Miniature flashlight

A flashlight comprising:

• a barrel for retaining a plurality of miniature dry cell batteries in series electrical contact;
• a lamp bulb having a filament;
• means for holding the lamp bulb, said means being retained at least partially within the barrel and adjacent one end thereof and being adapted to locate the bulb filament axially beyond the one end of the barrel;
• a substantially parabolic reflector having a central opening therein adapted to receive the lamp bulb;
• a substantially planar lens;
• head means for retaining the reflector and the lens in a mutually fixed relationship being engageable with the barrel at the end the bulb holding means is retained and adapted to be controllably translatable along the barrel such that the relative positional relationship between the reflector and the lamp bulb may be varied, thereby varying a reflection dispersion of a light beam emanating through the lens from said lamp bulb;
• a tail cap being engageable with the barrel at the end remote from the end engageable with the head means;
• and
• an internal switch means including means for electrically coupling a first electrode of the series arranged dry cell batteries to a first electrode of the lamp bulb, means for electrically coupling a second electrode of the series arranged dry cell batteries to a second electrode of the lamp bulb and an electrical contact within at least one of said electrically coupling means;
• wherein relative motion of the head means in an axial direction away from the barrel causes closing of the electrical contact and further relative motion in said same direction separates said head means from the barrel to expose the lamp bulb and provide for a dispersion of substantially spherical illumination.

A miniature flashlight comprising:

• a barrel for retaining a plurality of miniature dry cell batteries in series electrical contact;
• a miniature bi-pin lamp bulb having a filament;
• means for holding the miniature bi-pin lamp bulb, said means being retained at least partially within the barrel and adjacent one end thereof and being adapted to locate the bulb filament axially beyond the one end of the barrel;
• a substantially parabolic reflector having a central opening therein adapted to receive the bi-pin lamp bulb;
• a substantially planar lens;
• head means for retaining the reflector and the lens in a mutually fixed relationship having one end engageable with the barrel at the end the bulb holding means is retained and adapted to be controllably axially translatable along the barrel such that the relative positional relationship between the reflector and the lamp bulb may be varied, thereby varying a reflection dispersion of a light beam emanating through the lens from said miniature bi-pin lamp bulb;
• a tail cap being engageable with the barrel at the end remote from the end engageable with the head means and adapted to be received by the one end of the head means when the head means is separated from the barrel;
• means for electrically coupling a first electrode of the series arranged dry cell batteries to a first pin of the bi-pin lamp bulb;
• means for electrically coupling a second electrode of the series arranged dry cell batteries to a second pin of the bi-pin lamp bulb;
• and
• means positioned between the tail cap and the series arranged dry cell batteries to urge the batteries axially toward the end of the barrel engageable with the head means;
• wherein continued relative motion of the head means in the axial direction away from the barrel separates said head means from the barrel to expose the lamp bulb and provide for a dispersion of substantially spherical illumination when the flashlight is standing with the tail cap being received by the head means.

A miniature flashlight comprising:

• a barrel for retaining a plurality of miniature dry cell batteries in series electrical contact;
• a miniature bi-pin lamp bulb having a filament;
• means for holding the miniature bi-pin lamp bulb, said means being retained at least partially within the barrel and adjacent one end thereof and being adapted to locate the bulb filament axially beyond the one end of the barrel;
• a substantially parabolic reflector having a central opening therein adapted to receive the bi-pin lamp bulb;
• a substantially planar lens;
• head means for retaining the reflector and the lens in a mutually fixed relationship being engageable with the barrel at the end the bulb holding means is retained and adapted to be controllably axially translatable along the barrel such that the relative positional relationship between the reflector and the lamp bulb may be varied, thereby varying a reflection dispersion of a light beam emanating through the lens from said miniature bi-pin lamp bulb;
• a tail cap being engageable with the barrel at the end remote from the end engageable with the head means;
• means for electrically coupling a first electrode of the series arranged dry cell batteries to a first pin of the bi-pin lamp bulb;
• means for electrically coupling a second electrode of the series arranged dry cell batteries to a second pin of the bi-pin lamp bulb;
• and
• means positioned between the tail cap and the series arranged dry cell batteries to urge the batteries axially toward the end of the barrel engageable with the head means;
• wherein relative motion of the head means in an axial direction toward the barrel will cause the means urging the batteries axially toward the end of the barrel engageable with the head means to be depressed and thereby open an electrical contact of one of the coupling means and relative motion of the head means in the other axial direction away from the barrel permits closing of the open electrical contact and further relative motion of the head means in the axial direction away from the barrel separates said head means from the barrel to expose the lamp bulb and provide for a dispersion of substantially spherical illumination.