I have been in the towing industry since 1987 and started my own towing business in 1994. I have been successful as a independent towing operator towing strictly for the motorclubs and local/retail accounts. In 2010 I started a web site called http://howtotow.com which teaches others how to tow and how to operate a towing business. It's very convenient because students can learn online.
Recently while searching for towing products to offer my members or students I noticed a lighting product that was inferior or lacking the right properties to perform the job of unlocking a vehicle at night properly. What I noticed was a led suction light that just stuck to the vehicles window and that is about all it could do. It had something like 29 led lights. Once the suction cup light was attached to the vehicles window the light would only shoot out in straight line. The light could not be redirected to the specific part of the car that needed viewing. The light was also limited to only shining the light to the inside of the vehicle. What is the unlock specialist suppose to use to see what he or she is doing on the outside of the vehicle while prepping to insert the lockout tools? The 29 led lights would drain the batteries very rapidly and they had no charger that came with them. The suction cup light was very limited and could not be used for any other purpose. I feel the expense was too much for what the product offered. It's like someone invented the suction cup light but earned his or her living as an accountant and knew nothing about what the unlock specialist really needed to perform his or her task.
So let's recap.
1.The suction light was limited to viewing
only the inside of the car.
2. The light could not be redirected where it was needed most.
3. Too many led lights that drains the batteries too fast.
4. No accessories such as a charger.
5. The suction cup light could only be used as a suction cup light and not
a portable light such as a flashlight.
I then searched the internet and patents to find a product that would solve these problems and I simply found nothing that even came close. What the market needed was someone who actually had experience and performed the job of unlocking a vehicles at night to know what was needed in the design. That just so happened to be me with over 24 years experience. So I came up with my own idea of what the product should have to perform the task properly while providing the unlock specialist hands free lighting.
I invented a product which solved all of the above stated problems. I then added additional items that were desirable, helpful and beneficial. Here's a list of the what the flashlight holder kit can do, its versatility and product features.
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A lock down window suction cup mount for fast connect and disconnect.
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A flexible shaft that will bend in any direction and hold the desired position.
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A rotating head that travels 360 degrees.
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A pivoting head for fine tune adjustments.
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A clamping mechanism for the torch flashlight that connects and disconnects fast. (quick connect)
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An automatic adjustable clamp where the clamp will allow for different size torch flashlights.
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A thumb wheel tensioner that allows the flashlight lock down or increase/decrease tension as needed.
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The flashlight holder can be adjusted easily with a swing of the arm, to see on the inside or outside of the vehicle. (360 degrees)
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The light can be directed to a specific area of viewing such as the doors inner door locks or manual door lock.
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The ability to quickly connect and disconnect the flashlight so that the flashlight now becomes a tool for all your other lighting needs.
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A built in charger for the torch flashlight.
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A DC adapter/charger that plugs into a cigarette lighter and directly into the flashlight and charges the flashlights batteries (car charger)
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A AC adapter/charger for the house wall outlet that plugs directly into the torch flashlight.
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LED indicator lights on both charging adapters that shows the progress of the charge. The lights will illuminate red when the batteries are low and progress to orange, yellow, and green. (When the light is green unplug the charger from the flashlight).
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Compact design allows for easy storage such as the glove box or console.
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The kit comes with a LED flashlight that is super bright. Has one Cree high intensity LED light, rated at 500 lumens. Comes with two rechargeable 18650 batteries although the flashlight only uses one.
And finally I tried to make the flashlight holder kit very affordable. It does not cost much more than the suction cup light and its a cadillac as opposed to a volkswagen.
I know that anyone who try's the flashlight holder will be thrilled with its performance and you will wonder why it was not invented before now. Its simply an amazing hands free flashlight tool that will ultimately save you time, make you more money and make you look and feel like a pro.
Enjoy!
Wally Cass
Inventor
A patent application was filed on December 30th 2011. Patent Pending 61581651
