Portable Illumination Device

Abstract

A portable illumination device consisting of a substantially flat battery having a top and bottom surface and having a bulb receiving means provided substantially in the center of the battery in which the positive and negative terminals of the battery are disposed. The bulb receiving means comprises a socket which is disposed co-axially within, and may be a metal socket, or integrally formed in, the carbon electrode of the battery. The socket forms the positive terminal of the battery, while a zinc can surrounding the battery forms the negative electrode.

Description

This invention relates to portable illumination devices, and in particular to a flat battery having a lamp socket integrally formed therein for receiving and energizing a lamp and thereby providing illumination.

Previous portable illumination devices have utilized a dry cell battery in combination with a separate light bulb socket, both disposed within a common casing. This arrangement, while generally satisfactory for some purposes, is subject to a number of objections and disadvantages when utilized to provide illumination on gift packages and ornaments. Because these arrangements are aggregations of separate elements, they result in illumination devices of objectionable height due to the fact that the light bulb socket and light bulb must be disposed on the top of the battery which is usually cylindrical in shape.

In accordance with the present invention, this disadvantage is eliminated by providing a substantially flat battery with a bulb receiving means disposed within the battery itself. This eliminates the need for an external casing and enables such illumination devices to be utilized to illuminate gift packages, decorative ornaments or the like.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new and useful portable illumination device which is adapted for use on gift packages, decorative ornaments and the like and whose structure is substantially reduced in height.

It is another object according to the present invention to provide an illumination device which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, and reliable in operation.

Other objects and features of the invention will become more readily apparent with the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portable illumination device made in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, partially broken away;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the invention showing the manner in which it is applied to a gift package or ornament when in use;

FIG. 5 is a disassembled perspective view of the illumination device shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a portable illumination device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a top cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 6, partially broken away;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the lamp shown in the embodiment of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 6 showing the manner in which it is applied to a gift package when in use.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a flat annular battery 10 having a light bulb 11 disposed in a socket 12 provided in the battery. Battery 10 may be any type of primary cell, such as the well-known Leclanche dry cell, and consists of a solid zinc cylindrical shell 13 having top surface 14 and bottom surface 15, also of zinc, which form together the negative electrode of the battery. The positive electrode consists of a carbon electrode rod 16 disposed within the cylindrical shell and insulated from the top zinc surface 14 by an insulating member 17. Electrode 16 is imbedded in a depolarizing core 18 which consists, for example, of a black mixture of managanese dioxide and carbon black. A layer of electrolyte paste 19 is disposed between core 18 and zinc electrode 13, and commonly consists of a solution of ammonium chloride and zinc chloride in water.

Lamp 11 is provided with base 20 which has a contact terminal 21 disposed on its bottom surface. When bulb 11 is screwed all the way into socket 12, terminal 21 will engage the bottom zinc surface 15 and the bulb will thus be energized. Metal socket 12 is disposed concentrically with and extends entirely through the length of carbon rod 16. Socket 12 is insulated from the top surface 14 by insulating member 17, as previously stated, and is insulated from the bottom zinc surface 15 by a second insulating member 22. A circular aperture is provided in insulating member 22 in the region of bulb contact 21 so as to expose the zinc electrode and allow terminal 21 to contact the zinc when the bulb is screwed into socket 12. It should be noted that means other than socket 12 may be used to receive the base of bulb 11, such as providing bulb threads for base 20 directly within carbon rod 16.

The battery is also provided with an expansion chamber 23, a plastic seal 24 and seal supporting washer 25. In fabricating such a battery, it is practical to further provide the battery with a coating of duplex moisture-proof asphaltum board and an insulated metal shell, respectively, to provide a sealed casing for the dry cell.

In FIG. 3, a portable illumination device, is shown applied to a gift package 124. Battery 10 is covered by a ribbon or flower 25 and is secured to package 24 by a layer of adhesive (not shown) on the bottom surface of the battery.

FIG. 5 shows the portable illumination device of FIG. 3 in disassembled condition. The base 20 of light bulb 11 extends through a snaplock 26 provided at the center of flower or ribbon 25 and into bulb receiving means 12 provided in battery 10. Securement to package 24 is provided by adhesive layer 29 which is affixed to the bottom surface of battery 10. Alternatively, the portable illumination device may be used on a decorative ornament 27 as shown in FIG. 4. An outer cover 28 having an aperture through which lamp 11 extends, is disposed over the top portion of ornament 27 and conceals battery 10.

In FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are shown a second embodiment of the portable illumination device previously described. The battery 10 shown in FIG. 6 is of the same type as that shown and described in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, the battery shown in FIG. 6 is of a rectangular shape, instead of being annular. The battery is provided with an elongated shaped lamp 11a having a base consisting of a rectangular collar 20a and a truncated oval-shaped base 20b. The base is constructed from non-conductive material, such as plastic, or other suitable material. The bulb is provided with external contact terminals 30 and 31 which extend down through the glass portion of the bulb and exit from the base at the bottom and at the side. Battery 10 is provided with a rectangular-shaped carbon electrode 16a disposed substantially within the center of the battery. Electrode 16a is also provided with a truncated oval-shaped recess adapted to slidably receive base 20b of bulb 11a. When the bulb is inserted into the recess, contact terminal 31 engages bottom zinc surface 15 of the battery and contact terminal 30 engages the side wall of the recess in electrode 16a. The bulb will thus be energized. The recess of electrode 16a may be integrally formed with the electrode as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, or the electrode may be fitted, for example, with a flat metal socket. The only requirement is that base 20b of bulb 11a may be received slidably by the recess provided in carbon electrode 16a.

FIG. 9 illustrates the use of the portable illumination device of FIG. 6, as a decorative ornament on a gift package. As in the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, battery 10 is disposed below the decorative ornament. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, clown face 32 is disposed over battery 10 and lamp 11a serves as the nose of the clown face. The illumination device is secured to package 33 in the same manner as the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, i.e., a layer of adhesive material affixed to the bottom portion of the battery.

While only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A portable illumination device, comprising:

a flat, dry cell battery having positive and negative electrodes, said positive electrode comprising an electrically conductive rod disposed in the center of said battery and including a recess for receiving a lamp, and said negative electrode comprising an electrically conductive metallic casing electrically insulated from said rod;

an electrically conductive, threaded lamp socket, disposed in said recess in said rod, and electrically insulated from said negative electrode, for receiving a lamp;

a lamp, disposed in said lamp socket;

a decorative ornament, having a centrally disposed aperture provided therein;

an annular locking member, disposed in said aperture in said decorative ornament, for disposal over and engagement with said lamp, for securing said decorative ornament thereon so that said lamp extends through said aperture in said ornament; and

adhesive means, disposed on the bottom surface of said battery, for securing said battery, lamp and decorative ornament on a gift package.

2. A portable illumination device, comprising:

a flat, dry cell battery having positive and negative electrodes, said positive electrode comprising a rectangular-shaped electrically conductive rod disposed in the center of said battery having a truncated oval-shaped recess, and said negative electrode comprising an electrically conductive metallic casing electrically insulated from said rod;

a lamp, having a truncated oval-shaped base of dimensions smaller than said recess, slidably disposed in said recess in said rod;

a decorative ornament, having a centrally disposed aperture, for disposal over said lamp;

an annular locking member, disposed in said aperture in said decorative ornament, for disposal over and engagement with said lamp, for securing said decorative ornament to said lamp; and

adhesive means, disposed on one surface of said battery, for securing said battery, lamp and decorative ornament to a gift package.

3. The portable illumination device as recited in claim 1, wherein said lamp further comprises a rectangular-shaped collar, disposed perpendicular to said lamp base, for engaging the top surface of said battery when said lamp is slidably disposed in said recess.