US20030111435A1

US20030111435A1 - Reinforced hanging rod with a built-in lighting integration

Info

Publication number: US20030111435A1
Application number: US10/138,413
Authority: US
Inventors: Chia-Teh Chen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-12-18
Filing date: 2002-05-06
Publication date: 2003-06-19
Also published as: TW526736U

Abstract

A hanging rod with a built in lighting integration includes a metal upper cover, a translucent plastic lower lampshade engaged with said cover, and a support base having a fluorescent tube placed on a bottom thereof and an electronic ballast located between the cover and the lampshade. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a hanging rod with a reinforced structure and a built-in lighting integration capable of providing accent illumination to clothes or objects being hung thereunder. More particularly, the invention emphasizes the integration of ballast and fluorescent tube inside a confined space of a hanging rod which needs to be adaptable to popular sizes and styles of clothes hangers used by consumers while providing sufficient illumination as well as heavy weight bearing capacity.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hanging rod with a reinforced structure and a built-in lighting integration capable of providing accent illumination to clothes or objects being hung thereunder. More particularly, the invention emphasizes the integration of ballast and fluorescent tube inside a confined space of a hanging rod which needs to be adaptable to popular sizes and styles of clothes hangers used by consumers while providing sufficient illumination as well as heavy weight bearing capacity.

2. Background of the Invention

A conventional closet is usually provided with lighting and hanging rod. In most of the cases, the light source is mounted on a ceiling of the closet. The hanging rod is usually installed between two sidewalls of the closet for hanging clothing or the like. For closet illumination, the area where consumers most need light is where they hang their clothes so that they can make a quick and right pick of clothes for specific occasions. The conventional way of lighting management obviously can not satisfy the need in this respect. The light coming from the remote ceiling in most cases does not provide a sufficient illumination to serve such accent need. Moreover the closets are always installed with wood or metal shelves right above the hanging rods for storage of folded clothes, accessories or other necessities, illumination for the hang clothes become even worse because the light from the ceiling source is largely blocked by the shelves and stuff thereon.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a hanging rod of the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, a

hanging device

20 includes a ballast 201, two fixtures 203, two adjustment units 205, a hang rod 207, and a fluorescent tube 208. The ballast 201 is connected to an electrical wire 202. The fixture 203 has a hollow portion in the center thereof where the electrical wire 202 can penetrate. A plurality of adjustment holes 204 are further formed on the fixtures 203. The adjustment units 205 are respectively provided with a slot 206 matching the adjustment holes 204 for fixing the above elements. The hanging rod 207 is connected to the two adjustment units 205 at both ends thereof. The fluorescent tube 208 is located inside the hanging rod 207, and the ballast 201 is normally mounted under the shelf or on the wall or anywhere adjacent to the top of the hanging rod 207. The ballast 201, located outside the hanging rod 207, wastes not only the inner space of the closet but also the consumer's time for additional installation work. Each end of fixtures 203 is fastened upon the shelf by screws. The hanging rod 207 is composed of an upper half cover 2071 and a lower half cover 2072. The upper half cover 2071 is made out of metal (aluminum alloy) and the lower half cover 2072 is made out of translucent plastic.

There is nothing but the fluorescent tube and sockets inside the

hanging rod

207. If an excessive amount of clothes is hung on the hanging rod 207, the hanging rod 207 may warp or break due to insufficient structural support. This could be dangerous because the fluorescent tube may consequently break with a result of exposing the users to electrical shock or physical hurt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention represents a major improvement over the prior art in the following purposes.

(1) The bulky electronic ballast is integrated into the hanging rod resulting into an esthetic and compact product look. It saves not only the inner space of the closet but also the consumer's time for additional installation work. The inclusion and construction of the bulky electronic ballast inside the confined space of the hanging rod represents a superior engineering design since the cross dimension of the hanging rod is governed by the hook size of popular clothes hangers used by consumers.

(2) The structure and weight bearing capacity of the hanging rod substantially are reinforced through the construction of rid structure on the inner wall of the upper cover. The inclusion of ballast and support base making the hanging rod a non-hollow structure also helps the reinforcement effect.

(3) New push-pull style adjustment units are added to offer consumers easy replacement of the fluorescent tube without the need of using any hand tool.

(4) New reinforcement hook for longer rod, aside from raising the hanging capacity, also offers free slide without interruption for clothes hangers. This is a convenient feature for consumers to pick or hang clothes.

(5) New power in and out designs allow two or more sets of hanging rods to be electrically connectable in series, a very useful creation for a walk in closet.

(6) New invention of motion sensor for fluorescent tube is connected to the hanging device to detect the motion and instantly turn on the fluorescent tube.

(7) New rib structure on the surface of the upper cover offers anti-scratch protection for the surface finish, and it also helps strengthens the hangs rod structure.

(8) Aside from the shelf mounted design, other mounting options include the wall to wall mounted, the back wall mounted and the ceiling mounted structures are further added to expand applicability.

The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings included herein provide a further understanding of the invention and incorporated herein, constitute a part of the invention disclosure. A brief introduction of the drawings is a follows: [0017]
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the previously invented hanging device. [0018]
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the hanging device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [0019]
FIG. 2A is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2. [0020]
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a hanging device assembled according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [0021]
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a hanging device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [0022]
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a hanging device in use according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [0023]
FIG. 6 is a view showing the push pull design for the replacement of a fluorescent tube according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [0024]
FIG. 7 is a schematic view of two hanging devices connected in series according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [0025]
FIG. 8 is a schematic view of two interconnected hanging devices with a motion sensor according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [0026]
FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a hanging device with a reinforcement hook according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [0027]
FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a hanging device mounted on a metal shelf according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [0028]
FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view showing the structure of a connection body of the push and pull device of the present invention. [0029]
FIG. 12A is a schematic view of a ceiling mounted hanging rod using a pair of extendable down rods according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. [0030]
FIG. 12B is a schematic view of a wall to wall mounted hanging rod according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. [0031]
FIG. 12C is a schematic view of a hanging rod integrated with a rack structure mounted on the two side walls according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. [0032]
FIG. 12D is a schematic view of a hanging rod integrated with a rack structure mounted on a single back wall according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention.[0033]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIG. 2 through FIG. 4, a hanging [0034] device 10 of the invention comprises two fixtures 2, two adjustment units 3, and a hanging rod 4 with internal lighting. The hanging rod 4 includes a cover 41 and a lampshade 42. The cover 41 is engaged with the lampshade 42 together to form a substantially ellipsoidal shape. The cross dimension of the hanging rod 4 is governed by the adaptability to common clothes hangers used by the consumers. At the locations where the cover 41 and the lampshade 42 are engaged, engagement slots 411, 421 are formed in a shape of “
” for buckling the cover 41 and the lampshade 42.
A [0035] support base 43 is assembled with the cover 41 via lateral sides of the support base 43 engaging the engagement slots 411 of the cover 41. The support base 43 is thereby firmly arranged in the hanging rod 4. Furthermore, a plurality of ribs 412 that are spaced apart from one another are formed in row on an inner wall of the cover 41 to reinforce the strength of hanging device 10 thereby to increase the weight bearing capacity of the hanging device.
Lighting such as a [0036] fluorescent tube 44 is located underneath the support base 43, with the electronic ballast 1 being super-imposed on a top of the support base 43. In other words, both the ballast 1 and the fluorescent tube 44 are built inside the hanging rod 4. FIG. 2A is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2. One L shaped portion 431 is formed near each end of the support base 43 to enable a tapping screw 432 to be guided into a space between the ribs 412, thereby fixing the support base 43. The support base 43 can be further polished to have a reflective surface 45 for increasing the illumination of the fluorescent tube 44. The reflective surface 45 can have a curved shape and is flexible to absorb pressure from hanging clothes.
In FIG. 3, the hanging [0037] rod 4 is connected to two adjustment units 3 which is a push-pull design. One end of each adjustment unit 3 is connected to the hanging rod 4, and the other end is pivoted on a fixture 2 that fixes the hanging device 10 to a shelf. The distance between the adjustment unit 3 and the fixture 2 is disclosed in another application filed by the same applicant.
Each of the [0038] adjustment units 3 includes a connection body 31 and a vertical connector 32 that is vertically connected to one end of the connection body 31. The vertical connector 32 is pivotally connected to the fixture 2. The connection body 31 consists of a stationary lid 311 and a slidable lid 312. Each end of the cover 41 of the hanging rod 4 is engaged with one stationary lid 311. The slidable lid 312 is detachably connected to each end of the lampshade 42.
When assembled, the [0039] fluorescent tube 44 is mounted underneath the support base 43, and the electronic ballast 1 is super imposed upon the support base 43. The fluorescent tube 44 and the ballast 1 are positioned between the cover 41 and the lampshade 42. The cover 41 and the lampshade 42 are engaged with each other through the engagement slots 411, 421 to achieve the construction of the hanging rod 4. The adjustment units 3 together with the fixtures 2 are mounted to the ends of the hanging rod 4 so that the stationary lid 311 is engaged to the cover 41 and the slidable lid 312 is detachably connected to the lampshade 42. The ballast 1 is provided with a power cord 11 that extends from an opening 21 defined at a top of the fixture 2 for external electrical connection. Therefore, a hanging device 10 is accomplished, as shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a hanging device in use according to the first embodiment of the invention. In use configuration, the [0040] fixture 2 is fixed to the shelf as shown in FIG. 5. Clothing is hung on the hanging rod 4 provided with the ballast 1 therein. The hanging rod is reinforced by means of the rib structure 412 that as well as the engagement slots 411, 421 that also serve as reinforcement elements. Additionally the ellipsoidal cross shape of the hanging rod 4 helps to strengthen the hanging capacity as well.
FIG. 6 is a view showing a push and pull operation steps for replacement of the [0041] fluorescent tube 44 according to the first embodiment of the invention. When the fluorescent tube 44 is to be replaced only the slidable lid 312 is needed to slide outward (push) to separate from the lampshade 42. Thereafter, the lampshade 42 is pressed inward to detach the engagement slots 421 of the lampshade 42 from the engagement slots 411 of the cover 41. The lampshade 42 is thereby easily separated from the hanging rod 4 for replacing the fluorescent tube 44. After the fluorescent tube 44 is replaced, press the lampshade 42 inward to attach the engagement slots 421 of the lampshade 42 to the engagement slot 411 of the cover 41. The slidable lid 312 is then slid inward (pull) to restore to the in use position.
FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a hanging device according to a second embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 7, two hanging [0042] devices 10, 10′ similar to those shown in FIG. 2 through FIG. 4 are electrically connected in series. A socket 22 as shown in FIG. 2 is provided at a left end of each of the hanging devices 10, 10′ and an electric plug as shown in FIG. 2 is provided at a right end of each of the hanging devices 10, 10′. The electrical plug 23 of the hanging device 10′ is inserted into the socket 22 of the hanging device 10 which inturn has another electrical plug to be connected to the power source. The two connected hanging devices thereby use only one power source saving the needs for a second power source arrangement as well as installation work. Furthermore, the two connected hanging devices look more esthetic & compact than the individually installed pairs.
FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a hanging device according to a third embodiment of the invention. An [0043] automatic motion sensor 5 is connected to the hanging device 10 can be further provided in the closet. In FIG. 8, the automatic motion sensor 5 is located on the power cord 11 extended from the fixtures 2. The sensor 5 detects the motion of approaching person, and instantly turns on the fluorescent tube 44 of the hanging device 10. The sensor 5 will keep the light on for a minimum duration of 2-3 minutes and will keep on functioning till the person (persons) leaves.
FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a hanging device according to a forth embodiment of the invention. When a longer [0044] fluorescent tube 44 is installed in the hanging device, a reinforcement hook 6 is further mounted at the middle of the hanging rod 4 to support the longer device. If the hanging rod 4 is not longer than two feet, the additional reinforcement hook 6 is not required. However, if the hanging rod 4 is four feet or longer as shown in FIG. 9, the reinforcement hook 6 is thus needed. The reinforcement hook 6 has its hook portion surrounded the middle of the hanging rod 4, leaving the top space of the hanging rod 4 open for free sliding by clothes hangers.
FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a hanging device according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. The hanging [0045] device 10 is mounted on a wire rack 7. A pin 71 is used to fix the fixture 2 to the wire rack 7. The pin 71 has a slot 72 through which a location of the hanging device 10 on the wire rack can be adjusted.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection body of the invention. When the [0046] slidable cover 312 slides outward for replacing the fluorescent tube 44 in the hanging rod 4, an engagement support member 313 is further arranged for preventing the slidable cover 312 from dropping by over push. The engagement support member 313 is fixed in the slidable lid 312 at one end thereof, and is further located inside the stationary lid 311 at the other end. Once the slidable lid 312 is pushed outward to open the adjustment unit 3, the engagement support member 313 located inside the stationary lid 311 is immediately engaged with the stationary lid 311 to stop the slidable 312 from being further outwardly pushed.
FIG. 12A to FIG. 12D are embodiments of the invention with various mounting options. [0047]
FIG. 12A is a ceiling mounted hanging rod using a pair of extendable down [0048] rods 32′ to hold the lighted hanging rod 4 and connect to the track style canopy on the ceiling for power supply.
FIG. 12B is a wall to wall mounted hanging rod using a wall mounted [0049] bracket 3′ with a U shape slot 30′ design to hold the hanging rod 4 through an adjustable screw bolt 31′ at each end of the hanging rod 4. The adjustable screw bolt 31′ is threaded into the center of the end cap of the hanging rod 4 and can be adjusted inward and outward along the central line of the hanging rod 4.
FIG. 12C is the hanging [0050] device 10 integrated with a wall to wall rack structure using a rectangular wall mounted bracket 3′ with two U shape slots 30′ design to hold the hanging rack 8 through a pair of adjustable screw bolts 31′ which can be adjusted inward and outward along the stems of the rack 8.
FIG. 12D is the hanging [0051] device 10 integrally formed with a back wall mounted rack 8. The rack 8 has a plurality of stems 83 arranged in parallel. At ends of the rack 8 are respectively formed a left mounting plate 81 and a right mounting plate 82 that are integrally connected with the ends of the hanging device 10.
In view of the foregoing, the hanging [0052] device 10 of the invention is concluded to possess the following unprecedented values for home improvement use.
1. It offers an economic value by consolidating two separate working units, lighting and hanging, into a single piece design saving consumers' time and money. [0053]
2. It solves the problem of insufficient illumination in a conventional closet. [0054]
3. The design of the invention is creative and esthetic. [0055]
4. The engineering work for the reinforcement of hanging capacity and consumer's convenience of bulb replacement is compact and practical. [0056]
5. The connectability and automatic motion sensor design further add an unique value of convenience to consumers thereby broaden the product application. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above description is only illustrative of specific embodiments and examples of the invention. The invention should therefore cover various modifications and variations made to the herein-described structure and operations of the invention, provided they fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the following appended claims. [0057]

Claims

I claim:

1. A hanging rod with a built-in lighting integration comprising:

a metal upper cover and a translucent plastic lower lampshade being engaged with the cover;

a support base having a fluorescent tube placed on a bottom thereof and an electronic ballast located between the cover and the lampshade.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the cover is buckled with the lampshade to form a substantially ellipsoidal shape thereby making an inner space larger for accommodation of various components and the structure sturdier for weight bearing.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the cover is engaged with the lampshade together by engagement slots.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein an inner wall of the cover is constructed with a plurality of deep ribs disposed in row to reinforce the weight bearing capacity of the hanging rod.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein an outside surface of the cover is constructed with a plurality of thinner ribs disposed in row to offer ant-scratch protection.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the support base is assembled with the cover by sliding lateral sides thereof along the engagement slots of the cover.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein a L-shaped portion is further punched and formed near each end of the support base to thereby enable a pair of tapping screws to be guided into a space between the ribs through the L-shaped portion for further fixing the support base to avoid shaking.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein a pair of fixtures are constructed and connected for mounting purpose, and the structure of such mounting fixtures is selected from the group consisting of a shelf mounted, a ceiling mounted, a wall to wall mounted, and a single back wall mounted.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein a push and pull design composed of two adjustment units can be constructed and connected to the fixtures to facilitate replacement of the fluorescent tube, each of the adjustable units including a connection body and a vertical connector, the vertical connector being vertically connected to the connection body at one end and pivotally connected to the fixture, the connection body further including a stationary lid engaged with the cover of the hanging rod, and a slidable lid engaged with the lampshade of the hanging rod.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein one of the fixtures located at one end of the hanging rod provides a pull chain switch or a simple on-off switch to allow manual control of the light.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein an automatic motion sensor is further provided and connected to the hanging rod to offer automatic control of light.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein one of the fixtures located at one end of the hanging rod provides a socket, and the other fixture located at the other end of the hanging rod provides an electrical plug, thereby more than one of the hanging rods can be electrically connected in series.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein a reinforcement hook is further provided at a middle of the hanging rod to substantially improve the weight bearing capacity of the hanging rod when the hanging rod is extended.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the hanging rod is mounted on a shelf via a pin where a slot is defined for adjusting a location of the hanging device on the shelf.

15. The device of claim 8, wherein the hanging rod is integrally formed with a rack having a plurality of stems in a parallel direction, and two ends of the rack are respectively formed a left frame and a right frame which are integrally connected with two ends of the hanging rod such composite hanging rack can be either wall to wall mounted or single back wall mounted.

16. The device of claim 9, wherein the slidable lid has a engagement support member having one end fixed in the slidable lid and the other end located in a side of the stationary lid to prevent the slidable cover from dropping due to over push.