US2828409A - Lighting fixture having load supporting conductors - Google Patents

Description

March 25, 1958 J. w. LINCOLN 2,828,409

LIGHTING FIXTURE HAVING LOAD SUPPORTING CONDUCTORS Filed Jan. 20, 1955 LIGHTING FIXTURE HAVING LOAD SUPPORTING CONDUCTORS John W. Lincoln, South Lincoln, Mass.

Application January 20, 1955, Serial No. 483,031

Claims. (Cl. 240-78) This invention relates to electrical conductors and more particularly to electric lighting fixtures in which the supporting members for the fixture serve as electrical conduits.

In current practice it has been considered essential to use independent wires to carry the electrical current from the usual outlet in the ceiling or wall of a building to the lighting socket in the chandelier or lighting fixture. Such wiring is sometimes run through a hollow pipe or tubing from one or more elements of the lighting fixture for purposes of concealing it or it may be carried exteriorly of the fixture elements. In either case, the insulation frequently deteriorates causing hazardous conditions or an unsightly appearance. While it has been proposed in U. S. Patent to Maxim 247,086 to pass the electrical current through a structural element of a lighting fixture, no satisfactory means for insulating such a device has been known. Furthermore, it is important to provide safe and neat connections for supporting a relatively heavy fixture of the type disclosed from the conventional ceiling box.

A primary object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an improved multi-socket lighting fixture having no separate wiring.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chandelier in which one group of supporting elements of the chandelier serves as a conductor for one side of the line and another group of the chandelier elements serves as the electrical conductor for the other side of the line.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved chandelier and ceiling fixture completely coated with an insulating material.

Further objects will be apparent from the specification and drawings in which:

Fig. l is an elevation partly broken away showing a preferred embodiment of my improved chandelier,

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of a part of the structure of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing one of the lamp sockets,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail showing parts of the chandelier, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail, partly sectioned, of the chandelier of Fig. 1.

The invention comprises essentially the provision of a chandelier structure constructed of solid metallic elements which extend from a central junction to the various lamp sockets. In the preferred embodiment, I provide a group of upper arms which radiate from a common hub to a plurality of lamp sockets positioned at various lateral locations from the hub. A second group of radiating arms connects the lamp socket to a lower hub which is in turn connected to the upper hub. Two hangers secured to the upper hub suspend the entire assembly from an overhead box customarily used for ceiling lighting fixtures. The center portions of the hubs are made of insulating material so that the upper group of radiating "ice arms serves to conduct current to the lamp sockets from one of the upper hub hangers. The other upper hub hanger is electrically connected through the hub to the lower hub and thence through the lower radiating arms to the lamp sockets to complete the circuit to each lamp. Insulation is provided by means of a hard, tough coating of synthetic plastic material such as polyethylene or'the like.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the ceiling box is of conventional construction and has a central post 11 on which there is threaded a coupling 12 which extends downwardly below ceiling 13. The customary electrical leads 14 and 15 are carried into the ceiling box 10 through an aperture 16. The canopy 17 supports the chandelier indicated generally at C by means of insulating bushings 18 and 19 secured to the canopy by nuts 20 and 21. Cap nut 22 supports the canopy and chandelier assembly from coupling 12. The chandelier assembly C is supported by a pair of brackets or hangers 25 and 26 insulated by a coating 27 on each hanger and anchored in the couplings 18 and 19 by collet extensions 28, 28 and jam nuts 29, 29. Each of the hangers serves as an electrical conductor and is connected tothe leads 14 and 15 at the ceiling box 10 by means of connectors 30, 30. The lower termini of hangers 25 and 26 are secured in a hub-like member 31 to provide the entire support for the chandelier structure. Hub 31 is constructed of an insulating material and it will be seen in Fig. 4 that the lower face of the hub comprises an annular conducting ring 32 which is electrically connected to conductor 26 by means of a stud 33 and a coupling 34. Conductor 25 is electrically connected to the central supporting hanger 35 through collar 36 and strap 37 which is clamped against collar 36 by means of a cap screw 38. Strap 37 extends under the nut 39 on the upper end of hanger 35 thus completing the electrical circuit to the hanger. A plurality of radiating arms 40, 40 are anchored in the annular conducting ring 32 and extend radially outwardly and downwardly to terminate at the lamp sockets 45, 45. The hub assembly 31 as well as radiating arms 40 are coated with an insulating synthetic plastic material 46 which in efifect is a continuation of the plastic coating 27 on brackets 25 and 26.

If desired the lamp sockets (Fig. 3) are formed of a central mandrel 50 around which several turns of the arms 40 are wrapped to form the threads for the bases of lamps 51, 51. The insulation from the ends of the arms 40 is removed to provide suitable electrical contact with the lamps 51. The circuit to each of the lamps is completed through a corresponding set of lower radiating arms 55, which lead centrally through each of the mandrels 50, where the exposed ends of the arms 55 contact the central posts of the lamp bases, to a lower hub 56 as shown in Fig. 5. This lower hub 56 has an electrically conductive core 57 to which each of the arms 55 is connected. Hanger 35 terminates in core 57 to complete the electrical circuit from conductor 25. Core 57 is completely insulated in hub 56 by means of a seal or cap 58. The arms 55, hub 56 and hanger 35 are likewise all covered with a suitable insulating covering 59.

The structural elements of my improved chandelier may be solid or tubular or of any desired cross section such as circular, polygonal, oval as may be desired. The various elements may be precoated before assembly or the entire chandelier may be dipped after assembly. In this manner I provide an extremely rugged lighting fixture which is not subject to short circuits due to deterioration of the insulation of the electrical wire and in addition it is not necessary to thread wires for the individual lamp sockets through a maze of tubular elements having sharp a 3 internal bends and corners that render threading diflicult and cutting of insulating frequent. The assembly is extremely safe, simple to manufacture and will outlast the conventionally wired lighting fixture. While polyethylene has been mentioned above as an example of a suitable material many syn hetic resins can be employed depending upon the particular requirements. The acrylic resins, vinyl chloride resin plastigels and the synthetic rubber derivitives are among the numerous materials which can be used to provide various color and artistic eifects. Furthermore it will be understood that the invention is not limited to chandeliers, but may be applied equally to wall brackets, floor lamps, desk lamps and lighting fixtures in general.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A ceiling lighting fixture assembly comprising a plurality of electric lamp sockets, a first hub, a set of radiating arms connecting and supporting the sockets to said hub, a second hub, a set of radiating arms connecting and supporting the sockets to said second hub, a hanger vertically extending between said hubs, a canopy, a pair of hangers extending vertically between the first hub and said can py, One of said last named hangers conducting electrical current to the sockets through the first set of radiating arms and the other of said hangers conducting electrical current to the sockets through the hanger between the hubs and the second set of radiating arms, and

an insulating covering for the hangers and both sets of radiating arms.

2. A fixture according to claim 1 having an insulating collet for securing each of the upper hangers to the canopy.

3. A fixture according to claim 1 in which the sockets are formed by the radiating arms.

4. A fixture according to claim 1 having an electrically conductive connection between one of the upper hangers and the hanger between the hubs through the first hub.

5. A fixture according to claim 1 in which the first hub comprises a ring of insulating material, a second annular ring of electrically conductive material in which the first set of radiating arms are anchored, an electrical connection between one of the hangers and said second annular ring, a clamping post extending through the rings, and an electrical conductor connecting the other of the hangers with said clamping post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Moss Feb. 12, 1935

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