U.S. patent application number 15/447841 was filed with the patent office on 2018-09-06 for canopy interface for a ceiling mount.
The applicant listed for this patent is AXIS LIGHTING INC.. Invention is credited to Stephane BELAND, Jean GAGNE, Andrew MILES, Howard YAPHE.
Application Number | 20180251978 15/447841 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 63357304 |
Filed Date | 2018-09-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180251978 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
YAPHE; Howard ; et
al. |
September 6, 2018 |
CANOPY INTERFACE FOR A CEILING MOUNT
Abstract
A canopy for use with a ceiling connector mountable at a
designated ceiling location to define a mounting end region
thereon, includes a body securable to the mounting end region by a
rotationally operable connector, wherein the body is configured to
form a mounting interface with the mounting end region to block
perceptible relative rotation therebetween about a rotation axis
defined by the connector by forces associated therewith, wherein
the mounting interface is defined by at least one first engagement
surface on the canopy configured to be in contact with at least
corresponding second engagement surface on the mounting end
region.
Inventors: |
YAPHE; Howard; (Lasalle,
CA) ; BELAND; Stephane; (Lasalle, CA) ; MILES;
Andrew; (Lasalle, CA) ; GAGNE; Jean; (Lasalle,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AXIS LIGHTING INC. |
Lasalle |
|
CA |
|
|
Family ID: |
63357304 |
Appl. No.: |
15/447841 |
Filed: |
March 2, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 9/006 20130101;
E04B 9/067 20130101; E04B 9/18 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E04B 9/06 20060101
E04B009/06; E04B 9/10 20060101 E04B009/10; E04B 9/14 20060101
E04B009/14 |
Claims
1. A ceiling connector assembly for mounting an article, comprising
a ceiling connector configured to present an article-mounting end
region below a downward facing ceiling surface, a canopy for
locating on the mounting end region and configured to cover, at
least in part, the mounting end region in a covering position, the
canopy and the mounting end region each having at least one first
engagement surface and at least one second engagement surface
respectively, wherein when the canopy is in the covering position,
the first and second engagement surfaces form an interface to
inhibit perceptible rotation of the canopy relative to the mounting
end region.
2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a locator associated
with the ceiling connector and configured to receive a rotationally
operable connector; the canopy including a centrally located
passage to receive a portion of the locator, wherein the canopy is
configured to be located between the mounting end region and the
locator.
3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the canopy further comprises at
least one alignment member, the at least one first engagement
surface is formed on the at least one alignment member to face a
receiving zone to receive the mounting end region, thereby to form
the interface with the at least one second engagement surface.
4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the at least one alignment
member includes a pair of alignment members on opposite sides of
the receiving zone.
5. The assembly of claim 3, wherein at least one of the first and
second engagement surfaces is configured to take up clearance
therebetween when the canopy is in the covering position.
6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the canopy is configured to
accommodate a plurality of ceiling connectors of different sizes
according to a first dimension, with each having a substantially
common second dimension.
7. A kit comprising at least one ceiling connector and at least one
canopy as defined in claim 1.
8. A canopy for use with a ceiling connector mountable at a
designated ceiling location to define a mounting end region
thereon, comprising a body securable to the mounting end region by
a rotationally operable connector, wherein the body is configured
to form a mounting interface with the mounting end region to block
perceptible relative rotation therebetween about a rotation axis
defined by the connector by forces associated therewith, wherein
the mounting interface is defined by at least one first engagement
surface on the canopy configured to be in contact with at least
corresponding second engagement surface on the mounting end
region.
9. The canopy of claim 8, wherein the mounting end region includes
a locator including fastening structure and the rotationally
operable connector includes a complementary fastener to be engaged
with the locator.
10. The canopy of claim 8, wherein the at least one first
engagement surface is oriented transverse to the rotation axis.
11. The canopy of claim 8, further comprising a back panel and a
peripheral wall extending therefrom to form an inner region, the at
least one first engagement surface located in the inner region and
facing a receiving zone therein to engage at least one
corresponding second engagement surface on the mounting end
region.
12. The canopy of claim 8, further comprising a pair of alignment
members with corresponding first engagement surfaces on opposite
sides of and facing a receiving zone to engage a corresponding pair
of opposed second engagement surfaces on the mounting end
region.
13. The canopy of claim 12, wherein the first engagement surfaces
are inclined relative to the second engagement surfaces to take up
clearance therebetween.
14. The canopy of claim 11, wherein the alignment members are
configured to accommodate a plurality of ceiling connectors having
a range of sizes according to a first dimension, while having a
substantially common second dimension.
15. A canopy for covering a mounting end region on a t-bar
connector, comprising a body with a central surface, a pair of
alignment members located thereon on opposite sides of a receiving
zone to receive the mounting end region therein, a passage
extending through the central surface to receive a threaded
fastener associated with the mounting end region to define a
rotation axis; the alignment members configured to form an
interface with the mounting end region to inhibit perceptible
rotation of the canopy about the rotation axis by rotational forces
associated with the fastener upon operative installation on the
mounting end region.
16. The canopy of claim 15, wherein the alignment members are
configured to take up clearance in the interface.
17. The canopy of claim 15, wherein the alignment members are
configured to accommodate a plurality of t-bar connectors having a
range of sizes according to a first dimension while having a
substantially common second dimension.
18. The canopy of claim 15, further comprising at least one
mounting location laterally spaced from the rotation axis to engage
an article-mounting harness or part thereof to support a pendant
article thereunder.
Description
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0001] The present disclosure relates to light fixtures and other
ceiling mountable articles.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Pendant light fixtures are those which are suspended from a
structure, such as a fixture mounting harness, from a ceiling
mounted junction box or the like. In the ubiquitous t-bar type
ceiling configuration, for example, a t-bar connector is fastened
to an individual t-bar and provides a convenient mounting location.
A threaded member extends downwardly from the t-bar connector to
couple with a mating threaded connector on the fixture mounting
harness. A cover plate, called a canopy, is typically used to cover
the coupling to provide a clean finish.
[0003] In some cases, the canopy is secured by a fastener which
also supports the figure mounting harness, in which case the
conventional canopy is prone to rotating relative to the t-bar. In
most cases, such canopies are circular so that any tendency to
rotate is not noticed. In other cases, where the canopy is not
circular, additional time is needed time and effort to hold them in
place, or to readjust them following installation.
[0004] It would thus be desirable to provide one or more approaches
to address the above, or at least to provide the public with one or
more useful alternatives.
SUMMARY
[0005] In an aspect, there is provided a ceiling connector assembly
for mounting an article, comprising a ceiling connector configured
to present an article-mounting end region below a downward facing
ceiling surface. A canopy is provided for locating on the mounting
end region and configured to cover, at least in part, the mounting
end region in a covering position. The canopy and the mounting end
region each have at least one first engagement surface and at least
one second engagement surface respectively, wherein when the canopy
is in the covering position, the first and second engagement
surfaces form an interface to inhibit perceptible rotation of the
canopy relative to the mounting end region.
[0006] Some exemplary embodiments may further comprise a locator
associated with the ceiling connector and configured to receive a
rotationally operable connector; the canopy including a centrally
located passage to receive a portion of the locator, wherein the
canopy is configured to be located between the mounting end region
and the locator.
[0007] In some exemplary embodiments, the canopy further comprises
at least one alignment member, the at least one first engagement
surface is formed on the at least one alignment member to face a
receiving zone to receive the mounting end region, thereby to form
the interface with the at least one second engagement surface.
[0008] In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one alignment
member includes a pair of alignment members on opposite sides of
the receiving zone.
[0009] In some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the first and
second engagement surfaces is configured to take up clearance
therebetween when the canopy is in the covering position.
[0010] In some exemplary embodiments, the canopy is configured to
accommodate a plurality of ceiling connectors of different sizes
according to a first dimension, whiles each having a substantially
common second dimension.
[0011] In another aspect, there is provided a kit comprising at
least one ceiling connector and at least one canopy as defined in
any aspect or exemplary embodiment herein.
[0012] In another aspect, there is provided a canopy for use with a
ceiling connector mountable at a designated ceiling location to
define a mounting end region thereon, comprising a body securable
to the mounting end region by a rotationally operable connector.
The body is configured to form a mounting interface with the
mounting end region to block perceptible relative rotation
therebetween about a rotation axis defined by the connector by
forces associated therewith. The mounting interface is defined by
at least one first engagement surface on the canopy configured to
be in contact with at least corresponding second engagement surface
on the mounting end region.
[0013] In some exemplary embodiments, the mounting end region
includes a locator including fastening structure and the
rotationally operable connector includes a complementary fastener
to be engaged with the locator.
[0014] In some exemplary embodiments, the at least one first
engagement surface is oriented transverse to the rotation axis.
[0015] Some exemplary embodiments may further comprise a back panel
and a peripheral wall extending therefrom to form an inner region,
the at least one first engagement surface located in the inner
region and facing a receiving zone therein to engage at least one
corresponding second engagement surface on the mounting end
region.
[0016] Some exemplary embodiments may further comprise a pair of
alignment members with corresponding first engagement surfaces on
opposite sides of and facing a receiving zone to engage a
corresponding pair of opposed second engagement surfaces on the
mounting end region.
[0017] In some exemplary embodiments, the first engagement surfaces
are inclined relative to the second engagement surfaces to take up
clearance therebetween.
[0018] In some exemplary embodiments, the alignment members are
configured to accommodate a plurality of ceiling connectors having
a range of sizes according to a first dimension, while having a
substantially common second dimension.
[0019] In another aspect, there is provided a canopy for covering a
mounting end region on a ceiling connector, comprising a body with
a central surface. A pair of alignment members is located thereon
on opposite sides of a receiving zone to receive the mounting end
region therein. A passage extends through the central surface to
receive a rotationally operable connector associated with the
mounting end region to define a rotation axis. The alignment
members are configured to form an interface with the mounting end
region to inhibit perceptible rotation of the canopy about the
rotation axis by rotational forces associated with the connector
upon operative installation on the mounting end region.
[0020] In another aspect, there is provided a canopy for covering a
mounting end region on a t-bar connector, comprising a body with a
central surface. A pair of alignment members is located thereon on
opposite sides of a receiving zone to receive the mounting end
region therein. A passage extends through the central surface to
receive a threaded fastener associated with the mounting end region
to define a rotation axis. The alignment members are configured to
form an interface with the mounting end region to inhibit
perceptible rotation of the canopy about the rotation axis by
rotational forces associated with the fastener upon operative
installation on the mounting end region.
[0021] In some exemplary embodiments, the alignment members are
configured to take up clearance in the interface.
[0022] In some exemplary embodiments, the alignment members are
configured to accommodate a plurality of t-bar connectors having a
range of sizes according to a first dimension while having a
substantially common second dimension.
[0023] Some exemplary embodiments may further comprise at least one
mounting location laterally spaced from the rotation axis to engage
an article-mounting harness or part thereof to support a pendant
article thereunder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0024] Several exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will
be provided, by way of examples only, with reference to the
appended drawings, wherein:
[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic fragmentary perspective view of a
ceiling connector assembly for a light fixture;
[0026] FIG. 1a is a perspective view of a component of the assembly
of FIG. 1;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a plan view taken on arrow 2 of FIG. 1;
[0028] FIG. 2a is a plan view of another ceiling connector
assembly;
[0029] FIGS. 3 and 4 are successive schematic, part-sectional views
of the assembly in different assembly positions, with the sectioned
portions taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1a;
[0030] FIG. 4a is a magnified fragmentary sectional view taken on
line 3-3 of FIG. 1a;
[0031] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of three ceiling connectors for
alternative use in the assembly of FIG. 1;
[0032] FIG. 6a is a downward perspective view of another component
in a ceiling connector assembly; and
[0033] FIG. 6b is an upward perspective schematic view of the
component of FIG. 6a.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] It should be understood that the invention is not limited in
its application to the details of construction and the arrangement
of components set forth in the following description or illustrated
in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and
of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also,
it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used
herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded
as limiting. The use of "including," "comprising," or "having" and
variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed
thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
Unless limited otherwise, the terms "connected," "coupled," and
"mounted," and variations thereof herein are used broadly and
encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and
mountings. In addition, the terms "connected" and "coupled" and
variations thereof are not restricted to physical, mechanical or
other connections or couplings. The terms upper, lower, and
vertical are intended for operative context only and are not
necessarily intended to limit the invention only to those
configurations or orientations. Furthermore, and as described in
subsequent paragraphs, the specific mechanical and/or other
configurations illustrated in the drawings are intended to
exemplify embodiments of the invention. However, other alternative
mechanical and/or other configurations are possible which are
considered to be within the teachings of the instant
disclosure.
[0035] The term "ceiling connector" means a connector which is
configured to connect with a ceiling structure. Suspended ceilings
are examples of such ceiling structures and include a grid of
ceiling structural units called "t-bars". While reference is made
below to t-bars, exemplary embodiments herein may be applied to
other types of ceilings, such as those having grids formed from
other ceiling structural units.
[0036] Referring to the figures, there is provided a ceiling
connector assembly 10 which is configured to mount on a ceiling
connector, for a light fixture (or other ceiling--mountable
article) shown schematically at 12 suspended by a mounting harness
13, in this case with a cable 13a and a threaded cable connector
13b. In this case, the ceiling connector is in the form of a t-bar
connector 14 is configured to mount on a t-bar 16 to form a t-bar
connector body 18. The t-bar connector body 18 presents a mounting
end region 20 adjacent an exposed downward facing surface 22 of the
t-bar 16 (FIG. 3), for mounting the light fixture 12 thereto. The
mounting end region 20 includes a passage 21 (FIG. 5) to receive a
locator, in this case including a post 23, in this case with a
fastening structure in the form of threads, and which in turn is
configured to receive the threaded cable connector 13b or other
fastener. While a threaded fastening structure is used in
connecting the cable connector 13b to the threaded post 23, other
configurations of fastening structures, such as other rotationally
operable non-threaded fastening structures are within the scope of
the present disclosure.
[0037] FIGS. 3 and 4 show the threaded post 23, with FIG. 4 showing
the post in threaded engagement with the threaded cable connector
13b, as will be described. In this case, a canopy 24 is shown in
section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1a, which presents passage 25
to receive the threaded post 23.
[0038] The canopy 24 is provided for covering the mounting end
region 20 in a covering position (FIG. 4) when in position on the
ceiling formed in part by the t-bar 16 and associated ceiling
panels or the like, not shown. As will be described, the canopy 24
and mounting end region 20 have respective first and second
engagement surfaces which, when the canopy 24 is in the covering
portion, inhibits or minimizes a perceptible rotation of the canopy
24 about a rotation axis 29 relative to the mounting end region 20,
beyond a designated angular position, that is a rotation to an
extent that a nearby consumer may perceive the canopy as being
inconsistently misaligned, for example, with the exposed surface 22
of the associated t-bar 16, for example from one canopy to the next
in an array of canopies.
[0039] For instance, in the exemplary embodiment represented by
canopy 24, a designated angular position may be one with a zero
included angle, that is where the canopy has an axis, a side
surface, or in this case a pair of opposed parallel side surfaces
which are parallel with the t-bar 16, or otherwise locally in-line
with the t-bar where the t-bar may be curvilinear or the like.
[0040] Alternatively, in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2a,
the designated angular position is defined by a non-zero included
angle a and may apply to installations where a designated angular
offset is part of a particular pendant installation which may be a
design feature in addition to, or in combination with, design
features in an adjacent ceiling structure, including the t-bar
16.
[0041] In some exemplary embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the
canopy 24 further comprises a back panel 30 and a peripheral wall
32 extending therefrom to form an inner region 34, thus providing a
concave or cup-like shape or configuration, though other shapes and
configurations may also be deployed as desired.
[0042] In some exemplary embodiments, as best seen in FIG. 3, at
least one, in this case two alignment members 36 and 38 are
positioned in the inner region 34 on opposite sides of a central
passage 25 which receives threaded post 23. First engagement
surfaces 36a, 38a are formed on alignment members 36, 38, with each
facing a receiving zone 40 defined therebetween, to receive at
least a portion of the mounting end region 20. The mounting end
region 20 provides at least one, in this case an opposing pair, of
the second engagement surfaces 42a, 44a in opposed peripheral
regions 42, 44 thereon, to locate adjacent the corresponding first
engagement surfaces 36a, 38a. The alignment members 36, 38 are, in
this instance, transverse to the rotational axis 29 and are
configured to abut the opposed peripheral regions 42, 44 at the
interface formed by first and second engagement surfaces, which has
the effect of blocking perceptible relative rotation of the canopy
24 relative to the about mounting end region 20 about the
rotational axis 29.
[0043] FIG. 5 shows three exemplary embodiments of t-bar connectors
14, for three different t-bar configurations, which may be used
with the same canopy, that is by having three corresponding
mounting regions 20 with different "x" dimensions Xa, Xb and Xc but
with a substantially common "y" dimension Ya. Thus, as best seen in
FIG. 2, the canopy 24 may be configured which has a distance Yb
between the first engagement surfaces 36a, 38a which is operably
equivalent to Ya to provide an operable engagement between the
mounting end region 20 and the canopy 24 and yet accommodate a
range of mounting end regions 20 with different x dimensions Xa, Xb
and Xc, provided that they do not exceed the distance Xd between
the corresponding inner surfaces 32a, 32b of the peripheral wall
32. Thus, the canopy 24 is configured to accommodate t-bar
connectors of different sizes in an X direction while having a
substantially common Y dimension.
[0044] The canopy 24 may be provided in a kit of one or more such
canopies and one or more t-bar connectors along with instructions
for installation. The canopy 24 also may be provided in a package
as part of mounting hardware for a light fixture or other pendant
article, which may include wiring harness(es), cable(s), chain(s)
and the like.
[0045] To prepare the t-bar connector assembly 10, the t-bar
connector 14 is first installed on the t-bar 16 by fastener 46
(FIG. 3) to form the mounting end region 20. The canopy 24 is then
oriented so that the first engagement surfaces 36a, 38a are in-line
with the corresponding second engagement surfaces 42a, 44a. This
can be, for instance, achieved by visually aligning the
corresponding outer surfaces of the canopy with the t-bar itself,
if the canopy is rectangular shaped, as in this exemplary
embodiment.
[0046] In some exemplary embodiments, the canopy may be of other
non-rectangular shapes, such as circular or triangular, in which
case the alignment of the first and second engagements may be
facilitated in other ways (but not necessarily required), such as
by visually aligning the engagement surfaces on the canopy's
approach to the mounting end region, or providing a visual
indication of the orientation of the first engagement surfaces,
such as by a reference line or arrow on the exposed surfaces that
would not be visible to a nearby consumer, among other options.
[0047] The canopy 24 may be then located with the threaded post 23
extending through passage 25. The mounting harness 13 may then be
installed on the threaded post 23. In some exemplary embodiments,
the canopy 24 may be installed and held in place by way of a
fastener which is separate from an associated mounting harness for
a pendant light fixture or other article to be attached to the
connection assembly, or otherwise integral therewith, as is the
case with cable connector 13b.
[0048] Tightening the cable connector 13b may tend to deliver a
rotational force F to the canopy 24 that might otherwise tend to
cause the latter to rotate about the rotation axis 29 to an extent
causing a perceptible rotation by a nearby consumer.
[0049] However, in the case of the assembly 10, the interface
formed by the first and second engagement surfaces 36a, 38a, 42a
and 44a blocks such rotational movement of the canopy 24 since the
alignment members 36 and 38 are prevented from rotation beyond that
afforded by clearance between the opposed first and second
engagement surfaces. Further, as shown in FIG. 4a, for the
alignment member 36, the alignment members 36, 38 may be upwardly
tapered in cross section, thus making the first engagement surfaces
36a and 38a slightly inclined outwardly off vertical, as shown by
angle .beta.. Meanwhile, the second engagement surfaces 42a, 44a
may be formed, as in this exemplary embodiment, to be substantially
parallel. Thus, the tapering of the first engagement surfaces 36a,
38a may allow for clearance between the first and second engagement
surfaces to be taken up as the canopy is positioned on the mounting
end region 20, to further remove or at least reduce incidental
rotational play that may otherwise be present by the noted
clearance. In the alternative, one or both of the second engagement
surfaces may be inclined relative to the first engagement surfaces
to take up the clearance. Still further, both the first and second
engagement surfaces may be provided with inclined surfaces or other
configurations to take up clearance therebetween to block the
rotation of the canopy 24 relative to the mounting end region.
[0050] While the canopy 24 is provided with a pair of alignment
members 36 and 38 which are inwardly spaced from the peripheral
wall 32 to provide the first engagement surfaces 36a, 38a and to
define the receiving zone 40 therebetween, other configurations may
be employed, such as by providing at least one (in this case two)
the first engagement surface(s) on corresponding inner regions of
the peripheral wall 32 to match a configuration of a corresponding
mounting end region. For example, Yb may extend to the surfaces
32c, 32d on the peripheral wall 32 (FIG. 2). In this case, the Xd
may be equal therewith to match a square configured mounting end
region 20, or be a longer dimension to accommodate a number of
possible mounting end regions 20 in a similar manner to the current
illustrated configuration of Yb and Xd of FIG. 2.
[0051] In some exemplary embodiments, the blocking function of the
first and second alignment members may be provided in a number of
forms and configurations to interrupt the rotation of the canopy,
which also may be provided in different forms and configurations,
such as the relatively larger canopy 48 in FIGS. 6a and 6b which
may provide other features, in this example passage formations 50
with punch out openings to provide passages 52 to receive supports,
such as shown schematically at 56, to carry a pendant light fixture
other pendant article such as a fan, speaker, video display, or the
like shown schematically at 58, and/or an electrical cord receiving
passage formation 60 providing opening 62. The first and second
alignment members 36, 38 may include a single instance of both or
more than two, as desired, with the passage 25 provided to receive
a threaded post 23 or the like with a fastener connected thereto to
position the canopy 48 in the covering position.
[0052] Thus, referring again to FIG. 2a, a canopy may be provided
with one or more alignment members 36, 38, or other configurations
to designate an angular position relative to a reference axis of
the t-bar or another feature or aspect of a ceiling formed thereby,
or an a pendant article supported thereunder. Thus, the designated
angular position may be in-line, that is with included angle a
being zero, or a designated offset angle with the included angle a
being non-zero. The canopy may thus be provided for use in groups
of more than one, where each canopy is configured to provide a
common included angle a, where the canopies will, when installed,
complement a design approach with a number of pendant article
locations and/or a ceiling configuration. Alternatively, such
canopies in the group can be provided in sub-groups, each with
different included angles a to present alternative design
configurations for a number of pendant article locations and/or
ceiling configurations. For instance, the canopies may provide
first and second included angles .alpha., to form first and second
rows of light fixture locations with the first row having a
positive included angle a and the second having a negative included
angle .alpha., or first and second angles non-equal positive
angles, as two examples. In each case, the canopy may thus provide
that rotation of the canopy from the designated included angle
.alpha. does not exceed one that would otherwise cause a
perceptible misalignment from the designated included angle .alpha.
between, such as for instance a misalignment caused by a misaligned
angle of more (or less) than 5 degrees, such as represented by
included angles .pi. and .delta. when compared to designated angle
.alpha..
[0053] The covering, at least in part, by canopy 25 includes a
complete or partial covering of the mounting end of the mounting
end region 20, which may include coverings in which expose part of
the mounting end region 20, where it is provided with one or more
design features that are intended to be viewed when both the canopy
25 and the mounting end region 20 are assembled. There may other
configurations where the canopy may be configured to present the
mounting end region while providing the designated angular
position.
[0054] While the present disclosure describes various exemplary
embodiments, the disclosure is not so limited. To the contrary, the
disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and
equivalent arrangements, as will be readily appreciated by the
person of ordinary skill in the art.
* * * * *