US2863990A

US2863990A - Lighting fixtures

Info

Publication number: US2863990A
Application number: US528263A
Authority: US
Inventors: Vearl S Wince
Original assignee: Holophane Corp
Current assignee: Holophane Corp
Priority date: 1955-08-15
Filing date: 1955-08-15
Publication date: 1958-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 1975-12-09

Description

Dec. 9, 1958 V. WlNCE LIGHTING FIXTURES s 'shee cs sheet 1' Filed Aug. 15, 1955 ATTORNEY Dec. 9, 1958 v. s. WINCE 2,8

LIGHTING FIXTURES Filed Aug. 15, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I INVENTOR V ARL ,5". M

ATTORNEY Dec. 9, 1958 v. ShWlNCE LIGHTING FIXTURES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 15, 1955 R \\,\\M\\W, \W l B.

lNVENTOR 145424 .5. Mama LIGHTING FIXTURES Vearl S. Wince, Newark, Ohio, assignor to Holophane Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application August 15, 1955, Serial No. 528,263

6 Claims. (Cl. 240--78) The present invention relates to lighting fixtures and is more particularly directed to lighting fixtures adapted to be recessed into the ceiling.

In recessed fixtures using incandescent lamps the heat generated makes it desirable to provide an outlet box adjacent the fixture to which the house wires may be connected and from which fixture wiring of the slow burning wire may be employed to carry the connections from the outlet box to the lamp socket associated with the recessed fixture.

The present invention contemplates recessed lighting fixtures adapted to be installed in the ceiling and carry as a fixed part thereof the outlet box to which the house wiring may be connected. According to the present invention, the lamp box is provided with a large opening in its upper or top wall through which a workman can reach to make the splices in the outlet box and through which one can look at the splices whenever necessary to inspect the same.

According to the present invention, the large opening at the top of the lamp box is closed by a downwardly removable preferably dome shaped closure member which can be secured in place to close the top of the box. When the closure member for the lamp box is lowered, complete access is provided for inspection of splicing and the making of splices, and when the closure is fastened in position it is possible to have the lamp carried in a completely closed lamp box.

The accompanying drawings show for purposes of illustrating the present invention two embodiments in which the invention may take form it being understood that the drawings are illustrative of the invention without limiting the same.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of lighting fixture wherein the lamp box closure member carries the lamp socket and is mechanically connected with the outlet box by flexible cable, parts being broken away to show interior construction;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 2.2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 1;

. Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the closure member of Figure 1 lowered and hanging from the flexible cable;

Figure 5 is an inverted sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 6 showing a modified form of construction in which the lamp socket and wiring are carried directly by the lamp box;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 5 and showing the lamp box closure member lowered in full lines and in normal position in dot and dash lines;

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view taken on the broken line 77 of Figure 5 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

nited States Patent ice Figures 8 and 9 are sections on lines 8-8 and 9-9 respectively, of Figure 7.

In the form of construction illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the ceiling line is indicated at CL. The lamp box is in the form of a walled enclosure 10 with bottom flanges 11 adapted to engage the ceiling surfacing material. The box is usually square as shown in the drawings. It carries a hinge mechanism generally indicated at 12 for the support of lens frame '13 adapted to carry a lens plate indicated at 14.

The top 15 of the box is provided with a large hole or opening 16'. A bracket arm 17 is suitably secured to the lamp box as for example by screws indicated at.

1818. The bracket 17 is channel shaped to provide stiffness, and an outlet box 20 is fixedly secured to the bracket in any suitable manner. The outlet box has knock-outs 21 in the side walls and back wall as usual, and is provided with a removable cover 22 to provide access to the interior of the outlet box. House wiring 23 is secured to the outlet box 20 in the usual manner.

Also secured to the outlet box is a short length of flexible cable 24 having slow burning asbestos covered fixture wires 25. The other end of this flexible cable is secured to a bracket member 26 which carries a screwshell type lamp socket 27. The contacts of the lamp socket are connected to the wires 25 in the usual manner. The socket support bracket 26 is secured to an arched or dome shaped closure member 27 by screwsindicated at 28, 28. The closure member 27 has an outwardly extending flange 29 adapted to be secured against the underface of top 15 of the lamp box by screws 30 and an opening 31 opposite the lamp socket to receive& lamp bulb L. It may or may not be a reflector.

The lamp box 10 with outlet box 20 permanently secured to it may be mounted in the ceiling in any suitable manner and the ceiling completely finished. Wiring 23 may be brought to the outlet box in the usual manner. The flexible cable 24 is attached to the outlet box in the usual manner and the wires spliced to the house wires when the cover plate 22 is off the outlet box and the closure member 27 is hanging down as indicated in Figure 4. At this time, there is adequate room, for example, a ten inch opening, through which to pass both hands and reach into the outlet box to make the splices.

After the splices are. made, the outlet box cover 22 may be replaced and the closure 27 fastened up in place. At any time when one wishes to inspect the wiring, it is merely necessary to disconnect the closure 27 and lower it and remove the outlet box, whereupon one can look up through the lamp box into the outlet box and observe the conditions.

The lamp box shown in Figures 1 and 2 is designed to employ a prismatic glass reflector 35 with a generally square bottom flange rounded at the corners, as indicated at 36 in Figure 1. Fixed brackets 37 on the right hand side of Figures land 2 support one side of the prismatic reflector. The other side of the reflector is supported'by brackets 38 pivotally mounted as indicated at 39. These brackets have outwardly extending feet 40 which may be moved from the full line position of Figure l, where they are under the prismatic reflector, to the dotted line position of Figure 1, where they free the reflector so that it can be removed.

In the modified form of construction illustrated in Figures 5 to 9 inclusive, a shallower lamp box is indicated at 50. It has laterally extending ears 51 slotted as indicated at 52 and adapted to receive horizontal mounting strips 53, so that it can be supported to this lower edge substantially flush with the ceiling line CL. The lamp box supports a finishing ring 54 which in turn carries a hinged lens frame 55 provided with a lens n :2 56. The supports for the finishing frame and lens frame form no part of the present invention.

An outlet box 60 having the usual cover 60 is secured to a bracket 61 which in turn is secured to the top 62 of the lamp box by screws 63. These screws pass through insulating washers 64 which form spacers and cut down conduction of heat. The outlet box 60 is connected to the house wiring 65 in the usual manner. Slow burning fixture Wires 66 are spliced to the house wiring inside the outlet box 60. They pass down through a hole 67 in the bracket 61 through an opening in the side of the lamp box 68 and extend about the undersurface of the lamp box as indicated. The wires are supported by clips 69 and pass up through an opening 70 in the top of the lamp box where they are secured to a lamp socket 71 mounted on the lamp box. The portions of the wires 66 outside the lamp box and below the bracket 61 are covered by a protecting cover plate 72 held in place by screw 73.

The top of the lamp box 59 is provided with a large opening 75 through which one can reach to make splices and can look at the splices in the outlet box, when the outlet box cover 60 is removed. A closure 76, of a size to pass up through the opening 75 in the top of the lamp box, has a flange 77 to permit securing it in place by screws 78. This closure member has an extension 79 adapted to extend under the lamp socket 70 and acts as the reflector. The structure shown in Figures 5 to 9 inclusive, is one particularly well adapted for use with smaller units such as those accommodating lenses eight inches square.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other forms and constructions within the scope of the claims, I wish it to be understood that the particular forms shown are but two of these forms, and various modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwise limit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A lighting fixture in the form of a unitary, preasscmbled structure adapted for recessed mounting in a ceiling and for connection to house wiring and including a downwardly opening combination rough-in box and lamp box with the walls thereof forming the walls of the lighting fixture and having a large opening in the top thereof through which a workman can reach to splice wires, a flange on the top periphery of said combination rough-in box and lamp box; an outlet box means for removably mounting the outlet box on the lamp box when the lamp box is mounted in the ceiling, said outlet box having a removable cover facing the upper lamp box opening so that one can reach through the opening in the top of the lamp box and into the outlet box to make splices, a local lamp circuit including a lamp socket and wiring extending from the outlet box to the lamp socket, and a downwardly removable closure member for the upper lamp box opening secured to said flange which when in position, closes the top of the lamp box, the lamp socket being so located that a lamp carried thereby projects into the lamp box.

2. The lighting fixture claimed in claim 1, wherein the lamp socket is secured to the closure member, the wiring is in a flexible cable which is secured to the outlet box and closure, and the closure member is adapted to hang on the end of the cable.

3. The lighting fixture claimed in claim 1, wherein the lamp box closure member is arched, the lamp socket is secured to the closure, and the wiring is in a flexible cable which is secured to the outlet box and the closure so as to support the closure in hanging position when the closure is disconnected from the lamp box.

4. A lighting fixture comprising a unitary, preassembled structure adapted for recessed mounting in a ceiling and for connection to house wiring and including a downwardly opening combination rough-in box and lamp box with the walls thereof forming the walls of the lighting fixture and having a large opening in the top thereof through which a workman can reach to splice wires, a flange on the top periphery of said combination rough-in box and lamp box; an outlet box having a removable cover facing the upper lamp box opening so that one can reach through the opening in the top of the lamp box and into the outlet box to make splices, means for detachably mounting the outlet box on the lamp box while the lamp box is mounted in the ceiling. a local lamp circuit including a lamp socket and wiring extending from the outlet box to the lamp socket, a downwardly removable arched closure member for the upper lamp box opening secured to said flange which when in position, closes the top of the lamp box, the lamp socket being so located that a lamp carried thereby projects into the lamp box, a lens frame hingcdly secured to the lamp box, and a lens carried by the lens frame.

5. The lighting fixture claimed in claim 4 in which said closure member is a downwardly acting reflector disposed about the lamp.

6. A lighting fixture comprising a combination roughin box and lamp box walled enclosure adapted to be mounted with its lower edge substantially flush with the ceiling the walls thereof forming the walls of the lighting fixture, the top of the enclosure having a relatively large opening through which a workman can reach to splice wires, a flange on the top periphery of said combination rough-in box and lamp box; an arm carried by the upper part of the enclosure and extending laterally from the opening; an arm carried outlet box adapted to receive supply wiring and having a removable cover on the face toward the opening to permit access for the making of splices therein to house wiring, a lamp socket secured to the lamp box and adapted to carry a lamp bulb in a position to project over the opening, wiring connecting the socket and outlet box, and a downwardly removable, arched closure member, secured to the llangc on the top of the lamp box to close the opening therein and having an opening to accommodate the lamp bulb.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,602,881 Pryne July 8, 1952 2,630,521 Kirlin Mar. 3, 1953 2,639,368 Pryne May 19, 1953 2,741,695 Schockett Apr. 10, 1956