Related Applications

[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 13/529,777 filed June 21, 2012 and entitled "Rechargeable Flashlight."

Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments herein relate to the field of flashlights.

Background

[0003] Flashlights require stored energy to provide illumination. Oftentimes, flashlights will contain batteries or battery packs which have one or more powered cells to provide this energy. However, the use of disposable batteries is often considered wasteful and inconvenient.

[0004] Rechargeable batteries and battery packs are thus sometimes used in flashlights, but the use of rechargeable batteries may present its own problems. Often, the battery must be placed in a separate charging station to be recharged, requiring a user to carry and keep track of not only the flashlight and the battery, but also the charger.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0005] Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

[0006] Figures 1A-1C are various view of a rechargeable battery pack in accordance with various embodiments, including: (A) a bottom perspective view, (B) a side view, and (C) a top view;

[0007] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the rear end of the rechargeable battery pack of Figure 1;

[0008] Figures 3 A and 3B are various perspective views of a rechargeable flashlight, in accordance with various embodiments;

[0009] Figure 4 is an exploded view of the rechargeable battery pack of Figure 1;

[00010] Figure 5 is a front view of the rechargeable battery pack of Figure 1;

[00011] Figure 6 is a cross-section view of the of the rechargeable battery pack of

Figure 1 ; [00012] Figure 7 is an exploded view of a non-rechargeable battery pack in accordance with various embodiments;

[00013] Figure 8 is a view of components of a rechargeable flashlight kit, in accordance with various embodiments;

[00014] Figure 9 is perspective view of a rechargeable pen light kit with a rechargeable pen light and a charging cover, in accordance with various embodiments;

[00015] Figures 10A-10E are views of inner and outer components of a recharging stand for use with the rechargeable pen lights of Figure 10, in accordance with various embodiments, including: (A) a first front view including inner components, (B) a first top view, (C) a second front view including inner components, (D) a second top view, and (E) a side view;

[00016] Figure 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of inner components of another embodiment of a battery and charging system, showing only the front portion with the connectors disengaged;

[00017] Figure 12 is a side elevation sectional view of the inner components of the embodiment of Figure 1 1 ;

[00018] Figure 13 is a perspective view of the inner components of the embodiment of Figure 1 1 with the front end cover, the mini USB port and the rear printed circuit board disengaged; and

[00019] Figure 14 is a perspective view of the embodiment of Figure 1 1, fully assembled but with the charging plug disengaged

Detailed Description

[00020] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the

accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understood that other

embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[00021] Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent. [00022] The description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of disclosed embodiments.

[00023] The terms "coupled" and "connected," along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, "connected" may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. "Coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, "coupled" may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other.

[00024] For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form "A/B" or in the form "A and/or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form "at least one of A, B, and C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form "(A)B" means (B) or (AB) that is, A is an optional element.

[00025] The description may use the terms "embodiment" or "embodiments," which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," "having," and the like, as used with respect to

embodiments, are synonymous, and are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.).

[00026] With respect to the use of any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

[00027] Embodiments described herein provide a rechargeable battery pack, such as for use in a flashlight. The battery pack may include a rechargeable cell, such as a lithium ion rechargeable battery. The battery pack may also include a charging port, such as a mini- or micro-USB port, that is coupled to the rechargeable cell to facilitate charging of the rechargeable cell when a charging plug (e.g. a mini- or micro-USB cable) is plugged into the charging port. The battery pack may also contain one or more conductive contacts that are situated externally on the rechargeable battery pack to maintain contact with one or more contacts of a flashlight, thereby providing power to the flashlight. The battery pack may also include a casing that maintains the rechargeable cell, charting port, and conductive contacts as a self-contained unit. Thus, the rechargeable battery pack may provide a user with the ability to charge a removable battery for use in the flashlight without the use of external charging stations or devices.

[00028] Embodiments described herein also provide for a flashlight kit containing a rechargeable battery pack, such as described above, and a flashlight configured with a cavity to receive the rechargeable battery pack and conductive contacts to couple with the conductive contacts of the rechargeable battery pack to power the flashlight. The flashlight kit may also contain a non-rechargeable battery pack configured to hold one or more non- rechargeable cells and containing similar conductive contacts such that the non-rechargeable battery pack may also be placed in the cavity of the flashlight to power the flashlight.

[00029] Embodiments described herein are also directed to a rechargeable pen light. The rechargeable pen light may include one or more conductive portions on its body that may be contacted by a charging receptacle to charge a rechargeable cell within the pen light. The charging receptacle may be placed over the end of the pen light, such as over the end where the light assembly of the pen light is located. The charging receptacle may be a charging cover, such as on a flexible cable, or a charging stand, which may hold the pen light up during charging. The use of conductive portions of the body for charging allows the pen light to provide for recharging of the rechargeable cell without requiring that the rechargeable cell be removable. Additionally, the use of conductive portions of the body provides for a rechargeable pen light that does not require separate, specialized charging contacts for charging.

[00030] Figures 1A-1C show an example rechargeable battery pack 100. The rechargeable battery pack 100 may include a casing 150 to contain, or partially contain, various components of the rechargeable battery pack 100 as a self-contained unit. The casing 150 may include a top casing portion 130 and a bottom casing portion 120, which are shaped to meet along a longitudinal axis of the rechargeable battery pack 100. The top casing portion 130 may fasten to the bottom casing 120 to maintain a closed casing, such as through moveable resilient tabs 165 on the top casing portion, which may be inserted into slots 160 on the bottom casing portion, to fasten the two portions of the casing. In other embodiments, the top and bottom portions of the casing may be fastened using alternative methods and/or may meet at different regions of the rechargeable battery pack 100. The casing may also include a directional indicator 1 10, which may indicate to a user which direction to insert into a flashlight.

[00031] The rechargeable battery pack 100 may include one or more conductive power contacts 170, which may protrude, such as from cutouts in the casing 150. These conductive power contacts 170 may be coupled to an internal rechargeable cell, discussed herein, to facilitate conduction of power to a flashlight when the rechargeable battery pack is disposed such that the conductive power contacts 170 meet with conductive contacts of the flashlight. As illustrated, in some embodiments, the conductive power contacts 170 may be configured with some degree of radial symmetry (as may contacts in a flashlight using the rechargeable battery pack 100) such that a rotation of the rechargeable battery pack 100 in the flashlight does not disrupt a power circuit.

[00032] The rechargeable battery pack 100 may also include a charging port 175, which may be coupled to the rechargeable cell to provide power to the cell, such as from an external charging plug. The casing 150 may include a cutout to allow for access to the charging port 175. The rechargeable battery pack 100 may also include a charging indicator light 195, which may be coupled to one or more charging components to indicate when the rechargeable cell of the rechargeable battery pack 100 is being charged, as discussed herein. The charging indicator light 195 may be configured to illuminate with a first color during charge of the rechargeable cell and a different color when the rechargeable cell has been fully charged.

[00033] Figure 2 illustrates an example rear end of the rechargeable battery pack

100. As illustrated, the rechargeable battery pack 100 may include a switch contact plate 139 that may include one or more conductive switch contacts 190. The conductive switch contacts may be configured to make contact with a switch for completing a circuit to power the flashlight when the rechargeable battery pack 100 is placed therein, as discussed below. As illustrated in Figure 2, the charging port 175 may be connected to a charging plug 169, such as a mini-USB plug (as illustrated) or a micro-USB plug. In other embodiments, other combinations of charging port and charging plugs may be utilized.

[00034] Figures 3A and 3B illustrate an example flashlight 50 configured to be powered by the rechargeable battery pack 100. The flashlight 50 may include a body 110 that includes a cavity to receive the rechargeable battery pack 100. The flashlight 50 may also include a light assembly 115 which may be powered by the rechargeable battery pack 100. The flashlight 50 may also include a cap 190. In some embodiments, the cap 190 may include a switch 193, which may control completion of a circuit with the rechargeable battery pack 100 to provide power to the light assembly 115. The cap may also be configured to be removed to provide access to the rechargeable battery pack 100 when the rechargeable battery pack 100 is disposed in the cavity of the flashlight 50. As the example in Figure 3A illustrates, in some embodiments, the cavity of the flashlight 50 may be shorter than the length of the rechargeable battery pack 100 such that, when the cap 190 is removed, the charging port 175 may be accessed.

[00035] Figure 4 illustrates an example exploded view of the rechargeable battery pack 100. The rechargeable battery pack 100 may include a rechargeable cell 135, such as a lithium-ion battery. In other embodiments, other rechargeable cells may be used. The rechargeable cell 135 may be coupled to a printed circuit board 133, which may be coupled to the conductive power contacts 170, such as through springs 172. Additionally, the rechargeable battery pack 100 may include a charging system 138, which may be coupled to the charging port 175 as well as the rechargeable cell 135 (such as through spring 137) to facilitate charging of the rechargeable cell 135 from the charging port 175. The charging system 138 may also be coupled to the printed circuit board 133 through one or more wires 131. In some embodiments, the charging system 138 may also include the switch contact plate 139 on an opposite side from where the charging system 138 makes couples to the rechargeable cell 135. In other embodiments, the charging system 138 and the switch contact plate 139 may include separate components.

[00036] In some embodiments, the charging system 138 may be configured to control aspects of charging of the rechargeable cell 135, such as rate of charge. For example, the charging system 138 may be configured to slow down, or stop, charging of the rechargeable cell 135 when the rechargeable cell is fully charged.

[00037] The charging system 138 may also be coupled to the charging indicator light 195. In various embodiments, as described above, the charging system may be configured to cause the light to be illuminated to display a charging status of the rechargeable battery pack 100. For example, the charging indicator light 195 may be configured to illuminate with a first color during charge of the rechargeable cell and a different color when the rechargeable cell has been fully charged.

[00038] Figure 5 shows a front end view of the rechargeable battery pack 100, showing the conductive power contacts 170 and the casing 150 (marked as casing portions 130 and 120). Figure 6 illustrates a the rechargeable battery pack 100 as a cross-section of the front-end view of Figure 5. As illustrated in Figure 6, when the casing 150 is fastened around the various components shown at Figure 4, the rechargeable cell 135 may be coupled to the contacts 170 at the front end of the rechargeable battery pack 100. Further, the charging system 138/switch contact plate 139 may be connected to the rechargeable cell 135 through the printed circuit board 133 and the wire 131, as well as spring 137, to complete a circuit for both charging and for providing power to the light assembly 115. In other embodiments, other conducting components may be used to complete the circuit.

[00039] Figure 7 illustrates an example non-rechargeable battery pack 200 for use with flashlight 50. As illustrated, the non-rechargeable battery pack 200 may include one or more non-rechargeable cells 235, such as AA or AAA batteries, or other types of batteries or power cells. These non-rechargeable cells may be held in a trestle 255, and held in place through one or more conductive springs 250. These conductive springs 250 may act as electrical leads to complete a power circuit with the flashlight 50. A short-circuit-proof circuit set 237 may also be coupled to the conductive springs 250 and the non-rechargeable cells to protect the circuit from forming a short circuit.

[00040] At the back end, the non-rechargeable battery pack 200 may include a switch contact plate 239. This switch contact plate 239 may have similar conductive switch contacts to the conductive switch contacts 190 of the switch conductive plate 139 of the rechargeable battery pack 100 to allow for use of the non-rechargeable battery pack 200 with the switch 193 of the cap 190 of the flashlight 50. At the front end, the non-rechargeable battery pack 200 may include one or more conductive power contacts 270, which may be coupled to the non-rechargeable cells through the one or more springs 250. The conductive springs may, in turn be held through plate 230, circuit cover 240, and contact cover 275, which may be assembled together and fastened, such as through screws 205.

[00041] In some embodiments, the assembly of the trestle 255, spring 250, plate

230, circuit cover 240, contact cover 275, switch contact plate 238, and conductive power contacts 270 may provide one or more cavities to securely insert the non-rechargeable cells 235 in a form factor that is similar to the rechargeable battery pack 100. Thus, the non- rechargeable battery pack 200 may be used to power flashlight 50 through disposal in the cavity of the flashlight 50 in a manner similar to the rechargeable battery pack 100. In some embodiments, the conductive power contacts 270 may also be configured with some degree of radial symmetry (as may contacts in flashlight 50 using the non-rechargeable battery pack 200) such that a rotation of the non-rechargeable battery pack 200 in the flashlight 50 does not disrupt a power circuit.

[00042] Figure 8 illustrates an example flashlight kit 25. The flashlight kit may contain the flashlight 50 as well as the rechargeable battery pack 100. In some embodiments, the flashlight kit 25 may also include the non-rechargeable battery pack 200. Figure 8 also illustrates the flashlight cavity 55, where the rechargeable battery pack 100 and/or the non- rechargeable battery pack 200 may be placed to power the flashlight 50, as well as cap switch contacts 138, which may couple with the switch conductive contacts 190 and 290 in order to complete a circuit for powering the flashlight 50 through the switch 193.

[00043] Figure 9 illustrates two views of an example rechargeable pen light 350 as part of an example pen light kit 300. As illustrated, the rechargeable pen light may be substantially cylindrical in shape. Thus, in some embodiments, the rechargeable pen light may have a longitudinal axis and a circular cross section. Additionally, the rechargeable pen light may have a substantially constant diameter from one end to the other.

[00044] The rechargeable pen light 350 may be coupled with a charging receptacle

340. As in the illustrated example, the charging receptacle 340 may be a charging cover, which may be attached directly to a cable 339, from which power may be drawn. The charging cover may also include a charging indicator light 341, which may indicate a status of a charging process, as described above.

[00045] The charging receptacle 340 may contain one or more conductive contacts that may be configured to come into selective contact with portions of the rechargeable pen light 350. These contacts may be connected to one or more electrical leads in order to charge an internal rechargeable cell of the rechargeable pen light 350 (not shown). As illustrated, these portions may include conductive portions of the body of the rechargeable pen light 350, such as conductive portions 310 and 320. In some embodiments, a non-conductive portion of the body 330 may be disposed in between these two conductive portions. In some embodiments one or both of the conductive portions 310 and 320 may include an entire circumference of the rechargeable pen light. In these embodiments, the charging receptacle may be able to be placed on the rechargeable pen light 350 and rotated while still maintaining conductive contact with the conductive portions 310 and 320.

[00046] In some embodiments, one of the conductive portions may be disposed proximate to or at an end of the rechargeable pen light 350 to allow for easier access by the charging receptacle 340. Thus, in the example shown, the conductive portion 310 is located at the front end of the rechargeable pen light 350, adjacent to a light assembly 305. In other embodiments, one of the conductive portions may be located at the back end of the rechargeable pen light opposite from the light assembly 305. This may be undesirable in some embodiments, however, because the back end of the rechargeable pen light may be used for a switch, such as switch 305, or a clip, such as clip 303. In some embodiments, the rechargeable pen light may have a substantially constant diameter or a tapering diameter near the end used for charging in order to facilitate covering of the end by the charging receptacle.

[00047] In some embodiments, the rechargeable pen light may have a diameter that is smaller than the inner diameter of the charging receptacle. Thus, in some embodiments, the rechargeable pen light kit 100 may include a size-conversion seat 345 in the shape of a ring. The size-conversion seat 345 may include an inner diameter the size of the diameter of the rechargeable pen light 350, as well as an outer diameter the size of the inner diameter of the charging receptacle 340. In some embodiments, the size-conversion seat 345 may include a flare such that part of the size-conversion seat 345 is larger than the inner diameter of the charging receptacle 340. This configuration of the size-conversation seat 345 may provide a user to be able to insert the size-conversation seat 345 into the charging receptacle while still being able to easily remove the size-conversation seat 345 at a later time.

[00048] Figures 10A-E illustrates an example charging stand 380 serving as one implementation of the charging receptacle 340. The charging stand 380 may include one or more cavities 347 which may receive one or more of the rechargeable pen lights 350. In some embodiments, because the rechargeable pen light 350 may have a smaller diameter than the cavities 347, one or more size-conversion seats 345 may be included to be inserted into the cavities 347 to stabilize the rechargeable pen lights 350 during charging. As illustrated, Figures 10A and 10B illustrate charging with the use of the size-conversion seats 345, while Figures 10C-E illustrate charging without the size-conversion seats 345.

[00049] As illustrated in Figure 10A, the charging stand 380 may include first and second conductive contacts 315 and 325. As mentioned above, these contacts may be connected to one or more electrical leads in order to charge the internal rechargeable cell of the rechargeable pen light 350. These conductive contacts may be sized so as to reach, respectively, the first conductive portion 310 and the second conductive potion 320. In some embodiments, the first and second conductive contacts 315 and 325 may include resilient metal and be deflected inward, so that they may dispose themselves against the body of the rechargeable pen light upon seating of the rechargeable pen light 350 in the cavity 347. The first and second conductive contacts 315 and 325 may additionally maintain contact with the first conductive portion 310 and the second conductive potion 320 during the time the rechargeable pen light 350 is seated in the cavity 347. During charging, one or more charging indicator lights 341 may illuminate to show a charging status, as discussed above.

[00050] Figures 1 1-14 illustrate a battery and charging system that may be used with the rechargeable pen light 350 of Figure 9. This battery and charging system may include a charging plug 402 (see Figure 14) that may be coupled with a charging receptacle 440 having a charging cable 439 from which power may be drawn. The charging receptacle 440 may be in the form of a micro-USB port of conventional design, shown best in Figures 12 and 14.

[00051] The charging receptacle 440 may contain one or more conductive contacts that may be configured to come into selective contact with portions of the battery and charging system of Figures 11-14.. These contacts may be connected to one or more electrical leads in order to charge an internal rechargeable cell 435. The rechargeable cell 435 may be in the form of one or more lithium ion batteries, although other rechargeable batteries may alternatively be used. The charging plug 402, charging receptacle 440 and charging cable 439 may thus be used to charge the rechargeable cell 435. As with earlier embodiments the charging system may be configured to control aspects of charging of the rechargeable cell 435, such as rate of charge. For example, the charging system may be configured to slow down, or stop, charging of the rechargeable cell 435 when the rechargeable cell is fully charged.

[00052] The battery and charging system may also be coupled to a charging indicator light (not shown) that causes the light to be illuminated to display a charging status of the rechargeable cell 435. For example, as with the prior embodiments a charging indicator light may be configured to illuminate with a first color during charge of the rechargeable cell and a different color when the rechargeable cell has been fully charged.

[00053] As shown best in Figures 12 and 13, the rechargeable cell 435 may be coupled at one end to a printed circuit board 433, which may be coupled to a switch (not shown). The charging receptacle 440 may be positioned at the opposite end of the rechargeable cell 435, as shown in Figure 12, interconnected by wires 404. As noted earlier, the depicted embodiment includes a micro-USB port 440, that may include recharging and protective circuitry to control the recharging operation but protect the rechargeable cell from over-charging. As shown in Figure 12, a second printed circuit board 406 is disposed forwardly of and is in electrical contact with the charging receptacle 440 and is in turn connected to a connector plug 408 that is designed to convey power from the rechargeable cell 435 to the front 410 of the battery and charging system that includes an LED. As shown in Figure 13, a cylindrical wrapping 412 made of a nonconductive material such as PVC may be slid onto the battery and charging system, and a metallic cylinder may be slid over that to form the exterior of the pen light, such as pen light 350 depicted in Figure 9.

[00054] Instead of having the micro-USB port 440, the battery and charging system of Figures 1 1-14 may be plugged to a charging system like that depicted in Figure 9, showing the charging receptacle 340 fitting over the front 410 of the pen light. This variation has not been depicted in an additional view as it is deemed to be adequately described by combining the teachings of Figures 9 and 11-14.

[00055] Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments may be implemented in a very wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.