Light Fixture

Abstract

A light fixture comprising a housing having an opening intermediate oppositely facing walls to permit a lamp to be moved into and out of the interior of the housing. A closure is removably disposable across the opening to enclose the housing in weather-tight fashion. A sleeve on one of the oppositely facing walls of the housing receives an electrical socket for axial movement between retracted and extended positions. A means on the other of the oppositely facing walls provides a face of heat insulating and cushioning material for engaging the non-electrical end of the lamp when the electrical end thereof is received within the socket. The face and sleeve are spaced apart a distance which permits the electrical end of the lamp to be moved into and out of the socket when the socket is retracted. A means is provided for positioning the socket in its extended position so as to hold the opposite, non-electrical end of the lamp against the face of heat insulating and cushioning material.

Description

This invention relates to light fixtures of a type particularly well suited for use in and around industrial or commercial areas. More particularly, it relates to improvements in pole top fixtures of this type adapted to direct a wide circle of light to the ground surface about the pole.

The efficiency of a light fixture depends on the fixed disposition of its light source with respect to its reflective surface. In order to maintain this relationship in areas where the lamp would ordinarily be vibrated, it has been proposed to engage the non-electrical end of the lamp with a part having a face of asbestos or other heat insulating and cushioning material. In the floodlight shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,001,060, the electrical lamp socket is carried on a well or bowl which is removably connected to the bottom wall of the housing to enable the upper end of the lamp to be moved into and out of engagement with the face on the top wall of the housing. Thus, the well or bowl must be handled each time the floodlight is relamped. This is especially burdensome when the fixture is a considerable distance above ground. Furthermore, it may be impossible when the lower end of the fixture housing is mounted on the upper end of a pole.

It is an object of this invention to provide such a light fixture which may be relamped without the necessity of removing the lamp socket from the housing; and, more particularly, which may be relamped through a side opening in the housing intermediate its top and bottom walls.

Another object is to provide a fixture of the character described in the foregoing object in which light is directed in a wide circle to the ground surface about the pole, and preferably as well to the ground surface directly beneath the fixture housing.

Yet another object is to provide such a light fixture which may be relamped with a minimum of time and effort, and further in which the means providing a face for engaging the non-electrical end of the lamp is of simplified and inexpensive construction.

These and other objects are accomplished, in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the invention, by a light fixture comprising a housing having an opening intermediate oppositely facing walls to pass a lamp into and out of the housing, and a closure removably disposable over the opening. A sleeve extends from one of the oppositely facing walls, and an electrical socket for the electrical end of the lamp is received within the sleeve for axial movement between retracted and extended positions. A means on the other oppositely facing wall provides a face of heat insulating and cushioning material for engaging the opposite, non-electrical end of the lamp when the socket is extended. This face is spaced from the sleeve which receives the electrical socket a distance which permits the electrical end of the lamp to be moved into and out of the socket when the socket is retracted. Additional means are provided for positioning the socket in extended position so as to hold the lamp in a predetermined position.

More particularly, the wall on which the lamp socket is mounted is adapted to be supported on the upper end of a pole so as to dispose the lamp upright, and there is a reflector on the inner side of the top wall to surround the face providing means. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the side walls of the fixture, including the side wall which is removably disposable over the opening through which the lamp is passed, is a window so as to direct light from the fixture in a full circle. More particularly, the bottom wall of the reflector is also a window so that light is also reflected to the area directly below the housing.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the socket is relatively closely received within the sleeve and has a longitudinal slot through which a screw on the side of the socket extends for longitudinal movement in the slot. A nut on the outer end of the screw is adapted to bear on the outer side of he sleeve to permit the electrical socket to be easily and quickly moved into and out of tight engagement with the inner side of the sleeve, and thus to be maintained in a desired axial position within the sleeve.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters are designated by like parts:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the fixture, as seen from the bottom and one corner thereof;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the fixture, as seen along broken lines 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the fixture, as seen along broken lines 3--3 of FIG. 2, and with the lamp removed therefrom;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a portion of the housing, similar to FIG. 2, but with the socket receiving sleeve shown in section;

FIG. 4A is an elevational view of the sleeve and socket, as seen along lines 4A--4A in FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the fixture, similar to FIG. 4, but with the electrical socket moved to its retracted position;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing the lamp raised from its electrical socket to a position intermediate the socket and the face for engaging its upper end; and

FIG. 7 is another view, similar to FIGS. 5 and 6, but showing the lamp tilted to a position permitting its removal from between the face and electrical socket.

With reference now to the details of the above described drawings, the overall fixture, which is designated in its entirety by reference character 10, includes a cubical housing 11 mounted on the top of an upright pole 12. The housing comprises a skeleton frame 13 made up of frame members extending along each corner edge of the housing, and top and bottom walls 14 and 15 and side walls 16A--16D carried within and filling the openings defined by the frame members so as to enclose the housing in weather-tight fashion.

A bracket 17 on the bottom wall 15 of the housing is connected to a ballast 18 on the top of the pole 12, or directly to the top of the pole, if desired. The top wall 14 is a solid panel and each of the side walls 16A-16D is a glass window. Thus, as above described, light is directed from the housing about a full circle. More particularly, the bottom wall 15 is also a glass window and the bracket 17 is of open construction (to be described to follow) to permit light to also be directed to an area directly beneath the housing.

As illustrated by broken lines in FIG. 2, the window forming side wall 16A is hingedly connected at 19 to a frame member along an upper edge of the housing. Thus, this window may be swung to an open position to permit a lamp 20 to be moved into and out of the housing. The lower end of this hinged window is releasably connected in closed position by a latch 21 on a frame member along a lower edge of the housing.

The lamp 20 has a threaded screw-in type base 22 at one end and a protuberance 23 at its opposite, non-electrical end. The base 22 is adapted to be received within a conventional screw-in type socket 24 having a cylindrical outer side and connected by wiring 25 to the ballast 18. This socket is relatively closely received within a sleeve 26 which is mounted on the bottom wall 15 by means of arms 27 extending radially from the sleeve to frame members at the four lower corners of the housing. A reflector 33 covers the inner side of the top wall 14 of the housing to reflect light from the lamp to the areas described.

As previously described, the socket 24 is axially movable within the sleeve 26 between extended and retracted positions. When the socket 24 is extended, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 4A, the upper end of protuberance 23 engages the lower face on a block or pedestal 28 mounted on the inner side of the top wall 14 of the housing in axial alignment with the sleeve 26. More particularly, the upper non-electrical end of the lamp 20 engages a layer 29 of asbestos or other heat insulating and cushioning material providing the lower face of the block 28. As shown, this face is cup shaped so as to hold the lamp more securely against substantial lateral movement at its upper end.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the socket 24 is moved to its retracted position, the upper end of the lamp 20 is spaced from the face 29 a distance greater than the threaded engagement of the base 22 of the lamp with the socket. Thus, the lamp may be turned so as to unscrew the base 22 from the socket. As will be apparent from FIG. 6, the distance between the sleeve 26 and the face 29 permits the lamp 20 to be moved into and out of the socket when the socket is in its retracted position. Thus, although this distance is somewhat less than the end to end length of the lamp, there is sufficient annular clearance within the sleeve 26 to permit the disconnected lamp to be tilted and raised above the sleeve 26, as shown in FIG. 7 and then moved laterally to one side of the sleeve.

Obviously, the lamp is moved into threaded engagement with the socket upon a reversal of this procedure. Furthermore, of course, in relamping the fixture, both the used lamp and the new lamp are moved into and out of the housing through the opening provided by the open window 16A.

There is a longitudinal slot 30 in the sleeve 26 to receive a screw 31 extending from the side of the socket, and a wing nut 32 is received over the outer end of the screw for engaging the outer side of the sleeve to move the socket 24 laterally into and out of tight engagement with the inner side of the sleeve 26. When the socket is so engaged with the sleeve, it is of course held against axial movement within the sleeve. On the other hand, the screw 31 is movable within the slot 30 between the retracted position of the socket and its extended position when the wing nut 32 is backed off from the screw. As best shown in FIG. 4, the socket is located in its extended position by engagement of the screw 31 with the upper end of the slot.

The bracket 17 comprises arms 24 extending radially from the ballast 18 and connecting at their outer ends to the frame members at the lower corners of the housing. Thus, the legs 34 and 27 are substantially vertically aligned so as to minimize the obstruction of light through the window 15 at the bottom of the fixture housing.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the apparatus.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed with reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. A light fixture, comprising a housing having oppositely facing walls, an opening intermediate the oppositely facing walls to pass a lamp to and from the interior of the housing, and a closure removably disposable across the opening, an electrical socket for receiving the electrical end of the lamp, a sleeve on one of said oppositely facing walls to receive the socket for axial movement between retracted and extended positions with respect to said one oppositely facing wall, means on said other of said oppositely facing walls providing a face of heat insulating and cushioning material for engaging the opposite end of the lamp, said face and sleeve being spaced apart a distance which permits the electrical end of the lamp to be moved into and out of the socket when the socket is retracted, and means for positioning the socket in extended position so as to hold the opposite end of the lamp against said face when its electrical end is received in the socket.

2. A light fixture as described in claim 1, wherein said socket is relatively closely received within said sleeve, and the socket positioning means comprises a longitudinal slot in the sleeve, a screw on the side of the socket and extending through the slot for longitudinal movement therein, and a nut on the end of the screw for bearing on the outer side of the sleeve.

3. A light fixture as described in claim 1, including a reflector on the inner side of the one oppositely facing wall, said housing having a plurality of side walls intermediate said oppositely facing walls, and a window in each said side wall of the housing, one of said windows comprising said closure removably disposable over said opening.

4. A light fixture, comprising a housing having top and bottom walls, means on the bottom wall for mounting the housing on the upper end of a post, a window in the housing intermediate the top and bottom walls, and means removably connecting said window to the housing to permit a lamp to be passed into and out of the frame interior, a sleeve extending upwardly from the bottom wall, an electrical socket for receiving the electrical end of a lamp and received within the sleeve for axial movement between retracted and extended positions with respect to said bottom wall, means on the top wall providing a face of heat insulating and cushioning material for engaging the opposite end of the lamp, said face and sleeve being spaced apart a distance which permits the electrical end of the lamp to be moved into and out of the socket when the socket is retracted, a reflector on the inner side of the top wall, and means for positioning the socket in extended position so as to hold the opposite end of the lamp firmly against said face when its electrical end is received in the socket.

5. A light fixture as described in claim 4, including a window in the bottom wall, and a plurality of arms extending outwardly from the sleeve and connecting with the housing.