US2506575A

US2506575A - Lamp fixture for annular fluorescent lamps

Info

Publication number: US2506575A
Application number: US719853A
Authority: US
Inventors: Brandeis Harold
Original assignee: COLONIAL PREMIER Co
Current assignee: COLONIAL PREMIER Co; COLONIAL-PREMIER Co
Priority date: 1947-01-02
Filing date: 1947-01-02
Publication date: 1950-05-09
Anticipated expiration: 1967-05-09

Description

M y 1950 HVBRAINDEIS 2,506,575

LAMP FIXTURE FOR ANNULAR FLUORESCENT LAMPS Filed Jan. 2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 950 H. BRANDEIS v 2,506,575

LAMP FIXTURE FOR ANNULAR FLUORESCENT LAMPS Filed Jan. 2, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 9, 1950 LAMP FIXTURE FOR ANNULAR FLUORESCENT LAMPS Harold Brandeis, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Colonial-Premier Company, acorporation of Illinois Application January 2, 1941, Serial No. 719,853

This invention relates to'a. lamp fixture, and particularly to such a fixture that permits mounting of an annular fluorescent light tube in a manner to require support at only one [portion of the tube. v

Heretofore it has been considered necessary to support annular fluorescenttubes at a plurality of points widely spaced around the periphery of the tube. In structures of this type the shaft on which the supporting members were mounted had to be centrally disposed, relative to the annular tube, in order to obtain a balanced design with the result that a great portion of the light was"general1y wasted because half of the tube was so far from the object to be illuminated.

In the fixture of the present invention the major portion of the annular tube is on one side of the shaft so that the light is concentrated in the area to be illuminated and the base and shaft are not in the way. The annular tube may be mounted on the support quickly and easily, and the weight of the tube cooperates with the support to provide stability. The tube is firmly held against accidental movement relative to its supportbut may be readily removed for rep1ace--' drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fixture embodying the invention with the annular fluorescent tube in its starting position for insertion;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the fixture with the annular fluorescent tube mounted on the support in its final position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional View, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 4, showing the annular fluorescent tube mounted on the support in its final position, with a. reflector mounted on the tube;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top elevation taken substantially along the line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view showing the annular fluorescent tube in position to be mounted on the support. I

In the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indi-- cates a base to which an upright shaft 3 is secured in any suitable manner. The upper end of the shaft is bent over, as indicated at l, to form a horizontally extending bracket 5. The" bracket may be a separate member secured to the shaft in any suitable manner instead of being integral therewith. A socket 6 is rigidly secured to the end of the bracket. A plurality of prongreceiving openings 1 are positioned at the bottom 5 Claims. (Cl. 24051.12)

of the socket and extend upwardly at an angleof about forty-five degrees. The socket has an flat strip of metal bent downwardly from the top of the bracket to fitv under an annular fluorescent light tube I2. The outer ends l3 and I4 of the arms are curved upwardly so that the annular fluorescent tube can be placed in a vertical position indicated 'in I Fig. 1 wherein prongs l5, constituting terminals for the fluorescent tube, extend receiving openings 1.

The contour of the arms 9 and I0 is such, that as the annular tube is rotated from its vertical upwardly adjacent prong' position to a horizontal position prongs [5 will be guided into prong-receiving openings 1 which are sufficiently wide to permit the rotational entry of the prongs. When the annular tube reaches its horizontal position .its upper side engages overhanging lip 8 which is shaped to conform to the'outer circumference of the tube and the prongs are engaged with spring pressed contact terminals I6 which are positioned in each prong-receiving opening.

It will be seen from the above description that arms 9 and I 0 constitute a fulcrum for the annular fluorescent light tube so that the weight of the major portion of the tube urges the prongs into contact with the socket. Although it is very easy to position the annular tube on the lamp fixture, or to remove it therefrom, it is practically impossible for it to be dislodged accidentally because it must be turned to a vertical plane in order to remove it from the fixture.

Each arm engages the underside of the annular tube so that the tube is supported at two points on its under-surface and at one point on its top surface. The top point of support is positioned between the two bottom points of support. The arms supporting the underside of the annular tube are preferably spaced only a short distance on opposite sides of socket 6 so that all three points of support, which constitute the sole support of the tube, are positioned within a single quadrant of the annular tube. This close spacing of the tube supporting structure keeps the larger area on one side of the shaft free of shadows and concentrates the maximum light intensity where it is desired. The area of each supporting member inwardly, as indicated at 2B, and then downwardly to form resilient fingers 2| adaptedto fit: around the side of the annular tube.

Although I have described apreferredtembodiment of my invention in considerable detail, it

will be understood that the description is illus-r trative, rather than restrictive, as many details of structure may be modified orchanged without Accordingly, I do not desire toberestricted .to the exact structure described, except-as limited by the appended claims.

I claim: ,1. .A fluorescentlight tube fixture-comprising anuprightwshaft, asccket suported by said shaft,

said socket being positioned with its prong-receivingopenings at. its bottom, an-Vannular fluo- ,rescent .light tube having aplurality of prongs projecting therefrom, said tube being rotatable from a. substantially vertical-plane to a substantially horizontal plane to engage saidprongs with said openings, and a pair of arms positioned on opposite sides .ofvsaid socket and spaced a short distance therefrom, said arms cooperating with ,said socket to supportsaid annular tube in its horizontal position when said prongs arein engagement withsaidprong receiving openings.

2. .A fluorescent Y light tube .fixture comprising afso-oketengaging the top surface of an annular .fluorescent tube to constitute one point of support, .and. a pair of arms engaging the bottom .surfaceof said tube at points spaced a short dis- 'tance from opposite sides of said socket; said threespoints of. supportconstitutingthe sole supfi'port ofisaidannular tube.

ferenc'e of the tube.

4 3. In combination with an annular fluorescent light tube, a fixture including a socket and a pair of arms constituting the only support for said tube, said socket engaging the top surface of said tube and said arms engaging the bottom surface of said tube, the distance between the three points of support along the circumference of said annuq lar tubebeing less than one fourth fo fxthe circum- .k 4. A lamp fixture comprising abase, a shaft extending upwardly from said base, a horizon tallydisposed bracket extending from said shaft, a socket mounted on said bracket with its prongreceiving openings on its bottom, a pair of arms positioned in a. planebetween said socket and said shaft, and an annular fluorescent light tube mounted on said arms with its prongs engaging the openings in' said socket, said socket being spaced "from said shaft a distance less than one half the diameter of said annular tube, whereby the weightof the major-portion-of said tubetends toholdsa-id prongs insaid openings. 1 Y a 5-. In combination-,anannularfluorescent light .tube, a fixturehaving a pair ofarms,said tube restin on said arms, the vertical plane .extending through said pair of arms being positioned between a parallel vertioal plane tangential to theperiphery of said'tube and a parallel vertical plane through the-centenof said annular tube, whereby the portion of the ,tube on one side of the fulcrum tends to move the portion-on the other side upwardly, and a socket positioned above said last mentioned sidegsaidsocket coop-' crating with said arms to supportvsaidannula-r tube. in ahorizontal plane.

HAROLD BRANDEIS.

REFERENCES crrnn The following referencesare ofrecord in the 'Johns June 6,1944

:OTI-IER REFERENCES Lighting anol'Lamp's, January 1944, pp. 'l'6 l8.