Spot light for handbag and like receptacles

• US 4,517,627 A
• Filed: 06/15/1984
• Issued: 05/14/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Herbert G. Bradford
• Original Assignee: Herbert G. Bradford
• Inventors: Bradford, Herbert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lechert, Jr., Stephen J.
• Application Number:
  US06/621,116
• Time in Patent Office: 333 Days
• Field of Search: 362/156, 362/154, 362/191, 362/200, 362/205, 362/295, 362/310, 362/368, 362/427, 200/60
• US Class Current: 362/156
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 15/06 with illuminating devices

Abstract

A spot light which can be made very compactly for use in handbags or like receptacles is provided with a dry cell extending adjacent one edge wall of a housing, and a lamp bulb disposed in an opening in an end wall of the housing adjacent the opposite edge wall. A rear wall of the housing is provided with a pivotal connection for attaching the light to an upper corner of the inside wall of the receptacle, so that the light is readily accessible and can be rotated about its pivot to illuminate substantially the entire contents of the receptacle with a relatively bright concentrated spot of light. The pivotal connection offers frictional or other resistance to rotation, so that once adjusted, the light is retained stably in a selected position while the user retrieves a selected illuminated item from the receptacle.

Claims

1. A spot light for illuminating the interior of a handbag or like receptacle, comprising a housing having opaque end walls, edge walls and side walls, a single dry cell received in the housing between the end walls and the alongside one edge wall, an opening in one end wall adjacent the edge wall opposite the dry cell, a reflector located in, and forming a bulb-receiving recess in, said opening, a single light bulb secured in the reflector to direct a narrow spot of light from the opening, switch means operable from outside the housing to connect and disconnect said single dry cell and the bulb, and pivot means on one of the side walls, comprising a circular socket and a circular disc nested in the socket and magnetically attracted into frictional contact therewith, whereby the housing is pivotable arcuately about the pivot means and is supported thereby stably in a range of stable angular positions, one of the socket and disc being on said one side wall, and the other of the socket and disc having an adhesive backing for adhering it to the interior of a handbag or like receptacle.

2. A spot light as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adhesive backing is covered by a removable protector.

3. A spot light as claimed in claim 2, wherein the disc is magnetic and is affixed to said one side wall.

4. A spot light as claimed in claim 1 wherein the reflector comprises a frustro conical portion extending around the bulb.

5. A spot light as claimed in claim 1 including detent means maintaining the switch means selectively in positions completing a circuit between the bulb and dry cell and interrupting said circuit, respectively.

6. A spot light as claimed in claim 5 wherein the switch means comprise a slider member reciprocable on the housing, a projection on the inner side of the slider member, and said detent means comprise a bight portion on a resilient metal strip comprising part of said circuit, and the projection riding over and snapping between positions on opposite sides of said bight portion.

7. A spot light as claimed in claim 1 wherein the switch means comprise resilient metal strips disposed between the bulb and the dry cell, including a first strip having a portion extending approximately perpendicularly to and normally at a spacing from an end edge of a second strip, and a switch member movable to move said end edge into scraping contact with said portion.

8. A spot light as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a sleeve component slidable over a tray component that holds the dry cell, bulb and switch means, whereby removal of the sleeve component enables insertion and removal of the dry cell and bulb into and from the tray component.

9. In combination a handbag or like receptacle having side walls defining an opening at the top and a spot light as claimed in claim 1 attached through said pivot means to an upper corner of one of said receptacle side walls with said one end wall of the spot light facing toward the interior of the receptacle, whereby said spot of light can be swung arcuately through the interior of the receptacle.