US2833915A - Theatrical spot light gel holder - Google Patents

Description

May 6, 1958 umxuum muwlkvii iiml Filed Aug. 9, 1955 231mm KUUW IN VEN TOR. Fonz/er L/ BEECl/Ek A TTOENE Y- United This invention relates to stage and display lighting equipment, and more particularly to a lamp housing and color medium frame for use with a reflector type sealed filament lamp in various spot and flood lighting applications.

Heretofore spot lights for theatrical stage lighting have been designed for use with high wattage concentrated filament lamps and utilize condensers disposed forwardly of the lamp, rather than reflectors behind the filament, to concentrate the light. Color mediums enclosed in metal frames are inserted between the lamp and condenser through apertures in the sides of the lamp house through which random shafts of unwanted white light spill out laterally of the main beam.

Similarly, the flood lights now generally used in stage lighting are nothing more than concave box-like units designed to confine the light but not reflect it, and have frontal openings disposed in a generally vertical plane over which color mediums supported in metal frames are superposed by sliding them into transverse channels along the top and bottom of the opening. Since these color frames must be loose fitting for convenience in inserting and removing them, more often than not areas of white light will be visible on the illuminated surfaces, and are particularly conspicuous when the color frame is not accurately centered.

Both flood and spotlights presently in use are heavily constructed and perforated profusely with baffle-covered louvres to dissipate the extreme heat characteristic of conventional high wattage incandescent lamps. Moreover, they are designed to emit light in a generally horizontal direction from the vertically disposed filament of a lamp burning tip up and, consequently, are not suitable for use with lamps of the presently available reflector type which throw their light in a direction axially aligned with the lamp, its filament, reflector and socket.

With the foregoing in mind, together with considerations of cost, weight and portability, the present invention will be seen to have a number of important objectives, some of which are included in the following:

One important object of my invention is the provision of a lamp housing in which the light emitting aperture is disposed in a plane perpendicular to the axial centerline of the lamp and its socket.

Another important object of my invention is to provide a housing which can be used with any standard socket fitting of ceramic or metallic construction together with presently available attachments for clamping the unit in position, and is further adapted to burn the new reflector type, sealed filament spot and flood lamps.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a lamp housing having means for receiving various color mediums and for retaining them in a manner in which no rays or reflections of white light will be visible on the illuminated surfaces or around the light emitting aperture of the housing, yet permitting the color mediums to be removed and replaced without the use of any tools.

tes Patent C) 2,833,915 Patented May 6, 1958 A still further object of my invention is the provision of a lamp housing as previously described which, also, is of such shape and general conformation that a plurality of them may be compactly internested in relatively small space when they are stored or shipped.

In brief, my invention consists of a substantially cylindrical body portion open at one end and longitudinally extended therefrom with progressively diminished diameters to provide an arcuately convex longitudinally side wall profile, and terminated in a truncated end portion parallel to the plane of the open end, the truncated end surface being solid except for a perforation therein dimensioned to receive a standard socket fitting. The open end of the body portion is provided with a radially-offset axially-extended right angular circumferential flange adapted to receive a color medium mounted in a circular frame, the flange and the frame having cooperating studs and slots for inserting and holding the frame in position.

Other important features and objects of my invention will become apparent in the following detailed description and specification of one preferred embodiment thereof when read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side view of the lamp housing of my invention with a portion of the outer surface broken away to reveal the manner in which the color frame fits within the flanged opening;

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of the bottom of the housing;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a frame holding a thin gelatinous color medium positioned in the circumferential flange of the opening; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a frame holding a thick glass color medium secured in the flanged opening of the housing.

Referring again to Fig. 1, the lamp housing 1 of my invention is seen to have a flanged opening 2 at one end, shown in detail in Fig. 2, and a truncated opposite end 3 of reduced diameter disposed in a plane parallel to that of the open end 2. The main body portion of the housing is tapered from the large open end to the small closed end 3, thus providing an arcuately convex side surface 4. The truncated end 3 is closed except for a perforation therein dimensioned to receive a conventional socket fitting.

Around the open end 2 of the housing 1 is a circumferential right angular flange, including a radially offset shoulder 5 and an axially extended rim 6, and terminated in a circular edge 7.

The rim 6 is best seen in Fig. 2 which also shows a circular frame 8 holding a color medium 9 in the flanged opening. Frame 8 actually consists of outer and inner flat rings 8a and 8b which are made of strong but generally flexible sheet metal between which the gelatine color medium 9 is retained. The two rings 8a and 8b and the interposed color medium 9, as better seen in Figs. 3 and 4, are held in juxtaposition by simple, quickly detachable fasteners 10 represented by conventional paper fasteners the heads of which are seen in Fig. 2, and the outwardly bent inner ends in Figs. 3 and 4.

A notch 11 is provided in the edge of the frame 8 as seen in Fig. 2, and the frame 8 is secured in place in the flange by inserting one edge of the frame beneath an inwardly extending stud 12, mounted in rim 6, then positioning the notch 11 over an opposite stud 13, pressing the frame inwardly against the inner face of the radial shoulder 5, and rotating the frame to bring the notch 11 out of alignment with the stud 13.

In Fig. 3, which is a through section of the flanged edge and the frame, the color medium 9a retained between the two frame rings 8a and 8b is composed of relatively thin material such as gelatin, the frame members are relatively parallel with an open space 16 therebetween outwardly of the color medium, and the frame lies loosely on studs 13, with a ventilation space 14 being defined between the frame and shoulder 5, and between the periphery of the frame and flange 6.

In Fig. 4, however, the color medium 9 shown therein is of thicker material such as plastic or glass, and may in some cases require the application of a slight pressure to the frame 8 adjacent the notch 11 to depress the generally flexible outer frame member 8b under the studs 12 and 13. The color frame is quickly removed from the flange by rotating the frame so that the stud member 13 aligns within the notch 11, and the color medium itself is quickly removed from the frame by detaching one of the three fasteners 10. Color medium 9, as shown, consists in a series of parallel strips of glass, with edges abutting at 17.

Ventilation openings 15 are provided in the upper end of housing 1, so that air entering through annular ventilation space 14 may escape at the upper end of the housing, thus creating, by convection, a cooling flow of air passing upwardly around the color frame 8.

Lamp bulbs may be easily replaced by removing frame 8 and replacing the lamps through the open bottom of the housing.

Since there are many substances that may be used as color mediums and for directing and diffusing the light emitted from the lamp housing, no invention is claimed concerning the medium itself, and it has been shown and referred to herein merely to show the manner in which the frame and housing cooperate therewith to provide a light tight lamp house and color frame attachment means from which no spills or reflections of uncolored light can escape.

Although this invention, in order to comply with the statute, has been described in terms more or less specific in a single mechanical embodiment, it is to be understood that the embodiment described herein is for the purpose of illustration, and that the details thereof are subject to change, and the invention as herein described is to be limited only to the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a lamp of the type described: a housing including a reflector body having a cylindrical forward portion, a radial flange providing a shoulder projecting outwardly from the forward end of said cylindrical portion and a cylindrical rim flange projecting axially forwardly from said shoulder; a light beam framing and transmitting assembly including a frame comprising a pair of axially spaced, generally parallel, opaque, substantially flat rings having a maximum diameter somewhat less than the inner diameter of said rim and an inner diameter less than the inner diameter of said cylindrical forward portion of the reflector body, a colored light diffusing medium of disc form having a marginal portion embraced and supported between the inner portions of said rings, and a plurality of fastener elements bridging between and connecting said rings in clamping engagement with said color medium, said fastener elements being disposed just outwardly of the periphery of said color medium to locate the same in coaxial relation to said ring; and means for detachably securing said light beam transmitting and framing unit within said rim and against said shoulder, including a plurality of retainer pins anchored in said rim and projecting radially inwardly in overlapping contact with the outer ring, said rings having registering peripheral notches adapted, upon rotation of said unit, to register with and receive one of said pins to permit that side of said unit to be tilted away from said shoulder to a position clearing the margin of said rim so that said unit may be lifted out of the housing and said pins being so spaced from said shoulder as to secure said frame in contact with said shoulder.

2. In a lamp of the type described: a housing including a reflector body having a cylindrical forward portion, a radial flange providing a shoulder projecting outwardly from the forward end of said cylindrical portion and a cylindrical rim flange projecting axially forwardly from said shoulder; a light beam framing and transmitting assembly including a frame comprising a pair of axially spaced, generally parallel, opaque, substantially flat rings having a maximum diameter somewhat less than the inner diameter of said rim and an inner diameter less than the inner diameter of said cylindrical forward portion of the reflector body, a colored light diffusing medium of disc form having a marginal portion embraced and supported between the inner portions of said rings, and a plurality of fastener elements bridging between and connecting said rings in clamping engagement with said color medium, said fastener elements being disposed just outwardly of the periphery of said color medium to locate the same in coaxial relation to said ring; and means for detachably securing said light beam transmitting and framing unit within said rim and against said shoulder, including a plurality of retainer pins anchored in said rim and projecting radially inwardly in overlapping contact with the outer ring, said rings having registering peripheral notches adapted, upon rotation of said unit, to register with and receive one of said pins to permit that side of said unit to be tilted away from said shoulder to a position clearing the margin of said rim so that said unit may be lifted out of the housing and said pins being so spaced from said shoulder as to secure said frame in contact with said shoulder, said color medium comprising a series of parallel sided strips of rigid transparent sheet material of selector colors, associated in edge to edge abutting engagement in a zonal arrangement traversing the circular periphery of said color medium and retained by the clamping action of said rings against the peripheral portions thereof, said discs being of resilient metal and spaced by said transparent strips in a spacing so related to the spacing of said pins from said shoulder that the peripheral portions of said rings are sprung toward one another and thereby yieldingly loaded in clamping engagement with said color medium strips.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,821,955 Wuelker Sept. 8, 1931 1,870,642 Ohm Aug. 9, 1932 2,401,044 Brandt May 28, 1946 2,437,522 Handler Mar. 9, 1948 2,785,291 Bernstein Mar. 12, 1957

Images