U.S. patent application number 10/013547 was filed with the patent office on 2003-06-19 for magnetic compass.
Invention is credited to Chang, Gin-Sung.
Application Number | 20030110650 10/013547 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29273252 |
Filed Date | 2003-06-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030110650 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chang, Gin-Sung |
June 19, 2003 |
MAGNETIC COMPASS
Abstract
A magnetic compass comprises a compass body, an illuminant, a
battery set, a base, and a top lid. The compass body, the
illuminant and the battery set are situated within the interior
section of the base and, furthermore, the illuminant is positioned
at one side of the compass body and its light is projected towards
the peripheral walls of the compass body. As such, the compass body
is illuminated at optimal efficiency and the magnetic compass of
the present invention is effectively usable under low light
conditions.
Inventors: |
Chang, Gin-Sung; (Taichung
Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BROWDY AND NEIMARK, P.L.L.C.
624 NINTH STREET, NW
SUITE 300
WASHINGTON
DC
20001-5303
US
|
Family ID: |
29273252 |
Appl. No.: |
10/013547 |
Filed: |
December 13, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
33/355R |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01C 17/24 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
33/355.00R |
International
Class: |
G01C 017/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A magnetic compass comprising: a compass body having a housing
and a magnetic needle installed inside said housing; an illuminant;
a battery set connected electrically to said illuminant; a base
having: a base body provided in the interior thereof with a
recessed space for receiving said compass body, a battery
compartment disposed at one side of said recessed space for
receiving said battery set, and an illumination component chamber
communicated with said recessed space for receiving said illuminant
such that the emitted light of said illuminant is projected towards
the peripheral walls of the compass body; an opening formed at the
top section of the base body and communicated with said recessed
space admitting said the compass body; a cover covered onto said
opening of the base body, said cover is provided with a readout
window and a push button hole corresponding in location to said
compass body and said battery set; a push button positioned in said
battery compartment and its top portion protrudes through the push
button hole of the cover, thereby pressing the push button
establishes continuity between the battery set and the illuminant,
enabling electrical current from the battery set to be supplied to
the illuminant a top lid pivoted to one end of said base and
adapted to cover the top surface of said base, said top lid is
provided with a built-in magnifying glass.
2. The magnetic compass as defined in claim 1, wherein the base is
provided with a bottom plate, a surrounding plate disposed along
the circumference of the bottom plate and conjoined perpendicularly
to the bottom plate, and a tubular partition plate situated within
the circular periphery of the surrounding plate and partially
conjoined to the surrounding plate; said recessed space is defined
within the confines of the bottom plate and the surrounding plate,
and said opening is defined at the top margin of the bottom plate;
the area delimited by the partition plate forms said battery
compartment and said illumination component chamber is situated on
the partition plate and is communicated with both said recessed
space and said battery compartment.
3. The magnetic compass as defined in claim 2, wherein said base
body is further provided with two mounting posts projecting a
certain height from the top surface of the bottom plate and a
threaded hole is tapped into the upper extent of each of the two
mounting posts; said cover section is covered onto said opening of
said base by respectively fastening two screws into said two
threaded holes of said two mounting posts.
4. The magnetic compass as defined in claim 1, wherein a receptacle
is formed through the bottom of the battery compartment for placing
batteries into the battery compartment and a hatch seals the
receptacle.
5. The magnetic compass as defined in claim 1, wherein said housing
of the compass body is formed of a round housing bottom sealed onto
a tubular housing body; said housing bottom 211 has a bearing mount
projecting from the center of its top surface that provides for the
insertion of a pivot bearing; said housing body has a mounting seat
formed at the center of its interior surface for receiving a
retaining component; said magnetic needle is a lengthy pointed
member, the physical center at the underside of which is supported
on the pivot bearing such that it is capable of rotating freely on
the pivot bearing and, since it is influenced by the force of the
earth's magnetic field, its two extremities respectively point in
the direction of the north and south poles to achieve magnetic
compass functions.
6. The magnetic compass as defined in claim 1, wherein the housing
is filled with a high density liquid.
7. The magnetic compass as defined in claim 5, wherein said housing
body and said housing bottom are both constructed of a transparent
material; said compass body further comprises a compass rose which
is adhesively attached to the bottom section of the housing and its
top surface is inscribed with 360 incrementally numbered radiating
graduations, with the characters N, E, W, and S labeled every 90
graduations; since the housing bottom is constructed of a
transparent material, the graduations, numbers and characters on
the top surface of the compass rose are viewable from the upper
extent of the housing.
8. The magnetic compass as defined in claim 5, wherein compass body
further comprises a decorative ring that is conjoined to the outer
circumference along the top edge of the housing body, and a
plurality of ridges are formed on the annular surface of said
decorative ring to enhance appearance.
9. The magnetic compass as defined in claim 1, wherein said battery
set is formed of two flat cylindrical lithium batteries which are
stacked one by one into said battery compartment.
10. The magnetic compass as defined in claim 1 further comprising a
conductive copper ring that is placed into said battery compartment
and connected with said two lithium batteries to conduct current
from the two batteries.
11. The magnetic compass as defined in claim 10, wherein said
illuminant is a light-emitting diode which is placed into the
illumination component chamber facing the peripheral walls of the
compass body such that emitted light of the illuminant is projected
towards the peripheral walls of the compass body; said illuminant
is provided with a positive terminal connected to said conductive
cooper ring and a negative terminal disposed at an area between the
negative end of the battery set and the bottom section of the push
button; said push button is positioned with its bottom section
against the negative terminal of the illuminant such that its top
portion protrudes outside the push button hole of the cover,
thereby pressing the push button impels the negative terminal of
the illuminant to contact the negative end of the battery set,
causing electrical continuity between the illuminant and the
battery set to thereby power the illuminant.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a magnetic
compass, and more particularly to the magnetic compass having an
illuminating device therein and simple structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] As more people participate in outdoor leisure activities
(such as mountain climbing and camping), there has been a
proportionate increase in the demand for magnetic compasses. A
conventional magnetic compass, such as that in U.S. Pat. No.
6,145,209, consists of numerous structural components and requires
complicated and, furthermore, precise assembly to complete, with
the objective of achieving reading accuracy through a biconvex lens
that magnifies compass rose graduations. In addition to utilization
by the average layman in leisure activities, such magnetic
compasses are used for military applications and issued to
soldiers.
[0003] Another type of magnetic compass, such as that in U.S.
Design No. D369,982, has an aiming plate, scaling ruler, and other
map-reading compass features for ascertaining position and
distance.
[0004] Although the above two magnetic compasses are utilized by
people for leisure activities, the magnetic compass disclosed by
U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,209 has an inordinate number of structural
components and is highly difficult to produce, it has a higher
price that is not readily accepted by consumers. Although the
magnetic compass taught by U.S. Design No. D369,982 has a scaling
ruler and is capable of measuring actual distances on maps, most
people do not understand how to use it and cannot take advantage of
all the functions; the magnetic compass is also more expensive
because it utilizes a large quantity of acrylic material. In
addition, the magnetic compasses are of greater dimensions and
weight, making them inconvenient to carry and, as a result, the
magnetic compasses are not in widespread use among consumers.
[0005] Furthermore, to facilitate nighttime use, U.S. Pat. No.
6,145,209 discloses a lighting member situated on the bottom
section of a mounting plate and since the light source is directed
upward from the bottom section, light penetrates the compass rose
disposed on the mounting plate to illuminate the graduations of the
compass rose, thereby allowing the user to take readings. The
drawback of such a design is that since the light source is
projected from the bottom section of the compass rose, the
projected light produces a diminutive bright spot that only
illuminates a limited portion of the compass rose, which does not
result in the most optimal illumination of the compass rose.
Furthermore, since the illuminating device has numerous structural
components and assembly is complicated, the production cost and
retail price of the magnetic compass is significantly higher, a
factor that inhibits consumer purchasing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide
a magnetic compass, which has fewer structural components as well
as a lower production cost and is easier to assemble.
[0007] Another objective of the invention herein to provide a
magnetic compass having an illuminating device, which enhances the
utility of the compass in dark.
[0008] To achieve the objectives above, the present invention
provides a magnetic compass comprising a compass body having a
housing and a magnetic needle situated inside the housing, an
illuminant, a battery set, a base, a cover, a push button and a top
lid. The base is provided with a base body having an internally
formed recessed space, a battery compartment, and an illumination
component chamber, wherein the compass body is situated within the
recessed space. The battery compartment is disposed at one side of
the recessed space and adapted to receive the battery set. The
illumination component chamber is contiguous to the recessed space
and the illuminant is positioned in the illumination component
chamber such that its rays of emitted light are projected towards
the peripheral walls of the compass body and, furthermore, the
illuminant is connected to the battery set. In addition, an opening
is formed at the top section of the base body that is contiguous
with the recessed space and which is utilized to place the compass
body into the recessed space. The opening of the base body is
sealed by the cover. The cover is provided with a readout window
and a push button hole corresponding in location to said compass
body and said battery set. The push button is positioned in the
battery compartment and, furthermore, its top portion protrudes
through the push button hole of the cover. Pressing the push button
establishes continuity between the battery set and the illuminant,
enabling electrical current from the battery set to be supplied to
the illuminant. The top lid is pivoted to one end of the base that
folds down over the top surface of the base. In addition, the top
lid is provided with a magnifying glass.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of
the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of
the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a sectional view tacked along a line 4-4 as shown
in FIG. 3.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment of
the present invention illustrating the operation of the present
invention.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of
the present invention showing the operation of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the magnetic compass 1 of a preferred
embodiment of the present invention comprises basically a base 10,
a compass body 20, a battery set 30, a conductive copper ring 40,
an illuminant 50, a push button 60, a top lid 70.
[0016] The base 10 is provided with a base body 11 and a cover 12,
of which:
[0017] The base body 11 has a bottom plate 111, a surrounding plate
112 disposed along the circumference of the bottom plate 111 and,
furthermore, conjoined perpendicularly to the bottom plate 111, a
tubular partition plate 113 situated within the circumferential
periphery of the surrounding plate 112 and, furthermore, partially
conjoined to the surrounding plate 112, and two mounting posts 114
projecting a certain height from the top surface of the bottom
plate 111. A recessed space 115 is defined within the confines of
the bottom plate 111 and the surrounding plate 112 and,
furthermore, a circular opening is formed along the top margin of
the bottom plate 111 that is contiguous with the recessed space
115; the area delimited by the partition plate 113 forms a battery
compartment 116 situated at one side of the recessed space 115,
with a receptacle formed through the bottom of the battery
compartment 116 for placing batteries into the battery compartment
116 and, furthermore, a hatch 117 seals the receptacle.
Additionally, a threaded hole 118 is tapped into the upper extent
of each of the two mounting posts 114 and an illumination component
chamber 119 is situated on the partition plate 113, with the
illumination component chamber 119 contiguous to both the recessed
space 115 and the battery compartment 116.
[0018] The cover 12 is sealed onto the opening of the base body 11
by respectively fastening two screws 13 into the two threaded holes
118 of the two mounting posts 114. The cover 12 is provided with a
push button hole 121 and a readout window 122 corresponding in
location to the battery compartment 116 and the recessed space 115
respectively.
[0019] The compass body 20 is comprised of a housing 21, a magnetic
needle 22, a compass rose 23, and a decorative ring 23. The housing
21 consists of a transparent round housing bottom 211 sealed onto a
transparent tubular housing body 212. The housing bottom 211 has a
bearing mount 213 projecting from the center of its top surface
that provides for the insertion of a pivot bearing 214. The housing
body 212 has a mounting seat 215 formed at the center of its
interior surface for receiving a retaining component 216. The
magnetic needle 22 is a lengthy pointed member, the physical center
at the underside of which is supported on the pivot bearing 214
such that it is capable of rotating freely on the pivot bearing 214
and, since it is influenced by the force of the earth's magnetic
field, its two extremities respectively point in the direction of
the north and south poles to achieve magnetic compass functions.
The retaining component 216 presses the top center section of the
magnetic needle 22 so as to prevent the dislodging of the magnetic
needle 22 from the pivot bearing 214. In addition, the housing 21
is filled with a liquid that minimizes excessive oscillation during
the rotation of the magnetic needle 22. The compass rose 23 is
adhesively attached to the bottom section of the housing 21 and its
top surface is inscribed with 360 incrementally numbered radiating
graduations, with the characters N, E, W, and S labeled every 90
graduations. Since the housing bottom 211 is constructed of a
transparent material, the graduations, numbers and characters on
the top surface of the compass rose 23 are viewable from the upper
extent of the housing 21. The decorative ring 23 is conjoined to
the outer circumference along the top edge of the housing body 212
and a plurality of ridges 241 are formed on its annular surface to
enhance appearance.
[0020] The compass body 20 is placed through the opening of the
base body 11 into the recessed space 115 of the base body 11 and
its bottom section is adhesively attached to the bottom plate 111
of the base body 11, thereby fixing the compass body 20 within the
recessed space 115 of the base body 11.
[0021] The battery set 30 is consisted of two flat cylindrical
lithium batteries 31 which are stacked one by one and placed into
the battery compartment 116 of the base body 11.
[0022] The conductive copper ring 40 is placed into the battery
compartment 116 and utilized to hold the respectively connected two
lithium batteries 31 and conduct current from the two lithium
batteries 31.
[0023] According to this embodiment, the illuminant 50 is a
light-emitting diode (LED). The illuminant 50 is placed into the
illumination component chamber 119, with the light-emitting head
facing the peripheral walls of the compass body 20 such that the
rays of light emitted are projected towards the peripheral walls of
the compass body 20. The illuminant 50 is provided with two
electric current input terminals, that is, a positive terminal 51
and a negative terminal 52. The positive terminal 51 in continuity
with the conductive copper ring 40. The negative terminal 52 is
disposed at an area between the positive end of the battery set 30
and the bottom section of the push button 60.
[0024] The push button 60 is positioned in the battery compartment
116 with its bottom section against the negative terminal 52 of the
illuminant 50 and such that its top portion protrudes outside the
push button hole 121 of the cover section 12. Pressing the push
button 60 impels the negative terminal 52 of the illuminant 50 to
contact the negative end of the battery set 30, causing electrical
continuity between the illuminant 50 and the battery set 30 to
thereby power the illuminant 50.
[0025] The top lid 70 is pivoted to one end of the base 10 by means
of a hinge shaft 80 such that the top lid 70 folds down over the
top surface of the base 10 and thereby protects the compass body 20
from external impact. It can also be folded up off the top surface
of the base 10 to allow reading information from the compass body
20. In addition, the top lid 70 is provided with a magnifying glass
90.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 5, when the magnetic compass 1 is in
operation, the top lid 70 is first folded away from the top surface
of the base 10, following which the user glances through the
readout window 122 of the cover 12 to see the directional
information from the compass body 20 and since reading the
directional information indicated by magnetic compass needle is
commonly known, this aspect shall not be further elaborated.
[0027] If the user utilizes the magnetic compass 1 at night or in
low light conditions, pressing down the push button 60 causes the
illuminant 50 to emit light rays towards the peripheral walls of
the compass body 20 and since the housing 21 of the compass body 20
is fabricated out of a transparent material, the light emitted by
the illuminant 50 illuminates the magnetic needle 22 and the
compass rose 23 of the compass body 20 so that the user can read
the direction and, furthermore, due to light ray diffraction
principles, the radiance of the illuminant 50 highlights a broader
area for optimal illumination.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 6, in addition to the graduated
directional information and illumination capabilities, the
magnifying glass 90 of the top lid 70 can be utilized by the user
to magnify small objects (such as tiny organisms) or
compass-related information (such as the smaller print and
indications on maps), thereby facilitating the examination of
minute objects or the reading of fine details by the user.
[0029] Given the structure of the magnetic compass 1 constituting
the most preferred embodiment of the invention herein as well as
the elaboration of its utilization, the advantages of the magnetic
compass 1 are as follows:
[0030] 1. Since the magnetic compass 1 requires less structural
components, is of a straightforward structure and, furthermore, is
easy to fabricate, its production cost is lower, resulting in a
price that is acceptable to a broader spectrum of consumers and a
product that is suitable for outdoor leisure activity
applications.
[0031] 2. Since the magnetic compass 1 has an illuminant 50 that is
situated at the lateral aspect of the compass body 20 and,
furthermore, its light source is projected from the lateral aspect
of the compass body 20, its illumination efficiency is effectively
optimized, thereby facilitating the reading of information from the
compass body 20 by the user in areas of poor illumination, which is
among the technological features of the present invention.
[0032] 3. Since the magnetic compass 1 has a push button 60 that is
positioned at the top portion of the base body 11, the operation is
easier.
* * * * *