US2446240A - Wiring device - Google Patents

Description

1948- s. R. NAYSMITH 2,446,240

WIRING DEVICE Filed March 28, 1945 10 .4- 1 i l Odnsr cm F1 a '1 AND 3; I SUPPORT INVENTOR S/fl/PLEY A. 7V4 YSMITH ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 3, 1948 The Miller Company, ration of Connecticut Meriden, Conn., a corpo- Application M rches, 1945, SerialN'o. 585,298

seams. (01. 240-52) The present invention relates to wiring devices, and is more particularly directed toward wiring devices adapted for use in. outdoor lighting where the lighting equipment is to be supported from a horizontal conduit.

In some forms of outdoor lighting particularly signboardlighting it is customary to support a conduit from the signboard structure and have the conduit extend forwardly of the signboard structure to support the lighting equipment. The conduit opens at the rear into a suitable weatherproof fitting.

Lighting equipment used for this purpose typically employs a pendent lamp socket, a metal reflector with oblique angular opening and socket cover which extends up around the socket and is secured'to the socket. The'socket is usually provided with a fitting having a hexagonal head which holds the socket cover in locked position relative to the socket axis, and this fitting has threads for securing it to a conduit and for a lock nut which looks the socket cover in place.

The devices heretofore available for securing the lighting equipment to the conduit and getting the wiring from the socket back through the conduit have been extremely cumbersome. It has required two men to put these parts together. There has been the hazard of twisting of wires,

and difiiculties have arisen because of the inability to readily orient the reflector relative to the signboard.

The present invention contemplates a construction well suited for this purpose wherein the entire assembly operation can be done by one person and the adjustment of the fixture to have its socket axis vertical and the reflector oriented in the proper direction is easily obtained.

The present invention contemplates providing the conduit with an angle shaped fitting having a flange adapted to be brought to position below the horizontal conduit, this flange carrying a locking ring. At the same time the fixture part of the construction employs an adaptor fitting for securing the socket cover and socket together and this adaptor fitting is externally threaded to fit the locking ring. Wiring can be readily completed and then the parts coupled together by one man using a wrench.

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustrating the present invention. an embodiment in which the invention may take form,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view with parts in elevation; I

Figures 2 and 3 are horizontal sectional views taken on the line 2--2-and 3,'3, respectively. of

Figure 1; and I conduit l carries a lighting fixture indicated genorally-at l2, while a similar lighting fixture l2is illustrated as being supported on the ground.

The lightingfixture l2 typically comprisesan angle reflector l3, asocket cover I 4 secured 'to the reflector; a lamp socket I5 adapted to carry a lamp l6 and a fitting l'l secured to the upper part of the socket. The fitting I! has the usual hexagonal head I8 to fit the hexagonalupper end I9 of the socket cover. The fitting I! may have the usual threads 20 employed for supporting such afitting from a vertical conduit, but such threads are not necessarily present in the device embodying the present invention. The fitting I1 is threaded externally as indicated at 2! and an adaptor ring 22 is threaded down on to the fitting. This ring has a lower flan e 23 which is brought against the top of the socket cover and is locked against unthreading from the fitting I! by a lock screw 24. These parts may be assembled on the ground as indicated in Figure 4 and with wires '25 of suffilcient length to reach back through the conduit H.

The conduit H is provided with an elbow fitting 35 threaded at 3" on to the conduit and it has a flange 32 at the bottom. For convenience the bottom face of the flange is shown as horizontal and it may be provided with a groove 33 adapted to fit a bead 34 formed on the adaptor ring 22, this bead and groove providing a seepage stop. The flange 32 carries a hexagonal locking ring 35 threaded at 36 to fit the external threads 31 on the adaptor ring 22. In bringing the fixture to position it is merely necessary to carry the fixture up to the desired height, feed the wires up through the wiring space 38 in the elbow fitting 30 and back through the pipe or conduit ll. The fixture may be readily brought up into position so that the threads on the locking ring 35 can be engaged with the threads on the adaptor ring 22, the engagement of these threads being very similar to that which takes place when one puts together an ordinary pipe coupling. A single operative with a wrench can then tighten up the parts and make all adjustments so that the axis of the socket is vertical and the reflector is turned up just the proper angle to direct the light toward the desired area of the signboard. The ring 35 is locked in place by a jam screw 40. The wiring is completed at the outlet box and support carried by the signboard in the usual way.

By having astockof the specialfittings contemplated" by the present inventionelbow fitting, threaded ring and adaptor ring-the elecm trician can readily connect up other standard" parts to provide the desired lighting equipments Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other forms and constructions within the scope of the claims, Iwish ittdbe-undr stood that the particular form shown is but one of these forms, and various; modifications and vertical axis of the threaded parts to produce a downwardly oblique beam, and having two set 1 :scre'ws, onelocking th e adapter ring and socket changes being possible, I do not otherwise limit I myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1'. Anoutdoor lighting device comprising a horizontal conduit, a relatively fixedaelbow fitting-threaded on .theconduit and having'a downward1yopening wiring passage and a bottom flange with annular upper and lower bearing surfaces, an inwardlyv fianged locking ringv loosely but non-removably carried on the upper-surface ofrthe-wfiange and"havirig 'an internally threaded: skirt,. andv a detachable lighting fixture assemb1=y--comprising a reflector havingua: socket cover with an-internally extending flange; a-lamp socket, an upwardlyextending, externally threaded fitting secured tothedamp socket; andan adapter-ring threaded =onthe :socket fittingand bearing against the socket'cover jflange and hav ingtexternal threads received inathethreads of the: sk'irt -of; the: locking; ring to secure the carried-fitting"- against relative rotation and the 'othei locking the adapter ring and skirt against rotationlwhere bythe reflector may be secured in adjusted position about said vertical axis to orient the-beam.

SHIRLEY a. N-AYSMITH.

- REFERENCES CIT'ED The followingreferences are-of record irr-the' file of this patent:'

UNITEDSrTATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,170,352 Sheward Feb. 1; 1916'- 1;263,'5'3 1-' Crownfi'eld Apr. 23, 1918 596,746" Iioftus Aug. 17,1926- 1;79458'7 Henry'eb a1. Mar. 3; 1931 11191983 Guett Mar. 2?}, 1931fv 2 ,287,564 Phillips June 23,1942

, FQREIGN PATENTS.

Number Country I Date" Great Britain Aug; 29,1933

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