Patent Application
20150078016
1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to an anti-theft system for a light emitting diode (LED) bulb, and more specifically to an anti-theft collar that engages the cooing fins of an LED bulb to prevent the LED bulb's removal from a light fixture.
2. Description of Related Art
Light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs have emerged as a practical and attractive solution for residential and commercial lighting applications. In general, LED bulbs are characterized as being an energy-efficient and long-lasting alternative to incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs. Some LED bulbs have a form factor similar to a standard incandescent bulb, facilitating interchangeability with existing lighting fixtures. One example of an LED bulb that can be used with a standard light-bulb socket is provided in U.S. Pub. No. US2013/0010480, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
As the use of LED bulbs becomes more widespread, it may be appropriate to address concerns with potential theft or unauthorized removal of LED bulbs. Factors such as cost, durability, and visual appeal may lead to a greater risk of theft for some LED bulbs as compared to traditional (non-LED) light bulbs, which are relatively inexpensive and ubiquitous. For example, while LED bulbs offer long-term energy and cost savings and require less frequent replacement, LED bulbs typically have a higher initial cost as compared to traditional incandescent bulbs. Additionally, some LED bulbs may be perceived as novel and produce aesthetically pleasing light.
The risk of theft may be particularly high for LED bulbs that are installed in hotels, offices, or public areas that have minimal supervision. Most traditional light-bulb fixtures are not designed to prevent theft of an installed light bulb. In fact, many traditional light-bulb fixtures include an Edison screw socket or bayonet mount that are designed for ease of light bulb installation and removal. Accordingly, there is a need for a device that can deter or prevent removal of an LED light bulb from the socket of a light fixture.
An exemplary embodiment is directed to a collar for preventing removal of an LED bulb installed in a socket housing of a light fixture. The LED bulb has a plurality of cooling fins to dissipate heat created by the LEDs. The collar includes a wall portion configured to enclose at least a portion of the socket housing. The collar also includes an upper portion that extends from a first end of the wall portion. The collar also includes a pair of ribs extending inward from an inner surface of the upper portion of the collar. The ribs are configured to mechanically engage with at least one fin of the LED light bulb and to inhibit rotation of the LED light bulb with respect to the collar when the collar is installed.
In some embodiments, an opening is formed in the wall portion. The opening is configured to at least partially encircle a key of the light fixture when the collar is installed to inhibit rotation of the collar with respect to the light fixture by mechanically engaging with the key.
In some embodiments, a lower portion extends from a second end of the wall portion. The lower portion has an upper surface configured to engage with an opposing lower surface of the socket housing to inhibit motion of the collar in a direction along a central axis of the LED bulb. In some embodiments, the collar includes a lower portion instead of an opening to inhibit movement of the collar with respect to the socket housing.
In some embodiments, the collar is formed from two pieces that are configured to be mechanically joined by one or more mechanical interlocks. The two pieces may or may not be symmetric or identical to each other. In some embodiments, each mechanical interlock includes at least one tab portion on a first of the two pieces, and at least one slot portion on a second of the two pieces. The tab portion and the slot portion are configured to interlock with each other. In some cases, the tab portion includes a beveled leading edge to facilitate installation and the tab portion includes a catch barb to inhibit removal of the collar after installation. In some cases, the collar is formed from more than two pieces.
In some cases, the pair of ribs are perpendicular to the inner surface of the upper portion. The pair of ribs may be separated by a gap that is approximately the width of one cooling fin of the plurality of cooling fins. The thickness of the ribs may be less than the uniform gap between each of the plurality of cooling fins.
The following description is presented to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the various embodiments. Descriptions of specific devices, techniques, and applications are provided only as examples. Various modifications to the examples described herein will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other examples and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments. Thus, the various embodiments are not intended to be limited to the examples described herein and shown, but are to be accorded the scope consistent with the claims.
The system described herein is directed to an anti-theft collar configured to prevent an LED bulb from being removed from the socket housing of a lighting fixture. The anti-theft collar specially configured for installation with an LED bulb having an array of cooling fins located around the base of the LED bulb. As described in more detail below with respect to
In this example, the cooling fins (221, 222, 223) mechanically engage with the collar 100, when it is installed around a socket housing 310 of a lighting fixture. As shown in
In this case, the collar 100 is formed from two semi-cylindrical pieces that are joined together using multiple mechanical interlocks 112. As described in more detail below with respect to
As shown in
The upper portion 104 includes at least one rib (121, 122) located on the inner, bulb-facing surface. As shown in
The pair of ribs (121, 122) are separated by a gap that is approximately the width a cooling fin (221, 222, 223) on the LED bulb 200. In some cases, the gap is slightly smaller than the width of a cooling fin 221 resulting in a slight deformation of the ribs (121, 122) when the collar 100 is installed on the LED bulb 200. This enhances the mechanical engagement between the cooling fin 221 and the collar 100 and also eliminates play between the two elements. In other cases, the gap between the pair of ribs (121, 122) may be slightly larger than the width of the cooling fin 221. A gap that is slightly larger ensures that the cooling fin 221 will fit within the gap between the pair of ribs (121, 122) while accounting for normal variations in size due to manufacturing tolerances.
The thickness of the rib (121, 122) (width of the protrusion) is approximately the same as the gap between each of the cooling fins (221, 222, 223) on the LED bulb 200. More specifically, the thickness of the rib (121, 122) is slightly less than the gap between each of the cooling fins (221, 222, 223). This ensures that the rib (121, 122) will fit between the cooling fins (221, 222, 223) given variations in size due to manufacturing tolerances. If the rib (121, 122) is slightly narrower than the gap between the cooling fins (221, 222, 223), the mechanical engagement between the rib (121, 122) and the cooling fins (221, 222, 223) may be enhanced. In some cases, the thickness of the rib is at least 90% of the gap between the cooling fins. In some cases, the thickness of the rib is at least 95% of the gap between the cooling fins.
In the example depicted in
By way of example, either side of either rib (121, 122) may come in contact or mechanically engage with an adjacent cooling fin (221, 222, 223), depending on the position of the collar 100 with respect to the LED bulb 200. For example, if the collar 100 is rotated slightly clockwise with respect to the LED bulb 200, a left-facing side of the rib 121 may come in contact with the adjacent cooling fin 221 located to the left of the rib 121. If the collar 100 is rotated slightly counter-clockwise with respect to the LED bulb 200, a right-facing side of the same rib 121 may come in contact with the central cooling fin 222 to the right of the rib 121. This allows each rib (121, 122) to mechanically engage with multiple cooling fins (221, 222, 223) to further prevent the collar 100 from rotating with respect to the LED bulb 200.
In the present example, the rib (121, 122) is formed from a protrusion having a rectangular cross section. The walls of the rib (121, 122) are tapered slightly inward (less than 5 degrees) to facilitate installation on the cooling fin 221 of the LED bulb 200. The drafted walls of the rib (121, 122) may also facilitate manufacturing the collar using injection molding techniques. In other examples, the rib (121, 122) may be formed from a protrusion having walls that are tapered more than 5 degrees. A more steeply tapered rib (121, 122) may acts as a wedge between the cooling fins 221 when installed, further enhancing the mechanical engagement between the collar 100 and the LED bulb 200.
As shown in
In this example, the opening 106 is configured to encircle a key when the collar 100 is installed in the socket housing 310. The opening 106 is substantially oval-shaped and is at least as large as the largest portion of the key, which facilitates installation of the collar 100 without having to remove the key or deform the collar 100. However, in other embodiments, the opening 106 may only partially encircle the key and have a size that is slightly larger than a shaft portion of the key. For example, the opening 106 may be formed from a u-shaped channel in the wall portion 102 of the collar 100 that is configured to slide around the key during installation. The size, shape, and location of the opening 106 may vary depending on the configuration of key and socket housing 310. In some embodiments, the collar 100 may not have a lower opening, if, for example, the collar is used on a light fixture that does not have a key. In this case, the key cannot be used to prevent the collar 100 from rotating with respect to the light fixture 300. However, for cases where the light fixture does not include a key 312, the collar 100 may include one or more additional features that prevent the LED bulb 200 from being removed from the light fixture. For example, the lower portion of collar 100 may be configured to engage with a lower surface of the socket housing to prevent the removal of the collar 100 and LED bulb 200 from the lighting fixture.
In the example depicted in
As shown in
In an alternative embodiment, the lower portion may not be a fully revolved dome-shaped structure. For example, the lower portion may be formed from two or more finger-shaped structures that extend from the bottom end of the wall structure 402 towards the central axis 250. In this case, each finger-shaped structure includes an upper surface that is configured to engage with the lower surface of the socket housing to inhibit motion of the collar in a direction along the central axis 250.
The collar described above is particularly suitable for use with an LED bulb having external cooling fins.
The LED bulb 200 includes several components for dissipating the heat generated by the LEDs 208. For example, as shown in
The LED mounts 212 are attached to the bulb base 210, thus allowing the heat generated by the LEDs 208 to be conducted to other portions of the LED bulb 200. The LED mounts 212 and bulb base 210 may be formed as one piece or multiple pieces. The bulb base 210 may also be made of a thermally conductive material and attached to the LED mounts 212 so that heat generated by the LEDs 208 is conducted into the bulb base 210 in an efficient manner. The bulb base 210 is also attached to the shell 204, and can thermally conduct with the shell 204.
The bulb base 210 includes thermally conductive cooling fins (221, 222, 223) arranged radially around the base 210. Heat generated by the LEDs 208 is transmitted to the cooling fins (221, 222, 223) through the LED mounts 212 and the bulb base 210. The cooling fins (221, 222, 223) provide additional surface area that allows heat to be dissipated to the surrounding environment. In this example, the cooling fins (221, 222, 223) are configured to facilitate passive convective cooling with the surrounding air by forming multiple (vertical) convective channels. As previously described with respect to
As previously mentioned, exemplary collar 100 is formed from two pieces for installation and removal. To install a two-piece collar, each piece of the collar is typically placed on either side of the base of an LED bulb installed within a light fixture. The pieces of the collar are aligned with cooling fins on the LED bulb so that corresponding ribs on the collar mechanically engage with the LED bulb. Additionally, the pieces of the collar are aligned so that, if the collar includes an opening in the wall portion for a key, the opening aligns with the key on the light fixture to allow the key to protrude through the opening when the collar is installed.
The two pieces of the collar are then pressed together around the base of the LED bulb and the light fixture to abut the edges of the two pieces of the collar and engage the mechanical interlocks (described in more detail below with respect to
As an additional deterrent, in this example, separation of the two pieces of the collar requires disengagement of multiple tabs 520 at the same time. Simultaneous disengagement may be made more difficult if the two pieces do not have interlocks having exactly the same geometry. For example, the tabs may be slightly offset to prevent the two pieces from being disassembled by merely shifting the pieces.
As discussed above, exemplary collar 100 is designed to comprise two pieces to enable installation and removal. However, other collar designs that enable installation and removal are also possible. For example, a collar may comprise more than two pieces that can be locked together and detached from each other. The pieces of the collar may also hinge at one or more joints to enable them to pivot with respect to each other rather than detaching from each other completely. One or more pieces may also be connected to each other by a material or joint that provides for expansion between the sections, such as a flexible mesh or elastic.
The anti-theft collar may be fabricated from a variety of materials. These may include, for example, various forms of polycarbonates, metals, woods, or other materials that provide suitable strength and rigidity to prevent cracking or breaking of the collar by hand. The anti-theft collar may be fabricated using an injection molding, a machining, or another fabrication technique. The anti-theft collar may be fabricated from a single type of material, or the collar may be fabricated from multiple materials. For example, the mechanical interlocks may be fabricated from a different material than the walls of the collar, and attached to the collar using an adhesive, fastener, or other bonding technique.
The examples above are intended to be illustrative rather than comprehensive. A person having skill in the art will recognize that there are many possible collar designs and materials that will achieve the desired result of preventing removal of an LED bulb from a light fixture.
