US3122331A - Wall mounted lighting fixture - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 25, 1964 N. R. SCHWARTZ WALL MOUNTED LIGHTING FIXTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 27. 1960 N. R. SCHWARTZ WALL MOUNTED LIGHTING FIXTURE Feb. 25, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 27, 1960 u .e MM MM WJ. m M M M Feb. 25, 1964 N. R. scHwARTz WALL MOUNTED LIGHTING FIXTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 27, 1960 United States Patent O 3,122,331 WALL MOUlNTTED LIGHTING FIXTURE Nathan R. Schwartz, Yonkers, NKY., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Swivelier Company Inc., Nanuet, NSY.,

a corporation of New York Filed May 27, i960, Ser. No. 32,438 Claims. (Cl. 240.--730 The present invention relates to electrical lighting fixtures and represents improvements over the fixtures described in my U.S. Patents 2,925,294 and 2,925,489. More specifically, this invention relates to a simplified overall lighting fixture construction.

In my aforesaid Patent 2,925,294 there is disclosed a counterbaiancing swivel joint which is spring biased in such a manner as to aid in the movement of a load bearing arm in one direction so that a load, in this case, a light source, may be mounted to a relative long moment arm. The elements of the swivel joint are mounted within a shell constructed of sheet material drawn to shape.

With this construction it has been found that the loads which the swivel joint is capable of supporting are often limited. That is, since the shell is shaped by a drawing process the walls are usually thin to facilitate shaping. lf the shell wall is increased in thickness the shaping process is made materially more difticult.

This invention overcomes the above noted deficiency of the prior art by providing a swivel joint having a cast relatively thick walled shell. The thickness of the wall does not present any problems in the casting process and it has been found that the shell is less costly to produce as a cast member then as a drawn member. The thick walled shell is not only strong but may be of larger size than the thin walled shell so as to accommodate therein large springs capable of counter-balancing heavier loads than can be handled by a swivel joint having a thin walled shell.

In my aforesaid Patent 2,925,489 the lighting fixture disclosed therein comprises a iirst light source mounted directly to a canopy which is removably mounted to a wall plate and a second light source mounted to one end of a long arm whose other end is supported by a swivel joint. The swivel joint in turn is mounted directly to the wall plate.

In contrast, the lighting fixture of the present invention comprises a canopy removably mounted to a wall plate and directly mounted to the canopy is a hollow bracket. This bracket has mounted directly thereto on the top thereof a rst light source and on the bottom thereof a swivel joint means having the cast shell as herebetore described. The swivel joint supports a long arm at one end thereof with the other end of the arm having a second light source mounted thereto. This construction is materially simplied over the prior art as exemplied by my aforesaid Patent 2,925,489 through the elimination of a large number of elements.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide a lighting fixture which is economical to produce yet is rugged so as to be capable of withstanding abuse withoutbre kdown.

Another object is to provide a lighting fixture wherein a single bracket supports two light sources one of which is mounted to a long moment arm.

These as well as other objects of the instant invention shall become readily apparent after reading the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a side elevation, partially sectioned, of a lighting fixture constructed in accordance with the teachings of the instant invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section taken through line 2 2 of FIGURE l, with the wall plate removed, looking in the direction of arrows 2-2.

ICC

FIGURE 3 is an exploded View of the lighting fixture of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 4 is a plan View of the hollow bracket to which the light sources are mounted.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-section taken through line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an end View of the bracket of FIG- URE 4 looking in the direction of arrows 6 6.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation of the counter-balanced swivel joint with the shell broken away to reveal internal elements.

FIGURE 8 is a side elevation of the counter-balanced swivel joint of FIGURE 7 looking in the direction of arrows S-S with the shell broken away t0 reveal the internal elements.

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of the spring washer which is interposed between the joint means of FIGURE 7 and the bracket of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE l0 is a fragmentary plan view of the bracket of FIGURE 4 with the swivel joint of FIGURE 7 mounted thereto.

Now referring to the figures, the lighting fixture of this invention generally comprises wall plate il having a bowl shaped canopy I2 mounted thereto by screws 13 which pass through clearance holes 14 in canopy 12 and are received by threaded apertures in posts I5 extending forwardly from plate 11 and formed integrally therewith.

Wall plate 11 also includes a forwardly extending mounting ring 16 against which canopy l2 bears and a plurality of arcuate and straight slots closed by knockout formations for the passage of bolts or other means to mount wall plate 11 in the desired location. Wall plate 11 is also provided with apertures 17 through which electrical conductors may pass. A pull chain operated switch 1S as well as a plug receptacle I9 are mounted to the side wall of canopy 12 in a manner well known to the art and are electrically connected to each other as well as to light sources, which will be hereinafter described, also in a manner well known to the art.

Canopy 12 further includes a central wire receiving aperture 21 which is aligned with wire receiving aperture 22 of bracket Ztl (FIGURE 4). Bolts 23 (FIGURE 2) pass through clearance holes in stifr'ening member 24 and clearance holes 25 in canopy 12 to be received by threaded apertures 216 in bracket 2li to ixedly secure bracket 2u to canopy 12. Member 24 also includes wire receiving aperture 27 which is aligned with the wire receiving apertures 21, 22 of canopy 12 and bracket 20, respectively.

Bracket 2t) is a generally hollow member having a horizontal partition 29. Three posts Sti-32 extend up-v wardly from partition 29. Bolt 33, passing through a clearance hole in bracket 34 of a first light source having a bulb socket 35, is received by a threaded aperture in post 30 to secure socket 35 to bracket 26. The free end of bracket 34 abuts raised formation 36 of post 30 to thereby prevent rotation of socket 35. Frusto-conical lamp shade 38 having an inwardly turned lip at the lower end thereof is seated on internal ledge 39 of bracket 2t). Screws 41 passing through clearance holes in the lip and received by threaded apertures in posts 31, 32 secure shade 38 to bracket 20. Counterbalancing swivel joint `4G (FIGURES 7 and 8) is mounted to the bottom of bracket 2li in a manner to be hereinafter explained.

Counterbalancing swivel joint 46 comprises shell 42 having mounted thereto ball assembly 43, cup washer 44, compression spring 45, closure member 46 and nipple 47. Shell 42 is a cast relatively thick walled member having a rounded internal surface 48 at the lower end thereof which provides a seat for ball assembly 43. Load bearing arm 49 is entered into the central wired passage 50 of ball assembly 43 as well as through a substantially 3 90 slot 51 in the rounded end of shell 42. The length of slot 51 is selected to limit the movement of arm 49 about axis 52 to substantially 90.

Washer 44 includes a curved sur-face 53 which also provides a seat for ball assembly 43 and further includes a pair of slots 54 which receive the ends of torsion springs S which are Vpart of ball assembly 43. Closure member 46 is seated on ledge 56 of shell 42 and is retained thereon by the deformed lip 57 of shell 42 at the upper end thereof. Compression spring 45 is nterposed between closure member 46 and cup Washer 44 so as to urge cup washer 44 against ball assembly 43 and in turn urge ball assembly 43 firmly against seat 4S.

Nipple 47 is provided with a shoulder 58 which rests against closure member 45. 'The lower end 59 of nipple 47 extends from shoulder 58, passes through the central aperture 61 of closure member 46, and is deformed so as to fixedly secure nipple 47 to member 46. Cutouts 62 in shoulder 53 cooperate with suitably formed raised portions of Imember 46 to prevent relative rotation between nipple 47 and member 46. Nipple 47 is provided near the upper end thereof with a peripheral groove 62 which receives retainer washer 63 for pivotal mounting of swivel unit to bracket Ztl.

Swivel unit 40 is mounted to bracket 24) by first inserting nipple 47 through the central aperture 64 of spring washer 65 and thereafter through aperture 66 of partition 29. Spring washer 65 is then loaded by moving swivel unit 4t! toward the lower surface of partition 29 until groove 52 is completely above partition surface 67. Retainer 63 is mounted to nipple 47 by inserting the upper end of nipple 47 through aperture 68 of retainer 63. Thereafter, retainer y453 is moved horizontally into groove 62 with the portion of nipple 47 defining groove 62 being disposed within another aperture 69 of retainer 63 which is too small to receive the upper end of nipple 47. Retainer 63 is maintained in this position by screw 7@ which passes through clearance hole 71 in retainer 63 and is received by threaded aperture 72 in partition 219.

Shell 42 is provided with integrally formed internal formations 75-77. There are four formations 75, only two or" which are shown, which engage the `flattened sides of ball assembly 43 to prevent rotation of same relative to shell 42 about an axis transverse to bore 5t) and axis 52. Relative rotation between cup washer 44 and shell 42 is prevented through the cooperation of washer slot 78 and internal formation 76. Similarly, relative rotation between closure member `46 and shell 42 is prevented through the cooperation of closure member notch 79 and internal formation 77.

Stop projection 81 of shell 42 cooperates with stop projection S2 of bracket 20 to limit the relative rotation between swivel unit 4d and bracket 2t? to substantially 360.

By casting shell 42 it may readily be provided with thick walls of substantial strength. This enables a large ball assembly 43 to be housed therein with the ball assembly 43 including strong torsion springs so that the load, in this case light source 84, at the end of long moment arm 49 may be relatively heavy.

it is to be noted that bracket 2t) is provided with an outer surface that is rounded and gradually tapered in the portion at the left with respect to FIGURES 4 and 5. This portion of the bracket outer surface blends with the outer surface of lamp shade 3S as well as the outer surface of shell 42 so that the three appear to be continuous when viewed from the side.

Thus, this invention provides an improved counterbalancing swivel joint unit construction whereby extremely heavy loads may be supported. In addition, this invention provides an overall simplified lighting fixture construction by providing a single bracket which supports two separate light sources one of which is mounted to the end of a iong moment arm, and pivotable for sub- 4 stantially about a horizontal axis as Well as pivotable for substantially 366 about a vertical axis.

Although the invention has been set forth with exemplary constructions and arrangements, it is to be understood that the features, principles and manner of application thereof may be varied by those skilled in the art, l ithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I Claim:

1. A lighting fixture comprising a wall plate, an canopy removably mounted to said wall plate, a bracket means mounted to said canopy, a swivel joint means pivotally mounted to said bracket means at a first side thereof, said joint means having a nipple extending therefrom; said bracket means comprising a generally hollow member, including a horizontal partition; said joint means being positioned onone side of said partition with said nipple extending 4through an aperture of said partition; said nipple having an annular groove in the outer surface thereof, said groove being positioned on the other side of said partition; a retaining means entered into said groove for providing a pivotal connection between said joint means and said bracket; a rst lighting means connected to said swivel joint means for pivotal movement with respect to said bracket means and a second lighting means mounted to said bracket means at a second side thereof opposite to said first side.

2. A lighting fixture comprising a wall plate, a canopy removably mounted to said wall plate, a bracket means mounted to said canopy, a swivel joint -means pivotally mounted to said bracket means at a first side thereof, said joint means having a nipple extending therefrom; said bracket means comprising a generally' hollow member, including -a horizontal partition; said joint means being positioned on one side of said partition with said nipple extending through an aperture of said partition; said nipple having an annular groove in the outer surface thereof, said groove being positioned on the other side of said partition; a retaining means entered into said groove .for providing a pivotal connection between said joint means and said bracket; said retaining means comprising a Washer having a first opening large enough for said nipple, moving longitudinally, to pass through and a second opening wherein a portion of the nipple having the annular groove is disposed; said second opening being too small to permit the nipple to pass therethrough; said openings being in communication with their juncture being large enough to receive the portion of said nipple having the annular groove yet too small to permit the nipple, moving longitudinally, to pass therethrough; a first lighting means connected to said swivel joint means for pivotal movement with respect `to said bracket means and a second lighting means mounted to said bracket means at a second side thereof opposite to said first side.

3. A lighting fixture comprising a -wall plate, a canopy removably mounted to said wall plate, a bracket means mounted to said canopy, a swivel joint means pivotally mounted to said bracket means at a first side thereof, said joint means having a nipple extending therefrom; said bracket means comprising a generally hollow member, including a horizontal partition; said joint means being positioned on one side of said partition with said nipple extending through an aperture of said partition; said nipple having an annular groove in the outer surface thereof, said groove being positioned on the other side of said partition; a retaining means entered into said groove for providing' a pivotal connection between said joint means `and said bracket; a partially loaded spring washer through which said nipple extends disposed between said partition and said joint means; a first lighting means connected to said swivel joint means for pivotal movement with respect to said bracket means and a second lighting means mounted to said bracket means at a second side thereof opposite to said first side.

4. A lighting fixture comprising a wall plate, a canopy removably mounted to said ywall plate, a bracket means mounted to said canopy, a swivel joint means pivotally mounted to said bracket means at a iirst side thereof, said joint means having a nipple extending therefrom; said bracket means comprising -a generally hollow mentber, including a horizontal partition; said joint neans being positioned on one side oi said partition with said nipple extending through an aperture of said partition; said nipple having an annular groove in the outer surface thereof, said groove being positioned on the other side of said partition; a retaining means entered into said groove -for providing a pivotal connection between said joint means and said bracket means; said joint means including a ball assembly; a long hollow arm mounted at a rst end thereof to said ball assembly for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis deined by said haii assembly'; a first lighting means mounted to said arm at a second end thereof for pivotal movement about said bracket means and about said ball assembly; `and a second lighting means mounted to said bracket means at a second side thereof opposite to said first side.

5. A lighting fixture comprising a Wall plate, a canopy removably mounted yto said Wall plate, a bracket means mounted to said canopy, a swivel joint means pivotally mounted to said bracket means at a first side thereof, a rst lighting means connected to said swivel joint means for pivotal movement with respect to said bracket means and a second lighting means mounted to said bracket means at a second side thereof opposite to said first side; said bracket being generally hollow and having a rounded tapered portion at the outer surface thereof; said joint means including a shell having a rounded tapered outer surface; said lighting means including a shade having a rounded tapered outer surface; said bracket rounded tapered portion appearing as an extension of the portions of the rounded tapered outer surfaces of both said shell and said shade.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 482,339 Crolius Sept. 13, 1892 1,516,306 Reborn Nov. 18, 1924 1,636,358 Fairman etal luiy 19, 1927 1,674,130 Russell et al. .lune 19, 1928 2,000,743 Cohen May 7, 1935 2,052,059 Arras Aug. 25, 1936 2,500,784 Anderson Mar. 14, 1950 2,580,350 Friedberg Dec, 25, 1951 2,667,571 Versen lan. 26, 1954 2,709,097 Leary May 24, 1955 2,925,294 Schwartz Feb. l16, 1960 2,925,489 Schwartz Feb. 16, 1960

Claims (1)

1. 5. A LIGHTING FIXTURE COMPRISING A WALL PLATE, A CANOPY REMOVABLY MOUNTED TO SAID WALL PLATE, A BRACKET MEANS MOUNTED TO SAID CANOPY, A SWIVEL JOINT MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO SAID BRACKET MEANS AT A FIRST SIDE THEREOF, A FIRST LIGHTING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SWIVEL JOINT MEANS FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID BRACKET MEANS AND A SECOND LIGHTING MEANS MOUNTED TO SAID BRACKET MEANS AT A SECOND SIDE THEREOF OPPOSITE TO SAID FIRST SIDE; SAID BRACKET BEING GENERALLY HOLLOW AND HAVING A ROUNDED TAPERED PORTION AT THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF; SAID JOINT MEANS INCLUDING A SHELL HAVING A ROUNDED TAPERED OUTER SURFACE; SAID LIGHTING MEANS INCLUDING A SHADE HAVING A ROUNDED TAPERED OUTER SURFACE; SAID BRACKET ROUNDED TAPERED PORTION APPEARING AS AN EXTENSION OF THE PORTIONS OF THE ROUNDED TAPERED OUTER SURFACES OF BOTH SAID SHELL AND SAID SHADE.

Images