CA1222496A - Pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire with quick disconnect features - Google Patents
Pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire with quick disconnect featuresInfo
- Publication number
- CA1222496A CA1222496A CA000433714A CA433714A CA1222496A CA 1222496 A CA1222496 A CA 1222496A CA 000433714 A CA000433714 A CA 000433714A CA 433714 A CA433714 A CA 433714A CA 1222496 A CA1222496 A CA 1222496A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- housing
- terminal block
- male
- pivotable
- fixed housing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21V23/00—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices
- F21V23/06—Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices the elements being coupling devices, e.g. connectors
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21V21/00—Supporting, suspending, or attaching arrangements for lighting devices; Hand grips
- F21V21/02—Wall, ceiling, or floor bases; Fixing pendants or arms to the bases
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Connections Arranged To Contact A Plurality Of Conductors (AREA)
- Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure An improved pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire having improved quick disconnect features is disclosed. The luminaire is capable of being ceiling mounted and has a through-way electrical connection formed in a fixed housing which is mounted on the ceiling or suspended from the ceiling by an attached pipe. The top fixed housing contains a finger-safe female terminal block and a through-way means allowing building wire to be pulled straight through the housing. A
pivotable housing is pivotably connected to the fixed housing and contains a mating male terminal block which is positioned within the housing. The fixed housing and the pivotable housing may be locked together by means of a locking latch so that upon release of the latch, the intermediate pivotable housing is capable of pivoting away from the fixed housing to electrically disconnect the fixture from the electrical circuit. The new and novel luminaire may be fused as desired adjacent to one or two of the male terminal corrections.
pivotable housing is pivotably connected to the fixed housing and contains a mating male terminal block which is positioned within the housing. The fixed housing and the pivotable housing may be locked together by means of a locking latch so that upon release of the latch, the intermediate pivotable housing is capable of pivoting away from the fixed housing to electrically disconnect the fixture from the electrical circuit. The new and novel luminaire may be fused as desired adjacent to one or two of the male terminal corrections.
Description
r3, IMPROVED PENDANT OR CEILI~G MOUNTED LUMIN~IRE
WIT~ OUICK DI~iCONNE~T FE~TURES
Ba~k~round of ~he Inven~iQn This invention relates to pendant and ceiling mounted luminaires in general and in particular, to an improved pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire having new and novel quick disconnect features as hereinafter described.
It is known to provide pendant and ceiling mounted luminaires having various configurations designed to provide accessibility to the interior of the luminaire containing the electrical wiring. Various types of luminaires have been devised also having fused elements contained in the electrical cormections of the luminaire. Luminaires have also been provided having housing sections Eor containing the ballasts utilized in the luminaire. Despite these features, prior art luminaires do not provide adequate safety features necessary to protect the electrician that may have to main~ain the device.
~ L,~ Y~
In order to overcome the aforementioned problems and to pro-vide a new and improved luminaire having improved safety installation and ïnaintenance characteristics, there is provided by the subject invention an improved luminaire which comprises a top pendant or ceiling mounted fixed housing, and an intermediate pivotable housing adapted to hang from the fixed housing. me fixed housing can be used for pendant mounting with an electrical supply entering via a conduit or cable throuqh the top of the housing. In addition, the fixed housing can be used in a generally horizontal plane with the conduit thus allowing building wire to be pulled straight through the sides of the housing. The fixed housing can be installed, wired and left to receive the rest of the lurninaire at any stage and thus serve as a power hanger for the rest of the luminaire. In one embodiment of the invention the pivotable housing contains a mating male terminal block positioned within the housing designed to mate with a female terminal block positioned in the fixed housing whenever the two housings are coupled together. Latchlng means is provided for locking the two houslngs together and to electrically connect the male and female terminals. The male terminal connection in the pivotable housing may be fused with one or two fuse elerr,ents.
Accordingly, it is an object and advantage of the invention to provide an improved pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire having improved safety characteristics which allow the luminaire to be quickly disconnected by swinging a pivotable housing do~wardly to expose a safety protected electrically hot female terminal block.
~nother object and advantage of the invention is to provide a new and improved luminaire which may be ceiling mounted and which has through-way capabilities permitting building electrical wiring to be run straight through the top castings of the luminaire and other luminaires which are installed at the same time as the electrical conduit and permanent building electrical boxes.
Yet another object and advantage of the invention is to provide a new and novel pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire which bas internal fusing capabilities contained within a male terminal block which is disconnected from the power source for servicing when the pivotable housing is swung downward.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a review of the drawings and from a study of the preferred embodiment which is given by way of illustration only.
Br.ief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a side view of Applicant's new and improved pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire;
FIG, 2 is an end view, taken along line 2-2 of FIG. l;
FIG 2~ is a side view of the fixed housing of Applicant's invention;
FIG. 2B is a partial perspective view of the fixed housing of Applicant's invention illustrating the outside casing of the fixed housing adapted to receive a pivotable housing to mount a luminaire;
FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the fixed housing with its cover removed illustrating the swinging down of the pivotable housing disconnecting a female tenninal block and a male tenminal block;
~2~
FIG. 4 is a view, looking along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 showing the female teL~inal block position in the top fixed housing but not showiny the housing proper for purposes of clarity;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken along 7ine 5-5 of FIG. 4 showing internal electrical terminal connections and showing the finger-safe safety feature positioned over the electrical connections;
FIG. 6 is a side view, taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4 showing in further detc~il the female terminal block positioned in the top fixed housiny of the Applicant's invention;
FIG. 7 is a plan view, taken along line 7-7 of FIG~ 3 looking into the intermediate pivotable housing portion of the Aæplicant's improved pendant or ceil ng mounted luminaire and showing the internally positioned male terminal block of the Applicant's invention;
and;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view, taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7 showing the male electrical connections of the terminal block and also showing the fuse connections positioned on each side of the male connections.
~_cription of the Pref~LLç~-E~Q~lD~nL
Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a side view of the Applicant's improved pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire, generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. The luminaire 10 includes a fixed housing 12, a pivotable housing 14, and a ballast housing 16. I~e ballast housing 16 contains a ballast for an appropriate lamp and also serves as a heat sink for the ballast. The ballast housing 16 may be formed in the configuration shown in FIG. 1 or may be formed in other configurations known in the art.
The ballast housing 16 of FIG. 1 also contains a socket 18 for receiving the lamp of the luminaire, the lamp not being shown in the drawing. Attached to the bottom of the ballast housing is a wire yoke assembly 60 supporting a reElector 20 which surrounds the lamp of the luminaire and reflects the light downwardly to the user of the luminaire. The reflector 20 is attached by suitable means to a yoke assembly 60.
me fixed housing 12 has formed thereon a through-way means hereinbefore described which comprises a pair of drilled and tapped holes 22 and 24 which are formed in opposite side walls 26 and 28 of the top flxed housing in 12. The drilled and tapped holes 22 and 24 allow a plurality of electrical conduits 30 and 32 to be positioned therein permittlng electrical connection of similarily positioned luminaires.
The luminaire 10 may be ceiling mounted by mounting the top fixed housing 12 directly to a ceiling or as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may be mounted on a pipe 34 in order to be positioned closer to the floor of the area to be lighted. The pipe 34 may be screwed into the top wall of the top fixed housing 12 in a drilled and tapped hole formed in the top wall but not shown in the drawings. Alternately a hoolc~ loop or other flexible hanging method may be screwed into the top wall o~ this top fixed housing 12.
Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B of the drawings, the fixed housing can be installed, wired and left to receive the rest of the luminaire and thus serve as a power hanger for the rest of the luminaire. A solid hinge 38 formed on and extending outwardly from the fixed housing 12 is provided with a plurality of rib strengtheners 39 and is adapted to receive an easily removable hinge bar 36. The hinge bar 36 is fastened to the pivotable housing 12 by a pair of screws 37.
A latch engaging surface 46 on the fixed housing 12 is adapted to cooperate with a pivotable latch 44 (shown in FIG. 3).
In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 3 the cover for the electrical elements contained therein has been removed for purposes of clarity. m e pivotable housing 14 is pivotable downwardly from the top fixed housing 12 by means of the hinge bar 36 and the solid hinge 38. When pivoted downwardly about the hinge bar 36, the pivotable housing 14 disconnects a female terminal block 40 in the top fixed housing 12. A male terminal block 42 is positioned in the pivotable housing 14. The female terminal block 40 is electrically hot being connected to electrical connections entering through either the mounting pipe 34 or the holes 22 and 24 as hereinbefore described.
In order to disconnect the male terminal block 42 from the female terminal block 40, the pivotable latch 44 is disengaged from the latch engaging surface 46 formed on the fixed housing. me pivotable latch 44 is contained by a pin 48 mounted between two upstanding pin holders 50 and 52. me pivotable latch 44 contains on the end thereof a washer 54 and a wing nut 56 which is threaded on the threaded outer end of the ~ 3 latch. It can be seen in FIG. 3 then how the washer 54 is utilized to engage the latch engaginy surface 46 to lock the top Eixed housing 12 and the pivotable housing 14 together.
The ballast housing 16 ~ay be positioned in~diately beneath the pivotable 14 and i~ fixedly attached thereto by ~eans of a plurality of bolts or other devices as is known in the ~rt. It can be seen then by referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, that in electrically disconnecting the terminal blocks 40 and ~2 of the Applicant's invention, the pivotable housing 14 and the attached ballast housing 16 would be swung downwardly in the direction shown by the arrow 58 to pivot about the horizontally positioned hinye bar 36 shown in FIG. 3. I'he lamp socket 18 along with the reflector 20 would also pivot accordingly since they are attached to the ballast housing 16. FIG. 3 would then represent the manner in which the pivotable housing 14 would be pivoted downwardly upon the opening of the Applicant's in~rovecl luminaire.
Referring now to FIG. 4 of the drawings, there is shown in detail the female terminal block 40 positioned in the fixed housing 12. The female terminal block 40 contains a plurality of wings 62 and 64 having formed therein a plurality of holes 66 and 68 to which may be positioned a plurality of screws 70 and 72, shown in FIG. 3 of the drawing. The screws 70 and 72 are screwed into a drilled and tapped boss formed on the internal surface of the fixed housing 12 and are used to secure the female terminal block 40 tightly within the fixed housing 12~ The drilled and tapped bosses are not shown in the drawing for purposes of clarity. The female terminal block 40 contains a plurality of female clips 74, 76, and 78 which are positioned within the terminal block 40 in the manner shown. Each female clip is electrically connected internally in the female block as will be described more fu1ly hereinafter and to a plurality of terminal screws 80, 82 and 84 respectively. m e electrical parts of the female terminal block, being electrically hot, are enclosed by an Underwriters Laboratory, Inc. finger-safe plastic cover B6 so as to be electrically safe in accordance with the Underwriters Laboratory Standard 1572, dated March 26, 1980 herein incorporated by reference.
Referring now to FIG. 5 of the drawings~ there is a sectional view, taken along 5-5 of FIG. 4, showing the female clips 74, 76 and 78 A~
positioned ~ithin the female terminal block 40 and further showing the plurality of screws 80, 82 and 84. It can be seen that the screws 84 are electrically connected to the female clips by means of the electrical connection 88.
Referriny now to FIG. 6 of the drawings, there is shown a side view, taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4, illustrating in greater detail the plurality of screws 80, 82 and 84 and how they are electrically connected to the various electrical wires utilized with the l~ninaire. ~s has been previously rnentioned, an electrical connector 88 connects the female clip 78 with its electrical screw attachment 84. In a similar manner, an electrical connection 90 electrically connects the female clip 76 with its electrical screw 82.
The electrical connection 92 electrically connects the female clip 74 with its screw ~0. In this manner, the electrical wires 94, 96 and 98, may be connected to the various Eemale block terminals to electrically hot wire the terminal for use in the luminaire.
Referring now to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 of the drawings, there is shown in greater detail the internal portions of the pivotable housing 14 showing the mating male terminal block 42 of ~pplicant's invention.
The mating terminal male terminal block 42 is positioned in the pivotable housing 14 and comprises an elongated rectangular shaped terminal block having formed in the central portion thereof a plurality of electrical male terminal elements 100, 102 and 104. The male terminal block 42 is Eixedly attached to the pivotable housing 14 by means of a plurality of screws 106 and 108 positioned in a drilled and tapped set of holes formed in the casting for the housing 14. The male terminal block 42 also contains at least two fused receptacles 110 and 112 which are p~sitioned on opposite sides of the male electrical terminal elements 100, 102 and 104 and are designed for receipt of a fuse where desired by the user of the luminaire. m e fuse receptacle 110 is adapted to electrically connected to the male terminal element 100 and the f~se receptacle 112 is adapted to electrically connected to the male terminal element 104 internally or by means of external jumper leads in the male terminal block 42 with fuses being positioned in the fuse receptacles 110 and 112 as desired. The central male terminal element 102 may be utilized to ground the intermediate pivotable housing casing 14 by means of a wire 114 fixedly attached to the rZ 2 4L 9 ~i housing by means of a screw 116 fixed in a drilled and tapped hole formed in the housing.
Referriny now to FIG. 8 of the dra~ingsl there is shot~n in greater detail, a cross sectional view, taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7 5 showing the three male terminal elements 100, 102 and 104 positioned within a plurality of recesses 118, 120 and 124 formed in the plastic male terminal block 42. The three male terminal elements 100, 102 and 104 are fixedly attached to the male terminal block 42 by means of the rivets 124, 126 and 128. It can also be seen in FIG. 8 how the fuse receptacles 110 and 112 are fixedly attached to the male terminal block 42 by means of the rivets 130 and 132.
From the foregoing it can be seen that there has been provided by the subject invention, a new and improved pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire having improved quick disconnect features of the type hereinbefore described. It should also become apparent that many changes may be made in the arrangement of parts and in the positioning of the various structural features in the various housings without departing from the spirit and scope of the i~vention. The preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown by way of illustration only.
~laving described my invention, I claim:
WIT~ OUICK DI~iCONNE~T FE~TURES
Ba~k~round of ~he Inven~iQn This invention relates to pendant and ceiling mounted luminaires in general and in particular, to an improved pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire having new and novel quick disconnect features as hereinafter described.
It is known to provide pendant and ceiling mounted luminaires having various configurations designed to provide accessibility to the interior of the luminaire containing the electrical wiring. Various types of luminaires have been devised also having fused elements contained in the electrical cormections of the luminaire. Luminaires have also been provided having housing sections Eor containing the ballasts utilized in the luminaire. Despite these features, prior art luminaires do not provide adequate safety features necessary to protect the electrician that may have to main~ain the device.
~ L,~ Y~
In order to overcome the aforementioned problems and to pro-vide a new and improved luminaire having improved safety installation and ïnaintenance characteristics, there is provided by the subject invention an improved luminaire which comprises a top pendant or ceiling mounted fixed housing, and an intermediate pivotable housing adapted to hang from the fixed housing. me fixed housing can be used for pendant mounting with an electrical supply entering via a conduit or cable throuqh the top of the housing. In addition, the fixed housing can be used in a generally horizontal plane with the conduit thus allowing building wire to be pulled straight through the sides of the housing. The fixed housing can be installed, wired and left to receive the rest of the lurninaire at any stage and thus serve as a power hanger for the rest of the luminaire. In one embodiment of the invention the pivotable housing contains a mating male terminal block positioned within the housing designed to mate with a female terminal block positioned in the fixed housing whenever the two housings are coupled together. Latchlng means is provided for locking the two houslngs together and to electrically connect the male and female terminals. The male terminal connection in the pivotable housing may be fused with one or two fuse elerr,ents.
Accordingly, it is an object and advantage of the invention to provide an improved pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire having improved safety characteristics which allow the luminaire to be quickly disconnected by swinging a pivotable housing do~wardly to expose a safety protected electrically hot female terminal block.
~nother object and advantage of the invention is to provide a new and improved luminaire which may be ceiling mounted and which has through-way capabilities permitting building electrical wiring to be run straight through the top castings of the luminaire and other luminaires which are installed at the same time as the electrical conduit and permanent building electrical boxes.
Yet another object and advantage of the invention is to provide a new and novel pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire which bas internal fusing capabilities contained within a male terminal block which is disconnected from the power source for servicing when the pivotable housing is swung downward.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a review of the drawings and from a study of the preferred embodiment which is given by way of illustration only.
Br.ief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a side view of Applicant's new and improved pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire;
FIG, 2 is an end view, taken along line 2-2 of FIG. l;
FIG 2~ is a side view of the fixed housing of Applicant's invention;
FIG. 2B is a partial perspective view of the fixed housing of Applicant's invention illustrating the outside casing of the fixed housing adapted to receive a pivotable housing to mount a luminaire;
FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the fixed housing with its cover removed illustrating the swinging down of the pivotable housing disconnecting a female tenninal block and a male tenminal block;
~2~
FIG. 4 is a view, looking along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 showing the female teL~inal block position in the top fixed housing but not showiny the housing proper for purposes of clarity;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken along 7ine 5-5 of FIG. 4 showing internal electrical terminal connections and showing the finger-safe safety feature positioned over the electrical connections;
FIG. 6 is a side view, taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4 showing in further detc~il the female terminal block positioned in the top fixed housiny of the Applicant's invention;
FIG. 7 is a plan view, taken along line 7-7 of FIG~ 3 looking into the intermediate pivotable housing portion of the Aæplicant's improved pendant or ceil ng mounted luminaire and showing the internally positioned male terminal block of the Applicant's invention;
and;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view, taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7 showing the male electrical connections of the terminal block and also showing the fuse connections positioned on each side of the male connections.
~_cription of the Pref~LLç~-E~Q~lD~nL
Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a side view of the Applicant's improved pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire, generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. The luminaire 10 includes a fixed housing 12, a pivotable housing 14, and a ballast housing 16. I~e ballast housing 16 contains a ballast for an appropriate lamp and also serves as a heat sink for the ballast. The ballast housing 16 may be formed in the configuration shown in FIG. 1 or may be formed in other configurations known in the art.
The ballast housing 16 of FIG. 1 also contains a socket 18 for receiving the lamp of the luminaire, the lamp not being shown in the drawing. Attached to the bottom of the ballast housing is a wire yoke assembly 60 supporting a reElector 20 which surrounds the lamp of the luminaire and reflects the light downwardly to the user of the luminaire. The reflector 20 is attached by suitable means to a yoke assembly 60.
me fixed housing 12 has formed thereon a through-way means hereinbefore described which comprises a pair of drilled and tapped holes 22 and 24 which are formed in opposite side walls 26 and 28 of the top flxed housing in 12. The drilled and tapped holes 22 and 24 allow a plurality of electrical conduits 30 and 32 to be positioned therein permittlng electrical connection of similarily positioned luminaires.
The luminaire 10 may be ceiling mounted by mounting the top fixed housing 12 directly to a ceiling or as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may be mounted on a pipe 34 in order to be positioned closer to the floor of the area to be lighted. The pipe 34 may be screwed into the top wall of the top fixed housing 12 in a drilled and tapped hole formed in the top wall but not shown in the drawings. Alternately a hoolc~ loop or other flexible hanging method may be screwed into the top wall o~ this top fixed housing 12.
Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B of the drawings, the fixed housing can be installed, wired and left to receive the rest of the luminaire and thus serve as a power hanger for the rest of the luminaire. A solid hinge 38 formed on and extending outwardly from the fixed housing 12 is provided with a plurality of rib strengtheners 39 and is adapted to receive an easily removable hinge bar 36. The hinge bar 36 is fastened to the pivotable housing 12 by a pair of screws 37.
A latch engaging surface 46 on the fixed housing 12 is adapted to cooperate with a pivotable latch 44 (shown in FIG. 3).
In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 3 the cover for the electrical elements contained therein has been removed for purposes of clarity. m e pivotable housing 14 is pivotable downwardly from the top fixed housing 12 by means of the hinge bar 36 and the solid hinge 38. When pivoted downwardly about the hinge bar 36, the pivotable housing 14 disconnects a female terminal block 40 in the top fixed housing 12. A male terminal block 42 is positioned in the pivotable housing 14. The female terminal block 40 is electrically hot being connected to electrical connections entering through either the mounting pipe 34 or the holes 22 and 24 as hereinbefore described.
In order to disconnect the male terminal block 42 from the female terminal block 40, the pivotable latch 44 is disengaged from the latch engaging surface 46 formed on the fixed housing. me pivotable latch 44 is contained by a pin 48 mounted between two upstanding pin holders 50 and 52. me pivotable latch 44 contains on the end thereof a washer 54 and a wing nut 56 which is threaded on the threaded outer end of the ~ 3 latch. It can be seen in FIG. 3 then how the washer 54 is utilized to engage the latch engaginy surface 46 to lock the top Eixed housing 12 and the pivotable housing 14 together.
The ballast housing 16 ~ay be positioned in~diately beneath the pivotable 14 and i~ fixedly attached thereto by ~eans of a plurality of bolts or other devices as is known in the ~rt. It can be seen then by referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, that in electrically disconnecting the terminal blocks 40 and ~2 of the Applicant's invention, the pivotable housing 14 and the attached ballast housing 16 would be swung downwardly in the direction shown by the arrow 58 to pivot about the horizontally positioned hinye bar 36 shown in FIG. 3. I'he lamp socket 18 along with the reflector 20 would also pivot accordingly since they are attached to the ballast housing 16. FIG. 3 would then represent the manner in which the pivotable housing 14 would be pivoted downwardly upon the opening of the Applicant's in~rovecl luminaire.
Referring now to FIG. 4 of the drawings, there is shown in detail the female terminal block 40 positioned in the fixed housing 12. The female terminal block 40 contains a plurality of wings 62 and 64 having formed therein a plurality of holes 66 and 68 to which may be positioned a plurality of screws 70 and 72, shown in FIG. 3 of the drawing. The screws 70 and 72 are screwed into a drilled and tapped boss formed on the internal surface of the fixed housing 12 and are used to secure the female terminal block 40 tightly within the fixed housing 12~ The drilled and tapped bosses are not shown in the drawing for purposes of clarity. The female terminal block 40 contains a plurality of female clips 74, 76, and 78 which are positioned within the terminal block 40 in the manner shown. Each female clip is electrically connected internally in the female block as will be described more fu1ly hereinafter and to a plurality of terminal screws 80, 82 and 84 respectively. m e electrical parts of the female terminal block, being electrically hot, are enclosed by an Underwriters Laboratory, Inc. finger-safe plastic cover B6 so as to be electrically safe in accordance with the Underwriters Laboratory Standard 1572, dated March 26, 1980 herein incorporated by reference.
Referring now to FIG. 5 of the drawings~ there is a sectional view, taken along 5-5 of FIG. 4, showing the female clips 74, 76 and 78 A~
positioned ~ithin the female terminal block 40 and further showing the plurality of screws 80, 82 and 84. It can be seen that the screws 84 are electrically connected to the female clips by means of the electrical connection 88.
Referriny now to FIG. 6 of the drawings, there is shown a side view, taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4, illustrating in greater detail the plurality of screws 80, 82 and 84 and how they are electrically connected to the various electrical wires utilized with the l~ninaire. ~s has been previously rnentioned, an electrical connector 88 connects the female clip 78 with its electrical screw attachment 84. In a similar manner, an electrical connection 90 electrically connects the female clip 76 with its electrical screw 82.
The electrical connection 92 electrically connects the female clip 74 with its screw ~0. In this manner, the electrical wires 94, 96 and 98, may be connected to the various Eemale block terminals to electrically hot wire the terminal for use in the luminaire.
Referring now to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 of the drawings, there is shown in greater detail the internal portions of the pivotable housing 14 showing the mating male terminal block 42 of ~pplicant's invention.
The mating terminal male terminal block 42 is positioned in the pivotable housing 14 and comprises an elongated rectangular shaped terminal block having formed in the central portion thereof a plurality of electrical male terminal elements 100, 102 and 104. The male terminal block 42 is Eixedly attached to the pivotable housing 14 by means of a plurality of screws 106 and 108 positioned in a drilled and tapped set of holes formed in the casting for the housing 14. The male terminal block 42 also contains at least two fused receptacles 110 and 112 which are p~sitioned on opposite sides of the male electrical terminal elements 100, 102 and 104 and are designed for receipt of a fuse where desired by the user of the luminaire. m e fuse receptacle 110 is adapted to electrically connected to the male terminal element 100 and the f~se receptacle 112 is adapted to electrically connected to the male terminal element 104 internally or by means of external jumper leads in the male terminal block 42 with fuses being positioned in the fuse receptacles 110 and 112 as desired. The central male terminal element 102 may be utilized to ground the intermediate pivotable housing casing 14 by means of a wire 114 fixedly attached to the rZ 2 4L 9 ~i housing by means of a screw 116 fixed in a drilled and tapped hole formed in the housing.
Referriny now to FIG. 8 of the dra~ingsl there is shot~n in greater detail, a cross sectional view, taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7 5 showing the three male terminal elements 100, 102 and 104 positioned within a plurality of recesses 118, 120 and 124 formed in the plastic male terminal block 42. The three male terminal elements 100, 102 and 104 are fixedly attached to the male terminal block 42 by means of the rivets 124, 126 and 128. It can also be seen in FIG. 8 how the fuse receptacles 110 and 112 are fixedly attached to the male terminal block 42 by means of the rivets 130 and 132.
From the foregoing it can be seen that there has been provided by the subject invention, a new and improved pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire having improved quick disconnect features of the type hereinbefore described. It should also become apparent that many changes may be made in the arrangement of parts and in the positioning of the various structural features in the various housings without departing from the spirit and scope of the i~vention. The preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown by way of illustration only.
~laving described my invention, I claim:
Claims (7)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. In a mounted luminaire, improved disconnect features, comprising:
(a) a fixed housing having formed thereon means for mounting the housing to a ceiling, the fixed housing containing a female terminal block having a plurality of electrical terminals positioned therein; the top housing further having formed thereon through-way means allowing building electrical wire to be pulled straight through the housing;
(b) a pivotable housing pivotably connected to the fixed housing and containing a mating male terminal block positioned within the pivotable housing, the mating male terminal block being designed to connect with the female terminal block positioned in the fixed housing whenever the pivotable housing is pivoted upward and the male and female terminal blocks engage, the male terminal block further being designed to disconnect from the female terminal block whenever the pivotable housing is pivoted downwardly;
(c) means, associated with the fixed housing and the intermediate pivotable housing for locking the housings together;
(d) the means for mounting the fixed housing and the intermediate pivotable housing for locking the housings together;
(e) the female terminal block positioned in the fixed housing has formed thereon a finger-safe plastic cover over at least the top portion of the terminal block;
(f) the through-way means formed on the top housing comprises a pair of drilled and tapped holes formed in opposite side walls of the top fixed housing, and (g) the male terminal block positioned in the pivotable housing comprises an elongated, rectangular shaped terminal block having formed thereon at least three electrical male terminal elements in the central portion thereof and further comprises at least two fuse receptacles positioned on opposite sides of the male electrical elements for receipt of a fuse, the fuse receptacle elements being electrically connected to at least two of the male terminal elements so that the male terminal block may be used without a fuse, with one fuse or with two fuses as desired.
(a) a fixed housing having formed thereon means for mounting the housing to a ceiling, the fixed housing containing a female terminal block having a plurality of electrical terminals positioned therein; the top housing further having formed thereon through-way means allowing building electrical wire to be pulled straight through the housing;
(b) a pivotable housing pivotably connected to the fixed housing and containing a mating male terminal block positioned within the pivotable housing, the mating male terminal block being designed to connect with the female terminal block positioned in the fixed housing whenever the pivotable housing is pivoted upward and the male and female terminal blocks engage, the male terminal block further being designed to disconnect from the female terminal block whenever the pivotable housing is pivoted downwardly;
(c) means, associated with the fixed housing and the intermediate pivotable housing for locking the housings together;
(d) the means for mounting the fixed housing and the intermediate pivotable housing for locking the housings together;
(e) the female terminal block positioned in the fixed housing has formed thereon a finger-safe plastic cover over at least the top portion of the terminal block;
(f) the through-way means formed on the top housing comprises a pair of drilled and tapped holes formed in opposite side walls of the top fixed housing, and (g) the male terminal block positioned in the pivotable housing comprises an elongated, rectangular shaped terminal block having formed thereon at least three electrical male terminal elements in the central portion thereof and further comprises at least two fuse receptacles positioned on opposite sides of the male electrical elements for receipt of a fuse, the fuse receptacle elements being electrically connected to at least two of the male terminal elements so that the male terminal block may be used without a fuse, with one fuse or with two fuses as desired.
2. An improved mounted luminaire as defined in claim 1 wherein the male terminal block contains at least one fuse positioned in the fuse element for fusing at least one of the three electrical terminal elements in the terminal block.
3. An improved mounted luminaire as defined in claim 1 wherein the male terminal block contains at least two fuse elements for connecting at least two of the three electrical terminal elements of the terminal block.
4. An improved mounted luminaire as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for locking the fixed housing and the pivotable housing together comprises a pivotable latch positioned on one of the housings and a latch engaging surface formed on the other housing.
5. An improved mounted luminaire as defined in claim 4 wherein the pivotable latch is positioned on the pivotable housing and the locking surface is positioned on the fixed housing.
6. An improved quick disconnect feature for a mounted luminaire, comprising:
(a) a fixed housing having formed thereon means for mounting the housing to the ceiling, the fixed housing containing a female terminal block having a plurality of female electrical terminals positioned therein;
(b) a pivotable housing pivotably connected to the fixed housing and containing a mating male terminal block having a plurality of male electrical terminals positioned within the pivotable housing, the mating male terminal block being designed to connect with the female terminal block positioned in the top fixed housing whenever the pivotable housing is pivoted upward and the male and female terminal blocks engage; and (c) the female and male electrical terminals being at least three in number and further at least one of the male electrical terminals is a ground connection and is positioned higher than the other male terminals so that upon connection with the female terminals it connects first and upon disconnection with the female terminals it disconnects last thereby providing a safety improvement in the luminaire which prevents shorts from coming in contact with the person activating the disconnect feature.
(a) a fixed housing having formed thereon means for mounting the housing to the ceiling, the fixed housing containing a female terminal block having a plurality of female electrical terminals positioned therein;
(b) a pivotable housing pivotably connected to the fixed housing and containing a mating male terminal block having a plurality of male electrical terminals positioned within the pivotable housing, the mating male terminal block being designed to connect with the female terminal block positioned in the top fixed housing whenever the pivotable housing is pivoted upward and the male and female terminal blocks engage; and (c) the female and male electrical terminals being at least three in number and further at least one of the male electrical terminals is a ground connection and is positioned higher than the other male terminals so that upon connection with the female terminals it connects first and upon disconnection with the female terminals it disconnects last thereby providing a safety improvement in the luminaire which prevents shorts from coming in contact with the person activating the disconnect feature.
7. The improvement as defined in claim 6 wherein the female and male electrical terminals are three in number and the center male electrical terminal is positioned higher than the other two male electrical terminals.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US41232282A | 1982-08-27 | 1982-08-27 | |
| US06/412,322 | 1982-08-27 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1222496A true CA1222496A (en) | 1987-06-02 |
Family
ID=23632528
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000433714A Expired CA1222496A (en) | 1982-08-27 | 1983-08-02 | Pendant or ceiling mounted luminaire with quick disconnect features |
Country Status (7)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0122916B1 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1222496A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3371684D1 (en) |
| ES (1) | ES8503106A1 (en) |
| SG (1) | SG108787G (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1984001013A1 (en) |
| ZA (1) | ZA836184B (en) |
Families Citing this family (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT1207624B (en) * | 1987-03-05 | 1989-05-25 | Beghelli G P B Srl | QUICK CONNECTION SYSTEM AND FIXING OF ELECTRONIC COMPLEX FOR LIGHTING |
| GB0110503D0 (en) * | 2001-04-30 | 2001-06-20 | J & G Coughtrie Ltd | Improved light fitting |
| NL1027381C2 (en) * | 2004-10-29 | 2006-05-03 | Hortilux Schreder B V | Greenhouse lighting fitting for mounting an assimilation lamp in greenhouse, has lamp support movable to ensure that lamp is mechanically secured relative to fitting body |
| DE102007005071B4 (en) * | 2007-02-01 | 2009-05-14 | Wofi Leuchten Wortmann & Filz Gmbh & Co. Kg | Fixing a light |
| DE202007014667U1 (en) * | 2007-10-19 | 2009-02-26 | Zumtobel Lighting Gmbh | Bay luminaire |
| US8066412B2 (en) * | 2008-06-30 | 2011-11-29 | Cooper Technologies Company | Luminaire quick mount universal bracket system and method |
| SE537327C2 (en) * | 2012-02-01 | 2015-04-07 | Strihl Scandinavia Ab | Easy mountable lighting fixture with fitting device |
| WO2014090190A1 (en) * | 2012-12-14 | 2014-06-19 | 东莞巨扬电器有限公司 | Lighting and back panel apparatus thereof |
| GB201313716D0 (en) * | 2013-07-31 | 2013-09-11 | Led Group | A lamp conversion kit |
Family Cites Families (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2678380A (en) * | 1950-12-09 | 1954-05-11 | Sidney B Westby | Arc discharge lighting fixture |
| FR1047134A (en) * | 1951-01-02 | 1953-12-11 | Wilhelm Lenze K G | Device for street lighting in the longitudinal field |
| AT246856B (en) * | 1963-09-11 | 1966-05-10 | Siemens Ag | lamp |
| US3302918A (en) * | 1966-03-18 | 1967-02-07 | David A Cohen | Ceiling attachment for lighting fixtures |
| FR1547605A (en) * | 1967-09-27 | 1968-11-29 | Amp Inc | Connectors for cartridge fuses |
| CH521550A (en) * | 1971-01-20 | 1972-04-15 | Novelectric Ag | Housing part with releasably attached electrical insert |
-
1983
- 1983-07-18 WO PCT/US1983/001102 patent/WO1984001013A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1983-07-18 DE DE8383902511T patent/DE3371684D1/en not_active Expired
- 1983-07-18 EP EP83902511A patent/EP0122916B1/en not_active Expired
- 1983-08-02 CA CA000433714A patent/CA1222496A/en not_active Expired
- 1983-08-22 ZA ZA836184A patent/ZA836184B/en unknown
- 1983-08-26 ES ES525179A patent/ES8503106A1/en not_active Expired
-
1987
- 1987-12-17 SG SG1087/87A patent/SG108787G/en unknown
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| ES525179A0 (en) | 1985-02-01 |
| EP0122916A1 (en) | 1984-10-31 |
| ZA836184B (en) | 1984-10-31 |
| WO1984001013A1 (en) | 1984-03-15 |
| ES8503106A1 (en) | 1985-02-01 |
| SG108787G (en) | 1988-05-20 |
| DE3371684D1 (en) | 1987-06-25 |
| EP0122916B1 (en) | 1987-05-20 |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKEX | Expiry |