U.S. patent number 3,799,599 [Application Number 05/326,743] was granted by the patent office on 1974-03-26 for fluorescent lamp handling device.
Invention is credited to Bill C. Jordan.
United States Patent |
3,799,599 |
Jordan |
March 26, 1974 |
FLUORESCENT LAMP HANDLING DEVICE
Abstract
A fluorescent lamp handling device for installing and removing
fluorescent lamps on a fixture including a clamping assembly for
gripping a fluorescent lamp and a cam mechanism for controlling the
position of the clamping assembly relative to a support such that
by aligning the support, the cam mechanism can be actuated to move
a fluorescent lamp gripped by the clamping assembly in transverse
directions to depress a movable, spring biased socket of a fixture
receiving one end of the fluorescent lamp and move the other end of
the fluorescent lamp relative to a stationary socket of the fixture
to permit installation or removal of the fluorescent lamp.
Inventors: |
Jordan; Bill C. (Alexandria,
VA) |
Family
ID: |
23273517 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/326,743 |
Filed: |
January 26, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
81/53.11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01K
3/32 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01K
3/32 (20060101); H01K 3/00 (20060101); H01k
003/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;294/19R,20,21 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Aegerter; Richard E.
Assistant Examiner: Cherry; Johnny D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sherman & Shalloway
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A fluorescent lamp handling device for installing and removing
fluorescent lamps on a fixture comprising
support means;
clamp means adapted to grip an end of a fluorescent lamp, said
clamp means being slidably mounted on said support means;
cam means carried by said support means and controlling movement of
said clamp means relative to said support means in a first
direction and a second direction transverse to said first
direction; and
actuating means connected with said cam means to operate said cam
means to move said clamp means in said first and second directions
whereby a fluorescent lamp clamped in said clamp means can be
installed on or removed from a fluorescent lighting fixture.
2. A fluorescent lamp handling device as recited in claim 1 wherein
said support means includes an elongate pole having a first end
supporting a base member slidably mounting said clamp means and a
second end, said actuating means being operable from said second
end of said pole.
3. A fluorescent lamp handling device as recited in claim 2 wherein
said base member has a cam channel therein having portions
extending in said first and second directions, and said cam means
includes a follower secured to said clamp means and movable in said
cam channel.
4. A fluorescent lamp handling device as recited in claim 3 wherein
said clamp means includes a pair of plates slidably engaging
opposite sides of said base member, each of said plates having a
curved end for gripping a fluorescent lamp.
5. A fluorescent lamp handling device as recited in claim 4 wherein
said cam channel has a U-shaped configuration, and said follower
includes cylinder means riding in said cam channel and connected
with said pair of plates.
6. A fluorescent lamp handling device as recited in claim 5 wherein
said U-shaped cam channel has a pair of legs extending
substantially in said first direction and a base connecting said
legs and extending substantially in said second direction, said
first direction being aligned with the longitudinal axis of a
fluorescent lamp gripped by said clamp means, and further
comprising control means for determining which of said legs said
follower rides in from said base to control the operation of said
fluorescent lamp handling device between installation and removal
modes of operation.
7. A fluorescent lamp handling device as recited in claim 6 wherein
said control means includes a spring biasing said clamp means
toward one end of said base member to maintaining said follower in
one or the other of said legs of said cam channel, and said
actuating means includes a line secured to one of said plates and
extending along said base member and said pole to said second end
thereof such that a force applied to said line moves said clamp
means away from said one end of said base member to move said
follower in said cam channel from one leg to said base, said spring
moving said follower from said base to the other of said legs.
8. A fluorescent lamp handling device as recited in claim 7 and
further comprising a clamp line secured to one of said plates and
passing through said cylinder means and along said base member and
said pole to said second end thereof and spring means biasing said
pair of plates apart, said clamp line overcoming said spring means
to move said plates toward each other to grip a fluorescent
lamp.
9. A fluorescent light handling device as recited in claim 2
wherein said clamp means includes a first clamp assembly having a
pair of plates slidably engaging said base member with curved ends
adapted to grip a fluorescent lamp and a second clamp assembly
having a pair of plates slidably engaging said base member with
curved ends adapted to grip a fluorescent lamp, said base member
has a first cam channel aligned with said first clamp assembly and
a second cam channel aligned with said second clamp assembly, each
of said cam channels having portions extending in said first and
second directions, and said cam means includes a first follower
mounted on said pair of plates of said first clamp assembly and
movable in said first cam channel and a second follower mounted on
said pair of plates of said second clamp assembly and movable in
said second channel.
10. A fluorescent light handling device as recited in claim 9
wherein each of said first and second cam channels has a U-shaped
configuration with a pair of legs extending substantially in said
first direction and a base connecting said legs extending
substantially in said second direction, said first direction being
aligned with the longitudinal axis of a fluorescent lamp gripped by
said first and second clamp assemblies, said first and second
followers each includes cylinder means riding in said U-shaped
channels, and further comprising control means for determining
which of said legs in said first and second U-shaped channels said
first and second followers ride in to control the operation of said
fluorescent lamp handling device between installation and removal
modes of operation.
11. A fluorescent light handling device as recited in claim 10
wherein said control means includes a spring biasing said first and
second clamp assemblies toward one end of said base member to
maintain said first and second followers in one or the other of
said legs of said first and second cam channels, respectively, and
said actuating means includes a line secured to one of said plates
of one of said first or second clamp assemblies and extending along
said base member and said pole to said second end thereof and strap
means interconnecting said first and second clamp assemblies such
that a force applied to said line moves said first and second clamp
assemblies away from said one end of said base member to move said
first and second followers in said first and second cam channels,
respectively, from one leg to said base, said spring moving said
first and second followers from said base to the other of said
legs.
12. A fluorescent light handling device as recited in claim 11 and
further comprising operating means including a handle pivotally
mounted at said second end of said pole and a clamp line connected
to said handle and to each of said first and second clamp
assemblies, said handle having a stable unclamped position and a
stable clamped position moving said clamp line to pull the pair of
plates together of each clamp assembly to clamp a fluorescent lamp
therein.
13. A fluorescent light handling device as recited in claim 12
wherein said support means includes a pair of angular adjustment
mechanisms to permit angular adjustment of said base member
relative to said pole in transverse directions.
14. A fluorescent light handling device as recited in claim 11
wherein said support means includes an alignment member extending
from said one end of said base member to define an index surface
adjacent said one end of said base member and carrying legs at the
end thereof adapted to be aligned with a stationary socket of a
fluorescent lamp fixture, said indexing surface being adapted to
receive the edge of a fluorescent lamp to be held by said first and
second clamp assemblies.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to fluorescent lamps and, more
particularly, to a fluorescent lamp handling device for installing
and removing fluorescent lamps on inaccessible fixtures.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In many commercial establishments and in various buildings with
high ceilings, fluorescent lighting is utilized without covers in
order to light large areas. Fluorescent lamps utilized in such
applications are normally eight feet in length and have a pin
extending from either end thereof to receive electricity supplied
to the lamp. Fixtures for such fluorescent lamps normally have a
movable, spring biased socket for receiving one of the pins such
that after insertion of the pin, the socket can be depressed to
permit insertion of the pin at the opposite end of the fluorescent
lamp in a stationary socket.
In the past, such fluorescent lamps were replaced only during
nonbusiness or nonbusy hours due to the interruption to normal
activities required to place a ladder or other apparatus beneath
the fixture to permit a person to manually replace the fluorescent
lamp. Furthermore, many times the fixtures for such fluorescent
lamps are disposed over obstacles, such as counters, shelves, or
other furniture, thereby requiring a person seeking to replace such
fluorescent lamps to either move the obstacle or take dangerous
risks to replace the fluorescent lamp.
Devices have been proposed for handling fluorescent lights to
facilitate installation in and removal from fixtures; however, such
devices have had the disadvantages of being overly complex while
still requiring substantial manipulation of the fluorescent lamp
and the device. An eight-foot fluorescent lamp represents an
unwieldy object which is easily broken and presents dangerous
situations when broken; and, accordingly, it is required that
devices for handling fluorescent lamps be as safe as possible and
not require substantial manipulation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
fluorescent lamp handling device for installing and removing
fluorescent lamps on a fixture avoiding the abovementioned
disadvantages of the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fluorescent
lamp handling device requiring only a single positional movement
for installing a fluorescent light on a fixture or removing a
fluorescent light from a fixture.
A further object of the present invention is to construct a device
for handling fluorescent lamps in such a manner as to permit a
fluorescent lamp to be moved in horizontal and vertical directions
remotely without moving the device itself.
The present invention has an additional object in that a
fluorescent lamp handling device is designed to grip only one end
of a fluorescent lamp and includes a cam mechanism for moving the
gripped end of the fluorescent lamp transversely in horizontal and
vertical directions after a pin at the opposite end of the lamp is
inserted in a movable, spring biased socket of a fixture to
automatically insert the pin at the gripped end of the fluorescent
lamp in a stationary socket of the fixture.
Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to construct
a fluorescent lamp handling device of a simple nature which can
firmly hold an eight-foot fluorescent lamp and permit installation
or removal of the fluorescent lamp relative to an inaccessible
fixture by positioning the handling device relative to the fixture
and actuating a cam mechanism carried thereby to automatically
install or remove the fluorescent lamp.
Some of the advantages of the fluorescent lamp handling device of
the present invention over the prior art are that the fluorescent
lamp handling device is relatively simple in structure, requires
only a single positioning of the device for installation or removal
of a fluorescent lamp and can be quickly and easily utilized to
install or remove fluorescent lamps, even during business hours in
a commercial establishment without requiring ladders or other
obstructive apparatus to reach inaccessible fixtures.
The present invention is generally characterized in a fluorescent
lamp handling device for installing or removing fluorescent lamps
on a fixture including a support, a clamping assembly slidably
mounted on the support for clamping an end of a fluorescent lamp, a
cam mechanism controlling movement of the clamping assembly
relative to the support in transverse directions and an actuating
assembly connected with the cam mechanism to operate the cam
mechanism to move the clamping assembly in the transverse
directions whereby a fluorescent lamp clamped in the clamping
assembly can be installed on or removed from a fluorescent lighting
fixture.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic, broken front elevation of a fluorescent lamp
handling device in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a broken front elevation of the fluorescent lamp handling
device of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 3 and 4 are broken elevations of the fluorescent lamp
handling device of FIG. 1 in various stages of removal of a
fluorescent lamp from a fixture.
FIG. 5 is a broken perspective of the alignment member of the
fluorescent lamp handling device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a section taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 2.
FIG. 7 is a broken elevation of the operating end of the
fluorescent lamp handling device of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The fluorescent lamp handling device 10 of the present invention is
illustrated in FIG. 1 and includes as basic components a support
assembly 12 adapted to be held by an operator and extending over a
substantial length to support a clamping assembly 14 operable by a
clamp line assembly 16 to grip a fluorescent lamp to be installed
or removed and movable relative to the support assembly 12 by
actuation of a movement line assembly 18.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the support assembly 12 includes a base
member 20 rectangular in cross-section and having a length of
approximately three feet, and the clamping assembly includes a pair
of clamp assemblies 22 and 24 mounted in sliding relation on base
member 20, which clamp assemblies are substantially identical in
structure. Accordingly, only clamp assembly 22 is described in
detail hereinafter with reference to FIG. 6 with it being
understood that clamp assembly 24 includes substantially the same
structure given the same reference numbers with primes. Clamp
assembly 22 includes a pair of plates 26 and 28 slidably engaging
opposite sides of base member 20, the plates 26 and 28 having
curved ends 30 and 32, respectively, lined with a resilient
material such as rubber, to grip a fluorescent lamp FL
therebetween. Plates 26, 28 and 26', 28' of each clamp assembly are
connected together by straps 36 and 38 such that the clamp
assemblies are movable simultaneously. Plates 26 and 28 are
controllably interconnected by a fitting 40 having a hollow tubular
end 42 extending through an aperture 44 in plate 28 with the head
of the fitting 40 engaging the surface of plate 28 and a mating
fitting 46 having a central passage therethrough with a cylindrical
extension 48 slidably extending within the tubular end 42 of
fitting 20. A coiled spring 50 is mounted in compression within
fitting 40 to bias fitting 46 away from fitting 40, and the fitting
46 is secured to plate 26 such that the plates 26 and 28 are
normally spaced to maintain curved ends 30 and 32 thereof in a
non-clamping position.
The fittings 40 and 46 form a cylindrical cam follower generally
indicated as 52, the cam follower 52 riding in a U-shaped cam
channel 54 formed in base member 20. Cam channel 54 has a pair of
legs 55 extending in substantially parallel relation with the
longitudinal axis of the fluorescent lamp FL held by the clamp
assemblies 22 and 24 and a base 56 connecting the legs 55 and
extending substantially transverse thereto such that cam channel 54
has portions to control movement of cam follower 52 in orthogonal
directions. Cam channel 54' differs from cam channel 54 only in
that the ends of the legs 55' are spaced by a smaller distance in
order to compensate for the different positions at which clamp
assemblies 22 and 24 engage the fluorescent lamp FL.
Plate 26 has an aperture 58 therein in which is hooked one end of a
coiled spring 60 mounted in tension between plate 26 and a control
mode lever 62 which is pivotally mounted on a pin at an end 63 of
the base member 20 and movable between an installation mode, as
illustrated in FIG. 2, and a removal mode, as illustrated in dashed
lines in FIG. 2 and in full in FIGS. 3 and 4. Aperture 58 and the
pin about which lever 62 pivots are aligned with cam follower 52
such that with the lever positioned for installation, the cam
follower will be biased toward the end of the upper leg 55 of the
cam channel and with the lever positioned for removal, the cam
follower will be biased toward the end of the lower leg 55 of the
cam channel. In this manner, the tension from spring 60 biases the
clamp assemblies toward the end 63 of the base member 20 to control
the position of cam follower 52 in cam channel 54.
At the end 63 of base member 20 is mounted an alignment member 64
having an upstanding leg 66 defining an index for alignment of a
fluorescent lamp to be gripped, the leg 66 being bifurcated to
provide laterally and longitudinally extendings legs 68 and 70,
respectively, which are adapted to engage the front and side of a
stationary socket 72 of a fluorescent lighting fixture 74, as
illustrated in FIG. 5. The fluorescent lighting fixture 74 has a
movable, spring biased socket 76 mounted at an opposite end thereof
as is conventional.
The support assembly 12 includes a gripping member 78 carried by an
extension pole 80 which extends from an operating end to a pair of
angular adjustment mechanisms 82 and 84, respectively. The angular
adjustment mechanisms 82 and 84 each include a pair of toothed
discs with a bolt extending through the center thereof to engage a
wing nut on the opposite side thereof. The angular adjustment
mechanisms 82 and 84 have central axes transverse to each other
such that mechanisms 82 and 84 can be loosened and rotated to
adjust the base member 20 mounted on mechanism 84 such that the
support assembly can be bent to any angular position to permit the
fluorescent lamp handling device 10 to be utilized to replace
fluorescent lamps on inaccessible fixtures.
The clamping line assembly 16 includes an operating handle 86
mounted on pole 80 at a position so as to be easily moved by an
operator, the handle, as illustrated in FIG. 7, having an unclamped
position and a clamped position shown in phantom. A line 88 is
attached to handle 86 at a position such that the handle is stable
in either the clamped or unclamped states, and line 88 extends
through a guide 90 mounted on pole 80 to one end of a spring 92
which has its opposite end connected to a pair of clamping lines 94
and 96 extending through the passages in fittings 46 and 46' and
attached to the fittings 40 and 40' and clamp assemblies 22 and 24,
respectively, the lines 94 and 96 extending around guides 98 and
100, respectively, which are in horizontal alignment with fittings
46 and 46' of each of the clamp assemblies.
The movement line assembly 18 includes a line 102 having an
actuating ring 104 attached to the end thereof and extending
through a guide 106 mounted on pole 80 to maintain the actuator
ring 104 within easy reach of the operator. The line 102 extends
around a guide 108 on base member 20 and is secured to a post 110
extending from plate 26 of clamp assembly 22.
In operation, in order to remove a fluorescent lamp from a fixture,
the lever 62 of the control mechanism is placed in the removal
position, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and the cam follower 52 is
manipulated such that it is in the upper leg 55 of the cam channel
54. The angular adjustment mechanisms 82 and 84 are adjusted to
properly orient the base member 20 relative to the pole 80, and the
fluorescent lamp handling device 10 is then raised and positioned
at the fixture 74 containing the fluorescent light FL to be
removed. As best illustrated in FIG. 5, legs 68 and 70 are
positioned to abut the stationary socket 72 of the fixture 74, and
the curved ends 30 and 32 of the clamp assemblies are positioned
around the fluorescent lamp FL. Handle 86 is now pulled to the
clamped position illustrated in phantom in FIG. 7, such movement of
handle 86 pulling clamping lines 94 and 96 to pull the plates of
each clamp assembly 22 and 24 together to tightly grip the
fluroescent lamp FL. The movement line assembly 80 is now actuated
by simply pulling ring 104 which, through line 102, moves the clamp
assemblies to the right looking at FIG. 3 with the cam follower 52
moving from the upper leg 55 of the cam follower channel 54 to the
base 56. At this point, the clamp assemblies have moved as far to
the right away from end 63 of the base member 20 as is possible;
and, when the operator feels the end of motion, he releases ring
104 and the bias of spring 60 of the control mechanism will pull
the clamp assemblies toward end 63 with the cam follower 52 riding
in the lower leg 55 of the cam follower channel 54 due to the
position of lever 62. Thus, it will be appreciated that by means of
the cam mechanism and the control mechanism, pulling on ring 104
moves the fluorescent lamp in transverse directions, normally
horizontal and vertical. The horizontal movement depresses the
movable, spring biased socket 76 such that the pin in the
stationary socket 72 is pulled free thereof, as illustrated in FIG.
3; and, thereafter, the vertical movement drops the fluorescent
lamp below the stationary socket 72, as shown in FIG. 4. The
fluorescent lamp handling device 10 may now be lowered and the
fluorescent lamp removed therefrom by moving the handle 86 back to
its unclamped position, as shown in FIG. 7.
To install a fluorescent lamp in a fixture, the fluorescent lamp FL
to be installed is positioned within the curved ends 30 and 32 of
the clamp assemblies with the edge adjacent one pin thereof
abutting arm 66 of the alignment member 64 for indexing. The handle
86 is then placed in the clamped position, as illustrated in
phantom in FIG. 7, to clamp the fluorescent lamp FL in place on the
fluorescent lamp handling device 10, and the device is raised and
positioned at the fixture on which the fluorescent lamp FL is to be
installed with the legs 68 and 70 of the alignment member 64 at the
stationary socket, as shown in FIG. 5. During the initial
positioning of the fluorescent lamp handling device 10, the pin in
the end of the fluorescent lamp FL opposite the gripped end is
inserted in the movable, spring biased socket 76. With the control
lever 62 having been previously placed in the installing position,
as illustrated in phantom in FIG. 4, the fluorescent lamp handling
device is now in position to automatically install the fluorescent
lamp FL by merely pulling ring 104 to move the clamp assemblies 22
and 24 to the right as controlled by the cam mechanism and then
releasing the ring to permit spring 60 to guide the cam follower 52
to the end of the upper leg 55 of the cam follower channel 54
thereby moving the fluorescent lamp first in a horizontal direction
to depress the spring biased socket 76, then in a transverse
vertical direction, and then in an opposite horizontal direction
such that the pin is inserted in the stationary socket 72, as
illustrated in FIG. 2.
The dimensions of the cam channel 54 correspond to the length of
the pins carried by the fluorescent lamps and the distance between
the lower edge of the stationary socket and the hole therein for
receiving the pin such that movement of the cam follower between
the ends of the legs 55 and the base 56 is sufficient to free the
pin from the stationary socket 72 and the movement to the opposite
leg provides sufficient vertical displacement to move the
fluorescent lamp below the stationary socket.
Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations,
modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that all matter
described above or shown in the accompanying drawings be
interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
* * * * *