GB2162934A - Converting a paraffin lantern to battery operation - Google Patents

Abstract

To convert a conventional oil- burning warning lantern having a paraffin lamp element so that it can operate electrically, the paraffin lamp element is removed and an electrical conversion kit is located in the lantern. The kit includes a base unit which includes a mounting for a battery and a bulb holder and means providing electrical connections between the bulb holder and the battery. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A lantern This invention relates to a lantern and is particularly concerned with a warning lantern of the type used by workmen or contractors at road works, scaffolding or on or around skips.

For many years such lanterns have been of the type using a paraffin oil and wick and comprised a rugged box-like structure having three glass lenses and a paraffin lamp element positioned inside the lantern. The lamp element included a bowl member for the paraffin oil, and an adjusting wheel for the wick.

While this type of lantern, which will be referred to hereinafter as "an oil lantern of the type described", sufficed for.some time, it was not well like by the users because of the frequency of the need for attention. There was a limit to the amount of paraffin that could be contained in the bowl member and the wick needed to be trimmed regularly to give a clear flame. When this need for trimming was not noticed early enough, the lamp smoked and the lenses became coated with soot, sometimes obliterating the light completely. Attending to the lantern in all these circumstances was a dirty, smelly and generally unpleasant job.

There have been available, in more recent years, electrically operated lamps with a flashing element included in the wiring circuit and these lamps have generally been moulded out of a plastics material. While they have overcome many of the objections to the lanterns of the type described, they have many faults of which their attraction to vandals and thieves proves to be among the most difficult.

They are also fragile compared with the ruggedly constructed paraffin-type lantern.

Many thousands of the oil lanterns of the type described are still in store at contractors' and public authorities' depots throughout the country and investigations have shown that those lanterns would be preferred to the later plastics moulded electrical types were it not for the faults mentioned earlier.

It is an object of this invention to provide a lantern having the attractions of the first mentioned type without its disadvantages.

The present invention resides broadly in an electrical unit adapted to replace the paraffin lamp element in an oil lantern of the type described. For example, the invention may provide an electrical conversion kit for an oil lantern of the type described comprising a base unit which includes a mounting for an electrical battery, an electric bulb holder, and connections for the battery and the bulb holder, and which is adapted to fit into the lantern in place of the paraffin lamp element.

The kit may comprise a base plate, adapted to be received between the base and lugs in the walls of the lantern, a box-like member mounted on the base plate and adapted to receive a battery, a bulb holder secured to the box-like member, and a circuit board secured to the base plate and providing connections between the battery and the bulb holder.

Preferably, the circuit board has parts engageable by a battery located in the battery member which is so located with respect to a door of the lantern that closure of the door urges the battery into proper electrical contact with the circuit board.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view, in section, of a lantern according to the invention, Figure 2 is an end view, with parts broken away and parts in section, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a lighting unit used in the lantern.

Referring to the drawings, the lantern comprises a box-like casing 2 having three sides 4, a base 6, a top 8, a cover 10, handle 12 and a door 14 hinged at 1 6 to one of the sides. The three sides of the casing are provided with lenses 1 8 and the lower portion of those two sides seen in section in Fig. 2 are formed with pressed-in lugs 20. The above type of structure is well-known and has not been departed from in this invention, and in the older type of paraffin lantern the bowl element carrying the wick had a base which was positioned between the base 6 and the lugs 20.

In the present invention the bowl element is disposed of and is replaced by the electrical unit 22 seen particularly in Fig. 3.

This comprises a base plate 24 having an upturned- portion 25. Fixed to the base plate 24 is a hollow box-shaped member 26 formed generally as an inverted U-section, and an upturned bracket 28 is fixed to the top surface of this member. A hole 30 is punched out of the top of the member.

A printed circuit board 32 is removably secured to posts 34 attached to the portion 25 of the base plate and a bulb holder 36, with a bulb 38, is mounted on the bracket 28. A dry cell battery 40 is located within the box-like member 26 and its conventional spring-like terminals 42, 44 contact respective parts of the printed circuit board 32. It will be noticed that the part of the circuit engaged by terminal 44 is provided with an extension 46, thus ensuring that, when the battery is inserted, only that contact between terminal 44 and extension 46 is made, until the door 1 4 is closed to compress the spring-like terminal 44 sufficiently to enable terminal 42 to reach its appropriate part of the printed circuit.

In use, an existing paraffin type lantern is taken from store, its bowl and wick element removed and at least the lenses are cleaned.

The electrical unit 22 is inserted into the lantern with its base plate 24 passing between lugs 20 and base plate 6, as seen clearly in Fig. 2, a battery 40 placed in position and the door 14 is closed. The circuit contains the appropriate electronic components to cause an intermittent flashing of the bulb and operation begins immediately the door is closed.

Experiments have proved that the above arrangement provides an acceptable alternative to both the older type lantern and the newer type plastics variety. The standard 6volt battery used has provided continuous operation over a period of three weeks thus eliminating the need for frequent refilling of a paraffin bowl and also comparing favourably with the cost of that fuel. The unpleasant job of cleaning the interior of the lantern and lenses is also eliminated.

Claims (7)

1. An electrical conversion kit for an oil lantern of the type described, said kit being adapted to fit into the lantern in place of the paraffin lamp element and including a base unit which includes a mounting for a battery; a bulb holder; and means providing electrical connections between the bulb holder and contacts connectible to the terminals of a battery located at said mounting.

2. An electrical conversion kit as claimed in claim 1, in which the base unit comprises a base plate adapted to be received between the base and lugs in the wall of the lantern and a box-like member on the base plate adapted to provide said mounting for a battery.

3. An electrical conversion kit as claimed in claim 2, in which said means providing electrical connections includes a circuit board secured to the base plate and having connections to the bulb holder and carrying contacts engageable by respective terminals of the battery.

4. An electrical conversion kit as claimed in claim 3, in which the mounting for the battery is so arranged with respect to a door of the lantern that closure of the door urges a battery at said mounting towards the circuit board to make proper electrical connections between the terminals on the battery and the contacts on the circuit board.

5. An electrical conversion kit as claimed in any preceding claim in which the means providing electrical connections include components to cause intermittent flashing of a bulbin the holder when the kit is in use.

6. An electrical conversion kit for an oil lamp of the type described substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. An oil lantern of the type described in which the paraffin lamp element is replaced by an electrical conversion kit as claimed in any preceding claim.