Portable lamp

Claim 1

A portable electric lamp comprising: (a) an elongated, generally tubular housing having a light-transmitting portion; (b) an elongated electric lamp within said housing; (c) means for supplying electric current to said electric lamp; (d) a closure element at one end of said housing, said element having a projecting portion adjacent said housing and of a perimeter greater than the perimeter of said housing, said element having a generally cylindrical wall portion axially overlapping a portion of the end of said housing, said wall portion being spaced a small distance outwardly of said housing, said closure element further including an inner substantially annular shoulder adapted to abut the axial end surface of said housing; (e) flexible gasket means in sealing relation between said shoulder and said housing end surface and sealing means in sealing contact between said housing and closure wall portion; (f) a hand grip element adjacent the opposite end of said housing and having a portion closing said housing end, said hand grip element having a projecting portion adjacent said housing and of a perimeter greater than the perimeter of said housing, said hand grip element being generally tubular and surrounding an axial portion of the opposite end of said housing, said hand grip element being spaced a small distance outwardly of said housing, said hand grip element further including an inner substantially annular shoulder adapted to abut the axial end surface of said housing; (g) flexible gasket means in sealing relation between said shoulder and said housing end surface and sealing means in sealing contact between said housing and hand grip element; (h) a plurality of tensioning rod elements spaced around said housing and disposed lengthwise thereof, each of said rod elements being connected at opposite ends to corresponding ones of said projecting portions of said closure element and said hand grip element, said rods drawing said closure element and hand grip element tightly against the corresponding opposite ends of said housing; (i) a protector element of impact-absorbing material on at least one of said closure element and said hand grip element, said protector element having an outer surface of a perimeter greater than the perimeter of said closure element and greater than the perimeter of said hand grip element, said outer surface being located outwardly of said tensioning rod elements; and (j) at least one protector element carried by said tensioning rod elements, said protector element having an outer surface of a perimeter less than the perimeter of said first-named protector element, said outer surface of said protector element on said tension rods being located outwardly of said tensioning rod elements, said protector element on said tensioning rods having an inner surface spaced outwardly of said housing; (k) whereby said protector element on said closure element or hand grip element absorbs the initial portion of any shock or impact and any remaining portion of the shock or impact is absorbed by said protector element on said tensioning rod elements and is dissipated along said rods.