US3719818A

US3719818A - Mounting device for lighting fixtures

Info

Publication number: US3719818A
Application number: US00242650A
Authority: US
Inventors: D Porter; G Raddatz
Original assignee: Thomas Industries Inc
Current assignee: Thomas Industries Inc
Priority date: 1972-04-10
Filing date: 1972-04-10
Publication date: 1973-03-06
Anticipated expiration: 1990-03-06

Abstract

This invention is directed to a mounting device for hanging lighting fixtures on a suspended frame member. The suspended frame member has a conduit portion for carrying electrical wires and has a downwardly facing trackway portion including two parallel spaced-apart shoulder portions. The mounting device of this invention has an elongated mounting bar on which the lighting fixture is fastened. A hanger means provided at one end of the mounting bar is provided with a pair of outwardly extending arm members disposed crosswise to the length of the mounting bar for supporting the one end of the mounting device between the two parallel shoulder portions. At the other end of the mounting bar is a clamping means having a pair of springbiased latching fingers that snap into engagement with the parallel shoulder portions upon the mounting bar being swung up into the trackway.

Description

Unite Porter et States Patent 1 March 6, 1973 [75] Inventors: David H. Porter; Gene R. Raddatz,

both of Fort Atkinson, Wis.

[73] Assignee: Thomas Industries, Inc., Fort Atkinson, Wis.

[22] Filed: April 10, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 242,650

[52] US. Cl. ..240/52 R, 240/52.1, 240/78 R,

[51] Int. Cl ..F21v 21/00 [58] Field of Search.....240/52 R, 52.1, 78 R, 73 OD; 248/342, 343; 52/28 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,565,385 2/1971 Zurawski ..248/343 2,503,876 4/1950 Krauss ...248/343 X 3,246,074 4/1966 Neumann et al. ....248/343 X 3,589,660 6/1971 Dunckel ..248/343 3,190,604 6/1965 Jorgensen et al... ...248/343 X 3,504,172 3/1970 Liberman ..240/78 R 2,967,040 1/1961 Picha ..240/78 R X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 264,093 8/1968 Austria ..240/78R 452,193 10/1948 Canada ..248/342 Primary ExaminerSamuel S. Matthews Assistant Examiner-Richard L. Moses Att0rney.lohn A. Dienner et al.

[57] ABSTRACT This invention is directed to a mounting device for hanging lighting fixtures on a suspended frame member. The suspended frame member has a conduit portion for carrying electrical wires and has a downwardly facing trackway portion including two parallel spaced-apart shoulder portions. The mounting device of this invention has an elongated mounting bar on which the lighting fixture is fastened. A hanger means provided at one end of the mounting bar is provided with a pair of outwardly extending arm members disposed crosswise to the length of the mounting bar for supporting the one end of the mounting device between the two parallel shoulder portions. At the other end of the mounting bar is a clamping means having a pair of spring-biased latching fingers that snap into engagement with the parallel shoulder portions upon the mounting bar being swung up into the trackway.

6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures J3 JO #0 n a a: 16 o l 62 PATENTED 6% 3,719,818

SHEET 2 OF 3 MOUNTING DEVICE FOR LIGHTING FIXTURES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a mounting device for lighting fixtures, and in particular to a mounting device for lighting fixtures for hanging in a commercial lighting display room, in which the mounting device is designed to permit the quick mounting and dismounting of the lighting fixture on a suspended frame member.

It is common practice to retail outlets selling lighting products to have a lighting showroom for displaying a large number of lighting fixtures on the ceiling. There is a need in these type of display areas for a mounting device that will permit the lighting fixture to be quickly mounted or dismounted on the ceiling. This invention satisfies this need by providing a very simple but uniquely designed mounting device attached to the lighting fixture that can be quickly mounted in a downwardly facing trackway of a suspended frame member without the need for any tools.

One of the novel features of this invention is that one end of the mounting device includes a means for hanging the lighting fixture on the suspended frame member while it is electrically connected to an outlet carried by the frame member. Thereafter, the other end of the mounting device is swung up into the trackway and automatically clamps onto the trackway to provide a very rigid mounting support for the lighting fixture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a mounting device for hangin g lighting fixtures on a suspended frame member having a downwardly facing trackway. The mounting device comprises an elongated body portion having a means for mounting the lighting fixture and hanger means at one end of the body portion including a pair of crosswise extending arm members which extend between two parallel spaced shoulder portions in a trackway to support the mounting device and associated lighting fixture. At the other end of the elongated body portion is a clamping means including a pair of latching fingers that extend crosswise to the length of the body portion and are selectively moved by a lever means between a latching position and retracted position such that the distance between the outer ends of the latching fingers is less than the width of the distance separating the two parallel shoulder portions in the downwardly facing trackway when in the retracted position and is greater than this width when in the latching position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of this invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the mounting device of this invention holding a lighting fixture on a suspended frame member;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the suspended frame member of FIG. land a partial view showing the hanging means of the mounting device of this invention inserted between two parallel spaced shoulder portions of the trackway;

FIG. 3 illustrates the mounting device of this invention and associated lighting fixture in an intermediate assembly operation where the electrical wires of the fixture are connected to an electrical outlet in the suspended frame member;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the suspended frame member of FIG. 1 showing one of the mounting devices connected in its trackway and the associated lighting fixture electrically connected to an outlet carried by the frame member;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows de-' picting the clamping means of the mounting device in the latching position;

FIG. 6 is identical to FIG. 5 with the clamping means shown in the retracted position; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the preferred embodiment of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown two suspended frame members generally designated by the reference numeral 10 of the type employed in lighting showrooms or retail stores for the purpose of displaying lighting fixtures. Suspended frame members 10 form no part of this invention and are illustrated only to aid in .a complete understanding of this invention. Suspended frame members 10 are hung from the ceiling or roof 14 of a building by a plurality of mounting bracket and rod combinations -12 of the type generally known in the construction industry.

The suspended frame members 10 have an elongated shape with an upper conduit portion 16 and a downwardly facing trackway portion 18. At the lower end of the downwardly facing trackway portion 18 are a pair of horizontal flanges 20 whose outer skirt portion serve as the supporting surface for a suspended ceiling 22. The inner edge of the horizontal flanges 20 define a pair of parallel spaced-apart shoulder portions 24 (FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2, the inner edges 26 of the parallel shoulder portions 24 are upturned and the space between the inner lateral edges presents a rectangular opening 28.

The conduit portion 16 of the suspended frame members 10 has a removable top cover 30 fastened on the upper ends of the

sidewalls

32 and 34 of conduit portion 16. A pair of spaced downwardly-extending runners 31 are resiliently snapped between a pair of horizontal ribs 33 formed on the inner surfaces of

sidewalls

32 and 34 to hold the cover in place. Cover 30 may be quickly removed by prying up on one side of the cover. The top cover 30,

sidewalls

32 and 34, and bottom wall 36 define an elongated rectangular passageway 38 for carrying the wires of the electrical system to connect to the various lighting fixtures. -At selected intervals along the bottom wall36 of the conduit portion 16 there is provided electrical outlet plugs 40 (FIG. 4) and two-way electrical switches 42 having a pull-cord 44. Switches 42 are electrically connected to the adjacent outlets 40.

Referring to FIG. 7, the mounting device of this invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 50 and has an elongated body portion 52. The elongated body portion 52 which is shownas a rectangular shaped mounting bar 54is illustrated with two alternative means for fastening the canopy of a lighting fixture, namely a pair of spaced threaded apertures 56 or a threaded center nipple 58.

At one end of the mounting bar 54 is provided a hanger means 60 Comprising a flange portion 62 offset from the body portion 52 and a pair of laterally extending arm members 64. The arm members 64 are spaced apart a distance greater than the width of opening 28 and are provided with notches 66 formed on their inside edges adjacent the point of intersection with the mounting bar 54. The notches 66 are shaped to conform to the configuration of the upturned lateral edges 26 of shoulder portions 24 for the purpose of securely holding the mounting device 50 and associated lighting fixture in the preassembled orientation of FIG. 3 to allow the electrical plug of the lighting fixture to be connected to electrical outlet 40.

A clamping means 70 is provided at the other end of the mounting device 50 and uses an upstanding support member 72 to pivotally mount a pair of actuating levers 74 and associated latching fingers 76. The upstanding member 72 is formed as an L-shaped bracket 80 having its lower leg secured to the mounting bar 54, as by welding. Outwardly of the location of upstanding support member 72 the elongated body portion 52 is shaped with an offset flange portion 82, and an elongated slot 84 is formed in this flange portion 82 in a crosswise direction to the length of mounting bar 54.

The pair of levers 74 are pivotally mounted by means of a pair of pivot pins 86 at the upper end of upstanding support member 72, and both levers 74 extend downwardly through the crosswise slot 84 to provide gripping portions 88 below the outer flange portion 82. The pair of levers 74 are constantly urged to pivot outwardly against the opposite ends of slot 84 by means of a torsion spring 90 mounted on the upper end of upstanding support member 72- with its two spring arms 92 wrapped about the pair of intumed ears 94 on levers The pair of latching fingers 76 is integrally formed with the pair of levers 74 having a triangular shaped configuration extending laterally outwardly of the levers 74 above the crosswise slot 84. When the levers 74 are free to extend against the outer ends of the crosswise slot 84, the distance between the outer ends of the latching fingers 76 is greater than the width of opening 28 to cause the fingers to be in a latching engagement with the shoulder portions 26 as depicted in FIG. 5. When the gripping portion 88 of the levers 74 are brought together the distance between the outer ends of the latching finger 76 is less than the width of opening 28 permitting the clamping means 70 to drop out of the trackway as depicted in FIG. 6.

In the use of the mounting device 50, the first step is to fasten the canopy of a lighting fixture onto the mounting bar 54. In FIG. 4, this mounting arrangement is illustrated by a threaded stud 96 screwed into the threaded boss 58 of mounting device 50. Once the canopy is attached, the hanging means 60 is raised up through the opening 28 and twisted so that the arm members 64 extend crosswise to the two shoulder portions 24 as depicted in FIG. 2. The mounting device 50 and associated lighting fixture are than disposed in the preassembled orientation of FIG. 3 which allows the mounting device 50 to be slid along the trackway until placed in a desired location. Once this location is selected, the leads 98 from the lighting fixture are electrically connected to the electrical outlet 40 by virtue of a male plug 100. The lower end of mounting device 50 is then swung up into the trackway until the springbiased finger 76 cam over the upstanding inner edges 64 of the pair of shoulders 24 and spring outwardly to the latching position of FIG. 5. Upon the completion of this step the lighting fixture and mounting device 50 are firmly mounted in place.

To remove the fixture, the above steps are reversed. The gripping finger 74 are squeezed together until the latching finger 76 clear the inner edges of shoulder portions 24 (FIG. 6) allowing the fixture and mounting device to swing down to the FIG. 3 orientation. When the fixture and mounting device 50 reach the position of FIG. 3, the male plug 100 is unplugged from the electrical outlet 40, and the latching device 50 is lifted slightly and twisted a sufficient amount to clear the opening 28 (as depicted by the dotted lines in FIG. 2).

While we have shown and described what we believe to be a preferred embodiment of this invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various rearrangements and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

We claim:

1. A mounting device for hanging a lighting fixture on a suspended frame having a downwardly facing trackway including two parallel spaced-apart shoulder portions which define a rectangular opening therebetween, said mounting device comprising an elongated body portion, means for mounting the lighting fixture on said body portion, hanger means at one end of said body portion including a pair of arm members extending crosswise to the length of said body portion, the distance between the outer ends of said arm members being greater than the width of said rectangular opening, and clamping means at the other end of said body portion including a pair of latching fingers extending crosswise to the length of said body portion and actuating lever means for moving said latching fingers between latching and retracted positions, where the distance between the outer ends of said latching fingers is less than the width of said rectangular opening in said retracted position and greater than the width of said rectangular opening in said latching position.

2. A mounting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said hanger means comprises a flange portion integrally formed with and offset from said elongated body portion, said pair of arm members formed at the opposite sides of said flange portion and extending outwardly beyond the lateral edges of said body portion.

3. A mounting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said clamping means further includes an upstanding support member at said other end of said body portion, and a slot formed in said elongated body portion crosswise to its length adjacent the base of said upstanding support member, and said actuating lever means comprises a pair of levers pivotally mounted at the upper end of said upstanding support member and extending downwardly through said slot, and spring means urging said levers to pivot away from each other, and wherein said latching fingers are integrally formed on the intermediate portion of said levers above said slot.

4. A mounting device for hanging a lighting fixture on a suspended frame having a downwardly facing trackway including two parallel spaced-apart shoulder portions having upturned inner lateral edges, the space between said inner lateral edges presenting a rectangular opening, said mounting device comprising a rectangular mounting bar of a width less than the width of said rectangular opening, means for mounting a lighting fixture on said mounting bar, clamping means at one end of said mounting bar for releasable engagement with said two shoulder portions, and hanger means at the other end of said mounting bar including a pair of arm members extending crosswise to said mounting bar, the distance between the outer ends of said arm members being greater than the width of said rectangular opening and notches formed on the inside edge of said arm members adjacent the point of intersection with said mounting bar of a shape conforming to the configuration of said upturned lateral edges of said two shoulder portions.

5. A mounting device as defined in claim 4, wherein said hanger means comprises a flange portion integrally formed with and offset from said mounting bar.

6. A mounting device as defined in claim 4, wherein said clamping means comprises an upstanding support member at said one end of said mounting bar, a slot formed in said mounting bar crosswise to its length adjacent the base of said upstanding member, a pair of levers pivotally mounted at the upper end of said upstanding support member and extending downwardly through said slot, a pair of latching fingers carried on the outside lateral sides of said levers and disposed above said slot, and spring means for urging said levers to pivot to the opposite ends of said slot, where the distance between the outer ends of said latching fingers is greater than the width of said rectangular opening when said levers engage said opposite ends of said slot and less than the width of said rectangular opening when the outer ends of said levers are brought together.