US2003273A - Hospital corridor light - Google Patents

Description

y 8, 935. F. GARRIGUES 2,003,273 J HOSPITAL CORRIDOR LIGHT Filed June 12, 1928 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented May 28, 1935 UNITED STATES HOSPITAL CORRIDOR LIGHT I Frederic Lewis Garrigues, Merlden Conn assignor, by mesne assignments,'to Connecticut, Telephone & Electric Corporation, Meriden, Conn, a corporation of Delaware Application June 12, 1928, Serial him-284,863

4 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to signal lights adapted primarily for use in hospital corridors.

An object of the invention is to provide a signal means, preferably including a plurality of lights which when one is rendered inoperative will still give a signal and will also indicate that replacement of the inoperative part is required.

Another object of the invention is to provide a signaling mechanism adapted to remain operative when a part has been damaged or destroyed and which will also indicate that a part has become inoperative.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a signal light having a plurality of separated lights which can be seen from the side as well as from the front.

One feature which is advantageous is that the lights are separated by an opaque barrier, the barrier and lights being enclosed within a suitable translucent cover so that if 'one of the bulbs becomes burnt out a signal will still be given, but it will be evident that a bulb requires replacement.

Another object is to provide an opaque barrier adjustable on the support so that it may be fitted snugly to translucent covers and rims of varying size.

Another object of importance is that the lights are supported in sockets mounted upon the rear face of a support, the lights beinginserted in their sockets from the front of the support and extending through suitably formed openings therein, and disposed on opposite sides of a suitably vertically disposed opaque barrier plate.

Another feature of importance is that the opaque barrier disposed between the lights is attached to the front face of the support and has its outer edge closely conforming to the inside surface of the translucent cover so that the light of each bulb will be restricted to one side of the barrier.

It has been the practice in signal installation, particularly in hospitals, to provide a button at the patients bedside which when depressed will operate a small light in the corridor advising anattendant that a signal has been given. Should the light fail to operate no signal would be given and there would be nothing to indicate that the signaling means were out of order. The present inventionv therefore includes a signaling device having preferably two light bulbs, each illuminating when lighted different portions'of a corridor light preferably formed as a translucent dome. With both bulbs operating properly the entire translucent. dome will befully illuminated. With but one bulb operating a portion only of the translucent dome will be illuminated indicating at. once that a signal has been given, but that a light bulb requires'replacement.

With these and other objects in view, my in- 5 vention consists in the features of construction and operation set forth in the following'specification and illustrated in the accompanying draw- In the accompanying drawing annexed hereto and forming 'a' part of this specification, I have shown my invention embodied in a preferred form of hospital corridor light, but it will be unclerstood that the invention can be otherwise embodied, and that the drawing is not to be 0011- strued as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims appended to this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

In the drawing- Fig. l is a front elevation of a complete hospital signal light, a part of the cover being broken away to more clearly show'the construction;

Fig. 2 is a transversesectional view taken upon the plane of line 22 of Fig. 1; I v

Fig. 3 is a typical controlling circuit for operating the signal light forming the present invention when associated'with supplemental signalling means; and v Fig. 4 is a separate view of one form of barrier and means to attach it to the support.

In the above mentioned drawing, I have shown but one embodiment of the invention which is now deemed preferable, but it is to be understood that changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing-from the spirit of the invention.

Briefly, and in its preferred aspect, my invention may include a supporting plate to which are fastened light sockets having lights mounted 40 therein extending through suitable openings inthe plate; a barrier'plate attached to the plate and disposed between the lights in the sockets; and a translucent arched or dome-shaped cover attached to the supporting plate so that a complete self-contained signal unit is provided.

Referring more in detail to the figures of the drawing, I show a supporting plate ll] of metal or other suitable material preferably beveled along its. edges to fit closely against a wall. Mounted upon the rear surface of this supporting plate are light sockets ll, two individual sockets of any preferred form being shown at tached to the plate Ill by screws I 2 extending into posts [3 on the'so'ckets' H. Inserted in the for ward ends of these sockets are light bulbs |4 preferably of different colors, such as white and red. Preferably these lights M are insertable into the sockets II from the front of the plate IO through'suitable openings 5 provided therefoix.

Attached to the front face of the supporting plate In by suitable rivets or screw's H is a barrier plate l1, preferably of metal or other opaque material separating the lights I4, one light l4 being on each side thereof. With the signal light in the position shown the barrier plate I! is dis posed in a vertical plane. Also mounted on the front surface of the supporting plate H! is a hinged ring l8, a catch |9 being provided to retain it in position against the plate It. A translucent dome-shaped member 20 is attached about its periphery to the ring Is. As shown in Fig. 2, the opaque barrier plate I! has its free or outer edge closely adjacent the inside surface ofthe translucent dome 20 which in the preferred embodiment is concave. v

In order to fit the translucent cover 20 more closely the barrier I! may be made as shown in Fig. 4. A bracket or angle member 9 has an upstanding flange and oppositely disposed feet at I opposite ends attached to the support H3 in the same manner as the barrier shown in Fig. 1. To this angle member. 9 the curved barrier i1 is attached by suitable screws 8. The holes in the barrier l1 and in the angle member 9 through which the screws 8 pass are made somewhat larger than the shanks of the screws 8 so that the barrier I! may be adjusted within limits relative to its angle member 9. By this adjustment for the barrier I I it may be properly fitted to translucent domes 20 which may vary somewhat from standard or predetermined size. I

2 By this dome-like and partition construction I form separate chambers for the difierent lights and on account of the dome-like or arched form of the cover glass the different lights can be seen from the sides as well as from the front.

In Fig. 3 is shown a typical controlling circuit for operating the signal lights of the present invention when associated witha buzzer 2| and supplemental light signals 22 and 23. The circuit for each signal is separated and independent so that on injury to one signal the circuit will still operate one or more of the other signals. As shown in this figure, thetwo lights l4 preferably of different color are mounted in multiple in a circuit, the circuit being made by depressing a button 24 which engages flexible fingers 25 and 26 with a conductor ring 2'! on the button 24. The supplemental light '22 in another circuit is operated by the same source of current, but including a different flexiblefinger 28 operated by the same button. The second supplemental light signal is operated by flexible finger 29 also contacting with ring 21. when the button 24 is pressed. The buzzer, or sounding signal 2|, is connected by an independent circuit to the same source of electric current through contacts 39 and 3|, contactor 3| being connected electrically to finger 25 by flexible connection 32.

As shown also in Fig. 3,"the button 24 by means of which these signals l4, 2|, 22 and 23 are operated is adapted to be manually pressed far enough to engage the'contacts 30 and 3| operating the buzzer signal 2|, but, due to. the conical form of one of the insulating members 33 on the button 24, the button 24 when. released springs back slightly to the position shown in the figure. In this position of the manually pressed button 24 the two lights I4 within the dome 2|! shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are maintained lighted and also the supplemental signal lights 22 and 23. The buzzer, however, becomes disconnected as soon as the contactors 39 and 3| are separated. Upon initial pressing of the button 24 to operate the buzzer 2| by contactors the lights I4, 22 and 23 are momentarily flashed on as the ring 21 is forced past the ends of fingers 25, 26, 2 8 and 29. With the contacts 30 and 3| in engagement with each other the fingers are out of contact with the ring 21 so that so long as the button 24 is held down the lights i4, 22 and 23 are not lighted. As soon as the button 24 is released and allowed to return to the position indicated in Fig. 3 the lights M, 22 and 23 are maintained lighted.

I claim:

1. A signal lamp comprising a wall plate, a partition mounted on said wall plate at substantially right angles thereto, a pair of bulbs connested in parallel so as to be normally energized at the same time, one bulb being mounted on the wall plate on each side of said partition, an'arched glass cover secured to the wall plate, all portions of said. cover being adapted to give the same signal indication when illuminated, said partition being formed to co-act with the cover-so that its outer edge is maintained substantially flush with the inner edge of. the cover, whereby all portions of said cover are substantially uniformly illuminated when both bulbs are energized and the portion or" the cover to one side of the partition would be substantially dark if the bulb therein fails to light, thereby indicating the need for a new bulb.

2. A signal lamp comprising a housing having an opening therein, a light transmitting cover for said opening, all portions or" which are adapted. to give the same signal indication when illuminated partitioning means in said housing dividing the same into a plurality of compartments, and a source of light in each of said compartments, all of said lights being connected in parallel and adapted to be normally simultaneously energized to transmit light rays through substantially all portions of said cover for giving a single signal indication when all of said lights are energized, a portion of said cover being darkened upon the failure of any of said lights. 3. A signal light comprising a casing having an opening, a light transmitting closure in said opening having a signalling area, all portions of said area giving a single signal indication when illuminated, a plurality of electric light sources connected in parallel for normally illuminating all portions of the area, and partitioning means within the casing cooperating with vsaid light sources for changing the illumination of a portion of said signalling area on the extinction of either of said light sources to give an indication ofsuch extinction.

4. A signal lamp comprising an inclosure including a light transmitting portion having a sig- .nal area, all portions of said area giving the same signal indication when illuminated, a partition mounted in said inclosure, and an electric light source on each side of said partition, said sources being connected in parallel to be normally energized together whereby all portions of said area are normally illuminated to give a signal indication and only a portion of saidarea is illuminated when one of said light sources fails, to give an indication of said failure.

FREDERIC LEWIS GARRIGUES.

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