US2331811A

US2331811A - Lighting fixture

Info

Publication number: US2331811A
Application number: US456838A
Authority: US
Inventors: Peter W Sprecher
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1942-08-31
Filing date: 1942-08-31
Publication date: 1943-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 1960-10-12

Description

LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Aug. 31, 1942 Patented Oct. 12, 1943 so sm'rss PAT s u. 1" OFFICE LiGHJI-INGFDCTURE Peter W. Sprecher, Milwaukee, Wis.

Applicatienhugnst 31, 194-2., Serial. No. 456,338

*7 Claims.

The invention relates to lighting fixtm'es and though not limited thereto is particularly adapted to lighting fixtures for tubular electric lamps, such as fluorescent electric tubes.

Fixtures for suchvtubes are usually provided with an elongated reflecting surface or surfaces, extending parallel 'to themajor axis-of the tube and adapted to reflect the light from the tube to form a diverging light flux, the cross sectional angle of must be adapted to the requirementsof the space to be illmmnated. In order to fit the needs of various locations it has hereto fore been necessary to provide different "fixtunes for the diiieren t angles required.

An object of the present invention is to provide in a fixture for tubular lamps and the like reflecting surfaces comprising a number of ciernents which can- "be readily adjusted so as to provide beams of light of different angular spread.

Another object of the invaition is to provide a fixture which is simple in manufacture and assembly;

Another object is to provide a fixture which is composed of a minimum number of parts.

Another object is to provide a fixture which does not require any screws or other separate fastening means, except for the means by which the sockets for receiving the tubes "are attached to the fixture.

Another object "is to provide a fixture which is readily adjusted to provide a light flux of different angular spread.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

The invention provides a lighting fixture comprising a minimum number of constituent elements which can readily be assembled in various positions relative to each other to afford different distributions of the light from a lamp mounted on the fixture.

The invention further provides a lighting fixture comprising an elongated base and an elongated main reflector substantially coextensive with the base, the base and the main reflector having integralinterengaging fastening and looking means to position them relativeto each other, and interchangeable side reflectors provided with a plurality of integral means for facile at.- tachment in alternate angular positions on the main reflector and the base.

The invention still further provides for integral 'interengaging means on the base. the main reflector and the outer reflectors by means of which the parts can be readily assembled and disassembled. The main reflector and the side reflectors constituting the only elements of'the complete light fixture except. for the -'conventional lam-psockets.

The accompanying drawing is illustrative of several embodiments of the invention. In the drawing: 1

Fig.1 is a cross sectional view of a fixture embodying the invention, but with certain parts omitted.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section along the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 31s a side view of a complementary part of the fixture shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section of a complete fixture, differing in certain details from the fixture shown in Figs. 1 and '2.

Fig. '5 is adetail of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a modification of certain details of Figs. 1 and 4.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the same illustrates a fixture suitable for the reception of two tubular lamps arranged parallel with each other. The fixture comprises an elongated base f formed of sheet metal The base 1 is provided along its longitudinal margins with a reverse bend forming lugs. or flanges, 2', 3, wherein the outer bend forms. a channel 4, the purpose of which will be explained hereafter. The inner bend 3 formsan acute angle. with the main body of the base. Besides. providing for the groove 4, the double bend affords great rigidity to the base i. The base -I may be attached to the coiling. or other supporting structure in any conventional way, such .as. by screws indicated at 5.

The base. I' cooperates an inner or main reflecting plate ii, the present 'caseconsists of a resilient sheet of metal, provided-0n its. under side with a. polished or painted reflecting. surface. The plate A is bent transversely so as to-present. tothe lampsa reflecting surface whichafiords the desired light distribution. Inthe present case the plate. 6 bent to form a V as indicatedat 1, intermediate ot the lamps 8, followed on each side of the -v by a horizontal section a, and, this is followed by an upwardly inclined-section it. Near :itslongitudinal edges the inner reflector plate is preferably folded upon itself as at H. The slope of the section lil near the bend [-1- correspondsto the slope. of the

reverse bend

2, 3, of. the *base plate- L,

As the reflector 6 somewhat resilient the two longitudinal edges can be pressed towards each other so that the reflector can be sprung into the recesses formed. by the

reverse bend

2, 3, of

the base plate I, to thereby lock the two parts securely together. The parts I and 6 are further locked together by bending over the ends of the base plate I, to form vertically depending sections or walls I2. These end walls are preferably reduced in width towards their lowest eX- tremity in order to increase their resiliency. Near their lower edges the end walls I2 may be folded upon themselves to form a groove I3, which groove engages a slot I4 in the apex of the V I, when the reflector plate 6 is sprung into place. To release the reflector it is only necessary to depress the ridge of the V, so that the edge of the groove I3 is free to pass the apex of the V and thereafter bend the wall I2 a sufficient distance outwardly so that the ends of the reflector 6 can pass the groove I3. The resiliency of the material of the end walls I 2, is sufficient that they will assume their original shape or position after the outward pull is released. In the structure shown the parts I and 6 are securely locked with each other both longitudinally and transversely and such locking is accomplished without any additional separate elements. The two parts can be assembled and disassembled without use of any tools. The parts I and 6 when assembled form a hollow conduit in which the conventional resistors or other regulating devices for the lamp circuits, as well as the supply wires, can be mounted.

The lamps 8 are supported from conventional sockets I5, one at each end. These sockets are fastened to the reflector 6 by means of screws in the usual manner.

In order to complete the reflecting surfaces for the lamps, two side or outer reflectors I6 are provided, one on each side of the base I, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 6. Each side reflector consists of a metal strip substantially coextensive longitudinally with the base I, and the reflector 6. Each side reflector has its longitudinal edges bent at an angle to the main body as shown at I! and I8. The two bends are in the same direction so that the cross section of the deflector I6 is in the form of a Z, the two bends forming different angles for the purpose which will hereafter be explained. Both sides of the reflectors I6 are provided with a polished or painted reflecting surface. The side reflectors are fastened to the base plate I by inserting either the flange I! or I8 into the groove 4, Where it is securely held by frictional engagement.

As shown to the left of the center line of Fig. 4, if the side reflectors I6 are assembled to the base I with the flange I8 having the most acute angle, the angle between the side reflector and the vertical plane through the lamp I is relatively small. Therefore as shown by the lines o, c", and d, d", substantially all of the light reflected by said reflector is in a direction towards the central longitudinal plane of the fixture. On the other hand, if, as shown on the right hand side of Fig. 4, the side reflector I6 is attached to the groove 4 by means of the flange II which has the larger angle, the angle between the reflecting surfaces of the reflector I6, opposite the lamp 8, and the central vertical plane of the fixture is greater so that the light reflected by said reflector I6 is dispersed further away from the central plane as shown by the arrows e, e, and f, f. It will further be seen that with the arrangement shown at the left of Fig. 4 the light which is radiated directly from the lamps to the surrounding areas is enclosed by the angle a, while with the arrangement shown at the right of Fig. 4, a much greater volume of the light is directly radiated by the lamps to the surrounding areas, as indicated by the larger angle 17. Thus it will be apparent that the invention permits the adaptation of the fixture for various degrees of concentration of the light radiated from the lamps and for distributing the light either symmetrically or asymmetrically relative to the vertical central plane of the fixture. With the arrangement shown and described it is thus possible to obtain with the same fixture different degrees of distribution of the light. It would of course be possible to supply additional side reflectors with bends I1 and I8 affording different angles to still further increase the flexibility of the fixture.

The locking arrangement comprising the channel I3 and the slot I I of Figs. 1 and 2 may be replaced by a slightly different arrangement as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. In this case each end of the strip 6 is provided with a short tongue I9, which extends beyond the main body of the strip and which may be integral therewith. The end wall I2 of the fixture is provided with an aperture 29 to receive said tongue. It is obvious that by bending the walls I2 outwardly, the tongue I9 may be released from the aperture 29 to the strip 6 from the base I.

Fig. 6 shows a still further modification of the structure heretofore described. In this case the double bend of the longitudinal edges of the base plate I is at right angle with the base as shown at 2I. Similarly the longitudinal margin of the strip I3 is bent at right angle to its major transverse dimension as shown at 22, so that the strip 6 need not be sprung transversely to slide into the base I, reliance being had entirely on the lock between the end walls 12 and the strip 6, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. The base I is sufllciently stiff longitudinally by virtue of the double bend 2|, and the strip 5 is of sufficient longitudinal stiffness by virtue of its great depth.

Fig. 6 shows a still further modification wherein the lamp bases I5 are mounted on the base I of the fixture instead of being mounted on the strip 6. This in some cases may be more convenient.

While thefixture shown and described is arranged for two parallel lamps it is obvious that the same plan of construction and assembly may be employed for a fixture containing a single lamp or more than two lamps mounted in parallel with each other. Other modifications coming within the scope of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A lighting fixture for tubular lamps comprising, an elongated base plate having an integral flange depending from each longitudinal side, a reverse bend on each flange to form an open channel parallel with the major axis of said base, an integral depending portionat each end of said base plate with a retaining ledge near its lower edge, a main reflector plate longitudinally coextensive with said base provided with reflecting surfaces at an angle transversely to said base plate and having its longitudinal edges formed to engage said longitudinal flanges to locate said plates relative to each other, an abutment at each end of said reflector plate arranged to cooperate with said retaining ledge, lamp sockets arranged to support a tubular lamp in parallel alinement with said reflecting surfaces,

and elongated outer sheet reflectors adapted to be mounted on said base plate to cooperate with said main reflector in reflecting light from a lamp mounted in said sockets, each outer reflector being provided at its two longitudinal margins with integral flanges extending from said sheet at different angles respectively, said flanges being adapted to be inserted selectively into said channels to be frictionally retained thereby.

2. A lighting fixture for tubular lamps comprising a base plate attachable to a support, an inner reflecting plate having a reflecting surface and attached to said base plate in spacial relation thereto and projecting therefrom at an angle, interengageable means formed integral with the longitudinal edges of the respective plates to position and hold them together and having a recess, lamp sockets arranged to support a tubular lamp in parallel alignment with said reflecting surface, and an interchangeable outer reflecting plate having at each of its two longitudinal edges a lug for selectively entering said recess and attaching said outer reflecting plate in different angular positions selectively, to coact with said inner reflecting plate in reflecting light from a lamp supported by said sockets.

3. A lighting fixture for tubular lamps comprising, an elongated base plate attachable to a support, an inner reflecting plate substantially coextensive with said base plate having a reflecting surface and attached to said base plate in spacial relation thereto and projecting therefrom at an angle transverse to the longitudinal axis of said plates, interengageable means formed integral with the longitudinal edges of the respective plates to position and hold them together, and having a recess parallel with their major axis, lamp sockets arranged to support a tubular lamp in parallel alinement with said reflecting surface, and an interchangeable outer reflecting plate having at each longitudinal edge a flange, said flanges depending at different angles and adapted to selectively enter said recess and frictionally attaching said outer reflecting plate in position to coact with said inner reflecting plate in reflecting light from a lamp supported by said sockets.

4. A lighting fixture for tubular lamps comprising, an elongated base plate attachable to a support having an integral longitudinal flange depending on each side, an inner reflecting plate having a reflecting surface, adapted to engage said flanges for attachment to said base plate in spacial relation thereto and projecting therefrom at a transverse angle, each of said flanges having a reverse bend to form an open channel parallel with the major axis of said base plate, lamp sockets arranged to support a tubular lamp in parallel alinement with said reflecting surface, and an interchangeable outer reflecting plate having a flange at each of its longitudinal edges, said flanges depending at different angles and adapted to selectively enter said channel and frictionally attaching said outer reflecting plate in position to coact with said inner reflecting plate in reflecting light from a lamp supported by said sockets.

5. A lighting fixture for tubular lamps comprising a base plate attachable to a support, an

inner reflecting plate having a reflecting surface and attached to said base plate in spacial relation thereto: and projecting therefrom at an angle, interengageable means formed integral with the respective plates to position and hold them together, and having a recess, lamp sockets arranged to support a lamp in parallel alinement with said reflecting surface, and an interchangeable elongated outer reflecting plate having at each of its longitudinal edges an integral flange, said flanges extending from said outer reflecting plate at different angles and being adapted to enter said recess selectively and frictionally retaining said outer reflecting plate in selected angular positions relative to said base plate to coact with said inner reflecting plate in reflecting light from a lamp supported by said sockets.

6. A lighting fixture for tubular lamps comprising, an elongated base in the form of a sheet and having integral depending flanges on all sides, each longitudinal flange provided with a reverse bend to form an open channel parallel with the major axis of said base and each end flange provided with a retaining ledge near its lower edge, a main reflector comprising a sheet longitudinally coextensive with said base and bent transversely to provide reflecting surfaces for a lamp mounted beneath it and having its longitudinal edges arranged to engage said flanges and its ends provided with abutments adapted to cooperate with said retaining ledges respectively, lamp sockets arranged to support a tubular lamp in parallel alinement with said main reflector, and an interchangeable side reflector arranged upon each side of said base and having at each of its longitudinal edges a flange, said flanges extending from said outer reflecting plate at different angles and being adapted to engage the respective channel to position said side reflectors on said base plate to cooperate with said central reflector to reflect light from a lamp supported by said sockets.

'I. A lighting fixture for tubular lamps comprising, an elongated base in the form of a metal sheet bent to provide integral depending flanges on all sides, the longitudinal flanges each being provided with a reverse bend to form an open channel parallel with the major axis of said base and the transverse flanges each being provided with a retaining ledge near its lower edge, a main reflector comprising a metal sheet longitudinally coextensive with said base, said reflector being bent transversely and provided with a reflecting surface to reflect light from a lamp mounted beneath it and having its longitudinal edges formed to engage said flanges and its ends provided with abutments adapted to cooperate with said retaining ledges respectively, lamp sockets arranged to support a tubular lamp in parallel alinement with said reflector, and an interchangeable sheet metal outer reflecting plate provided-with reflecting surfaces on both sides and bent at its two longitudinal sides to provide flanges extending from said outer reflecting plate at different angles respectively and adapted to be inserted selectively into said channels to be frictionally retained thereby.

PETER W. SPRECHER.