U.S. patent number 3,742,208 [Application Number 05/205,580] was granted by the patent office on 1973-06-26 for lighting fixtures using circular, tubular fluorescent lamps.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Alvin Corkland. Invention is credited to Arnold Mills.
United States Patent |
3,742,208 |
Mills |
June 26, 1973 |
LIGHTING FIXTURES USING CIRCULAR, TUBULAR FLUORESCENT LAMPS
Abstract
A lighting fixture utilizing one or more circular fluorescent
lamps and connectable to conventional screw-in or bayonet type
sockets comprises a pair of upper and lower housing members which
cooperate to provide a supporting enclosure for ballast and starter
components required for the lamps. The housings are shaped and
provided with openings so as to assure constant cooling of these
components by circulating ambient air. An intermediate annular
member fixed to the housing members supports an additional circular
lamp and also serves as a reflector. The fixture is adaptable for
installation in an upright position to a ceiling socket or
alternatively in the reverse position to a floor or table lamp
structure.
Inventors: |
Mills; Arnold (Novato, CA) |
Assignee: |
Alvin Corkland (Mill Valley,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
22762781 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/205,580 |
Filed: |
December 7, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
362/216 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F21S
6/002 (20130101); F21V 19/0075 (20130101); F21V
29/83 (20150115); F21V 21/03 (20130101); F21S
8/04 (20130101); F21S 8/06 (20130101); F21S
6/005 (20130101); F21V 29/507 (20150115); F21Y
2103/00 (20130101); F21Y 2103/33 (20160801); Y02B
20/386 (20130101); Y02B 20/30 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F21S
8/00 (20060101); F21S 8/08 (20060101); F21V
21/02 (20060101); F21V 19/00 (20060101); H05b
033/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;240/51.11R,51.12,47 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moses; Richard L.
Claims
I claim:
1. A lighting fixture comprising:
a pair of upper and lower housing members connected together to
form an enclosure with each having spaced apart openings to permit
the circulation of ambient air within said enclosure, said openings
in said upper housing member extending generally parallel to a
vertical axis of said fixture and said openings in said lower
housing extending generally in a plane transverse to the vertical
axis of said fixture;
a connector means fixed to said upper housing member and adapted to
provide an electrical connection with a mating socket means;
ballast and starter means electrically connected to said connector
means and secured within said housing members so that air through
said openings is free to circulate around them;
and at least one circular fluorescent lamp supported by one of said
housing members and electrically connected to said ballast and
starter means.
2. The lighting fixture as described in claim 1 wherein said upper
housing member is comprised of a series of cylindrical portions
that are integrally connected by transverse annular portions in a
stepped manner with said cylindrical portions increasing in
diameter from the top down, said openings in said upper housing
member being spaced apart in said cylindrical portions.
3. The lighting fixture as described in claim 2 wherein said lower
housing member is comprised of a series of cylindrical portions
integrally connected by annular transverse portions, said openings
in said lower housing member being spaced apart in its said annular
transverse portions.
4. The lighting fixture as described in claim 1 including a first
flange means at the bottom open end of said upper housing member
and a second flange means at the top open end of said lower housing
member and means for holding said first and second flange means and
thus said housing members together.
5. The lighting fixture as described in claim 4 including a
plurality of hanger clip means for supporting a circular
fluorescent lamp and for gripping the edge of said second flange
means at circumferentially spaced apart intervals.
6. The lighting fixture as described in claim 5 wherein each said
hanger clip means are made from a resilient plastic material and
have a jaw portion at one end for gripping a housing flange and an
integral hook portion for retaining a circular lamp.
7. The lighting fixture as described in claim 4 including a first
and second series of hanger clip means connected to said second
flange means of said lower housing member, said first series
supporting a circular lamp below said second flange and said second
series supporting a circular lamp above said second flange
means.
8. The lighting fixture as described in claim 4 including an
intermediate annular member for supporting another circular
fluorescent lamp and fixed to said housing members.
9. The lighting fixture as described in claim 8 wherein said
intermediate annular member includes a cylindrical portion housing
an inner flange on its bottom edge connected to said first and
second flanges of said housing members, and an outer flange on its
top edge, and a series of hanger clip means for connecting a
circular lamp to said outer flange.
10. The lighting fixture as described in claim 9 wherein said
intermediate annular member includes a cylindrical band portion
having an inner flange on one edge for connecting it to said
housing members, and a generally conical portion extending
outwardly from the other edge of said cylindrical band portion, and
hanger clip means for supporting a circular lamp having a diameter
greater than the circular lamp supported by said second flange
means on said lower housing.
11. The lighting fixture as described in claim 1 including
elongated boss means spaced 180.degree. apart within said upper
housing member and extending downwardly from the upper end thereof,
said ballast means being secured to the lower ends of said boss
means.
12. The lighting fixture as described in claim 9 including starter
socket means and shorter boss means for supporting said starter
socket means below the top of said upper housing, and an opening in
said upper housing aligned above said starter socket means so that
a starter will extend above the upper housing means and be
accessible from outside thereof.
13. The lighting fixture as described in claim 8 wherein said upper
and lower housing members and said intermediate annular member are
all formed from a plastic material having a "O" fire rating.
14. A lighting fixture utilizing at least one circular fluorescent
lamp and adapted for installation in a screw-in socket
comprising:
an upper housing member of rigid plastic material formed with a
series of side openings which extend generally parallel to a
central vertical axis of the fixture;
ballast and starter means for at least one circular fluorescent
lamp;
means within said upper housing member for retaining said ballast
and starter means therein;
a screw-in connector means fixed to the outside of said upper
housing member and connected therein to said ballast and starter
means;
a lower housing member having a series of openings;
flange means for connecting said upper and lower housing members
together;
at least one circular lamp;
and hanger clip means connected to said flange means for supporting
a first said lamp;
and an intermediate annular member fixed to said flange means for
supporting a second circular lamp.
15. The lighting fixture as described in claim 14 wherein said
means for retaining said ballast means comprised a pair of
elongated boss members extending within said upper housing member
generally parallel to its central axis and spaced 180.degree.
apart.
16. The lighting fixture as described in claim 14 wherein said
means for retaining said starter means includes at least one pair
of boss members extending within said upper housing member and a
starter socket means secured to said boss member pair.
17. The lighting fixture as described in claim 14 wherein both of
said upper and lower housing members are comprised of integral
cylindrical portions of different diameters including an annular
flange means surrounding the largest said cylindrical portion of
each housing member, and means for securing said flange means
together.
18. The lighting fixture as described in claim 14 including means
in said lower housing member for retaining a lamp frame when said
connector means is secured within a lamp socket.
19. A lighting fixture utilizing at least one circular fluorescent
lamp and adapted for installation in a screw-in socket
comprising:
an upper housing member of rigid plastic material formed with a
series of cylindrical portions integrally connected by annular
transverse portions and increasing in diameter from the top down,
said cylindrical portions having side openings which extend
generally parallel to a central vertical axis of the fixture;
ballast and starter means for at least one circular fluorescent
lamp;
means within said upper housing member for retaining said ballast
and starter means therein;
a screw-in connector means fixed to the outside of said upper
housing member and connected therein to said ballast and starter
means;
a lower housing member having a series of openings;
flange means for connecting said upper and lower housing members
together;
at least one circular lamp;
and hanger clip means connected to said flange means for supporting
a first said lamp.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to lighting fixtures that utilize circular
fluorescent lamps and more particularly to such fixtures that can
be installed in conventional light sockets and thereby readily
replace less efficient incandescent bulbs.
Although circular fluorescent lamps of various sizes have been well
developed for many years their use heretofore was limited despite
the fact that they provided superior operating and lighting
efficiency and effectiveness when compared to incandescent lamps
using equal power. One reason for the limited use of circular lamps
was that most previous fixtures for such lamps required complicated
wiring connections, and installation and replacement of the lamps
was therefore an expensive and time consuming process. Prior
attempts to provide fixtures using circular, tubular lamps that
could be installed in conventional sockets were generally
unsuccessful because of several problems that were encountered. For
one thing, such fixtures encountered serious heating problems with
the ballast or transformer components that are essential for
operating fluorescent circular lamps. Many ballast components
provided with automatic thermal switches would cycle frequently to
provide erratic service due to the excessive heat. Generally, such
over-heating occurred because the ballasts were not supported in
the manner that provided adequate air circulation for cooling or
heat dissipation. Another problem with prior fixtures arose in
providing a housing for ballasts and starters that was strong,
durable, fulfilled all safety requirements and was also reasonably
inexpensive to manufacture. Yet another problem was in providing a
fixture with an adequate housing for ballasts and starters which
also was capable of supporting circular lamps of different
diameters.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A general object of the present invention is to provide a light
fixture using circular tubular lamps that solves all of the
aforesaid problems and makes it possible to use such lamps in
existing incandescent sockets, and thereby provide better lighting
with greatly reduced power requirements.
Another object of my invention is to provide a lighting fixture
that will support and house one or more ballast and starter devices
for circular fluorescent lamps in such a manner that they will
remain well within their operating temperature limits even over
long periods of sustained use.
Another object is to provide a fixture comprised of a combination
of basic housing components with interchangeable parts in
combination therewith which can support different combinations of
circular lamps of the same or different sizes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a light
fixture using circular fluorescent lamps that is connectable with
conventional screw-in or bayonet sockets, thereby eliminating the
need for any wire connecting or splicing during the installation of
the fixture.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a light
fixture that can be installed by its connector on its upper side as
to a ceiling socket or which can be oriented in the reverse
position with its connector downwardly as when used in a table or
floor lamp.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a light
fixture that is comprised of relatively few parts well adapted for
mass production so that they can be manufactured and assembled at
relatively low cost.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a light
fixture that is strong, durable and will operate with safety and
reliability so that it can be used in a wide variety of
installations without restrictions.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a light
fixture that is highly versatile and can supply different levels of
lighting by utilizing various combinations of circular lamps of the
same and different diameters.
The aforesaid objects are accomplished by a fixture structure
comprising a pair of upper and lower housing members that are both
generally cup-shaped and provided with a plurality of spaced apart
openings. The upper housing has only side openings for horizontal
air currents while the lower housing has openings that are
transverse to the vertical. These housing members are secured
together by adjacent flange portions to form an enclosure which is
shaped so that one or more ballast units and the necessary
connecting wires for the fluorescent lamps can be mounted and
secured therein in such a manner that air will freely circulate
through the openings and constantly remove any excess heat that is
generated during operation of the fixture. One circular lamp for
the fixture is supported by the flange portion of one housing
member. An intermediate annular fixture member fixed to the housing
members provides another flange portion for supporting a second
circular lamp. The latter annular member may be sized in alternate
versions to support circular lamps of different diameters. Fixed to
the top side of the upper housing member is a conventional
connector that is adapted to fit a mating socket so that the
fixture can be readily installed without requiring the attachment
or splicing of any wiring. All of the fixture components are
uniquely shaped so that they can be manufactured at low cost and
high volume from suitable plastic materials and assembled rapidly
with relatively unskilled labor.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention
will become apparent from the following detailed description taken
with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a light fixture embodying the
principles of the present invention as it appears in a typical
ceiling installation;
FIG. 2 is a view in elevation and in section taken along the line
2--2 of FIG. 1, with some of the elements being rotated slightly
into the plane of the section for clarity;
FIG. 3 is a view in elevation and in section similar to FIG. 2
showing a modified version of my light fixture using two circular
lamps of the same size;
FIG. 3A is a fragmentary view in elevation and in section showing
another modified form of my light fixture using two lamps;
FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the fixture shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the fixture shown in FIG. 3 and taken
along the line 5--5 thereof;
FIG. 6 is a view in elevation and in section showing a modified
form of the fixture in FIG. 1 having an extended connector
support;
FIG. 7 is a view in side elevation showing a light fixture
according to the present invention used in a floor or table
lamp;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary and exploded view showing another
form of connector useable with out lighting fixture; and
FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary view section taken along line
9--9 of FIG. 5.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a lighting fixture 10, embodying the
principles of this invention, is shown as it appears when normally
installed in a conventional screw-in socket 12 fixed to a ceiling
or some other building structure. In general, the fixture is
comprised of an upper housing member 14 which is connected to a
lower housing or cap member 16 to form an enclosure 18. Attached to
and supported by the lower housing member by a plurality of hanger
clips 20 is a first circular fluorescent lamp 22. In this
embodiment, a second circular lamp 24 is attached by similar clips
20 to an intermediate annular support member 26 which is fixed to
the housing members 14 and 16.
Centrally located at the top most portion of the upper housing
member 14 is an upwardly protruding portion 28 to which is mounted
a standard screw type electrical lighting connector 30. This
connector has a base portion 32 that fits adjacent to an annular
transverse surface of the portion 28 and is secured thereto by
small bolts and nuts 34. An upper barrel portion 36 of the
connector 30 has conventional threads and, to facilitate good
electrical contact within a standard lamp socket 12 (shown in
phantom in FIG. 2), it preferably utilizes a spring loaded central
contact or electrode 38. Also, to assure adequate frictional
engagement of the connector and to help align the fixture unto its
true vertical position when installed, a ring or washer 40 of heat
resistant, semi-resilient material such as neoprene, is used
between the socket and the connector base portion 32. When the
connector has been screwed into the standard socket 12 the entire
fixture 10 will, when properly tightened, remain mechanically
secured therein and electrically operative. The spring loaded
central contact assures integrity of electrical contact within the
socket while exerting spring bias against its threads that are
mated with like female threads within the socket. This prevents the
connector from becoming unscrewed or working loose, such as might
otherwise occur through vibrations of the socket environment over a
prolonged period of time.
For certain ceiling installations of my lighting fixture, it may be
desirable to provide a light and easily connectable safety chain
between the fixture and some suitable ceiling structure. Thus, near
the periphery of the intermediate support member 26 a series of
holes 42 may be provided through which the safety chain can
pass.
Described now the elements of my lighting fixture in greater
detail, it is seen that each housing member is formed as a series
of integrally connected, substantially cylindrical portions of
different diameters that are connected by annular transverse
portions. On the upper housing member 14 the uppermost cylindrical
portion 44 has the smallest diameter and the integral cylindrical
portions 44a, 44b, 44c, etc. below it have progressively larger
diameters. The wall thickness of these cylindrical portions as well
as the interconnecting annular transverse portions 46 are
essentially constant. Circumferentially, spaced apart in one or
more of these cylindrical portions are a series of openings 48
which allow ambient air to enter and circulate through the
enclosure 18. It will be noted that preferably no openings occur in
the transverse portions so that no heat can escape directly
upwardly. This provides an increased safety factor for my fixture
especially in ceiling installations. The use of the multiple
cylindrical structure for the upper housing allows these openings
48 to be formed by standard molding techniques without expensive
"side-pulls" on he dies. At the bottom edge of the lowermost and
largest cylindrical portion 44d of the upper housing member is an
outwardly extending horizontal flange 50. At opposite sides of the
upper housing member 14 and extending vertically downwardly from
its uppermost cylindrical portion as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 are a
pair of elongated tubular support bosses 52 which terminate at
transverse end portions 54 inside of the lower housing. Also
extending downwardly from the transverse top portion 56 of the
upper housing 14 are two pairs of shorter boss members 58 that are
spaced apart as well as also radially inwardly from the larger
bosses 52. Extending upwardly from top surface of the upper housing
member are another pair of short bosses 60 each surrounding a
threaded opening through the top portion 56. As will be seen, the
larger internal bosses 52 and the external bosses 60 are utilized
to hold in place various ballast units required for fluorescent
circular lamps. Each pair of the smaller internal bosses 58 serve
to support a socket means 62 for a starter device that is required
for fluorescent lamps.
Now, the lower housing member 16 has a lower cylindrical portion 64
with a transverse bottom end 66 above which are a series of larger
cylindrical portions 64a, 64b, etc. integrally connected by annular
portions 68 that together form a cup-like recess. In at least two
of the annular portions 68 are provided a series of
circumferentially spaced apart vent openings 70 that serve with the
openings 48 of the upper housing member 14 to facilitate the
circulation of cooling air. The largest uppermost cylindrical
portion 64c of the lower housing member terminates with an annular,
outwardly extending flange 72. Centrally located on the inner
surface of the transverse bottom end 66 of the lower cylindrical
portion is a tubular boss 74 surrounding a threaded hole 76 within
which is seated a decorative thumb screw 78 when the hole is not in
use.
As seen in FIG. 2, when the fixture 10 is assembled the outer
flanges 50 and 72 of the upper and lower housing members
respectively are in contact with each other and a series of
circumferentially spaced apart holes provided in these flanges may
be aligned to receive suitable fasteners. The largest lowermost
cylindrical portion 44d of the upper housing member fits just
outside of an annular boss 80 that is integral with the top flange
72 of the lower housing member. This annular boss helps to align
the two housing members during assembly but it also serves another
function. In the lowermost cylindrical portion of the upper housing
member are provided side openings 82 for the wire bundles 84 which
extend between the circular lamps and their respective ballast
devices within the housing. When the housing members are assembled
with their flanges together, the annular boss 80 grips or pinches
each wire bundle 84 tightly against the edges of the opening
thereby preventing it from being withdrawn. This tamper
preventative measure enchances the safety of my fixture. As shown
in FIG. 2, the wire bundles 84 (formed as a power conductive cable)
terminate at a power connector 86 of the conventional type, which
is plugged into the sockets 88 of the circular lamps 22 and 24.
The intermediate annular support member 26, provided to support the
second and larger circular lamp 24, has a generally cylindrical
portion 90 with a diameter that is greater than the lowermost
cylindrical portion of the upper housing member 14. Extending
inwardly from its bottom edge is an annular flange 92 that rests
directly on the flange 50 of the upper housing member 14. Spaced at
circumferential intervals on the inner surface of the cylindrical
portion 90 are a series of bosses 94 with threaded holes to receive
a series of assembly screws 95 that also extend through the housing
flanges 50 and 72. Thus, these latter screws secure all of the
three main fixture members together. At the top edge of the
cylindrical portion 90 is an integral outwardly extending flange
96. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, this latter flange 96 on a
modified annular support member 26a terminates at a diameter
substantially equal to that of the flange 72 on the lower housing
member and it therefore serves to support a second lamp 22a of the
same size as the first or lower lamp 22. However, in the version of
the fixture 10 shown in FIG. 2 the larger second lamp 24 is
supported on a flange 98 that is integrally attached to a conical
extension 100 of the flange 96. This conical extension projects
outwardly and upwardly from the lower housing member and provides a
reflecting surface for the larger lamp 24.
The circular lamps 22, 24 and 24a are all supported by and
connected to their respective flanges by a plurality of the hanger
clips 20, each of which has a curved hook portion at one end that
extends partially around the lamp (e.g. 90.degree. - 100.degree. of
arc) and an integral jaw or clip portion 102 at its other end that
fits snugly over the edge of the supporting flange. Normally, three
hanger supports for each circular lamp are sufficient to hold it
firmly in on the fixture. In order to maintain the clip portion of
each hanger in its proper radial position on the fixture, pairs of
small, parallel bosses 104 are provided at circumferentially spaced
apart locations near the edges of the flanges 50 and 72. These
bosses prevent the clip portion of the hangers from rotating on the
flange and also provide a guide which simplifies and speeds their
installation. The hanger clips are preferably molded from a
suitable plastic material having high strength and resilient
flexibility so that they can be bent to receive their lamp in a
spring biased condition. Due to this flexibility the lamps can be
easily removed and replaced as desired. As shown in FIG. 3A, in
another version of my lighting fixture 10, the flange 72 may
support both the lower lamp 22 and also another lamp 22a of the
same size by merely extending the hangersupports upwardly. This
eliminates the need for the annular support member 26.
The upper and lower housing members and the intermediate annular
support member are all shaped so that they may be readily made from
a suitable plastic material using conventional molding techniques.
The use of the multiple, stepped, cylindrical portions in both
housing members 14 and 16 enable them to be formed with their
respective openings 48 and 70 without the need for any side pulls
in the dies, thereby greatly reducing overall production costs.
Various types of strong, durable plastics with a low fire rating
can be used, the selection of which is well within the scope of
those skilled in the plastic molding art.
As stated previously, the housing members form the enclosure 18
that will accommodate and hold in place the various ballast or
transformer devices necessary to operate the circular lamps of the
fixture and moreover, they retain these devices in such a manner
that ambient air will circulate through the housing walls and
around the devices to maintain them at their proper operating
temperature.
Two standard sizes of circular fluorescent lamps which are
commercially available are those rated at 32 watts and the smaller
size rated 22 watts. The fixture 10 of the present invention can
utilize these larger and smaller lamps designated by the numerals
24 and 22, in four different combinations to provide a wide range
of power and illumination. Thus, the fixture 10 may use only one
small lamp, or only one large lamp, or two small lamps or one large
and one small lamp. The ballast or transformer for the larger lamp
is obviously larger than the one for the smaller lamp. If the
single large lamp 24 is used, it is supported on the flange 98 of
the intermediate annular member 26, as previously described. A
single small lamp 22 can be supported on either the flange 72 of
the lower housing member 16 or the flange 96 of the smaller
modified annular member 26a. If two small lamps 22 and 22a are used
they are supported on both of these latter flanges (FIG. 3 or 3A)
and if one large and one small lamp are used, they are installed as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The ballast or transformer devices for the two different lamps are
naturally also quite different in size. However, the enclosure
provided by the upper and lower housing members can accommodate
these ballast devices for all of the aforesaid lamp
combinations.
As shown in FIG. 2, the ballast 106 for the larger lamp 24 has
generally an oblong shape with a base plate 108 forming tab
portions that extend beyond its opposite ends. The latter have
notches or holes which align with the openings in the lower ends of
the long support bosses 52 extending down from the top of the upper
housing member. Screws 110 extending through the tab portions and
the end portions 54 of the latter bosses 52 hold this larger
ballast firmly against them.
When the lower housing 16 is attached to the upper housing 14 the
heads of these screws are surrounded by short cylindrical bosses
112 on the inside of the lower housing member. Thus, any shocks
imported to the fixture 10 will be absorbed, not only by the
ballast supports 52 but also the structure of the lower housing
member.
The ballast 114 for the smaller lamps 22 is of course also smaller
in size but has generally the same shape and a base plate 116 with
extended end tabs. In the arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 2 this smaller
ballast is attached by screws 118 which extend through its tab
portions and into the bosses 60 on the top of the upper housing
member. It is seen in this arrangement that air space is provided
around all sides of and between the two ballast devices 106 and 114
so that adequate cooling is assured.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 3 or 3A having two smaller lamps 22 and
22a a somewhat different ballast arrangement is provided. Here, a
separate mounting plate 120 is secured to the elongated mounting
bosses 52 by the screws 110. This mounting plate is wide enough to
accommodate two smaller sized ballasts 114 in a side by side
position while still allowing space between them. The mounting
plate 120 is provided with appropriately spaced bosses 122 with
holes to receive screws 124 for securing the ballasts 114 to the
plate.
In fluorescent lighting systems a starter device for each ballast
is required and in the fixture 10 such starters designated by the
numeral 126 are supported in the sockets 62 secured within the
upper housing member 14. As shown in FIG. 3, each socket is
attached to the top inside surface of the upper housing by a series
of screws 128 that are threaded through the socket and into the
bosses 58. When seated within its socket, each starter extends
upwardly through an opening 130 in the top of the upper housing 14
by an amount that will facilitate its easy removal and replacement.
This arrangement helps to minimize unnecessary height to the
fixture. When the upper housing member is formed, the starter
openings 130 are only perforated to form a knockout disk 132 and
not fully cut out (see FIG. 9). Thus, if only one lamp is to be
used on the fixture, only one disk 132 is removed. Later on, if the
fixture is to be used with a second lamp, the second knock-out disk
can be removed to form an opening for the second starter.
The assembly of my fixture for either of the one-lamp versions or
for either of the two-lamp versions can be done rapidly with
relatively unskilled labor. The appropriate ballast devices are
first attached to the elongated bosses or internal supports 52 of
the upper housing member 14 by means of the screws 110 or to the
bosses 60 by the screws 118. The starter sockets 126 are attached
to the top of the upper housing member by the screws 128 and the
starters may be inserted. With the starters in place the internal
wires 134 and 136 interconnecting the starters, ballasts and the
socket assembly are connected in the conventional manner within the
upper housing member 14. Note, that all of the starters, ballast
and wiring components are now supported and retained by the upper
housing 14. Now, the lower housing member 16 is connected to the
upper housing member and the intermediate annular member 26 may be
placed in position so that all three components are connected by
the assembly screws 96. At this time the wire bundles 84 for the
lamps are extended outwardly through the side openings of the upper
housing for access to the lamps. The lamp or lamps can now be
attached by means of the hanger-clip members 20 to their respective
flanges and the connector 86 on the wires from the ballasts inside
the housing can be inserted into the socket 88 on each lamp.
As previously described, the installation of my assembled fixture
10 is simply a matter of screwing the connector 30 into a mating
socket 12. For sockets that may be recessed in the ceiling, a
modified upper housing member having an elongated connector
mounting portion 138 may be used, as shown in FIG. 6. This allows
the connector 30 to extend into a recessed ceiling socket.
As shown in FIG. 7, our fixture 10 may also be adaptable for use in
a table or floor lamp wherein a conventional socket 12a may be
mounted so as to be open upwardly. Here, the fixture 10 is turned
upside down so that its connector 30 can fit downwardly within the
socket 12. With this arrangement the decorative plug 78 in the
lower housing member may be removed and the threaded hold 76 can
receive a screw type retaining member 140 for holding in place the
frame 142 of a lamp shade 144.
Although the most common form of connector and socket is the screw
type, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, other forms of connectors may be
used with the fixture 10. As shown in FIG. 8, for example, a
bayonet type of connector 30a can be attached to the housing member
in the same manner. It has a smooth cylindrical portion 146 with
stud members 148 that extend diametrically from opposite sides
thereof. The socket for this connector is generally a sleeve 150
with receiving slots 152 on opposite sides for retaining the stud
members. When the stud members are in place with the connector 30a
in the sleeve socket, electrical contacts within the socket (not
shown) come into spring biased engagement with contact areas 154 on
the end of the connection. Electrical wire leads (not shown) pass
the electrical energy to the elements of the light fixture in the
conventional manner.
From the foregoing it should be apparent that the present invention
provides a unique and highly versatile light fixture for circular
fluorescent lamps that can provide a wide range of illumination
intensity for a variety of lighting installations. Moreover, the
fixture 10 is comprised of relatively few parts that are well
adapted for large scale production at low unit cost and which can
be assembled rapidly. In addition, our fixture fulfills all safety
requirements with respect to strength, fire resistance and access
to electrical components, and its self-cooling feature allows to be
operated for indefinite periods without over-heating.
To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many
changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and
applications of the invention will suggest themselves without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The
disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and
are not intended to be in any sense limiting.
* * * * *