U.S. patent number 3,790,773 [Application Number 05/188,709] was granted by the patent office on 1974-02-05 for lamp with an articulated support.
Invention is credited to Richard Sapper.
United States Patent |
3,790,773 |
Sapper |
February 5, 1974 |
LAMP WITH AN ARTICULATED SUPPORT
Abstract
A lamp with an articulated support comprising a stem and a
plurality of arms disposed in succession and connected in an
articulated manner to each other at intermediate points. A terminal
one of the arms remote from the stem supports at the one end a lamp
holder and its relative accessories and at the other end a counter
weight is arranged in such a manner as to balance the terminal arm
and the components supported by it. Each other arm has one end
connected in an articulated manner to the next arm in the direction
of the terminal arm, and its other end supports a counterweight
arranged in such a manner as to balance the said other arm with all
the components supported by it.
Inventors: |
Sapper; Richard (Stuttgart,
DT) |
Family
ID: |
22694204 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/188,709 |
Filed: |
October 4, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
362/401; 362/426;
248/123.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F21S
6/003 (20130101); F21V 21/26 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F21V
21/14 (20060101); F21V 21/26 (20060101); F21v
021/26 () |
Field of
Search: |
;240/81BD,69
;248/123,280,292 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
562,676 |
|
Dec 1957 |
|
BE |
|
637,550 |
|
May 1950 |
|
GB |
|
487,571 |
|
Dec 1953 |
|
IT |
|
Primary Examiner: Peters, Jr.; Joseph F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ross; Karl F. Dubno; Herbert
Claims
1. A lamp comprising:
a support including a base, and a stem mounted on said base;
a transformer on said base;
a plurality of arms articulated in succession and including an
initial arm and a terminal arm;
respective articulations between said stem and said initial arm at
an intermediate location along the length of the latter and between
one end of each arm and an intermediate location of each successive
arm for articulating each arm for independent swinging
movement;
a lampholder on one end of said terminal arm;
a respective counterweight on the other end of each of said arms
divisioned and positioned to balance same at its respective
articulation location whereby the counterweight on said terminal
arm balances the latter and said lampholder and the counterweight
on said initial arm balances all of said arm and said lampholders
at the articulation location of said initial arm;
and electrical conductor means extendi8g between said transformer
and said lampholder for energizing an electric lamp received in
said lampholder, said electrical conductor means including a pair
of parallel spaced conductive rods connected to respective
terminals of said transformer and forming said stem, further pairs
of conductive rods forming each of said arms, and means
electrically connecting each rod of each pair at a respective one
of said locations with a corresponding rod of another pair whereby
the lamp is electrically energized solely through the conductive
rods.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lamp with an articulated support
for use as a table, floor or hanging lamp.
Conventional lamps with articulated supports, such as those for
drawing boards, have the disadvantage of requiring the use of
springs each time it is desired to lessen the force required for
making the various possible movements, resulting in constructional
complications and the development of slackness and faults in the
mechanical parts after a certain period of operation.
A further disadvantage of conventional lamps with articulated
supports is that they need to be solidly clamped, for example to
the drawing board or a normal table, so that they do not
overturn.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to largely elminate the
aforementioned disadvantages relative to conventional lamps by
providing a lamp with an articulated support which is extremely
manageable, of simple construction, long lasting and which does not
require clamping when used as a table lamp.
Another important object of the invention is to provide a lamp in
which the necessary electrical connections are very easily
arrangd.
According to the invention there is provided a lamp with an
artictulated support which comprises a plurality of arms disposed
in cascade, i.e. one successively connected to another and
connected in an articulated manner to each other at intermediate
points, the terminal arm supporting at one end the lamp holder and
its relative accessories and at the other end a counterweight
arranged in such a manner that the center of gravity of said
terminal arm and the components supported by it coincides
substantially with the axis of the articulated joint of said arm,
each other arm having one end connected in an articulated manner to
the successive arm in the direction of the terminal arm, and its
other end supporting a counterweight arranged in such a manner that
the center of gravity of said other arm with all the components
supported by it coincides substantially with the axis of the
articulated joint of this latter arm. In other words, the
counter-weight of the lamp-carrying arm balances the latter around
its fulcrum at the intermediate point while each arm more distal
from the lamp-carrying arm has a counterweight positioned to
balance it and thus compensate the weight of all following arms and
the lampholder.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
The invention will be more evident from the following detailed
description of some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of a
lamp with an articulated support according to the invention,
illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in
which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical view of a first embodiment of a lamp
with an articulated support according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a lamp with
an articulated support according to the invention; and
FIG. 3 shows a detail relative to the articulated joints of the
lamp according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS.
With reference to FIG. 1, the lamp according to the invention in a
first embodiment comprises a base 1 supporting a vertical stem 2 to
the end 3 of which is connected in an articulated manner an arm 4
of which one end carries a counterweight 5, and the other end is
connected in an articulated manner at 6 to the terminal arm 7.
This latter arm is provided at one end with a counterweight 8, and
at its other end an assembly 9 comprising the lamp holder and its
relative accessories. More precisely the assembly 9 comprises an
internal reflector 10 and an external shield 11 containing a
plurality of upper perforations 11a and spaced from said reflector
10, and having a conformation such as to permit a flow of air
between the components 10 and 11 for cooling purposes, so as to
allow the use also of halogen lamps which are known to produce a
large amount of heat.
the counterweight 8 is arranged in such a manner that the center of
gravity of the complex comprising the counterweight, the arm 7 and
the assembly 9 coincides with the axis of the articulated joint 6.
In this manner a universal equilibrium condition is attained by
which the assembly 9 may be positioned at any point on the dotted
circumference 12, with the position attained being in each case
maintained.
In a like manner the counterweight 5 is arranged in such a manner
that the complex comprising said counter weight, the arm 4, the
counterweight 8, the arm 7 and the assembly 9 has its center of
gravity on the axis of the articulated joint 3. In this case a
universal equilibrium condition is also attained, by which the
articulated joint 6 may be brought into any position on the dotted
circumference 13, with the position attained being in each case
maintained for any position of the terminal arm 7.
From the aforementioned, the operation of the lamp according to the
invention is evident.
As the masses of the various parts of the lamp are in constant
equilibrium, the base 1 does not require clamping and may be simply
rested on a table.
The assembly 9 may be comfortably positioned at any point
compatible with the length of the arms 4 and 7, using minimum force
and without requiring the use of auxiliary means such as springs or
the like.
The double shield conformation of the assembly 9 means that the
external shield 11 may be gripped with the hands without risk of
burning, even if halogen lamps are used.
In addition to the table arrangement, a hanging arrangement may be
provided in which the stem 2 is fixed by conventional means to the
ceiling or a wall.
Advantageously the stem 2 and the arms 4 and 7 each comprise to
parallel rods, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2, forming an
articulated pair of supporting components with this arrangement, a
single suitably insulated electric wire may be passed internally
through each component of the pair of supporting components 2, 4
and 7. With the modification shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to fix
a transformer 14 to the base 1 so that the lamp may be supplied at
low voltage. In this case instead of including insulated wires, the
current may be made to pass through the pair of supporting
components 2, 4 and 7 constructed of metal and suitably insulated
one from the other.
In the design shown in FIG. 2, cross pins 15 are provided at the
articulated joints 3 and 6, with the joints at the pin ends.
In order to compensate manufacturing tolerances and other slight
disturbances in the aforementioned equilibrium system, friction
means are provided which automatically take up the play.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, each joint at the ends of pins 15
comprises a mushroom shaped member 16 with a cavity housing a
spring 17 adapted to thrust a friction ring 18 against the
corresponding component of the arm 4 or arm 7. Said component is
thrust in its turn against the surface of a substantially U-shaped
body which is fixed, for example by welding, to the corresponding
component of the stem 2 or arm 4, according to whether the
articulated joint 3 or the articulated joint 6 is considered. The
stem of the mushroom shaped member 16, into which one end of the
cross pin 15 is inserted, is also fixed to the body 19. In this
manner the component 4 or 7 may be moved on overcoming a certain
friction force determined by the action of the spring 17.
Said spring further ensures the automatic take up of play.
In one modification the articulated joints 3 and 6 may be made
using one or more magnets as the friction force.
In another modification, the acticulated joints may be constructed
with friction surfaces which also serve simultaneously for
transmission of the electric current.
As may be seen, the lamp according to the invention is of rational
and at the same time simple construction, so ensuring very easy
operation and long life.
The invention so conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications
all of which fall within the scope of the inventive idea. Thus for
example the number of arms may be increased at will following a
succession arrangement according to the aforementioned criterion,
i.e., arranging counter-weights in such a manner as to make the
centers of gravity of the various parts coincide with the axes of
the articulated joints.
* * * * *