Flashlight with battery tester
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A portable lantern having a built-in battery tester comprising:
- (a) a lantern housing for holding batteries;
(b) an electrically-powered light source mounted in said housing for energizing by the batteries in said housing;
(c) a battery-testing means mounted in said housing with indicator means of the battery-testing means detectable from outside said housing;
(d) a three-way-switch means mounted in said housing placed in a first position to connect the light source with the batteries, in a second position to connect the battery-testing means with the batteries, and in a third position to disconnect the batteries;
(e) first conductor means for electrically connecting said light source to said switch means and the batteries when said switch means is in said first position; and
(f) second conductor means for electrically connecting said battery-testing means to said switch means and the batteries when said switch means is in said second position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A flashlight or a portable lantern having a built-in battery tester to determine the voltage or capacity of the battery, either under an electrical load or under no electrical load. The battery tester can comprise a voltmeter, ammeter, liquid-crystal cell, LED, color-indicating redox voltage-indicator cell, or a voltage battery-monitoring circuit that intermittently monitors the voltage of the batteries for brief pulses, compares the battery voltage with the standard reference voltage, and initiates a signal system if the battery voltage falls below the standard reference voltage.
89 Citations
39 Claims
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1. A portable lantern having a built-in battery tester comprising:
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(a) a lantern housing for holding batteries; (b) an electrically-powered light source mounted in said housing for energizing by the batteries in said housing; (c) a battery-testing means mounted in said housing with indicator means of the battery-testing means detectable from outside said housing; (d) a three-way-switch means mounted in said housing placed in a first position to connect the light source with the batteries, in a second position to connect the battery-testing means with the batteries, and in a third position to disconnect the batteries; (e) first conductor means for electrically connecting said light source to said switch means and the batteries when said switch means is in said first position; and (f) second conductor means for electrically connecting said battery-testing means to said switch means and the batteries when said switch means is in said second position.
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2. The portable lantern according to claim 1 wherein said electrically-powered light source is an incandescent lamp.
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3. The portable lantern according to claim 1 wherein said electrically-powered light source is a fluorescent lamp.
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4. The portable lantern according to claim 1 wherein said electrically-powered light source is a light-emitting gas-discharge tube.
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5. The portable lantern according to claim 1 wherein said battery-testing means is a voltmeter.
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6. The portable lantern according to claim 1 wherein said battery-testing means is an ammeter.
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7. The portable lantern according to claim 1 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a battery-monitoring circuit that monitors the voltage of the battery for brief pulses at predetermined time intervals, a voltage-comparator circuit that compares the battery voltage with a standard reference voltage, and a signal-means circuit that emits a signal when the voltage-comparator circuit detects that the battery voltage has fallen below said standard reference voltage.
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8. The portable lantern according to claim 7 wherein the signal means generates an audible signal.
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9. The portable lantern according to claim 7 wherein the signal means generates a visual signal.
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10. The portable lantern according to claim 1 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a liquid-crystal cell with a transparent window that yields a visual phase change when the battery voltage exceeds a predetermined value.
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11. The portable lantern according to claim 1 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a light-emitting diode that illuminates when the battery voltage is above a predetermined value.
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12. The portable lantern according to claim 1 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a color-indicating redox cell which indicates a predetermined voltage value by color.
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13. The portable lantern according to claim 12 wherein the color-indicating redox cell comprises a hollow sealed cell having a central chamber, a transparent window, and two spaced-apart electrodes, one end of each electrode terminating in the central chamber of said cell in a spacedapart relationship, the central chamber containing a chemical composition that undergoes a redox reaction at a predetermined voltage level which causes a color change to the chemical composition.
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14. A portable electric lantern having a built-in battery tester comprising:
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(a) a lantern housing for holding batteries; (b) an electrically-powered light source mounted in said housing for energizing by the batteries in said housing; (c) a battery-testing means mounted in said housing with indicator means of the battery-testing means detectable from outside said housing; (d) a three-way-switch means mounted in said housing placed in a first position to connect the light source to the batteries, in a second position to connect said light source and said battery-testing means to the batteries, and in a third position to disconnect the batteries from said light source and said testing means; (e) first conductor means for electrically connecting said light source to said switch means and the batteries when said switch means is in said first position; and (f) second conductor means for electrically connecting said battery-testing means to said switch means and the batteries when said switch means is in said second position;
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15. The portable lantern according to claim 14 wherein said electrically-powered light source is an incandescent lamp.
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16. The portable lantern according to claim 14 wherein said electrically-powered light source is a fluorescent lamp.
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17. The portable lantern according to claim 14 wherein said electrically-powered light source is a light-emitting gas-discharge tube.
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18. The portable lantern according to claim 14 wherein said battery-testing means is a voltmeter.
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19. The portable lantern according to claim 14 wherein said battery-testing means is an ammeter.
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20. The portable lantern according to claim 14 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a battery-monitoring circuit that monitors the voltage of the battery for brief pulses at predetermined time intervals, a voltage-comparator circuit that compares the battery voltage with a standard reference voltage, and a signal-means circuit that emits a signal when the voltage-comparator circuit detects that the battery voltage has fallen below said standard reference voltage.
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21. The portable lantern according to claim 20 wherein the signal means generates an audible signal.
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22. The portable lantern according to claim 20 wherein the signal means generates a visual signal.
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23. The portable lantern according to claim 14 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a liquid-crystal cell with a transparent window that yields a visual phase change when the battery voltage exceeds a predetermined value.
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24. The portable lantern according to claim 14 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a light-emitting diode that illuminates when the battery voltage is above a predetermined value.
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25. The portable lantern according to claim 14 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a color-indicating redox cell which indicates a predetermined voltage value by color.
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26. The portable lantern according to claim 14 wherein the color-indicating redox cell comprises a hollow sealed cell having a central chamber, a transparent window, and two spaced-apart electrodes, one end of each electrode terminating in the central chamber of said cell in a spacedapart relationship, the central chamber containing a chemical composition that undergoes a redox reaction at a predetermined voltage level which causes a color change to the chemical composition.
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27. A portable lantern having a built-in battery tester comprising:
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(a) a lantern housing for holding batteries; (b) an electrically-powered light source mounted in said housing for energizing by the batteries in said housing; (c) a battery-testing means mounted in said housing with indicator means of the battery-testing means detectable from outside said housing; (d) a switch means mounted in said housing placed in a first position to connect the light source with the batteries and in a second position to disconnect the batteries; (e) first conductor means for electrically connecting said light source to said switch means and the batteries when said switch means is said first position; and (f) second conductor means for electrically connecting said battery-testing means to the batteries when said switch means is in said second position.
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28. The portable lantern according to claim 27 wherein said electrically-powered light source is an incandescent lamp.
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29. The portable lantern according to claim 27 wherein said electrically-powered light source is a fluorescent lamp.
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30. The portable lantern according to claim 27 wherein said electrically-powered light source is a light-emitting gas-discharge tube.
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31. The portable lantern according to claim 27 wherein said battery-testing means is a voltmeter.
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32. The portable lantern according to claim 27 wherein said battery-testing means is an ammeter.
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33. The portable lantern according to claim 27 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a battery-monitoring circuit that monitors the voltage of the battery for brief pulses at predetermined time intervals, a voltage-comparator circuit that compares the battery voltage with a standard reference voltage, and a signal-means circuit that emits a signal when the voltage-comparator circuit detects that the battery voltage has fallen below said standard reference voltage.
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34. The portable lantern according to claim 33 wherein the signal means generates an audible signal.
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35. The portable lantern according to claim 33 wherein the signal means generates a visual phase change signal.
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36. The portable lantern according to claim 27 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a liquid-crystal cell with a transparent window that yields a visual phase change when the battery voltage exceeds a predetermined value.
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37. The portable lantern according to claim 27 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a light-emitting diode that illuminates when the battery voltage is above a predetermined value.
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38. The portable lantern according to claim 27 wherein said battery-testing means comprises a color-indicating redox cell which indicates a predetermined voltage value by color.
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39. The portable lantern according to claim 38 wherein the color-indicating redox box cell comprises a hollow sealed cell having a central chamber, a transparent window, and two spaced-apart electrodes, one end of each electrode terminating in the central chamber of said cell in a spaced-apart relationship, the central chamber containing a chemical composition that undergoes a redox reaction at a predetermined voltage level which causes a color change to the chemical composition.
Specification