Disposable flashlight

Claim 2

A flashlight comprising: an elongated hollow cylindrical shell, said shell consisting of two initially hollow half-cylinder shells originally each with mating pilot edge ribs to match and fit with the other to form a closed cylinder, when the two half-shells are coupled; an electric lamp supported at the front end of said shell; electric cell means disposed in said shell with an electrode terminal of one polarity providing voltage to one terminal of said lamp; an elongated electrically conductive strip disposed to engage one end against the second electrode terminal of said lamp, and extending backward along the inner surface of the wall of the body of the cylindrical shell to a middle region of said shell; and a clip on said shell for mounting the shell on an external support, for example, such as a pocket flap; said clip engaging said cell means to derive a voltage of the second polarity, and being movable to engage and to disengage said conducting strip as a switch to control the energization of said lamp by applying said second polarity voltage to said conducting strip.

Claim 3

A flashlight for disposable use comprising an outside peripheral hollow casing, electric battery means placed therein, said battery having a metal sleeve, a switch for said flashlight having an integrally formed end portion formed as an external gripping means, a slot formed in a wall of said hollow casing, said switch slideable along the length of said slot, battery surface conforming guide means integrally joined and slideable with said switch, said guide means thus enabled to move on said metal shell of said battery while making electrical contact therewith, operational denoting and detent means for said slideable switch, an electric bulb having electric terminals placed at the front of said hollow casing of said flashlight, a metal strip connected to said operational means engaging one terminal of said lamp, another terminal of said lamp connected to a terminal of said included battery, whence the lighting of said bulb occurs when the slideable movement of said switch completes the electric circuit necessary to energize said lamp through said swtich, said metal strip, and said battery terminal.

Claim 4

A flashlight for disposable use comprising an outside peripheral hollow casing, electric battery means placed therein, said battery having a metal sleeve, a switch for said flashlight having an integrally formed end portion formed as an external gripping means, a slot formed in a wall of said hollow casing, said switch slideable along the length of said slot, battery surface conforming guide means integrally joined and slideable with said switch, said guide means thus enabled to move on said metal shell of said battery while making electrical contact therewith, operational denoting and detent means for said slideable switch, an electric bulb having electric terminals placed at the front of said hollow casing of said flashlight, a metal strip connected to said operational means engaging one terminal of said lamp, another terminal of said lamp connected to a terminal of said included battery, whence the lighting of said bulb occurs when the slideable movement of said switch completes the electric circuit necessary to energize said lamp through said swtich, said metal strip, and said battery terminal.

Claim 5

A flashlight, as in claim 1, in which said shell consists of a hollow lower half-cylinder shell to support said cell means and said lamp and said conducting strip in assembled array; and said shell consists, further, of a hollow top half-cylinder shell having a longitudinal slot in the cylindrical wall near the back end of the shell; and said clip has and outer cantilever gripping element, and an inner holding element, and extends through said slot in said top half shell, with said inner holding element serving as a support for said cantilever element of said clip.

Claim 6

A flashlight, as in claim 3, in which said top half-shell is formed to have a window opening at a predetermined middle region position, through which the free end of the cantilever clip element may be depressed, as by thumb pressure, to engage an exposed area of said metal conducting strip in position below said window, to serve as a switch to control the circuit from said cell means to said lamp.

Claim 7

A flashlight, as in claim 3, in which said clip is longitudinally slideable in said longitudinal slot in said top half-shell and embodies a positioning detent for selectively positioning said clip in one of several operative positions along its path of permitted movement; and said top half-shell embodies a plurality of detent grooves spaced along the path of permitted movement of said clip for receiving and holding the positioning detent of said clip against casual undesired displacement.

Claim 8

A flashlight, as in claim 5, in which said inner holding element of said clip embodies a pair of guide fingers to ride on the inner surface of the wall of the top half-shell.

Claim 9

A flashlight, as in claim 5, in which said inner holding element of said clip embodies a pair of guide fingers to straddle and slide on said electric cell means, to serve as an adjustable internal support for said clip.

Claim 10

A flashlight, as in claim 7, in which said top half-shell is provided with a longitudinal sub-surface groove to accommodate said guide fingers in their movement along the electric cell means, as the clip is selectively positioned.

Claim 11

A flashlight, as in claim 5, in which said top half-shell has said detent grooves formed as transverse arcuate slots on the inner surface of the semi-circular wall of said half-shell.

Claim 12

A flashlight, as in claim 9, in which said detent grooves serve to position the clip in one of three predetermined positions, including position (1) as non-switching and fixed open-circuit position; in position (2) as normally switch-open and permitted to be thumb-operable to switch-closing position; and in position (3) with the clip switch held fixed in closed position.

Claim 13

A flashlight, as in claim 1, in which said clip is manually selectively movable to one of three predetermined positions, defined as: (1) fixed switch-open position; (2) intermittent manually operable switch position; and (3) fixed switch closed position.

Claim 14

A flashlight, as in claim 1, in which means on said cylindrical shell serve to detent said movable clip in a selected one of several predetermined positions; and means electrically connected to said elongated conducting strip is positioned to be engaged by an element of said clip to complete the energizing circuit to said lamp.

Claim 15

A flashlight, as in claim 7, in which said clip and guide fingers are of metal and electrically conductive to complete an electric circuit from said cell means to said elongated conductive strip, to control the energizing circuit to said lamp of claim 1.

Claim 16

A flashlight, as in claim 10, in which said conductive strip has an end portion shaped and positioned to nest in said detent groove for the number (3) position for closed clip switch position.

Claim 17

A flashlight for disposable use comprising a cylindrical hollow casing, electric battery means placed therein, said battery having a metal sleeve, a multi-positioned switch for said flashlight formed as an external gripping means, a slot formed in a wall of said hollow casing, said switch slideable along the length of said slot, battery surface conforming guide means integrally joined and slideable with said switch, said guide means thus enabled to move on said metal shell of said battery while making electrical contact therewith, condition denoting And detent means for said slideable switch, an electric bulb having electric terminals placed at the front of said hollow casing of said flashlight, a metal strip connected to said switch means engaging one terminal of said lamp, another terminal of said lamp connected to the other terminal of said included battery, the lighting of said bulb occurring when the slideable movement of said switch completes the electric circuit necessary to energise said lamp through said switch, said metal strip, and said battery terminal.

Claim 18

A flashlight for disposable use comprising a cylindrical hollow casing, electric battery means placed therein, said battery having a metal sleeve, a multi-positioned switch for said flashlight formed as an external gripping means, a slot formed in a wall of said hollow casing, said switch slideable along the length of said slot, battery surface conforming guide means integrally joined and slideable with said switch, said guide means thus enabled to move on said metal shell of said battery while making electrical contact therewith, condition denoting And detent means for said slideable switch, an electric bulb having electric terminals placed at the front of said hollow casing of said flashlight, a metal strip connected to said switch means engaging one terminal of said lamp, another terminal of said lamp connected to the other terminal of said included battery, the lighting of said bulb occurring when the slideable movement of said switch completes the electric circuit necessary to energise said lamp through said switch, said metal strip, and said battery terminal.

Claim 19

A flashlight for disposable use comprising an outside peripheral hollow casing, electric battery means having a metal shell placed therein, a multi-positioned switch for said flashlight having an integrally formed cantilever portion thereof formed as an external gripping clip, a slot cut in the wall of said hollow casing, said switch means slideably held within said slot, guide means having bowed bands integrally joined to said moveable switch, said guide means enabled to ride on the surface of said metal shell of said battery making electrical contact therewith, a condition denoting means connected to said battery casing, an electric lamp having electric terminals placed at the front of said hollow casing, a metal strip connected to said condition denoting means engaging one terminal of said lamp, the other terminal of said lamp engaging a terminal of said battery, where upon activation of said lamp occurs when slideable movement of said switch provides a complete electrical circuit to energize said lamp through said metal strip and battery.

Claim 20

A flashlight for disposable use comprising an outside peripheral hollow casing, electric battery means having a metal shell placed therein, a multi-positioned switch for said flashlight having an integrally formed cantilever portion thereof formed as an external gripping clip, a slot cut in the wall of said hollow casing, said switch means slideably held within said slot, guide means having bowed bands integrally joined to said moveable switch, said guide means enabled to ride on the surface of said metal shell of said battery making electrical contact therewith, a condition denoting means connected to said battery casing, an electric lamp having electric terminals placed at the front of said hollow casing, a metal strip connected to said condition denoting means engaging one terminal of said lamp, the other terminal of said lamp engaging a terminal of said battery, where upon activation of said lamp occurs when slideable movement of said switch provides a complete electrical circuit to energize said lamp through said metal strip and battery.