GB2415034A

GB2415034A - Light Fitting

Info

Publication number: GB2415034A
Application number: GB0511887A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Cadden; Thomas Campbell Wallace
Original assignee: Artex Rawlplug Ltd
Current assignee: Artex Ltd
Priority date: 2004-06-11
Filing date: 2005-06-13
Publication date: 2005-12-14
Also published as: GB0511887D0; GB0413047D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to light fittings for use as decorative covers. The light fitting 10 of the present invention comprises a cover 14 and an attachment fixing 12, the attachment fixing 12 being adapted to attach to a light flex (104) and being provided with support means to support the cover 14, whereby the cover when in use is located between the attachment fixing 12 and a ceiling (106) from which the light flex hangs. The attachment fixing may have an aperture 20 for locating the light flex in use, the aperture being provided with a resilient abutment (38, 40) to sandwich the light flex between the abutment and the aperture edge.

Description

1 24 15034 1 Light Fitting 3 The present invention relates to light

fittings, 4 particularly but not exclusively, light fittings for use as decorative covers.

7 According to the present invention there is provided 8 a light fitting comprising a cover and an attachment 9 fixing, the attachment fixing being adapted to attach to a light flex and being provided with 11 support means to support the cover, whereby the 12 cover when in use is located between the attachment 13 fixing and a ceiling from which the light flex 14 hangs.

16 Preferably the attachment fixing has an aperture for 17 locating the light flex in use, the aperture being 18 provided with a resilient abutment to sandwich the 19 light flex between the abutment and the aperture edge.

1 Preferably the attachment fixing is an integral 2 moulding and is split along a line extending from 3 the aperture to the outer edge of the attachment 4 fixing. A releasable lock arrangement may be provided on either side of said line.

7 An embodiment of the present invention will now be 8 described, by way of example only, with reference to 9 the following drawings in which: 11 Fig. 1 is a plan view of the light fitting 12 according to the present invention; 14 Fig. 2 is a side view of the light fitting of Fig. 1 17 Fig. 3 a plan view of the attachment fixing of 18 the light fitting of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view of the 21 attachment fixing of Fig. 3; 23 Fig. 5 is a plan view of the cover of the light 24 fitting of Fig.1; and 26 Fig. 6 is a side view of the light fitting of 27 Fig. 1 in situ.

29 Referring to the drawings and initially to Fig. 1, there is shown a light fitting generally referred to 31 as 10.

1 The light fitting 10 comprises two components; an 2 attachment fixing 12 and a cover 14. The attachment 3 fixing 12 has a generally conical body 16 which 4 leads into a cylindrical skirt 18. At the centre of the attachment fixing 12 is a flex aperture 20. The 6 conical body 16 is not continuous, but is split 7 along a line 22. This split allows the attachment 8 fixing 10 to be manipulated so that a gap can be 9 formed in the attachment fixing 10 and a light flex 104 can be fed into the flex aperture 20.

12 Within the conical body 16 there is provided a 13 simple locking mechanism 24. The two parts of the 14 locking mechanism 24 are located on either side of the line 22 and are connected to both the conical 16 body 16 and the cylindrical skirt 18. The first 17 part 26 comprises a small plate 28 and a projection 18 30. The projection 30 is of non-uniform thickness 19 and increases in thickness along an axis normal to the plate 28, resembling a prism shape attached to 21 the plate 28 at its thinnest end.

23 The second part 32 of the locking mechanism 24 forms 24 a recess 34 cooperable with the projection 30. When locked, the projection 30 is held within the recess 26 34.

28 Projecting from the edge of the flex aperture 20 29 into the conical body 16 there are two flex guides 36 and a resilient flex lock 38. The flex guides 36 31 are members which project generally downwardly and 32 are part circular in cross section. One flex guide 1 36 is located on either side of the split in the 2 attachment fixing 12.

4 The resilient flex lock 38 initially projects downward into the conical body 16, but forms a 6 return section 40 which projects back up and through 7 the flex aperture 20. A resilient wedge shape is 8 therefore formed.

The cover 14 is of a generally part-spherical shape, 11 with an attachment aperture 42 at its centre. The 12 attachment aperture 42 is provided around its inner 13 periphery with an attachment flange 44.

In use, the light fitting 10 is used to provide a 16 decorative cover for a ceiling mounted light 100.

17 The cover 14 is placed over the light fitting 102.

18 The attachment fixing 12 is then unlocked by 19 disengaging the projection 30 from the recess 34 of the locking mechanism 24. The attachment fixing 12 21 is then opened by forcing the two sides apart along 22 the line 22. A gap is opened which allows the light 23 flex 104 to be fed into the flex aperture 20.

Once within the flex aperture 20, the attachment 26 fixing 12 is locked by engaging the projection 30 27 within the recess 34. The diameter of the flex 104 28 is greater than the space provided between the 29 return section 40 of the resilient flex lock 38 and the side of the flex aperture 20 from which the flex 31 guides 36 project. Thus the flex 104 forces the 32 return section 40 away from the flex guides 36. Due 1 to the resilience of the resilient flex lock 38, a 2 reaction force is created which urges the return 3 section 40 against the flex 104. This arrangement 4 allows the weight of the attachment fixing 12 to be supported due to friction between the light flex 104 6 and the return section 40.

8 Manual force can overcome this frictional 9 resistance, and consequently the user can push the attachment fixing 12 up or down the light flex 104.

11 The attachment fixing 12 can be forced upwardly 12 towards the ceiling 106 from which the light flex 13 104 hangs. Since the cover 14 is already in place 14 between the ceiling 106 and the attachment fixing 12, the attachment fixing 12 can be slid into 16 engagement with the cover 14 via the attachment 17 aperture 42. The attachment fixing 12 abuts the 18 attachment flange 44. The friction between the 19 light flex 104 and the return section 40 of the attachment fixing 12 is also sufficient to support 21 the weight of the entire light fitting 10, cover 14 22 and attachment fixing 12.

24 The user can slide the light fitting 10 into contact with the ceiling 106. The attachment fixing 12 26 impedes the light fitting 10 from falling down under 27 the influence of gravity.

29 To remove the light fitting 10, the above process is reversed. The light fitting 10 can be pulled away 31 from the ceiling 106, the locking mechanism 24 1 disengaged and the attachment fixing 12 and cover 14 2 removed.

4 Since frictional force alone is used, attachment of the light fitting 10 to the ceiling 106 is achieved 6 without the need for mechanical fittings or 7 adhesives. The light fitting of the present 8 invention offers a simple method of attaching a 9 decorative cover to a ceiling. Furthermore, since the attachment of the light fitting 10 to the 11 ceiling is not permanent, it can be easily removed 12 and replaced with different covers to suit changes 13 in decoration of a room or taste.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment 16 described herein but may be modified in both 17 construction and detail.

Claims

1 Claims 3 1. A light fitting comprising a cover and an 4 attachment

fixing, the attachment fixing being adapted to attach to a light flex and being provided 6 with support means to support the cover, whereby the 7 cover when in use is located between the attachment 8 fixing and a ceiling from which the light flex 9 hangs.

11

2. A light fitting according to Claim 1 wherein 12 the attachment fixing has an aperture for locating 13 the light flex in use, the aperture being provided 14 with a resilient abutment to sandwich the light flex between the abutment and the aperture edge.

17

3. A light fitting according to Claims 1 or 2 18 wherein the attachment fixing is an integral 19 moulding and is split along a line extending from the aperture to the outer edge of the attachment 21 fixing.

23

4. A light fitting according to Claim 3 wherein a 24 releasable lock arrangement may be provided on either side of said line.

27

5. A light fitting substantially as hereinbefore 28 described with reference to the accompanying 29 drawings.