Wall-mounted Lighting Fixture

Goralnik June 3, 1

Patent Grant 3887802

U.S. patent number 3,887,802 [Application Number 05/471,788] was granted by the patent office on 1975-06-03 for wall-mounted lighting fixture. Invention is credited to Charles D. Goralnik.


United States Patent 3,887,802
Goralnik June 3, 1975

WALL-MOUNTED LIGHTING FIXTURE

Abstract

A wall-mounted lighting fixture comprising a mounting base or pan adapted to be secured to a wall, the mounting base having a generally vertical front wall, an adjoining horizontal top wall, and at least one generally horizontal slot in the front wall adjacent the top wall. The fixture also includes lighting means carried by the front wall, a light transmitting shade, and hinge means mounting the shade on the mounting base for movement between a lowered operating position and a raised position in which the lighting means is easily accessible. The hinge means includes a hinge member having a generally flat leg portion insertable into the slot in the mounting base, a generally flat head portion engageable with the front wall, and retaining means for holding the hinge captive relative to the mounting base. The hinge member is swingable between a first position in which it supports the shade in its operating position and a second position in which it supports the shade in its raised position.


Inventors: Goralnik; Charles D. (St. Louis County, MO)
Family ID: 23873004
Appl. No.: 05/471,788
Filed: May 20, 1974

Current U.S. Class: 362/282; 362/311.06; 362/311.14; 220/478
Current CPC Class: F21V 17/104 (20130101); F21S 8/033 (20130101)
Current International Class: F21V 17/10 (20060101); F21S 8/00 (20060101); F21V 17/00 (20060101); F21s 001/02 (); F21s 003/02 (); F21s 005/00 ()
Field of Search: ;240/73R,73LD,73QD,33,125,147 ;220/18

References Cited [Referenced By]

U.S. Patent Documents
3142445 July 1964 Jones
3185835 May 1965 Muller et al.
3189740 June 1965 Wince
3315074 April 1967 Buzan et al.
3381126 April 1968 Steiner
3697743 October 1972 Eargle
3794830 February 1974 Hitzler
Primary Examiner: Wintercorn; Richard A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Koenig, Senniger, Powers and Leavitt

Claims



What is claimed is:

1. A wall-mounted lighting fixture comprising a mounting base adapted to be secured to a wall, said mounting base having a generally vertical front wall, an adjoining generally horizontal top wall and at least one generally horizontal slot in the front wall adjacent said top wall, said fixture further comprising lighting means carried by the front wall of said mounting base, a light transmitting shade, and at least one hinge means mounting said shade on said mounting base for movement between a lowered operating position in which said shade effectively shades said lighting means and a raised position in which said lighting means is readily accessible, said hinge means comprising a hinge member having a generally flat leg portion insertable into said slot from the back side of said mounting base, a head portion engageable with the inner face of said front wall to prevent said hinge from passing through said slot, and retaining means for holding the hinge captive relative to the mounting base, said hinge member being swingable between a first position in which the lower surface of said leg portion is in engagement with an edge of said front wall, said edge constituting at least a portion of the lower surface of said slot, for supporting said shade in its operating position and a second position in which said shade is supported in its raised position, at least a portion of said retaining means being on the opposite side of said front wall of said base from said head portion.

2. A fixture as set forth in claim 1 in which said retaining means comprises at least one tab extending from said leg portion for holding said front wall captive betwen said head portion and said tab, the width of said leg portion adjacent said mounting fixture being slightly less than the width of said slot thereby to substantially prevent horizontal movement of said hinge member.

3. A fixture as set forth in claim 2 wherein said retaining means comprises two spaced tabs extending generally from said leg portion.

4. A fixture as set forth in claim 2 wherein said hinge member is generally T-shaped and wherein the head portion is somewhat wider than said slot.

5. A fixture as set forth in claim 4 wherein said tab is struck from both said head portion and said leg portion and extends from said leg portion.

6. A fixture as set forth in claim 4 wherein said hinge member is resiliently deformable as said leg portion is inserted into said slot until said tab moves clear of said front wall at which point said hinge is held captive relative to said front wall.

7. A fixture as set forth in claim 4 wherein said slot is defined by a generally horizontal upwardly facing surface, constituting said edge, a downwardly ramping surface adjoining said horizontal surface on opposite sides thereof, and an upper horizontal surface constituting the top surface of said slot spaced above said upwardly facing horizontal surface, said slot being generally symmetrical about a vertical axis.

8. A fixture as set forth in claim 7 wherein said tab is adjacent said leg portion and extends therefrom a distance greater than the distance between said horizontal slot surfaces, said hinge member being resiliently deformable as said leg portion is inserted into said slot so that as said tab clears said front wall said tab returns substantially to its undeformed position thereby to hold the hinge captive relative to said front wall.

9. A fixture as set forth in claim 7 wherein said top surface of said slot adjoins said top wall.

10. A fixture as set forth in claim 4 in which said hinge member is formed from a resilient material such as spring steel.

11. A fixture as set forth in claim 10 wherein said edge is generally horizontal and constitutes the lower surface of said slot and wherein said front wall has a generally horizontal downwardly facing surface constituting the top surface of said slot spaced above the first mentioned edge.

12. A fixture as set forth in claim 11 in which said tab extends from said leg portion a distance greater than the height of said slot, said mounting base and said tab interferring with one another and causing resilient movement of said tab relative to said hinge member as said leg portion is inserted into said slot until said tab clears said front wall at which point said tab returns to its undeformed position whereby the hinge is held captive relative to said front wall.

13. A fixture as set forth in claim 1 in which said hinge member includes an aperture in its leg portion, in which said shade has a corresponding aperture, and in which said fixture further comprises fastener means insertable through the aforementioned apertures for mounting said shade on said hinge means.

14. A fixture as set forth in claim 13 wherein said shade is a horizontally disposed channelshaped member having an upper leg, a center web portion, and a lower leg, said shade aperture being in said upper leg.

15. A fixture as set forth in claim 1 wherein said mounting base has two spaced horizontal slots, and wherein said shade is mounted relative to said mounting base by means of two of said hinge means, one for each said slot.

16. A fixture as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a transition section between said head and leg portions, said retaining means comprising at least one tab formed in part from said transition section.

17. A fixture as set forth in claim 16 wherein said transition section is generally at right angles to said head and leg sections, said transition section being disposed generally vertically on the outer surface of said front wall of said base when said hinge is in its said first position.

18. A fixture as set forth in claim 1 wherein said retaining means comprises a side flange extending downwardly from each lateral side of said leg portion, each side flange extending below said lower edge of said slot when said hinge is in its first position.

19. A fixture as set forth in clalim 18 wherein said side flange is wedge-shaped in side elevation with said side flange being of greatest height adjacent the front wall of said mounting base.

20. A fixture as set forth in claim 19 further comprising at least one tab struck from said hinge and projecting upwardly from said leg portion thereof in front of said front wall when said hinge is inserted in said slot, said tab locating said shade relative to said hinge.

21. A hinge as set forth in claim 20 wherein said slot has at least a portion thereof constituting the upper edge of said slot in close proximity to the lower edge of the slot, said slot portion being of less height than the thickness of said leg portion adjacent the head portion and said tab, whereby as the leg portion of said hinge is inserted into said slot from the back side of the mounting base, said side flanges cause said hinge to deform within said slot thereby to permit passage of said tabs past said front wall, said hinge returning substantially to its original position upon the passage of said side flange past said front wall.

22. A fixture as set forth in claim 21 wherein said front wall has means formed therein to permit passage of said tabs therepast as the hinge is inserted into said slot.

23. A wall-mounted lighting fixture comprising a mounting base adapted to be secured to a wall, said mounting base having a generally vertical front wall, an adjoining generally horizontal top wall and at least one generally horizontal slot means in the front wall adjacent said top wall, said fixture further comprising lighting means carried by the front wall of said mounting base, a light transmitting shade, and at least one hinge means mounting said shade on said mounting base for movement between a lowered operating position in which said shade effectively shades said lighting means and a raised position in which said lighting means is readily accessible, said hinge means comprising a hinge member having a leg portion insertable into said slot means, another portion engageable with said front wall to prevent said hinge from passing through said slot means, and retaining means for holding the hinge captive relative to the mounting base, said retaining means comprising at least one tab deformable as said leg means is inserted in said slot means, said tab returning substantially to its initial position before insertion in the slot means thereby to hold the hinge captive relative to the mounting base, said hinge member being swingable between a first position in which the lower surface of said leg portion is in engagement with an edge of said front wall, said edge constituting at least a portion of the lower surface of said slot means, for supporting said shade in its operating position and a second position in which said shade is supported in its raised position, at least a portion of said retaining means being on the opposite side of said front wall of said base from said other portion.

24. A fixture as set forth in claim 23 wherein said leg portion is insertable into said slot means from the front of said mounting base.

25. A fixture as set forth in claim 24 further comprising an intermediate portion substantially at right angles to said leg and other portions, said intermediate portion being wider than said leg portion and said tabs and said intermediate portion constituting said retaining means.

26. A fixture as set forth in claim 23 wherein said slot means comprises a pair of spaced slots, one for each said tab, said tabs being insertable into said slots from the front of said mounting base, said hinge means between said tabs being engageable with said mounting base thereby substantially to prevent inward movement of the hinge relative to the mounting base.

27. A fixture as set forth in claim 23 further comprising a second tab substantially rigid with respect to the hinge, said rigid tab being first insertable into said slot and then said deformable tab being insertable into the slot, said deformable and said rigid tabs holding said hinge captive relative to said mounting base.
Description



BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to lighting fixtures and more specifically to a hinge for attaching a shade to the base of a wall-mounted bathroom lighting fixture or the like.

Conventional bathroom lighting fixtures include a metal base for securement to a wall with either single or multiple bulb light sockets mounted on the outer front wall of the base. Such fixtures typically include a generally elongate glass shade secured to the base by means of a bracket carried by the light socket. The bracket has a threaded stud extending therefrom and the shade has a hole therein for reception of the stud. A cap nut threaded on the stud secures the shade to the socket.

The hole in the shade must be drilled after forming of the shade and after any frosting or design has been applied thereto. Due to the concentration of mechanical stresses present in the center leg of the glass shade after forming, the hole is difficult to drill resulting in high breakage of the expensive finished shade. Another disadvantage of this type of shade mounting is that to relamp the fixture the shade must be completely removed which greatly increases the risk of shade breakage. Also the cap nut is not especiallly aesthetically pleasing and often degrades designs imprinted on the shade.

Because of the drawbacks of the conventional method of attaching shade and base, hinges have been proposed which allow the shade to be rotated from a normal position to a raised relamping position without the necessity of completely removing the shade. Such hinges are typically made of molded sythetic resin, such as nylon, and fit into slots at the top of the front wall of the base. They have horizontally extending front arms which carry a metal threaded insert so that the shade can be secured via a thumbscrew passing through a hole in the upper leg of the shade. Such hinges have several disadvantages in that two of the expensive nylon hinges are required, the metal inserts are expensive, and the hinges are easily dislocated from their slots upon swinging of the shade which causes binding of the hinges upon returning the shade to its normal position. This latter mentioned drawback causes additional strain on the glass and could result in breakage of the shade. Reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,599 illustrating a hinged glass shade.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Among the several objects of this invention may be noted the provision of an improved wall mounted lighting fixture; the provision of such a fixture which reduces the probability of shade breakage both during manufacture of the shade and after the fixture has been installed; the provision of such a fixture which allows relamping of the fixture without removing the shade from the fixture and without requiring that fasteners be removed; the provision of such a fixture which hingedly secures the shade to the wall-mounted pan so that only a single hinge is required to mount the shade; and the provision of such a fixture which is simple and economical to manufacture. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

Briefly, the wall-mounted lighting fixture of the present invention includes a mounting base or pan adapted to be secured to a wall, the base having a vertical front wall, an adjoining horizontal top wall, and at least one generally horizontal slot in the front wall adjacent the top wall. The fixture also includes lighting means carried by the front wall, a light transmitting shade, and at least one hinge means mounting the shade on the base for movement between a lowered operating position in which the shade effectively shades the lighting means and a raised position in which the lighting means is readily accessible. The hinge means includes a generally flat leg portion thinner than the height of the slot and which can be inserted into a slot in the base, a head portion engageable with the front wall of the mounting base, and retaining means for holding the hinge captive relative to the mounting base. The hinge member is swingable between a first position in which it supports the shade in its operating position and a second position in which it supports the shade in its raised position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a fixture of the present invention showing its shade in its lowered position, and showing, in phantom, that shade in its raised position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of a first embodiment of a base of the fixture of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a first hinge of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of the hinge of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective of an alternate embodiment of the hinge used in the fixture of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a plan of an alternate embodiment of the hinge used in the fixture of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of the base of FIG. 2 showing the hinge of FIG. 7 held captive relative to the base;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary front elevation of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front elevation of an alternate base for the fixture of FIG. 1 having mounting multiple light sockets and multiple hinges;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of a hinge of this invention;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a blank from which the hinge of FIG. 11 is formed;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the hinge of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a perspective of still another embodiment of a hinge of this invention having wedge-shaped flanges at its sides;

FIG. 16 is a front view of the hinge of FIG. 15 installed in a slot of the mounting base;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the hinge of FIG. 15 held captive relative to the mounting base;

FIG. 18 is a perspective of a further embodiment of a hinge of this invention insertable into the slot from the front of the mounting base;

FIG. 19 is a side elevation of the hinge of FIG. 18; FIG. 20 is a plan of the hinge of FIG. 18; and

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the hinge of FIG. 18 held captive relative to its mounting base.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIG. 1, a wall-mounted lighting fixture of the present invention is shown in its entirety at reference numeral 1. This fixture includes a mounting base or pan 3 adapted to be secured to a wall W and has a generally vertical front wall 5, an adjoining top wall 7, and a generally horizontal slot, as indicated generally at 9 (see FIG. 2), in front wall 5, preferably adjacent top wall 7. The fixture also includes lighting means, comprising one or more conventional sockets 10 and incandescent light bulbs 11, carried by front wall 5 and a light transmitting shade 13. The shade is hingedly mounted on base 3 by at least one hinge 15 for movement between a lowered position (shown in solid lines in FIG. 1) in which it overlays and effectively shades the lighting means and a raised position (shown in phantom in FIG. 1) in which the lighting means is readily accessible for relamping.

As shown in FIG. 2, slot 9 is generally butterfly-shaped and generally symmetrical about a vertical axis. Front wall 5 has a generally horizontal, upwardly facing surface or edge 17 which constitutes a central portion of the lower surface of slot 9, downwardly sloping ramp edges 19L,19R adjoining edge 17, and a generally horizontal, downwardly facing surface or edge 21, which constitutes the top surface of slot 9, spaced above the edges 17, 19L and 19R and adjoining top wall 7. Front wall 5 also has a cross-shaped aperture 23 for receiving a spring-type mounting assembly (not shown) carried by socket 10 and apertures 25 for receiving screws 27 which hold base 3 fast against wall W.

Hinge 15, best shown in FIGS. 3-5, is a T-shaped member having a head portion 27, a leg portion 29, and a pair of spaced tabs 31 extending from leg portion 29 adjacent its sides. Tabs 31 are struck from both the leg portions and the head portion of hinge 15. Hinge 15 is thinner than the height of the slot while the head portion 27 is somewhat wider than slot 17 and leg portion 29 is of a width slightly less than the width of the slot. As will appear hereafter, head portion 27 prevents the hinge from passing through the slot. Hinge 15 is shown to be a generally flat member made of relatively thin-gauge steel or the like; however, it will be understood that hinge 15 may be made of suitable synthetic resin material or the like.

Tabs 31, which constitute retaining means for purposes as will appear hereafter, are spaced from head portion 27 a distance somewhat greater than the thickness of front wall 5 (see FIG. 4). Furthermore, the tabs extend from the leg portion a distance greater than the height of slot 9 at central edge 17, but a distance somewhat less than the maximum height of the slot at the ends of ramp surfaces 19L, 19R.

Hinge 15 is insertable into slot 9, leg portion 29 first, with tabs 31 extending upwardly, from the back side of the front wall of base 3. The hinge is generally flat and is preferably resiliently deformable to enable tabs 31 to clear front wall 5. After the tabs clear the front wall, the hinge is held captive relative to the front wall with head portion 27 being engageable with the inner surface of the front wall, and with the tabs being engageable with the outer surface of the front wall. Once in its installed or captive position, hinge 15 is swingable between a first position (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4) in which it supports the shade 13 in its lowered operating position and in which the lower surface of leg portion 29 engages edge 17 of front wall 5 and the upper face of head portion 27 is in engagement with the lower face of top wall 7, and a second position (as shown in phantom in FIG. 1) in which it supports the shade in its raised position and in which the lower surface of leg portion 29 remains in engagement with slot edge 17, and in which the upper face of head portion 27 is spaced below the lower face of top wall 7. As slot 9 is only slightly wider than leg portion 29, substantial horizontal movement of hinge 29 in a plane parallel to the front wall is prevented.

Shade 13 is preferably a horizontally disposed channel-shaped member of frosted glass or the like having an upper leg 33 with an aperture 35 therethrough, a center web portion 37, and a lower leg 39. Hinge 15 has an aperture 41 adapted to threadably receive a cap screw 43 which passes through shade aperture 35 and engaging the threaded aperture 41 and thus secures the shade to the hinge. Aperture 41 is preferably formed so that the upper surface of leg portion 29 is in the vicinity of the aperture. This insures that the flat bottom face of shade leg 33 is in engagement with a relatively flat hinge surface to avoid overstressing the glass which could result in possible breakage thereof.

With shade 13 mounted on hinge 15, the shade is swingable between its lowered operating position and its raised relamping position (shown in phanton in FIG. 1). Thus, light bulbs 11 can be conveniently replaced without removing shade 13 from fixture 1.

A second embodiment of the hinge is shown in FIG. 6 and is indicated at 15A to distinguish it from hinge 15 heretofore described. Hinge 15A has various parts such as indicated by 27A, 29A, 31A, corresponding to parts 27, 29 and 31 of hinge 15. The main differences between hinges 15 and 15A are that tabs 31A are struck only from leg portion 29A, and that head portion 27A is somewhat wider than head portion 27. Because of the increased width of head portion 27A, hinge 15A can be formed from thinner-gauge steel than hinge 15. Insertion and operation of hinge 15A are identical to those of hinge 15.

A third embodiment of the hinge is shown at 15B in FIGS. 7-9. Hinge 15B, similar to hinge 15, is formed from a resilient material such as spring steel with tabs 31B, having rounded ends, struck from only leg portion 29B. One advantage of this hinge is that only a horizontal slot 9B (see FIG. 9) as opposed to compound slot 9, need be formed in front wall 5B thus eliminating the requirement of the butterfly-shaped slot 9 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 9, front wall 7B has a generally flat, horizontal edge 17B which constitutes the lower surface of slot 9B. Edge 21 constitutes the top surface of the slot. Tabs 31B extend from leg portion 29B a distance greater than the height of slot 9B so that as leg portion 29B is inserted into slot 9B from the back side of front wall 5, mounting base 3B and tabs 31B interfere with one another and cause the tabs to resiliently flex relative to the base. As the tabs clear front wall 5B, the tabs snap out from the hinge and again extend from leg portion 29B a distance greater than the height of the slot; the hinge thus being held captive by head portion 27B and the tabs relative to the front wall.

It is noted that the leg portion of hinge 15B can be inserted into slot 9B with the tabs extending either upwardly or downwardly. If the leg portion 29B is inserted with the tabs extending upwardly, the upper surface of head portion 27B, when hinge 15B is in its first position for supporting shade 13 in the latter's operating position, will engage the lower surface of top wall 7B. However, if leg portion 29B is inserted with the tabs extending downwardly, the support for shade 13 in its operating position is achieved by the tabs engaging that portion of the front wall directly beneath slot 9A and it is optional that head portion 27B contact top wall 7. Thus, when the leg portion is inserted with the tabs extending downwardly, slot 9B can be located at any position in the front wall and the slot need not be adjacent top wall 7.

A fourth and preferred embodiment of the hinge of this invention is shown in its entirety at 15C in FIGS. 11-14. Hinge 15C is preferably made of sheet metal, such as 0.020 in. (0.5 mm.) steel, but it may be fabricated from synthetic resin or the like. As shown best in FIGS. 11 and 14, hinge 15C is stepped and has a generally flat head portion 27C and a generally flat leg portion 29C with a transition portion 45 therebetween. Tabs 31C constituting retaining means are struck from the sides of the hinge adjacent transition portion 45 and extend outwardly therefrom a distance greater than the width of leg portion 29C. Recesses 47 are formed behind the tabs, the tabs upon being forced inwardly are received within these recesses. As shown in FIG. 12, hinge 15C is bent up along a bend line 49 and bent down along a second bend line 51 to form transition portion 45. Hinge 15C is adapted to be inserted into a generally rectangular slot (not shown) in the front wall, this slot being generally similar to slot 9B heretofore described. Leg portion 27C of hinge 15C is insertable into its respective slot from the back side of base 3. Upon insertion of the leg portion, the hinge is rotated so that transition portion 45 extends through the slot whereby tabs 31C are compressed into recesses 47. Upon attaining its installed position, tabs 31C spring back to their extended position thereby locking the hinge in place.

Referring now to FIGS. 15-17, still another embodiment of the hinge of this invention is indicated in its entirety at 15D. Like the previously described embodiments of the hinge of this invention, hinge 15D includes an enlarged head portion 27D and a leg portion 29D extending from the leg portion. At each side of the leg portion, a generally triangular or wedge-shaped side flange 53 extends downwardly therefrom. Each side flange has a rear edge 55 extending generally vertically and is adapted to be spaced in front of front wall 5D of mounting base 3D, these side flanges being of greatest height at edge 55. Hinge 15D further includes a pair of tabs 57 struck from the hinge projecting upwardly from leg portion 29D. These tabs constitute means for locating glass shade 13 relative to the hinge and for protecting the glass shade from contacting mounting base 3D as the shade is swung between its opened and closed positions.

As shown in FIG. 16, slot 9D is shown to be somewhat similar to slot 9 as shown in FIG. 2, but inverted. The bottom edge of slot 9D has a flat surface, as indicated at 17D, and a top central edge 21D spaced in relatively close proximity to the lower edge 17D a distance somewhat less than the thickness of head portion 27D and tabs 57. Transition edges 59L,59R slope upwardly from the outer ends of edge 21D and thus form enlarged outer ends of the slot. Edges 59L and 59R have notches 61L, 61R formed therein for receiving tabs 57 upon insertion of the hinge in the slot.

Like the other hinges previously disclosed, hinge 15D is insertable in its slot 9D, leg portion first, from the back side of mounting base 3D. As the hinge is inserted into the slot, the lower tapered edges of side flanges 53 ride on lower edge 17D and top edge 21D engages the center portion of the hinge. Continued insertion of the hinge in the slot causes the slot to bow or flex with the center portion of the hinge held down by slot edge 21D. Notches 61L,61R permit tabs 57 to pass by the front wall as the hinge is inserted in the slot. Upon the rear edge 55 of side flange 53 clearing front wall 5D, the hinge snaps back to its original, generally flat position and the hinge is held captive on the wall by means of head portion 27D and side flanges 53. The close proximity of slot upper surface 21D to the lower slot surface 17D prevents removal of the hinge once it is in its installed position. Upon swinging the shade 13 from its lowered to its raised position, hinge 15D rocks on lower slot surface 17D to permit upward swinging movement of the hinge. With the shade in its lowered position, hinge 15D is supported on slot edge 17D and the ends of the side flanges, as indicated at 55, engage the front face of front wall 5D thereby to prevent further downward movement of the shade.

Referring now to FIGS. 18-21, still another embodiment of the hinge of this invention, indicated in its entirety at 15E, is shown to be insertable into a slot 9E from the front of mounting base 3E. This hinge has a head portion 27E, a leg portion 29E insertable into the slot from the front thereof, and an intermediate section 63 between the leg and head portions generally at right angles thereto.

More particularly, head portion 27E is substantially wider than leg portion 29E and slot 9E and intermediate portion 63 is somewhat narrower than the slot. Leg portion 29E has a forward portion 65 insertable into slot 9E, this forward portion being somewhat shorter than the horizontal length of slot 9E. The leg portion has outwardly projecting side edges 67 tapering outwardly from front edge 65 toward intermediate portion 63, these side edges being somewhat wider at their inner ends than the width of slot 9E whereby upon insertion of the leg portion into the slot, side edges 67 engage the sides of the slot. More particularly, leg portion 27E is constituted by a pair of tabs 69 having side edges 67 at their outer edges. These tabs, upon insertion of the leg portion into slot 9E, are resiliently forced inwardly as the side edges engage the ends of slot 9E. As the inner ends of side edges 67 clear front wall 5E of the mounting base, tabs 69 return substantially to their original position and thereby constitute locking tabs which hold hinge 15E captive relative to its mounting base. The leg portion adjacent intermediate portion 63 is sized to prevent substantial lateral movement of the hinge relative to the mounting base and the additional width intermediate section 63 is substantially wider than slot 9E so as to prevent inward movement of the hinge relative to mounting base 3E upon swinging shade 13 to its raised position. Head portion 27E has a screw hole 41 for receiving a cap screw 43 thereby to secure shade 13 thereto in a manner as heretofore described.

It will be understood that two spaced slots (not shown) could be used in place of slot 9E with each of these spaced slots receiving a respective tab 69. In this case, the portion of the hinge between tabs 69 would engage the portion of base 3E between the slots thereby preventing inward movement of the hinge upon swinging the shade to its raised position.

It will be further understood that only one of the tabs 69 need be resiliently deformable upon insertion into slot 9E. More particularly, one of the tabs may be substantially rigid relative to the remainder of the hinge. Upon insertion into slot 9E, the rigid tab is inserted first with the hinge at an angle with respect to the mounting base and then the resilient tab is inserted thereinafter, causing it to deform. It is again understood that either one long slot or two separate shorter slots can be perforated into the front wall 5E of the mounting base to receive the hinge tabs herein described.

With leg portion 29E of hinge 15E inserted in slot 9E of mounting base 3E from the front thereof and with shade 13 secured to head portion 27E of the hinge, the shade may be swung upwardly from its lowered operating position to its raised position on the hinge. The hinge pivots on the lower edge of slot 9E and the outwardly projecting side edges 67 of leg portion 29E prevent removal of the hinge from the slot.

The previous descriptions concerned a relatively short shade that could be supported by a single hinge of this invention. As shown in FIG. 10, two or more slots 9, with corresponding hinges 15, can be provided when it is desirable to mount a longer or heavier shade.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

* * * * *


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