US3500378A - Battery-operated barrier light having resilient cushion mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

March 10, 1970 T, E, P|CKER|NG ETAL 3,500,378

BATTERY-OPERATED BARRIER LIGHT HAVING RESILIENT cUsHIoN MOUNTING STRUCTURE Filed June 2l, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 g 'Ev/P rrausf/S 5599/5; ld/sc/f, Hasse, KE/QM March l0, 1970 T. E. PICKERING ET AL 3,500,378

BATTERY-OPERATED BARRIER LIGHT HAVING RESILIENT CUSHION MOUNTING STRUCTURE Filed June 2l, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 jwevraes. .WH0/14,45 E. i)/ckM/G; )ZE/m M clo/-r/vsa/v,

THE/x? Hrm/Meyn". Hime/s, Msc@ Kassen. fc-Aw March 10, 1970 1' E plcKERlNG ETAL 3,500,378 BATTERY-OPERATED BARRIER LIGHT HAVING RESILIENT T CUSHION MOUNTING STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet s Filed June 21, 1965 ohms .El Hman/1v I/wskrbs United States Patent O 3,500,378 BAITERY-OPERATED BARRIER LIGHT HAVING RESILIENT CUSHION MOUNTING STRUCTURE Thomas E. Pickering, Nightflasher, Inc., 1234 San Fernando Road, Los Angeles, Calif. 90065, and Keith M. Johnson, La Habra, Calif.; said Johnson assignor to said Pickering Filed June 21, 1965, Ser. No. 465,506 Int. Cl. G08b 5/38 U.S. Cl. 340-331 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A warning light which includes a casing with a hollow lens assembly mounted on the upper wall of the casing, the casing and the lens assembly having overlapping, interengaging portions with a cushioning member therebetween. A plastic biscuit assembly including a base portion and an upwardly extending tubular portion having a'lamp at the upper end thereof, is mounted in the casing with the tubular portion extending into the hollow lens assembly. Triggering means for the lamp are tted entirely within the tubular portion of the biscuit assembly. The switching means which actuates said triggering means includes an actuator bar slidable on the base portion of the biscuit assembly between an open position and a closed position, the opposed ends of the actuator bar being adjacent opposed side walls of the casing. The opposed side walls of the casing are provided with apertures for receiving a thin tool which is engageable with an end of the actuator bar.

The present invention relates generally to the lighting fixture art and more particularly to a novel electrical warning light which is illuminated intermittently and which is adapted to be mounted on wooden barricades and the like.

It is frequently desirable to position blinking lights near construction sites to caution on-corning traic. These lights are frequently exposed to the weather for long periods of time and are roughly handled. Some conventional blinker lights are a re hazard and have no means to prevent vandals from tapering therewith.

Accordingly, itis an object of this invention to provide a warning light which is constructed of strong material and which, when assembled, is substantially waterproof. More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a light which includes a hollow lens assembly and a housing which are preferably constructed of 'a strong plastic material to prevent damage to the internal operative elements of the light.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel warning light having a biscuit which is of simple construction and easy to manufacture, and the components of which are easily molded.

Another object of this invention is to provide novel means for connecting the lens assembly to th'e housing. More particularly, it is an object to provide such connecting means which allows the lens assembly to rotate relative to the housing, reinforces the housing, and provides a cushioning means to help absorb shocks that might be received by the light. By way of illustration, this may be accomplished by providing a collar with a peripheral ange on the housing and a groove on the hollow lens assembly for receiving the peripheral ange. A resilient ring is disposed between the peripheral flange and the groove. According to one aspect of the invention, the resilient ring may have a U-shaped portion embracing the peripheral ange `and a skirt embracing the collar beneath the ange, and the lensI assembly has an annulus embracing the skirt. According to another aspect of the invention, the resilient ring may be generally channel-shaped and snugly embraces the collar, and the groove in the lens assembly 3,500,378 Patented Mar. 10, 1970 forms a hook which iirmly engages the resilient ring within the channel.

Another object of this invention is to provide a compact integral biscuit assembly which provides additional protection for the operative parts of the warning light and is quickly and easily removed from the housing. More particularly, the unitary biscuit assembly may include, for example, a base portion and an annular stem with the latter containing the circuit elements required to cause intermtitent illumination. The top of the annular stem is provided with integral internal grooves for receiving the lugs of a lamp. The base portion is provided with means for securing the biscuit to the housing and with a downwardly extending loop for use in removing the biscuit from the housing.

A further object of this invention is to provide a warning light which is essentially tamperproof. According to one manner of achieving this end, the housing is provided with a pair of opposed walls having apertures therein and a concealed switch having a slidable actuator for turning the warning light on and olf is provided on the base portion of the biscuit. The slidable actuator has end portions adjacent the apertures in the opposed walls and is slidable between an open and a closed position. The actuator may then be moved from one of its positions to the other by inserting a tool through one of the apertures and applying force to the end portion. of the slidable actuator which is adjacent that aperture.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a switch for a warning light which has self-cleaning contacts. By way of example, the contacts of the switch may be made self-cleaning by providing one contact on the slidable switch actuator and a base contact on the base portion. The actuator is so positioned that its contact rmly engages the base contact on the base portion as the actuator is slid from one position to another. This rubbing engagement of the contact or wiping action keeps the contacts relatively clean.

A further object of this invention is to provide a warning light in which the housing thereof is relatively tamperproof by uninformed vandals and small children but which can be easily and quickly disassembled for the replacement of batteries and the lamp bulb once one has been advised of its construction. The housing may include a top case and a bottom case which are secured together by a plurality of grooves and interlocking projections so as to require a tool for their separation. The housing also may include a locking bolt, which appears to be used primarily for mounting the warning light on a barrier or support, but which also functions to connect together the top case and the bottom case.

Further objects of the present invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a warning light constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged Vertical sectional view taken along line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2a is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of the neck construction showing an alternate manner of securing the lens assembly to the housing;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and shows the concealed switch used with the warning light;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the base portion of the biscuit shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view of the switch shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 3 and shows one means for connecting together the top case and the bottom case;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the line 8-8 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 3 showing the manner in which the base portion is secured to the housing;

FIG. l is an exploded view in perspective showing how the components of the warning light t together; and

FIG. 1l is an exploded view in perspective of the upper portion of the annular stem with one section thereof rotated 90 to expose the electrical circuit contained therein. With reference to FIG. 1, the numeral 21 identities a warning light constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention and which includes a hollow lens assembly 23 and a housing 25. The housing 25 includes a top case 27 and a bottom case 29 both of which are preferably molded from a relatively strong plastic material such as high-impact polyethylene. The bottom case 29 is a generally hollow, rectangular, integral structure having opposed side walls 31 and 33 (FIG. 10), opposed end walls 35 and 37, and two spaced partitions 39 and 41 which divide the bottom case into two chambers A and B. An apertured tubular member 43 having an extension 44 is molded integrally with and joins the upper ends of the partitions 39 and 41. A plurality of ridges 45 is formed on each of the interior walls of the bottom case 29. A pair of upwardly extending tabs 47 and 49 carrying a pair of outwardly extending lugs 51 and 53, respectively, is molded integrally with the side wall 33.

The top case 27 is a hollow, rectangular, integral structure including opposed side walls 55 and 57, opposed end walls 59 and 61, and a top wall 63, the bottom portions of the end and side walls being ared outwardly as shown in FIG. 1. The flared portions of the top case 27 are formed to receive the upper portion of the bottom case 29 in telescoping relationship. As shown in FIG. 7, the top case 27 is provided with an aperture 65 to receive the lug 53 of the bottom case 29 and a similar aperture (not shown) is provided in the top case to receive the lug 51.

The wall 55 of the top case 27 has a thickened portion 67 with a bore 69 and a counterbore 71 therein (FIG. 2). A cup-like metal socket 73 with an internally threaded recess 75 is suitably secured in the bore 69 as by riveting. A passageway 77, which is aligned with the internally threaded recess 75, is provided in the side wall 57.

The inner surfaces of the walls of the top case 27 are also provided with spaced-apart ridges 79 of substantially the same depth and thickness as the ridges 45 in the bottom case 29.

The top case 27 is adapted to be pushed down over the upper portion of the bottom case 29 until the lugs 51 and 53 engage the appropriate apertures in the top case as shown in FIG. 7. When in this position, the socket 73 rests on a lip 81, FIG. 2, of the bottom case 29 and the extension 44 fits within the aperture 77 of the top case. To further secure the top and bottom cases together, a bolt 83 is inserted through the apertured tubular member 43 and screwed within the internally threaded recess 75 of the socket 73. The bolt 83 may also be used to a secure the warning light 21 to a strap of a support member (not shown). The bolt 83 would appear only as amounting bolt, and, therefore, children and vandals who would endeavor to dissamble the warning light without removing it from the barrier would be unable to do so. However, even if such a person were to remove the bolt 83, he would have trouble separating the top case Z7 from the bottom case 2.9 because they are held together at several locations including at the lugs 51 and S3 and at the extension 44.

The housing 25 is given additional strength by the bolt 83, the partitions 39 and 41, and the ridges 45 and 79.

An aperture 85 (FIG. 2) extends through the center of the top wall 63 and an integral annular collar 87 extends upwardly from the top wall about the aperture. Around the collar 87 below the upper end thereof is an outwardly extending annular ange 89 which is preferably molded integrally with the collar 87.

Mounted on the collar 87 of the top case 27 is the transparent or translucent hollow lens assembly 23 which is preferably molded from a strong plastic material and which includes two interlocking disc-like lens halves 93 and 95 fastened together by a plurality of bolts 97, the lens halves being interconnected by a tongue and groove construction 99 (FIG. 2) adjacent their peripheries to substantially prevent water from entering the lens assembly. As shown in FIG. 2, the inner surfaces of the lens halves 93 and 95 are formed to provide a directional beam of light along a line which passes transversely through the centers of the lens halves 93 and 95.

The lens assembly 23 also includes a neck portion 101 opening at the lower end thereof, the neck portion being curved to form an annular groove 103 in the inner surface thereof and then straightening out to form a downwardly extending annulus 105.

A resilient ring 107, preferably constructed of rubber, has a portion 109 with a U-shaped cross section, the interior of which snugly embraces the ange 89 as shown in FIG. 2. The resilient ring 107 has a depending skirt 111 which embraces the collar 87 between the flange 89 and the top wall 63.

As shown in FIG. 2, the groove 103 receives the ange 89 and the resilient ring 107 and firmly engages the resilient ring to firmly secure the lens assembly 23 to the housing 25. The annulus embraces the skirt 111 of the resilient ring 107. Although the resilient ring 107 snugly embraces the collar 87 and the flange 89, by applying sulicient torque to the lens assembly 23 it can be made to rotate through an angle of 360 with respect to the cOllar 87. That is, the lens assembly 91 is not free to Spin on the collar 87, but rather some measurable force must be applied thereto to rotate same, and, accordingly, it assumes a semixed position relative to the collar. In addition to serving as a mounting means for the lens assembly 23, the collar 87 and the ilange 89 also serve to make the housing 25 more rigid. The resilient ring 107 serves to make the connection between the top case 27 and the lens assembly 23 relatively water and dustproof and also provides a cushioning means to help absorb shocks that might be received by either the top case or the lens assembly. The enlarged neck portion 101 of the lens assembly 23, in addition to serving as a means for securing the lens assembly to the top case, reinforces the lens assembly.

FIG. 2a illustrates an alternate means for securing a lens assembly 112 to the top case 27. The collar 87 has an outwardly extending, annular, integrally molded flange 113 provided at its upper end. A resilient ring 115 with a channel-shaped cross section surrounds the collar 87. The resilient ring 115 includes a pair of annular flaps 117 and 1.19 connected together by an annular base 121. As shown in FIG. 2a, when in position, the base 121 snugly embraces the collar 87 and the outer surfaces of the flaps 117 and 119 engage the flange 113 and the top Wall 63 respectively. yIn this alternate construction, the lens assembly 112 has a neck with a hook-shaped cross section, the end of which rmly engages Within the channel-shaped cross section of the resilient ring .113. Of course, the neck provides a groove 127 in its internal surface for receiving the ange 113 and a portion 0f the resilient ring 115. The construction of FIG. 2a also allows rotation of the lens assembly 112 relative to the top wall 63 and generally possesses the same or similar advantages as those advanced in connection with FIG. 2.

The warning light 21 also includes a compact, preferably molded plastic lbiscuit 141 (FIG. 10) which comprises a flat base portion 143, an annular stem `145, a switch 147 and a removing loop 149. The base portion 143 includes a generally flat sheet 151 having a downwardly extending ange 153 at its periphery. A pair of apertured securing knobs 155 and 157 having upper camming surfaces 155a and 157a, respectively, is molded integrally with the flat sheet 151 and a pair of slits 159 and 161 (FIG. 5) is also provided in the flat sheet to receive correspondingly shaped lugs 163 and 165, respectively, of the removing loop 149. The removing loop 149 has portions 163a and 165a of reduced cross section adjacent the lugs 163 and 165, respectively, which are received within the slits 159 and 161. The lugs 163 and 165 are disposed at an angle with respect to the slits 159 and 161 so that the former cannot be unknowingly withdrawn from the latter. To remove the removing loop 149 from the at sheet 151, the portions of reduced cross Section 163a and 165a are rotated so that the lugs 163 and 165 are aligned with their respective slits. As the lugs 163 and 165 are slightly smaller than the slits 159 and 161, they may then be Withdrawn.

As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of conductive metallic strips 167 and 169 extends across the underside of the base portion 143 and the strips are secured thereto by their end portions 167a, 167b, 169a, and 169b which pass through appropriate apertures in the flat sheet and then curve to one side thereof to rmly hold the conductive strips in place. The end portion 169a is bent back beneath the switch 147 as shown in FIG. 10 and forms a base contact of that switch.

The switch 147 may best be understood with reference to FIG. 6. The base portion 143 is provided with a pair of spaced parallel ridges 171 and 173 which are molded integrally on the base portion 143 to form a channel thereon, the ridge 173 being formed with cutout portions 175 and 177. The base portion 143 is formed with a plurality of depressions 179, 181, 183, and 185 in the area adjacent the ridges 171 and 173, the depression 181 being adapted to receive the end portion or base contact 169a of the conductive strip 169. The switch 147 also includes an actuator 189 having enlarged end portions 191 and 193 and carrying an actuator contact 195. Each of the enlarged end portions 191 and 193 is preferably formed with a conical depression 197 on the outer face thereof. An insulated electrical lead 199 passes through a slit 201 in a projection 203 and is suitably secured to the actuator contact 195 as by soldering. The actuator 189 also has an opening 205 and a boss 207 formed thereon.

The switch 147 also includes a generally channelshaped cover plate 209 of molded plastic material having a stepped slot 211 formed in the web section thereof and a pair of grooves 213 and 215 formed in one flange thereof. An opening 217 is Iprovided in the other end of the web section of the cover plate 209 and a plurality of plastic pins 219 is molded integrally with and extends from the flanges of the channel-shaped cover plate. As passageway 221 is formed in one of the flanges of the channelshaped cover plate 209 to receive the electrical lead 199.

With the switch in assembled condition, the pins 219 of the channel-shaped cover plate 209 t snugly within a plurality of corresponding apertures 223 in the base portion 143. The actuator is slidably positioned between the channel-shaped cover plate 209 and -the ridges 171 and 173 and is slidable between a position in which the actuator contact 195 engages the base contact 169a while the end portion 191 simultaneously engages the depression 179 and an open position in which the contacts 169a and 195 do not engage and the enlarged end portion 193 engages the depression 185. The electrical lead 199 passes through the passageway 221 to an appropriate electrical circuit which will be subsequently described.

All the parts of the switch except the contacts and electrical leads are preferably molded of an electrical insulating material such as a rigid, strong plastic. The contacts 169a and 195 exert considerable pressure on each other when they are engaged, and this pressure as one slides over the other causes them to be self-cleaning.

The annular stem includes lower annular section 231 which is molded integrally with the base portion 143 and an upper annular portion 233 of plastic material which telescopes within the integral section and is secured thereto by a pair of knobs 235 and 237 (FIG. 2) which engage corresponding grooves 239 and 241 in the integral section 231. The upper annular portion 233 of the annular stem 145 includes two half sections 243 and 245 with lateral end portions which are hinged together at their lateral end portions by a plurality of hinges or straps 247 molded integrally with the lateral end portions. A plurality of prongs 251 and corresponding tubes 253 is molded integrally near the centers of the half sections 245 and 243, respectively, with the prongs adapted to snugly t within the tubes to releasably couple the two half sections together. The top of the upper annular portion 233 is tapered to form a narrow opening 255, the inner walls of said opening having a pair of opposed .T- shaped grooves 257 adapted to receive a pair of lugs 259 on an illuminable means or electric lamp 261. The J -shaped grooves 257 and the lugs 259 form interlocking means which releasably secure the lamp 261 within the opening 255. A split ring 263 encircles the upper annular portion 233 in a groove 265 to further secure the half sections 243 and 245 together. A rectangular ridge 266 having an inwardly extending flange 266a is formed on the upper portion 233.

Several important features of the biscuit construction described above are that it is of simple construction; it is easy to manufacture; and the components of the biscuit are easily molded. The base portion 143, the ridges 171 and 173 which form a channel in which the switch actuator 189 slides, the various projections and apertures on the base portion, and the lower annular section 231 are all integrally molded from a plastic material in one simple molding operation. The half sections 243 and 245 and their associated hinges 247 may be easily molded as an integral unit. Assembly of the biscuit is easily accomplished by inserting a transistorized circuitry 267 within one of the half sections, utilizing the prongs 251 and the corresponding tubes 253 to couple the two half sections together, and telescoping the lower portion of the upper annular section 233 within the upper portion of the lower annular section 231. As the biscuit components are easily molded and the assembly of the components involves only a few steps, the manufacturing costs are held to a minimum.

Appropriate electrical circuitry preferably the transistorized triggering means 267 which causes the lamp 261 to become illuminated at intervals or to blink is positioned entirely within the annular stem 145 as shown in FIG. 11. This circuitry is conventional and accordingly need not be described in detail herein. The circuitry 267 provides a metal contact plate 269 adjacent the opening 255 against which the base of the lamp 261 is positioned when the latter is secured by the J-shaped grooves 257. Two electrical leads emanate from the lower annular section 231 of the annular stem 145. One of these leads is the electrical lead 199, which has been previously described as being connected to the actuator contact 195 ofthe switch 147. Another of these leads 270 (FIG. 2) passes through the bottom of the annular stem 145 and is connected to the conductive strip 167 at a contact point 271 (FIG. 5).

The biscuit 141 is secured to the top case 27 by two downwardly depending ears 273 and 275 which pass through the securing apertures and 157, respectively,

7 of the base portion 143. The ear 275 (FIG. 9) has a pair of diverging prongs 277 with rounded ends at one end thereof, and the ear 273 has corresponding diverging prongs, which are of suflicient resilience to firmly retain the base portion 143 in position unless a relatively strong force is exerted on the removing loop 149, in which case the diverging prongs are cammed together by the walls of the apertures 155 and 157 to allow the base portion and the entire biscuit 141 to be withdrawn from the top casing. The camming surfaces 155a and 157a facilitate securing of the base portion 143 within the top case 27 by camming the rounded ends of the prongs 277 inwardly to allow the ears 273 and 275 to pass through their respective apertures 155 and 157 in the base portion. With the biscuit thus secured within the housing 1 25 as shown in FIG. 2, the annular stern 145 projects through the aperture 85 and the collar 87 so that the lamp 261 is approximately at the center of the lens assembly 23.

The power source for the warning light 21 includes a pair of dry- cell batteries 279 and 281 which are disposed within the chambers A and B, respectively. The battery 279 has a pair of spring- like terminals 283 and 285 which engage the conductive strips 167 and 169, respectively, and the battery 281 has corresponding terminals (not shown) which similarly engage the conductive strips 167 and 169. Thus, current tlows from the batteries 279 and 281 through the conductive strip 167, the electrical lead 270, the circuitry 267, the electrical lead 199, the switch 147, and the conductive Strip 169 back to the batteries.

To make tampering with the switch 147 less likely, the top case 27 is provided with a pair of aligned apertures 287 and 289 in the opposed side walls 55 and 57, respectively, as shown in FIG. 4, and the actuator 189 is aligned with these apertures. The enlarged end portions 191 and 193 of the actuator 189 are then closely adjacent to the apertures 289 and 287, respectively. To move the switch 147 from the open position shown in FIG. 4 to the closed position in which the actuator contact 195 engages the base contact 16961, an appropriate tool 291 is inserted through the aperture 289 to engage the enlarged end 191. The conical depression 197 helps guide the tool 291 to approximately the center of the enlarged end portion 191. By applying a suitable amount of force to the tool 291, the actuator 189 is moved to the left `as seen in FIG. 4 until the switch is closed. The closed position will be apparent to the operator, not only because the Warning light will begin to operate, but also because the left side of the enlarged end portion 191 will engage the back wall of the depression 179 simultaneously with the closing of the switch. To open the switch and turn off the warning light 21, the tool 291 is inserted through the aperture 287 and the process just described is repeated. By concealing the switch in this manner, it becomes impossible for the uninformed to tamper with the warning light 21 by manipulation of the switch 147. It should be understood that the apertures 287 and 289 need not be aligned and that the actuator 189 need not be an elongated straight strip as shown. It is only necessary that the actuator 189 have its end portions 191 and 193 adjacent the apertures 289 and 287 so that a tool may be inserted through the appropriate aperture to engage the appropriate end portion.

The ridges 45 in the bottom case and the ridges 79 in the top case position the batteries away from the sidel and bottom walls so as to reduce the possibility of damage to the batteries and also to facilitate the circulation of air around them. The ridges 45 in the bottom case 29 also provide a space to receive condensation or any uid which may leak from the batteries. The spring- type terminals 283 and 285 cushion the batteries against shocks in the vertical direction.

It is apparent that the teachings of this invention provide a substantially tamperproof warning light because of the numerous interlocking elements on the top case 27 and the bottom case 29 and the concealed switch actuator 189. The Warning light of the present invention is tightly sealed and can be exposed to the elements without adversely affecting its operation. The lens assembly 23 can be rotated through 360 with respect to the housing 25 so that the illumination produced thereby can be projected in any selected direction regardless of the position of the case or housing. In addition, the warning light is made additionally strong by the provision of the collar 87 and the enlarged neck 101. The resilient ring 107 seals the lens assembly to housing connection and serves to cushion shocks. Also, because of the sliding action of the switch 147, the contacts thereof are wiped clean through use of the switch.

What is claimed is:

1. A warning light comprising:

a housing having a top wall and an aperture in said top wall, said housing having an upwardly extending collar surrounding said aperture;

a hollow lens assembly having a neck portion opening at the lower end thereof in overlapping relationship with said collar;

interlocking means on said collar and said neck portion securing said lens assembly to said housing;

resilient cushioning means between said collar and said neck portion; and

illuminable means within said hollow lens assembly.

2. A warning light as defined in claim 1 wherein said interlocking means includes an annular tlange on one of the collar and the neck portion and an annular groove on the other for receiving said annular ange.

3. A warning light comprising:

a housing having a top wall with an aperture passing therethrough, said housing having an upwardly extending collar around said aperture and an outwardly extending flange about said collar, said collar having an upper end, said ange having upper and lower surfaces and being spaced from said top wall;

a resilient ring snugly fitted on said collar, said resilient ring engaging said flange;

a hollow lens assembly having a neck portion opening at the lower end thereof, said neck portion having an inner surface with a groove formed therein, said groove receiving said flange `and said resilient ring, said groove rmly engaging said resilient ring to tirmly secure said lens assembly to said housing; and

means for producing light within said hollow lens assembly.

4. A Warning light as delined in claim 3 wherein said ange is spaced from the upper end of said collar, said resilient ring has a portion of U-shaped cross section embracing said flange and a skirt embracing said collar between said flange and said top Wall, said neck portion having an annulus embracing said skirt.

5. A warning light as delined in claim 3 wherein said flange is disposed at the upper end of said collar, said resilient ring is generally channelashaped in cross section and snugly embraces said collar, and said groove in said neck portion has a hook-shaped cross section the end of which rmly engages the interior of the channel-shaped resilient ring.

6. A warning light comprising:

a housing;

a hollow lens assembly secured to said housing;

a biscuit within said housing and said lens assembly including a generally flat base portion and an annular stern secured to said base portion;

a lamp within said lens assembly and secured to said annular stem;

triggering means entirely within said annular stem for causing said lamp to become illuminated at intervals; and

means for securing said base portion to said housing.

7. A warning light as defined in claim 6 further comprising:

loop means secured to the lower surface of said base portion for removing said biscuit from said housing and said lens assembly.

8. A warning light comprising:

a housing;

a hollow lens assembly secured to said housing;

a biscuit assembly withi-n said housing and said lens assembly including a generally at base portion of plastic material and a lower annular section of plastic material molded integrally with said base portion, said biscuit assembly also including a plastic upper an'nular section telescoped with said lower an-nular section, said upper annular section including two half sections;-

a lamp lwithin said lens assembly and secured to said upper annular section; and

triggering means entirely within said upper annular section and said lower annular section for causing said lamp to become illuminated at intervals.

9. A warning light as defined in claim 8 wherein one of said two half sections has a tube molded integrally on the interior thereof and the other of said two half sections has a corresponding prong on the interior surface thereof adapted to snugly t within said tube to releasably couple said half sections together.

10. A warning light comprising:

a housing having a pair of opposed walls with apertures therein;

a hollow lens assembly secured to said housing;

illuminate means within said hollow lens assembly; and

a switch adapted to be acutated by a tool for said illuminable means mounted in said housing, said switch including an actuator slidable between an open position and a closed position, said actuator having end'portions adjacent said apertures where- -by said actuator may be moved between said positions by inserting said tool through one of said apertures and applying a force to the end portion of said actuator adjacent said one of said apertures.

11. A warning light as dened in claim 10 further comprising a biscuit of plastic material including a base portion mounted in said housing, Said actuator being slidable in a channel formed integrally in said base and having enlarger end portions to facilitate engagement by said tool.

12. A warning light as defined in claim 11 wherein said base portion carries a base electrical contact beneath said actuator and said actuator carries an actuator electrical contact which is engageable with said base contact by sliding of said actuator, the sliding engagement of said contacts wiping said contacts clean.

13. A warning light light comprising:

a housing;

a hollow lens assembly secured to said housing;

illuminable means within said hollow lens assembly;

a biscuit including a at base portion having an upper surface and a lower surface mounted in said housing;

circuit means for supplying electrical power to said illuminable means, said circuit means including a pair of conductive strips secured to the lower surface of said base portion, said strips adapted to engage the terminals of a battery, one of said conductive strips having a base contact thereon exposed at the upper surface of said base portion; and

a switch for said circuit means mounted on said upper surface of said 1base portion, said switch including an actuator having an actuator contact thereon and together by integrally formed hinge portions for move-4 ment of said half sections between an open position in which they are positioned side by side and a closed cylinder-forming position.

15. A warning light as defined in claim 8 in which the upper end of the upper annular section contains an external annular groove, and a ring-like member is positioned in said groove in engagement with one end of an electrical conductor for contact with the lamp.

16. A warning light comprising:

a housing having opposed side walls and a top wall with an aperture in said top wall, said housing having an upwarldly-extending collar surrounding said aperture;

a hollow lens assembly having a neck portion opening at the lower end thereof;

interlocking means on said collar and said neck portion securing said lens assembly to said housing;

cushioning means between said collar and said neck portion;

a biscuit assembly within the housing and the lens assembly including a generally flat base portion of plastic material with a lower tubular section molded integrally with said base portion, said biscuit assembly also including a plastic upper tubular section telescoping with the lower tubular section, said upper tubular section including two half sections;

a lamp ywithin said lens assembly removably mounted at the upper end of the upper tubular section;

tool-receiving apertures in the opposed side walls;

triggering means entirely within the tubular sections of the biscuit assembly for causing the lamp to be energized; and

a switch for said triggering means mounted on said biscuit assembly and adapted to be actuated by a tool extending through said aperture in opposed side walls, said switch including an actuator bar slidable between an open position and a closed position, said actuator bar having opposed ends positioned adjacent said apertures in the walls whereby the actuator bar can be moved between said positions by inserting a tool in one of said apertures and applying a force to the end of the actuator bar adjacent said one of said apertures.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,304,742 12/ 1942 Oicer et al 24U-10.6 3,221,300 11/1965 Elledge 340-81 3,266,015 8/1966 vPickering et al. 340-81 3,351,751 11/1967 Stube et al 240-10.6 2,235,024 3/1941 Kopp 24U-10.6 2,753,4'42 7/ 1956 Wiswell 340-331 X 2,918,668 1271959 Stube 340-331 2,931,026 3/ 1960 Nelson 340-331 X 2,983,914 5/1961 Fuller '340-331 X HAROLD I. PITTS, Primary Examiner U.S. CI. X.R.

Images