US3178570A - Lighting fixture - Google Patents

Description

April 1965 M. M. THOMSEN ETAL 3,178,570

LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Nov. 20, 1962 ERNEST G. JOHNSON "III."

MAX M. THOMSEN INVENTORS ATTORNEY FIG.2

United States Patent 0.

3,178,570 LIGHTING FIXTURE Max M. Thomsen, Moundsville, W. Va., and Ernest G. Johnson, St. Clairsville, Ohio, assignors to Sylvania Electric Products Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 238,859 6 Claims. (Cl. 240-147) This invention relates to the manufacture of lighting fixtures and more particularly to the manufacture of lighting fixtures for elongated, linear light sources, such as fluorescent lamps for example.

In the manufacture of lighting fixtures of this general nature, it has been the practice to provide many types of these fixtures with various light-shielding means. In connection therewith, a number of different devices have been employed to secure the light-shielding means to the reflector of the fixture. Usually no great difficulty has been encountered with these devices insofar as their ability to hold the light-shielding means in position is concerned. However, it is also quite desirable that these devices have other characteristics. For example, they should be readily accessible and easy to manipulate, preferably without the use of working tools. Another important feature which they should include is means for supporting the lightshielding means in an open position with respect to the reflector. This last-mentioned feature is of considerable importance because the reflector and the light-shielding means should be cleaned periodically.

In view of the foregoing, an object of this invention is to provide a device of the type described which is simple in construction and easy to manipulate.

Another object is to provide a device which requires no working tools, such as screwdrivers and the like, for its operation.

A further object is to provide a unitary device which includes hinging means for pivotally supporting the lightshielding means from the reflector as well as means for securing the light-shielding means to the reflector.

These and other objects, advantages and features are attained, in accordance with the principles of this invention, by a hinge-latch device. The hinge portion of this device is fixedly mounted on the light-shielding means itself or the frame which supports it. The latch portion is pivotally supported on the hinge portion and normally overlies and is in frictional engagement with an inwardly turned channel which characterizes each lower longitudinal portion of the reflector with which the hinge-latch device is associated.

In the accompanying drawing,

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of a lighting fixture with which the hinge-latch of this invention may be employed.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of the hinge-latch and reflector assembly taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1.

The lighting fixture illustrated in FIGURE 1 comprises a chassis 2, an inverted trough-shaped reflector 4 attached thereto and depending therefrom, and a light shield 6 spanning the reflector 4. Lamps, not shown, are supported by and from the chassis 2 and are disposed above the light shield 6 and within the trough-shaped reflector 4. For illustrative purposes, an egg crate or cellular type of light shield 6 is shown in FIGURE 1, although any type of light shielding means may be employed insofar as the practice of this invention is concerned. The light shield 6 includes a frame 8 or some suitable mounting surface to which the hinge portion of the hinge-latch device of this invention may be secured. A hinge-latch device 10, securing the light shield 6 to the reflector 4, is illustrated in FIGURE 1. Although only one of these hinge-latch devices 10 is illustrated in FIGURE 1, each ICC lighting fixture is provided with four of them, two along each side and each spaced from the ends of the fixture somewhat as shown in FIGURE 1.

The hinge-latch 10, illustrated in detail in FIGURE 2, comprises a hinge 12 in the form of a wire bail and a latch 14 formed from a metal blank. The wire bail 12 is fixedly supported intermediate its ends in a hook 16 fixedly mounted on the frame 8 of the light shield 6. The

latch 14 is pivotally supported on the wire bail 12 in a manner described more fully below.

The latch 14, formed from a metal blank, has a main body 18. The upper longitudinal portion of the blank is curled to define an upper loop 20. The lower longitudinal portion of the blank is bent inwardly and then back on itself to define a pocket 22 and finally is curled to define a lower loop 24. The free ends of the hinge or bail 12 are inserted into the ends of the lower loop 24 of the latch 14 to pivotally support the latch from the hinge.

The lower longitudinal portions of the reflector 4 are shaped to define inwardly facing channels 26. Each channel 26 comprises an outwardly extending leg 28, a base 30 and an inwardly extending leg 32. The inside face of the base 30 of each channel 26 is provided with a nub 34 near but spaced from each end thereof. The lower loop 24 of each latch 14 is provided with a centrally located aperture 36 within which the nub 34 fits as shown in FIG- URE 2. As is also illustrated in FIGURE 2, the inwardly extending leg 32 of the channel 26 fits into the pocket 22 of the latch 14, the main body 18 of the latch 14 overlies the base 30 of the channel 26, and the upper loop 20 overlies and is in firm frictional engagement with the outwardly extending leg 28 of the channel 26.

In operation, when it is desired to secure a light shield 6 to a reflector 4, the light shield 6, with four hinge-latch devices 10 secured to the frame 8 thereof, is placed in position across the open end of the inverted trough-shaped reflector 4 and the latches 14, pivotally supported on the bails or hinges 12, are swung upwardly into interlocking engagement with the inwardly facing channels 26 of the reflector 4. As each latch 14 is so manipulated, the pocket 22 of the latch envelops the leg 32 of the channel 26 and, as the latch is drawn further upwardly, the main body 18 of the latch is caused to overlie the base 3d of the channel 26, the nub 34 of the base 30 interlocks in the aperture 36 in the lower loop 24 of the latch, and finally the upper loop 20 snaps over the leg 28 of the channel 26.

Disengagement of the latch 14 from the channel 26 is effected by counter-clockwise rotation (as viewed in FIG. 2) of the latch 14 about the hinge or bail 12 as a pivot, with the upper loop 20 of the latch serving as a handle for this manipulation. This disengagement may be effected on one side only of the reflector in order to permit access into the reflector chamber, in which case the hinge-latch devices 10 on the other side of the reflector will continue to support the light shield 6 depending therefrom.

What we claim is:

1. In a lighting fixture, the combination of: a reflector, the lower longitudinal portion of which includes a substantially vertical leg having a protuberance formed on the inside face thereof; a light shield disposed across the open end of said reflector; a hinge fixedly secured to said light shield; and a latch pivotally supported on said hinge in detachably securing engagement with said reflector, said latch being provided with an aperture disposed in cooperative interlocking relationship with respect to said protuberance.

2. In a lighting fixture, the combination of: a reflector, the lower longitudinal portion of which includes a substantially vertical leg having a protuberance formed on the inside face thereof; a light shield disposed across the open end of said reflector; a bail fixedly secured to said Patented Apr. 13, 1965 light shield; and a latch pivotally supported on said bail in detachably securing engagement with said reflector, said latch being provided with an aperture disposed in cooperative interlocking relationship with respect to said protuberance.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said latch comprises a blank having a main body portion, an upper loop formed along the upper longitudinal portion of said blank, and a lower loop formed along the lower longitudinal portion of said blank, said main body portion overlying the substantially vertical leg of said reflector, said upper loop being in frictional engagement with said reflector, and said lower loop being in frictional engagement with the inside face of said vertical leg of said reflector and defining means for pivotally supporting said latch from said hinge.

4. The combination of claim 2 in which said latch comprises a blank having a main body portion, an upper loop formed along the upper longitudinal portion of said blank, and a lower loop formed along the lower longitudinal portion of said blank, said main body portion overlying the substantially vertical leg of said reflector, said upper loop being in frictional engagement with said reflector, and said lower loop being in frictional engagement With the inside face of said vertical leg of said reflector and defining means for pivotally supporting said latch from said hail, the aforesaid aperture being in said lower loop of said latch.

5. In a lighting fixture, the combination of: a reflector; a light shield disposed across the open end of said reflector; a hinge fixedly secured to said light shield; and a latch pivotally supported on said hinge and in detachably 4 securing engagement with said reflector, said latch COlTlprising a blank having a main body portion, an upper loop formed along the upper longitudinal portion of said blank, and a lower loop formed along the lower longitudinal portion of said blank, said upper loop being in frictional engagement with said reflector and said lower loop defining means for pivotally supporting said latch from said hinge.

6. In a lighting fixture, the combination of: a reflector; a light shield disposed across the open end of said reector; a bail fixedly secured to said light shield; and a latch pivotally supported on said bail and in detachably securing engagement with said reflector, said latch comprising a blank having a main body portion, an upper loop formed along the upper longitudinal portion of said blank, and a lower loop formed along the lower longitudinal portion of said blank, said upper loop being in frictional engagement with said reflector and said lower loop defining means for pivotally supporting said latch from said bail.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,240,923 5/41 Christie 29287 3,004,147 10/61 Lessner et al. 240l47 3,025,094 3/62 Buchanan 240l47 X 3,092,336 6/63 Harling et a1 240l47 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,248,308 10/ 60 France.

NORTON ANSI-IER, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A LIGHTING FIXTURE, THE COMBINATION OF: A REFLECTOR, THE LOWER LONGITUDINAL PORTION OF WHICH INCLUDES A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL LEG HAVING A PROTUBERANCE FORMED ON THE INSIDE FACE THEREOF; A LIGHT SHIELD DISPOSED ACROSS THE OPEN END OF SAID REFLECTOR; A HINGE FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID LIGHT SHIELD; AND A LATCH PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED ON SAID HINGE

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