GB2619345A

GB2619345A - Bottle in bottle

Info

Publication number: GB2619345A
Application number: GB2208137.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Davidson Paul
Original assignee: Trash Gallery Ltd
Current assignee: Trash Gallery Ltd
Priority date: 2022-06-01
Filing date: 2022-06-01
Publication date: 2023-12-06
Also published as: GB202208137D0

Abstract

The lamp comprises an outer bottle 104, an inner bottle 102 nested and secured within the outer bottle, a lamp holder 120 arranged to hold a light-emitting device 124 inside the inner bottle, and a cable 122 for supplying electrical power to the lamp holder. The outer bottle may comprise a base 106b with an opening 118 for the inner bottle. The cable may extend via an inter-bottle space 132 and through an outer bottle exit aperture 136. There may also be an inner bottle exit aperture 134, optionally in a shoulder 112a of the inner bottle. The inner bottle may be secured within the outer bottle by a contact surface (e.g., of the lamp holder) coupled to the cable and contacting the inner bottle. The cable may be coupled to a shoulder 112b of the outer bottle, e.g., by means of a hoisting member 138 optionally extending across a shoulder aperture 140.

Description

BOTTLE IN BOTTLE

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to lamps of the sort used in domestic or commercial settings, for example table lamps or ceiling light fixtures. In particular, the invention relates to lamps made from bottles.

Background

Up-cycling of bottles to make lamps is increasingly popular. Normally, to make a table lamp from a bottle a hole is drilled through the side wall of the bottle, usually near its base. An electrical cord passes through the hole and extends upwardly within the bottle to reach a lamp holder that is located atop its mouth. The other end of the cable that extends externally from the hole in the side wall of the bottle is typically wired to an electrical plug for connection to mains electricity. The lamp holder may be held in position by pulling the electrical cord taut and securing the electrical cord using a cord restraint where it exits the bottle to maintain tension in the electrical cord within the bottle. A lampshade may be fitted to the lamp holder or the neck of the bottle to provide protection to the light bulb 124 held by the lamp holder and to shade the light. However, the use of a shade is not always desirable, for example where a brighter light is required or where a lamp shade would be too cumbersome. It is also not always aesthetically desirable to incorporate a lampshade. However, without the lampshade the light bulb 124 is more vulnerable to damage or breakage, and may also cause a hazard due to the high temperatures that light bulbs can reach when switched on.

Bottle lamps may also come in the form of ceiling light fixtures. In this case, the bottle generally has its base removed and the lamp holder is located within the bottle. The power cable wired to the lamp holder exits the mouth of the bottle for connection to a power supply, usually mains electricity. The bottle in this case effectively acts as the lampshade and is supported on the lamp holder. However, the bottle may not provide adequate shading for the light bulb, and the bottle itself, being in close proximity to the light bulb, may heat up considerably, causing a hazard. The light bulb in such fixtures is also vulnerable to damage, and due to the light bulb pointing vertically downwardly the bottle does not provide particularly good shading of the light, with the light bulb directing the light directly out of the opening formed in the base of the bottle.

There is therefore an unmet need for alternative bottle lamp designs that overcome the drawbacks of known bottle lamps.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect, the invention provides a lamp. The lamp comprises an outer bottle, an inner bottle nested and secured within the outer bottle, a lamp holder arranged to hold a light-emitting device so that the light-emitting device is located inside the inner bottle, and a power cable electrically connected to the lamp holder for supplying electrical power to the lamp holder.

The inner and outer bottles may be formed from transparent or translucent material.

A proximal end of the power cable may be electrically connected to (e.g. wired to) the lamp holder. A distal end of the power cable may be located outside the outer bottle for connection to a power supply. The distal end of the power cable may be provided with, e.g. be wired to, an electrical plug.

The outer bottle may comprise a base having an opening formed therein for receiving the inner bottle.

The power cable may extend from the lamp holder into an inter-bottle space between the outer and inner bottles and may pass out of the outer bottle through an outer bottle exit aperture formed in the outer bottle. Put another way, the power cable may extend from the lamp holder through an inter-bottle space between the outer and inner bottles to pass out of the outer bottle through an outer bottle exit aperture formed in the outer bottle. The outer bottle exit aperture may be formed in the sidewall of the outer bottle.

The outer bottle exit aperture may be formed in a lower portion of the sidewall of the outer bottle, for example proximate to the base of the outer bottle.

The inner bottle may have an inner bottle exit aperture formed therein through which the lamp holder or the power cable extends into the inter-bottle space. The inner bottle exit aperture may be formed in the shoulder of the inner bottle.

The lamp may further comprise a contact surface that is coupled to the power cable and is arranged to contact an inner surface of the inner bottle when the power cable is under tension to exert an upward force on the inner bottle, thereby securing the inner bottle within the outer bottle.

The power cable may be arranged to pull the contact surface against the inner surface of the inner bottle when the power cable is pulled taut, for example by pulling it outwardly through the outer bottle exit aperture, to secure the inner bottle within the outer bottle.

The securing surface may be a surface of the lamp holder. For example, the inner bottle exit aperture may be dimensioned so that the lamp holder cannot pass fully therethrough The power cable may be arranged to extend from the lamp holder upwardly towards the shoulder of the outer bottle when under tension to exert the upward force on the inner bottle via the contact surface to secure the inner bottle within the outer bottle.

The power cable may extend downwardly away from the shoulder of the outer bottle through the inter-bottle space to reach and pass through the outer bottle exit aperture.

The power cable may be coupled (either directly or indirectly) to the shoulder of the outer bottle when under tension.

The lamp may further comprise a hoisting member. The hoisting member may be located in the vicinity of the shoulder of the outer bottle. The power cable may extend from the lamp holder upwardly towards the shoulder of the outer bottle when under tension to loop over the hoisting member.

The hoisting member may be a part of the shoulder of the outer bottle or may be coupled to the shoulder of the outer bottle.

The outer bottle may comprise a shoulder having a first shoulder aperture and a second shoulder aperture formed therein. The hoisting member may be a part or region of the shoulder of the outer bottle located between the first and second shoulder apertures.

The power cable may pass out of the outer bottle through the first shoulder aperture and may pass back into the outer bottle through the second shoulder aperture to loop over the part or region of the shoulder of the outer bottle located between the first and second shoulder apertures.

The outer bottle may comprise a shoulder having a shoulder aperture formed therein.

The hoisting member may be a member that extends across the shoulder aperture on the outside of the outer bottle. The hoisting member may be not fixedly attached to the shoulder of the outer bottle.

The hoisting member may be maintained in contact with the outside surface of the outer bottle by the power cable when the power cable is looped over the hoisting member and is under tension.

The hoisting member may be provided with a hook for retrieving the power cable from within the outer bottle through the shoulder aperture when assembling the lamp.

The hoisting member may be shaped to form a notch through which the power cable passes when the lamp is assembled and the power cable is under tension. For example, an end of the hoisting member may be shaped to form the hook.

The hoisting member may comprise a helical coil coupled to the shoulder of the outer bottle. The helical coil may be rotatable about its longitudinal axis. The helical coil may comprise a lower end forming a hook for gathering up the power cable. The helical coil may be rotatable about its longitudinal axis to progressively gather up the power cable.

The lamp holder may be dimensioned so that it can pass through the mouth of the inner bottle, for example to allow the installation of the light emitting device.

The lamp may further comprise a cable restraint configured to secure the power cable in place to maintain tension in the power cable to secure the inner bottle within the outer 2) bottle. The cable restraint may be configured to clamp onto the power cable and to engage with the outer bottle to maintain tension in the power cable, for example by preventing the power cable from being pulled inwardly through the outer bottle exit aperture. The cable restraint may be configured to reversibly secure the power cable to maintain tension in the power cable so that the securing surface remains pulled against the inner surface of the inner bottle to maintain the inner bottle within the outer bottle. The cable restraint may be configured to engage with the outer bottle by contacting the outer surface of the outer bottle.

The cable restraint may be configured to engage with the inner bottle to locate and support the inner bottle within the outer bottle.

The power cable may be provided with a switch. The switch may be located outside the outer bottle, for example along a length of the power cable on the power-supply side of the outer bottle exit aperture.

The lamp may further comprise a power cable anchor point protruding from the side wall of the outer bottle around which the power cable is able to loop.

The lamp holder may be removed from the inner bottle by releasing the cable restraint and allowing a length of the power cable to enter the outer bottle through the outer bottle exit aperture. This relieves the tension in the power cable, thereby allowing the inner bottle to be removed from the outer bottle and/or allowing the lamp holder to be removed from the inner bottle through the mouth of the inner bottle.

According to another aspect, the invention provides a kit of parts that can be assembled to provide a lamp in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, there is disclosed a container assembly comprising an outer bottle; an inner bottle nested and secured within the outer bottle; a hoisting cable; and a contact structure coupled to the hoisting cable, the contact structure comprising a contact surface configured to contact an inner surface of the inner bottle when the hoisting cable is under tension to exert an upward force on the inner bottle, thereby securing the inner bottle within the outer bottle. The hoisting cable may extend away from the contact structure to pass through an inter-bottle space between the outer and inner bottles and out of the outer bottle through an outer bottle exit aperture formed in the outer bottle.

Brief Description of Figures

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure I shows a cross-sectional view of a lamp in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 shows a top-down perspective view of the lamp shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of another lamp in accordance with the invention being disassembled.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the lamp shown in Figure 3 being reassembled.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a pin for use with a lamp in accordance with the invention.

Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of another lamp in accordance with the invention.

Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of another lamp in accordance with the invention.

Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the lamp shown in Figure 7 in a disassembled state.

Figure 9a shows a perspective view of a disassembled winding assembly that may be used in a lamp according to the invention.

Figure 9b shows a perspective view of an assembled winding assembly that may be used in a lamp according to the invention.

Figure 10a shows a cross-sectional view of another lamp in accordance with the invention incorporating the winding assembly illustrated in Figures 9a and 9b.

Figure 10b shows a cross-sectional view of the lamp shown in Fig. 10a after the power cable has been fully wound onto the winding assembly.

Figure 11 shows a cross-sectional view of a container assembly in accordance with the

present disclosure.

Unless otherwise stated, like reference numerals in separate drawings refer to the same or corresponding components.

Detailed Description

Referring to Fig. 1, a table lamp 100 in accordance with the present disclosure comprises an inner bottle 102 and an outer bottle 104. The inner 102 and outer 104 bottles may each comprise a base 106a, 106b, a sidewall 108a, 108b, a neck 110a, 110b, a shoulder I I 2a, I I 2b and a mouth 114a, 114b. The sidewall 108a, 1086 of each bottle extends generally upwardly between the base 106a, 106b and the shoulder I I 2a, 112b of the bottle. Although the sidewalls 108a, 108b of the bottles are shown as straight in Fig. 1 this need not be the case and the sidcwalls 108a, 108b of the bottles may be curved or contoured. The shoulder 112a, 112b of each bottle generally tapers inwardly to connect the sidewall 108a, 10813 to the neck 110a, 1 106 of the bottle. The neck 1 I0a, 110b extends upwardly from the shoulder I I2a, I I 2b of the bottle and at its upper end forms the mouth 114a, 114b of the bottle. The neck 110a, 110b of the bottle may comprise a finish, such as a threaded portion or collar. The mouth 114a, 114b of the bottle is generally defined by the rim 1 I6a, I I 6b that forms the top edge of the neck I I Oa, 110b of the bottle. The bottles 102, 104 are each preferably formed from a transparent or translucent material, for example glass or plastic, so that light may pass through and be diffused by the bottles. The bottles may be up-cycled, i.e. they may have been previously used for another purpose prior to being incorporated into the lamp, but this is not essential.

When the lamp 100 is assembled, as shown in Fig. 1, the inner bottle 102 is nested and secured within the outer bottle 104. The inner bottle 102 is therefore dimensioned to fit within the outer bottle 104. As shown in Fig. 1, the inner bottle 102 may be introduced into the outer bottle 104 through the base 106b of the outer bottle 104. The outer bottle 104 may therefore have an opening 118 formed in its base 10613 to receive the inner bottle 102. The opening 118 in the base 106b of the outer bottle 104 may be dimensioned so that the base 106a of the inner bottle 102 fits snugly within the perimeter of the opening 118, thereby substantially preventing movement of the base 106a of the inner bottle 102 when the lamp 100 is assembled and the inner bottle 102 is nested and secured within the outer bottle 104. The shape and dimensions of the opening 118 in the base 106b of the outer bottle 104 may therefore substantially match the shape and dimensions of the base 106a of the inner bottle 102, but still allow the inner bottle 102 to be received therethrough. When the lamp 100 is assembled, the inner 102 and outer 104 bottles stand in a substantially upright orientation, with their bases 106, 106b together forming the base of the lamp 100 and their necks 110a, 110b pointing upwardly. The side walls 108a, 108b of the inner 102 and outer 104 bottles may be substantially parallel to each other, as shown in Fig. 1.

The lamp 100 also comprises a lamp holder 120 electrically connected to a power cable 122 for providing electrical power to the lamp holder 120. The lamp holder 120 is configured to hold a light bulb 124 or other light emitting device (referred to hereinafter simply as the light bulb for brevity) and to supply the light bulb 124 with electrical power. The power cable 122 comprises a proximal end 126 and a distal end 128. The proximal end 126 of the power cable 122 is wired to the lamp holder 120 for providing power to the lamp holder 120. The distal end 128 of the power cable 122 is typically located outside the outer bottle 104 for connection to a power supply. The power cable 122 may be an electrical cord connected to an electrical plug 130 at its distal end for connection to a power supply, such as mains electricity. Alternatively, the power cable 122 may be connected or connectable at its distal end 128 to a power supply such as a battery, or may be directly wired to a mains power supply, for example if the lamp is a ceiling pendant light. As used herein, the term "lamp" is to be understood to simply mean a lighting unit, and encompasses table lamps and floor lamps as well as ceiling and wall lights or other lighting units.

The lamp holder 120 is located at least partially within the inner bottle 102 and is arranged to hold the light bulb 124 within or inside the inner bottle 102. In other words, when held by the lamp holder 120, the light bulb 124 is located inside the inner bottle 102. Locating the lamp holder 120, and therefore the light bulb 124 or other light emitting device, within the inner bottle 102 provides a number of advantages over known bottle lamps. Firstly, the light from the light bulb 124 is more effectively diffused by the walls of the two bottles 102, 104. This dispenses with the need for a separate shade, while providing a bright but more diffuse light. The isolation of the light bulb 124 from the outer bottle 104 by the inner bottle 102 also prevents the outer bottle 104 from becoming dangerously hot to the touch. The dual-bottle arrangement also provides enhanced protection to the light bulb 124, reducing the likelihood or breakage or damage to the light bulb 124.

The power cable 122 extends from the lamp holder 120 into the space 132 within the lamp 100 between the inner 102 and outer 104 bottles, specifically the space defined between the walls of the two bottles 102, 104. This space 132 is referred to as the "inter-bottle space". The power cable 122 may extend from the lamp holder 120 to pass out of the inner bottle 102 through an exit aperture 134 formed in the inner bottle 102, also referred to as the inner bottle exit aperture. Alternatively, the lamp holder 120 may sit within the exit aperture 134, extending through the exit aperture 134 so that a portion of the lamp holder 120 protrudes through the exit aperture 134 into the inter-bottle space 132 between the inner 102 and outer 104 bottles. The exit aperture 134 is preferably formed in the shoulder 112a of the inner bottle 102, as will become apparent from the following discussion of how the inner bottle 102 is secured within the outer bottle 104.

The power cable 122 then travels through the inter-bottle space 132 to exit the outer bottle 104 through an exit aperture 136 formed in the outer bottle 104, also referred to as the outer bottle exit aperture. The exit aperture 136 may be formed in the side wall 108b of the outer bottle 104, for example in a lower portion of the side wall 108b of the outer bottle 104 proximate to the base 106b of the outer bottle 104, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Alternatively, the exit aperture 136 may be formed elsewhere in the outer bottle 104, for example in the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104.

The inner bottle exit aperture 134 may be dimensioned so that the lamp holder 120 cannot pass fully through it. This means that, when the power cable 122 is pulled taut, for example by pulling the power cable outwardly through the outer bottle exit aperture 136, a surface of the lamp holder 120 (a contact surface) is pressed against an inner surface of the inner bottle 102, for example the rim of the inner bottle exit aperture 134. Alternatively, rather than the lamp holder 120 itself contacting an inner surface of the inner bottle 102, a separate contact surface may be coupled to the power cable 122, which contacts an inner surface of the inner bottle 102. For example, a disc may be coupled to the power cable 122 between the lamp holder 120 and the inner surface of the inner bottle 102, and the disc may act as the contact surface. If provided, the separate contact surface may be slidably or fixedly coupled to the power cable 122.

When the lamp 100 is assembled the power cable 122 is pulled taut so that it is under tension within the bottle. Specifically, the portion of the power cable 122 inside the outer bottle 104, or on the lamp-holder side of the outer bottle exit aperture 136, is pulled taught so it is under tension. This may be achieved by pulling the power cable 122 outwardly through the outer bottle exit aperture 136. The power cable 122 is arranged such that it extends from the lamp holder 120 in an upward direction towards the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 when under tension to exert an upward force on the inner bottle 102 via the contact surface to secure the inner bottle 102 within the outer bottle 104. This upward force presses an upper part of the inner bottle 102 against an inner surface of the outer bottle 104 to engage the inner bottle 102 with the outer bottle 104. In other words, the upward force maintains an upper part of the inner bottle 102 in contact with an inner surface of the outer bottle 104. For example, as illustrated in Fig. I, the lip 116a surrounding the mouth 114a of the inner bottle 102 may contact the inner surface of the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104. The upward force maintained on the inner bottle 102 by the tension in the power cable 122 secures the inner bottle 102 within the outer bottle 104 without the need for complex fixing mechanisms and the inner bottle 102 can simply slide out of the outer bottle 104 when tension in the power cable 122 is released and the power cable 122 is no longer pulled taut to allow the light bulb 124 to be installed or exchanged, as will be described in further detail below.

If the exit aperture 136 in the outer bottle 104 is formed in the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 the power cable 122 may extend from the exit aperture 134 formed in the inner bottle 102 towards the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 to exit from the outer bottle 104 through the exit aperture 136 formed in the outer bottle 104. This arrangement is not shown in the accompanying drawings, but is specifically contemplated. Alternatively, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the power cable 122 may extend from the lamp holder 120 upwardly towards the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 to loop over a member 138 (which may be referred to as the "hoisting member"), whereafter the power cable 122 may extend downwards in the inter-bottle space 132 between the inner 102 and outer 104 bottles to exit the outer bottle 104 through the exit aperture formed in the outer bottle 104. in this arrangement, when the power cable 122 is pulled taut by pulling it outwardly through the aperture formed in outer bottle 104 the inner bottle 102 is hoisted upwardly within the outer bottle 104 even though the aperture is located towards the bottom of the outer bottle 104, which is a more convenient and discrete exit point for the power cable 122 than the neck of the bottle, avoiding the need for the power cable 122 to trail down the outside of the outer bottle 104.

The hoisting member 138 over which the power cable 122 is looped is typically located in the vicinity of the shoulder of the outer bottle 104 and may take various forms.

Generally, the hoisting member 138 is supported on the shoulder of the outer bottle 104 in some way, or may be a part of the shoulder of the outer bottle 104.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the outer bottle 104 may have formed in its shoulder a shoulder aperture 140 across which the hoisting member 138 extends. The hoisting member 138 may, for example, be a pin 138 or other rigid member, but is referred to as a pin in the discussion that follows for brevity, and this is what is shown in Figs. 1 to 4. Nevertheless, the various features described in relation to the pin could be employed for other forms of rigid hoisting member. The pin 138 may extend across the shoulder aperture 140 to contact the outer surface of the outer bottle 104 on opposing sides of the shoulder aperture 140. The pin 138 need not be fixedly attached to the shoulder 1126 of the outer bottle 104, and may instead be held in position by being pressed against the outer surface of the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 by the power cable 122 when the power cable 122 is looped over the pin 138 and is pulled taut by pulling it outwardly through the exit aperture 136 in the outer bottle 104. in other words, the pin 138 may be held in contact with the outer surface of the outer bottle 104 by the tension in the power cable 122 that is looped over the pin 138 As best shown in Fig. 5, the pin 138 may be shaped to form a notch 142 towards its middle through which the power cable 122 passes when the lamp 100 is assembled and the power cable 122 is under tension. This helps to locate the power cable 122 and provides a more stable and secure locating of the inner bottle 102 within the outer bottle 104. An end of the pin 138 may be shaped to form a hook 144 for retrieving the power cable 122 from within the outer bottle 104 through the shoulder aperture 140 when assembling the lamp 100, as will be explained in further detail below. Referring again to Figs. I to 4, the hoisting member 138 may be tethered to the outer bottle 104 via a tether 146 to prevent it becoming misplaced when the lamp 100 is disassembled.

Alternatively, as shown in Figs. 6 to 8, the outer bottle 104 may have formed in its shoulder 112b a first shoulder aperture 140a and a second shoulder aperture 140b. The power cable 122 may extend from the lamp holder 120 to pass out of the outer bottle 104 through the first shoulder aperture 140a and to then pass back into the outer bottle 104 and into the inter-bottle space 132 through the second shoulder aperture 140b. In doing so, the power cable 122 loops over the part or region 148 of the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 located between the first 140a and second 140b shoulder apertures, and the hoisting member 138 in this case is the part 148 of the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 located between the first 140a and second 140b shoulder apertures.

Referring generally to the drawings, the lamp 100 further comprises a cable restraint 150 configured to reversibly secure the power cable 122 in place and to maintain tension in the power cable 122, thereby securing the inner bottle 102 within the outer bottle 104. The tension in the power cable 122 ensures that the securing surface remains pulled against the inner surface of the inner bottle 102, which maintains the upward force on the inner bottle 102, thereby maintaining the inner bottle 102 within the outer bottle 104. The cable restraint 150 may be configured to clamp onto or otherwise engage with the power cable 122 to prevent the power cable 122 from pulling through the exit aperture 136 formed in the outer bottle 104. The power cable 122 may engage with both the cable restraint 150 and the outer bottle 104 to secure the power cable 122 in place and to maintain tension in the portion of the power cable 122 on the lamp holder side of the cable restraint 150. As illustrated in Fig. 3 for example, the cable restraint 150 may comprise a cable clamping mechanism 152 arranged to clamp onto the power cable 122. The cable clamping mechanism 152 may comprise a screw-threaded mechanism that may be tightened, for example using a screwdriver, to clamp onto the power cable 122. Other cable clamping mechanisms are also possible though, as known to those skilled in the art, such as friction-fit collars or leaf-spring clamps that are released by applying a lateral force along the length of two leaf springs between which the power cable 122 is otherwise clamped.

The cable restraint 150 may also comprise a bottle engaging mechanism. Fig. 3 illustrates a cable restraint 150 that incorporates a cable clamping mechanism 152 comprising a screw thread mechanism, together with a bottle engaging mechanism. The bottle engaging mechanism comprises a clamp arm 154 that is pivotable to engage with the inner surface of the outer bottle 104. The clamp arm 154 may be pivoted into engagement with the sidewall 108b of the outer bottle 104 by tightening the screw-threaded mechanism of the cable clamping mechanism 152. Other means of engaging the cable restraint 150 with the outer bottle 104 are possible, such as simple contact of the cable restraint 150 with the outer surface of the outer bottle 104, as in the embodiments shown in Figs. 1 and 7.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the cable restraint 150 may be configured to insert into the exit aperture 136 of the outer bottle 104, and may further be configured to engage with the inner bottle 102 to provide further support to the inner bottle 102. For example, the inner bottle 102 may have a securing aperture 156 formed in its sidewall 108a, preferably in a lower portion of the sidewall 108a, configured to receive a portion of the cable restraint 150. The securing aperture 156 may be dimensioned engage with the cable restraint 150, for example by a friction fit. In this way, the cable restraint 150 al so helps to restrict movement of the lower portion of the inner bottle 102 within the outer bottle 104.

With reference again to Fig. 1, the power cable 122 may be provided with a switch 158 for controlling the supply of electrical power to the lamp holder 120. The switch 158 is generally disposed along the portion of the cable external to the outer bottle 104 on the power-supply side of the cable restraint 150.

With reference to Figs. 7 and 8, the lamp 100 may further comprise a power cable anchor point 160 protruding from the side wall of the outer bottle 104 around which the power cable 122 is able to loop. For example, the power cable 122 may pass out of the outer bottle 104 through the shoulder I 12b of the outer bottle 104 (e.g. through one of the shoulder apertures 140, 140a, 140b) to loop around the cable anchor point 160, and may then re-enter the outer bottle 104 through the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 (e.g. through one of the shoulder apertures 140, 140a, 140b). The looping of the power cable 122 around the cable anchor point 160 accommodates a sufficient length of power cable 122 to allow the inner bottle 102 to slide out of the outer bottle 104 while permitting the switch 158 to be located relatively close to the bottles 102, 104 that form the main part of the lamp 100. This feature is particularly useful when the power cable 122 is coupled with the shoulder 1126 of the outer bottle 104 by looping it through two shoulder apertures 140a, 140b, as illustrated in Fig. 7. This is because the power cable 122 remains coupled to the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 by being looped over the region 148 of the outer bottle between the shoulder apertures I40a, 1406 when the inner bottle 102 is removed from the outer bottle 104. This means that a substantial length of power cable would need to pass into the outer bottle 104 through the outer bottle exit aperture 136 to remove the inner bottle 102. Instead, the length of the power cable 122 that is looped around the anchor point 160 provides a sufficient length of cable to allow the inner bottle 102 to slide out of the outer bottle 104 without requiring such a long length of cable to pass into the outer bottle 104 through the outer bottle exit aperture 136. This means that the length of power cable 122 between the outer bottle 104 and the switch 158 may advantageously be reduced while still allowing the inner bottle 102 to be removed from the outer bottle 104.

When the lamp 100 is assembled, the portion of the power cable 122 between the cable restraint 150 and the lamp holder 120 is under tension. This tension maintains an upwardly directed force on the inner bottle 102 via the contact surface, which may be a surface of the lamp holder 120, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 6 and 7. In turn, this upward force maintains the inner bottle 102 in place within the outer bottle 104 by pressing a portion of the inner bottle 102 against the inner surface of the outer bottle 104. The upward force exerted on the inner bottle 102 prevents the inner bottle 102 from sliding out of the outer bottle 104 through the opening in the base of the outer bottle 104.

To disassemble the lamp 100, for example to change the light bulb 124 or to clean the inside of the lamp 100, the tension in the power cable 122 is released by releasing the cable restraint 150 so it no longer holds the power cable 122 in place. This may be done by unscrewing the screw-thread mechanism that clamps onto the power cable 122, for example, or otherwise releasing the cable clamping mechanism 152. This allows a length of the power cable 122 to pass through the exit aperture 136 in the outer bottle 104, thus causing the length of the power cable 122 inside the outer bottle 104 (i.e. the length of the power cable 122 on the lamp holder side of the exit aperture 136 in the outer bottle 104) to become slack, allowing the inner bottle 102 to slide downwardly out of the outer bottle 104. The lamp holder 120 may then pass out of the inner bottle 102 through the mouth 114a of the inner bottle 102 to allow the light bulb 124 to be changed, as shown in Fig 8.

The exact manner in which the inner bottle 102 is taken out of the outer bottle 104 depends on how the power cable 122 is coupled to the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104. Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, which illustrate an embodiment in which the power cable 122 is coupled to the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 via a pin 138 that extends across the shoulder aperture 140 in the outer bottle 104, the pin 138 may be lifted way from the bottle to pull a loop of the power cable 122 through the shoulder aperture in the outer bottle 104 once the cable restraint is released so that it no longer clamps onto the power cable 122. The pin 138 may then be separated from the loop of the power cable 122 protruding from the shoulder aperture 140. This loop of power cable then passes into the outer bottle 104 through the shoulder aperture 140 as the inner bottle 102 is removed from the outer bottle 104. If the cable restraint 150 also engages with the inner bottle 102, as shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the cable restraint 150 may need to be disengaged from the inner bottle 102 before the inner bottle 102 can slide out of the outer bottle 104, for example by withdrawing the cable restraint 150 from the securing aperture 156 in the inner bottle 102. It is not always necessary to remove the inner bottle 102 from the outer bottle 104 to change the light bulb 124, and the lamp holder 120 may pass through the mouths 114a, 114b of the inner 102 and outer 104 bottles to allow the light bulb 124 to be exchanged for another. This may be done by simply inverting the bottles 102, 104 so that the lamp holder 120 falls out of the mouths 114a, 114b of the bottles 102, 104. When the lamp 100 is to be reassembled the inner bottle 102 is reinserted into the outer bottle 104 through opening 118 and the hook 144 provided at one end of the pin 138 may be used to pull a loop of the power cable 122 through the shoulder aperture 140, as shown in Fig. 4. The pin 138 is then repositioned across the shoulder aperture with the power cable 122 looped over it. The power cable 122 is then pulled taut by pulling it outwardly through the exit aperture 136 in the outer bottle 104 and is secured in place by engaging the cable restraint 150 with the power cable 122 to secure the power cable 122 in place.

Referring to Figs 7 and 8, if the power cable 122 is coupled to the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 by looping it through two shoulder apertures 140a, 140b, the lamp 100 may be disassembled by releasing the cable restraint 150 to release the tension in the power cable 122, and then allowing a sufficient length of the power cable 122 to pass into the outer bottle 104 through the exit aperture 136 formed in the outer bottle 104 to allow the inner bottle 102 to be removed from the outer bottle 104, as shown in Fig. 8.

Again, the lamp holder 120 may then be removed from the inner bottle through the mouth 114a of the inner bottle 102 to allow the light bulb 124 to be changed. The lamp 100 may then be reassembled by reinserting the inner bottle 102 into the outer bottle 104 through opening 118 and pulling the power cable 122 outwardly through the exit aperture 136 in the outer bottle 104 until it is taut and the securing surface is engaged with the inner surface of the inner bottle 102. The power cable 122 is then secured in place by engaging the cable restraint 150 with the power cable 122.

Referring to Figures 9a, 9b, 10a and lob, a lamp 100 in accordance with the invention may comprise a winding assembly 162 coupled to the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104. The winding assembly 162 comprises a coil 164 and may also comprise a support pin 166. The coil 164 spirals about and extends along its longitudinal axis. The coil 164 may therefore be described as substantially helical, and may be referred to as a substantially helical coil, or simply a helical coil. The coil 164 may serve as the hoisting member, and the hoisting member may therefore be or comprise the coil 164. The coil 164 may be located substantially within the outer bottle 104. in particular, its longitudinal axis may be located inside the outer bottle 104 adjacent to the inner surface of the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104. The helical coil 164 is also generally located adjacent, and substantially above, the exit aperture 134 of the inner bottle 102.

The coil 164 is rotatable about its longitudinal axis, as illustrated by arrows 168 in Figs. 9a and 9b, and its longitudinal axis may extend upwardly adjacent to the shoulder 1126 of the outer bottle 104 from a bottom end 170 of the coil 164 to a top end 172 of the coil 164. Put another way, the bottom end 170 of the coil 164 may be located closer to the sidewall 108b of the outer bottle 104 than the upper end 172 of the coil 164 and the upper end 172 of the coil 164 may be located closer to the neck 110b of the outer bottle 104 than the lower end 170 of the coil 164. However, the coil may be arranged in a different orientation, and the bottom 170 and top 172 ends of the coil 164 may simply be referred to as the first and second ends, respectively.

The support pin 166 engages with the outer bottle 104 and passes longitudinally through the helical coil 164 to couple the coil 164 to the outer bottle 104 so that the coil 164 may rotate about its longitudinal axis. For example, the support pin 166 may engage with the outer bottle 104 at each of its two ends I74a, I74b, with a middle portion 176 of the support pin 166 passing through the coil 164, as shown in Figs. 9b, 10a and lob.

As illustrated in Figs. 10a and 10b, the outer bottle 104 may have first 140a and second 140b shoulder apertures formed in its shoulder 112b. The middle portion 176 of the support pin 166 may be located adjacent to the inner surface of the shoulder 112b of the outer bottle 104 inside the outer bottle 104, and each of the two ends 174a, 174b of the support pin 166 may be shaped to pass through a respective one of the shoulder apertures 140a, 140b to engage with the outer bottle 104. For example, the two ends 174a, 174b of the support pin 166 may be shaped to clip onto the rim of the respective shoulder aperture 140a. 140b through which it passes. However, it is possible for the coil 164 to be supported in alternative ways and more generally the winding assembly 162 may be said to comprise a helical coil 164 coupled to the shoulder 1126 of the outer bottle 104 so that it may rotate about its longitudinal axis.

The bottom end 170 of the helical coil 164, closest to the sidewall 108b of the outer bottle 104, forms a hook 178. The bottom end 170 of the helical coil 164 spirals radially outwardly to form the hook 178. Put another way, the radius of the helical coil 164 may increase towards its bottom end 170 to form the hook 178. The hook 178 is configured to progressively gather up the power cable 122, as shown in Figs. 10a and 10b. The coil 164 may be rotated by hand, as shown in Figs. 9a and 9b, to gather up the power cable 122. The hook 178 may be configured to gather up the power cable 122 when the power cable 122 is resting against the outer surface of the inner bottle 102 when the inner bottle 102 is fully inserted into the outer bottle 104. Therefore, the hook 178 may be configured to contact the outer surface of the shoulder of the inner bottle when the coil 164 is rotated to hook 178 under and gather up the power cable. As the coil 164 progressively gathers up the power cable 122, gathering up a further portion of the power cable 122 on each turn of the coil 164, the contact surface (e.g. the lamp holder 120) is drawn towards the inner bottle exit aperture 134, eventually pulling the contact surface against the inner surface of the inner bottle 102 to secure the inner bottle 102 within the outer bottle 104. The winding assembly 162 therefore provides a means for carefully and controllably increasing tension in the power cable 122 one the cable restraint 150 has been engaged with the power cable 122. The progressive gathering up of the power cable 122 by the coil 164 also causes the power cable 122 to extend from the exit aperture 134 of the inner bottle in a progressively more vertical direction, more effectively pulling the inner bottle 102 upwardly within the outer bottle 104, as shown in Fig. lob.

The lamp may be provided in assembled form, or may be provided as a kit of parts that may be assembled to provide a lamp in accordance with the invention. The kit of parts may comprise the component parts of the lamp as described herein in various states of assembly.

Referring to Fig. 11, although the above discussion has focussed on a lamp, the same principles may be applied to secure an inner bottle 102 within an outer bottle 104 for other purposes, for example storage, where the double-walled structure is desired. In particular, the inner bottle 102 may serve as a storage receptacle for various materials or items. In this case, instead of a "lamp", the invention provides a "container assembly" or "storage assembly" 200, and the power cable 122 may be replaced by a hoisting or securing cable 222. Clearly, in these embodiments a lamp holder is not required, and the lamp holder 120 may be replaced by any other suitable structure providing the contact surface, for example a bead or toggle, as illustrated in Fig. 11. Therefore, rather than a power cable 122 and a lamp holder, the storage assembly may simply comprise a hoisting cable 222 coupled to a contact structure 220 comprising a contact surface configured as discussed previously in relation to the lamp 100, i.e. to contact an inner surface of the inner bottle 202. In other words, rather than the lamp holder 120, the container assembly 200 may comprise a contact structure 220 that is coupled to the hoisting cable 222 and comprises a contact surface arranged to contact an inner surface of the inner bottle 202 when the hoisting cable 222 is under tension to exert an upward force on the inner bottle 202, thereby securing the inner bottle 202 within the outer bottle 204. The cable restraint 250 may be coupled to the distal end 228 of the hoisting cable 222, and may contact the outer surface of the outer bottle 204 to prevent the distal end 228 of the hoisting cable from being pulled inwardly through the exit aperture 236 in the outer bottle 204 when the hoisting cable 222 is under tension. The cable restraint 250 may therefore be either fixedly or reversibly attached to the hoisting cable 222. in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. II, the cable restraint 250 is fixedly attached to the distal end 228 of the hoisting cable and the inner bottle 202 is removed from the outer bottle 204 by unwinding the winding assembly 262 to release the hoisting cable 222 from the helical coil 264. The hoisting cable 222 has a length such that the cable restraint 250 contacts the outer bottle 204 and the contact structure 220 contacts the inner bottle 202 when the hoisting cable 222 is gathered up by the winding assembly 262 to its maximum extent. Otherwise, the same principles apply for the container assembly 200 as for the lamp embodiments discussed above. The container assembly may therefore be described in an analogous manner to the lamp 100, replacing the power cable 122 with a hoisting cable 222 and the lamp holder 120 with a contact structure 220.

The description of the invention provided above is intended to introduce various aspects and features of the invention in a non-limiting manner. For clarity and brevity, features and aspects of the invention may be described in the context of particular embodiments. However, it should be understood that features of the invention that are described only in the context of one or more embodiments may be employed in the invention in the absence of other features of those embodiments, particularly where there is no inextricable functional interaction between those features. Even where some functional interaction between the features of an embodiment is discernible, it is to be understood that those features are not inextricably linked if the embodiment would still fulfil the requirements of the invention without one or more of those features being present. Thus, where features are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, those features may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination. it should also be noted that features that are described in the context of separate aspects and embodiments of the invention may be used together and/or be interchangeable wherever possible. It is also to be understood that all disclosed optional features, values and ranges may be combined with any other optional features, values and ranges in any suitable combination and it should therefore be understood that all such combinations are therefore disclosed. For example, individual features may be extracted from a plurality of lists of features and combined, and all such combinations are to be understood to be disclosed herein. Features described in connection with the invention in different contexts (e.g. method, product) may each have corresponding features definable and/or combinable with respect to each other, and these embodiments are specifically envisaged.

Claims

Claims 1. A lamp comprising: an outer bottle; an inner bottle nested and secured within the outer bottle; a lamp holder arranged to hold a light-emitting device so that the light-emitting device is located inside the inner bottle, and a power cable electrically connected to the lamp holder for supplying electrical power to the lamp holder.
2. A lamp according to claim 1, wherein a proximal end of the power cable is electrically connected to the lamp holder and a distal end of the power cable is located outside the outer bottle for connection to a power supply.
3. A lamp according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the outer bottle comprises a base having an opening formed therein for receiving the inner bottle.
4. A lamp according to any preceding claim wherein the power cable extends from the lamp holder into an inter-bottle space between the outer and inner bottles and passes out of the outer bottle through an outer bottle exit aperture formed in the outer bottle.
5. A lamp according to claim 4, wherein the inner bottle has an inner bottle exit aperture formed therein through which the lamp holder or the power cable extends into the inter-bottle space.
6. A lamp according to claim 5, wherein the inner bottle exit aperture is formed in the shoulder of the inner bottle.
7. A lamp according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising a contact surface that is coupled to the power cable and is arranged to contact an inner surface of the inner bottle when the power cable is under tension to exert an upward force on the inner bottle, thereby securing the inner bottle within the outer bottle.
8. A lamp according to claim 7 wherein the securing surface is a surface of the lamp holder.
9. A lamp according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the power cable is arranged to extend from the lamp holder upwardly towards the shoulder of the outer bottle when under tension to exert the upward force on the inner bottle via the contact surface to secure the inner bottle within the outer bottle.
10. A lamp according to claim 9, wherein the power cable extends downwardly away from the shoulder of the outer bottle through the inter-bottle space to reach and pass through the outer bottle exit aperture.
11. A lamp according to any preceding claim, wherein the power cable is coupled to the shoulder of the outer bottle when under tension.
12. A lamp according to any preceding claim further comprising a hoisting member, wherein the power cable extends from the lamp holder upwardly towards the shoulder of the outer bottle when under tension to loop over the hoisting member.
13. A lamp according to claim 12, wherein the hoisting member is a part of the shoulder of the outer bottle or wherein the hoisting member is coupled to the shoulder of the outer bottle.
14. A lamp according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the outer bottle comprises a shoulder having a first shoulder aperture and a second shoulder aperture formed therein, and wherein the hoisting member is a part of the shoulder of the outer bottle located between the first and second shoulder apertures.
A lamp according to claim 14, wherein the power cable passes out of the outer bottle through the first shoulder aperture and passes back into the outer bottle through the second shoulder aperture to loop over the part of the shoulder of the outer bottle located between the first and second shoulder apertures.
16. A lamp according to claim 12, wherein the outer bottle comprises a shoulder having a shoulder aperture formed therein, and wherein the hoisting member is a member that extends across the shoulder aperture.
17. A lamp according to claim 16, wherein the hoisting member is not fixedly attached to the shoulder of the outer bottle.
I8. A lamp according to claim 17, wherein the hoisting member is maintained in contact with the outside surface of the outer bottle by the power cable when the power cable is looped over the hoisting member and is under tension.
19. A lamp according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the hoisting member is provided with a hook for retrieving the power cable from within the outer bottle through the shoulder aperture when assembling the lamp.
20. A lamp according to any one of claims 12 to 19 wherein the hoisting member is shaped to form a notch through which the power cable passes when the lamp is assembled and the power cable is under tension.
21. A lamp according to claim 12, wherein the hoisting member comprises a helical coil coupled to the shoulder of the outer bottle, the helical coil being rotatable about its longitudinal axis to progressively gather up the power cable.
22. A lamp according to any preceding claim wherein the lamp holder is dimensioned to pass through the mouth of the inner bottle.
23. A lamp according to any preceding claim, further comprising a cable restraint configured to secure the power cable in place to maintain tension in the power cable, optionally wherein the cable restraint is configured to clamp onto the power cable and to engage with the outer bottle to maintain tension in the power cable.
24. A lamp according to claim 23, wherein the cable restraint is configured to engage with the inner bottle to locate and support the inner bottle within the outer bottle.
25. A kit of parts that can be assembled to provide a lamp according to any preceding claim.