Rechargeable lamp assembly, mounting unit, and circuit therefor

• US 4,463,283 A
• Filed: 03/26/1982
• Issued: 07/31/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: First Valley Bank (Lompoc, California) (US Bancorp)
• Original Assignee: Streamlight, Inc.
• Inventors: Penney, C. Bradford, Sridharan, Sri P., Zabec, Glenn M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chatmon, Saxfield
• Application Number:
  US06/362,169
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 315/86, 315/87, 307/66, 362/20, 362/183
• US Class Current: 315/87
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/085 Pocket lamps

Abstract

A rechargeable lamp assembly utilizing recharging contacts and a mounting unit for recharging purposes that contains mating contacts so that the lamp unit may be recharged when mounted on the mounting unit. The mounting unit includes another set of electrical contacts of the same configuration as those on the lamp unit. Thus a recharging unit for generating a recharging current may be utilized which is connectable either to the mounting unit, to recharge the lamp unit mounted thereon, or directly to the lamp unit. The lamp unit circuitry is adapted to accept any of a number of different recharging units, so as to provide for recharging from a battery source, an AC source, and an AC source with input power-failure indication. The bulb in the lamp unit may be releasably connected to the battery, so that the battery potential may be taken off as an independent power supply for another load, if desired.

Claims

1. A mounting unit for mounting a rechargeable lamp unit thereon for storage and recharging of said lamp unit, wherein said lamp unit includes a first set of electrical contacts of particular configuration connected to circuit elements within said lamp unit, said mounting unit comprising a second set of electrical contacts adapted to mate with said first set of electrical contacts of said lamp unit when said lamp unit is mounted to said mounting unit, said mounting unit including a third set of electrical contacts of said particular configuration electrically connected to said second set of electrical contacts, whereby a recharging unit may be employed having a set of electrical contacts of the same configuration as said second set of electrical contacts to be connected to (a) said third set of electrical contacts to recharge said lamp unit when the latter is mounted to said mounting unit, or to (b) said first set of electrical contacts when it is desired to recharge said lamp unit independent of said mounting unit.

2. A circuit for controlling recharging of a two-terminal battery that energizes the bulb in a lamp and for controlling bulb operation, comprising at least two terminals for receiving a recharging current developed from input power, a switch having at least "bulb operation" and "battery charging" modes and operating to couple said battery to said bulb to energize the latter in said "bulb operation" mode independent of the presence of said input power and in said battery charging mode to decouple one of said battery terminals from a bulb terminal thereby to extinguish said bulb and to couple said battery to said two charging terminals, and including a third terminal which is connected to said decoupled bulb terminal only when said input power is not present for applying battery potential to said bulb to operate the latter when said switch is in said "battery charging" mode.

3. A circuit according to claim 2, in combination with a recharging unit generating a recharging current for application to said two charging terminals, and including a sensor for sensing absence of said input power for connecting one of said two charging terminals to said third terminal so as to couple said decoupled battery through said third terminal to said bulb and thereby energize said bulb to indicate a failure of input power to said recharging unit.