Combined Tool Holder And Flashlight

Abstract

In a combination of a tool holder and a flashlight, the flashlight proper illuminates the area in which work is being performed by the particular tool inserted into the tool holder. Various tools may be inserted into the tool holder. To simplify operation of such a composite device the casing of the flashlight is adapted to perform two functions, i.e. to receive the dry cells for operating the flashlight, and to store additional tools which may be inserted selectively into the tool holder.

Description

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In a combined tool holder and flashlight including a substantially tubular housing for dry cell means closed on one of the end surfaces thereof by a lens arranged in front of an incandescent lamp and supporting a chuck for selectively securing various tools to said lens the aforementioned housing defines, in addition to a dry-cell-receiving chamber, a separate chamber for tools to be received by said chuck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the invention partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section;

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the invention substantially in the same fashion as FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section of the structure of FIG. 2 taken along III--III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the invention partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section;

FIG. 5 is a section along V--V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the structure of FIG. 4 seen in the direction of the arrow R of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 showing the inside of the structure as seen upon removal of its top portion;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the support for the incandescent lamp of the structure of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a vertical section of a component of the support shown in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the component shown in FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, numeral 1 has been applied to indicate the housing of a flashlight. Housing 1 is substantially in the shape of an elongated tubing and preferably made of a synthetic resin or a plastic material. The front end of the housing 1 of the flashlight has a portion 1" which is in the shape of a frustum of a cone, and has cylindrical externally screw-threaded extension 1"' on which an internally screw-threaded clamping ring 2 is mounted. Clamping ring 2 is intended to secure to flashlight housing 1 an integral unit including a light-transmittant lens 3, a chuck 4 for interchangeably, or selectively, supporting tools 5 such as, for instance, a screwdriver, and a concave reflector 11. The latter has not been shown in FIG. 1, but has been clearly illustrated in FIG. 4. Housing 1 defines a substantially cylindrical chamber 1a for receiving a dry cell 6 intended to energize an incandescent lamp 7 arranged in the center of reflector 11 and supported by the latter, as will be set forth below more in detail in connection with FIGS. 4 and 7. The bottom of dry cell 6 rests upon a resilient angularly bent end portion 8a of a contact strip 8 establishing a current path including incandescent lamp 7. This current path is controlled by a switch of which but its operating member 9 has been shown in FIG. 1. Housing 1 is subdivided by a transverse partition 1' into the aforementioned chamber 1a for receiving dry cell 6, and a lower chamber 1b intended to receive a variety of tools to which reference character 5 has been applied. Tool chamber 1b is closed by a cap 10 which may readily be removed from housing 1, thus giving access to various tools inside of chamber 1b of which each may readily be interchanged with the screwdriver 5 shown to be inserted into chuck 4. The increase in length of housing 1 resulting from the provision of tool-storing chamber 1b makes it possible for housing 1 to be handled more readily, and to be inserted deep into relatively dark spaces wherein some work is intended to be performed calling for the use of one of the tools inserted into chuck 4. The outside of housing 1 is preferably slightly outwardly flaring from the bottom end thereof to the tool end or lens end thereof. The cross section of the outer surface of housing 1 is preferably in the shape of a multisided polygon to facilitate the handling thereof.

The same reference characters as in FIG. 1 have been applied in the other figures to indicate like parts. Therefore FIGS. 2 to 9 require a detailed description only to the extent that the structures shown therein differ significantly from the structure shown in FIG. 1, and described in connection with this figure.

The structure shown in FIG. 2 differs from that shown in FIG. 1 on account of the fact that it is adapted to house two superimposed serially connected dry cells 6 for energizing incandescent lamp 7 rather than but one single such cell. These dry cells 6 are arranged in a cell chamber 1a which occupies substantially the entire length of housing 1. Cells 2 have a relatively small diameter, and cell chamber 1a is laterally bounded by cylindrical partition 1c arranged in coaxial relation to the outer wall 1d of housing 1. Radial webs 1e extend between the outer wall 1d of housing 1 and cylindrical partition 1c, thus forming a plurality of segregated tool-receiving chambers 1b. A pair of the aforementioned radial webs 1e defines a groovelike recess 1f receiving current-carrying strip 8 whose angularly bent contact end 8a forms a support for the two dry cells 6. Recess 1f is open toward cell-receiving chamber 1a so that the resilient angularly bent lower end 8a of current-carrying strip 8 may project from recess 1f into the chamber 1a.

It will be apparent from FIG. 2 that the compartments into which tool-receiving chamber 1b is subdivided by radial webs 1e have open ends at the side of the housing 1 remote from incandescent lamp 7, these open ends being situated within housing 1. The end of housing 1 remote from incandescent lamp 7 is provided with a cap or cover means 10 for restraining any of the tools which may be placed into the aforementioned compartments. The dry-cell-receiving chamber 1a formed by cylindrical partition 1c is closed by bottom portion 1' at the end remote from incandescent lamp 7 and open at the end thereof adjacent incandescent lamp 7, as shown more in detail in the figures which are described below.

It will be apparent from a comparison of FIGS. 1 and 2 that the structure of FIG. 2 is shorter than that of FIG. 1 because the superimposed and serially connected dry cells 6 involve a smaller aggregate length than that of the single dry cell of FIG. 1 plus that of tool chamber 1b of FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 to 9, inclusive, the principal difference between the structure shown in FIGS. 1-3 and that shown in the other figures resides in the fact that the dry cell chamber 1a of the flashlight shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is arranged in noncoaxial relation with its housing 1 or, in other words, the dry cell chamber 1a is situated off center. Thus the outer wall of housing 1 and the internal cylindrical partition 1c thereof define jointly a tool-receiving chamber 1b which is substantially sickle-shaped in transverse cross section as can best be seen in FIG. 5. The width of tool-receiving chamber 1b at the end thereof remote from its pointed end is relatively large, and therefore lends itself to receiving relatively bulky tools 5, or tools having a shank of relatively large diameter. The axis of tools 5 in chuck 4 and the axis of the incandescent lamp 7 are parallel to, but spaced from, the axis of dry cell 6. Parts 3, 4 and 5 are arranged in coaxial relation to casing 1. While the structures of FIGS. 1 and 2 allow the provision of conventional contact means between the upper center contact, or contacts of dry cells 6 and the sockets (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), of incandescent lamps 7, the structure of FIGS. 4 to 6 calls for an unconventional socket for incandescent lamp 7 on account of the eccentric arrangement of dry cell 6 and incandescent lamp 7.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 9 the concave reflector 11 is provided at is apex portion with a tubular coaxial extension 11a forming an integral part of reflector 11. Mounted on extension 11a is a metal sleeve 12 provided with an internal screw shell or screw socket 12a for incandescent lamp 7. Screw shell, or screw socket 12a is surrounded by a sleeve 13 of insulating material. The upper edge of insulating sleeve 13 abuts against a shoulder formed by metal sleeve 12, and insulating sleeve 13 engages frictionally the outer surface of screw shell, or screw socket 12a. The lower end of insulating sleeve 13 is provided with a flange 13a extending radially outwardly from the sleeve proper. A circular metal cap 14 is crimped at 14a around flange 13a of sleeve 13. The bottom of cap 14 is provided with a substantially U-shaped slit 14c, thus defining a resilient metal tab 14b. Metal tab 14b projects sufficiently far radially outwardly to engage the upper center terminal of dry cell 6, thus making it possible to establish a current path through incandescent lamp 7.

Dry cell 6 is biased upwardly by spirally wound spring 8a resting upon an angularly bent portion of current conductor 8 leading up to a switch of which but slide handle 9 has been shown in FIG. 4. Slide handle 9 has a cam (not shown) engaging current conductor 8. In the lower limit position of slide handle 9 current conductor 8 is allowed to flex radially outwardly out of engagement with the lateral wall of the shoulder portion of metal sleeve 12. In that position of slide handle 9 the current path through incandescent lamp 7 is interrupted. Raising of slide handle 9 to its upper limit position causes engagement between the upper end of resilient current conductor 8 and the shoulder portion of sleeve 12, as clearly shown in FIG. 4. This establishes a current path energizing incandescent lamp 7. This current path is as follows: Lower terminal of dry cell 6, spring 8a, current conductor 8, sleeve 12, screw shell or screw socket 12a integral with sleeve 12, filament of incandescent lamp 7, center contact of incandescent lamp 7, tab 14b, upper terminal of dry cell 6.

Reflector 11 and parts 12, 12a, 13 and 14 form a subassembly. This subassembly is established by mounting sleeve 12 on tubular extension 11a of reflector 11 which forms an integral part of the former. Lens 3 is preferably made of a colorless transparent plastic. Lens 3 defines on its inside a coaxial cylindrical cavity 3' having substantially the same inner diameter as the outer diameter of an upstanding cylindrical portion 11' of reflector 11. When the subassembly 11, 12, 12a, 13 and 14 engages with the aforementioned cylindrical projection 11' the cavity 3' of lens 3, the subassembly 11, 12, 12a, 13 and 14 is frictionally supported by lens 3.

It will be apparent from the above that the three embodiments of the invention illustrated and described are intended to be illustrative rather than to limit the invention.

Claims

I claim as my invention:

1. A combined tool holder and flashlight including a substantially tubular housing for dry cell means closed on one of the end surfaces thereof by a lens arranged in front of an incandescent lamp and supporting a chuck for selectively securing various tools to said lens wherein

a. said housing is provided with an internal partition subdividing said housing into a dry-cell-receiving chamber and a tool-receiving chamber, the outer wall of said housing and said internal partition being interconnected by a plurality of radially extending integral webs subdividing said tool-receiving chamber into a plurality of separate compartments and one of said plurality of webs defining a groove-shaped recess open at the side thereof adjacent said dry-cell-receiving chamber and accommodating a current conductor having a lower bent resilient end projecting out of said groove-shaped recess into said dry-cell-receiving chamber;

b. said dry-cell-receiving chamber is open at the end thereof adjacent said incandescent lamp and closed by a bottom portion at the end thereof remote from said incandescent lamp;

c. the ends of said plurality of separate compartments remote from said incandescent lamp are open and situated within said housing; and wherein

d. the end of said housing remote from said incandescent lamp is provided with a cover means for retaining within said housing tools placed in any of said plurality of compartments.

2. A combined tool holder and flashlight including a substantially tubular housing for dry cell means closed at one end surface thereof by a lens arranged in front of an incandescent lamp and supporting a chuck for selectively securing various tools to said lens, wherein the outer wall of said housing and an internal coaxial partition thereof forming a dry-cell-receiving chamber are interconnected by a plurality of radially extending integral webs, said plurality of webs defining a plurality of tool-receiving chambers separate from each other, and one pair of said plurality of webs defining a groove-shaped recess open on the side thereof adjacent said dry-cell-receiving chamber and accommodating a current conductor having a lower bent resilient end projecting out of said groove-shaped recess into said dry-cell-receiving chamber.

3. A combined tool holder and flashlight including a substantially tubular housing for dry cell means closed at one end surface thereof by a lens arranged in front of an incandescent lamp and supporting a chuck for selectively securing various tools to said lens wherein said housing is provided with a partition subdividing said housing into a noncoaxial dry-cell-receiving chamber and into a tool-receiving chamber substantially sickle-shaped in cross section having a relatively small width adjacent one end thereof and a relatively large width adjacent the opposite end thereof, and wherein the common axis of said lens and said incandescent lamp are spaced from the axis of said dry-dell-receiving chamber and wherein said incandescent lamp has screw socket means extending sufficiently far radially outwardly to establish contact with the center terminal of a dry cell arranged in said dry-cell-receiving chamber.

4. A combined tool holder and flashlight as specified in claim 3 wherein said incandescent lamp is surrounded by a concave reflector having a tubular extension at the apex region thereof, a metal sleeve being mounted on said extension and having a lamp-receiving screw shell forming an integral part thereof, an insulating sleeve having a flange being mounted on said metal sleeve, a metal cap being crimped around said flange and a flexible tab being formed by said cap, said tab extending substantially radially outwardly from said common axis of said lens and said incandescent lamp toward the axis of said dry-cell-receiving chamber.