Portable lantern with high speed rotatory beam

A portable lantern suitable for providing general illumination of increased intensity for a large area comprising in combination:

• a. a portable lantern housing having a base section upon which said housing is independently supported and a transparent lens section removably secured thereto, said lens section having cover means removably secured thereto;
• b. an electric light source mounted within the transparent lens section of said housing;
• c. reflector means rotatably mounted for rotation at a continuous speed of at least about 600 revolutions per minute within the transparent section of said housing and disposed to project a concentrated, intensified beam of light from said light source into a substantially horizontal beam through the full 360.degree. periphery of said transparent lens section;
• d. motor means mounted within said base section of said housing with the shaft thereof extending into said transparent lens section being connected to said rotatable reflector means for continuously rotating said reflector means about the axis of said motor shaft at a speed of at least about 600 revolutions per minute and projecting light through said transparent section in a circular pattern about said lantern at a frequency that exceeds the threshold of discrimination of the human eye and provides continuous general illumination for a large area about said lantern;
• e. electric power means arrange within said housing for energizing said light source and said reflector means;
• and
• f. electric switch means mounted on said housing for said electric light source and said reflector rotating means.