US1433913A - Portable electric light - Google Patents

Description

H. ROTHENBERG. PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19. mm

Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

PATENT OFFICE.

" UNITED STATES HARRY ROTHENBEBG, OF RIDGEWOOD, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY HYMAN & 00., INCL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT.

Application filed September 19, 1918. Serial 1103254506.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY Ro'rrinNnnne, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of: Ridgewood, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Electric Lights, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates more particularly to the switch or circuit controlling devices of portable electric lights of the character ordinarily held in the hand and lighted, as occasion may require, by the manual move ment of means applied upon the exterior casing of the device.

My invention resides more especially in a novel arrangement and constructionot parts including a slide for completing the circuit between the lamp and battery, an escutcheon on which said slide is mounted, and a spring held within the escutcheon and carrying at one end a button which is exposed through the escutcheon, said spring being formed with a cam surface to. be acted on by an inner portion of the slide for flexing said spring and moving said button to circuitclosing position, and said spring independently of the slide being adapted to be flexed inwardly by external pressure applied against said button, for completing the circuit. The slide or thumb piece will be made use of when a more or less permanent light is' required. and the push button will be made use of independently ot'the slide when it is desired to produce light flashes, as for signalling.

I The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had 'to the accompanying drawings, in which:

' Fig. 1 isavertical section through one side portion of the casing of a portable electriclight. said casing being equipped with circuit controlling means embodying, my invention and the sectionbeing taken onthe dotted line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a. central vertical. section through the tubularportion of a flash light equipped with my invention;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a portion of the casing of the flash light having the circuit controlling means 'of my inventionapplied thereto, the parts being shown as having been operated to complete the circuit whereas in Fig. 1- the parts of the switch mechanism are shown in normal po-. sition ready for use;

Fig. 4. 8 a detached mner face view of-the escutcheon or switch casing, with the inte--' rior parts thereof shown in position; Fig. 5 is a like view of the same with the circuit making spring omitted therefrom;

Fig. (5 is a detached outer face view or elevation of the switch or circuit controlling means embodying my invention, and

Fig. 7 is a transverse section through the same and a portion of the shell of the flash light taken on the dotted line 7-7 of Fig. 2; i

In the drawings, 15 designates a tubular fibre or other insulating casing, and this casing may be of any suitable character adapted to receive a battery, reflector, lamp bulb and lens, which features I' omit from the present drawing, since'my invention resides in the circuit controlling devices shown. i p I 1 llithin the casing 15' are two normally separated conducting strips 16, 17,"the lower end of the strip 17 being forconnection with the negative pole of the battery. as usual, and the upper end of the, strip 16 being 'carried upwardly tothe upper edge of thecasing 15 and adapted to be placed in electrical connection with the usual reflector. The inner or upper end of the strip 17 is secured to one end of a metal escutcheon, switch casing or housing 18 by meansof an eyelet or rivet 19, which also alds in secur ing the cscutcheon upon'the side of the'casing 15 and places the strip 17 in electrical connection with said escutcheon. The inner or lower end of the strip '16 is secured'to the casing by means of an eyelet 20 whose outer end is exposed within the escutcheon or housing 18 but is not normally in electri-' cal connection therewith. The housing or escutcheon 18 is rigidly secured in position upon the side of the casing lo by the afore said eyelet or rivet 19 and by additional eyelets or rivets 21. said 'escutcheon or housing being formed with three apertured wings, as shown in "Fig. 4-, for receiving the outer ends. of the eyelets or rivets 19, 21. I

Upon the exterior. flat face of the escutcheon or housing 18 is mounted a thumb-piece or slide 22 preferably formed froin'sheet metal and having, at opposite sides, tongues 23 which are inserted through slots in the escutcheon or housing 18 and bent toward each other, as shown in Fig. 7, not only to secure the thumb-piece or slide in position, but also to embrace one portion of a small plate 24 which is within the housing or escutcheon 18 and intended to movewith the thumb-piece or slide 22. The plate 24. is illustrated in rear elevation in Fig. 5, and, as shown, is recessed in its opposite side edges to receive and interlock with the tongues 23, whereby the plate 24; and thumbpiece or slide 22 become secured together. The main body of the plate 24 is flat and lies against-the inner surface of the outer face of the escutcheon or housing 18, and at one end, the upper end looking at the thawings, said plate 24 is depressed inwardly, as at to form a V inwardly projecting cam surface. The end portions of the plate .ZQ-Jcrossthe slots 26 through which the tongues 23 formed on the sides of the thumb piece or slide 22 project, as shown in Fig. v y

The escutcheon or housing 18 conceals the eyelet or rivet 20 by which the conducting strip 16 is secured to the casing 15, and within the outer portion of said escutcheon or housing 18 is secured a spring 27 which is of the outline of the interior chamber of the escutch'eon or housing 18 and is secured at one end by an eyelet or rivet- 28 to the outer wall thereof. The spring 27 extends from the eyelet or rivet 28 upwardly along the inner face of the plate 24"and'at its upper end has secured thereto "a push-button 29 which normally is'exposed through an opening'30 in the cscutcheon orhousing'18. The

"spring :27 between the push-button 29 and eyelet 28 is bent inwardly, as at 31, to provide a space within which the V projection 2'5ofthe pIate-Qamayslide, and the spring '27 at the upper end of said recess or space 31 is inclined correspondingly with the upper face of thejprojection 25 so as to Coast with said projection as a cam surface or surfaces when the thumb-piece or slide 22 is moved upwardly toward the pushbutton 29. Vhen'the thumb-piece or slide22 "is pressed upwardly toward the push-button 29, the projection 25 on the plate 24 rides upon the'spring 27and flexesthe upper end ot said spring inwardly, as shown in Fig.

3, so that the shankot' the push-button orthe rivet securingthe same to said spring may pass into electrical engagement with the eyelet E20 and conductingstrip 16,'thereby'completingthe circuit through the lamp and battery. \Vhen the thumb-piece or slide is moved downwardly from the position shown in F lg. 33 to that illustrated in Fig. -1; the spring 27 automatically returns to its normal position, its upper portion'movmg outwardly agalnst'the outer "inner wall or the escutcheon or housing 18 and'carrv ing the button 29 fromthe eyelet 20. there by breaking the circuit. The thumb-piece or slide 22.11.1921 tail-end 14: which sets out wardly from the outer face of the escutcheon or housing 18 and is adapted to pass over the outer end otthe eyelet 28, as shown in Fig. 1.

The operation of the features illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive will probably be fully understood from the foregoing description in so .far as the movement of the thumb-piece or slide 22 is concerned; the upward movement of the thumb-piece or slide 22 causes the plateQl acting as a cam against the spring 527 to flex the upper end of said spring inwardly and complete the circuit through the eyelet or rivet 20, and when the tl'mmlbpiece or slide is moved downwardly, carrying the plate 2% with it, the spring 27 is permitted to automatically retire from the eyelet 20 and in that way eii'ect the breaking of the circuit. When a more or less permanent light is required, the thumb-piece or slide 22- will be operated to complete and maintain the electric circuit, but when light flashes, as for signalling, or a temporary light, is required, the thumbpiece or slide 22 may be ignored and the button 29 pushed in by the thumb so as to establish the circuit through the eyelet or rivet 20 and strip 16. Imay thus; utilize the tlmmb-piece or slide 22 for completing the circuitor,independently of said thumbpiece or slide, "Inlay complete the circuit by manual pressure against the outer endoit the thumb-piece or button 29.

hat I claim as my invention and desire 3 to secure by 'Lettirs-Patent, is:

1. A circuit switch-mechanism for portable electric lightscomprising, in combination, a metal escutcheon having a thumb piece fslidably mounted on its outer tace- 'and a'pl'ate slidably mounted. on its lnner fa e and connected with said thumb piece'to slide therewith and having a CHDPPZOZQCUOII on oneend, aplate-spring secured atone end to and within said escutcheon and being in electrical connection therewith and having an inward bend'atfording a cam surface tor cooperation with said projectionin flexing the spring to circuit closing position, and a push-button secured to the free end of said spring and exposed through said 'escutch'eon and adapted -when manually pressed inwardly to flex said spriiigto cir cult closing position "iniilependently of said tlnm'ib-piece and plate connected therewith. I

2. A circuit switch-mechanism for portable electric lights "comprising, in combinain electricalconnection therewith and hav ing an inward bend afiording a cam surface for cooperation with said projection inflexing the spring to circuit closing position, and a push-button secured to the free end of said spring and ex sed through said escutcheon and adapte when manually pressed inwardly to flex said spring to circuit closing position independently of said thumb-piece and plate connected therewith, said escutcheon having parallel guide slots in its outer face and said thumb-piece having side fingers extending inwardly through said slots and folded toward each other upon said plate for securing the same against the inner surface of the escutcheon.

3. A circuit switch-mechanism for portable electric lights comprising, in combination, a metal escutcheon having a thumbpiece slidably mounted on its outer face and a plate slidably mounted on its inner face and connected with said thumb-piece to slide therewith and having a cam-projection on one end, a plate-spring secured at one end to and within said escutcheon and being in electrical connection therewith and having an inward bend afi'ording a cam surface for cooperation with said projection in flexing the spring to circuit closin position and a push-button secured to the ree end of said spring and exposed through said escutcheon and adapted when manually pressed inwardly to flex said spring to circuit closing position independently of said thumb-piece and plate connected therewith, said escutcheon having parallel guide slots in its outer face and said thumb-piece having side fingers extending inwardly through said slots and folded toward each other upon said plate for securing the same against the inner surface of the escutcheon, and said plate having recesses in its opposite edges to receive and interlock the plate with said fingers, and said plate beyond said recesses being wider than the space between said slots.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 29th day of August, A. D. 1918.

HARRY ROTHENBERG.

\Vitnesses ARTHUR MARION, CHAS. C. GILL.

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