Rechargeable flashlight with multi-position AC plug unit that controls load circuit and charging circuit connections and visual indicator

Apparatus comprising:

• a housing containing a rechargeable battery,
• an AC plug unit having a pair of blades and being pivotally supported in the housing for movement between a non-charging position, in which the blades are retracted into the housing, and a charging position, in which the blades are projected from the housing for insertion into an AC outlet;
• circuitry contained in the housing, including a pair of normally open switch contacts for controlling connection of the battery to a load circuit and a pair of normally closed switch contacts for controlling connection of the battery to a charging circuit;
• wherein the switch contacts are positioned in relation to the plug unit so that when the blades are retracted into the housing, one of the blades provides a conductive connection between the normally open switch contacts and the other blade opens the normally closed switch contacts.

Apparatus for pivotally supporting a body between a pair of walls for movement between a first position and a second position and for releasably locking the body at the second position, comprising:

• a pair of arcuate depressions on the walls;
• a pair of substantially cylindrical pivot members on opposite sides of the body received in the arcuate depressions, respectively, each of the pivot members comprising a pair of protrusions having substantially parallel inwardly facing edges and a pair of arcuate outwardly facing edges;
• a locking plate positioned between each pair of protrusions and having a pair of parallel edges adjacent to the parallel edges of the protrusions for guiding the locking plate between a locking position and an unlocking position and having a pair of opposite arcuate edges which complement the arcuate edges of the protrusions to constitute a substantially cylindrical pivot member when the locking plate is in the unlocking position;
• wherein the body has a push button reciprocatively supported thereon and biased outwardly by a spring, the push button being operatively connected to the locking plates whereby the locking plates are biased toward the locking position, the locking plates having locking elements adapted to engage cooperative fixed locking elements when the body is moved to the locking position.

Apparatus in which a rechargeable battery is adapted to supply power to a load and to be charged from an AC source, comprising:

• a load circuit;
• a charging circuit;
• a switch unit having a first switch position for connecting the battery to the load circuit and a second switch position for disconnecting the battery from the load circuit and connecting the battery to the charging circuit;
• and
• an indicator connected to the switch unit and the charging circuit;
• wherein the indicator has three different indicating conditions, including a first indicating condition when the switch unit connects the battery to the load circuit, a second indicating condition when the switch unit connects the battery to the charging circuit and the charging circuit is not charging the battery, and a third indicating condition when the switch unit connects the battery to the charging circuit and the charging circuit is charging the battery.