Twist-on/twist-off flashlight with shock-mounted bulb assembly and redundant off-switching, particularly for use at the tip of police batons

A flashlight comprising:

• a tubular case having two, a light bulb-end and a battery-end, electrically-conducting tubular sections threaded to each other so as to, by angular rotation relative to one another, screw into each other to a variable extent;
• an electrically insulating means for electrically insulating the electrically-conducting light bulb-end section and the battery-end section from one another over the region of their threaded engagement;
• an electrical connection means for, normally and in the absence of failure, electrically connecting the light bulb-end section to the battery-end section only upon such times as they are screwed together to a first predetermined extent, constituting by this action a first electrical switch;
• a light bulb, capable of being energized by a battery, located within the light-bulb-end section of the tubular case;
• a battery, suitable to energize the light bulb, located and longitudinally moveable within the battery-end section of the tubular case at a position that is, from, time to time, variously proximately to or distant from, and in respective electrical continuity or electrical non-continuity with, an interior butt end of said battery-end section of the tubular case dependent upon whether the light-bulb-end and battery-end sections of the tubular case are screwed together to, respectively, a greater or a lessor degree;
• and
• an electrically non-conducting spring means, located within the battery-end section of the tubular case between its interior butt end and the battery, for force biasing the battery to physical separation from, and electrical non-continuity with, the interior butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case;
• an electrically conductive member affixed to, and electrically conductive with, a one of the battery and the interior butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case at a position between them, the electrically conductive member extending across some of a variable gap between the battery and the interior butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case;
• wherein the battery makes electrical connection to the butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case through the electrically conductive member only upon such times as the light-bulb-end and battery-end sections of the tubular case are screwed together to a second extent, constituting by this action a second electrical switch;
• wherein, dependent upon the magnitude of the extension of the electrically conductive member and of such remainder of the gap between the battery and the case as the member does not span, and further dependent upon a diameter of the case and a pitch of the threading engagement of the light-bulb-end section and the battery-end section of the case, the amount of said second extent of relative rotation between the light-bulb-end section and the battery-end section of the case as will actuate the second electrical switch is predetermined;
• wherein there are two separate, the first and the second, electrical switches located in electrical series within an electrical path between the battery and the light bulb, both of which switches must respectively be closed by rotation of the light-bulb-end section and the battery-end section of the tubular case relative to one another by a greater of the first predetermined extent and the second predetermined extent before, both switches being closed, the light bulb is energized from the battery.

A method of electrically switching a battery power source to a light bulb within a flashlight, the flashlight on/off switching method comprising:

• threading two, a light-bulb-end and a battery-end, electrically-conducting sections of a tubular flashlight case together so as to, by a manual rotation of the sections relative to one another, screw one section into the other to a variable extent;
• electrically insulating the light-bulb-end section from the battery-end section in and during the course of their threaded engagement, making electrical connection between the two electrically-conducting sections only upon such times as they are screwed together to a first predetermined extent, constituting by this action a first electrical switching;
• locating a light bulb, energized by a battery, within the light-bulb-end section of the tubular case;
• locating a battery, suitable to energize the light bulb, in a longitudinally moveable position within the battery-end section of the tubular case, the battery assuming, from, time to time, a position variously proximate to or distant from, and in respective electrical continuity or electrical non-continuity with, a butt end of said battery-end section of the tubular case dependent upon whether the light-bulb-end and battery-end sections of the tubular case are screwed together to, respectively, a greater or a lessor degree;
• and
• locating a spring within the battery-end section of the tubular flashlight case at a position between the battery and the butt end of the battery-section of the case, the spring being itself perpetually electrically non-conducting between the battery and any portion of the case under all conditions of compression or extension;
• force biasing with the spring the battery to physical separation from, and electrical non-continuity with, the butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case;
• affixing an electrically conductive member to, and in electrical conductivity with, a one of the battery and the interior butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case at a position between them, the electrically conductive member so affixed extending across some of a variable gap between the battery and the interior butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case;
• wherein the battery makes electrical connection to the butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case through the electrically conductive member only upon such times as the light-bulb-end section and the battery-end section of the tubular case are screwed together to a second extent, constituting by this action a second electrical switching;
• wherein, dependent upon the extension of the electrically conductive member and the length of such remainder of the gap between the battery and the case as the member does not span, and further dependent upon a diameter of the case and a pitch of the threading engagement of the light-bulb-end section and the battery-end section of the case, the amount of said second extent of relative rotation between the light-bulb-end section and the battery-end section of the case as will actuate the second electrical switch is predetermined;
• wherein the first and the second electrical switching transpires in electrical series in an electrical path between the battery and the light bulb;
• wherein both the first and the second electrical switching must establish continuity responsively to a rotation of the light-bulb-end and the battery-end sections of the tubular case relative to one another each by an associated predetermined extent before the light bulb is energized from the battery.

A removable and replaceable light bulb assembly for a flashlight comprising:

• a generally cylindrical light bulb having a light-emitting filament and a base from which two electrical wire leads extend;
• a generally cylindrical first member of an electrically-insulating shock-absorbing material, the first member having and presenting
• an interior cavity adapted and conformed for holding the light bulb with its filament exposed, and
• a circumferential flange at one cylindrical end,
• wherein one of the two wire leads of the light bulb is routed substantially centrally axially through the body of cylindrical member to a first exterior position substantially at a geometric center of that end of the member whereat exists the flange, thus permitting that a first external electrical contact may subsequently be made at this first position, and
• wherein the remaining one of the two wire leads of the light bulb is routed substantially radially through the body of cylindrical member to an second exterior position substantially along an exterior annulus of the flange and on a side of the flange that is opposite to that side at which the first electrical contact may be made, thus permitting that a second electrical contact may subsequently be made at this second position;
• and
• a generally cylindrical second member of an electrically-conducting rigid and strong material, the second member adapted and conformed for sliding over and the first member until it sleeves the first member in a position abutting the first member's flange, the second member securely holding the first member with the filament of the light bulb exposed in a first axial direction, and with electrical connection to a wire lead of the light bulb at the second position;
• wherein the light bulb held within the first member held within the second member constitute, collectively and in combination, a replaceable assembly for use in a flashlight.

A flashlight comprising:

• a tubular case having two, a light bulb-end and a battery-end, electrically-conducting tubular sections threaded to each other so as to, by angular rotation relative to one another, screw into each other to a variable extent;
• an electrically insulating means for electrically insulating the electrically-conducting light bulb-end section and the battery-end section from one another over the region of their threaded engagement;
• an electrical connection means for, normally and in the absence of failure, electrically connecting the light bulb-end section to the battery-end section only upon such times as they are screwed together to a first predetermined extent, constituting by this action a first electrical switch;
• a removable and replaceable light bulb assembly. capable of being energized by a battery and located within the light-bulb-end section of the tubular case, the assembly including
• a generally cylindrical light bulb having a light-emitting filament and a base from which two electrical wire leads extend;
• a generally cylindrical first member of an electrically-insulating shock-absorbing material, the first member having and presenting
• an interior cavity adapted and conformed for holding the light bulb with its filament exposed, and
• a circumferential flange at one cylindrical end,
• wherein one of the two wire leads of the light bulb is routed substantially centrally axially through the body of cylindrical member to a first exterior position substantially at a geometric center of that end of the member whereat exists the flange, thus permitting that a first external electrical contact may subsequently be made at this first position, and
• wherein the remaining one of the two wire leads of the light bulb is routed substantially radially through the body of cylindrical member to an second exterior position substantially along an exterior annulus of the flange and on a side of the flange that is opposite to that side at which the first electrical contact may be made, thus permitting that a second electrical contact may subsequently be made at this second position;
• and
• a generally cylindrical second member of an electrically-conducting rigid and strong material, the second member adapted and conformed for sliding over and the first member until it sleeves the first member in a position abutting the first member's flange, the second member securely holding the first member with the filament of the light bulb exposed in a first axial direction, and with electrical connection to a wire lead of the light bulb at the second position;
• wherein the light bulb held within the first member held within the second member constitute, collectively and in combination, a replaceable assembly;
• a battery, suitable to energize the light bulb of the light-bulb assembly, located and longitudinally moveable within the battery-end section of the tubular case at a position that is, from, time to time, variously proximately to or distant from, and in respective electrical continuity or electrical non-continuity with, an interior butt end of said battery-end section of the tubular case dependent upon whether the light-bulb-end and battery-end sections of the tubular case are screwed together to, respectively, a greater or a lessor degree;
• and
• an electrically non-conducting spring means, located within the battery-end section of the tubular case between its interior butt end and the battery, for force biasing the battery to physical separation from, and electrical non-continuity with, the interior butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case;
• an electrically conductive member affixed to, and electrically conductive with, a one of the battery and the interior butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case at a position between them, the electrically conductive member extending across some of a variable gap between the battery and the interior butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case;
• wherein the battery makes electrical connection to the butt end of the battery-end section of the tubular case through the electrically conductive member only upon such times as the light-bulb-end and battery-end sections of the tubular case are screwed together to a second, constituting by this action a second electrical switch;
• wherein, dependent upon the extension of the electrically conductive member and the length of such remainder of the gap between the battery and the case as the member does not span, and further dependent upon a diameter of the case and a pitch of the threading engagement of the light-bulb-end section and the battery-end section of the case, the amount of said second extent of relative rotation between the light-bulb-end section and the battery-end section of the case as will actuate the second electrical switch is predetermined;
• wherein there are two separate, the first and the second, electrical switches located in electrical series within an electrical path between the battery and the light bulb, both of which switches must respectively be closed by rotation of the light-bulb-end section and the battery-end section of the tubular case relative to one another by a greater of the first predetermined extent and the second predetermined extent before, both switches being closed, the light bulb is energized from the battery.