US2906864A - Lighting fixture with convoluted spring louvre - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 29, 1959 A. o. BOUTELLE I 2,906,864

LIGHTING FIXTURE WITH CONVOLUTED SPRING LOUVRE Filed May 19, 1954 INVEN TOR. 1444s 0. 50075445 LIGHTING FIXTURE WITH CONVOLUTED SPRING LOUVRE Allen 0. Bontelle, Jefferson, Wis., assignor to Thomas Industries Inc., Fort Atkinson, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application May 19, 1954, Serial No. 430,758

2 Claims. (Cl. 240-4635) This invention relates to a convoluted spring louvre for lighting fixtures.

Both recessed fixtures and lamps have finish rings or plates of circular, square or other contour at the mouth of the lamp housing or reflector. In the past, louvres have been hinged, screwed, riveted, or otherwise fastened in place to bafile the light issuing from the lamp or fixture so as to confine the illumination to an area reasonably beneath the fixture, while protecting from glare any observer outside of that area.

The present invention provides a convoluted spring louvre which can be made in one piece in a form which, under compression, will fit the opening in the lamp housing to be retained frictionally therein, the normal size and form of the louvre spring being greater than the cross section of the mouth of the housing, so as to require the spring to be compressed for insertion or removal.

Such a louvre can be inserted or removed instantly and without tools to perform every function of a conventional louvre so far as bafiling is concerned and, at the same time, to present an appearance more ornamental than that of conventional louvres.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a lamp housing in course of being equipped with a louvre of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the expanded louvre.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the assembled housing and the louvre.

The particular lamp housing shown constitutes no part of the present invention and is illustrated merely by way of exemplification of one of the numerous types of such housings with which the use of my spring louvre is appropriate. It will be understood that the mouth 4 of the housing may be of any form in outline, the circular form illustrated being selected for exemplification because it is so commonly used. If mouth 4 has a non-circular outline, it is well within the skill of the art to modify the form of the spring louvre 5 to fit, in the light of the teachings of this disclosure.

In accordance with the present invention, a band 6 of spring stock of any desired width is convoluted in any desired manner intermediate its ends to provide a spring louvre 5 which has an over-all dimension which substantially exceeds that of the interior opening 4 of the lamp housing in which the louvre is to be used.

For a housing with a circular opening 4, I preferably provide the convoluted spring strip 6 with arcuate ends at 7 and 8 of a radius substantially conforming to that of the mouth of the lamp housing so that the terminal sections 7 and 8 may fit the lamp housing, in pressure contact therewith, as shown in Fig. 3. In the embodiment illustrated, the louvre spring is symmetrical. At cor responding ends of the arcuate terminal ends 7 and 8 thereof, the spring strap is curved back upon itself at 9,

.United States Patent 0 10, leading to relatively straight sections 11, 12 con- "ice 2 Curved portions 17, 18 are thus olfset beyond curved sections 9 and 10. They lead to straight sections 19, 20 respectively, which are longer than straight sections 15, 16 so that the curved portions of the strip shown at 21, 22 are olfset outwardly beyond curves 13, 14. Curved sections 21, 22 lead to still longer straight sections 23, 24, which are joined at the center of the spring by curve 25.

When such a spring louvre is subjected to compression, its over-all dimensions may readily be reduced to a size which will enable the spring louvre to be inserted into, or withdrawn from, the mouth of the lamp housing. When the spring is inserted, and the pressure relieved, the spring expands to the extent permitted by the dimensions of the lamp housing but remains under bias sufficient to retain it in position of use as shown in Fig. 3. In the compressed position of the spring the sections 11 and 15 are mutually convergent, sections 15 and 19 are mutually convergent, sections 19 and 23 are mutually convergent, and so forth.

I do not wish to be limited to any particular size or form of louvre spring, but, except as otherwise indicated in the accompanying claims, I am directing this application for patent to a louvre comprising a spring strip having baflle portions positioned at intervals across the mouth of a lamp housing or reflector and having an expanded outline which is normally in excess of the outline of the housing mouth, whereby the spring must be compressed to fit within the housing mouth for use. As above explained, this result is achieved in practice for the type of housing illustrated by convoluting a strip of resilient material to provide runs which extend to and fro to I span the housing mouth. If the housing mouth increases in width toward the center as shown, the successive convolutions or runs will desirably show a corresponding increase in length from both ends of the spring toward the center.

I claim:

1. The combination of a louvre and a lamp housing having an open mouth of fixed dimension, said louvre comprising a single continuous strip of spring stock having terminal portions normally separated more widely than the interior of the housing mouth and extending thence to and fro in laterally spaced convolutions and resiliently collapsible under pressure on such convolutions to reduce the space therebetween sufiiciently to permit the louvre to be introduced within the housing mouth and to span it from side to side, the said convolutions constituting baffle strips and forming baffle openings having a large loop at one end and converging together at the other end and the resilient bias of said convolutions maintaining the louvre releasablyin place.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the housing mouth is substantially circular and the convolutions of the strip have a maximum length adjacent a diameter thereof and progressively decrease in length toward said terminal portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent France May 24, 1932

Images