Patent Application
20180100638
Several different lamps currently sold, such as LED or halogen landscape lights, use springs, metal retainer rings with finger elements, and similar mechanisms to retain various components of the lamp within its housing. For example, these retaining mechanisms may retain the LED or halogen light bulb, the specialty lens, or similar components.
However, these retaining mechanisms can sometimes result in their components becoming misaligned or dislodged. Hence, there is a need for more durable and robust retaining mechanisms for these lights to maintain the components in their intended positions and orientations.
The embodiments of this specification generally relate to lights and lighting assemblies. More specifically, these embodiments are related to outdoor lighting, which is described further in U.S. Pat. No. 7,699,481, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to an elastomeric ring having one or more grooves along its inner surface for engaging various components within an outdoor light assembly. For example, the elastomeric ring can engage with a disc-shaped lens, a light bulb, and/or various areas of the housing of the light assembly.
These and other aspects, features and advantages of which embodiments of the invention are capable of will be apparent and elucidated from the following description of embodiments of the present invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which
Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The terminology used in the detailed description of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.
The present invention is generally directed to light assemblies or lamps that have an elastomeric retention ring for retaining various components in their desired orientation. The elastomeric retention ring can improve retention and centering of its components, as well as reduce the number and cost of the retaining mechanism versus prior designs.
Specifically, the elastomeric ring 108 is located within an outer cylindrical housing 102 composed of metal and retains a lens 106, a light bulb 110, and the metal support ring 112. The lens 106 is preferably composed of a clear or tinted material that allows light to pass through and has a generally circular shape. The lens 106 is positioned in a top circular groove 108B that is located circumferentially along the inner surface of the ring 108 and is sized in thickness and diameter to accommodate the lens 106.
Beneath the top groove 108B is a second groove 108C, which is sized in thickness and diameter to accommodate a circumferential flange on the light bulb 110 (e.g., LED or incandescent). A third groove 108D is located beneath the second groove 108C, but does not specifically retain any component.
As best seen in
In this respect, the elastomeric ring 108 provides a higher degree of flexibility, friction, and resilience with the components of the light assembly 100 then may otherwise occur if only mechanisms such as the finger elements 112A secured the light bulb 110 and lens 106.
The elastomeric ring 214 includes a top groove 214B that is sized in diameter and thickness to accommodate a circular lens 212 within it. The ring 214 further includes two additional grooves 214C and 214D that are not used to support any components in this embodiment.
As best seen in
The sides of the top elastomeric ring 306 overlap on an outside of the outer surface of the bottom elastomeric ring 320. Optionally, the outer side surfaces of the bottom elastomeric ring 320 can include protrusions shaped as rings to help seal and isolate the interior of the cylindrical housing base and its electrical components (e.g., wires and bulb socket 310).
The elastomeric ring 410 has a generally cylindrical shape with a top groove 410A that is sized in thickness and diameter to support a circular lens 406. A second groove 410B is located below groove 410A on the inner surface of the ring 410 and is sized in thickness and diameter to support an outer flange of a light bulb 408. A third, inner groove 410C is not used to support a component in this embodiment. The ring 410 further includes a protrusion or lip 410D that extends around an outer surface of the ring 410, engaging the inner surface of the top shroud housing 402 and resting on top of a top surface of the bottom housing 404.
Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of the claimed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/405,417 filed Oct. 7, 2017 entitled Elastomeric Retention Ring for Lamps, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62405417 | Oct 2016 | US |
