Shock absorbent flashlight bulb and reflector assembly

• US 6,183,106 B1
• Filed: 03/04/1999
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Streamlight, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Streamlight, Inc.
• Inventors: Thummel, Heinz F., Singh, Chanchal M., Szemeredi, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sawhney, Hargobind S.
• Application Number:
  US09/262,944
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 362/206, 362/207, 362/208, 362/202, 362/205, 362/369, 362/390, 362/158, 362/267, 362/519
• US Class Current: 362/188
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 4/00 Electric lighting devices with self-contained electric batteries or cells
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/04 Resilient mountings, e.g. shock absorbers shock absorbing devices of vehicle headlamp housings B60Q1/0491; in general F16F15/04
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/02 with provision for adjustment, e.g. for focusing
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/35 for illuminating the target , e.g. flash lights

Abstract

A flashlight bulb is mounted to a cylindrical bulb chassis such that the base of the light bulb is spaced apart from the top surface of the bulb chassis. A layer of resilient silicone material is positioned in the clearance space between the space-dapart base of the light bulb and the front surface of the bulb chassis to provide cushioning for axial and radial movement of the light bulb. A heat resistant resilient O-ring is inserted in an enlarged rear portion of the central bore of a reflector housing such that the internal surface of the O-ring slip fits around the cylindrical body of the light bulb to cushion the light bulb for radial movements of the light bulb and so that the light bulb remains mechanically and optically aligned with the central axis. For good cushioning the durometer of the O-ring is between 60-70 and the durometer of the silicone layer is between 50-60. The thickness of the O-ring is chosen to be sufficient to absorb shock from the bulb and the O-ring slip fits around the bulb to assure proper mechanical and optical alignment to the central axis of the bulb. A cylindrical flashlight reflector housing slideably receives the cylindrical bulb chassis. A helical spring pushes the bulb chassis towards the rear of the flashlight. Rotation of the reflector housing with respect to the battery housing moves the bulb along the axis of the flashlight to change the focus of the flashlight beam. The flashlight bulb mounting assembly also includes a second O-ring at the rear surface of the bulb chassis to provide cushioning for rearward axial movement of the bulb chassis. The battery contact ring and the battery contact coil spring are separated by an insulated washer and provide respective connections to the opposite terminals of the battery.

Claims

1. A shock-absorbent flashlight assembly, comprising:

a flashlight bulb having a cylindrical body and having a base through which pass a pair of lead-pins;

a cylindrical bulb chassis having a front surface and a rear surface, the bulb chassis having a pair of pin-sockets for receiving respective ones of the pair of lead-pins of the bulb near the front end of the bulb chassis, the pin-sockets having lead contacts which extend through the bulb chassis and out of the rear surface of the bulb chassis and which are adapted to provide electrical connection of the lead-pins of the bulb to opposite terminals of a battery source;

wherein the bulb chassis has the lead-pins of the light bulb mounted to the pin-sockets at the front surface of the bulb chassis such that the base of the light bulb is adjacent to and spaced apart from the front surface of the bulb chassis to provide clearance beneath the base of the bulb;

a layer of resilient silicone material which is positioned between the spaced-apart base of the light bulb and the front surface of the bulb chassis to adhere the bulb to the bulb chassis and to provide cushioning for axial movement of the light bulb;

a cylindrical flashlight reflector housing having a cylindrical body with a large axial bore formed therein for slideably receiving the cylindrical bulb chassis at its back end. the cylindrical flashlight reflector housing having a radially symmetric concave internal reflective surface formed in its front end around the central axis, a central axial bore is formed in the flashlight reflector housing to provide clearance for the light bulb and to accommodate movement of the light bulb along the central axis and radially away from the central axis;

a helical spring contained in the large axial bore of the cylindrical flashlight reflector housing for biasing the bulb chassis out of the cylindrical flashlight reflector housing;

a heat resistant resilient O-ring which is inserted in an enlarged rear portion of the central bore of the reflector housing, wherein the O-ring has an internal surface which engages the cylindrical body of the light bulb such that the O-ring cushions the light bulb for radial movements of the light bulb with respect to the central axis of the reflector housing and so that the light bulb remains aligned along the central axis; and

a cylindrical battery housing which has external threads formed in one end for engagement with internal threads formed near the back end of the reflector housing where the cylindrical battery housing contains one or more batteries and which is part of an electrical circuit from a battery contact ring to one terminal of the batteries, where the other terminal of the batteries is connected to a battery contact coil spring.

2. The flashlight assembly of claim 1 including:

an other O-ring which extends around the periphery of the rear surface of the bulb chassis to provide cushioning for rearward axial movement of the bulb chassis;

a battery contact ring which extends around the periphery of the rear surface of the bulb chassis next to and behind the other O-ring, where one of the lead contacts of the pin-sockets which extend out of the rear surface of the bulb chassis is fixed to the battery contact ring;

a battery contact coil spring which extends away from the rear surface of the bulb chassis, where the other one of the lead contacts of the pin-sockets which extends out of the rear surface of the bulb chassis is fixed to the battery contact coil spring; and

an insulated washer positioned between the battery contact ring and the battery contact coil spring.

3. The flashlight assembly of claim 1 wherein the durometer of the O-ring is between 60-70.

4. The flashlight assembly of claim 1 wherein the durometer of the silicone layer is between 50-60.

5. The flashlight assembly of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the O-ring is sufficient to absorb shock from the bulb and where the O-ring slip fits around the bulb to assure proper mechanical and optical alignment to the central axis of the bulb.

6. A flashlight bulb mounting assembly, comprising:

a bulb having a cylindrical body and having a base through which pass a pair of lead-pins;

a cylindrical bulb chassis having a front surface and a rear surface, the bulb chassis having a pair of pin-sockets for receiving respective ones of the pair of lead-pins of the bulb near the front end of the bulb chassis, the pin-sockets having lead contacts which extend out of the rear surface of the bulb chassis and which are adapted to provide electrical connection of the lead-pins of the bulb to opposite terminals of a battery source;

the bulb chassis having the lead-pins of the light bulb mounted to the pin-sockets at the front surface of the bulb chassis such that the base of the light bulb is adjacent to and spaced apart from the front surface of the bulb chassis to provide clearance beneath the base of the bulb;

a layer of resilient silicone material which is positioned in the clearance space between the spaced-apart base of the light bulb and the front surface of the bulb chassis to adhere the bulb to the bulb chassis and to provide cushioning for radial and axial movement of the light bulb;

a heat-resistant resilient O-ring which has an internal surface which engages the cylindrical body of the light bulb such that the O-ring cushions the light bulb for radial movements of the light bulb with respect to the central axis of the reflector housing and so that the light bulb remains aligned along the central axis;

a second O-ring which extends around the periphery of the rear surface of the bulb chassis to provide cushioning for rearward axial movement of the bulb chassis;

a battery contact ring which extends around the periphery of the rear surface of the bulb chassis next to and behind the second O-ring, where one of the lead contacts of the pin-sockets which extend out of the rear surface of the bulb chassis is fixed to the battery contact ring;

a battery contact coil spring which extends away from the rear surface of the bulb chassis, where the other one of the lead contacts of the pin-sockets which extends out of the rear surface of the bulb chassis is fixed to the battery contact coil spring; and

an insulated washer positioned between the battery contact ring and the battery contact coil spring.

7. The flashlight assembly of claim 6 wherein the durometer of the O-ring around the bulb is between 60-70.

8. The flashlight assembly of claim 6 wherein the durometer of the silicone layer is between 50-60.

9. The flashlight assembly of claim 6 wherein the thickness of the O-ring is sufficient to absorb shock from the bulb and wherein the O-ring slip fits around the bulb to assure proper mechanical and optical alignment to the central axis of the bulb.