Lamp guard

Nov. 10, 1942

G. C. HARBISON

LAMP GUARD

2,301,697

Filed March 5, 1941

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Inx/enbor~:

George C.Har-bison,

His Abborney.

Patented Nov. 10, 1942

2,301,697

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,301,697

LAMP GUARD

George C. Harbison, Erie, Pa., assignor to General Electric Company, λ corporation of New York

Application March 5,1941, Serial No. 381,833

Claims. (Cl. 240—4)

This invention relates to a lamp guard for use in devices such as refrigerator cabinets and the like.

The objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following descrip- 5 tion proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of my invention 10 reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a partial front view of a refrigerator cabinet of the domestic type illustrating the application of my Invention thereto; Mg. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken ¹⁵along the line 2—2 of Mg. 1 and illustrates details of my invention; and Mg. 3 is a view of the lamp guard and support therefor illustrated In Mg. 2 taken along the line 3—3 of Mg. 2.

In order to protect a lamp 10 provided for the 20 illumination of the interior of a cabinet, such as a refrigerator 18α, I have provided a lamp guard 11 preferably formed from resilient wire and disposed in a generally U-shaped loop carried by upwardly extending supporting members 12, such 25 as closed loops formed on two of the longitudinally extending shelf wires (3, for example, the support members acting to pivotally support the guard. Means is provided for normally positioning the guard and for limiting its movement ³⁰towards the lamp as hereinafter described.

Describing my invention in greater detail. I have provided a refrigerator cabinet 10a having suitable thermally insulated walls defining a food storage compartment 15, an opening in a wall ³³thereof being closed by a suitably hinged thermally insulated closure member 16. In order to cool the compartment (5, there is provided a suitable refrigerating system including a refrigerant evaporator 17 preferably disposed in the up- ⁴⁰per portion of the storage compartment. A plurality of shelves as indicated by the numerals 18 and f 9, are provided for the storage of articles of food in the refrigerated compartment 15. The shelf illustrated in the drawing preferably com- ⁴⁵prises a marginal frame 20 extending around the shelf and a plurality of longitudinally extending article supporting members 13 extending between front and rear portions of the frame 20. The shelves are slidably supported by suitable shelf ⁶⁰supports 21. Any other suitable shelf and support arrangement may be employed.

In order to illuminate the interior of the compartment there is provided a lamp 10 in a rear wall of the compartment slightly below one of ⁸⁵ the shelves. In order that the lamp will take up as little food storage space as possible, the inner liner 22 of the cabinet wall is recessed, as indicated by the numeral 23, a suitable electric socket 24 being provided therein for holding the lamp.

In order to protect the lamp 10 from blows caused by the movement of objects into contact therewith, I have provided the guard f 1 adjacent the lamp, preferably carried by the shelf 18 immediately above the lamp.

In order to support the guard, I have constructed two of the longitudinal members 13 to provide upwardly extending loops 12, the loops being disposed above the plane of the shelf adjacent the rear edge thereof. These loops may be formed by bending the material to form vertically extending adjacent portions 27 and 28 surmounted by the loops.

The guard 11 in the form illustrated in my invention is formed of relatively resilient wire and is generally U-shaped in plan view. The ends of the guard extend upwardly through the openings between the wires and have oppositely directed portions 25 extending through the closed loops 12 thereby providing pivotal engagement with the shelf. The provision of the loops 12 on the upper surface of the shelf 18 provides stops for limiting the rearward movement of any article or receptacle placed thereon as, for example, a drip tray 26. Moreover, by disposing the loops or support members 12 on the upper side of the shelf and by bending the guard rearwardly to form rearwardly extending bends or loops 14, or by otherwise providing a laterally extending member on the guard for engagement with the rear portion of frame 20, there is provided a stop for limiting the movement of the guard toward the lamp. By disposing the lower portion of the guard sufficiently forwardly and making the width or lateral extent of the guard sufficiently great, any contact between articles stored in the cabinet with the lamp is prevented.

As previously described, the loops 12 are joined to the members 13 by portions 27 and 28 lying closely adjacent or engaging each other. Inasmuch as the members 13 are formed from round wire, there will be provided a slight groove or depression between the upstanding specially formed members adjacent the pivotal point defined by the loop 12.

In order normally to position the guard, I provide a slight bend 29 or other lateral projection near the end of each arm of the guard for engagement with the depression. Inasmuch as the material from which the guard is made is rela2

3,301,097 tively resilient, the above construction permits ready disengagement of the portion 29 of the guard from the depression between adjacent portions 21 and 28 of the support member 12 at the base of the closed loops but yet serves to maintain the guard imposition against slight pressure. While the lateral projections in the illustrated form of my invention are provided by suitably bending the guard, other means of accomplishing this purpose will occur to those skilled in the art. For example, an additional member may be suitably secured to the guard at the proper point.

The guard 11 is preferably removable from the support members to facilitate shipping of the shelf in a box or carton occupying as little space as possible.

Many modifications may be made in my invention. For example, if no drip tray is provided, the supporting members &lt;2 may be provided on the under side of the shelf or, if desired, the supporting members may be carried by a wall of the cabinet or, in a refrigerator, by the evaporator itself, or may be attached to the shelf below the lamp such as to shelf i 9 in Fig. 1.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my Invention, I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.