Hand Lamp With Pivotable Wire Cage Section

Abstract

A portable hand lamp having a bulb-protecting cage with a pivotable wire cage section, and releasable locking means on the handle coacting with the lower ends of vertical wires of the pivotable section embodying diagonal edges releasably holding a pair of wires and a bar and lip combination coacting to keep the front section in closed position.

Description

The invention herein pertains to improvements in hand lamps for incandescent bulbs with wire or bar-like members forming a protective shield about the incandescent bulb mounted in the handle of the hand lamp. There are numerous types of bulb protecting-wire cage or shield structures known in the art. In some instances the entire cage is removed to replace a bulb. In other instances the handle-remote end of the cage has an opening large enough to allow an incandescent bulb to pass therethrough. In still further instances, the wire cage may have mounted thereon a reflector, or the rear portion of the lamp protecting member may constitute a solid metal reflector or shield, such as shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,907, with a pivotable wire cage front section mounted thereon.

The features of the invention herein reside principally in hand lamps with a pivotable wire or rod cage section pivotally mounted at the handle-remote end of the cage, preferably by hooked ends of the wires in a pair of apertured discs. A pair of ears or plates mounted on the handle have diagonal cam edges releasably engaging the lower ends of the two outermost, vertical wires of the pivotable section of the wire cage. A horizontal lip extends between said ears or plates, beneath which a bar or rod is seated when the pivotable section is in the closed position. These improvements provide a secure locking of the lower end of the pivotable cage section with the bulb socket portion of the handle of the hand lamp.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front, perspective view of a hand lamp;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, side elevation of the wire cage of the lamp with the cage in closed position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, cross-section view taken on section plane 3--3 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the upper portion of the wire cage with its front portion swung pivotably outwardly;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the wire cage taken on section plane 5--5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the handle and bulb socket taken on section plane 6--6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, side elevation of the hand lamp with the pivotable wire cage portion swung outwardly;

FIG. 8 is a section view taken on section plane 8--8 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary, front elevation similar to FIG. 7 with the pivotable cage portion in closed position.

Referring to the drawings, the hand lamp 10 comprises a handle 11 of any suitable, preferably dielectric, material, such as a phenolic resin, a synthetic rubber or the like. An electric, three-wire cord 12 enters the handle 11 at its lower end and is connected with the threaded lamp socket 13 and the contacts of the receptacle 17 in the conventional manner.

The upper portion of the handle 11 comprises a cylindrical neck 14 and a laterally projecting hand guard 15 molded as integral parts of the handle 11. The hand guard 15 has a flat upper surface 16.

The bulb enveloping, protective wire cage 20 comprises a front section 21 and a rear section 22. The rear section 22 is composed of four vertical wires joined together by a pair of horizontal, arcuate, banding wires 24 and 25. The aforesaid wires of the lamp protecting cage, as well as other wires thereof hereafter described, may also be bars. If desired, the rear section may constitute a solid metal reflector of the type shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,907. The front section of the bulb-protecting envelope comprises two vertical wires 26, an outer vertical wire 27 and another outer vertical wire 28. The latter wires have a bend 29, the purpose of which is later described. The wires 26-28 of the front section are joined as a unit by a pair of horizontal, arcuate banding wires 30 and 31.

The upper portions of the vertical wires are mounted in a pair of discs 32, 33 which respectively contain a circle of spaced apertures 34. The upper ends of the vertical wires 23 and 26-28 pass through respective aligned apertures in the two discs and are crimped into hooked ends 35 of approximately 180.degree.. The bends 29 in the wires 27 and 28 form wire leg portions 36 and 37 in a manner approximately aligning the sections 36 and 37 of the hooked ends 35 with the corresponding bends of the wires 26 forming leg portions 26a. This orientation of the legs 36 and 37 allows the front section 21 to be pivoted by movement of the hooked ends 35 in the respective apertures 34 to a position as shown in FIG. 4, in which position access may be gained to the lamp bulb for removing or replacing it. Leg portions 26a, 36 and 37 are approximately parallel and extend in the direction at which the front section 21 swings outwardly.

If desired, a hook 40 having a shank 41 may be mounted in the center of the discs 32, 33 by flaring its lower end into a flared head 42. Preferably, the discs 32 and 33 have therebetween a bulge 43 formed in the shaft of hook 41 to permit slight relative movement of the two discs and also support the hook and allow it to be rotated. The shape of the hooked ends 35 may provide a binding action between the hooked ends and their respective apertures when the front section 21 is swung upwardly, thereby keeping the cage in open position.

The rear section 22 has the lower ends of its vertical wires 26 provided with inward bends 45 and vertical tips 46. The vertical tips 46 are clamped in the respective corners 47 of a semi-octagonal band 48. This band 48 has lateral ears 49 and 50 which are bolted to the legs 60 and 61, described infra. The neck 53 of the handle 11 has a flange 54. A semi-circular band may be used instead of the semi-octagonal band 48.

The outermost wires 28 and 27 have inwardly bent lower leg portions 56 terminating in vertical tips 57. These legs have sufficient resiliency to allow them to spring inwardly into the space behind the diagonal frontal cam edges 58a and 59a of the plates 58 and 59. The plates 58 and 59 respectively have a vertical leg 60 and 61 forming the end portions of the semi-circular front band 64. The front band 64 and semi-octagonal band 48 are held on opposite sides of the lateral ears 51 and 52 of the handle by the bolts 62 and 63. The two vertical wires 26 of the pivotal front section of the wire cage have at their lower ends inward bends 66 and 67 terminating in substantially vertical tips 68 and 69. A horizontal plate or bar 70 is fixedly joined and extends between the tips 68 and 69. With the wire cage in closed position, the bar or plate 70 fits snugly beneath the flat horizontal underside 73 of forwardly projecting lip 72 of the front band 64. This provides a positive locking action in coaction with the hooked plates 58 and 59 whereby accidental dropping of the lamp or other forces, e.g., twisting, applied against the wire cage will not cause the cage to accidentally open.

It is thought that the invention and its numerous attendant advantages will be fully understood from the foregoing description, and it is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages, the form herein disclosed being a preferred embodiment for the purpose of illustrating the invention.

Claims

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A hand lamp having a member for protecting the lamp bulb thereof comprising a hollow handle, a lamp bulb socket mounted in the upper end of said handle, a lamp bulb protecting member mounted on the upper end of said handle, said bulb protecting member including a cage of wires or bars pivotably supported at its upper end on said bulb protecting member, a portion of said wires or bars being two central and two sidemost vertical wires or bars, holding means on said handle, said holding means comprising a pair of horizontally spaced catch members, the sidemost wires or bars having respective lower ends springably latched behind said catch members, a horizontal lip on said handle, said lip having a flat horizontal underside projecting forwardly between said catch members, and a horizontal bar attached to and extending between the lower ends of the two central vertical wires or bars, said horizontal bar having a horizontal upper edge lying snugly against the flat underside of said horizontal lip when said lower ends of said sidemost wires or bars are latched behind said catch members.

2. A hand lamp as claimed in claim 1, band means around the upper end of said handle, and said horizontal lip projecting forwardly from said band means substantially midway between said catch members.

3. A hand lamp as claimed in claim 2, and said catch members being mounted on said band means and projecting forwardly therefrom.

4. A hand lamp as claimed in claim 3, said catch members having diagonal cam edges behind which said sidemost wires are springably latched.

5. A hand lamp as claimed in claim 3, said catch members being forwardly projecting plates having said diagonal cam edges on the inner edges of the respective plates.