US2305490A - Electric safety water light - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 15, 1942. ERKlNs 2,305,490 I Y ELECTRIC SAFETY WATER LIGHT Filed April 26, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L YH H l Z53 l NVE NTO R Laws 5. PAW/vs ETTORNEY Dec.

ELECTRIC SAFE 1.. E. PERKINS TY WATER LIG T I 2 Sheets eet 2 mum! mmuumm "MINI!"3 li'lh l l I H H INVENTOR I [0% E e/0N5.

B A ORNEY Patented Dec. 15, 1942 UNITED STATE s PATENT OFFICE,

ELECTRIC SAFETY WATER LIGHT Louis E. Perkins, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Perkins Marine Lamp & Hardware Corp., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 26, 1939, Serial No. 270,183 Claims. (Cl. 98.3)

vide a water light of the character described which shall be so constructed that an electric light will be caused to be automatically rendered efiective whenever the device is disposed in a predetermined angular position with respect to the horizontal and which will automatically be rendered ineffective when the device is disposed in an angular range which falls outside of such predetermined angular position such as, for example, when stored.

Another object of my invention is to provide a water light of the character described which shall be constructed so as to withstand'the force of the impact caused when the device is thrown into the Water from relatively great heights.

Still another object of my invention is to provide in combination with a water light construction of the character described novel means for supporting the same when not in active use.

A further object of my invention is to provide a water light construction of the character described which shall comprise relatively few and simple parts, which shall be easy to assemble,

which shall be rugged in construction so as to withstand strenuous wear, and which at the same time shall operate with a high degree of efficiency.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction; combinations of elements,

and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a water light constructed in accordance with my invention and illustrating the same in effiective use;

Fig; 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional View of my improved water light;

Fig. 3' is a bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View taken substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 2 but of reduced size and illustrating the same in stored. inactive use;

Fig. 6 is an elevational View of my device illustrating the effective angular range thereof;

Fig. 7. is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is. an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 88 of Fig. 5 and illustrating the manner of removing the bottom cover of the water light in cooperation with the support; and I I Figs. 9 and 10 are'enlarged elevational views of the parts of the supporting'device illustrated in Fig. 5-.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown a water light I0 constructed in accordance with my invention and so designed that when thrown overboard for safety purposes while attached to a life preserver; it will float in the water and will at the same time tend to assume an upright position. The mechanism of my water light It is further designed so that an electric light will automatically be caused to be lighted when the water light I0 assumes an upright angular position with respect to the horizontal and which light will automatically be rendered ineffective when the water light is turned upside down to be stored.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings there is disclosed an enlarged vertical sectional view of the water light I9 constructed in accordance with my invention and comprising a tubular casing or shell I! constructed of any suitable metallic material which will not be corroded or otherwise affected by salt water, such as for example, copper. The

bottom of the casing I I is provided with a closure cap l2 which'may be threadedly attached thereto as shown by means of an annular bushing I4 attached to the casing. A packing member [3 is provided between the cap I2 and the annular threaded bushing member I4 'to' render the interior of the said casing II waterproof. The top of the casing I I is provided with a cap member I5 which is permanently attached to the casing II in any suitable manner such as by interlocking the adjacent edges thereof as shown. Mounted within the cap member I5 is a bushing I6 having at its upper end an internally threaded opening IT. The bushing I6 is also provided at its lower end with an internally threaded opening I8. Into this threaded opening l8 there is received a switch housing member I9 comprising an annular wall 20 externally threaded at, the upper end thereof so as to mesh with the threads of the bushing opening I8 to retain the member I9 in a position substantially centrally disposed with respect to the casing wall II. The housing member i9 is provided with an opening 2| in the top wall thereof, in axial alignment with the bushing opening IT. The bottom end of the housing member 2i) is closed with a threaded plug 22 having an opening 23 therethrough, one end of said opening communicating with the interior of the. casing II and the other end of said opening communicating with a hollow chamber 25 within the member I9. Into this chamber 25 there is placed a mercury switch 26. One end of the mercury switch is connected to a. lamp socket 29 by means of the conductor member 2'! while the other end of the mercury switch is connected to a source of current supply B by means of the conductor wire 28 passing through the opening 23. The circuit from the source of supply B to the lamp socket 29 is completed by the conductor wire 30 connected at one end thereof to the current source B passing through the opening 23 in the member I9 and then passing outwardly through the housing opening 2| to be connected to the socket 29 as shown. Into the socket 29 there is adapted to be received a lamp 3| of usual construction.

The mercury switch 26 is so designed that when it is in the upright vertical position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the circuit from the lamp 3| to the source of current supply B will be completed through the mercury switch 26 and the'lamp will be in effective lighted condition. The mercury switch is further designed so that the lamp 3| will remain in such lighted condition even when the water light I assumes a substantially horizontal position such as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings; In other words, the lamp 3| will remain lighted when the water light is rotated, while in'upright position, from a horizontal position through an arc of approximately 180. The mercury switch is so designed that when the water'light I 0 assumes a full horizontal position or any angular position through an arc of 180 from the horizontal when the lamp is inverted from its position shown in Fig. 2, the circuit between the source of supply B and the lamp 3| will be automatically broken by the mercury switch to render the light ineffective. It is in such ineffective position that the water light I ii is stored for inactive use as shown in Fig. of the drawings.

The source of current supply may comprise a battery B which is fixedly mounted to the cap I2 by any suitable means such as a strap 40 transversely disposed across the top surface of the battery and provided with openings which receive therethrough a pair of long screws 4|, the lower ends 4la thereof being threadedly received in the cap I2 while the upper ends 40b thereof are threaded to receive the nuts 42 to thus hold the battery permanently attached to the cap I2. It is thus seen that when it is desired, for any reason, to remove or replace the battery B, it is a In order to insure that the mercury switch 26 will always remain stationary and in proper position with respect to the water light, suitable protective packing material 43 such as, for ex ample, cotton is placed within the chamber 25 of the member I9 completely surrounding the mercury switch 26 and spacing the same from the wall 23 to protect it against shock or displacement.

The lamp 3I is protectively shielded by a glass 5 refracting globe 44 which is threadedly received in the threaded opening I! of the bushing I 6. Th refracting globe 44 is provided with an outwardly projecting flange 45 adjacent the bottom opening thereof which is designed to be received within the opening of the cap member I5. Ina terposed between the flange and the bushing I6 is a suitablepacking member 45 designed to render the device waterproof." .A cage type of guard 41 of any suitable'construction may be attached to the cap I5 to protect the refracting globe 44 and lamp 3|.

It is well known that safety Water light devices of the character described must be buoyant and light in weight. These water light devices are generally stored on the decks of ships which are often spaced sixty or more feet from the Water. It is therefore seen that when the water light is thrown overboard with a life preserver, the force of impact when the water light strikes the water will be very great on the wallsof the hollow casing. Heretofore when such water lights have been thrown overboard, it has been found that the walls of the casings have been crushed with resulting damage to the buoyancy of the water light and the interior mechanism thereof. To obviate this disadvantage, I have provided means for reinforcing the casing wall II while at the same time maintaining the necessary buoyancy of the casing so that the same will float in the water. To accomplish this, I provide a spirally wound wire which is of such size that it will fit within the hollow of the easing I I and resiliently press outwardly and in this manner reinforce the casing wall. 'If desired, the spiral wire member 50 may be fixedly attached to the inner surface of the casing wall II by any suitable means such as soldering or welding.

An eyelet member 48 is fixedly attached to the outer wall'of the casing I I for the purpose of interconnecting the water light with the life preserver L by any suitable means such as a length of cable 49 as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawmgs. I

In Figs. 5 and 7'to 10 I have shown novelmeans for supporting the water light I0 while in inactive use, the said means comprising a pair of flat bars 5| and 52 made of any suitable: rigid material. The bars 5| and 52 are designed to be disposed in parallel relationship on opposite sides of the deck railings 53 and suitably interconnected by means of the bolts 54 passing through aligned apertures 55 and 56 in the bars 52 and 5I respectively, and maintained in position by the nuts 51. It is thus seen that the bars 5I and 52 forming the support may be attached at any point along the railing without in any way marring the said railing.

The bar 52 is provided with a pair of substantially U-shaped spring clamp members 58 and 59 which are designed to frictionally receive and hold therein the water light I0 as shown in Fig. 5. It is also noted in Fig. 5 that the water light I0 is in an inverted position, opposite to that shown in Fig. 2 and therefore, as previously described, the mercury switch 26 will cause a break in the circuit between the battery 3 and the lamp 3| so that the lamp 3| of the water light I0 will be ineffective A cup member 60 may also be attached to the bar 52 by any suitable attaching means and disposed beneath the water light ID to catch the drippings of water when the said water light is hung to dry. The cup member 60 may also be provided with apertures 6| in the bottom Wall thereof to permit the accumulated water to drain out.

To facilitate the removal of the cap member I2 from the casing II for the purpose of renewing the battery or for any other desired reason, I have provided a pair of lugs 62 and 63 on the outer surface of the cap member and spaced from each other as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Designed to fit in the space between the lugs 62 and B3 is a projecting lug 64 fixed to the bar 52 of the support. When it is desired to unscrew the cap I2, it is merely necessary to grasp the water light l0 and place the cap l2 in such position against the bar 52 so that the lugs 62 and 63 will straddle opposite sides of the lug 64 as clearly shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. When in such position, if the water light is axially rotated, the cap l2 will be unthreaded from the casing II. It is seen from the above construction that the cap I2 may be readily removed at times when certain tools such as screw drivers and wrenches are not available.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to .meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a device of the character described, a

tubular casing, a top closure member attached to said casing and provided with a tubular open portion at the upper end thereof, a bushing member mounted in said top closure, said bushing having a through aperture communicating with the interior of said tubular casing, a portion adjacent the bottom of said bushing aperture being threaded, a switch housing attached to said last named bottom threaded portion, a portion adjacent the top of said bushing aperture being threaded, a refracting globe attached to said last named top threaded portion, a waterproof packing disposed within said top closure member and interposed between said globe and said bushing, an electric lamp, a support for said lamp, said support projecting from said switch housing and freely extending upwardly through the aperture in said bushing member whereby said lamp is disposed within said globe, a source of electric energy contained in said casing below said bushing member, and a cover detachably secured to said casing below said bushing member, the opening in said casing closed by said cover being so dimensioned and disposed that said switch housing may be detached and said switch housing and source of electric energy removed therethrough. I

2. In a device of the character described, a casing, a partition permanently disposed within said casing adjacent the top thereof, said partition having a through aperture, a portion adjacent the bottom of said partition aperture being threaded, a switch housing attached to said bottom threaded portion, a portion adjacent the top of said partition aperture being threaded, a refracting globe attached to said top threaded portion, an electric lamp, a support for said lamp, said support projecting from said switch hous ing and freely extending upwardly through said partition aperture whereby said lamp is disposed within said globe, a source of electric energy contained in said casing below said partition,

and a cover detachably secured to said casing ,below said partition, the opening in said casing closed by said cover being so dimensioned and disposed that said switch housing may be detached and said switchhousing and source of electric energy removed therethrough.

3. In a device of the character described, a casing, a partition permanently disposed within said casing adjacent the top thereof, said partition having a through aperture, a portion adjacent the bottom of said partition aperture being threaded, a switch housing attached to said bottom threaded portion, a portion adjacent the top of said partition aperture being threaded, a refracting globe attached to said top threaded portion, an electric lamp, a support for said lamp, said support projecting from said switch housing and freely extending upwardly through said partition aperture whereby said lamp is disposed within said globe, a source of electric energy contained in said casing below said partition, a cover and means to detachably secure said source of electric energy to said cover, said cover being larger than said source of electric energy whereby said source of electric energy will be removed from the device when said cover is detached, the opening in said casing closed by said cover being so dimensioned and disposed that said switch housing may be detached and removed therethrough.

4. In a device of the character described, a casing, a partition permanently disposed within said tubular casing adjacent the top thereof, said partition having a through aperture, a portion adjacent the bottom of said partition aperture being threaded, a switch housing attached to said bottom threaded portion, a portion adjacent the top of saidpartition aperture being threaded, a, refracting globe attached to said top threaded portion, an electric lamp, a support for said lamp, said support projecting from said switch housing and freely extending upwardly through said partition aperture whereby said lamp is disposed within said globe, a source of electric energy contained in said casing below said partition, the bottom end of said casing being open and a cover detachably secured to said casing for closing said bottom end, said source of electric energy being detachably secured to said cover.

5. The-combination of a safety water light adapted to be inactively maintained aboard ship for long periods of time, said water light including a buoyant casing, a battery, means to mount said battery adjacent the bottom end of said casing, said bottom end having an opening of such a size and shape as to permit withdrawal of said battery therethrough, and a removable closure member for said bottom end; and a support for said water light, said support comprisingmeans to detachably hold said water light and means permanently connected to said holding means for removing said bottom closure, said bottom closure and said removing means being shaped for cooperation whereby upon removal of said light from said support, engagement of said bottom closure member with said closure member removing means and rotation of said casing, said bottom closure member will be disengaged from said casing to permit removal of said battery.

LOUIS E. PERKINS.

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