GB2427020A

GB2427020A - Lamp mounted in wall recessed electrical junction box

Info

Publication number: GB2427020A
Application number: GB0610164A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Johnson
Original assignee: Aurora Ltd
Current assignee: Aurora Ltd
Priority date: 2005-05-23
Filing date: 2006-05-23
Publication date: 2006-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 2026-05-23
Also published as: GB0510462D0; GB2427020B; GB0610164D0

Abstract

A lamp comprises an LED 6' mounted within an electrical back box 1 of the type normally used as a back box behind wall sockets and switches. The lamp may be mounted as a module 100 using screws or bolts (4, fig 1). A decorative fascia (7a, 7b, fig 1) defining a window may also be mounted using the screws. The lamp preferably contains an array of mains voltage white LEDs 6. The utilisation of a standard back box simplifies installation. The lamp can be used for safety, ambient or task lighting.

Description

CASING MOUNTED LAMPS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to casing mounted lamps for safety, ambient, effect, task or mood lighting and it is particularly applicable but in no way limited to casing mounted lamps such as those installed recessed into walls e.g. in skirting boards, in stairs or in ceilings.

Background to the Invention

In recent years the use of creative task, mood or effect lighting in interior design has increased dramatically in tandem with developments in lighting technology.

Substantial advances have for example been made in downlighter technology for ceilings such as disclosed in the present applicant's own earlier UK patents.

One particular area of lighting that has gained substantially in popularity is the casing mounted lamp. Such lamps are commonly halogen lamps and generally housed in specially adapted box-like metal or plastics casings that are non-standard and which are, for example, fitted recessed in place into a wall following cutting out of the masonry or plasterboard to the shape of the casing. A common feature of these casing mounted lamps is that the front fascia of the device has a substantial surface area, generally centrally arranged on the fascia for the transmission of light from the unit and is free of any bolt or screw apertures, with the fascia being mounted to the metal or plastics casing from the rear of the fascia. Lamps of this type are aesthetically highly desirable and often show to the best effect when installed in numbers along a wall or in, or alongside, stairs, but they are relatively expensive to install and which limits the extent to which they are used.

A general objective of the present invention is to provide an innovative casing- mounted lamp that is significantly more economical to install than conventional casing-mounted lamps.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a casing mounted lamp for safety, ambient, mood, task or effect lighting and not being configured as an indicator light, and comprising at least one LED lamp mounted within a box of the type known as an electrical mounting box as normally used as a back box behind electrical sockets and switches to mount them to a wall.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a casing mounting lamp module or assembly adapted to mount within a box of the type known as an electrical mounting box and comprising an LED lamp module, and optionally a fascia and! or surround, the module or assembly having spaced apart screw/bolt mounting apertures spaced apart to correspond to the spacing apart of screw/bolt mounting apertures of a said electrical mounting box to be mounted thereto by screws/bolts passing through the apertures of the module or assembly and the electrical mounting box.

Electrical mounting boxes are open-fronted metal or moulded plastics boxes that are widely available and widespread off the shelf items that all electricians who fit out buildings are infinitely familiar with installing and are of standardised dimensions, and with standardised screw-fixture apertures, as defined by BS criteria (e.g. BS4662) in the UK and similar criteria in other countries. They may be of a non- adjustable configuration for flush, semi-flush or surface mounting to most walls or may have depth adjustable wings incorporating the mounting apertures as are used as dry liner boxes for installation in plasterboard. They generally have front facing screw! bolt-mounting apertures spaced apart a set distance to receive screws or bolts for fastening a plug socket or switch plate thereto, and in general the screw/bolt mounting apertures are inside the box rather than external to it whereby the plug socket or switch fascia is mounted to the box by screws or bolts inserted through the front of the fascia.

Such boxes are very familiar and hence easy for the trained electrician to install.

Electrical mounting boxes are, however, far from an obvious candidate for housing of a lamp. Indeed, following the traditional approach of mounting halogen lamps in casings to be recessed, electrical mounting boxes are not strictly suitable given the heat generated by the lamps. Despite this the present applicants have ingeniously devised a lamp in a casing comprising an electrical mounting box. Furthermore, to move from using the bespoke plastics moulded or metal casing to using an electrical mounting back box is counterintuitive to the lighting designer since electrical mounting boxes do not allow for coupling of the lighting fascia to the back box by bolts or screws from the rear.

Whereas some electrical plug sockets and switches are provided with indicator lights for activation of power, and which commonly are of neon type, these are not socket mounted lamps, they do not provide lighting as safety, ambient, mood, task or effect lighting. The light output of the neon, or other, indicator light is low, the indicator light is a point light source and is not configured to have a wide area diffuser for spreading of the light, there are not multiple light elements and the indicator light is neither positioned centrally in the fascia nor positioned behind a window that occupies more than a small percentage of the overall surface area of the fascia. In marked contrast to switch boxes or the like with indicator lights of neon or other type, the casing mounted lamp of the present invention suitably comprises a white LED and preferably comprises multiple LEDs. The surface area occupied by a window through which the light from the at least one LED is emitted suitably is of the order of 15% of the front face of the fascia of the lamp or greater and preferably is of the order of 25% or greater. The window may comprise a single aperture or multiple apertures in the front fascia and is preferably substantially centrally located in the fascia. It is also particularly preferred that the casing mounted lamp further has a diffuser that lies within or over the window aperture and suitably covers substantially the whole area of the window in order that the light from the at least one LED is emitted substantially evenly from the front fascia of the casing mounted lamp. The device of the present invention has no sensor componentry nor electrical plug socket or other functional means whereby the device serves a primary other role and the lamp is merely an indicator.

In further contrast to the prior art casing mounted lamps with bespoke casing, the casing mounted lamp of the present invention suitably has a front fascia that is adapted to secure to an electrical mounting box/back box by having screw/bolt apertures there through to enable screws/bolts to be inserted through the front of the front fascia and to couple with the screw/bolt mounting threaded apertures of the electrical mounting box/back box. The casing mounted lamp preferably further has moulded plastics caps to cover the head of each screw or bolt from the front fascia.

Particularly preferably the at least one LED lamp is formed as a module. Preferably the module has fastening means to fasten to the rear of the front fascia. The fastening means suitably comprise resilient clips. Preferably the module further incorporates electrical circuitry including a terminal block for the LED lamp and suitably is formed with a moulded plastics housing. Preferably the module has screw/bolt receiving apertures and which preferably are threaded, that are spaced apart to correspond to the screw/bolt receiving apertures of the electrical mounting box/back box and fascia.

Brief Description of the Drawings

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a general assembly perspective view of the preferred embodiment of socket-mounting lamp assembly and showing three alternative fascia patterns; Figure 2 is a frontal perspective view of the four LED lamp array module only; and Figures 3, 4 and 5 are, respectively, a plan view from above and front and rear elevation views of the assembled socket mounting lamp assembly comprising the LED lamp array module assembled to the front fascia and surround.

Figures 6 and 7 are, respectively, a front elevation view and a perspective view from above right of an electrical mounting box/back box of the dry liner box type having a depth adjustable wings (one wing only shown); and Figure 8 is a perspective view of the casing mounted lamp as assembled, with the lamp module and fascia/surround installed to the electrical mounting boxlback box by bolts extending through the fascia/surround from the front of the front fascia.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

The present invention will now be described by way of example only. These are not the only ways that the invention can be put into practice but they are the best ways currently known to the Applicant.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, these show a lamp module 100 comprising an LED lamp array 6 with four white 240v, 1w, LEDs 6' mounted on a PCB and with a power supply electrical terminal block 1 9 housed in a transparent plastics housing moulding 1 having a flat front face flange 10. The flange 10 has a respective wing, or ear, 3 on each side edge at a defined spacing, each wing 3 having an aperture 5 for receiving a mounting bolt 4. The spacing between the apertures 4 on the flange is set at a distance that corresponds to the spacing of mounting bolt receiving apertures of an electrical mounting box 20 and thus enables the LED lamp module to be bolted to an electrical mounting box 20 straightforwardly.

Flange 10 is further provided with a pair of spring clip mounting recesses 2 in its perimeter to receive spring clips 9 that facilitate demountable mounting of a light diffuser/glazing panel 11 and any of a range of different decorative fascias 7a, 7b, 7c. The decorative fascias vary the appearance of the unit by altering the arrangement of the window aperture, e.g. to comprise one square opening, an array of round openings or a grid of four square openings.

One of the spring clip mounting recesses 2 also serves as a securing point for an earth cable 15 that is held by a screw 16 to a clip like formation 17 that seats against the mounting clip 2.

The unit is fronted by a front fascia/surround frame 8 which, like the LED lamp module 100, has spaced apart bolt receiving apertures 12 through which the main mounting bolts 4 extend. Indeed each of the decorative fascias 7a, 7b, 7c also has a small recess! cut-out 13 on each side edge for passage of the mounting bolts 4 therepassed.

Caps 14 are provided to disguise the heads of the mounting bolts 4 from the front, thereby enabling the whole assembly to be discretely assembled together with each of the surround/front fascia 8, lamp module 100 being pinned together and to the electrical mounting box 20 by the pair of mounting bolts 4.

Figure 8 shows the lamp module 1 with its transparent plastics moulding/housing 1 and assembled together with the glass diffuser panel 11 patterning fascia 7a, 7c and the main front frame/fascia 8 with its large rectangular window 8'. The bolts 4 secure the main front fascia/frame 8 and lamp module 1 together and extend down into threaded engagement with the threaded bolt receiving apertures 19 on the adjustable wings 21 of the back box 20. The pair of bolts 4 thus secure the whole assembly together.

An example of typical installation instructions for a case mounted lamp according to the present invention follows. Firstly, using the provided case mounted lamp module with its set of four white LEDs of mains voltage (240v) but low power (e.g. 1w) consumption and selecting a conventional standard size electrical mounting box/back box compatible with it (here suitably a one gang, 35mm depth back box), the installer should choose the required position for the casing mounted lamp while being wary of joists, water pipes and electrical cables, and install the back box in the chosen location. Connect the main supply cables to the terminal block of the lamp module while ensuring that there are no exposed conductors or trapped insulation.

The module must be earthed by attaching the earth lead to the circuit earth conductor using an approved terminal block. The casing mounted lamp assembly is then screwed in place by screwing the screws or bolts through the front fascia, through the module apertures and into the threaded screw/bolt receiving apertures of the back box, while ensuring that the cables are not trapped. The screw/bolt hole covers/caps are then inserted over the bolt/screw heads on the front fascia to provide an attractive finish to the front fascia and the main power supply is then switched on.

It will thus be appreciated that the present invention inter alia provides a novel method of installing lighting and a novel kit for adapting an electrical mounting box to function as a lamp casing and that is smart, compact and very economical both in parts and the way that it is installed.

Claims

Claims 1. A casing mounted lamp for safety, ambient, mood, task or effect

lighting and not being configured as an indicator light, and comprising at least one LED lamp mounted within a box of the type known as an electrical mounting box as normally used as a back box behind electrical sockets and switches to mount them to a wall.
2. A casing mounted lamp as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the casing mounted lamp has a front fascia that is secured to the electrical mounting box by screws or bolts that extend through the front of the front fascia into engagement with the screw/bolt mounting apertures of the electrical mounting box.
3. A casing mounted lamp as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the casing mounted lamp has a front fascia and the at least one LED lamp is provided in a module that couples to the front fascia by clips, screws or bolts or other fastening means.
4. A casing mounted lamp as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the LED lamp module couples to the front fascia by screws or bolts that secure the front fascia to the electrical mounting box.
5. A casing mounted lamp as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one LED lamp is provided in a module that includes an electrical power supply terminal.
6. A casing mounted lamp as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the at least one LED lamp is a mains voltage white LED.
7. A casing mounted lamp as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein there is an array of two or more said LED lamps.
8. A casing mounted lamp as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the casing mounted lamp has a front fascia defining a window that is substantially central of the fascia and occupies an area of the order of 15 percent or more of the area of the front fascia.
9. A casing mounting lamp module or assembly adapted to mount within a box of the type known as an electrical mounting box and comprising an LED lamp module the module or assembly having spaced apart screw/bolt mounting apertures spaced apart to correspond to the spacing apart of screw/bolt mounting apertures of a said electrical mounting box to be mounted thereto by screws/bolts passing through the apertures of the module or assembly and the electrical mounting box.
10. A casing mounting lamp module or assembly as claimed in Claim 9, which further comprises a fascia that couples to the module or assembly.
11. A fascia for a casing mounted lamp as claimed in any of claims I to 8 and having screw or bolt apertures therethrough for screws or bolts to pass therethrough to engage with an electrical mounting box.
12. A casing mounting lamp module substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
13. A casing mounted lamp substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
14. A method of installing a casing mounted lamp comprising providing an electrical mounting box, providing a fascia and a casing mounting lamp module or assembly adapted to mount within a said electrical mounting box and comprising an LED lamp, the fascia and the module or assembly having spaced apart screw/bolt mounting apertures spaced apart to correspond to the spacing apart of screw/bolt mounting apertures of a said electrical mounting box and fixing the fascia and lamp module or assembly to the electrical mounting box by passing screws/bolts through the apertures of the fascia and the module or assembly and into the apertures of the electrical mounting box.