Other

Nicholl Brothers, Inc.

Nicholl; Thomas H.

John J Collins

Thomas H Nicholl

Donald L Rohrs

John Michael Rodgers

An electrical switch is provided which includes a pair of electrical leads, a first structural support member, and a second structural support member. The first structural support member is electrically conductive and is configured to support one mating terminal comprising a snap-fitting, pivotable, and electrically conductive battery terminal and another mating terminal comprising a stud terminal spaced from the one mating terminal. A second structural support member has a positive terminal connected with a first electrical lead and a negative terminal spaced from the positive terminal and connected with a second electrical lead. One of the positive terminal and the negative terminal comprises a snap-fitting, pivotable, and electrically conductive battery terminal configured to mate with the one mating terminal of the first structural support member and another of the positive terminal and the negative terminal comprises an electrically conductive clasp configured to mate in urgable engagement with the stud terminal of the another mating terminal of the first structural support member corresponding with pivoting of the one terminal. The one mating terminal is placed in electrically conductive relation with the another mating terminal via the structural support member, and rotation between the first structural support member and the second structural support member provides an electrical on/off switch. A method is also provided.

Electrical switch and method

A portable lighting product includes a lamp and a lamp holder. The lamp holder has a positive terminal and a negative terminal spaced from the positive terminal for connection with respective terminals on a power source. One of the terminals includes a snap-fitting, pivotable, and electrically conductive battery terminal. Another of the terminals includes an electrically conductive clasp configured to mate in urgable engagement with a terminal of a power source.

Portable lighting product, portable lighting product circuitry, and method for switching portable lighting product circuitry

A magnetic hammer for use as a hammer and as an object retrieval device is disclosed. The magnetic hammer includes a hammerhead, a handle and a magnetic material. The hammerhead has a cavity therein that is formed to accept the handle. In addition, the cavity is also capable of accepting the magnetic material. The magnetic material and the handle are fixedly coupled with the hammerhead. The magnetic material is operable to attract objects placed in the proximity of the magnetic hammer.

Magnetic hammer

A water craft having an adjustable fin assembly. The fin includes a base having a circular cross-section for rotating within a circular recess formed in a fin box attached to a water board. A means is provided for securing the fin at a predetermined angle of attack. The fin may be secured by a set screw or pin passing through the fin box and making contact with the base. The pin may pass through a hole in the base to provide vertical and rotational support for the fin. The pin may be moved between an engaged position and an unengaged position by the rotation of a gear interfacing with teeth formed on the pin. The fin base and fin box may include mating projections and slots for securing the angular position of the fin and an associated pin for retaining the fin within the fin box.

Water craft with adjustable fin

Bag holding apparatus is disclosed comprising a foldable structure which permits the attachment thereto of reusable plastic or paper bags. A planar member is foldable into a back member, side members hingedly rotatable into a perpendicular position with respect to the back member on each side thereof, and a top member hingedly rotatable down onto the top edges of the side members. Alternative means are formed into the side members to allow the attachment of the reusable bags to the foldable structure. One alternative means comprises contoured cutouts in the side members whereby a reusable bag having handles attached thereto may be secured to the cutouts in the side members. Another alternative means comprises snap means whereby a handless bag may be secured to the side members with the thickness of the bag being captured between a raised protrusion which snap fits within a hole.

Apparatus for holding disposable bags

A battery protection circuit particularly for portable lamps employing rechargeable batteries is provided to prevent overdischarge of the batteries and includes a bulb drive transistor connecting a bulb across the battery with a switch interposed between one side of the battery and the bulb, a voltage sensing resistor connected to one side of the switch, a regenerative switch connected between the sensing resistor and the other side of the battery, and the regenerative switch including an output terminal connected by a base resistor to the base of the drive transistor. The regenerative switch includes a pair of transistors connected and cooperating such that when one of the transistors is turned on, the other is caused to be turned on, the transistors, further, maintaining each other on. As the dropout voltage of the battery is approached, the base drive of the drive transistor decreases which causes the bulb to become dim to thereby warn of the discharged state of the battery. At the dropout voltage, the voltage across the sensing resistor, which is substantially in parallel with the base-emitter junction of one of the switch transistors, is reduced to a level which is not sufficient to maintain the sensing transistor on whereby the switch transistors are turned off, resulting in the turn-off of the drive transistor so that the battery is protected from overdischarge.

Battery protection circuit

Combined power failure and flash light with buzzer

Combined power failure light and flash light

A power failure light for monitoring a power line and for illumination upon the interruption of power therefrom includes a light bulb, a rechargeable battery, a power supply providing charging current for the battery, a pair of diodes connecting the battery across the power supply, a pair of cascaded transistors connecting the bulb across the battery with the base-emitter junctions of the transistors connected across the diodes to thereby sense the condition of the power line. The base-emitter junctions are reversed biased by the pulsating voltage across the diodes, and a timing network, including a resistor across the power supply and a capacitor across the diodes, maintains the reverse biased condition of the junctions between the voltage pulses.

Power failure light and circuit therefor

A stunning and overload protection circuit for animal stunning apparatus is operative to relax the respective animal, such as poultry, yet not damage same and includes power supply means operative to provide pulsating direct current to a timing circuit which effects activating and deactivating of one electrode of the animal stunning apparatus, and an overload protection circuit electrically connected to the power supply means and to the timing circuit and operative to prevent activating of the electrode and to provide an alternate path for power supply current in the event of application of a load above a selected amount to the electrodes of the stunning apparatus.

Stunning and overload circuit

A finger-actuated rotary switch adapted for use in electric devices, such as lanterns, and operative to select a desired light or light combination wherein the rotary switch is a waterproof structure and includes an elongated rotatable stem extending through a stator and having a switch rotor retained on one end thereof. The switch rotor is in engagement with the stator and relative movement between the switch rotor and the stator is effective to move the switch rotor into and out of engagement with electrical contact heads extending from the stator all in response to movement of cam followers which extend from the switch rotor and move along and in engagement with a cam surface on the stator. The switch rotor is resiliently maintained in engagement with the stator. A support is positioned between the stator and an operating knob on the stem.

Growing community of inventors

Kansas City, MO, United States of America

John J Collins