AU654087B2 - Double insulated fluorescent light fitting - Google Patents

Description

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65 4O87~ Form PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Short Title: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: 0 C a a a a I I Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: Priority: Related Art: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT PHOTANIC PTY LTD TRADING AS BRIALITE Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: 2/2 Boola Place DEE WHY WEST NSW 2099

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Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Complete Specification Brian Evans Barker, Blenkinship Associates PO Box 34, CHATSWOOD NSW 2067 for theinvention entitled: DOUBLE INSULATED FLUORESCENT

LIGHT.-FITTING

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:-" SNote: The description Is to be typed In double spacing, pica type face, In an area not exceeding 250 mm In depth and 160 mm In width, on tough white paper of good quality and It Is to be Inserted Inside this forni.

14168/77--A Printed by C. 3. TnoMPsoN, Acting Commonwealth Government Printer, Cnnberra -2- DOUBLE INSULATED FLUORESCENT LIGHT FITTING The present invention relates to a double insulated fluorescent light fitting of a type which may be quickly fitted to an existing batten without the aid of an electrician and without the use of tools.

The advantages of fluorescent lighting are well known insofar as such lighting consumes considerably less power than incandescent lighting. Until now however it o :has been necessary to employ an electrician to fit 0 00 o o fluorescent lights as such fittings may not simply be plugged into existing incandescent light sockets known as "battens". Battens are the standard way which the ao oo housing industry traditionally leaves a facility for roeo lighting in a room. Such battens readily accept a bayonet type light globe in Australia.

e*,*4 20 Fluorescent light fittings involve the use of ballast sr units, being reducing transformers, which must be earthed or double insulated if they are to be safely handled by persons other than electricians.

Where a simple light batten is provided at a light :'Jfitting there is no facility for an earth as the bayonet fitting accommodates only the negative and active sites of a conventional incandescent light _L r b i.i- I- o 000 O O 0« 0 0 e a e0oo o a 0 00 o 0 09 0 0O 0 o 0000 4 O 00 D0 oo )5 O o oaoa «0 o o t 0 oo (eooo ea o o e I 000 B a a s 0 3 globe. It is accordingly the object of the present invention to provide a fluorescent light fitting which may be fitted by a home owner to an existing batten without the use of an electrician to an existing batten.

According to the present invention there is provided a fluorescent light fitting comprising a housing including a base plate; the housing adapted to sit over and hide a conventional batten whilst being retained in place adjacent a wall or ceiling by the skirt of said batten; a ballast unit mounted to -'aid base plate but affixed thereto by means that insulate said ballast unit from said base plate; vented insulative and heat resistant enclosure means surrounding said ballast unit adapted to prevent contact between the ballast unit and an installer's body and/or tools; means for placing the ballast unit in electrical communication with the 20 batten and means for electrically connecting a fluorescent light tube to the ballast unit.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with refrence to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is an exploded view of a fluorescent light fitting in accordance with the present invention; 4 Figure 2 is a simplified plan view of the fluorescent light fitting of figure i, and Figure 3 is a simplified side elevation of the fluorescent light fitting of figure 1; Figure 4 is an exploded view of part of a fluorescent light fitting depicting an insulative fixing means.

According to the embodiment of figure 1 there is 4provided a steel base plate 1 being substantially circular and having a domed recess 2 at the centre 00 o ro thereof with a central aperture 3 therein. The domed central portion being adapted to fit over a standard light batten with the electrical socket portion (not PP PC "shown) of the batten (not shown) protruding through aperture 3. The skirt of the batten may then be screwed back on to the batten when the electrical

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socket portion of the batten is protruding through S 20 aperture 3 thereby retaining base plate 1 against a wall or ceiling around said batten. No further fixing i: means is therefore required in order to securely affix the unit in place.

A male electrical connector 4 is provided which is of the bayonet type and is adapted to pass into the female electrical socket portion of a batten thereby making contact with the active and negative contacts therein,

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This connector 4 is electrically connected to ballast unit 5 which in turn is wired in the normal way but utilising double insulated wiring so as to be capable of lighting fluorescent tube 6 via starter 7. The fluorescent tube 6 is retained in position in the conventional manner by clips 8 and adjacent clips 9 are intended to restrain lens 10. Ballast unit 5 is fully insulated from metal base plate 1 and indeed any other part of the assembly by means of a vented insulative 0: heat resistant enclosure comprising enclosure base 11 6 0 00 and a vented enclosure cap 12. This double insulation is necessary since unlike professionally installed o fluorescent fittings this fitting being merely plugged into a bayonet type batten is not earthed. The enclosure cap and base are preferably fabricated from to polycarbonate material which is a good insulator and additionally does not degrade or decompose when subjected to temperatures likely to be encountered in 20 such a unit. The base 11 of the enclosure is affixed S9 to the steel base plate 1 by way of polycarbonate fixing means 13 and nylon washers 14. Alternatively, the mounting plate 18 of the ballast unit may be affixed to metal base plate 1 of a system such as is depicted in figure 4 hereof. Figure 4 depicts a conventional metal mounting bolt 19 passing through a teflon sheath 20 and a polycarbonate e _i 1 -6insulating block 21 in order to communicate with conventional metal nut 22. The teflon sheath 20 in turn passes through apertures in metal base plate 1, insulated enclosure base 11 and ballast unit mounting plate 18 in order that the fixing means may fix the ballast unit (not shown) to the metal base plate 1 with the insulative enclosure 11 sandwiched therebetween; the ballast unit mounting plate 18 cannot therefore come into electrical contact with metal base plate 1.

The purpose of polycarbonate block 21 is to ensure that 0.s o0 metal nut 22 cannot contact metal mounting plate 18 for 00 the ballast unit.

The cap of the enclosure means is vented in both the 0 side by way of apertures 15 and in its top by way of long slot shaped apertures 16. The holes 17 through 000" which the wires passing from the ballast unit to the 0o starter and to socket 4 must pass are of a tapered 20 anchor design such that accidentally tugging on the wires may not destroy their electrical connection with the ballast unit.

It will be appreciated that a unit in accordance with the present invention may be readily affixed to a lighting batten by a householder without any danger of

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the householder coming into electrical contact with the ballast unit; the ballast unit being effectively double

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-7 insulated from the consumer. The ballast unit is similarly insulated from the remainder of the lighting assembly and hence the assembly itself is protected from damage should the ballast unit malfunction thereby becoming "live" and electrically dangerous. No fixing means are required in order to install the unit and consequently the unit may be installed at a very low cost without the use of an electrician.

O *0 It will be appreciated that alternate embodiments of 0 the present invention may be devised without departing o 0 0 ooo 0from the scope of the invention apart from that above 0- 0, 0 described.

0 J 0 o000o DATED this 28th day of April, 1992 oa*a PHOTANIC PTY LTD 0900 0 0 TRADING AS BRIALITE :S 20 by their ou 00 S° patent attorneys Barker, Blenkinship Associates

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Claims (9)

1. A fluorescent light fitting comprising a housing including a base plate; the housing adapted to sit over and hide a conventional batten whilst being retained in place adjacent a wall or ceiling by the skirt of said batten; a ballast unit mounted to said base plate but affixed thereto by means that insulate said ballast unit from said base plate; vented insulative and heat resistant enclosure means surrounding said ballast unit oD: adapted to prevent contact between the ballast o0o unit and an installer's body and/or tools; means 994 15 for placing the ballast unit in electrical communication with the batten and means for 00 0 electrically connecting a fluorescent light tube to the ballast unit. m 20

2. A light fitting in accordance with claim 1 wherein the housing is of an inverted cup shape having an aperture at its lower extremity through which the lower threaded portion of a batten may protrude; the base plate comprising an annular substantially planar plate extending from the upper peripheral portions of the cupped housing; the aperture at the base of the housing being sized so that it may be retained in place against the lower portion of :i -9 the batten by a threaded skirt run up on to the outer threaded portion of the batten.

3. A light fitting in accordance with any one of the preceding claims wherein the ballast unit is wire w~ound and t'ie means which insulate it f rom the base plate comprise a box of an insulative material.

4. A light fitting in accordance with claim 3 hereof 0ooo wherein the insulative box is ventilated by way of 0 slits therein.

5. A light fitting in accordance with claim 4 hereof 0 wherein the slits have a width of no greater than millimetres to inhibit screwdriver or other 04.4 0000 conductive tool access.

6. A light f itting in accordance with any one of claims 3-5 hereof wherein the insulative box about the ballast unit is fabricated from polycarbonate material.

7. A light fitting in accordance with any one of claims 3-6 hereof wherei.n the electrical wires passing into and out of the insulative box to and -A 10 from the ballast unit pass through tapered holes in the box so that such holes anchor the wires.

8. A fluorescent light fitting in accordance with any one of the preceding claims wherein the ballast unit is affixed to the base plate with part of the vented insulative and heat resistant enclosure means sandwiched therebetween; such affixation being by way of conventional metal bolts passing S a J° through said three components but having an insulative sheath about the bolt where it passes S°through said three components; there being an SI insulative block adapted to fit over the free end 15 of the sheath and abut that portion of the ballast 0 99 S* unit through which the bolt passes the arrangement being such that the bolt may pass through the 0 S. sheath and block to communicate with a metal nut; the sheath telescoping into the block as the nut Soto 20 is tightened onto the bolt and against the block.

9. A fluorescent light fitting in accordance with claim 8 hereof wherein the sheath is fabricated from teflon and the block is an annulus manufactured from polycarbonate material. 1I V*' Delete as flP toprifllo T~N~ I' 4 v ll'- A light fitting substantially as described with reference to the drawings. hereinbef ore accompanying o~,0 0 90 90 9 41041~44q 94 94 00 0 9 014 00 41 9* 941 09 9 041 4141 9t~ 0 41 0 .999 0 419 41 414190 41090 9 9 000* 41000 *900 j