U.S. patent number RE43,828 [Application Number 12/945,167] was granted by the patent office on 2012-11-27 for ceiling lampholder to accept a non-incandescent lamp.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.. Invention is credited to Emma Levin, Marc Noest, James Richter, Anthony Tufano.
United States Patent |
RE43,828 |
Tufano , et al. |
November 27, 2012 |
Ceiling lampholder to accept a non-incandescent lamp
Abstract
This invention is directed to a lampholder for receiving a
non-incandescent lamp having a 2-pin base. A surface mountable
member for receiving the lamp and which has no voltage transforming
circuitry is disclosed. Each pin of the lamp has an enlarged
cylindrical shaped end attached to a shaft of reduced diameter. The
surface mountable member has two keyhole shaped apertures, each of
which has a large circular end aperture and an arc shaped slot for
receiving and securely holding the pins of the lamp to the surface
mountable member. The circular aperture of each keyhole shaped
aperture has a diameter which is slightly larger than the diameter
of the enlarged cylindrical end of the lamp pin, and the arc shaped
slot has a width that is both smaller than the diameter of the
cylindrical end of the lamp pin and wider than the diameter of the
shaft of the pin. The enlarged ends of the pins of the lamp, when
located in the arc shaped slots, prevent the lamp from being pulled
out of the surface mountable member.
Inventors: |
Tufano; Anthony (North
Massapequa, NY), Noest; Marc (Westbury, NY), Levin;
Emma (Brooklyn, NY), Richter; James (Bethpage, NY) |
Assignee: |
Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc.
(Melville, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
38093381 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/945,167 |
Filed: |
November 12, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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60741992 |
Dec 2, 2005 |
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Reissue of: |
11565484 |
Nov 30, 2006 |
7712949 |
May 11, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
362/655; 362/649;
362/404; 362/652 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F21V
21/02 (20130101); H01R 33/9456 (20130101); F21V
23/0442 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
33/00 (20060101); F21S 8/06 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;362/652-656,649,651,394,95,404-408,276,433-458,647 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
International Search Report for PCT Application No.
PCT/US2006/061521 mailed on Apr. 2, 2008. 3 pages. cited by
other.
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Primary Examiner: Truong; Bao Q
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Collard & Roe, P.C.
Parent Case Text
This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No.
60/741,992 filed Dec. 2, 2005.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A utility lampholder having at least one electrical connection
element comprising; a surface mountable member without any voltage
transforming circuitry, said surface mountable member having a
front surface disposed to receive a lamp and a rear surface; a
non-incandescent lamp cavity in said surface mountable member for
receiving said lamp, said cavity extending away from said front
surface and toward said rear surface, such that said cavity extends
beyond a rear plane of the surface mountable member; and at least
one aperture in said surface mountable member for receiving an
electrical connection element of said lamp when said lamp is in
said cavity.
2. The lampholder of claim 1 further comprising: a first pair of
keyholes located on a first center for coupling said lampholder to
an outlet box of a first size.
3. The lampholder of claim 1, wherein said surface mounted member
is disc shaped and has a diameter of between four and one-half and
five and one half inches.
4. The lampholder of claim 1 further comprising: a protrusion from
said front surface of said surface mountable member positioned to
inhibit lateral movement of a lamp during engagement of a lamp with
said at least one aperture.
5. The lampholder of claim 4 wherein said protrusion is a ring
shaped member encircling said at least one aperture and having a
diameter dimensioned to restrict lateral movement of a lamp during
engagement of a lamp with said at least one aperture.
6. The lampholder of claim 1 further comprising: at least one
electrical contact in said cavity and positioned to contact an
electrical connection element of a lamp when inserted in said at
least one aperture.
7. The lampholder of claim 6 further comprising: a switch
electrically connected to said at least one electrical contact.
8. The lampholder of claim 1 further comprising: a grounding
receptacle.
9. The lampholder of claim 1 further comprising: a locator
light.
10. The lampholder of claim 8 further comprising: a ground fault
circuit interrupter.
11. The lampholder of claim 1 further comprising: a lamp cover
releasably mountable to said surface mountable member.
12. The lampholder of claim 1 further comprising: an occupancy
sensor.
13. The lampholder of claim 2 further comprising: a second pair of
keyholes located on a second center for coupling said lampholder to
an outlet box of a second size.
14. The lampholder of claim 1 wherein said surface mounted member
has a plurality of apertures for receiving an ANSI GU24 type
lamp.
15. The lampholder according to claim 1, wherein the lampholder
does not contain a screwshell.
.Iadd.16. An outlet box mounted fluorescent lampholder for
accepting a fluorescent lamp, said lampholder comprising: a surface
mountable seat without any voltage transforming circuitry, said
surface mountable seat comprising a top surface, a bottom surface
and a substantially disc shaped body member, said disc shaped body
member having a plurality of mounting keyholes that are adapted and
configured for mounting said lampholder to said outlet box and a
plurality of arcuate lamp contact keyholes that are adapted and
configured to engage a plurality of contact pins of said
fluorescent lamp wherein said surface mountable seat further
comprises a ring configured to at least partially encircle said
plurality of arcuate lamp contact keyholes; a terminal mounting
member coupled to said bottom surface of said surface mountable
member, said terminal mounting member having a plurality of
electrical contacts adapted and configured to engage a plurality of
contact pins of said fluorescent lamp wherein said plurality of
electrical contacts are arranged in alignment with said plurality
of arcuate lamp contact keyholes..Iaddend.
.Iadd.17. The lampholder as in claim 16, wherein said terminal
mounting member comprises an insulating material and at least one
electrical path coupled to at least one of said plurality of
electrical contacts..Iaddend.
.Iadd.18. The lampholder as in claim 17, wherein said at least one
electrical path extends from a first face of said at least one
electrical contact, to an opposite second face..Iaddend.
.Iadd.19. The lampholder as in claim 16, wherein at least one of
said arcuate lamp contact keyholes comprises a circular end and an
arc shaped slot end..Iaddend.
.Iadd.20. The lampholder as in claim 16, wherein the lampholder
does not contain a screwshell..Iaddend.
.Iadd.21. The lampholder as in claim 16, wherein at least one of
said plurality of electrical contacts comprises a spring based
contact..Iaddend.
.Iadd.22. The lampholder as in claim 16, wherein said mounting
keyholes are configured to receive a mounting screw..Iaddend.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lampholders and more
specifically to a wall or ceiling mountable lampholder for a
non-incandescent lamp having two pins.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical lamp holder of the known prior art which can include a
switch includes a body member having a central bore which extends
through the body member. A threaded screw shell, which may be
connected to a switch, is inserted through the rear surface of the
body member such that the threaded screw shell extends through the
central bore with a major portion extending outward beyond a neck
of reduced diameter into the area being illuminated. An internally
threaded cap is screwed over the exposed end portion of the
threaded screw shell to anchor the switch and screw shell in
position and electrically insulates the exposed end portion of the
threaded screw shell. Since the threaded screw shell is metal and
the cap is of an insulating material such as porcelain, the
external screw thread of the threaded screw shell and the internal
threads of the cap do not closely match making assembly in the
field difficult. Also, if the adjoining surfaces of the cap and
neck of the body member which defines the bore are not flat, the
cap may not sit properly on the threaded screw shell. In addition,
the rear surface of the lamp holder is normally flat and,
therefore, all parts of the lamp holder extend outward a
considerable distance from the wall or ceiling surface to which it
is mounted and into the area being illuminated.
In another prior art lamp holder, a body member is formed with a
recess or cavity in its rear surface to accept a switch assembly
and a neck extending from its front surface with a central bore
therethrough within which is placed a threaded screw shell. An
annular ring is placed in the central bore adjacent its
intersection with the recess. The switch assembly is placed in the
recess and against one surface of the annular ring. A threaded
screw shell is introduced via the central bore to engage the
opposite surface of the annular ring. Fasteners are used to join
the switch assembly to the threaded screw shell by trapping the
annular ring between them. The switch assembly is larger than the
central bore and, therefore, cannot be removed via the central
bore. Tabs which extend outward from the threaded screw shell
engage recesses in the face of the annular ring to prevent the
thread screw shell being removed form the body member via the rear
recess.
Each of the prior art lampholders described above includes a
substantially flat rear surface adapted to be mounted to an outlet
box mounted in a wall or a ceiling, and a neck which extends
substantially outwardly from the front surface and having a
threaded screw shell located within the outwardly extending neck.
Elimination of the extending neck and threaded screw shell will
result in a lamp holder that is more economical to produce, less
obtrusive and less prone to breakage. In addition, the body member
of the prior art lamp holders is normally slightly larger than the
diameter of the wall box to which it is mounted and, therefore, the
wall or ceiling surface must be closely fitted to the outlet box to
avoid cosmetic repairs.
A more compact lampholder which avoids some of the above noted
problems and which can receive a lamp which is more efficient to
operate such as a non-incandescent lamp is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to a ceiling mountable lampholder for
receiving a non-incandescent Lamp having a 2-pin base. Each pin of
the lamp has an enlarged cylindrical shaped end attached to a shaft
of reduced diameter. The mountable member can be a shallow slightly
bowed disc shaped member with no voltage transforming circuitry and
having a centrally located cavity for receiving a lamp with a 2-pin
base is disclosed. The shallow disc shaped member has two keyhole
shaped apertures, each of which has a circular end aperture and an
arc shaped slot for receiving and securely holding the pins of the
lamp to the disc shaped body member. The circular aperture of each
keyhole shaped aperture has a diameter which is slightly larger
than the diameter of the enlarged cylindrical end of the lamp pin,
and the arc shaped slot has a width that is both smaller than the
diameter of the cylindrical end of the lamp pin and wider than the
diameter of the shaft of the pin. The enlarged ends of the pins of
the lamp, when located in the arc shaped slots, prevent the lamp
from being pulled out of the disc shaped body member. Located
behind the key hole shaped apertures are two flat electrical
contacts which are aligned with the key hole shaped apertures and
positioned to contact the pins on the lamp as the pins are inserted
into the circular end apertures and rotated in a clock wise
direction into the arc shaped slots. In an embodiment where the
shallow disc shaped member has a centrally located cavity for
receiving the lamp, the disc shaped member can have a depth that
extends beyond the rear plane of the disc shaped member and, when
mounted to an outlet box, extends into the volume of the outlet
box. The diameter of the disc shaped member is greater than the
diameter of the outlet box to provide additional wall coverage in
the event that the opening in the wall or ceiling is not closely
sized to the outlet box.
The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature
of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may
better understand the detailed description of the invention that
follows. Additional features of the invention will be described
hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention.
Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily
use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for
designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same
purposes of the present invention and that such other structures do
not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its
broadest form.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention
will become more fully apparent from the following detailed
description, the appended claim, and the accompanying drawings in
which similar elements are given similar reference numerals.
FIG. 1 is an exploded side elevation view of a lampholder for
installation upon an outlet box according to the prior art;
FIG. 2 is a rear plan view of the lampholder of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of a Compact Fluorescent Lamp
which can also be referred to as a non-incandescent lamp having two
pins;
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a lampholder having a cavity
for receiving a lamp;
FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the lampholder of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the electrical contact support
member with electrical contacts;
FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of the
invention;
FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of the lampholder of FIG. 7 with a
switch;
FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of the lampholder of FIG. 7 with a
switch and a grounding receptacle;
FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of the lampholder of FIG. 7 with
a switch and a locator light;
FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of the lampholder of FIG. 7 with
a switch, a locator light and a grounding receptacle;
FIG. 12 is a top, side perspective view of another embodiment of
the lampholder of FIG. 7 with a ground fault interrupter and a lamp
cover; and
FIG. 13 is a top, side perspective view of another embodiment of
the lampholder of FIG. 7 with an occupancy sensor and a lamp
cover.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a lampholder 20
according to the prior art. A body member 22 composed of an
insulating material such as porcelain or the like has a recess or
cavity 24 which communicates with a central bore 26. A pull chain
switch assembly 28 is positioned in the recess 24 with attached
threaded screwshell 30 extending through bore 26 and beyond the end
34 of neck 32. A cap 36, having a central bore which is internally
threaded is screwed onto the external threads 31 of the threaded
screwshell 30 to hold the switch assembly body member 28 and
screwshell 30 in the body member 22. In a properly matched unit,
the top surface 38 of cap 36 will engage end 34 of neck 32 and
there will be no gaps through which the screwshell 30 will be
exposed and the switch assembly 28 will be fully seated in the
recess 24. Referring to FIG. 2, contact strips 40, 42, each of
which contains a terminal screw 44, 46 are provided to be connected
to electrical conductors which are located in an electric outlet
box.
During installation, the cap 36 is removed and the body member 22
is separated from the switch assembly 28 and threaded screwshell
30. Separating the body member 22 from the switch assembly 28 and
screwshell 30 gives the installer a much lighter element to
support. Electrical conductors are then attached, one to terminal
screw 44 and the other to terminal screw 46. Threaded screwshell 30
with switch assembly 28 attached is now inserted into the body
member and the cap 36 is screwed on to the exposed portion of the
screwshell 30 which extends beyond end 34 of neck 32. The installer
now mounts the lampholder by holding the assembled lampholder 20 in
place while he inserts fasteners through slots 48 in the body
member and threads them into apertures in the ears of an outlet
box.
Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown an embodiment of a lampholder
100 constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention.
A surface mountable seat such as disc shaped body member 101 formed
of insulating material which can be porcelain, plastic, rubber or
the like is formed with a downwardly extending rim 102, the edge of
which can extends below the rear surface of the body of the disc
shaped member. Centrally located in the top surface of the disc
shaped member is a recess or cavity 104 having a bottom member 106
which can extend below the rear surface of the disc shaped body
member and below the plane formed by the edge of the rim 102. The
cavity 104 has a diameter which is slightly larger than the
diameter of the base of a Compact Fluorescent Lamp such as, for
example, 13 Watt 120 Volt compact fluorescent lamp manufactured by
VIVA, a rear perspective view of which is shown in FIG. 3. The
diameter of the cavity 104 is slightly larger than the diameter of
the base of the compact fluorescent lamp and the bottom member 106
of the cavity has two keyhole shaped apertures 108, 110 for
receiving and holding the two contact pins 105 which protrude from
the base of the compact fluorescent lamp.
Each pin of the lamp has an enlarged cylindrical shaped end
attached to a shaft of reduced diameter. The bottom surface of the
cavity 104 has two keyhole shaped apertures 108, 110, each of which
has a large circular end aperture 107 and an arc shaped slot shaped
aperture 109 for receiving and securely holding the pins of the
lamp to the disc shaped body member. The circular apertures 108,
110 of the keyhole shaped apertures have a diameter which is
slightly larger than the diameter of the enlarged cylindrical end
of the lamp pin, and the arc shaped slot has a width that is both
smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical end of the lamp pin
and wider than the diameter of the shaft of the pin. The enlarged
ends of the pins of the lamp, when located in the arc shaped slots,
prevent the lamp from being pulled out of the disc shaped body
member. Located below the key hole shaped apertures is a chamber
having two flat electrical spring contacts which are aligned with
the key hole shaped apertures and positioned to contact the pins on
the lamp when the pins of the lamp are inserted into the circular
end apertures and rotated in a clock wise direction into the arc
shaped slots. In the embodiment of FIG. 4 where the shallow disc
shaped body has a centrally located cavity for receiving the lamp,
the cavity can have a depth that extends beyond the rear plane of
the disc shaped body member and, when mounted to an outlet box, the
cavity can extend into the volume of the outlet box. The diameter
of the disc shaped body member is greater than the diameter of the
outlet box to provide additional wall coverage in the event that
the opening in the wall or ceiling is not closely sized to the
outlet box.
Continuing with FIG. 4, two sets of keyholes 112, 114, are located
on different centers to accept mounting screws for mounting the
body member to different size outlet boxes. Keyholes 114 are for
mounting the lampholder to a three and one-quarter inch electric
outlet box, and keyholes 112 are for mounting the lampholder to a
four inch electric outlet box. The heads of the screws, when
tightened, are below the top surface of the disc shaped member 100.
Normally the outlet box has mounting screws which are provided by
the manufacturer and are threaded partially into the mounting ears
of the outlet box. Therefore, to attach the lampholder to the
outlet box, the large end apertures 116 of keyholes 112 are placed
over the screw heads of a four inch outlet box, pushed down toward
the box until the screw heads pass through the large end apertures,
and is then rotated clockwise to position the threaded bodies of
the screws into elongated slots 118. The screws are tightened to
complete the assembly of the lampholder 100 to the electric outlet
box. For a three and one-half inch electric outlet box, the
procedure for mounting the disc is similar, except the orientation
of the keyholes are reversed and, therefore, the lampholder is
rotated in a counterclockwise direction when being attached to an
outlet box.
Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a rear perspective view of the
lampholder of FIG. 4. Attached to the bottom surface of the
lampholder with adhesive, rivets or any convenient means is a disc
shaped terminal mounting member 120 which is provided to support
electrical spring contacts positioned to engage the pin contacts of
a fluorescent lamp. FIG. 6 is a view of the top side of the disc
shaped terminal mounting member 120 showing the electrical contact
support members 130 and the electrical contacts positioned in the
support members.
Referring specifically to FIG. 6, terminal mounting member 120 is
located below the two keyhole shaped apertures in the bottom member
106 and is spaced from the bottom member by a distance sufficient
to allow the contact pins of a compact fluorescent lamp to be
inserted fully into the large circular end apertures 107 of keyhole
shaped apertures 108, 110 and rotated clockwise along the arc
shaped slots 109. Terminal mounting member 120 is composed of an
insulating plastic material having two spaced apart openings 126
for receiving mounting screws, two spaced apart openings 128 for
receiving electrically conductive eyelet rivets and two contact
support members 130 for receiving two flat electrical spring
contacts 122 located to engage the pins of a compact fluorescent
lamp.
The contact support members 130 are an integral part of the
terminal mounting member 120 and are configured to loosely hold
captive the flat electrical spring contacts 122. The support
members have a thickness which allows the pins of the lamp to be
inserted into the keyhole shaped apertures 108, 110 and engage the
spring contacts without binding or contacting the surface of the
terminal mounting member. Contacts 122 are composed of flexible
conductive material such as phosphor bronze or the like and each
contact has two space apart ridges 132 and a conductive holding arm
134 which is angled outward and has an aperture for receiving a
rivet 128. When the flat electrical spring contacts 122 are
positioned in the contact support members 130 as shown in FIG. 6,
the aperture located at the free end of conductive holding arm 134
is aligned with opening in the terminal mounting member 120 and is
securely fastened to the terminal mounting member with eyelet rivet
128 composed of conductive material. Each flat electrical contact
122 is loosely supported by a contact support member 130 and can
flex slightly as the pin of a compact fluorescent lamp passes over
a ridge 132. The spring action of the contacts pressing on the lamp
pins when they are located within the arc shaped slots 108, 109
together with the blocking action of the ridges 132 on the contact
springs holds the pins in position to help lock the lamp to the
lampholder.
Continuing with FIG. 6, during assembly, the flat electrical
contacts 122 are placed into the contact support members 130 with
ridges 132 facing toward the center of the terminal mounting member
120 and the opening at the end of conductive holding arm 134 being
aligned with the opening for rivet 128. An eyelet rivet is now used
to lock the conductive arm and flat electrical contact to the
support member. A machine screw (not shown) is now placed into the
eye of the eyelet rivet 128 and locked in position by placing a nut
around the protruding end of the screw and tightening the screw.
Prior to tightening the screw, a conductive wire is placed under
the nut. The terminal mounting member 120 is now placed onto the
back of the disc shaped body member (see FIG. 5) with the flat
electrical contacts being aligned with the large end aperture 107
and arc shaped slots 109 of the keyhole shaped apertures, and is
secured to the disc shaped body member with screws inserted into
openings 126 and thread into plastic support columns which are a
part of the disc shaped member and can be formed when the disc
shaped member is formed.
After the lampholder is assembled and attached to an outlet box,
the terminal mounting member 120 which extends out from the bottom
projects into the volume of the electric outlet box to provide a
lampholder that is more shallow than existing incandescent ceiling
lampholders. In addition, the disc shaped body member 101 of the
lampholder has a diameter of between four and one-half and five and
one-half inches, where a diameter of substantially 5 inches, which
is greater than the diameter of prior art lampholders, is
preferred. This diameter size provides a lampholder which can be
more forgiving because it can cover a space between an electric
outlet box and a wall or ceiling where the opening in the wall or
ceiling is not closely sized to the outlet box.
The above disclosed lampholder, in addition to being only a
receptacle for a fluorescent lamp, can also include and be used in
combination with additional structures such as a switch, a
receptacle, a GFCI, an occupancy sensor, and/or a cover for the
fluorescent lamp.
Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a top perspective view of
another embodiment of the invention where the recess or cavity
located in the top surface of the disc shaped body member for
receiving a lamp is absent. In this embodiment, a ring 160 is
provided which encircles the keyhole shaped apertures and has a
diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the base of the
Compact Fluorescent Lamp. When the lamp is coupled to the
lampholder, the lamp sits on the ring. It is to be understood,
however, that the embodiment of FIG. 7 may not have a ring. The
ring shown in FIG. 7 can have a height which can vary from one
sixty-forth of an inch to one quarter of an inch, more or less. The
pins of the lamp must contact the spring contacts 122 (see FIG. 6)
located below the top surface of the lampholder. Therefore, the
ring should have a height which allows the pins of the lamp to make
contact with the spring contacts 122 when the lamp is seated in the
lampholder. The top surface or face of the lampholder is slightly
bowed and has a substantially continuous surface. The surface of
the lampholder on each side of the ring lies in the same plane. In
some applications it may be desirable to cover the lamp with a lamp
shade. To provide for this application, apertures 162 can be
provided in the lampholder to receive screws which can be used to
attach a lamp shade to the lampholder and pins 164 which project
out from the lampholder can be used to orient a lamp shade. In
other respects, the lampholder of FIG. 7 is substantially similar
to the lampholder of FIGS. 4-6 and, therefore, in the interest of
brevity, a description of the various common parts of the
lampholder will not be repeated.
Referring to FIG. 8, there is disclosed a top perspective view of
the lampholder of FIG. 7 with a switch 166. Switch 166 can be a
pull chain switch used to turn a lamp located in the lampholder on
and off.
Referring to FIG. 9, there is disclosed a top perspective view of
the lampholder of FIG. 7 with a switch 166 and a grounding
receptacle 168. Switch 166 can be a pull chain switch used to turn
a lamp in the lampholder on and off, and the grounding receptacle
is provided as a convenience receptacle. The receptacle can be
connected to be continuously on, or it can be connected to be
turned on and off by the switch.
Referring to FIG. 10, there is disclosed a top perspective view of
the lampholder of FIG. 7 with a switch 166 and a locator light 170.
Switch 166 can be a pull chain switch used to turn a lamp in the
lampholder on and off and the locator light is connected to be on
continuously. The locator light helps a user to locate the pull
chain of the switch in a dark area.
For the purpose of clarity, the reference numerals of only those
parts which are new in FIGS. 8-11 are shown.
Referring to FIG. 11, there is disclosed a top perspective view of
the lampholder of FIG. 7 with a switch 166, a grounding receptacle
168 and a locator light 170. Switch 166 can be a pull chain switch
used to turn a lamp in the lampholder on and off, the grounding
receptacle is provided as a convenience receptacle and the locator
light helps a user locate the lampholder switch in the dark. The
receptacle can be connected to be continuously on, or it can be
connected to be turned on and off by the switch. The locator light
is connected to be on continuously.
Referring to FIG. 12, there is disclosed a top, side perspective
view of another embodiment of a lampholder having a ground fault
circuit interrupter and a lamp cover. The ground fault circuit
interrupter 180 is provided as a convenience receptacle and the
lamp cover 182 provides isolation for the lamp. The lamp cover can
be clear or frosted to further defuse light from the lamp and is
attached to the lampholder with screws which thread into openings
located in the lampholder. The shape of the lampholder of FIG. 12
is configured to allow the ground fault circuit interrupter to be
fitted into the lampholder. In all other aspects the lampholder of
FIG. 12 is operationally similar to the lampholder of FIG. 7.
Referring to FIG. 13, there is disclosed a top, side perspective
view of another embodiment of a lampholder having an occupancy
sensor 186 and a lamp cover 182. The occupancy sensor can be
connected to turn the lamp in the lampholder on and off and the
lamp cover provides isolation for the lamp. The lamp cover can be
clear or frosted to further defuse the light from the lamp and is
attached to the lampholder with screws which thread into openings
located in the lampholder. The lampholder of FIG. 13 is configured
to allow the occupancy sensor to be fitted into the lampholder. In
all other aspects the lampholder of FIG. 13 is operationally
similar to the lampholder of FIG. 7.
While there have been shown and described and pointed out the
fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the
preferred embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions
and substitutions and changes of the form and details of the method
and apparatus illustrated and in the operation may be done by those
skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the
invention.
* * * * *