WO1994001715A1

WO1994001715A1 - Column-type floor lamp in parts with permanent axial fixture

Info

Publication number: WO1994001715A1
Application number: PCT/IT1992/000098
Authority: WO
Inventors: Angelo Marinacci
Original assignee: Fonderal S.R.L.
Priority date: 1992-07-14
Filing date: 1992-08-07
Publication date: 1994-01-20
Also published as: ITMI921701A1; IT1255423B; ITMI921701A0; AU2435892A

Abstract

Column-type floor lamp (10) in parts, consisting of an upper bracket (30) for the means of illumination (40), of a floor base (11) and of one or more tubular rods (50, 51) that can be connected by irreversibly locking devices (70) comprising couplings (35, 14) respectively fixed to said upper bracker (30) and to said floor base (11), and (45, 46) joined in a pair, locking achieved by axial translation of said couplings (14, 35, 46, 47) inside the tubular rods (50, 51).

Description

COLUMN-TYPE FLOOR LAMP IN PARTS WITH PERMANENT AXIAL FIXTURE

The invention concerns systems of illumination. For lighting rooms increasingly frequent use is made of column-type lamps with upward-facing lighting fixed to a base on the floor.

The diffused light so given is considered particularly pleasing and restful since, being indirect, it does not throw shadows and the light is evenly distributed through- out the room.

Further, the column-type of support for these systems of illumination fits in well with many kinds of furnishing. The considerable height of these lamps, however, creates problems over packing and transporting them. For this reason most of the column-type lamps at present on the market come in several pieces at the time of pur¬ chase .

Putting them together is usually done by screwing the ends of the various pieces together. The rotary movement associated to a screwing operation however creates considerable problems because of the risk of twisting and breaking electric wires connecting the bulb at the top to the supporting base. The possible breakage of wiring means not only that the lamp cannot work but also the risk of accidents due to short circuiting or dispersion of current. The present invention eliminates or reduces such draw^¬ backs, as will be explained below. Subject of the invention is a column-type lamp in several parts separated one from another and electrically connec¬ ted. The separate parts comprise devices for fitting them together by axial translation. The pieces fit together permanently so that, once the sep- arate parts are connected they can no longer be taken apart The column consists of an upper support for the light bulb, of a base that stands on the floor and of at least one hollow tubular rod with at least one internal longitudinal rib . Said upper support and said base are connected to the tubu¬ lar rods by couplings of a shape complementary to said tu¬ bular ro'ds, . and of an external diameter just smaller than the internal diameters of said rods.. In each of the above couplings there is at least one exter- nal longitudinal channel in a position complementary to sai rib in the hollow tubular rod and whose dimensions are onl just greater than those of said rib.

Therefore, by fitting the tubular rod or rods onto the couplings, by axial translation guided by the rib that slid in the channel, connection is made among the various compo¬ nent parts of the lamp. Advan ageously the extremity of the rib in the hollow tu¬ bular rods is inclined inward and has a cut in it at a certain distance from said extremity.

Each of the couplings has at least one tongue-shaped part in a longitudinal direction, which from their base extends towards the extremity with an axial fissure aligned with the longitudinal channel in said couplings. Towards the end of the tongue the fissure is closed by a tooth the back of which is outwardly inclined. Therefore, when inserting the tubular rod onto the coup¬ ling by axial translation guided by sliding the rib inside the channel, contact between the inclined back of the tooth and the upper inclined end of the rib, bends the tongue inwards towards the inside of the coupling and then, by elastic reaction, the tongue's tooth penetrates in the cut in the rib thus fixing the tubular rod onto the coupling. Since the whole of the couplings penetrate inside the tu¬ bular rods the locking effect is practically irreversible. Below, one coupling is fixed to the base supporting the lamp. A second coupling is fixed under the lamp's upper support .

Preferably the column is formed of at least two tubular rods. To join these two rods there are two couplings one fixed to the other. The electric wiring connecting the base to the lamp pass through the couplings and through the hollow tubular rods. Usefully these two tubular rods are made of conduc- tive metal .

It is preferable if the couplings are made of plastic ma- terial and if they have at least one spring made of con¬ ductive metal . The springs fixed to the light bulb's upper support and to the base on the floor, are electrically connected to said support and to said base if these are of metal, or to their metal parts. The springs in the pair of couplings are reciprocally connected electrically.

Therefore, when the couplings have been axially fitted to the tubular bodies, contact between the springs and the metal material of the tubular rods brings about elec- trical connection among all the metal parts of the lamp which can thus be earthed.

Usefully, a current transformer is placed inside the floor base and can be connected to the mains, said transformer then being connected,by an electric cable run through the coupling fixed to the base and through the tubular rod connected to it, to a controlling potentiometer fixed to said tubular rod.

The invention offers evident advantages.

This lighting system can be quickly and securely mounted without any parts having to be screwed together, and this goes to the root of the problem of twisted and broken wires. Of particular utility is the possibility, by means of the tongue-shaped parts inside the couplings, of automatically and irreversibly locking the various parts by simply fitting the tubular rods onto the couplings.

Thanks to this, once unpacked and put together, the whole lamp becomes a single piece from all points of view. All electrical connections, by means of the wires passing through the tubular rods and through the couplings, can be implemented during manufacture without any need for further operations of the kind during mounting. Division of the column into the number of parts desired means that the packing material used for transport is greatly reduced.

Much appreciation is also felt for the presence of the potentiometer of the current transformer on the tubular rod. This enables the amount of light emitted by the light bulb to be continually adjusted by working a con¬ trol so placed as to be easily within the user's reach. By means of the springs in the couplings electrical con- tinuity among the various parts of the lamp can be en¬ sured even if the couplings are of plastic material. This is most useful for the purposes of earthing the entire system of illumination. To sum up: the invention here described provides a si - pie and safe system of illumination, easy to transport and to put together.

Characteristics and purposes of the invention will become still clearer from the following example of its execution illustrated by diagrammatically drawn figures. Fig.1 Lamp in separate parts with the column already put together, an axial section. Fig.2 Detail, in perspective, of the upper part of the column. Fig.3 Detail of the device for locking the upper part of the lamp to the column, first stage in mounting. Fig.4.The same as above during mounting. Fig.5 The same as above when mounting is completed Fig.6 Perspective view of the lamp as it is for packing and ransport . When mounted the lamp 10 comprises the disc-shaped base 11 and surround 12 joined to the flattened dome 13 above and to the coupling 14 by the threaded axial pin 15 and nut 16 •

The current transformer 20 is placed inside the flattened dome 13, and is plugged into the mains by a cable 21 and plug 22.

On the sides of the flattened dome 13 there is an earthing connection 23 and cable for this purpose 24.

At the top of the lamp 10 is a support 30 to hold the light bulb 40 and with a metal bowl facing upward; centrally un- der the bowl is a base 31 which by means of a frame 32 sup¬ ports the light bulb 40, with electric contacts 41 and 42. Said frame 32 is connected to the bowl 30 and to the coup¬ ling 35 with closing means 36 by the threaded axial pin 33 and nuts 37 and 38. A spacer 34 is placed between the base 31 and closing means 36.

The column of the lamp consists of two tubular rods 50 and 51 of virtually equal length and diameter. The joint 45 between the two tubular rods is formed of two couplings 46 and 47 facing in opposite ways in rela¬ tion to a central ring.

As shown in Fig. 1, connection between the base 11 of the lamp and the upper bowl-shaped bracket 30 through the co¬ lumn consisting of two parts 50 and 51, is made by means of four couplings namely coupling 35 fixed to the bowl- -shaped bracket 30, coupling 14 fixed to the base 11 and couplings 46 and 47 joined together.

Coupling 35 penetrates inside the top of tubular rod 50. Coupling 14 penetrates into the bottom of tubular rod 51 while couplings 46 and 47 penetrate respectively into the other ends of tubular rods 50 and 51. The couplings comprise devices 70 with which they become fixed to the tubular rod s 50 and 51 as seen in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows the coupling 35 fixed to the bowl-shaped bracket 30. In addition to its closing means 36, said coupling also comprises a tubular body 53.

Corresponding to an axial plane the coupling sides con¬ tain longitudinal channels 54 and 55, diametrally opposed, that extend as far as the rectangular apertures 56 and 57. Inside said apertures are tongue-shaped pieces 60, fixed to the tubular body 53, which have in them a central lon¬ gitudinal cleft 61 closed at the bottom by a tooth 62 whose underside 63 is upwardly inclined.

Widths of the channel 54 in the tubular body 53 and of the cleft 61 in the tongue 60 are substantially equal and slightly less than the width of the longitudinal and diametrically opposed ribs 65 and 66 inside the tubular body 50.

The upper end 67 of said ribs is inclined downward and have a cut 68 in them at a certain distance from said end 67.

The length of the resulting piece 69 is slightly less than the distance between the tooth 62 and the upper ends of the clefts 61 in the tongues 60. As only the upper ends of said tongues are fixed to the tubular body 53, they possess some degree of elasticity. Therefore, to mount the bowl-shaped bracket 30 onto the tubular rod 50, all that has to be done is push the coup^¬ ling 35 inside the tubular rod 50 matching up ribs 65 and 66 respectively with channels 54 and 55 in said coupling 35 (Fig. 3).

Due to the presence of said ribs 65, 66, the tongues 60 and tooth 62 in said coupling are pressed out of their normal line. (Fig. 4).

Once the coupling is in, the teeth 62 of tongues 60 will penetrate, by elastic reaction, inside the cavity 68 made. in the ribs 65, 66 thus definitively preventing the coup¬ ling from leaving said tubular rod 50 (Fig.5). In addition to coupling 35, the others 46, 47 and 14 have devices similar to .device 70 just described. In this way by inserting said couplings respectively in the ends of the tubular rods 50, 51, connection is made between said tubular rods 50, 51, the base 11 and the bowl-shaped bracket 30, as already described.

The transformer 20 is connected by a cable 80 to the light bulb 40 and by a cable 81 to the control 82 of said trans- former inserted through a hole in the tubular rod 51 (Fig. I). In Figures 1 and 2 the spring 90 can be seen, in its slot 89 on the tubular body 53 forming part of the coupling 35, fixed to the metal shaft 34 connected to the metal bowl- shaped bracket 30. Similarly visible are the springs 92, 93, reciprocally connected, placed in the centre of the pair 45 of couplings 46 and 47.

Another spring 95 can be seen on the base of the coupling 14 where it is connected to the metal flange 13. The tubular rods 50 and 51 are of metal and therefore by fitting the couplings 35, 46, 47, 14 in said tubular rods 50, 51, the above springs 90,92, 93 and 95 ensure electrical connection for earthing 23 with all metal parts from the base 11 up to the bracket 30 at the top. As may be seen in Fig. 6 the lamp is stored and despatched in packing 100 comprising cardboard frames 101, 102 that carry the two tubular rod 50 and 51, and the base 11 with flange 13 complete with coupling 14. Also visible inside the frame hO I is the upper bracket 30 with metal bowl and coupling 35. As the figures show, electrical connections have already been made and the wires 105 that pass through the tubu¬ lar body 51 emerge from the coupling 14 on the base 11. Passing through the tubular rod 51, said wires 105 come out at the other end through the pair of couplings 45 and from there enter the tubular rod 50 emerging at 103 and connecting up to the female terminal 106. Said terminal can be connected up to the male terminal 107 in turn connected to the wire 108 that emerges from the coupling 35 fixed to the bowl-shaped bracket 30. From the foregoing it will be seen that to mount the lamp it is only necessary to push the couplings into their res¬ pective slots, as already described, by a purely axial movement and without any rotating movement among the var¬ ious parts that are joined together. This axial mode of mounting and the permanent nature of the pressure-induced connections among the segments of the column ensure maximum functional efficiency and avoid any twisting of electric wires which may happen when mounting is done by screwing, involving risk of breakage, short circuits and risks to life.

The position of the tension adjusting knob on the column of the lamp and that of the current transformer in the base, facilitate any replacements that may be necessary.

Claims

1. Column-type floor lamp ( 10) in parts, characterized in that on the various component parts (30, 11, 50, 51) there are devices (70) for fitting them toge- ther by means of axial translation so as to avoid, during the mounting process, any twisting of the electric wires (80, 81) or harm being done to them of any kind even if in¬ serted before putting said parts together.

2. Lamp ( 10) as in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an upper bracket (30)for sup¬ porting the actual means of illumination (40), a floor base ( 11) and at least one tubular rod (50 , 51) with at least one internal longitudinal rib (65 , .66), and in that the devices for fitting it together (70) include couplings( 14 ) (35) for connection to said tubular rods (50 , 51), fixed to said upper bracket (30) and to said base ( 11), as well as a pair of couplings (46 , .47), the shape of all the coup¬ lings ( 14-, 35, 46, 47) being complementary to said tubular rods (50 , 51) and having an outer diameter less than the internal diameter of said tubular rods (50 , 51), each of said couplings ( 14, 35, 46, 47) having at least one exter¬ nal longitudinal channel (54 , 55) of a shape complementary to said rib (65 , 66) in said tubular rods (50 , 51) so that having inserted the tubular rods (50 , 51) onto the couplings ( 14, 35, 46, 47) by axial translation guided by sliding the ribs (65, 66) into the channels, the various components ( 11, 30) (50. , 51) are connected together.

3. Lamp ( 10) as in claim 1, characterized in that the upper ends (67) of the ribs (65, 66) of said tubular rods (50, 51) are inclined inwards, a cut (68) being made at a certain distance (69) away from. said upper end (67) and that, in the side of each coupling ( 14, 35, 46, 47) near their base, a longitudi¬ nal tongue-shaped piece (60) is placed inside an aperture (56) made for it, said tongue having a central cleft (61) closed, at the end of said tongue (60) by a tooth (62) whose external back (63) is inclined from the outside to¬ wards the inside and towards the end of said tongue (60), said cleft (61) being aligned with the longitudinal chan¬ nels (54, 55) in said tubular rods (50, 51) so that by fitting a tubular rod (50, 51) onto a coupling ( 14, 35, 46, 47) by axial translation guided by the rib (65, 66) sliding inside the channel (54, 55), contact is made be¬ tween the inclined back (63) of the tooth (62) and the in¬ clined end (67) of the rib (66) and this, as translation proceeds, causes the tongue (60) to bend inside the coup¬ ling ( 14, 35, 46, 47) and subsequently, by elastic reac¬ tion of the tooth (62) said tongue (60) to penetrate inside the cut (68) in the rib (65, 66) thus locking the tubular rod (50, 51) onto the coupling ( 14, 35, 46, 47).

4. Lamp ( 10) as in claim 3, characterized in that the couplings ( 14, 35, 46, 47) are all substantially inside the tubular rods (50, 51) after mounting, so that when, by elastic reaction, the tongue(60) has resumed its original position locking the couplings ( 14, 35, 46, 47) to the tubular rods, no further access can be made to said tongues (60) which therefore irrever¬ sibly lock said couplings ( 14,35,46,37) to said tubular rods (50, 51) and thus all the component parts ( I I, 30,50, 51) of the lamp ( 10) together.

5. Lamp ( 10) as in claim 2, characterized in that said tubular rods (50, 51) are made of conductive metal, that said two couplings (46, 47) fixed together as a pair, coupling (35) fixed to the up¬ per bracket (30) of the lamp ( 10) and the coupling ( 14) fixed to the floor base ( 11) are made of plastic material and each comprises a conductive metal spring (90, 92, 93, 95) each of said springs (90, 92, 93, 95) being electri¬ cally connected together in the couplings (46, 47) fixed as a pair and respectively to the upper bracket (30), sup¬ porting the means of illumination (40) and to the floor base ( 11), if made of metal or to their metal parts, so that, when axial fitting has been effected between the couplings ( 14, 35, 46, 47) and the tubular rods (50, 51), due to contact between the springs (90, 92, 93, 95) and the metal material forming the tubular rods, electrical connection is completed among all the component parts ( 11, 30, 50, 51) forming said lamp ( 10).

6. Lamp ( 10) as in claim 2, characterized in that inside said floor base ( 11) there is installed a current transformer (20) connected by el- ectric wires (81) through the coupling ( 14) fixed to said floor base ( I I) and through the tubular rod (51) fitted to said coupling ( 14), to a potentiometer (82) mounted on said tubular rod (51).