AU2003201832B2 - A canister - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT (Original) APPLICATION NO:

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COMPLETE SPECIFICATION LODGED:

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RELATED ART: NAME OF APPLICANT: ACTUAL INVENTOR: ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: INVENTION TITLE: RADIANT LIGHTING PTY LTD DONALD JOHN EARNSHAW LORD COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, of 4 Douro Place, West Perth, Western Australia, 6005, AUSTRALIA.

A CANISTER DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION NO: AUSTRALIAN PROVISIONAL APPLICATION NUMBER PS 1160 FILED MARCH 18, 2002.

The following Statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me/us:

TITLE

"A CANISTER" The present invention relates to a canister In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a canister for use with down lights which comprises a housing having an open end and a closed end, wherein a transformer is located within the housing.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a canister in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation similar to Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a cut away side elevation showing the canister of Figure 1 in assembled form.

In the drawings, there is shown a canister 10 which comprises a housing 12 which has an open end 14 and a closed end 16. The housing 12 has an inner wall which tapers inwardly slightly towards the closed end 16.

There is also shown a transformer 18 which is arranged to fit into the housing 12.

There is also provided a substantially circular buffer plate 20 formed of a heat insulating material.

The buffer plate 20 has a plurality of peripheral cut away portions 22 disposed at about 900 to one another.

Further, there is provided a circular plug member 24 which has a circumferential groove 26. Further, the plug member 24 also has a plurality of upwardly, equiangularly spaced pins 28 which, as can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, engage with respective cut away portions 22. The pins 28 are sufficiently long to extend, in use, through the buffer plate 20 and beyond the transformer 18 as will be described.

Further, there is provided an O-ring seal 30 which, in use, is engaged with the groove 26 for sealing purposes.

Still further, there is provided an electrical connection device in the form of a ceramic electrical connecting block 32 which engages with the plug member 24 to provide an electrical connection between the transformer 18 and a down light contained in the canister Yet still further, as can be seen in Figure 2, a pair of relatively short posts 34 are mounted on the plug member 24 on the same side thereof as the pins 28. The posts 34 are arranged to engage with respective opposed peripheral notches 36 formed in the transformer 18. The engagement of the posts 34 and the notches 36 aligns positively and correctly the transformer 18 and the plug member 24. Also, the buffer plate contains a pair of opposed apertures 38 corresponding to respective posts 34 such that each post 34 passes through a respective aperture 38 in use.

Also, the plug member 24 is provided with a central aperture 40 which enables the plug member 24 to be moved manually by use of a finger of an operator, if this is required for any purpose such as for replacement or servicing. Thus the plug member 24 can be moved manually for insertion into the housing 12 or for removal therefrom.

In use an assembly is formed as follows.

The transformer 18 is mounted on the buffer plate 20 and the plug member 24 in order such that the pins 28 extend through respective cut away portions 22 and past the transformer 18. Also, the posts 34 engage with the apertures 38 in the buffer plate and extend beyond the buffer plate 20 to engage with respective notches 36.

Further, the O-ring seal 30 is inserted in the groove 26. Also the block 32 is mounted to the plug member 24 and an electrical connection member 42 (see Figure 3) passes through an aperture in the plug member 24 and an aperture 42 in the buffer plate (see Figures 1 and 2) to form an electrical connection with the transformer 18.

The so formed assembly is inserted into the housing 12 until the plug member 24 forms a tight fit therein and the O-ring seal 30 is sufficiently compressed to form a seal between the plug member 24 with the inner wall of the housing 12 as shown in Figure 3.

Further, the pins 28 act as distance gauges and engage with the closed end 16 as shown in Figure 3 to prevent the plug member 24 being inserted too far into the housing 12.

The transformer 18 is then, as shown in Figure 3, in the assembled condition of the apparatus resting on the plug member 24 and surrounded by the pins 28. The transformer 18 may be connected to a mains supply of electricity in known manner such as through an aperture in the housing 12.

Thus, the canister 10 when assembled contains the transformer 18. It follows that there is a reduced need to have extensive lengths of low voltage electrical wire extending from a remote transformer to each canister 10 in a building construction.

This ensures a more reliable lighting arrangement than has been available previously.

Modifications and variations such as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (5)

1. 2. A canister according to claim 1, in which the housing has an inner wall which tapers inwardly towards the closed end, and the plug member is engaged with the inner wall in a tight fit.
2. 3. A canister according to claim 2, in which the plug member has a peripheral groove containing an O-ring seal.
3. 4. A canister according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plug member is provided, with a plurality of spaced upright pins which extend around and beyond the transformer so as to engage with the closed end of the housing. A canister according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein means is provided for correctly and positively aligning the plug member and the transformer.
4. 6. A canister according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plug member is provided with an aperture to enable the plug member to be inserted in or removed from the housing manually.
5. 7. A canister according to any one of the preceding claims, in which an electrical connection device is engaged with the plug member and is electrically connected to the transformer, the connection device being arranged to be connected to a down light contained in the canister O 8. A canister substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the Saccompanying drawings. O 0 e¢D