US2563635A - Lighting fixture for elongated tubular lamps - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 7, 1951 M. w. ASKIN 2, 3, 3

LIGHTING FIXTURE FOR ELONGATED TUBULAR LAMPS Filed July 18, 1947 2 Sheet-Sheet 1 M. w. ASKIN LIGHTING FIXTURE FOR ELONGATED TUBULAR LAMPS Filed July 18, 1947 Aug. 7, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jr zdezzivr' Jmrrw I M/4.9km F7 Patented Aug. 7, 1951 LIGHTING FIXTURE FOR ELONGATED TUBULAR LAMPS Morris W. Askin, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application July 18, 1947, Serial No. 761,830

1 Claim.

My invention relates to a new and useful lighting fixture for elongated tubular lamps and has for one of its objects to improve devices of this character whereby several types of light shades or shields may be quickly and conveniently attached to or removed therefrom for changing combination of colors, replacing old or broken shades and interchanging shades of various configurations, such as curved, fiat and angular.

Another object of the invention is to construct a light fixture which is easy of operation, strong and durable although embodying simplicity in structural detail, and capable of being utilized as a wall bracket, in either a vertical or horizontal position, and as a ceiling fixture.

A further object of this invention is to provide a light fixture to hold a shade or light shield or a plurality thereof and produce subdued lighting effects which will also be pleasing in appearance.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which- Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a fixture constructed in accordance with my invention and illustrating one position of the curved type of shade or light shield as it is being placed in or removed from the fixture.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged inner face view of one end member of the fixture.

Fig. 3 is a side view thereof.

Fig. l is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an inner face view of another end member.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of an end member illustrating another means for mounting the inner ring.

Fig. 7 is an inner face view of still another construction.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section thereof with the base in elevation.

Fig. 9 is an inner face view of a modified form of end member.

Fig. 10 is a side view thereof.

Fig. 11 is a section on the line ll-I I of Fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is an inner face view of an end member of slightly dififerent configuration.

Fig. 13 is an inner face view of a modification of the type of end member shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 14 is a side view thereof Fig. 15 is an inner face view of another style of end member.

Fig. 16 is a perspective View of a curved shade or light shield for use with the different types of end members of the light fixture.

Fig. 17 is a similar view of a flat shade or light shield for use in a light fixture, either by itself or with others of like construction or with one or more of the curved shades;

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the fixture constructed for use in connection with an incandescent light.

In carrying out my invention as herein embodied, reference being first had to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, wherein 28 represents an elongated box-like body of a light fixture having a small hollow casing 2| mounted in each end thereof and Supporting the socket 22 of a fluorescent light tube 23, it being understood that the necessary electric conductors are suitably attached to the sockets.

At each end of the body is mounted an end member 24, 24, Figs. 1-4. When the fixture is used as a wall bracket, it is mounted in a vertical or upright position and the end member at is the bottom one while end member 24' is the top one. These end members are alike or similar with the exception that the end member 24 has a flange on'which a shade will rest while end member 24' is open at the back to permit the shade to be pushed through said end member 24' a short distance. Each end member comprises a ring 25 of desirable width having a cut-away portion 26. This ring has a back wall 2! in the end member 24 preferably in the form of a flange, a portion of which provides a bridge 28 to maintain the ring in its circular configuration, but in the end member 24' a portion of said flange is cut away or an opening is provided for the passage of the shade.

The ring is fixed to an upright 29 having a foot 3|] extending inward at right angles and provided with an opening 3| whereby the foot 30 may be slipped over the socket 22 to engage the casing 2!. The opening 3! is slightly wider than the thickness of the socket 22 so that the foot is moved inward until it passes over the screw 32 and then said foot 30 with associated parts is moved backward or outward until the edges of the notch 33 in the foot pass under the head of said screw 32. Upon tightening the screw the parts will be detachably fastened together.

From the upright 25! extend a number of resilient fingers 34, 35 and 35 on the inside of the ring to form with said ring suitable clamping means to hold one or more curved shades or shields, such as shown in Fig. 16 and to be later fully described, on the inside of the ring. Mounted on the upright in back of the finger 35 is another resilient finger 3! which coacts with the outer surface of the ring to form another 3 clamping means to removably and temporarily hold another light shade or shield of either curved or fiat formation.

In back of the finger 37 is mounted a plate 38 which is attached to the upright 29 by a rivet 39 and said plate has a number of resilient fingers M3, 4! and 32 formed thereon which project over and coact with the outer surface of the ring 25 or other fingers, as where finger ll cooperates with finger 31, to provide clamping means for one of the light shades.

An arcuate shade or light shield 53, Figs. 1 and 16, of plastic or other suitable material and of any desirable color and ornamentation is mounted between the two end members inside of the rings and held in place by the clamping means comprised of one or more of the inner resilient fingers 3 35 and 36 of each end member and the respective ring. To place such a shade or light shield in position one end thereof is projected through an, end member, as the right hand one in Fig. 1, which will force the resilient fingers back sufficiently to permit the other end of the shade or shield to pass the inner edge of the opposite end member. When the shade is properly aligned, it may be released and the resilient fingers will slide it back into said other end member and into contact with the back wall 2? thereby limiting the movements of the shade and supporting the latter when the fixture is used in an upright or vertical position as a side wall appliance.

, In lieu of the above arrangement, an arcuate shade may be mounted between the end members by the clamping means comprised of one or more of the outer resilient fingers 45, 42 and the outer annular surface of the respective rings.

If preferred, a straight or flat shade or shield M, Fig. 17, can be mounted on the end members between any of the clamping means comprised of the outer resilient fingers ill, 37, 52 and the outer surfaces of the respective rings Or the clamping means consisting of the contiguous fingers 3i and 4!. Also a number of the arcuate shades or shields or a number of the flat ones or a combination of both types can be used in a single fixture to produce various effects or color schemes. When theshades or shields are used on the outside of the rings either set of resilient fingers may be sprung outward for the insertion of one or both ends of said shades or shields.

, In Fig. 5 is shown one of a pair of end members 250. comprising an external ring 55 of desirable width having a cut away portion it to accommodate the socket 22. Said external ring 45 has a back wall l? which holds the ring in its circular configuration and said back wall has an arcuate concentric slot or aperture 53 adjacent the ring. Only one of the end members 24a is required to have the aperture 58 which is to permit an end of a shade to be projected through one end member to allow the other end of the shade to pass the ring of the opposite end member when the shade is being assembled or removed.

The external ring 45 is fixed to an upright 49', which may be a part of the back wall 4?, and said upright has a foot 50 extending inward, relative to a complete fixture, at right angles to the upright and said foot has an opening, similar to the one shown in Fig. 4, whereby said foot may he slipped over the socket 22 to engage the casing 2|. 'After the foot 50 rests on the casing a screw 5! is projected through a hole in said foot and screwed into the casing to removably connect the parts.

An internal split ring 52 is located inside of the external one in concentric spaced relation thereto, forming a clamping means with the external ring to hold an end of an arcuate shade or shield and legs 53 project from said internal ring and are fastened to saidexternal ring for holding the two together. On the back of the end member 24a is mounted a spring finger 54 which coacts with the outer surface of the external ring to form a clamping means that will hold an end of either an arcuate or fiat shade or shield.

The form of the end member 2422 illustrated in Fig. 6 is similar to that depicted in Fig. 5 and includes the external ring 55 provided with the cut away portion 58 to register with a socket 22 and has a back wall 57. Inside of said external ring is located an internal split ring 58 in spaced relation to said external ring through the major annular portions thereof. The ends of the in ternal ring are drawn into contact with the inner surface of the external ring and fastened by suitable securing means 59, such as rivets. From the ends of said internal ring project legs 60 having a foot El formed therewith. In said foot 5| is formed a bayonet slot =32 for registration with a screw 63 carried by the casing 2! for detachably mounting the end member on said casing. On the back wall 51 is mounted a resilient finger 66 to clamp an end of a shade or shield between it and the outer surface of the external rm 1: Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown still another form of end wall 2 0 in which there is an external ring 6 having a cut away portion 65 to fit over a socket and said ring has a back wall 65 with several apertures 51 providing a central body portion es and a flange 69 in the region of the apertures.

Within the external ring 64 is located an internal split ring it in spaced concentric relation to said external ring through the major annular portions thereof. The ends of the internal ring are drawn into contact with the inner surface of the external ring and fastened by suitable securing means ll, such as rivets. The two rings provide a clamping means to hold an end of an arcuate shade or shield and in addition other clamping means are provided in the form of fingers l2, l3 and M each of which has a portion projecting through an aperture 6'! and bent about the internal ring so as to be slidably adjustable on said internal ring within the limits of an aperture 577.

Two pins or posts 75 are mountedon a suitable part of the back plate 66 and project forwardly from the inner face of said back wall and said posts have heads is. The legs T1 of a support are slidably mounted on the said posts and these legs carry a foot "it having an aperture 79 for registration with a screw 80 mounted on the casing 2| for detachably connecting the end member to said casing. A spring 8| is mounted on each post between its head and a respective leg 1! of the support. The springs urge the posts forwardly carrying the rings and component parts with them but allow the rings to be forced rearwardly or outwardly to increase the distance between the companion end members of a fixture to allow a shade or shield to be assembled or removed. Upon release of the rings of either end member they will be returned to the normal position by the springs and held against accidental displacement.

Another modification of end member 24d is illustrated in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 and includes a rim 82 of substantially triangular shape having an aperture 83 at the bottom to fit over a socket. From the rim project legs 84 carrying a foot 85 bridging the space between the legs and in the inner edge of said foot is formed a notch 86 to register with a screw on a casing as described in connection with some of the other forms of the device. The rim has aback wall 81 formed therewith and extending across the space bounded by said rim. To some suitable part of the end member is fixed th shank 88 of a resilient finger 89 that extends over and cooperates with the outer surface of a portion of the rim.

On the shank 88 is mounted a key 90 including a handle SI and a tang 92 which passes through an elongated key hole 98 in the back wall and can be turned at right angles to said key hole to retain the finger 89 in a normal position for holding an end of a shade or shield in place on the fixture. By releasing the key tang from the key hole, the finger 89 can be flexed outward and the end of a shade placed in position or removed, as the case may be, and the finger returned to normal position and fastened by the key.

A variation of the last described end member is shown in Fig. 12 and designated 24c, wherein rim M is generally triangular in shape with a back wall 99 extending across the space bounded by said rim. Two resilient fingers 96 extend over that portion of the rim which forms the base of the triangle and the shanks 9'! of said fingers converge towards the angle opposite the base and are secured in place by suitable fastening means 98, such as a rivet. Each shank carries a key 99, similar to the one previously described, including the tang I for projection through an associated key hole IilI. To release the resilient fingers 96, the keys are turned until the tangs align with the key holes so the keys can be withdrawn from engagement with the back wall. The fingers can then be flexed outward to allow removal or assembly of a shade on a fixture after which the fingers can be returned to normal positions and held in place turning the keys until the tangs are at right angles to the key holes.

Another construction of an end member 24) is illustrated in Figs. 13. and 14, wherein the rim I02 is generally triangular in shape with a back wall I03 in the form of a fiange. A resilient finger I04 projects over a portion of the rim to form a clamping means with said portion of the rim and the shank I of said finger is fastened to some convenient part of the end member, as to a portion of the rim, by suitable securing means I06, such as a rivet. To hold the resilient finger in normal shade retaining position, a lip IN is provided by partially cutting a section of the back wall therefrom and bending said section outward a distance equal to the thickness of the finger shank. When the shank is under the lip, the finger I04 will be held in temporary fixed position to form a clamping means in connection with the adjacent part of th rim.

To release the finger it is moved sidewise to spring the shank from under the lip I01 and flex the same outward. After this the end of a shade may be removed from or assembled on the end member and the finger moved inward and the shank replaced under the lip.

A construction of end wall 24g is shown in Fig. wherein several clamping fingers are formed as a unit in connection with an end member and the unit held in a clamping position by a single means or key. In this form of the device, said end member 24g includes a rim I08 generally rectangular in shape with bays I09 along one edge of the end member. The parts of the rim are joined to a back wall IIO which occupies the space or area between all of the sections of the rim.

The resilient finger unit III includes several fingers I I2 each on a shank H8 which are joined to one another and the whole finger unit secured to a convenient part of the end member, as a portion of the rim, by suitable securing means I I4, such as a rivet. The finger unit III is held in a normal clamping position by a key ll I5, similar to the others above described, mounted on the finger unit and including a tang I I9 which passes through a key hole II'i formed in the back wall iii A very wide shade or a number of narrow ones can be clamped and held in position on a fixture having end members of this type.

The end members for releasably holding shades or shields can also be used in connection with incandescent lamps and for purposes of illustration I have shown one of the end members 24 connected to the casing 22 at one end of the body. Instead of the sockets to hold a fluorescent tube or bulb, one or more sockets I !8 of a type to receive incandescent bulb H9 is mounted on a bracket 129 secured to the body 28. When a shade or shades are mounted in the end members the incandescent bulb and supporting elements thereof will be invisible or practically so.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided end members for a lighting fixture that can receive and hold shades of various configurations such as curved, rectangular, fiat and polygonal, and in some instances two or more shades can be used in combination to produce pleasing effects of contrasting colored light arrangernents.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

A lighting fixture comprising a body, sockets to receive a fluorescent light tube, an end member at each end of the body, each end member including an upright, an apertured foot on said upright to pass over a socket, a ring secured to the front of said upright, said ring having a back wall, a plurality of resilient fingers secured to said upright and projecting edgewise relative to said ring, some of which coact with the inner surface of the ring, the remaining ones coacting with the outer surface of the ring, said fingers forming clamps with the ring to hold a shade, and means on the body engaging the feet to detachably fasten the end members to said body.

MORRIS W. ASKIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 517,889 Seberg et a1. Apr. 10, 1894 1,997,687 Hoegger Apr. 16, 1935 2,169,347 MacMaster Aug. 15, 1939 2,315,884 Vendope Apr. 6, 1943 2,331,811 Sprecher Oct. 12, 1943 2,338,077 Scribner Dec. 28, 1943

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