US3592430A - Strap swivel mount - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention involves an adjustable mounting arrangement for an automotive accessory driving light having a cylindrical shape. The mounting can be disposed on most any irregular surfaces and thereafter the light can be adjusted to produce a light pattern that conforms with acceptable safety light spreads.

Description

United States Patent inventors Peter M. Coombs;

N. H. Newton; George D. Lawson, all of Georgetown, Mass. Appl. No. 866,977 Filed Oct. 16, I969 Patented July 13, 1971 Assignee Sylvanla Electric Products Inc.

STRAP SWIVEL MOUNT 2 Chins, 2 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 248/289, 240/82 Int. Cl B60q 1/00 Field of Search 248/286, 291. 284, 282, 289, 487. 485, 479. 316, 313; 240/8.l, 8.2, 8.3

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l,9l7,l92 7/1933 Hueber 248/231 2,597,670 5/l952 Pinto 248/231 Primary Examiner-J. FranklinFoss Atrorneys-Norman J. O'M alley and Laurence Burns ABSTRACT: The invention involves an adjustable mounting arrangement for an automotive accessory driving light having a cylindrical shape. The mounting can be disposed on most any irregular surfaces and thereafter the light can be adjusted to produce a light pattern that conforms with acceptable safety light spreads.

PATENTEU JUL 1 3 IBFI FIG. 2

PETER M. COOMBS GEORGE D. LAWSON INVENTORS ATTORNEY STRAP SWIVEL MOUNT FIELD OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In automotive accessory lighting, various mounting methods were used to properly fix a cylindrical body upon an irregular surface. In most cases, a metal strap was permanently attached to the cylindrical body by screws or rivets. The ends of the strap ere secured to an adjustable ball and socket arrangement to provide limited axial adjustment to the body of the fixture. With this type of mounting the cylindrical fixture could not be rotationally adjusted. With the use of Rivets or screws which were used for the attachment tended to allow water to enter the fixture and caused early lamp failure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In our invention, we have designed a mounting arrangement for a driving light having a cylindrical body that allows unlimited adjustment, even after it has been secured in place. The importance of this feature can be appreciated when the most recent development in automotive lighting is considered, that is, a driving light having a controlled rectangular light beam spread. A fixture which provides this type is disclosed in a copending application, Ser. No. 758,328 of Hough et a1. and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. In this advanced type of driving light, a rectangular gated aperture is utilized to produce a penetrating controlled light pattern for highway driving. The apertured gate is horizontally fixed at a predetermined distance between a lamp and a housing lens, and is so designed that a powerful, but controlled, rectangular light pattern is established on the roadway. Therefore it is important that the slit or aperture must be positioned horizontal to the road, with a sharp light cutoff directed to the oncoming vehicles. In a cylindrical fixture such as employed by the driving light of this design, the light pattern can be ad justed after the fixture body is secured to the vehicle. Most driving lights are initially installed in the grille or on the front of newer model automobiles. The present fixture however can even be installed on older vehicles as supplemental lighting. For this purpose, where the driving light is mounted on outside of a vehicle on an irregular surface, an adjustable mounting device that we now disclose can be utilized. The driving light is supported from a swivel mount which is axially adjustable by a flexible strap that can be expanded to free the fixture body for rotational adjustment and then tightened to permanently fix the fixture in one place.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofa driving light fixture showing its attachment to a surface of an automotive vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the main components of the driving light.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a driving light 10 is shown attached by way of an adjustable mounting 12 to a surface 14. Principally the driving light comprises a main body casting 16, the rear end of which is provided with a weathertight, pliable boot 18 that. can be easily removed to replace a lamp if it fails. A lens 20 is securely attached by a bezel ring 22 to the front end of the fixture. Normally a driving light of the type can be permanently attached within a suitable frame in the rille adjacent the standard driving lights of a vehicle.

owever, our invention relates to an adjustable mechanism for this type of d riving light. As mentioned previously, a fix ture of this type comprises a gated aperture to produce a controlled light beam on the road surface. As seen in FIG. 2 the internal components of the driving light are shown where a gated apertured disc 30 having a rectangular slit 31 is positioned between the lens 20 and an elliptical type reflector 32.

A lamp 34 is optically located within the reflector 32. The spatial distance ratio between the lamp reflector 34, 32 the apertured disc 30 and the lens 20 is such that a rectangular light pattern with sharply defined edges is established.

Basically the adjustment required for this type of fixture depends on the position of the rectangular aperture disc 30 disposed within the fixture. As seen in FIG. I, a rectangular image 31 is shown in phantom to depict the desired orientation ofthe light pattern.

The adjustable mounting 12 comprises a mounting standard 46, shaped like a pyramid. The base of the standard 46 is concentric with the outside of the fixture body 10. The standard 46 houses the ends of an expandable strap 54 that can be adjusted in an open or closed position by a set screw 52. At the top end of the standard 46, a bolt 42 having a radially shaped inverted head 44 is held captive in an elongated slot. A conically shaped spacer 50 is positioned on the bolt 42, adjacent to the top end of the standard 46. The end of bolt 42 is provided with a nut 40 that secures the entire adjustable mounting to a surface 14.

To install the driving light the bolt 40 is first fitted through an appropriate hole provided in the vehicle body 14. This hole can be placed on almost any surface of the vehicle, irregular or fiat. The bolt 42 is then fitted in the hole and loosely secured by nut 40. At this point of assembly, the fixture 10 is then loosely secured in strap 54 and the lamp can be lit to allow visual alignment of the light beam. Adjustment can be made in the various arrow directions shown i FIG. 1. Thereafter bolt 40 and screw 52 are securely tightened. Further adjustment to the fixture can be made by loosing either the bolt 40 or the screw 52 depending on the type of adjustment needed.

We claim:

1. An adjustable mounting bracket for use with a gated cylindrical lighting fixture comprising:

a pyramid-shaped mounting standard;

adjustment means disposed within said mounting standard;

a strap extending from said adjustment means and adapted to encircle said fixture, the ends of said strap being disposed within said standard;

locking means for said adjustment means located on said pyramid-shaped mounting standard.

2. An adjustable mounting bracket according to claim 1 wherein said locking means is a locking screw adapted to lock said adjustment means of the said fixture.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 5.592.450 Dated JULY 15. 1971 Invent0r(s) PETER M. COOMBS GEORGE D. LAWSON It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

[72] In the Title Change: Peter M. Coombs;

(N.H. Newton;) George D. Lawson, all of Georgetown, Mass.

To: Peter M. Coombs, (-Newton, N.H.-) George D. Lawson, Georgetown, Mass.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of January 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER, JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-IOSO (IO-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-F'B9 U S GOVERNMENY PRINTING OFFICE 1 l9? O-366-334

Claims (2)

1. An adjustable mounting bracket for use with a gated cylindrical lighting fixture comprising: a pyramid-shaped mounting standard; adjustment means disposed within said mounting standard; a strap extending from said adjustment means and adapted to encircle said fixture, the ends of said strap being disposed within said standard; locking means for said adjustment means located on said pyramidshaped mounting standard.

2. An adjustable mounting bracket according to claim 1 wherein said locking means is a locking screw adapted to lock said adjustment means of the said fixture.

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