Light with keying arrangement mountable on a mounting rail

• US 8,371,729 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Streamlight, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Streamlight, Inc.
• Inventors: Sharrah, Raymond L., DiNenna, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shallenberger, Julie
• Application Number:
  US12/573,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20100097789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 362/396, 362/648, 362/655, 362/438, 362/439, 248/228.5, 248/216.4, 248/230.3, 248/230.5, 248/316.6, 248/231.21, 248/231.41, 248/231.61, 421/46, 421/32, 421/24
• US Class Current: 362/439
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 7/00 Connections of rods or tubes, e.g. of non-circular section, mutually, including resilient connections F16B11/008, F16B17/00 take precedence; umbrella frames A45B25/02; welding or soldering of connections B23K; vehicle connections in general B60D; railway couplings B61G; bicycle frames B62K; couplings for transmitting rotation F16D; couplings for tubes conveying fluids F16L
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 7/0406 for rods or tubes being coaxial F16B7/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 9/02 the power supply being a battery or accumulator
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/00 Supporting, suspending, or attaching arrangements for lighting devices F21V17/00, F21V19/00 take precedence; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q, stands for supporting apparatus or articles in general F16M11/00; Hand grips
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/088 Clips; Clamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/34 Supporting elements displaceable along a guiding element telescopic mounting of lighting devices F21V21/22
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0064 Health, life-saving or fire-fighting equipment
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/20 of different form
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/30 Semiconductor lasers
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/35 for illuminating the target , e.g. flash lights
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 11/003 Mountings with a dove tail element, e.g. "Picatinny rail systems"
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/70 Interfitted members
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7067 Threaded actuator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7075 including discrete retainer

Abstract

A keyed mounting arrangement for a light or other object mountable on a mounting rail having a keying feature may comprise a body containing operating elements; a clamping arrangement including clamp members on the body for clamping and releasing the mounting rail; and a keying member removably disposed in a recess located on the body in a predetermined location and having a keying feature that engages the keying feature of the mounting rail when the body is clamped to the mounting rail. Where the object is mountable on mounting rails having keying features of different sizes and shapes, the keying member may be selected from a set of keying members for having a keying feature of a size and shape that corresponds to the size and shape of the keying feature of the mounting rail.

Claims

1. A keyed mounting arrangement for a light mountable on a mounting rail having a keying feature, said keyed mounting arrangement comprising:

a light body containing a light source, a cavity for receiving a source of electrical energy, and a switch for selectively coupling the light source in circuit with the source of electrical energy for producing light when a source of electrical energy is in the cavity;

a clamping arrangement on said light body including first and second clamp members movable closer together for clamping a mounting rail therebetween and movable farther apart for releasing the mounting rail, said clamping arrangement including a clamp screw for moving said first and second clamp members closer together and farther apart; and

a keying member having a key body removably disposed in a recess between said first and second clamp members in a predetermined location with respect to a fixed one of said first and second clamping members, said keying member being separate from said clamp screw and having a keying feature on said key body that engages the keying feature of the mounting rail when the light body is clamped to the mounting rail by said first and second clamp members.

2. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

said keying member is retained in the recess by said clamping arrangement;

or

the location of said keying member in the recess is determined by said clamping arrangement;

or

said keying member is retained in the recess by said clamping arrangement and the location of said keying member in the recess is determined by said clamping arrangement.

3. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein said keying member is located and retained in the recess by the clamp screw.

4. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein one of said first and second clamp members is movable and includes at least one post, wherein:

said light body has a hole therein for receiving the post;

or

said keying member has a hole therein for receiving the post;

or

said light body has a hole therein for receiving the post and said keying member has a hole therein for receiving the post.

5. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein said light is mountable on mounting rails having keying features of different sizes and shapes, and wherein said keying member is selected from a set of keying members for having a keying feature of a size and shape that corresponds to the size and shape of the keying feature of the mounting rail.

6. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein the recess of said light body is a channel, and wherein said key body of said keying member fits into the channel of said light body in a predetermined location determined by said clamping arrangement.

7. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 6 wherein said key body is removably retained in the predetermined position in the channel of said light body by a fastener of said clamping arrangement that engages said key body.

8. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 6 wherein said key feature includes a projection extending from said key body.

9. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein the recess of said light body is a channel, and wherein said key body of said keying member fits into the channel of said light body in a predetermined location determined by an arcuate extension of said key body that engages said light body.

10. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 1 wherein said first clamp member comprises an elongated longitudinal clamp member fixed on said light body and wherein said second clamp member comprises a movable elongated clamp member disposed longitudinally and movably adjacent said light body opposing said fixed clamp member and spaced apart therefrom.

11. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 10 wherein one or both of said fixed elongated longitudinal clamp member and said movable elongated longitudinal clamp member has an elongated longitudinal chamfered edge for facilitating the mounting in a snap-on, snap-off manner.

12. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 1 further including removable means for retaining said clamp screw with said clamping arrangement.

25. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 1 further comprising:

a set of interchangeable keying members having keying features of different sizes and shapes for keying said light body to a keying feature of mounting rails of different sizes and/or shapes, each of said keying members of said set from which said keying member is selected comprising;

a key body of a size and a shape for being disposed in the recess of said light body, said key body being engagable by a shaft of said clamp screw when said key body is disposed in the recess of the light body;

the keying feature of said key body having a size and a shape that corresponds to the size and shape of the keying feature of the mounting rail;

the keying feature being positioned on said key body in a location for engaging the keying feature of the mounting rail when said light body is mounted to the mounting rail by said clamping arrangement;

wherein the size, or shape, or position, or a combination of size, shape and position, of the keying feature on said key body of each of said keying members of said set of keying members is different and corresponds to the keying feature of a mounting rail.

26. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 25 wherein the keying feature of said key body of each of said keying members of said set comprises a projection that engages a corresponding recess keying feature of the mounting rail.

27. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 25 wherein:

said key body has a hole therethrough for receiving the shaft of said clamp screw;

or

said key body further includes an extension having a shape complementary to a shape of said light body so that the extension is adjacent said light body when said keying member is disposed in the recess of said light body;

or

said key body has a hole therethrough for receiving the shaft of said clamp screw and further includes an extension having a shape complementary to a shape of said light body so that the extension is adjacent said light body when said keying member is disposed in the recess of said light body.

28. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 27 wherein said extension includes an arcuate extension at one end of said key body.

13. A keyed mounting arrangement for an object mountable on a mounting rail having a keying feature, said keyed mounting arrangement comprising:

an object body containing operative elements of the object;

a clamping arrangement on said object body including first and second clamp members movable closer together for clamping a mounting rail therebetween and movable farther apart for releasing the mounting rail, said clamping arrangement including a clamp screw for moving said first and second clamp members closer together and farther apart; and

a keying member having a key body removably disposed in a recess between said first and second clamp members in a predetermined location with respect to a fixed one of said first and second clamping members, said keying member being separate from said clamp screw and having a keying feature on said key body that engages the keying feature of the mounting rail when the object body is clamped to the mounting rail by said first and second clamp members.

14. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 13 wherein:

said keying member is retained in the recess by said clamping arrangement;

or

the location of said keying member in the recess is determined by said clamping arrangement;

or

said keying member is retained in the recess by said clamping arrangement and the location of said keying member in the recess is determined by said clamping arrangement.

15. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 13 wherein said keying member is located and retained in the recess by the clamp screw.

16. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 13 wherein one of said first and second clamp members is movable and includes at least one post, wherein:

said object body has a hole therein for receiving the post;

or

said keying member has a hole therein for receiving the post;

or

said object body has a hole therein for receiving the post and said keying member has a hole therein for receiving the post.

17. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 13 wherein said object is mountable on mounting rails having keying features of different sizes and shapes, and wherein said keying member is selected from a set of keying members for having a keying feature of a size and shape that corresponds to the size and shape of the keying feature of the mounting rail.

18. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 13 wherein the recess of said object body is a channel, and wherein said key body of said keying member fits into the channel of said object body in a predetermined location determined by said clamping arrangement.

19. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 18 wherein said key body is removably retained in the predetermined position in the channel of said object body by a fastener of said clamping arrangement that engages said key body.

20. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 18 wherein said key feature includes a projection extending from said key body.

21. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 13 wherein the recess of said object body is a channel, and wherein said key body of said keying member fits into the channel of said object body in a predetermined location determined by an arcuate extension of said key body that engages said object body.

22. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 13 wherein said first clamp member comprises an elongated longitudinal clamp member fixed on said object body and wherein said second clamp member comprises a movable elongated clamp member disposed longitudinally and movably adjacent said object body opposing said fixed clamp member and spaced apart therefrom.

23. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 22 wherein one or both of said fixed elongated longitudinal clamp member and said movable elongated longitudinal clamp member has an elongated longitudinal chamfered edge for facilitating the mounting in a snap-on, snap-off manner.

24. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 13 further including removable means for retaining said clamp screw with said clamping arrangement.

29. The keyed mounting arrangement of claim 13 further comprising:

a set of interchangeable keying members having keying features of different sizes and shapes for keying said object body to a keying feature of mounting rails of different sizes and/or shapes, each of said keying members of said set from which said keying member is selected comprising;

a key body of a size and a shape for being disposed in the recess of said object body, said key body being engagable by a shaft of said clamp screw when said key body is disposed in the recess of the object body;

the keying feature of said key body having a size and a shape that corresponds to the size and shape of the keying feature of the mounting rail;

the keying feature being positioned on said key body in a location for engaging the keying feature of the mounting rail when said object body is mounted to the mounting rail by said clamping arrangement;

wherein the size, or shape, or position, or a combination of size, shape and position, of the keying feature on said key body of each of said keying members of said set of keying members is different and corresponds to the keying feature of a mounting rail.