has a front end, the inner surface of the head skirt has an annular groove near the front end, wherein the head skirt is locked by the ball when the ball is partially fall in the trench of the head, and the head skirt is not locked by the ball when the ball is not fall in the trench of the head.

3. A head and switch assembly for a flashlight of claim 1, wherein the number of protuberances is the same as the number of channels.

4. A head and switch assembly for a flashlight of claim 3, wherein the number of protuberances is six.

5. A head and switch assembly for a flashlight of claim 1, wherein the width of a plurality of protuberances is smaller than the width of a plurality of channels.

6. A head and switch assembly for a flashlight of claim 2, wherein three of the high plateau regions of the second indexing bumps has a hole sized to receive the balls, the three holes are placed and separate from each other with equal distance.

7. A head and switch assembly for a flashlight of claim 1 further comprising a wave spring for pushing the skirt lock ring to a lock position.

8. A method for mounting a head skirt to a skirt lock ring of a flashlight comprising:

rotating a skirt lock ring until the skirt lock ring is aligned in a moving position with a head;

pushing the skirt locking ring toward the head to move the skirt lock ring from a moving position to a rotating position;

rotating the skirt lock ring from a rotating position to a locking position; and

releasing the head skirt to the locking position.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the head skirt is locked by the skirt lock ring when the skirt lock ring is in the rotating position and the locking position.

10. A flashlight comprising:

a main power source;

an user interface having an off position, a momentary position, and a latch position;

a microcontroller including a plurality of bidirectional input/output ports having an internal memory;

a plurality of temporary mode memory devices not reside in the microcontroller, the plurality of temporary mode memory devices coupled to the plurality of bidirectional input/output ports of the microcontroller, wherein when the user interface is staying in the latch position for a period of time, the microcontroller read the previous mode information from the internal memory, increment the mode value by one to obtain a current mode information, and write the current mode information into the mode memory devices.

11. A flashlight of claim 10, wherein the temporary mode memory devices are constructed by RC circuits.

12. A flashlight comprising:

a main power source;

a controller having an input and an output; and

a power control circuit electrically coupled to the main power source and the output of the controller;

wherein the power control circuit provide a voltage output to the controller substantially the same as the main power source when the battery count is below a predetermined value, and the power control circuit provide a voltage output to the controller substantially lower than the main power source when the battery count is above or equal to the predetermined value.

13. A flashlight of claim 12, wherein the controller is a microcontroller.

14. A flashlight of claim 12, wherein the predetermined value is four.

15. A flashlight comprising:

a lamp;

a main power source having a limited life cycle, the main power source provides power supply in a high voltage range, a middle voltage range, and a low voltage range during the life cycle, the intersection between the high voltage range and the middle voltage range is a first checking voltage, the intersection between the middle voltage range and the low voltage range is a second checking voltage;

a lamp driving circuit for transferring power source from the main power source to the lamp; and

a microcontroller including an internal memory for storing data battery count information, the microcontroller has a lamp drive output pin coupled to the lamp driving circuit, wherein when the voltage of the main power source is higher than the first checking voltage, the microcontroller provides a high duty cycle signal to the lamp drive output pin for the lamp driving circuit to provide a high duty cycle power supply to the lamp, wherein when the voltage of the main power source is lower than the first checking voltage and higher than the second checking voltage, the microcontroller gradually declines the duty cycle signal to the lamp drive output pin for the lamp driving circuit to provide gradually declined power supply to the lamp, wherein when the voltage of the main power source is lower than the second checking point, the microcontroller provides a low duty cycle signal to the lamp drive output pin for the lamp driving circuit to provide a low duty cycle power supply to the lamp.

16. A flashlight of claim 15, wherein the microcontroller provides different duty cycle signal to the lamp drive output pin for the lamp driving circuit to provide a different duty cycle power supply to the lamp is based on a calculation of power profile.

17. A flashlight of claim 16, wherein the calculation of power profile is based on a programmable cell count value set during the manufacturing of the flashlight.

18. A flashlight of claim 15, wherein the high duty cycle is 100%.

19. A flashlight of claim 15, wherein the low duty cycle is 10%.

20. A flashlight of claim 15, wherein the low duty cycle is between 10% and 90%.