Portable and/or mountable light

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10344959-B2
Application number	US-201715817986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2017
Priority date	Nov 20, 2017
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A light comprises: a light body and a light source supported by the light body; and a tail cap assembly including one or more actuators configured for actuating one or more electrical switch contacts internal to the light body for energizing the light source. The tail cap assembly may include a housing shell defining one or more cantilevered supports extending from the housing shell with the one or more actuators at respective ends thereof. The tail cap assembly may further include a resilient material for sealing the housing shell while leaving the actuators flexibly cantilevered. Alternatively and/or additionally, the light may include a mode selecting face cap that is rotatable on the light body for selecting operating modes, including OFF, and or a laser light source having two adjusting screws at an acute angle to each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light comprising:
a light body having a cavity for receiving a source of electrical power;
a light source supported by said light body for selectively producing light;
a tail cap assembly of said light body including one or more actuators on one or more external surfaces of said tail cap assembly configured for actuating one or more electrical switch contacts internal to said light body for selectively coupling said light source to the source of electrical power for energizing said light source to produce light;
said tail cap assembly further including a housing shell having one or more openings therethrough for defining one or more cantilevered supports extending from a support part of said housing shell and imparting flexibility to the one or more cantilevered supports, wherein the one or more actuators are at respective ends of the one or more cantilevered supports distal from the support part of the housing shell, said tail cap assembly further including a resilient material in the one or more openings through the housing shell for sealing the housing shell while leaving the actuators flexibly cantilevered.

2. The light of claim 1 wherein said housing shell has first and second opposing surfaces and a connecting surface therebetween, the connecting surface of said housing shell having a central part from which the respective cantilevered supports extend substantially to the first and second opposing surfaces and wherein said one or more actuators include first and second actuators located at the distal ends of the cantilevered supports and extending along the opposing surfaces of said housing shell, whereby each said actuator is movable inwardly to said housing shell when pressed generally perpendicularly to an opposing surface and when pressed generally perpendicularly to the connecting surface.

3. The light of claim 2 wherein said one or more electrical switches include first and second electrical switches disposed in said light body adjacent the first and second actuators, whereby the first and/or second electrical switches are respectively actuated when said first and/or second actuators are pressed as set forth in claim 2 .

4. The light of claim 3 further comprising a flexible circuit board having a central contact pad and a pair of flexible arms extending therefrom, wherein:
said first and second electrical switches are disposed at respective ends of the flexible arms distal the central contact pad; or
said first and second electrical switches each include a snap dome switch contact disposed at a respective end of the flexible arms distal the central contact pad.

5. The light of claim 2 wherein each of said cantilevered supports is L-shaped with a longer part thereof extending from the central part of said housing shell and with a shorter part thereof extending along one of the side surfaces, wherein said actuator extends from the distal end of the shorter part of the L-shaped cantilevered support along the one of the side surfaces in a direction toward the connecting surface.

6. The light of claim 1 wherein said one or more electrical switch contacts include a snap dome switch contact.

7. The light of claim 1 wherein said housing shell and said resilient material are molecularly bonded or are chemically bonded to each other, thereby to from a permanent and rugged seal.

8. The light of claim 7 wherein:
said resilient material is over molded onto said housing shell; or
said resilient material is over molded onto said housing shell without requiring a primer.

9. The light of claim 1 wherein said light body has a threaded opening and wherein said light source comprises:
a light source assembly supported by said light body for selectively producing light, said light source assembly including:
said light source for producing light when energized;
an optically reflective element disposed adjacent said light source for defining a light beam emitted by said light;
a threaded member supporting said light source and said optically reflective element and having a threaded cylindrical part defining an end of said light source assembly, wherein threads of said threaded member are configured to be threaded into the threaded opening of said light body;
the end of said light source assembly having one or more ridges and/or recesses near the periphery of the threads thereof for engaging one or more of the one or more electrical contacts when said light source assembly is at a first predetermined rotational position relative to the threaded opening of said light body, the end of said light source assembly having one or more mode selecting electrical contacts near the periphery thereof for respectively making electrical contact with the one or more electrical contacts of said light body when said light source assembly is at one or more respective different predetermined rotational positions relative to the threaded opening of said light body.

10. The light of claim 9 wherein actuating the one or more actuators of said tail cap assembly actuates an electrical switch supported by said light body for selectively causing the one or more electrical contacts of said light body to be coupled to the source of electrical power for energizing said light source.

11. The light of claim 9 wherein:
rotating said light source assembly changes connections between the one or more mode selecting electrical contacts of said light source assembly and the one or more electrical contacts of said light body for selecting an operating mode of said light source; and
wherein actuating the one or more actuators of said tail cap assembly actuates an electrical switch supported by said light body for selectively causing the one or more electrical contacts of said light body to be coupled to the source of electrical power for energizing said light source in accordance with the selected operating mode.

12. The light of claim 1 further comprising:
a laser light source including a laser housing and a laser source therein configured to emit laser light from a forward end thereof along a longitudinal axis of the laser housing, said laser housing having a forward end substantially defining a portion of a hemisphere about the longitudinal axis, said laser housing defining a first side thereof that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and defining a substantially flat second side thereof that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and substantially perpendicular to the first side thereof, the first and second sides of the laser housing being spaced away from the forward end of said laser light source;
said light body having a receptacle having a forward end configured for receiving the forward end of said laser housing and having an opening therethrough for passing the laser light emitted by the laser source;
a biasing spring in said light body configured to bias said laser light source to move transversely to the longitudinal axis in a direction that is not perpendicular to either the first side or to the second side of said laser housing;
a first laser aiming screw in a threaded hole in said light body disposed for bearing against the first side of said laser housing in opposition to the bias of said biasing spring,
wherein rotating said first laser aiming screw in a first direction causes the laser housing to move in a first direction in opposition to the bias of the biasing spring and wherein rotating said first laser aiming screw in a direction opposite to the first direction causes the laser housing to move in an opposite direction under the bias of the biasing spring;
a second laser aiming screw in a threaded hole in said light body that i

Assignees

• Streamlight Inc

Inventors

• Worman William D
• Zeisler Jon C

Classifications

• F41G1/35 Primary

  for illuminating the target {, e.g. flash lights} · CPC title

• F21L4/00

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

• F21V15/01

  Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts (F21V15/02 takes precedence {housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04}) · CPC title

• F21V19/004

  by deformation of parts or snap action mountings, e.g. using clips · CPC title

• F21V23/0421 Primary

  the switch being part of, or disposed on the tail cap portion thereof · CPC title