The present invention relates to flashlights and more particularly to such a flashlight having mechanism for preventing electrical contact member thereof from rusting.
Conventionally, flashlight is operated by one or more batteries. Also, batteries are typically installed in flashlight in an unused state. Hence, in a special condition such as power out people may use flashlight immediately. It is known that circuit may not form in a single uninstalled battery. However, circuits may still form between battery and coupled bulb and between battery and coupled conductor of flashlight (e.g., negative electrode) even flashlight is not used. As a result, the contact points (e.g., above positions between battery and bulb and between battery and conductor of flashlight) tend to get rust after a relative long period of time. This can shorten a useful life of flashlight. A proposal is to clean such rest regularly. However, it is inconvenient. To the worse, electrical contact members of flashlight may be damaged during the cleaning if enough care is not taken.
Thus, it is desirable to provide an improved flashlight having mechanism for preventing electrical contact members thereof from rusting in order to overcome the above drawbacks of prior art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a flashlight having a mechanism for preventing electrical contact members thereof from rusting comprising a light mechanism including a bulb, a reflector for securing the bulb, an internal threaded section, an elastic member, a flexible substantially L-shaped conductor coupled to the bulb and having protuberance on a vertical section, a battery frame including a horizontal section and a plurality of slanted flexible bifurcation members equally spaced on the horizontal section, each bifurcation member having a recess, and one or more batteries each secured between two of the adjacent bifurcation members with electrodes thereof proximate the recesses; a cylindrical container shaped handle for receiving the conductor, the batteries, and the battery frame and including a collar, a raised switch including a channel, two opposed lugs on one end of the channel, a bent trigger member having a projection on a slanted section and a push button on an open end of the slanted section, and a pin through lugs for pivotably securing the trigger member on the channel; and a cylindrical sleeve mechanism put on the handle and including a front outer threaded section matingly secured to the threaded section of the light mechanism together with the collar and the reflector to enclose the elastic member, and an opening on a surface. In an unused position, the batteries are disengaged from each other, a positive electrode of one of the batteries is disengaged from the bulb, and a negative electrode of the other battery is disengaged from the protuberance. While in a used position, the elastic member is compressed by pushing the push button forward for holding the bifurcation members upright and clinging the projection into the opening so that the batteries are electrically coupled together, the positive electrode of one of the batteries is coupled to the bulb, and the negative electrode of the other battery is coupled to the protuberance by inserting the positive electrodes of the batteries and the protuberance through the recesses, thereby forming a circuit from the bulb to the protuberance via the batteries.