US1929315A

US1929315A - Lamp shade

Info

Publication number: US1929315A
Application number: US672299A
Authority: US
Inventors: Johnson Oscar Walter; Carl H Johnson
Original assignee: FLEXO PRODUCTS CORP
Current assignee: FLEXO PRODUCTS Corp
Priority date: 1933-05-22
Filing date: 1933-05-22
Publication date: 1933-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 1950-10-03

Description

Oct. 3, 1933.

o. w. JOHNSON El AL LAMP SHADE Filed May 22, 1933 FJI'LM.

Patented Oct. 3, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,929,315 v LAMP snaps Application May 22, 1933. Serial No. 672,299 9 Claims. (01. 240-108) This invention relates in general to-lamp shades and has for its object the provision of a strong, durable and ornamental shade which may be easily and inexpensively produced.

In the past, pleated lamp shades have been made of a variety of different materials such as cloth, paper, parchment, etc.- When these shades have been made of cloth, it has been necessary to provide a wire or other supporting frame upon which the cloth is mounted or over which it is stretched. In providing such a frame it is necessary that there be a supporting wire or ring at the lower edge .of the frame and at the upper edge of the frame and that these rings be connected by ribs or other connecting members extending upwardly and downwardly between them. It has been the experience in the past that such ribs will show through the, translucent or transparent elements or layers forming the shade prop-' er and will thus tend to spoil the general ornamental effect when a light is placed within the shade. When such shades have been made of paper they have been made with the top and bottom support such as above mentioned and have been provided either with or without the up and down ribs depending upon the thickness of the paper, parchment or other material of which the shade is made. In such cases, however, those shades have been made of smooth sheets of paper, parchment or other material because it has been found to be impracticable to secure sheets formed with ornamental pleats to the upper and lower ring supports without detracting from the appearance of the upper and lower edges of the pleated shade. Such pleated shades have ordinarily beenmade with a wire frame inside consisting of the same upper and lower rings as used in connection with cloth frames and with the up and down ribs for supporting the lower ring from the upper. The pleated sheet is then merely secured to the frame adjacent the upper ring and is held in place against the lower ring. However,

as in the case of cloth shades, and even to agreater extent, these up and down ribs as well as the supporting rings become clearly apparent when a light is placed within the shade and are for that reason very undesirable. Moreover, in shades constructed in this manner, there is considerable likelihood of a light accidental blow bending and cracking the ornamental pleated surface of the shade because it is not supported except at its extremities.

In view of the above, it is an object of this invention to provide a shade of paper, parch ment, or the like with a pleated outer surface and all intermediate portions of the outer layer.

to provide a support for the pleated outer layer which support shall act to reinforce substantially is a further object to so support the pleated outer layer that each pleat shall be fixedly posiso tioned and shall not be shiftable from one position to the other by merely pushing or brushing against some particular part of the shade.

Furthermore, it is an object of this invention to provide a support for apleated shade which 5 support will not be so apparent as to detract from the ornamental appearance of the shade when a light is placed within the shade. It is also contemplated that the upper and lower edges of the pleated shade shall not be changed in any way 79 which might impair the ornamental appearance of the shade or will show the nature of the support therefor.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following descrip- 7 tion taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it being clearly understood that the same are by way of illustration and example only and are not to be taken as in any way limiting the spirit or scope of this invention. The spirit and so scope of'this invention is to be limited only by the prior art taken in connection with the accompanying claims.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing in which like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout:

Figure 1 is a view partly in section and with parts broken away illustrating one embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a partial horizontal sectional view of the shade illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the same structure.

In accordance with this invention, a pleated shade 1 is provided and is formed of any suitable material preferably such as parchment, paper or the like, the same being folded with inner bends 2 and outer bends 3 so as to form a series of pleats therein. These pleats as will be seen from Figure 1, taper from one end to the other and are wider adjacent the bottom than adjacent the top. Also, it is noted that the pleats are open adjacent the bottom as illustrated in Figure 2 but are gradually closed as they approach the top as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 until when they reach the top they will lie closely adjacent each other as shown at 4 in Figure-3.

For the purpose of supporting the pleated shade just described, there is provided an inner smooth layer 5 which may be of material of somewhat the no same nature as that of the shade 1. This material, however, as stated is smooth and is preferably of considerable strength so as to furnish adequate support for the pleated outer layer of the shade. This smooth inner layer 5 as illustrated in Figure lis formedwithafrustro-conoidal shape similar to that of the flanged pleated shade 1 so that it may be placed within the pleated shade and contact with each of the inner bends 2 of the pleated shade substantially throughout their length. The pleated shade 1, however, can be the same or slightly longer than the smooth shade or layer 5 so that when the supporting layer 5 is placed within the pleated shade the supporting layer will be entirely concealed from view by the pleated shade. Although both layers are illustrated as being frustro-conoidal in shape, it is to be underst'oodthat they may be made in other shapes as found desirable without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.

For the purpose of reinforcing the lower edge of the smooth supporting layer 5, there is a ring 6 of such a size as to just fit within the lower edge of this supporting layer and be secured thereto by means of a section of tape '7. This tape '7 as will be seen in Figure 3 is secured to the outer surface of the layer 5 and extends downwardly past the edge thereof and inwardly around the reinforcing ring or element 6. This ring 6 thus serves to maintain the proper shape of the lower edge of the supporting element 5 and hence of the lower edge of the pleated shade 1.

At the upper edge of the supporting element 5 there is provided a suspension member consisting of a ring 8 similar in all respects to the ring 6 with the exception that it is of the size and shape of the top of the shade instead of the bottom. The supporting element 5 is secured to the ring 8 by means of tape 7 in a manner similar to that set forth in connection with the ring 6. Secured to the lower side of the ring 8 at spaced points about its circumference and extending radially inwardly therefrom there are provided a plurality of arms 9 which may be formed of any suitable material such as a light wire for instance.- Centrally located with respect to the upper end of the shade there is a securing member 10 in the form of a ring threaded internally as at 11 for the purpose of threadedly engaging prepared standard threads on the ordinary lamp socket. This securing member is formed on its lower side with an annular channel portion 12 extending between radial channel portions 13, the latter serving to receive the inner ends of the respective arms 9. If desired, two of the arms 9 may be made integral with each other and connected at their inner ends through the annular channel 12 extending between the radial channels 13. The supporting ring 10 is shown by way of illustration only, it being understood that a different form of securing member may be provided where the position of the shade makes it desirable.

The pleated shade 1 is placed over the outside of the smooth supporting layer 5 after the same has been mounted as above set forth upon the .lower reinforcing ring 6 and the upper extension in which the pleated-shade is supportd at practically every point of its extent and at the same time is allowed to retain its ornamental appearance without any interference from the supporting parts.

For the purpose of holding the upper portion of the pleated shade in close contact with the smooth supporting layer 5 and also for adding to the ornamental appearance of the entire shade, there is provided a cord 15 having alternate stretches of its length extending through spaced ribs of the pleats and arranged on the outer periphery of the pleated shade. This cord or tie member 15 is tied as at 1'7 in the form of a bow knot and is provided at its ends with tassels 18 or other similar ornamentation.

It is noteworthy that if so desired a suitable design 19 might be made or otherwise placed upon the smooth supporting layer 5 so that it would show through the pleated shade 1 without any distortion when a light is placed within the shade.

It will readily be seen from the above that there has been provided a shade having the ornamental appearance of a pleated shade of parchment paper or the like, but which has not however any of the inherent defects previously present in this type of shade. For instance, the shade is supported substantially throughout its under surface by means of the supporting layer 5 and is thus prevented from having one or more of its ribs crushed by a slight push or other contact from some foreign body. This supporting layer 5 is further strengthened by the reinforcing memher 6 at the bottom and by the supporting ring 8 at the top so as to form a very rigid structure without the necessity of up and down ribs previously used in connection with this type of shade. The entire supporting structure is of such a size and so positioned as to be entirely within the pleated shade l and so as not to spoil its effect. Means has likewise been provided for holding the upper portion of the pleated shade in contact with the upper portion of the supporting structure, this means adding to rather than detracting from the ornamental appearance of the shade. At the same time, a structure has been provided whereby a design may be formed between the two layers of the shade where it will be protected, and where it will also lie on a smooth surface so as not to be distorted because of the uneven contour of the outer surface of the shade.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made in the materials and arrangement of parts of the embodiment herein set forth without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What we claim is: g

1. A shade comprising an inner frustro-conoidal hollow translucent supporting element and an outer frustro-conoidal hollow translucent shade element, said outer element being formedwith overlapping pleats throughout extending from the lower to the upper end thereof and gradually increasing in width towards the lower end of such outer element, means interposed between said elements for securing the inner bends of the pleats to the outer face of the supporting element substantially throughout the length of each pleat, a reinforcing member for the lower edge of said shade,means for connecting the lower end of the inner element to said member, a suspension member, and. means for securing the upper end of the inner element to said suspension member, said inner supporting element having an ornamental design on its outer surface between said two elements whereby when a light is placed within the shade said design will be visible without substantial distortion through said pleated element.

2. A shade comprising an irmer frustroconoidal hollow translucent supporting element and an outer frustro-conoidal hollow translucent shade element, said outer element being formed with overlapping pleats throughout extending from the lower to the upper end thereof and gradually increasing in width towards the lower end of such outer element, means interposed between said elements for securing the inner bends of the pleats to the outer face of the supporting element substantially throughout the length of each pleat, a reinforcing member for the lower edge of said shade, means for connecting the lower end of the inner element to said member, a suspension member, means for securing the upper end of the inner element to said suspension member, and a tie member having alternate stretches of its length extending through spaced groups of pleats and arranged on the periphery of said outer element, said tie member adapted to have its ends detachably connected together for maintaining it in encompassed relation with respect to said elements.

3. A shade comprising an inner frustroconoidal hollow translucent supporting element and an outer frustro-conoidal hollow translucent shade element, said outer element being formed with overlapping pleats throughout extending from the lower to the upper end thereof and gradually increasing in width towards the lower end of such outer element, means interposed between said elements for securing the inner bends of the pleats to the outer face of the supporting element substantially throughout the length of each pleat, a reinforcing member for the lower edge of said shade, means for connecting the lower end of the inner element to said member, a suspension member, and means for securing the upper end of the inner element to said suspension member.

4. A shade comprising an inner frustroconoidal hollow translucent supporting element and an outer frustro-conoidal hollow translucent shade element, said outer element being formed with overlapping pleats throughout extending from the lower to the upper end thereof and gradually increasing in width towards the lower end of such outer element, and means interposed between said elements for securing the inner bends of the'pleats to the outer face of the supporting element substantially throughout the length of each pleat.

5. A lamp shade comprising an outer element pleated throughout and an inner-supporting element smooth throughout and being secured to the inner bends of the pleats of the outer element, the pleats of the outer element having their upper and lower ends completely visible and extending beyond the ends of the supporting element, a reinforcing element secured to the lower end of the supporting element and concealed by the lower ends of said pleats, a suspension member connected with the'upper end of said supporting element and concealed by the upper ends of said pleats.

6. A lamp shade comprising an outer element pleated throughout and an inner supporting element smooth throughout and being secured to the inner bends of the pleats of the outer element, the pleats of the outer element having their upper and lower ends completely visible and extending beyond the ends of the supporting element.

7. A shade comprising an inner hollow translucent supporting element and an outer hollow translucent shade element,, said outer element being formed with overlapping pleats throughout extending from the lower to the upper end thereof, and means interposed between said elements for securing the inner bends of the pleats to the outer face of the supporting element substantially throughout the length of each pleat, said inner supporting element having an ornamental design on its outer surface between said two elements whereby when a light is placed within the shade said design will be visible without substantial distortion through said pleated element.

8. A shade comprising an inner hollow translucent supporting element and an outer hollow translucent shade element, said outer element being formed with overlapping pleats throughout extending from the lower to the upper end thereof, and means interposed between said elements for securing the inner bends of the pleats to the outer face of the supporting element substantially throughout the length of each pleat.

9. In' a lamp shade, an upper support, a lower support, a layer of smooth relatively stiff translucent material carried by said supports, a layer of pleated relatively stiff translucent material surrounding and carried by said first layer, and means securing said two layers together along spaced lines extending from one of said supports to the other.

OSCAR WALTER JOHNSON. CARL HERMAN JOHNSON.