Combination loudspeaker mounting and lamp

March 6, 1962 j. j. hammes 3,023,830

COMBINATION LOUD SPEAKER MOUNTING AND LAMP

Filed March 21, 1958 ' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US3023830A_D0001.tif" />

March 6, 1962 j, j. hammes 3,023,830

COMBINATION LOUD SPEAKER MOUNTING AND LAMP

Filed March 21, 1958 ₂ Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US3023830A_D0002.tif" />

3,®23,830

Patented Mar. 6, 1962

United States Patent Office

3,023,830

COMBINATION LOUDSPEAKER MOUNTING AND LAMP

Josef Johann Hammes, Maplewood, Mo., assignor to Benjamin W. Lowell, St. Louis County, Mo.

Filed Mar. 21, 1958, Ser. No. 723,011

Claims. (CI. 181—31)

This invention relates to improvements in loud speaker mountings and lamps, and, in particular, is concerned with a unitary or combination loud speaker mounting and lamp which can be supported on the top of a post or the like.

By means of this invention there has been provided a combination loud speaker mounting which is provided with a lamp whereby the combination device may be supported on the top of a post or the like to provide both illumination and sound to any desired area. The combination loud speaker mounting and lamp may be used on patios, adjacent swimming pools, or in any outdoor area that is desired to be illuminated and provided with sound from recordings, public address systems and the like. Through the device of this invention any outdoor area may be illuminated and provided with sound to give a full scope to nighttime activities for dancing or other types of entertainment through the provision of recorded music, or obviously any other type of recorded or even live sound may be presented.

It is a special feature of this invention that the loud speaker mounting and the lantern or lamp are so combined that the sound waves are very effectively distributed to the main area where the illumination is provided. Thus, the loud speaker mounting is mounted on top of the lamp and the sound waves are directed downwardly and to the sides of the lamp just as the illumination is also presented more or less downwardly and to the sides of the lamp through the provision of a lampshade, thereby providing a unitary intermingling of the sound waves and illumination. The loud speaker mounting is further constructed with a speaker baffle with provisions for receiving the loud speaker above the baffle and within a dome-like mounting protective cover. The lamp is situated directly underneath the loud speaker baffle and is provided with a protective lampshade in a generally conical form so that the sound waves emanating from the baffle are dispersed downwardly and to the sides of the lampshade to provide for a very efficient distribution of the sound waves as well as protection of the loud speaker from the heat of the lamp. The positioning of the loud speaker mounting unit over the lamp also provides for very effective protection of the lamp from the elements.

The entire apparatus comprising the loud speaker mounting unit and the lamp are of unitary construction so that the apparatus can be handled as a unit. It is adapted to be very easily mounted^ on the top of. the post, or similar standard, at any desired location to provide for full illumination and presentation of sound over any desired area by the use of either a single unit or multiple units.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a combination loud speaker mounting and lamp, to provide for efficient emanation of sound and illumination to a desired area.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a combination loud speaker mounting and lamp in which the loud speaker mounting is positioned above the lamp to provide for protection of the lamp and for efficient distribution of sound around the lamp illumination area.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a loud speaker mounting having a protective dome and a loud speaker baffle provided with a centrally disposed cone whereby sound waves emanating from a loud speaker within the protective dome are projected downwardly around the lamp and are dispersed to the sides of the 5 lamp by a conical shaped lampshade which protects the loud speaker from heat from the lamp to obtain efficient distribution of sound and illumination from the lamp.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a unitary loud speaker mounting and lamp having efficient 10 distribution of sound and illumination to a desired area in which the apparatus can be very simply mounted by relatively unskilled workmen upon a post, standard, or the like, and wherein such apparatus is rugged in construction and relatively simple to install, maintain and 15 repair.

Further objects of this invention will appear in the detailed description which follows and will be further apparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of the illustration of this invention 20 there is shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of this invention. It is to be understood that these drawings are for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view in front elevation of the combination loud speaker mounting and lamp partly broken away to show the internal construction of the loud speaker mounting;

FIGURE 2 is a view taken in elevation with the de³θ vice of FIGURE 1 rotated clockwise 45° to show the relative positioning of the tubular supports for the loud speaker mountings extending from the base of the lamp;

FIGURE 3 is a view in section taken on the line 3—3 of FIGURE 1 showing the internal structure of the protec35 tive dome of the loud speaker mounting and the inside of the loud speaker baffle;

FIGURE 4 is a view in section taken on the line 4—4 of FIGURE 1 showing the bottom of the loud speaker baffle and its construction;

FIGURE 5 is a view in section taken on the line 5—5 of FIGURE 1 showing the base construction of the lamp and the supports for the loud speaker mounting;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view in vertical section taken on line 6—6 of FIGURE 1 showing the interior con45 struction of the loud speaker mounting and the lamp;

FIGURE 7 is a view in section taken on line 7—7 of FIGURE 5 showing one of the mounting screws for the support of the base of the lamp mantle;

FIGURE 8 is a top plan view of a lamp base plate 50 with the lamp socket attached;

FIGURE 9 is a bottom plan view of the lamp base plate;

FIGURE 10 is a view in vertical section through the mantle support; and

FIGURE 11 is a view in elevation of a tiltable support for the lampshade which is supported by the lamp bulb.

The combination loud speaker mounting and lamp of this invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 2® in FIGURES 1, 2 and 6. The main com60 ponents of the unit comprise a base 21, a lamp 22, and the loud speaker mounting 23. The entire unit is adapted to be mounted by attaching the base 21 to a post or standard 24.

The construction of the base 21 is best shown in FIG65 URES 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. As shown in FIGURE 6 in particular, a base element 30 is provided with internal threads which may be attached to the tubular post 24 in a threaded connection. The base element 30 is provided with a flange 31 upon which a base plate 32 may be '° mounted by the attachment of mounting screws 33. The base plate is best shown in the top plan view of FIG3,023,830

URE 8 and the bottom plan view of FIGURE 9. The base plate is also provided with an opening 34 in which a rubber grommet 35 is inserted for the insertion of an electrical lead 36 to provide a connection to the loud speaker mounting as will be further described. The base plate is further provided with an electrical socket 37 which is attached to the base plate by spacing nuts 38 threadedly adjustable upon a hollow threaded bolt 39 attached, to the bottom of the socket 37. An electrical lead 41 is connected to the bottom of the socket at one end with the loud speaker lead 36 connected to the cable 42 at its other end. The cable may be passed through the standard 24 to a convenient electrical control box so that the current to the loud speaker and the lamp, respectively, may be controlled by any type of switch as will be well understood in the art.

The lamp 22 comprises as its main elements a mantle support 44, the lamp socket 37 previously described, a lamp bulb 45, a lamp mantle 46, and a lampshade 47. The mantle support 44 is best shown in FIGURES 5, 6, 7, and 10. It is comprised of a flanged mounting portion 48, and a raised mantle securing portion 49. The mounting portion 48 is provided with openings so that bolts 33 .may secure it to the base 21. The mantle mounting portion 49 is upraised and is provided with an opening 51 through which is inserted a rubber grommet 52 so that the loud speaker cable 36 may pass therethrough. Securing screws 53 are provided in the mantle securing portion 49 so that a lip portion 54 of the mantle may be properly secured. These adjusting screws are best shown in FIGURES 5 and 7 in cooperation with the lip portion of the mantle.

A lampshade 47 is best shown in FIGURES 6 and 11. As shown in these figures, it is comprised of a shade 61 which is of a generally conical and flaring configuration. The shade is further provided with a pair of lamp bulb securing arms 62 and 63 which are of the configuration shown in FIGURE 11. These arms are secured to the top of the shade by a bolt 64. By virtue of this construction, the lampshade may be tilted somewhat on the top of the lamp bulb to provide for proper direction of the light where so desired.

The loud speaker mounting unit 23 is supported upon the base by four radially disposed tubular mounting arms 71. One of these arms is provided with upper and lower openings through which are inserted grommets 72 and 73 for the passage of the loud speaker cable 36. All of the supporting arms are flanged over at their bottoms and provided with openings for the reception of the mounting screws 33, as best shown in FIGURE 6, for proper securing to the base 21. Similarly these arms are flanged over in opposite direction at their top, as also shown in FIGURE 6, for the securing of the arms to a loud speaker baffle 75.

The loud speaker mounting unit 23 is composed of the baffle 75 and the protective dome 76. It will be understood that a loud speaker unit 77 is adapted to be secured in the interior of the unit by attachment to the loud speaker baffle through the screws 78 and for the purpose of the understanding thereof, the loud speaker unit 77 is shown in dotted lines.

The particular baffle employed may be as shown in FIGURES 3, 4, and 6, and as generally described in Lowell Patent No. 2,819,773. This type of baffle with the conical diffusing cone 81 and the generally frustoconical dispersing rings 82 and 83, which are supported to the baffle rim 84 by the supporting rods 85, provide for a highly efficient sound distribution in this particular type of unit. The sound waves are distributed through the baffle and are dispersed by the lampshade 61 so that there is no blocking or impedence by the lamp. However, other baffles may also be employed with good results.

The protective dome 76 is adapted to be secured to a sideflange of the loud speaker baffle by screws 88, while the entire loud speaker mounting unit is connected to the mounting arms 71 by bolts 89 to provide a firm and rigid structure. By means of this structural arrangement the protective dome 76 may be easily taken off and the loud speaker can be serviced where required. Likewise, the entire unit may be taken off by withdrawing the bolts 89 or by withdrawing the bolts 33 to take off the loud speaker mounting at the top of the mounting arms 71 or at the bottom from the base. It will further be noted that a protective felt cover 91 is provided at the interior of the dome, which provides a high degree of protection and better sound distributing qualities for the loud speaker.

Use

The loud speaker mounting and lamp, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 6, is adapted to be employed for immediate use. In such use if the loud speaker and the lamp are turned on simultaneously by the switch, illumination will be provided which is controlled by the lampshade 61. Simultaneously sound will be directed from the loud speaker through the baffle and the sound waves will be directed downwardly, and as they emanate through the loud speaker baffle, will be directed outwardly by the lampshade 61. Through the provision of a generally flaring or somewhat frusto-conical lampshade, there is no impedence or interference with the sound waves, since the lampshade is of a similar configuration to the diffuser cone 81 and the baffle rings 82 and 83. This provides for very efficient distribution of sound to the area to be illuminated so that there is highly efficient transmission of both illumination and sound.

It will be readily understood that any type of sound may be supplied to the loud speaker through recording units, attachment to radio or public address systems so that a full range of sound may obviously be employed depending upon the requirements of the user.

As the device is used, it will be understood that the lamp bulb 45 will generate heat. The lampshade 61 serves very efficiently to prevent the rising of heat waves into the loud speaker which might damage the speaker in time and also would interfere with the proper distribution of the sound waves. Thus the lampshade 61 serves a very efficient two-fold purpose in providing for proper distribution of the directed sound waves from the loud speaker baffle and also in preventing any interference with this distribution by the rising heat waves or in preventing damage to the interior components of the loud speaker mounting.

The lamp when desired to be replaced may be very simply dismounted from the unit. The attachment screws 53 may be loosened and the mantle may then be withdrawn with the lamp bulb as a unit. When this is done the lampshade may be withdrawn from the top of the bulb and then the lamp bulb can simply be replaced. Similarly, as previously mentioned, the loud speaker mounting may be taken apart, where desired, by the withdrawal of the dome from the baffle by the loosening of the bolts 88 or by removing the entire unit either from the supporting arms by the removal of the bolts 89, or by removal of the supporting arms with the loud speaker mounting by loosening of the bolts 33 from the base of the apparatus.

The loud speaker mounting is particularly designed to provide a very full and efficient protection to the interiorly mounted loud speaker through the provision of the dome and the baffle construction. It will be noted that no rain or other elements of weather are accessible to the interior of the unit, and that both the loud speaker mounting and the lampshade provide an efficient cover for the lamp bulb through their vertical and protective relationship. Thus, a combination loud speaker mounting and lamp has been provided for the full and efficient provision of sound and illumination in an advantageous manner. The device may be very simply installed and maintained without resort to complicated installation or maintenance procedures.

3,033,830

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the apparatus of this invention as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.