Apparatus for creating a storage compartment in a flashlight and method of its use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10240758-B2
Application number	US-201715452088-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2017
Priority date	Mar 7, 2017
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A storage compartment for a flashlight with a cylindrical barrel, a tail cap and a conductive spring fitted to the tail cap. The conductive spring is removed from the tail cap and fitted to the barrel end of a cylindrical compartment which has an outer diameter substantially the same as that of the barrel and then the tail cap is threaded into a tail cap end of the cylindrical compartment, thus sealing off an inner compartment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for creating a storage compartment in a flashlight with a cylindrical barrel for housing one or more batteries, a tail cap which is configured to be removably threadable into the cylindrical barrel, and a conductive spring removably fitted to the tail cap for biasing said one or more batteries within the cylindrical barrel and completing an electrical circuit when the flashlight is switched on, comprising a cylindrical storage compartment having a barrel end and a tail cap end, wherein the barrel end is configured to receive the conductive spring and is configured with one or more sets of barrel end threads that allow the barrel end to be removably threaded into one or more sets of barrel threads inside a first outer diameter of the cylindrical barrel so that the conductive spring will complete the electrical circuit when the flashlight is switched on when the barrel end is fitted with the conductive spring and removably threaded into the cylindrical barrel, wherein the tail cap end is configured with one or more sets of tail cap end threads that allow the tail cap to be removably threaded into the tail cap end, wherein the cylindrical storage compartment has an inner storage compartment which is accessed via the tail cap end when the tail cap is not removably threaded to the tail cap end but which is sealed off by the tail cap when the tail cap is removably threaded to the tail cap end, wherein the cylindrical storage compartment has a second outer diameter which is continuously flush with a first outer diameter of the cylindrical barrel; wherein the inner storage compartment is located between the conductive spring and the tail cap end; and wherein the inner storage compartment is configured with a barrel end wall which isolates the conductive spring from the inner storage compartment and creates a barrier that prevents water from flowing between the conductive spring and the inner storage compartment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the inner storage compartment is watertight when the tail cap is removably threaded to the tail cap end.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a lip seal located at the barrel end.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical storage compartment is configured so that it creates an appearance of being an extension of the cylindrical barrel when the barrel end is removably threaded into the cylindrical barrel and the tail cap is removably threaded to the tail cap end.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the inner storage compartment does not contain any of said one or more batteries.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrical circuit is not powered by one or more batteries contained within the inner storage compartment.

7. A flashlight, comprising:
a cylindrical barrel for housing one or more batteries having a first outer diameter, said cylindrical barrel having a first end and a second end;
a lighting assembly located at the first end;
a conductive spring;
a cylindrical storage compartment having a barrel end, a tail cap end, a barrel end wall and an inner storage compartment, wherein the barrel end wall isolates the conductive spring from the inner storage compartment and creates a barrier that prevents water from flowing between the conductive spring and the inner storage compartment, wherein the barrel end is configured to receive the conductive spring and is configured with one or more sets of barrel end threads by which the barrel end is removably threaded into one or more sets of barrel threads inside the first outer diameter in the second end of the cylindrical barrel so that the conductive spring completes an electrical circuit when the flashlight is switched on and light is emitted from the lighting assembly; and
a tail cap having a third outer diameter and one or more sets of tail cap threads which is configured to be removably threadable into one or more sets of tail cap end treads inside a second outer diameter the tail cap end of the cylindrical storage compartment;
wherein the inner storage compartment is accessed via the tail cap end when the tail cap is not removably threaded to the tail cap end but which is sealed off by the tail cap when the tail cap is removably threaded to the tail cap end;
wherein the cylindrical storage compartment has a second outer diameter which is continuously flush with the first outer diameter of the cylindrical barrel and the third outer diameter of the tail cap;
wherein the inner storage compartment is located between the conductive spring and the tail cap end; and
wherein the conductive spring can be removed from the barrel end, the cylindrical storage compartment can be removed from the second end, the conductive spring can be fitted to the tail cap and the tail cap can be removably threaded to the second end so that the conductive spring completes the electrical circuit when the flashlight is switched on and light is emitted from the lighting assembly.

8. The flashlight of claim 7 wherein the inner storage compartment does not contain any of said one or more batteries.

9. The flashlight of claim 7 , wherein the electrical circuit is not powered by one or more batteries contained within the inner storage compartment.

10. A flashlight, comprising:
a cylindrical barrel for housing one or more batteries, said cylindrical barrel having a first outer diameter, a first end, and a second end, said second end being configured with one or more sets of barrel threads inside the first outer diameter;
a lighting assembly located at the first end;
a conductive spring located proximate the second end;
a cylindrical storage compartment having a second outer diameter, said cylindrical storage compartment comprising a barrel end, a tail cap end, an inner storage compartment and a barrel end wall, said barrel end being configured with one or more sets of barrel end threads by which the barrel end is removably threadable into said one or more sets of barrel threads, said tail cap end being configured with one or more sets of tail cap end threads inside the second outer diameter; and
a tail cap having a third outer diameter, said tail cap being configured with one or more sets of tail cap threads by which the tail cap is removably threadable into said one or more sets of tail cap end treads and said one or more sets of barrel threads;
wherein the second outer diameter is continuously flush with the first outer diameter of the cylindrical barrel and the third outer diameter of the tail cap;
wherein the barrel end is configured to receive the conductive spring so that the conductive spring completes an electrical circuit when the flashlight is switched on and light is emitted from the lighting assembly;
wherein the barrel end wall isolates the conductive spring from the inner storage compartment and creates a barrier that prevents water from flowing between the conductive spring and the inner storage compartment;
wherein the inner storage compartment is accessed via the tail cap end and is located between the conductive spring and the tail cap end; and
wherein the conductive spring can be removed from the barrel end, the cylindrical storage compartment can be removed from the second end, and the conductive spring can be fitted to the tail cap.

11. The flashlight of claim 10 , wherein the electrical circuit can be completed when the tail cap is not threaded into said one or more sets of tail cap end treads and the barrel end is threaded into said one or more sets of barrel threads.

12. The flashlight of claim 10 , wherein the electrical circuit is not powered by one or more batteries contained within the inner storage compartment.

Assignees

• Mag Instr Inc

Inventors

• Maglica Anthony

Classifications

• F21L4/005

  the device being a pocket lamp (F21L4/022, F21L4/045, F21L4/085 take precedence) · CPC title

• F21L4/00

  Electric lighting devices with self-contained electric batteries or cells · CPC title

• F21V19/047 Primary

  by using spare light sources comprised in or attached to the lighting device and being intended to replace a defect light source by manual mounting · CPC title