FLASHLIGHT FOR A POWER TOOL

LAMPE DE POCHE POUR OUTIL ELECTRIQUE

English Abstract

The flashlight is used in conjunction with a hand-held power drill assembly
and includes a
battery housing having a light bulb and on off switch. A strap is attached to
the battery housing
and is adapted to encircle a portion of the drill housing adjacent to its
chuck. A, fastener removably
attaches the strap to the drill housing and facilitates the attachment of the
flashlight to a wide
variety of locations on the drill housing where the flashlight will provide
maximum illumination for
a given job.

Claims

We claim:
1. A removable flashlight for use in conjunction with a power tool assembly,
said flashlight
including: a housing having a light bulb; a battery mounted within said
housing and electrically
connected to said light bulb; switch means for activating and deactivating
said light bulb; a strap
attached to said housing; and a fastener associated with said strap for
removably attaching said
strap to said power tool assembly.
2. A removable flashlight for use in conjunction with a hand-held power drill
assembly
having a drill housing, an electric motor mounted within said housing; a chuck
mounted for
rotation to said housing and to which said drill is attached, said .flashlight
including: a battery
housing having a light bulb mounted thereto; a battery mounted within said
battery housing and
electrically connected to said light bulb; switch means for activating and
deactivating said light
bulb; a strap attached to said battery housing and adapted to encircle a
portion of said drill
housing adjacent to said chuck; and a fastener associated with said strap for
removably attaching
said strap to said drill housing.
3. The flashlight of claims 1 or 2 wherein the effective length of said strap
is adjustable.
4. The flashlight of claims 1 or 2 wherein said strap is slidingly attached to
said battery
housing.
5. The flashlight of claims 1 or 2 wherein said fastener is Velcro
6. In combination, a power tool assembly and a removable light source, said
light source
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including: a housing having a light bulb; a battery mounted within said
housing and electrically
connected to said light bulb; switch means far activating and deactivating
said light bulb; a strap
attached to said housing; and a fastener associated with said strap for
removably attaching said
strap to said power tool assembly.
7. In combination, a hand-held power drill assembly and a removable light
source, said
power drill assembly having a drill housing, an electric motor mounted within
said housing; a
chuck mounted for rotation to said housing and to which said drill is
attached, said flashlight
including: a battery housing having a light bulb mounted thereto; a battery
mounted within said
housing and electrically connected to said light bulb; switch means for
activating and
deactivating said light bulb; a strap attached to said battery housing and
adapted to encircle a
portion of said drill housing adjacent to said chuck; and a fastener
associated with said strap for
removably attaching said strap to said drill housing.
8. The flashlight of claims 6 or 7 wherein the effective length of said strap
is adjustable.
9. The flashlight of claims 6 or 7 wherein said strap is slidingly attached to
said battery
housing.
10. The flashlight of claims 6 or 7 wherein said fastener is Velcro.
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Description

CA 02475344 2004-07-20
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to light sources for illuminating work-areas and more
particularly
to a source of light or flashlight attached to a battery-powered tool assembly
for illuminating the
area where the tool is being used.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Tools that are powered by batteries such as power drills and power screw
drivers have
many advantages over power tools that must be plugged in. Among those
advantages are: first,
battery-powered tools can be used on job-sites which lack electrical outlets,
secondly such tools
can accomplish more work in a given period of time since no time is spent in
carrying an
electrical cable and in searching for an electrical outlet to plug the cable
into. A third advantage
is that, battery-powered tools are generally lighter and easier to carry than
plug-in tools.
An additional advantage of battery-powered tools is that they are useful where
the work-
areas are inaccessible whereas tools that must be plugged-in frequently are
not. However a
problem that is often encountered when working in inaccessible work-areas is
poor lighting.
Work-areas such as stair wells, spaces above drop ceilings, spaces between
lower sub-floors and
upper finished floors are often poorly lit or entirely devoid of light. Steps
must be taken to
illuminate those areas before any work can be carried out in them.
Patents are known which describe light sources for use in conjunction with
battery-
powered tools. An example of such patents is no. U. S. patent no. 5,169,225 to
Palm. The source

CA 02475344 2004-07-20
of light described in this patent is mounted beneath the handle of the
assembly and the light is
directed ahead of the assembly. The light source, being at the bottom of the
assembly, is
frequently not close enough to the tool, which is at the top of the assembly,
to effectively
illuminate the area where the tool is operating. If the tool is operating in a
confined area such as a
slot, a box, or a corner, the flashlight may not adequately illuminate the
work-area.
We have invented a flashlight that can be used in conjunction with a
conventional
battery-powered tool assembly. The flashlight is not permanently attached to
the assembly but
may be attached and detached from it. The flashlight can be attached at a
location on the tool
assembly where it will provide maximum illumination for any given job. If for
example, the tool
is a drill, and the tool is being used to drill a hole in a box, the
flashlight can be placed adjacent
to the chuck that holds the drill so that it directs light directly into the
box. If a hole is being
drilled into a corner, the flashlight can be placed below the handle so that
it directs light
upwardly into the corner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the removable flashlight of our invention includes a housing having a
light bulb;
a battery mounted within the housing and electrically connected to the light
bulb and switch
means for activating and deactivating the light bulb. A strap is attached to
the housing and a
fastener is associated with the strap for removably attaching the strap to a
power tool assembly.
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CA 02475344 2004-07-20
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The removable flashlight of our invention is described with reference to the
accom-
panying drawing in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the flashlight; and
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the flashlight, in smaller scale, in
conjunction with a
power tool assembly.
Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description of
the drawing.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to Figure l, the flashlight of the invention, generally 10, has
a housing 12,
an electric light bulb 14 at one end of the housing and a switch 16 at the top
of the housing. The
switch is electrically connected to the light bulb and the battery for turning
the bulb on and off in
the usual manner.
A strap 18 passes through a slot 20 adjacent to the bottom of the housing.
Strips 22, 24 of
nylon fabric are attached to the strap adjacent to its ends. One strip is
looped while the other is
burred and the two strips adhere to each other when pressed together.
Together, the strips make
up a fastener identified by the trade-mark VELCRO.
With reference to Figure 2, the strap 18 of the flashlight encircles the
housing of a port-
able hand-held drill assembly 30. The assembly has a housing comprising a
handle 32 and a
compartment 34. An electric motor (not visible) is mounted within the
compartment and a chuck
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' CA 02475344 2004-07-20
36 is mounted for rotation at the front of the compartment. A drill 38 is
rernovably connected to
the chuck in the usual manner. A trigger 40 is mounted to the handle and
causes the chuck to
rotate.
By means of the VELCRO fastener, the effective length of strap 18 can be
adjusted so
that the flashlight can be attached to the housing adjacent to the chuck, to
the handle 36 or
elsewhere on the drill assembly.
It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in the
structure of the
flashlight of the invention without departing from the scope and purview of
the invention as
defined in the appended claims.
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Representative Drawing