Photoflash lamp array with automatic switching

Claim 2

A photoflash lamp adapted to actuate control means upon flashing, wherein the improvement comprises an elongated control pin positioned with at least a portion of the length thereof parallel to and alongside the surface of said lamp and adhered to said lamp by means of heat-responsive material adapted to soften from heat generated by the lamp when flashed thereby permitting sliding movement of said control pin with respect to said surface of the lamp.

Claim 3

A photoflash lamp as claimed in claim 1, in which said heat-responsive material comprises a lacquer coating on said lamp and which also functions as a safety coating to reduce likelihood of the lamp shattering upon flashing.

Claim 4

A photoflash lamp as claimed in claim 1 in combination with said control means, wherein said control means comprises a switch means positioned with respect to said lamp and held in electrically open position by said control pin, said switch means being adapted to move into electrically closed position upon said control pin becoming movable when said lamp is flashed.

Claim 5

A photoflash lamp as claimed in claim 1, in which the lamp is provided with a pair of lead wires extending in a given direction therefrom, and in which said control pin extends from said lamp in said given direction.

Claim 6

A photoflash lamp as claimed in claim 4 in combination with said control means, wherein said control means comprises a movable member, means urging said movable member to move from a first position to a second position, and wherein means are provided to hold said photoflash lamp by said lead wires thereof, said photoflash lamp being positioned so that the end of said extending control pin engages axially against said movable member to hold it in said first position, thereby to permit said movable member to move to sAid second position upon flashing of said lamp.

Claim 7

A photoflash lamp array comprising a plurality of photoflash lamps, connection means adapted to connect a first one of said photoflash lamps to a source of firing pulses, a plurality of normally open switches respectively positioned with respect to all but a last of said photoflash lamps and adapted upon closing to connect a next successive one of said photoflash lamps to said connection means, means respectively urging said switches into closed position, and a plurality of elongated switch pins respectively positioned with respect to all but said last of the photoflash lamps with at least a portion of the lengths thereof parallel to and alongside the surfaces of the respective lamps and adhered to the lamps by means of heat-responsive material and extending into engagement with the respective switches to maintain them in normally open position, said heat-responsive material being adapted to soften and permit sliding movement of the adhered switch pin with respect to the surface of the lamp in response to heat generated upon flashing of the lamp thereby permitting closure of the associated switch.

Claim 8

A photoflash lamp array comprising a plurality of photoflash lamps, connection means adapted to connect a first one of said photoflash lamps to a source of firing pulses, a plurality of normally open switches respectively positioned with respect to all but a last of said photoflash lamps and adapted upon closing to connect a next successive one of said photoflash lamps to said connection means, means respectively urging said switches into closed position, and a plurality of elongated switch pins respectively positioned with respect to all but said last of the photoflash lamps with at least a portion of the lengths thereof parallel to and alongside the surfaces of the respective lamps and adhered to the lamps by means of heat-responsive material and extending into engagement with the respective switches to maintain them in normally open position, said heat-responsive material being adapted to soften and permit sliding movement of the adhered switch pin with respect to the surface of the lamp in response to heat generated upon flashing of the lamp thereby permitting closure of the associated switch.

Claim 9

A photoflash lamp array as claimed in claim 6, in which said last photoflash lamp is provided with an indicator pin adhered thereto by means of heat-responsive material adapted to soften and permit movement of said indicator pin in response to heat generated upon flashing of said last lamp, said indicator pin being adapted to actuate a last-flash indicator upon flashing of said last photoflash lamp, said photoflash lamps being mutually positioned in substantially linear planar alignment, and said last photoflash lamp being positioned substantially at the center of said plurality of photoflash lamps, said array including housing means containing said photoflash lamps and said switches, said housing means being provided with an opening to the exterior thereof, and said indicator pin being positioned to project through said opening and extend exteriorly of said housing means.

Claim 10

A photoflash lamp array as claimed in claim 7, in which said pins are substantially parallel to each other, in which said switch pins are mutually positioned in substantially planar alignment, and in which said indicator pin is positioned out of said planar alignment of the switch pins.

Claim 11

A photoflash lamp array as claimed in claim 7, including at least one electrical connection prong extending from said housing means in parallel adjacency to, and at least as far as, said indicator pin, thereby protecting said indicator pin from being damaged.

Claim 12

A photoflash lamp array as claimed in claim 7, in which said plurality of photoflash lamps and switches are positioned near one side of said housing means, and including a second plurality of photoflash lamps and switches positioned near the reverse side of said housing means and arranged similarly to said first-mentioned photoflash lamps and switches, a first electrical connector provided on said housing means and electrically connected to both of said pluralities of photoflash lamps, a pair of additional electrical connectors provided on said housing means so as to symmetrically flank said first electrical connector, and means respectively connecting said additional electrical connectors to said first photoflash lamp of each said plurality thereof, whereby said dual array is provided with only three electrical connectors.

Claim 13

A photoflash lamp array as claimed in claim 10, in which said electrical connectors extend mutually parallel from said housing means, and in which said indicator pins of the two pluralities of lamps respectively extend between said first electrical connector and said pair of additional electrical connectors, said indicator pins being symmetrically located with respect to said first electrical connector.

Claim 14

A photoflash lamp array comprising first, second, and third photoflash lamps positioned in linear planar alignment in the named order, each of said lamps having first and second lead wires extending therefrom in a given direction, first connection means connecting said first lead wires electrically together and adapted to be connected to a source of firing pulses, second connection means electrically connected to the second lead wire of the first lamp and adapted to be connected to said source of firing pulses, elongated switch pins respectively positioned with at least portions of the lengths thereof parallel to and alongside the surfaces of said first and third lamps and adhered to the lamps by means of heat-responsive material adapted to soften from heat generated by the lamp when flashed thereby permitting sliding movement of the switch pin with respect to the surface of the lamp, said switch pins extending from said first and third lamps in said given direction, a switch member of elongated resilient electrically conductive material bent back upon itself approximately half way and positioned so that the longer free end thereof is urged in a direction to become electrically connected with said second conduction means and so that the shorter free end thereof is urged in a direction to become electrically connected with the second lead wire of said second lamp, and means electrically connecting the second lead wire of said third lamp to said switch member, said switch pin of the first lamp being positioned to hold said longer free end of the switch member away from electrical connection with said second conductor prior to flashing of said first lamp, and said switch pin of the third lamp being positioned to hold said shorter free end of the switch member away from electrical connection with said second lead wire of the second lamp prior to flashing of said third lamp.

Claim 15

A photoflash lamp array comprising first, second, and third photoflash lamps positioned in linear planar alignment in the named order, each of said lamps having first and second lead wires extending therefrom in a given direction, first connection means connecting said first lead wires electrically together and adapted to be connected to a source of firing pulses, second connection means electrically connected to the second lead wire of the first lamp and adapted to be connected to said source of firing pulses, elongated switch pins respectively positioned with at least portions of the lengths thereof parallel to and alongside the surfaces of said first and third lamps and adhered to the lamps by means of heat-responsive material adapted to soften from heat generated by the lamp when flashed thereby permitting sliding movement of the switch pin with respect to the surface of the lamp, said switch pins extending from said first and third lamps in said given direction, a switch member of elongated resilient electrically conductive material bent back upon itself approximately half way and positioned so that the longer free end thereof is urged in a direction to become electrically connected with said second conduction means and so that the shorter free end thereof is urged in a direction to become electrically connected with the second lead wire of said second lamp, and means electrically connecting the second lead wire of said third lamp to said switch member, said switch pin of the first lamp being positioned to hold said longer free end of the switch member away from electrical connection with said second conductor prior to flashing of said first lamp, and said switch pin of the third lamp being positioned to hold said shorter free end of the switch member away from electrical connection with said second lead wire of the second lamp prior to flashing of said third lamp.

Claim 16

A photoflash lamp array as claimed in claim 12, including an indicator pin adhered to said second lamp by means of heat-responsive material adapted to soften from heat generated by the lamp when flashed thereby permitting movement of the indicator pin, said indicator pin extending from said second lamp in said given direction and adapted to actuate a last-flash indicator when said second lamp is flashed.

Claim 17

A photoflash lamp array as claimed in claim 13, in which said pins are substantially parallel to each other, in which said switch pins are mutually positioned in substantially planar alignment, in which said indicator pin is positioned out of said planar alignment of the switch pins, and in which said indicator pin extends from said second lamp to a point beyond the position of said switch member.

Claim 18

A dual photoflash lamp array unit having a first array of photoflash lamps arranged to project light frontwardly from one side of the array unit and a second array of photoflash lamps arranged to project light rearwardly from the opposite side of said array unit, switching means associated with said first array of photoflash lamps for causing the lamps to be flashed sequentially by firing pulses, switching means associated with said second array of photoflash lamps for causing the lamps to be flashed sequentially by firing pulses, three electrical connector means positioned on a side of said array unit between said one side and said opposite side thereof, first and second ones of said connector means being arranged symmetrically with respect to the third connector means, means electrically connecting said first connector means to said first array, means electrically connecting said second connector means to said second arrays, and means electrically connecting said third connector means to both of said first and second arrays.

Claim 19

A dual photoflash lamp array unit having a first array of photoflash lamps arranged to project light frontwardly from one side of the array unit and a second array of photoflash lamps arranged to project light rearwardly from the opposite side of said array unit, switching means associated with said first array of photoflash lamps for causing the lamps to be flashed sequentially by firing pulses, switching means associated with said second array of photoflash lamps for causing the lamps to be flashed sequentially by firing pulses, three electrical connector means positioned on a side of said array unit between said one side and said opposite side thereof, first and second ones of said connector means being arranged symmetrically with respect to the third connector means, means electrically connecting said first connector means to said first array, means electrically connecting said second connector means to said second arrays, and means electrically connecting said third connector means to both of said first and second arrays.

Claim 20

A dual photoflash lamp array unit as claimed in claim 15 in combination with a camera or flash adaptor, said camera or flash adaptor being provided with a pair of electrical connector means for providing firing pulses to said array unit and positioned to respectively contact said first and third connector means when said array unit is positioned with respect to said camera or flash adaptor with said one side of the array unit facing a given direction and to respectively contact said second and third connector means when said array unit is positioned with respect to said camera or flash adaptor with said opposite side of the array unit facing said given direction.

Claim 21

A combination as claimed in claim 16, in which said three electrical connector means comprise three prongs extending mutually parallel from said array unit, and in which said camera or flash adaptor is provided with three openings for receiving said three prongs, the first and third of said openings being symmetrical with respect to the second of said openings whereby said prongs can be plugged into said openings in two alternative mutually reverse orientations with either said one side or said opposite side of the array unit facing said given direction, said pair of electrical connector means of the camera or flash adaptor being aligned with said first and second openings, respectively.