USRE37092E1 - Flashlight and recharging system therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A guide plate on the head of the flashlight provides an alignment feature which aligns a pair of flashlight charging contacts with a pair of terminals in charging unit for releasably holding the flashlight in its charging receptacle. The flashlight is held within the charging receptacle in a consistent orientation, so that the flashlight switch may be easily found when the flashlight is grasped. The charging receptacle grips the head portion of the flashlight with a pair of spring-loaded jaws. A battery assembly is provided which presents both positive and negative terminals at the forward end of the battery unit. Connections are made from the forward end of the battery to an interconnection module within the flashlight head assembly.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a rechargeable flashlight and recharging unit. More specifically, the invention relates to a compact recharging unit having an alignment feature and a rechargeable flashlight which employs a custom battery assembly and a recharging fixture.

BACKGROUND

Metal flashlights, such as machined aluminum flashlights, are commonly finished, such as by surface anodization or bright dipping, to protect the surface of the flashlight and to impart an aesthetic quality to the flashlight. The body of such flashlights commonly includes a threaded tail cap for providing access to the battery compartment and which also serves as a battery terminal contact. Since the body of such flashlights usually provides part of the electrical circuit between the batteries and the light bulb, it is necessary for such electrically and physically mating surfaces as the body and the tail cap to be machined subsequent to surface finishing, such as anodizing, so that the electrical path through the body will have a low resistance. Machining the mating surfaces of the flashlight after surface finishing increases the cost of fabricating the flashlight due to the expense of a further machining step after anodizing and occasional damage to the finished surface of the flashlight during such further machining. To avoid further machining, it would be desirable to provide a battery assembly which presents both positive and negative contacts at the forward end of the flashlight so that the body of the flashlight would not need to be used as part of the electrical circuit. Hence, all machining of parts could be achieved before anodization.

It is known in the art to provide flashlights with rechargeable batteries. In prior art arrangements, when the flashlight is in the charger unit, the switch may be covered and inaccessible or the flashlight may be oriented (i.e. about the roll axis) in a wide variety of orientations. Hence the switch for operating the flashlight may be in a wide variety of orientations with respect to the charger unit. However, flashlights are often needed when it is dark in the vicinity of the flashlight in the charger unit. Hence, it would be desirable to provide a recharging system for a rechargeable flashlight which consistently presents the flashlight to the user with a known orientation of the operating switch on the flashlight in order to minimize fumbling for the switch on the flashlight in a dark environment.

It is recognized that a flashlight that is tightly held within a recharging unit in order to withstand vibration may be difficult to remove from the charging unit. This latter problem is increased if the flashlight is of compact size. Hence, it would be desirable to provide a rechargeable flashlight which is tightly held within a recharging unit while being easily removable to remove from the charging unit when needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention an elongated, tubular battery assembly has both positive and negative terminals located at the same end of the assembly. The battery assembly is composed of stacked cells of the sub-C NiCd rechargeable type. The stack of cells is preferably surrounded or wrapped in a first layer of shrink wrap tubing, which leaves exposed the positive contact of the top cell and the negative contact of the bottom cell. A conductive terminal extension member is preferably attached to the negative contact of the stack. An elongated conductor electrically connects the conductive extension member to an annular collar which forms the negative contact of the battery assembly and holds the elongated conductor in place. Preferably, a further layer of shrink wrap tubing holds the elongated conductor in place and covers the conductor along the side of the assembly.

According to another aspect of the invention, an interconnection module located in the head of the flashlight provides interconnection of the battery assembly, the lamp, and a pair of charging contacts. The interconnection module is a three-dimensional “circuit boardp” formed of a single piece of selectively-plated plastic. Contact is made between the interconnection module and the battery assembly by suitable conductors. The interconnection module mates with a switch module inside the head of the flashlight.

According to another aspect of the invention, the rechargeable flashlight is provided a guide means in the form of a guide plate which mates with alignment surfaces of the charging unit. The mating action of the guide plate and the alignment surfaces provides mating of the charging contacts on the head of the flashlight with the charging terminals of the charging unit. The charging contacts on the flashlight have concave surfaces which mate with convex surfaces of the charging terminals to assure the charging conditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the flashlight and a perspective view of its charging unit in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the charging unit of FIG. 1 taken along theline2—2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the flashlight of FIG. 1 taken alongline3—3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is another sectional view of a battery assembly of FIG. 3 with the electrical connections for the assembly enlarged for clarity;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the conductive connection member of the battery assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the interconnection module taken along line6—6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the interconnection module taken along line7—7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the interconnection module taken alongline8—8 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the interconnection module taken alongline9—9 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram illustrating the electrical connections of physical components of the flashlight shown in FIGS. 1,3, and6-10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown aflashlight20 and acharging unit40. Theflashlight20 includes ahead assembly28, abarrel26, and atail cap24. A guide means, such astriangular guide plate32, is mounted on the side of thehead28. A pair of charging contacts such asconcave contacts34 and36 are located in theguide plate32. The guide plate mates with an alignment recess50 of thecharging unit40, when theflashlight20 is placed into thecharging unit40. Thecharging unit40 includes a pair ofjaws46, a receptacle generally designated38 which includes thealignment recess50, and a pair ofconvex charging terminals52 and54 in thealignment recess50. Therecess50 is shaped to receive and align theguide plate32, so that thecharging terminals52 and54 of thecharging unit40 mate withrespective charging contacts34 and36, when the flashlight is received or mounted in thecharging unit40. Thejaws46 snugly grip thehead28 of theflashlight20 with a gripping action described in greater detail hereinafter. The gripping action of thejaws46 is adapted to securely hold theflashlight20 and to allow thecharging unit40 be mounted in any desired orientation without the flashlight separating from the charging unit. The gripping action of thejaws46 further allows thecharging unit40 to be mounted upon surfaces subject to vibration such as occurs within an automobile or other vehicle, and urges thecontacts34 and36 securely againstcharging terminals52 and54.

Thecharging unit40 further includes anLED42 for indicating when theflashlight20 is being charged, a power plug (not shown) for connecting the charging unit to a source of electrical energy such as an automotive electrical system, and a pair ofscrew holes48 which extend through thecharging unit40. Thescrew holes48 receive elongated screws which facilitate the charging unit being conveniently mounted upon a surface, such as a kick plate of an automobile passenger compartment. A charging circuit (not shown) is contained within thecharging unit40. The charging circuit may provide a trickle current to maintain the charge of the batteries, or it may include other features of battery charging circuits which are well-known to those skilled in the art.

Although theguide plate32 and therecess50 are shown in FIG. 1 with mating V-shaped surfaces, it should be appreciated that various other interlocking geometries may be employed within the scope of the invention to guide and align the flashlight in the charging unit for mating thecharging contacts34 and36 of the flashlight withterminals52 and54 of thecharging unit40. As an alternative, a projecting member upon the charging unit may be formed to mate with a recessed surface of the flashlight in order to provide the functionality of theguide plate32 andalignment recess50. It is likewise noted that the concave and convex mating surfaces of the respective charging contacts and terminals may be of other configurations than that shown in FIG.1.

It should be apparent that the flashlight is preferably inserted incharging unit40 by pressing thebarrel26 between thejaws46 and moving the head of the flashlight axially to mate the head within the jaws and theguide plate32 into the alignment recess50. Theflashlight20 may be removed from thecharging unit40 by gripping thebarrel26 and applying a levering action to thebarrel26 using thehead28 as the fulcrum. Since theflashlight20 is preferably of compact size, such as from 5 inches to 8 inches in length, the location of theguide plate32 upon the head of theflashlight20 provides greater leverage for removing the flashlight from thecharging unit40 than would otherwise be available if thecharging contacts34 and36 and theguide plate32 were located at a lower position on the flashlight, such as on thetaper22 or thebarrel26. Alternatively, theflashlight20 may be removed from the chargingunit40 by sliding the flashlight upward within thereceptacle38 and then moving thebarrel26 out of the receptacle thus reversing the action of inserting the flashlight into the chargingunit40.

The gripping mechanism of thejaws46 of the chargingunit40 is best seen in FIG.2. Each of thejaws46 includes a protrudingcurved portion46aand an integralelongated portion46bwhich extends into the interior of the chargingunit40. Thejaws46 are mounted about pivots56 at the junction between thecurved portions46aand theelongated portions46b. Theelongated portion46bof eachjaw46 is provided with a retaininggroove66 for holding one end of acompression spring64 which extends between the twoelongated portions46b. Thecompression spring64 biases thejaws46 against theexterior walls74 of thecharger unit40. Thegap47 between thejaws46 is of sufficient size to accommodate thebarrel26 as theflashlight20 is placed into the charger. As theflashlight20 is placed into the chargingunit40,guide plate32 is lowered into thealignment recess50 and thecurved portions46aof thejaws46 are pushed apart by thetaper portion22 of the flashlight. When theguide plate32 has been completely lowered into thealignment recess50, thejaws46 snugly grip only the head portion28aof the flashlight. In alternative embodiments, thejaws46 may be maintained in the position shown by inward pressure of thecurved portions46aagainst lips76 rather than by outward pressure of theelongated portions46bagainstexterior walls74. The use of a single compression spring between the twojaws46 provides a balanced gripping action of the jaws so that the flashlight is not biased to one side as it is removed from the chargingunit40. In alternative embodiments, a single pivoting jaw may be used or each of the jaws may be provided with a separate spring.

The configuration of thecharging terminals52 and54 is exemplified by the view of the chargingterminal52 seen in FIG.2. The chargingterminal52 has a rounded end attached to ashaft60. Theshaft60 extends through the anterior wall of theguide recess50 and is secured by a retainingring62. Acompression spring58 positioned behind the rounded head of the chargingterminal52 urges the rounded end to extend into theguide recess50. Such spring-loaded mounting of thecharging terminals52 and54 allows the charging terminals to retract into the chargingunit40 as theguide plate32 is lowered into the charging position. As thecharging terminals52 and54 are aligned with the chargingcontacts34 and36 of theflashlight20, the chargingterminals52 and54 are biased into mating arrangement with the chargingcontacts34 and36.

Turning now to FIG. 3, it is shown that the chargingcontacts34 and36 are preferably formed of screws which are threaded or pressed into thehead28 and secure theguide plate32 thereto. Before being threaded or pressed into thehead28, the slotted surfaces of the screws may be machined, if necessary, to form the concave depressions of the chargingcontacts34 and32.

Thehead assembly28 of theflashlight20 includes alens cap30 with a knurled outer surface for ease of turning thelens cap30. Thehead assembly28 houses a socket assembly made of aswitch module95, which is interlocked with aninterconnection module90. Theinterconnection module90 provides one form of connecting means for electrical interconnection between thebattery assembly100, theswitch module95, the chargingcontacts34 and36, and alamp82. Thelamp82, preferably a bi-pin halogen lamp, is plugged into the socket assembly and extends through an opening in aparabolic reflector82. Theparabolic reflector82 is press-fitted into thelens cap30. The portion of theparabolic reflector82 which mates with the interior surface of thehead28 is threaded so that as thelens cap30 is turned, theparabolic reflector82 is axially translated relative to thelamp81, thus projecting a beam having a variable angle of divergence. Theparabolic reflector82 and thelamp81 are protected by alens80, which is preferably made an acrylate polymer such as LEXAN. Thelens80 may be transparent or selectively transparent to some portion of the light produced by thelamp81, such as by tinting or polarization. The lens cap orring30, includes asleeve30awhich surrounds the forward end of the head portion28a. An o-ring78 is mounted within a groove in the head portion28abetween thesleeve30aand the head portion28a. The o-ring78 provides a water-tight seal between the head portion28aand the sleeve of thelens cap30. The o-ring78 also stiffens the joint between the head and thelens cap sleeve30ato prevent vibration and to frictionally maintain the focus of the beam. The lens cap and the parabolic reflector may be completely unscrewed from the forward end of the flashlight to provide access to thelamp81.

Theswitch module95 is preferably molded of a polymer material, such as an ABS plastic. Theswitch module95 includes a “press-on/press-off” switch mechanism of a well-known type having aplunger cap86 and ratchet155, which applies downward pressure upon aspring156 and, in turn, aplunger contact88 when the switch is actuated. Theplunger88 rides upon anotherspring157 which rests against a platedconductive plunger shaft150. When pressed down onto theshaft150, theplunger88 locks into an “on” or “off” position according to the original state of the switch. The bottom portion of theplunger88 provides a conductive surface which completes an electrical connection between two segments or traces that may be plated into the switch well214 as described in greater detail hereinafter. Theswitch module95 is protected from moisture by a flanged rubber seal84 which is secured over thecap86 between theswitch module95 and the interior surface of thehead28. The flanged rubber seal84 is located on the opposite side of theflashlight20 with respect to the chargingcontacts34 and36 for ease of finding the switch when the flashlight is removed from the chargingunit40.

Thebarrel26 of theflashlight20 is hollow and contains a tubular battery assembly orunit100. Thebattery assembly100 includes acenter battery terminal104 at the forward or head end of the assembly. Thecenter battery terminal104 is surrounded by anannular battery terminal102 as shown in FIG.4. Thecenter battery terminal104 is preferably the positive terminal and theannular battery terminal102 is preferably the negative terminal. Electrical connection betweenterminal104 and theinterconnection module90 is established bycontact spring108, which is retained by theinterconnection module90 within acontact spring recess110. Electrical connection betweenterminal102 and theinterconnection module90 is established bycontact spring106 which is retained by theinterconnection module90 upon acontact spring retainer112.

Thetailcap24 is threaded onto the distal or rear end of thebarrel26, so that thetailcap24 may be unscrewed for removal of the battery assembly or for retrieval of aspare lamp83 stored within ahollow compartment85 in thetailcap24. The threaded connection between the rear end of thebarrel26 and thetailcap24 need not be machined after the metal surfaces of the flashlight have been finished as has commonly been the practice heretofore. Since both terminals of thebattery assembly100 are made at the forward or head end of thebattery assembly100, the threaded connection between thebarrel26 and thetailcap24 is not employed to complete any electrical circuit between thebattery assembly100 and thelamp81. It is noted, however, that such use of a tailcap as part of the electrical circuit may be practiced in alternate embodiments employing other aspects of the invention.

Thebattery assembly100 is shown in greater detail in FIG.4. The battery assembly includes a stack of cells generally designated118 forming a battery of electrochemicalvoltaic cells114,115, and116. Thecells114,115, and116 are preferably secondary, or rechargeable cells of the Nickel-Cadmium type, although other electrochemical materials, such as Nickel-Metal Hydride, Lithium, or other types of cells may be employed. The cells are most preferably three sub-C size NiCd cells. Sub-C NiCd cells are widely available, sufficiently compact, and exhibit a superior energy density. The stack typically operates at a capacity of 1 Ah to 2 Ah at 3 V to 4 V. Thecells114,115, and116 have respectivetop contacts104,101, and103, and respectivebottom contacts120,121, and122. The cells are stacked in series so that thetop contact104 of thetop cell114 provides the contact to one pole of thestack118, while thebottom contact122 of thebottom cell115 provides contact to the other pole of thestack118. Thetop contact104 is oriented toward the forward or head end of theflashlight20 when thebattery assembly100 is inserted in use into the barrel with the tail cap removed.

Thestack118 is surrounded by asheath130 which insulates thestack118 and provides mechanical support or holds the cells together. Thesheath130 is preferably formed of shrink-wrap tubing. Thesheath130 tightly surrounds thestack118, leaving at least portions of thetop cell contact104 and thebottom cell contact122 exposed.

In order to provide both terminals of thebattery assembly100 at the forward or head end ofbarrel26, a terminal extension member orpiece128 provides a conduction path from thebottom cell contact122 to theannular battery terminal102. The terminal extension piece includes aconductive tab126 which is attached to thebottom cell contact122, anelongated conductor125 attached to theconductive tab126, and aterminal end124 adjacent to and surrounding but spaced and insulated from thetop contact104 of thebattery assembly100. The top surface of theterminal end124 serves as the forward ornegative terminal102 of thebattery assembly100. As may be seen in FIG. 5, theterminal end124 of theterminal extension piece128 is preferably is in the form of an annular collar. Theelongated conductor125 may be of a single piece with theterminal end124 or may alternatively be formed of a separate strap which is suitably attached, such as by spot welding, to the terminal end. In other embodiments, a plurality of elongated conductors may be employed. Theconductive tab126 may be formed by bending the lower end of theelongated conductor125.

Returning to FIG. 4, the annular collar of theterminal end124 is fitted over theannular shoulder134 at the top of thestack118. Theconductive tab126 is attached to the portion of thebottom contact122, which was left exposed bysheath130. Theconductive tab126 is attached to thebottom contact122 by a suitable attachment procedure which maintains electrical continuity such as spot welding or soldering.

After theterminal extension piece128 is fitted to the stack, thebattery assembly100 is wrapped in asecond sheath132 surrounding both the stack and theterminal extension piece125. Thesecond sheath132 is preferably formed of shrink-wrap tubing, which is of sufficient length to leave theterminal102 of theterminal extension piece128 exposed. The second sheath provides further insulation and mechanical support to the battery assembly and also serves to protect theterminal extension piece128 from damage due to impact against the interior surface of thebarrel26 or during shipment. The second sheath is preferably of sufficient thickness to provide a snug fit of thebattery assembly100 within thebarrel26 so that thebattery assembly100 does not vibrate within thebarrel26 and detract from the solid “feel” of the flashlight.

Returning to FIG. 3, it is seen that thebattery assembly100 is constrained from axial translation within thebarrel26 by the contact springs108 and106 which are respectively attached to the interconnection module within contact spring recess orretainer110 and upon respectivecontact spring retainer112 as previously mentioned. Theinterconnection module90 is preferably made of a platable engineering resin, such as RYTON. Theinterconnection module90 preferably provides a unitary three-dimensional circuit board for connecting the battery assembly with thelamp81 and with the chargingcontacts34 and36. Conductors are preferably selectively plated upon the surface ofinterconnection module90 and through openings therein. As shown in FIG. 6, electrical contact from thebattery assembly100 to theinterconnection module90 is made by the contact springs108 and106 to respectivespring contact pads200 and202 which are plated upon the bottom of theinterconnection module90. Thecentral contact pad202 has aretainer110 thereon for for contacting thespring108 and hencebattery terminal104.Tabs206 extend outward from the periphery of theinterconnection module90 in order to secure themodule90 into grooves (not shown) cut into the interior surface of thehead28.

Thecontact pad202 is connected to trace208 which extends to the leftward edge of the bottom of themodule90. Turning to FIG. 7, it may be seen thatconductor210 contacts trace208 at the leftward edge of the bottom of themodule90. Thetrace210 connects, at one end, to trace211 and, at the other end, to trace224.Trace211 connects to trace213 which leads into the switch well214 and then connects toplunger shaft150. When theswitch contact plunger88 is depressed into the switch well214, electrical connection is made fromtrace213 to trace218 throughpost150,spring157, andplunger88.Trace218 is raised above the floor of switch well214, and consequently is raised abovetrace213 and extends partially around the periphery of the switch well214 and connects to trace218a. As best seen in FIG. 8, trace218aconnects to trace219 which extends toward the base ofspring housing220. Returning to FIG. 7, it is shown that the interior ofspring housing220 contains aspring clip221. The interior ofspring housing220 is metal plated to provide a socket for one prong of the bi-pin lamp which is secured into position byspring clip221. Thus it may be seen that one side of the lamp circuit is completed fromcontact pad202 viatrace208; totraces210,211, and213; to post150 andspring157 to contactplunger88 and across the switch well214 totraces218 and218a; and then to thespring housing220 viatrace219. In the preferred embodiment, the branch of the lamp circuit just described is the branch of positive polarity.

Thetrace210 also provides connection to trace224 which extends to a plated hole or opening225 in which one lead of a blockingdiode216 is soldered. The blockingdiode216 prevents the battery voltage from being present at the charging terminals when the flashlight is not being charged. The blockingdiode216 extends from plated hole or opening225 to plated hole oropening222. Platedhole222 extends through themodule90 into arecess227 as seen best in FIG.9. Withinrecess227, contact is made from platedhole222 to trace224.Trace224, in turn, leads to trace228.Trace228 is connected to trace229 which extends outward from the bottom of therecess227.Trace229 connects to trace231 which leads to plated hole oropening230. Platedhole230 is the hole or opening which receives the screw that forms chargingcontact36. Theother charging contact34, which is preferably the negative contact, is screwed into platedhole232. Turning to FIG. 7, it is seen that the interior side of platedhole232 is surrounded bytrace234.Trace234, as seen in FIG. 8, contacts forkedtrace236. One fork of forkedtrace236 completes one side of the negative circuit to recess238 in which is containedspring clip239. Platedspring recess238 forms the negative socket for one of the pins of the bi-pin lamp. The other fork of forkedtrace236 extends toward theshelf223 of themodule90. Referring again to FIG. 7, it can be seen that forkedtrace236 connects to trace240 which extends to the top surface of theshelf223. At the surface of the shelf,trace240 joins withtrace242, as shown in FIG. 8, and extends across theshelf223. At the edge of themodule90,trace242 joins withtrace244. Turning again to FIG. 7,trace244 extends toward the rear surface of themodule90 and connects to trace245.Trace245 extends to the edge of themodule90 and connects withtrace247. Finally,trace247 connects to thecontact pad200, thus completing the negative branch of the lamp circuit.

To further clarify the configuration of the lamp and charging circuit, the diagram of FIG. 10 illustrates the schematic arrangement of the traces described in connection with the preceding figures. Each trace of the circuit shown in FIG. 10 is drawn as an individual conductive element with the appropriate trace indicated thereon. Indeed, themodule90 may be alternatively constructed using interconnected conductive elements or segments, rather than plated traces to complete the circuit.

From the foregoing disclosure and the accompanying drawings, it can be seen that the present invention provides certain novel and useful features that will be apparent to those skilled in the pertinent art. In particular, there has been described a compact rechargeable flashlight employing a unitary molded electrical interconnection module; a battery assembly which simplifies the fabrication of the flashlight; and a charging unit which provides ease of insertion and removal of a compact flashlight. It should also be apparent that the flashlight oriented in the charger unit by the guide plate and alignment recess, orients the switch of the flashlight in the same, accessible position when charging the flashlight. Accordingly, if the flashlight is grasped in a dark environment, the person removing the flashlight from the charger unit can easily know where the switch is located and find it for ready use upon removing the flashlight from the charger unit, as used by police officers in their vehicles in emergencies.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Claims (10)

That which is claimed is:

1. A flashlight comprising:

a barrel having a forward end and a rear end adapted to receive at least one battery;

a head assembly connected to the forward end of the barrel, said head assembly having an enlarged portion relative to the barrel;

a light source within said head assembly;

first and second charging contacts on the enlarged portion of said head assembly adapted to contact respective terminals on a charging receptacle; and

connecting means in the head assembly for providing an electrical connection between the charging contacts and said battery and for providing an electrical connection between said battery and said light source, the connecting means comprising an insulating module having conductive members selectively plated on surfaces of said insulating module.

2. The flashlight of claim1 wherein said connecting means comprises a spring and said insulating module comprises spring retaining means for retaining said spring.

3. A flashlight comprising:

a barrel having a forward end and a rear end adapted to receive at least one battery;

a head assembly connected to the forward end of the barrel, said head assembly having an enlarged portion relative to the barrel;

a light source within said head assembly;

first and second charging contacts on the enlarged portion of said head assembly adapted to contact respective terminals on a charging receptacle; and

connecting means in the head assembly for providing an electrical connection between the charging contacts and said battery and for providing an electrical connection between said battery and said light source, the connecting means including a switch for operating the flashlight, positioned on the enlarged portion of the head assembly.

4. The flashlight of claim3 in which at least one of the charging contacts is located substantially on an opposite quadrant of the enlarged portion of the head assembly from the switch.

5. A charging unit for charging a rechargeable flashlight that has a head portion with a light source therein and a charging contact on the head portion, the charging unit comprising:

head holding means, for releasably holding the head portion of the flashlight having the light source therein, the head holding means including gripping means for gripping the head portion of the flashlight and said gripping means includes a pair of pivotally mounted jaws for releasably holding the head portion of the flashlight;

terminal means supplying electrical energy to the charging contact on the head portion of the flashlight, the terminal means being located along the head holding means for mating with the charging contact; and

alignment means located along the head holding means for guiding the head portion of the flashlight into a desired peripheral alignment to have the charging contact on the head portion mate in radial alignment with the terminal means of the charging unit.

6. A flashlight comprising:

a barrel having a forward end and a rear end adapted to receive at least one battery;

a head assembly connected to the forward end of the barrel;

a light source within said head assembly;

a guiding member extending radially from said head assembly for guiding said head assembly into radial alignment with a charging receptacle;

at least one charging contact on said head assembly; and

connecting means in the head assembly for providing an electrical connection between said charging contact and said battery and for providing an electrical connection between the battery and the light source, said connecting means comprising an interconnection module in said head assembly having spring retaining means, and spring means having a pair of concentric springs extending rearwardly from said spring retaining means for electrical connection with said battery.

7. A charging unit for charging a rechargeable flashlight that has an enlarged head portion with a light source therein and a pair of charging contacts on the enlarged head portion, the charging unit comprising:

head holding means for releasably holding the enlarged head portion of the flashlight; and

a pair of charging terminals for supplying electrical energy to the charging contacts on the enlarged head portion of the flashlight, the charging terminals being located along the head holding means in alignment with the charging contacts.

8. The charging unit of claim7 in which the unit further includes an alignment means to orient the enlarged head portion of the flashlight in a desired orientation for having the charging terminals contact the charging contacts of the flashlight.

9. The charging unit of claim8 in which the charging terminals are point contacts adapted to mate with point charging contacts on the enlarged head.

10. A flashlight comprising:

a barrel having a forward end and a rear end, the barrel adapted to receive at least one battery having electrodes;

a head assembly connected to the forward end of the barrel;

a light source within said head assembly; and connecting means in the head assembly for providing an electrical connection between the battery and the light source, said connecting means comprising spring retaining means in the head assembly, and a pair of concentric springs extending rearwardly from said spring retaining means and connecting to the electrodes of the battery for electrical connection with the battery.

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