Lighting fixture

Sept. 12, 1967

M. NEUMANN

3,341,702

LIGHTING FIXTURE

Filed Dec. 11, 1964

Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US3341702A_D0001.tif" />

Sept. 12, 1967

M. NEUMANN

3,341,702

LIGHTING FIXTURE

Filed Dec. 11, 1964

Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US3341702A_D0002.tif" />

United States Patent Office

3,341,702

Patented Sept. 12, 1967

3,341,702 LIGHTING FIXTURE

Manfred Neumann, River Edge, N.J., assignor to Lightolier Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York

Filed Dec. 11,1964, Ser. No. 417,720

Ciaims. (CI. 240—81)

This invention relates to the art of lighting fixtures and more particularly to a desk lamp.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a lighting fixture which is especially adapted for use as a desk lamp, which has few parts that may readily be fabricated at low cost and readily assembled, which may have the height of the reflector thereof containing the lamp bulbs set at any desired position above the desk on which the unit is placed by the mere replacement of the support post for such reflector and which support post may readily be replaced without need for any tools and without likelihood that the user may contact the live electrical circuit even if the unit is connected to the source of current.

According to the invention these objects are accomplished by the arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter described and more particularly described in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention embodied in a desk lamp,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2—2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a end view with parts broken away taken along line 3—3 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4—4 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5—5 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 6—6 of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is an end view on an enlarged scale taken along line 7—7 of FIG. 5 showing the reflector tilted in broken lines,

FIG. 8 is a transverse detail sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 8—8 of FIG. 5, and

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 taken along line 9—9 of FIG. 5.

Referring now to the drawings, the unit as embodied in a desk lamp and as shown in FIG. 1 comprises a base 11 having a support port 12 rising therefrom and supporting a reflector 13 at its upper end.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, the base 11 comprises a substantially rectangular box-like housing, the floor 14 of which is defined by a rectangular plate which is relatively heavy to add to the stability of the unit and which is secured to the undersurface of the housing by means of screws 15 extending into threaded openings in bosses 16 positioned internally of the housing 14 at each corner thereof.

Positioned in the housing is a transformer 17 of any conventional type which is designed to step down the line voltage which may be in the order of 110 volts for example, supplied by a double wire 18 having a conventional plug 19 at its end, to a lower voltage in the order of say 12 volts. The transformer has both ends of its primary 21 connected to the double wire 18 and one end of the secondary winding 22 of the transformer is connected to the housing 44 which is of metal as at 23. The other end of the secondary winding 22 has a lead 23' connected thereto, by means of which power is supplied to the electric bulbs 24 carried by the reflector 13.

As is shown in FIG. 4, the electric wires 18 extend through a grommet 25 secured in a suitable opening 26 in the side wall 27 of the housing 14. Also mounted on side wall 27 is a conventional toggle switch 28 which is electrically connected in conventional manner in series with one of the electric wires 18 to open and close the circuit.

The support post 12 is mounted on the end wall 29 of the housing 11 in a manner such that it may be pivoted to desired position.

To this end, the end wall 29 has an opening 31 through which extends the horizontal leg 32 of an L-shaped fitting 33. The leg 32 has a reduced diameter end 34 which extends through opening 31 and has a flange portion 35 which abuts against the outer surface of end wall 29. Encompassing the reduced portion 34 and positioned on the inside of the housing 11 is a concave resilient washer 36. Thus, when the inner end of reduced portion 34 is flared outwardly as at 37 it will press against the washer 36 securely to retain the fittting 33 in fixed position on end wall 29 yet permit pivotal movement of said fitting to any desired position.

The vertical leg 38 of fitting 33 is substantially rectangular in cross section and is of reduced dimensions on its outer wall 39 and its side walls 41 to define abutment shoulders 42, the wall of the vertical leg 38 opposed to wall 39 being open for the purpose hereinafter described.

Secured to wall 39 on its inner surface as by cementing or otherwise bonded thereto is an insulating strip 43 to which is bonded a conducting strip 44, the lower end 45 of which extends substantially laterally through the bore 47 of the fittting and to which the free end of wire 23' is connected as at 48.

The support post 42 is adapted to be releasably secured to the vertical leg 38 of fitting 33 and to this end the support post 12 is substantially rectangular as shown in to the vertical leg 38 of fitting 33 and to this end the sions such that it may fit snugly over the rectangular vertical leg 38 of the fitting 33. As is clearly shown, the support post 12 has an insulating strip 51 bonded to the wall 52 thereof and extending substantially the length of the support post. Bonded to the insulating strip 51 is a conducting strip 53 which extends substantially the length of the insulating strip 51. Thus, when the lower end of the support post is forced onto the vertical leg 38 of fitting 33 the lower end of conducting strip 53 will engage the upper end of conducting strip 44 as shown in FIG. 2 to make a dependable electrical connection and the support post 12 will remain in secure mechanical connection with the leg 38 of fitting 33 by reason of the force fit therebetween.

The reflector 13 shown in FIGS. 1, 5, 6 and 7 comprises an elongated casting 61 which may be of any suitable material and preferably is of extruded aluminum. The casting 61 is substantially in the form of an inverted U as shown in FIG. 6 and has a top wall 62 with outwardly flared slightly curved side walls 63. Extending the length of the top wall 62 and centrally located thereon is a depending rib 64 defining channels 65 on each side thereof.

Extending substantially the length of the rib 64 is an elongated rectangular plate 66 of width such that it extends between the side walls 63 of the reflector 13 and covers the recesses 65, the strip 66 being secured to the rib 64 as by screws 67 so as to lie flush against the undersurface of the rib 64 as shown in FIG. 6.

Secured to the strip 66 along the length thereof, as by rivets 68, are the horizontal legs 69 of a plurality of Lshaped brackets 71 which are spaced along the length of the strip 66. Each of the brackets carries an electrical socket 72 in which an electric bulb 24 is mounted. One of the leads of the socket 72 is connected to the bracket 71 and the other lead 74 extends through a suitable opening 75 in the strip 66, the leads 74 from each of the

3,341, 3 sockets being joined together as at 76. The ends of the casting 61 are closed by end plates 77, 78, each of which has an inwardly extending flange 79 secured by screws 81 to the rib 64, the screws also extending through suitable openings 82 in the ends of strip 66. 5

The end plate 78 has a fitting 83 secured thereto. The fitting 83 is substantially identical to the fitting 33 and is rotatably retained in an opening 84 in end plate 78 in the same manner as the fitting 33 is retained in the opening 31 in end wall 29. 10

The vertical leg 85 of fitting 83 is substantially identical to the vertical leg 38 of fitting 33 and also has an insulating strip 86 secured to a wall thereof to which a conducting strip 87 is bonded. The connected wires from the sockets 72 extend through an opening 87 in strip 66 and 15 are connected to the lateral leg 88 of conducting strip 87. Thus, the fitting 83 may be connected by force fit to the upper end of the support post 12 in the same manner as the lower end of the support post is connected to the fitting 33 and the conducting strip 53 in the support post 12 will be electrically connected to the conducting strip 87 in the fitting 83.

By reason, of the rotatable mount of the end wall 78 to the fitting 83, it is apparent that the reflector 13 may be rotated about the horizontal axis of the fitting as shown in broken lines in FIG. 7. Desirably, the fitting 83 has an arcuate notch 89 in which a projection 91 on end wall 78 extends to limit the pivotal movement of the reflector.

By reason of the unique connection of fittings 33 and 83 to the support post, it is apparent that depending upon the height that it is desired to position the reflector 13 over a desk, a support post of desired length may be provided and such support post may be made of any length desired and cut to size depending upon the length required.

The sockets 72 may be mounted on the strip 66 prior to assembly of the strip into the housing and the wires 74 may readily be inserted into the recesses 65 and electrically connected to the conducting strip 87. Desirably, elongated reflector members 91' are positioned in the interior of the casting 61, being bonded as by welding at their upper edges as at 92 to the longitudinal edges of the strip 66.

Since one of the wires of the socket is grounded to the metal bracket 71 which in turn is secured to the metal strip 66 and since the elements of the lighting unit are of metal, it is apparent that but a single lead 74 is required to interconnect the sockets and also a single electrical conductor is required in the support post 12.

In the construction above described, a lighting fixture is provided which is relatively simple in construction and may be readily fabricated at low cost and which may have the height of the reflector from the desk readily determined by the use of a standard support post which may be cut to length as desired.

Although the lighting fixture has been shown incorporated in a desk lamp, it is within the scope of the invention to utilize a suitable reflector and support post according to the invention in many other applications, i.e., the support post may be connected at its lower end to a fitting mounted on a wall or other rigid member as desired.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, 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. 70