Flashlight

Claim 1

A flashlight comprising: a housing having (a) a generally flexible side wall; (b) a first end wall; (c) a second end wall having an off-center opening therein; (d) an insulating, battery retaining member including resilient arm members adapted for retaining a pair of batteries having exposed conductive surfaces; (e) one of said batteries projects beyond the end of said battery retaining member adjacent said one end of said housing and wherein the other of said batteries projects beyond said battery retaining means adjacent said other end of said housing, and wherein said projecting portions are equal, whereby said positive post and the flat end wall of said other of said batteries path lie the same plane; (f) a light bulb at the end of said housing adjacent said second end wall with a portion of said light bulb extending through said off-center opening, said light bulb being electrically connected to one of said batteries; (g) a conductive member having an elbow-shaped configuration with one leg being frictionally retained between the conductive surface of said other battery and its adjacent battery retaining member and with the other leg being in fixed contact with the conductive socket of said light bulb, and is further provided with an aperture in the leg adjacent the lamp socket adapted to rotatably receive and take up said socket, which bulb itself is provided with a spiralled ridge configuration to threadedly engage said aperture; and (h) a conductive switch member having one leg frictionally retained on said positive post of said other battery, said switch member including a second leg portion extending between said flexible side wall and said battery retaining member and terminating adjacent a cutout portion of said battery retaining member, exposing a conductive portion of the other of said batteries, whereby said switch member completes a circuit between said batteries and said light bulb when compression is applied to the flexible side wall.