U.S. patent number 3,633,023 [Application Number 05/020,627] was granted by the patent office on 1972-01-04 for electric lighting apparatus, particularly for decorative uses.
Invention is credited to Livio Castiglioni, Gianfranco Frattini.
United States Patent |
3,633,023 |
Castiglioni , et
al. |
January 4, 1972 |
ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS, PARTICULARLY FOR DECORATIVE USES
Abstract
A lighting apparatus consisting of a tube of transparent,
translucent or similar material housing a plurality of series
connected lamps which are spaced apart and supported by a number of
spherical members.
Inventors: |
Castiglioni; Livio (Milan,
IT), Frattini; Gianfranco (Milan, IT) |
Family
ID: |
11193712 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/020,627 |
Filed: |
March 18, 1970 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
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Oct 9, 1968 [IT] |
|
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22254A/68 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
362/219;
362/249.01; 315/185R; 439/242; 313/1; 362/225 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01K
7/06 (20130101); F21S 4/10 (20160101); F21S
4/28 (20160101); F21V 19/008 (20130101); F21S
4/22 (20160101); F21W 2121/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F21V
19/00 (20060101); F21S 4/00 (20060101); H01K
7/00 (20060101); H01K 7/06 (20060101); F21b
001/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;240/1T,10,211,225,2B,2BV ;313/1,110 ;315/185 ;339/52 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
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1,555,155 |
|
Dec 1968 |
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FR |
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307,950 |
|
Sep 1918 |
|
DD |
|
Primary Examiner: Capozi; Louis J.
Claims
1. A lighting apparatus having a substantially tubular casing
structure of transparent or translucent flexible material, a
reinforcing means inside said tubular casing structure to allow
said structure to assume a variety of stable curved line
arrangements, a plurality of supporting means arranged spaced apart
inside said tubular casing structure and said reinforcing means in
engagement therewith, a plurality of lamps each arranged between
two of said supporting means, electrical connection means between
said lamps arranged inside said supporting means to electrically
connect one of said lamps to the following lamp, and conductor
means for
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reinforcing
means comprise at least one spiral member wound inside said tubular
casing structure in engagement therewith, said spiral member
including an electric wire forming said conductor means for
supplying electric power to
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lamps arranged
between said supporting means have an elongated tubular shape and
two ends having a rounded portion at least partially shaped as a
part of a spherical
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said supporting
means comprise a substantially spherical hollow body having two
diametrical opposite openings forming seats for said rounded
portions of the ends of said tubular lamps, said body having a
diameter substantially equal to the
5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said tubular lamps
include end caps having counter-caps mounted by pressure on said
caps, said counter-caps having an external configuration of
substantially hemispherical form for cooperating with said seats of
said spherical hollow bodies, and allowing angular displacement of
said tubular lamps with respect to said spherical hollow bodies.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus for electric lighting,
particularly for decorative purposes.
Various types of lighting devices are known which are used for
obtaining particular decorative or choreographic effects.
These devices mainly present the disadvantage of being relatively
complicated and hence costly, and not suitable for mass production
at low price.
The main object of the present invention is that of substantially
eliminating the disadvantages found in practice and inherent in
conventional devices.
Another object of the invention is that of providing a lighting
device of effective operation, rational structure and easy to
manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a lighting apparatus
comprising at least one tube of transparent, translucent or similar
material, a reinforcement structure for said tube, a plurality of
lamps spaced apart inside said transparent tube, a distancing and
support member between two consecutive lamps inside said tube, and
electrical and mechanical connection elements between said lamps
and each of said distancing support members arranged to give
flexibility to the plurality of lamps, following a variety of
curved line arrangements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will better appear from the following detailed
description of some preferred embodiments, illustrated by way of
example in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through a lamp used in the
invention;
FIG. 2 shows a plurality of series connected lamps with their
corresponding spherical distancing support members, arranged in
line;
FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of FIG. 2 deformed according to a
curved line arrangement;
FIG. 4 is a basic electrical diagram of one embodiment of the
invention;
FIG. 5 is a transversal sectional view of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 illustrates diagrammatically another embodiment of the
invention;
FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 diagrammatically illustrate three further distinct
embodiments of the invention;
FIG. 10 is a partially full and partially sectional view of a lamp
arranged according to the invention; the right end part of FIG. 1
is a view of a counter cap from the inside, provided with a counter
spring;
FIGS. 11 and 12 are representations similar to those of FIG. 1
according two further embodiments;
FIG. 13 shows the method of assembling the various lamps and in
particular a configuration according to the invention, and their
distancing support members.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a lamp 1 used in the lighting device or apparatus
according to the invention. It comprises a tube of glass 3 sealed
in the form of a cone at its two extremities, and comprising a
spiral filament 4 fixed to two connecting rheophores 5 and 0 hot
welded in such a manner that the tube becomes sealed.
One of the two extremities of the weld acts during welding as an
extraction end for the air so as to provide the vacuum in the tube
and for any required introduction of rare gases such as nitrogen,
argon, or krypton.
To each rheophore 5 is welded (FIGS. 2 and 3) an extendable spring
6 preferably of copper plated dehydrogenated steel in order to
ensure good electrical connection. Each spring 6 crosses a
spherical or polyhedral, hollow or solid distance piece 7 of
electrically insulating material resistant to the heat of the
lamps, which also acts as a support member. Each spring 6 is welded
to the rheophore of the successive lamp and so on. The holes 8 for
the passage of these springs which also act as conductors, must be
of a suitable diameter to permit a certain jointing angle between
one lamp and the successive one (FIG. 3).
According to the invention a sheath 9 is provided in the form of a
transparent tube having any desired cross section, flexible or
rigid (preferably plastic material or glass) and having an inner
diameter slightly greater than that of the distance pieces 7 and
comprising an electric wire 10 either embedded or joined in another
manner (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) for series connecting the lamps 1 and
forming a reinforcing structure for said sheath 9.
In certain embodiments a wire 11 is provided for connecting
successive lighting elements defined by each tube 9 to one
another.
The sheath 9 can be of any color considered suitable.
Referring to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the extremities of the sheath 9 are
arranged for an electrical "connector" . Said connector in FIG. 7
comprises two resilient pins 40, 41. In FIG. 8 however it consists
of a screw connector 50 of Edison type, while in FIG. 9 it consists
of two bayonet pins 90a. The other extremity of the sheath 9 can be
arranged (FIGS. 7, 8 and 9) for connecting to other sheaths. For
this purpose in FIG. 7 a socket 60 is provided for inserting the
pins. In FIG. 8 a screw cap 70a is provided for a screw socket of
Edison-type; in FIG. 9 a bayonet socket of the fluorescent lamp
type is provided.
With reference to FIGS. 10-13, caps 80 are welded to the rheophores
5 of the filament 4 and in the embodiment according to FIG. 1 they
are of cylindrical configureation with a rounded terminal 90. Said
caps after having been electrically welded to the rheophores are
fixed to the extremities of the lamp 1 by means of any suitable
type resistant to heat. According to the invention counter caps
indicated generically with reference numeral 70 are provided and
have an incorporated spring 20 which cooperates with the rounded
extremity 90 in such a manner as to create electro mechanical
contact when acting by pressure in the direction of the arrow
K.
The resilient articulation springs 6 are connected to the counter
caps 70 for the various lamps chain connected as described
above.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 instead of a single spring the
counter cap 70' is constructed in an intrinsically resilient
manner, comprising fins 30 in a broken line arrangement which
cooperate with one extremity 90' of the cap 80' shaped in a
complementary manner. It comprises one or two solid members rigidly
fixed together.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 12 is substantially analogous to that
of FIG. 11 with the exception of the provision at the extremities
90" of the cap 80" mushroom shaped and cooperating with a counter
cap 70" comprising two members welded together of which one has
resilient fins 40 corresponding substantially to the fins 30 of
FIG. 11. The other member of the cap comprises a hole for the
passage and securing of the spring 6. All the counter caps of FIGS.
10, 11 and 12 have an external configuration of spherical or
pseudospherical form so as to adapt to flaring 7' which converges
inwards the inside of the distance piece 7, as better seen in FIG.
13. Consequently a bell notch is firmed in a position corresponding
to the holes of the distance piece 7 so as to increase the
angulation of the articulation between the lamp carrying cap and
that connected to it on the other side of the distance piece, and
consequently to facilitate the articulation of said lamps through
the distance piece connected by the spring member.
In substance the connection between the lamp and the electrically
conducting spring member takes place by a system similar to that of
the pressure connectors used in recent technology in the electrical
and electronic fields, used for example in connecting small
batteries into transistor radios and torches.
As can be noted the system according to the invention has the
particular characteristics of not requiring any particular
equipment for its assembly.
By using different supply voltages, tubular lighting members of
different lengths can be constructed. By varying the absorbed power
in watts of the lamps and consequently varying the sections of the
sheath 9 and the nature of the distance pieces according to the
heat developed by the assembly, different light intensities are
obtained. For low illumination the lamp voltage is lowered, with
considerable advantage as regards the problems connected with
heating of the lamps. As stated above the distance pieces 7 inside
the sheath 9 have dimensions which substantially correspond to
those of the internal diameter of the sheath 9 so as to constitute
support and resting members for the lamps themselves.
Obviously the invention is not limited to the embodiments
represented here, and in particular in those cases in which a
number of sheaths are connected in series, only one electrical
return wire is necessary, preferably sunk in the wall of the sheath
9. Furthermore a number of through holes may be formed in the
sheath 9 in order to provide air passages for heat transfer
purposes.
* * * * *