NZ589561A

NZ589561A - Downlight housing for use in a concrete slab, the housing having a pocket for a transformer associated with a downlight fitting

Info

Publication number: NZ589561A
Application number: NZ589561A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Phillip John Butler; Gregory Wallis
Original assignee: Phillip John Butler; Gregory Wallis
Priority date: 2009-11-26
Filing date: 2010-11-26
Publication date: 2011-06-30
Also published as: AU2010246459B2; AU2010246459A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a downlight housing for use in a concrete ceiling slab. The housing includes a hollow container for holding a downlight fitting and a transformer receiving receptacle connected to the container for holding a transformer for the downIight. The receptacle is formed integrally with the container. In use, both a downIight fitting and an associated transformer can be held in the one housing.

Description

10059252295* ;ORIGINAL ;NEW ZEALAND ;INTEy-|CTUAL PROPERTY | OFFICE OF N Z. ;2 6 NOV 2010 ;RECEIV E Dl ;COMPLETE SPECIFICATION ;Invention title: ;"DOWNLIGHT HOUSING" ;Applicant: ;PHILLIP JOHN BUTLER and GREGORY ;WALLIS ;Associated Provisional Application No.: 2009905788 ;The following statement is a full description of the invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: ;2 ;"DOWNLIGHT HOUSING" ;Field of the Invention ;The present invention relates to a downlight housing and relates particularly, 5 though not exclusively, to a downlight housing designed for use in a concrete slab. ;Background to the Invention ;Downlights are recessed light fittings which are installed into hollow openings 10 in ceilings. There are a number of different types of downlights on the market with halogen downlights being a popular choice due to the good quality of light they emit and their long globe life. Halogen downlights are low voltage and therefore require an associated transformer for their operation. ;Downlights can be fitted into plasterboard ceilings relatively easily by cutting a 15 hole in the ceiling and inserting the downlight into the hole. The associated transformer is placed in close proximity to the downlight, for example, by securing the transformer on a nearby rafter in the ceiling space. ;However, the positioning of downlights in concrete ceilings is more difficult and requires the placing of canisters on formwork in the correct locations prior 20 to the pouring of concrete. Once the concrete has been poured, the canisters form the hollow openings into which the downlights may be inserted. There is a tendency for the walls of some canisters to warp or collapse under the weight of the poured concrete. Known canisters are of relatively simple tubular design and hold a downlight fitting but not an associated transformer. The 25 result is that a transformer has to be placed some distance away from the corresponding downlight in a suitable ceiling space. This results in a more complex wiring operation with long leads often required to be run from the location of the downlight to a free ceiling space. A further difficulty with this arrangement is that a ceiling space can become crowded with many 30 transformers, such that if there is a need to locate a problem with a particular downlight it is difficult to trace which is the correct associated transformer. ;RECEIVED at IPONZ on 5 May 2011 ;3 ;There is now a range of different types of downlights available on the market and a further problem encountered with known downlight canisters is that they are not able to hold ail types of downlights. For example, a popular design of downlight is known as a "mousetrap" since it has a pair of spring loaded clips 5 on the outer casing of the downlight fitting which are used to secure the downlight into position, but there is presently no design of downlight canister which is readily able to hold a "mousetrap" type downlight. ;The present invention was developed with a view to providing a downlight housing that can be easily placed on formwork and which can hold not only a 10 downlight but also its associated transformer. Advantageously the downlight housing can also retain a downlight fitting with a double spring clip, such as the "mousetrap" design, although this is not essential to the invention. ;References to prior art in this specification are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not to be taken as an admission that such prior art is 15 part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere. ;Summary of the Invention ;According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a downlight housing for use in a concrete ceiling slab, the housing comprising: ;a hollow container for holding a downlight fitting; and, ;20 a transformer receiving receptacle connected to the container for holding a transformer for the downlight, the receptacle being formed integral with the container, wherein, in use, both a downlight fitting and an associated transformer can be held in the one housing. ;Preferably the hollow container is substantially cylindrical in shape and 25 elongate, having an open mouth at one end for receiving the downlight therein, and sealed at the other end to prevent the ingress of concrete during pouring of the slab. Typically an aperture is provided in a wall of the container for allowing electrical wiring to pass through to supply power to the downlight. ;In one preferred form of the invention the transformer receiving receptacle is 30 in the shape of an elongate hollow rectangular prism which is connected at ;RECEIVED at IPONZ on 5 May 2011 ;4 ;one end to a side wall of the container. Preferably the receptacle opens into the hollow interior of the container through a rectangular opening provided in the side wall of the container. Preferably the other end of the receptacle is closed with an end plate. Typically the end plate is manufactured separately 5 from the housing and is fixed to the other end of the receptacle during the manufacturing process. ;Advantageously a transformer associated with the downlight can be inserted into the receptacle through the opening in the side wail of the container. Preferably the transformer receiving receptacle is connected to the container 10 at an acute angle wherein, in use, when a transformer is placed in the receptacle it will be drop down into the receptacle by force of gravity. Preferably the receptacle is connected to the container at an angle of between about 45° to 90° to the longitudinal axis of the container. More preferably the receptacle is connected to the container at an angle of about 65° to the 15 longitudinal axis of the container. ;Preferably the housing further comprises a bracing plug adapted to be temporarily received in the open mouth of the hollow container for bracing the wall of the container during pouring of the concrete. Preferably the bracing plug comprises an annular body having an outside diameter substantially 20 equal to the inside diameter of the mouth of the hollow container, the annular body having a cylindrical bracing wall arranged about its outer circumference which engages the inner surface of the wall of the container and supports it against the weight of the poured concrete. ;Preferably the hollow container comprises a protrusion provided on an inner 25 surface of the container for engaging with a downlight fitting held in the container. Preferably the protrusion is one of a pair of protrusions provided on diametrically opposite sides of the container. Typically each protrusion takes the form of a lug wherein, in use, a pair of clips provided on the downlight fitting engage with a respective lug to retain the downlight fitting in the 30 housing. ;Typically the housing is manufactured from an injection moulded polymer. ;5 ;Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. Likewise the word 5 "preferably" or variations such as "preferred", will be understood to imply that a stated integer or group of integers is desirable but not essential to the working of the invention. ;Brief Description of the Drawings ;The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following 10 detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the downlight housing, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: ;Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a downlight housing according to the present invention; ;15 Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the downlight housing of Figure 1 looking upwards into the mouth of the housing; ;Figure 3 is a section view through the line A-A of the downlight housing of Figure 1 in situ after the concrete has been poured and set, showing the location of the downlight fitting and the associated transformer held in the 20 housing; ;Figures 4 (a), (b) and (c) are a top plan view, a section view through the line A-A in (a), and a side view respectively of a preferred embodiment of a bracing plug for the downlight housing of Figure 1; ;Figure 5 is a top perspective view of the bracing plug of Figure 4; ;25 Figures 6 (a), (b), (c) are a top plan view, a side view and a section view through line A-A respectively of the downlight housing of Figure 1, incorporating the bracing plug of Figure 4 and showing the relative angles and dimensions of the downlight housing; and ;RECEIVED at IPONZ on 5 May 2011 ;6 ;Figures 7 (a), (b) and (c) are front view, a top perspective view and a bottom perspective view of the downlight housing of Figure 6. ;Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments ;A preferred embodiment of the downlight housing 10 in accordance with the 5 invention, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 7, comprises a hollow container 12 for holding a downlight fitting 14, and a transformer receiving receptacle or pocket 16 connected to the container 12 for holding a transformer 18 for the downlight. Advantageously both the downlight fitting 14 and the associated transformer 18 can be held, in use, in the one housing 10. ;10 Preferably the hollow container 12 takes the form of an elongate canister and is substantially cylindrical in shape. The canister 12 has an open mouth at one end 20 for receiving the downlight fitting 14 therein, and is sealed at the other end 22 to prevent the ingress of concrete during pouring of the slab. Typically a cable aperture 24 is provided in a wall of the canister 12 for allowing 15 electrical wiring to pass through to supply electrical power to the downlight via the transformer 18. The cable aperture 24 is shown as a single opening in the Figures but there could of course be a number of apertures in the wall of the canister 12 to allow for the passage of a number of separate wires or conduits as required. As an option the cable apertures could be provided as 20 one or more "knock outs" so that apertures may be formed as necessary. ;In the illustrated embodiment the pocket 16 is in the shape of an elongate hollow rectangular prism which is connected at one end to a side wall of the canister 12. Preferably the pocket 16 opens into the hollow interior of the canister through a rectangular opening 26 provided in the side wall of the 25 canister 12, as can be seen most clearly in Figure 2. Preferably the other end of the pocket is sealed with an end plate 28. The end plate 28 is typically manufactured separately from the housing 10 and is slotted into the end of the pocket prior to use. Alternatively the end plate 28 may be fixed to the outer end of the pocket 16 during the manufacturing process using a suitable 30 adhesive. ;7 ;Advantageously the transformer 18 associated with the downlight fitting 14 can be inserted into the pocket 16 through the opening 26 in the side wall of the canister 12. Preferably the pocket 16 is connected to the container at an acute angle wherein, in use, when a transformer 18 is placed in the pocket 16 5 it will be dropped down into the pocket 16 by force of gravity, as can be seen most clearly in Figure 3. Typically the pocket 16 is at an angle of about 25° to horizontal, (65° to the longitudinal axis of the canister 12) as can best be seen in Figure 6(b). However the pocket 16 may be positioned at any suitable angle and an angle of between about 45° to 90° to the longitudinal axis of the 10 canister 12 would be most suitable. As noted above, the sloping of the pocket 16 at an angle to the canister 12 is preferred since it allows the transformer to readily slide into the pocket 16, making installation quick and easy. ;Preferably the hollow container or canister 12 further comprises a protrusion 15 30 provided on an inner surface of the canister for engaging with the downlight fitting 14 held in the canister 12. In this embodiment the protrusion is one of a pair of protrusions, each protrusion taking the form of a lug 30, provided on diametrically opposite sides of the canister 12. In the illustrated embodiment the downlight fitting 14 is of the "mousetrap" design, having a pair of clips 32 20 on each side which normally engage with the ceiling material to hold the downlight fitting 14 in place. In this case, however, where the downlight fitting 14 is held in a concrete canister 12, the pair of clips 32 provided on the downlight fitting 14 engages with a respective lug 30 to retain the downlight fitting 14 in the housing 10, as shown in Figure 3. Advantageously each lug 30 25 is of triangular shape, as can be seen most clearly in Figures 2 and 3, with the angle of slope of the two sides of the lug selected so that the clips 32 can readily ride over the lugs 30 during insertion and removal of the downlight fitting 14. ;Preferably the canister 12 of the downlight housing 10 is provided with a 30 plurality of mounting tabs 34 on its exterior, adjacent the open end 20, for mounting the housing 10 on wooden formwork 35 prior to the pouring of ;8 ;concrete for the slab. The housing 10 is typically fixed in place on the formwork 35 with suitable fasteners 37 (screws, nails) attached to the mounting tabs 34. Reinforcing material in the form of steel bars 36 (or steel mesh) is usually situated on the formwork 35 and the canisters 12 are 5 positioned between the gaps in the steel bars 36 as shown in Figure 1. ;With some models of downlight, it may be necessary to provide a suitable heat-shield 38 within the canister 12, to provide a thermal insulation layer between the downlight and the remainder of the hollow interior of the housing. The heat-shield 38 is typically made from a suitable thermal insulating material 10 and is held within the canister by a friction fit, as shown in broken outline in Figure 3. ;Preferably the pocket 16 is formed integral with the container 12 and is manufactured from an injection moulded polymer. The hollow container 12 and the pocket 16 of the housing 10 can be made of any suitable size as 15 required. However a typical internal diameter of the container is around 95mm, and a typical internal height of the pocket is about 55mm. These dimensions allow for the positioning in the housing 10 of the usual sized standard downlights and standard transformers. ;Depending on the design of the canister 12 the cylindrical wall may buckle or 20 warp under the weight of the concrete during pouring of the slab. In order to strengthen the wall of the hollow container 12, a bracing plug 40 is preferably provided, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. The bracing plug 40 is adapted to be temporarily received in the open mouth 20 of the hollow container 12, as can be seen most clearly in Figures 6 (c) and 7 (c), for bracing the wall of the 25 container during pouring of the concrete. In this embodiment the bracing plug 40 comprises an annular body 42 having a maximum outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of the mouth 20 of the hollow container 12. ;As can be seen most clearly in Figures 4 (c) and 5, the annular body 42 has a 30 substantially cylindrical bracing wall 44 arranged about its outer circumference. The outer surface of the bracing wall 44 engages the inner ;9 ;surface of the cylindrical wall of the container 12 and supports it against the weight of the poured concrete. The outer surface of the bracing wall 44 is in fact slightly conical in shape with an inwards slope of approximately 1° to the vertical, rising from a maximum outside diameter of approximately 94.7mm at 5 the bottom to a minimum outside diameter of approximately 94.4mm at the top. Hence when the plug 40 is received in the mouth 20 of the canister 12 it is wedged into the open mouth 20 in a tight friction fit. ;The annular body 42 has an internal diameter of approximately 50mm. Preferably a plurality of triangular-shaped webs 46 are provided extending 10 from a base 48 of the annular body 42 to an inner surface of the bracing wall 44. The webs 46 strengthen the bracing wall 44 and help to further support the cylindrical wall of the canister 12 against the weight of the poured concrete. ;A preferred method of installing the housing 10 and the downlight fitting 14 with its associated transformer 18 will now be briefly described with reference 15 to Figures 1 and 3 of the accompanying drawings. The bracing plug 40 is first placed in the mouth of the hollow container 12. Then the housing 10 is placed in the correct location on the formwork for the concrete slab, as shown in Figure 1, and fixed in place with suitable fasteners received through the mounting tabs 34. A conduit for piping electrical cabling to the housing 10 20 may be located in the cable aperture 24, (see Figure 3} and the canister 12 is then ready for the pouring of concrete. Once the concrete 25 has been poured and set, the formwork is removed and the plug 40 is removed leaving the mouth 20 of the canister 12 exposed in the ceiling, as shown in Figure 3. The transformer 18 can then be inserted in the pocket 16 manually by placing the 25 hand up through the mouth 20 of the canister, after the appropriate electrical connections have been made by a suitably qualified person. The downlight fitting 14 is then placed in the housing, with the clips 32 received over the lugs 30 on the inside surface of the canister. ;Now that a preferred embodiment of the downlight housing has been 30 described in detail, it will be apparent that the described embodiment provides a number of advantages over the prior art, including the following: ;10 ;(i) The housing with transformer pocket is formed of a single piece and can be easily moulded from a suitable plastics material. ;(ii) The housing is easy to install and can be secured to formwork in the 5 usual manner prior to pouring of concrete. ;(iii) A bracing plug can be inserted in the mouth of the canister to inhibit buckling or warping of the wall of the canister during pouring of concrete. ;(iii) The housing can securely hold a "mousetrap" type downlight fitting. ;(iv) Since the associated transformer is positioned in the pocket of the ;10 housing, the transformer associated with a downlight can be readily identified in the event of a fault. ;(v) The position and angle of the pocket allows a transformer to be readily inserted into the pocket by using the hand placed up through the open end of the housing. ;15 (vi) The housing allows for the placement of a heat-shield to form a thermal barrier between the downlight and the transformer to prevent the heat convection from the downlight bulb causing excessive temperature rises within the housing. ;20 It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that various modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments, in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts of the present invention. For example, in the described embodiment the pocket is of rectangular prism shape, however it could be of ;25 any suitable shape including a cylinder. Furthermore the pocket need not be moulded integral with the canister, but could be manufactured as a separate component and subsequently connected to the canister. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. ;30 *

Claims

RECEIVED at IPONZ on 5 May 2011 11 The Claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A downlight housing for use in a concrete ceiling slab, the housing comprising: a hollow container for holding a downlight fitting; and, 5 a transformer receiving receptacle connected to the container for holding a transformer for the downlight, the receptacle being formed integral with the container, wherein, in use, both a downlight fitting and an associated transformer can be held in the one housing.

2. A downlight housing as defined in claim 1, wherein the hollow container is 10 substantially cylindrical in shape and elongate, having an open mouth at one end for receiving the downlight therein, and sealed at the other end to prevent the ingress of concrete during pouring of the slab.

3. A downlight housing as defined in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein an aperture is provided in a wall of the container for allowing electrical wiring to pass through to 15 supply power to the downlight.

4. A downlight housing as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transformer receiving receptacle is in the shape of an elongate hollow rectangular prism which is connected at one end to a side wall of the container.

5. A downlight housing as defined in claim 4, wherein the receptacle opens into 20 the hollow interior of the container through a rectangular opening provided in the side wall of the container.

6. A downlight housing as defined in claim 5, wherein the other end of the receptacle is closed with an end plate.

7. A downlight housing as defined in claim 6, wherein the end plate is 25 manufactured separately from the housing and is fixed to the other end of the receptacle during the manufacturing process.

8. A downlight housing as defined in claim 5, wherein a transformer associated with the downlight can be inserted into the receptacle through the opening in the side wall of the container. RECEIVED at IPONZ on 5 May 2011 12

9. A downlight housing as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transformer receiving receptacle is connected to the container at an acute angle wherein, in use, when a transformer is placed in the receptacle it will be drop down into the pocket by force of gravity. 5

10. A downlight housing as defined in claim 9, wherein the receptacle is connected to the container at an angle of between about 45° to 90° to the longitudinal axis of the container.

11. A downlight housing as defined in claim 10, wherein the receptacle is connected to the container at an angle of about 65° to the longitudinal axis of 10 the container.

12. A downlight housing as defined in claim 2, wherein the housing further comprises a bracing plug adapted to be temporarily received in the open mouth of the hollow container for bracing the wall of the container during pouring of the concrete. 15

13. A downlight housing as defined in claim 12, wherein the bracing plug comprises an annular body having an outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of the mouth of the hollow container.

14. A downlight housing as defined in claim 13, wherein the annular body has a cylindrical bracing wall arranged about its outer circumference which 20 engages the inner surface of the wall of the container and supports it against the weight of the poured concrete.

15. A downlight housing as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hollow container comprises a protrusion provided on an inner surface of the container for engaging with a downlight fitting held in the 25 container.

16. A downlight housing as defined in claim 15, wherein the protrusion is one of a pair of protrusions provided on diametrically opposite sides of the container. RECEIVED at IPONZ on 5 May 2011 13

17. A downlight housing as defined in claim 16, wherein each protrusion takes the form of a lug wherein, in use, a pair of clips provided on the downlight fitting engage with a respective lug to retain the downlight fitting in the housing.

18. A downlight housing as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing is manufactured from an injection moulded polymer.

19. A downlight housing substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in any one or more of the accompanying drawings.