US3757107A - Battery powered light fixture - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery powered light fixture having a base adapted to be secured to a wall or other like support surface, and a cover assembly overlying and removably attached to the base. The base is preferably plastic injection molded as one piece and has a centrally located bulb support; battery supports for locating pairs of batteries on opposite sides of the bulb support; an offcenter switch support on which is mounted an ''''on-off'''' switch; a guide through which a pull chain for operating the switch extends beyond the periphery of the base; and a resilient tab which cooperates with the guide to locate and hold the cover assembly on the base. Metallic conductors, including clip-like members attached to the battery supports establish a series connection between the bulb, batteries and switch. The cover assembly includes an opaque wall, a concave reflector having an aperture therein through which the bulb protrudes, and a transparent dome overlying the reflector.

Description

States Patent [1 1 [451 Sept. 4, 1973 1 BATTERY POWERED LIGHT FIXTURE [22] Filed: May 16, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 253,876

[52] US. Cl 240/10.6 R, 240/7.35, 240/41.55, 240/52.l [51] Int. Cl. F211 11/00 [58] Field of Search 240/52.1, 10.5, 41.55, 240/73 R, 7.35, 7.4, 7.55, 10.6 R

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,817,753 12/1957 Corin et al. 240/10.6 R 3,321,618 5/1967 Goldbaum et al. 240/41.55 2,278,614 4/1942 James 240/7.55 2,187,846 l/l940 Williams 240/73 R X 2,597,073 5/1952 Cunningham... 240/10 R 2,734,129 2/1956 Kahla 240/4155 X 2,775,688 12/1956 Golden 240/52.1 X 2,906,863 9/1959 Ritter 240/4l.55 X 3,125,299 3/1964 Woofter et a1 240/4l.55 X 3,274,382 9/1966 Fattori 240/l0.6 R

Primary Examiner-Samuel S. Matthews Assistant Examiner-E. M. Bero Attorney-C. Yardley Chittick, Maurice E. Gauthier et al.

[ 57] ABSTRACT A battery powered light fixture having a base adapted to be secured to a wall or other like support surface, and a cover assembly overlying and removably at tached to the base. The base is preferably plastic injection molded as one piece and has a centrally located bulb support; battery supports for locating pairs of batteries on opposite sides of the bulb support; an offcenter switch support on which is mounted an on-off switch; a guide through which a pull chain for operating the switch extends beyond the periphery of the base; and a resilient tab which cooperates with the guide to locate and hold the cover assembly on the base. Metallic conductors, including clip-like members attached to the battery supports establish a series connection between the bulb, batteries and switch. The cover assembly includes an opaque wall, a concave reflector having an aperture therein through which the bulb protrudes, and a transparent dome overlying the reflector.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1 BATTERY POWERED LIGHT FIXTURE DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to lighting fixtures, and more particularly to a battery powered light fixture which is adapted to be secured to a ceiling, wall or other like support surface.

An important object of the present invention is the provision of an improved and more powerful battery powered light fixture which is compact, inexpensive to manufacture, and yet is provided with a high-quality sturdy construction. Another object of the present invention is the provision of a simplified means for mounting a miniature flanged bulb in the light fixture, which means incorporates a novel and reliable arrangement for connecting the bulb in series with the remainder of the electrical circuit. Still another object of the invention is the provision of a battery powered light fixture wherein the electrical components, including the bulb, batteries, switch and metallic conductors, are all housed between a base and a cover assembly, and wherein improved means are provided for removably mounting the cover assembly on the base, thereby facilitating the task of subsequently replacing worn batteries and bumt-out bulbs.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds with the .aid of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a batterypowered light fixture embodying the concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. I, but with a portion of the cover assembly broken away to better illustrate the arrangement of the enclosed electrical components;

FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the light fixture with a number of the components shown in an exploded arrangement;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the light fixture with the cover assembly removed;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of one of the clip-like conductor elements; and,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numbers designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown a light fixture 2 of the present invention. The light fixture includes a base 3, which is preferably although not necessarily of circular shape, and which is provided with means, such as for example appropriately positioned screw receiving holes as indicated typically at 4, for securing the base to a wall, ceiling, or other like support surface.

The base 3 is preferably, although again not necessarily, a single plastic injection molded piece including as integral parts thereof a centrally located bulb support 5 which is adapted to slidably receive a miniature flanged bulb 6, battery support means 7-8, for locating pairs of batteries on opposite sides of the bulb support; switch support means 9a and 9b for supporting an onoff switch; guide means 10 through which a pull chain for operating a switch extends to a point beyond the periphery of the base; and, a resilient tab 12 which cooperates with the aforementioned guide means to locate and hold the cover assembly on the base. The base 3 has a front generally flat face 16 which is separated from a peripheral circular lip 18 by means of a circular upstanding shoulder 20.

The bulb support 5 is comprised of an upstanding tubular wall having a pair of vertically extending oppositely disposed slots 24a and 24b therein. The slot 24b is preferably deeper than the slot 240 for reasons to be hereinafter described. Where the base 3 is of a circular configuration, the bulb support is preferably centrally positioned.

The battery support means includes a plurality of upstanding intermediate supports 7a and 7b for locating pairs of batteries 28 (individually referred to as 28a, 28b, 28c and 28d in FIG. 4) in side-by-side relationship on opposite sides of the battery support 5, and battery end supports 8 which are staggered on opposite sides of the bulb support 5 adjacent to opposite ends of the batteries 28. Each battery end support 8 has a curved lip 32 at its upper end, which overlaps the underlying end of a battery 28.

The switch support means includes an upstanding pedestal 9a and an adjacent relatively thin upstanding tubular post 9b.

The guide means 10 is of a generally T-shaped configuration which is relatively rigid and which is located along the centerline of the circular shoulder 20 at a point where the latter is interrupted as at 40. The guide 10 is provided with an aperture which preferably is lined with a metal bushing 42. As can be best seen in FIG. 4, the aperture defined by the metal bushing 42 is aligned with an imaginary line passing through the bulb support 5 and one of the holes 4.

The tab 12 is also located on the centerline of the shoulder 22 and is positioned opposite to the guide member 10. The tab 12 is somewhat resilient and is provided with a locking shoulder 46, the purpose of which will hereafter be described.

In light of the above, and by way of brief review, it will again be pointed out that the base 3 is preferably a single plastic injection molded piece including as integral parts the bulb support 5, the battery supports 7a, 7b and 8, the switch support means 9a and 9b, the guide member 10 and the resilient tab 12.

A plurality of metallic conductor elements are emplayed as part of the electrical circuit for the light fixture. Several of the conductor elements, specifically those identified by the reference numerals 48, 50, $2 and 54 are secured to the base 3 by any appropriate means, as for example by rivets indicated typically in FIG. 4 at 56.

One end 48a of element 48 extends resiliently into the bulb support 5 through the base of slot 24b. The other end 48b of conductor element 48 provides a resilient negative contact for battery 28b. Element 50 has one end 50a which overlaps the base of slot 24a and the interior wall of the bulb support 5, with the other end 50b of element 50 providing a resilient positive contact for battery 28a.

The elements 52 and 54 each have ends 52a and 54a which are spaced from each other and which overlap the switch support pedestal 9a. The other ends 52b and 54b respectively provide a resilient positive contact for battery 28a, and a resilient negative contact for battery 28d.

Substantially identical clip- like conductor elements 58a and 58b are also employed in the circuit. With reference to FIG. 5 wherein one of the elements is shown on an enlarged scale, it can be seen that each includes a pair of resilient legs 60 and 62 joined at one end as at 64 and laterally spaced to define a slot 66. Leg 62, which is preferably although not necessarily longer than leg 60, is provided at one end with a positive contact 68 and at another point intermediate its ends with a negative contact '70. Each element 58 is clipped onto one of the battery end supports 8 as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. The slots 66 are dimensioned so that the end supports 8 are frictionally gripped between the legs 60 and 62. The circular shoulder 20 on base 12 is interrupted as at 72 to accommodate slidable insertion of one of the elements 58a. When thus positioned, the element 58a provides a positive contact 68 for battery 28b and a negative contact 70 for battery 28a, while the element 58b similarly provides a positive contact 68 for battery 28d and a negative contact 70 for battery 28c.

A switch 74 having a spring-loaded rotatable element 76 operated by a pull chain 78 is mounted on the switch support pedestal 9a by means of a screw 80. A pin 82 on the switch is axially received by the upstanding tubular post 912. The pull chain 78 extends through the metal bushing 42 in the guide member 10. Successive pulls on the chain 78 will result in the rotatable element 76 being indexed between an on position bridging the gap beween the underlying contacts 52a and 54a, and an off" position vertically spaced therefrom.

As is best shown in FIG. 4, the position of the switch 74 is such that the line of pull on chain 78 is aligned generally with the center of the fixture, thereby avoiding any twisting action that might otherwise be imparted .to the fixture when the switch is actuated.

The miniature bulb 6 is provided with a cylindrical base 86 and a circular flange 88. The bulb is pushed into the bulb support 5, the extent of its insertion being limited by the flange 88. When thus inserted, the side of the bulbs cylindrical base 86 engages the contact 50a, and the bottom of the bulb presses against the resilient contact 48a.

The light fixture 2 further includes a cover assembly 90 having a wall 92 which is preferably although not necessarily an opaque plastic injection molded piece. The wall has a circular bottom rim 94, the thickness of which is approximately equal to the width of the peripheral lip 18 on the base 3. The top rimof the wall 92 is formed with an inwardly extending circular flange 96 and a vertically extending peripheral lip 98. A slightly concave reflector element 100 is seated on the flange 96 and held in place by the rim of a transparent dome 102. As is best shown in FIG. 6, the wall 92 and flange 96 have holes 97 therein at several circumferentially spaced locations. Each hole 97 terminates at its outermost end in a short inwardly disposed locking flange 99 which cooperates with an outwardly extending flange 101 on the dome 102 to lock the latter in place. The reflector 100 has a centrally located aperture 104 through which the bulb 6 protrudes when the cover assembly 90 is mounted on the base 3.

One section of the wall 92 is notched as at 106 to receive the T-shaped guide member of the base 3. At a location disposed oppositely from the notch 106, wall 92 is further provided with a generally rectangular hole 108. When mounting the cover assembly 90 on the base 3, the T-shaped guide member 10 of the base is initially aligned with and located in the notch 106 of the wall 92. Thereafter, the upper portion of the cover assembly is pressed towards the base. When this occurs, the resilient tab 12 on the base is pressed inwardly by the wall 92 until such time as the upper generally rectangular portion 110 of the tab 12 springs into registration with the rectangular hole 108 in the wall member, at which point the cover member is securely locked to the base.

When removal of the cover assembly is required, for example to replace batteries or a worn out bulb, the upper rectangular portion 110 of the tab 12 is pressed inwardly and the cover assembly is thereafter pivoted outwardly until the wall member 92 is completely free of the tab 12. Thereafter, the cover assembly is dropped slightly to free the T-shaped guide member 10 from the notch 106, at which point the cover assembly is completely disengaged from the base 3.

Having thus described a preferred embodiment of a light fixture embodying the concepts of the present invention, the novel features and advantages incorporated therein will now be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Among these advantages is the simple yet effective manner in which the miniature flanged bulb 6 is received and held by the bulb support 5 in contact with the end 48a and 50a of the metallic conductor elements 48 and 50. Of further importance is the fact that the base 3 is plastic injection molded as a single piece having integrally formed thereon a number of other functional components, including the bulb support 5, the battery supports 7 and 8, the switch supports 9a and 9b, the T-shaped chain guide 10 and the resilient tab 12. The manner in which the cover assembly 90 is received on and removably attached to the base 2 is also of importance in that it facilitates replacement of bulbs and batteries with a minimum of inconvenience. The overall construction of the fixture permits low-cost high-volume production, without impairing the quality and appearance of the end product.

With the foregoing in mind, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that numerous changes and modifications to the appearance and structure of the fixture may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto. For example, the base and cover assembly may be provided with a non-circular multi-sided configuration, the manner of mounting the base to a wall or other like support surface may be changed to include other known fastening techniques, including adhesives, and the specific design of certain components such as the switch may also be changed to include other known designs.

I claim:

1. A battery powered light fixture comprising in combination:

a. base means adapted to be secured to a support surface;

b. bulb support means protruding vertically from said base means, said bulb support means being adapted to receive and frictionally retain the base of a miniature flanged bulb;

0. battery support means on said base means for supporting pairs of batteries on opposite sides of said bulb support means;

d. switch means carried by said base means, said switch means being adjustable between a closed" and an open position by pulling on an elongated flexible actuator which is connected at one end to said switch means;

e. a guide member protruding vertically from the edge of said base means, said actuator extending through an aperture in said guide member with the other end of said actuator located beyond the periphery of said base means;

f. conductor means for providing a series connection between said bulb, said batteries and said switch means;

g. resilient tab means protruding vertically from the edge of said base means at a location disposed oppositely to the location of said guide member;

h. cover means removably mounted on said base means, said cover means being held on said base means by the cooperative action of said guide member and said tab means, the former being received in a notch located along one edge of said cover means and the latter being received in an aperture in said cover means at a location disposed oppositely to that of said notch;

. a reflector carried by said cover means, said reflector having an aperture therein through which said bulb protrudes when said cover means is mounted on said base means; and,

j. a transparent dome on said cover means overlying said reflector.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base means, said bulb support means, said battery support means, said guide member and said resilient tab means are plastic injection molded as one integral piece.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bulb support means is comprised of a generally cylindrical wall having oppositely disposed notches therein extending vertically downwardly towards said base means, one of said notches being longer than the other notch, the said one notch being positioned to receive a resilient end of said conductor means, the bottom of the other notch being overlapped by another end of said conductor means, the positions of the ends of said conductor means relative to said bulb support means being such that the positioning of said bulb on said bulb support means will result in a series connection being established between said ends.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim I wherein said battery support means includes a rigid support for the negative end of each battery, each of said rigid supports extending vertically from said base means to terminate at the upper end in a laterally extending lip.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said conductor means includes clip members attached to two of said rigid supports, said clip members having intermediate portions overlying said rigid supports and resilient end portions extending laterally beyond said rigid supports, the said intermediate and end portions providing negative and positive contacts respectively for the pairs of batteries located on opposite sides of said bulb support means.

Claims (5)

1. A battery powered light fixture comprising in combination: a. base means adapted to be secured to a support surface; b. bulb support means protruding vertically from said base means, said bulb support means being adapted to receive and frictionally retain the base of a miniature flanged bulb; c. battery support means on said base means for supporting pairs of batteries on opposite sides of said bulb support means; d. switch means carried by said base means, said switch means being adjustable between a ''''closed'''' and an ''''open'''' position by pulling on an elongated flexible actuator which is connected at one end to said switch means; e. a guide member protruding vertically from the edge of said base means, said actuator extending through an aperture in said guide member with the other end of said actuator located beyond the periphery of said base means; f. conductor means for providing a series connection between said bulb, said batteries and said switch means; g. resilient tab means protruding vertically from the edge of said base means at a location disposed oppositely to the location of said guide member; h. cover means removably mounted on said base means, said cover means being held on said base means by the cooperative actioN of said guide member and said tab means, the former being received in a notch located along one edge of said cover means and the latter being received in an aperture in said cover means at a location disposed oppositely to that of said notch; i. a reflector carried by said cover means, said reflector having an aperture therein through which said bulb protrudes when said cover means is mounted on said base means; and, j. a transparent dome on said cover means overlying said reflector.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base means, said bulb support means, said battery support means, said guide member and said resilient tab means are plastic injection molded as one integral piece.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bulb support means is comprised of a generally cylindrical wall having oppositely disposed notches therein extending vertically downwardly towards said base means, one of said notches being longer than the other notch, the said one notch being positioned to receive a resilient end of said conductor means, the bottom of the other notch being overlapped by another end of said conductor means, the positions of the ends of said conductor means relative to said bulb support means being such that the positioning of said bulb on said bulb support means will result in a series connection being established between said ends.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said battery support means includes a rigid support for the negative end of each battery, each of said rigid supports extending vertically from said base means to terminate at the upper end in a laterally extending lip.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said conductor means includes clip members attached to two of said rigid supports, said clip members having intermediate portions overlying said rigid supports and resilient end portions extending laterally beyond said rigid supports, the said intermediate and end portions providing negative and positive contacts respectively for the pairs of batteries located on opposite sides of said bulb support means.

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