US Patent 10006614 Two-piece magnetically coupled flashlights

A lighting device includes a primary housing having a light source and a secondary housing having a light source. The primary housing and the secondary housing can be magnetically and releasably coupled to each other by at least one magnet on either or both housings. The primary housing can include an upper shell and a lower shell pivotally coupled to each other to form a clamshell configuration. A hands-free emergency lighting method can include decoupling the primary housing from the secondary housing and magnetically coupling the secondary housing to a metal surface, such as a vehicle, to indicate an emergency while the primary housing can be opened and used to illuminate an area.