Patent Grant
9057513
Not applicable
Not applicable
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lighting systems for display cases and shelving units used by merchants. More specifically, the present invention relates to quick-connect and disconnect connectors forming a part of such lighting systems which ensure that no cross-wiring occurs during the assembly process.
II. Related Art
Various forms of lighting have been employed in retail establishments. Lighting is used on signage, to provide security, to accent and better display product features, to enhance the prominence and attractiveness of merchandise, and to affect the mood of customers. The eye is drawn to brighter areas of contrasting light. Reading of packaging and labeling is easier in well lighted areas.
Many retail establishments employ overhead ambient light sources and shelving units for holding merchandise. The shelving units incorporate a plurality of vertically arranged shelves. These shelves are relatively deep and opaque such that the shelves of the shelving unit cast shadows upon or otherwise limit light from reaching merchandise stored on all but the top shelf of the shelving unit. Further, such lighting and shelving units are bland and do not serve to “catch the eye” of the retail customer and do little to attract a customer to a particular item of merchandise.
Various lighting systems for shelving units have been employed to overcome these deficiencies, but they are often costly, laborious to assemble, and involve numerous electrical connections which must be made after the shelving unit is completely assembled. Further, such electrical connections typically must be taken apart before the shelving unit can be disassembled to prevent damage to the shelves, light fixtures or electrical contacts. Substantial skill and effort is required to assemble and disassemble such prior art lighting systems. If sufficient care is not exercised, such prior art lighting systems increase the risk of electrical shock or even fire. Substantial routing of wires from light fixtures to sources of electricity is required. One undesirable aspect of many such lighting systems is that, after installation, dangling wires detract from achieving the desired effect. The need therefore exists for wiring harnesses and connectors that overcome these deficiencies.
The present invention is used in conjunction with shelving units which comprise a base, one or more back members extending vertically from the base, and at least one shelf secured to the back members and extending normally therefrom. Typically, the shelving units include a plurality of shelves supported by the back members in spaced, vertical arrangement. The present invention concerns electrical assemblies such as wiring harnesses and connectors used to install lighting systems on such shelving units. More specifically, the electrical assemblies are used to couple electrical devices to a lighting track secured to the back members of the shelving unit and extending vertically from the base of the shelving unit toward the top of the shelving unit. The track has a channel and elongated opening running the length thereof and exposing the channel. Inside the channel, on opposite sides are two parallel conductors running substantially the length of the channel. One of the conductors serves as a positive conductor and the other conductor serves as a negative conductor.
The wiring harnesses and connectors of the present invention are used to connect a power supply to the track. The connectors may also be used to connect light fixtures mounted to the underside of the individual shelves to the track. The connectors and wiring harnesses are also suitable for joining sections of the track together. The harnesses and connectors are also used to couple multiple electronic devices to the track.
The connectors associated with the wiring harnesses are designed to ensure proper polarity of the wiring is maintained (i.e., the negative terminals are connected to the negative side of the circuit and the positive terminals are connected to the positive side of the circuit). Also, the connectors are all designed so they are quickly connected and held in place for use. However, when shelving is disassembled or individual shelves are moved, the wiring harness automatically disconnects from either the track or the electrical device (e.g., a power supply or light fixture) to prevent damage to the track, the wiring harness, and the electrical device.
The foregoing features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and with reference to the following drawings in which like numerals and the several views refer to corresponding parts.
This description of the preferred embodiment is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description of this invention. In the description, relative terms such as “lower”, “upper”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “above”, “below”, “up”, “down”, “top” and “bottom”, as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “downwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms such as “connected”, “connecting”, “attached”, “attaching”, “joined”, and “joining” are used interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece unless expressly described otherwise.
One such improved electrical assembly is shown in
To close the gap and provide such an electrical connection, wiring harness 50 is provided. The wiring harness 50 includes a positive insulated conductor 52 and a negative insulated conductor 54 which together comprise a 2-wire cable 56. Attached to opposite ends of cable 56 are connectors 58. These connectors are designed to mate with the open ends of the track sections 41 and 43 such that the wiring harness provides an electrical connection between the negative conductors within track portions 41 and 43 and, an electrical connection between the positive conductors located within the track portions 41 and 43. More specifically, and as better illustrated in
As best shown in
As noted above, the cable 56 includes a positive conductor 52 and a negative conductor 54. The opposed ends of positive conductor 52 are connected, such as by soldering, to flat conductor tabs 100 and the opposed ends of conductor 54 are connected, such as by soldering or the like, to flat conductor tabs 102. Each flat conductor tab has a hole 104 extending through the tab. Strain reliefs 106 cover and support the connection between the conductors 52 and 54 and the conductor tabs 100 and 102.
As part of the assembly process, the ends of the cable 56 are inserted into the housings 70 of the connectors so that the cable passes through the opening 77 in the proximal wall 77 of the base 74, the strain reliefs 106 at one end of the cable reside within the chamber 86 of the housing and the flat conductor tabs 100 and 102 extend through the opening 83 in the distal wall and the holes 104 in the connector tabs 100 and 102 mate with respective pins 90 an 92 on the tongue 84. Further, the outside edge 108 of tab 100 and the outside edge 110 of tab 102 extend outwardly in opposite directions beyond the side edges of the tongue 84 when so assembled. When the flat conductor tabs 100 and 102 are over the pins 90 and 92 such that the pins 90 and 92 extend through the holes 104, the alignment rail 88 extends between the inside edges of the tabs 100 and 102 to prevent them from coming in contact with each other and a short circuit being formed.
The cover 72 of the connector housing 70 includes a chamber cover portion 120 and a tongue cover portion 122. Projecting from the sides of the chamber cover portion 120 are locking tabs 124 which mate with the lock openings 79 and 81 of the connector housing 70. Further, the tongue cover member 122 includes an alignment channel. 126 which mates with the alignment rail 88 such that the alignment rail 88, alignment channel 126, lock openings 79 and 81 and locking tabs 124 secure the cover 72 to the housing 70 to complete the assembly.
When so assembled, the strain reliefs 106 are locked within the chamber 86 and the conductor tabs 100 and 102 are locked in place by the pins 90 and 92 between the tongue 84 and the tongue cover member 122.
Extending outwardly from one side of the tongue cover member 126 (or alternatively tongue 84) is an alignment guide 128. This alignment guide ensures that the connector 58 is not inserted into the end of the track 42 upside down which could lead to a short circuit or cross-wiring. The ends of the track sections are made asymmetrical and cooperate with the alignment guide 128 to provide this advantage.
As illustrated in
In many cases, friction between the elements associated with the tongue portions of the connectors 58 and the channels 62 of the track portions 41 and 43 will prevent inadvertent disconnection or dislodgement of the wiring harness 50 from the track portions. To provide an additional measure of security, each track portion includes a hole 130 extending through the back of the track near the end of the track portion. Likewise, each connector includes an arch-shaped tab 132 extending outwardly from the tongue cover member 122 which engages the hole 130 when the connector is joined to the end of the rail portion to provide further engagement.
It should be clear from the foregoing the electrical assembly 50 provides a quick, easy and error-free method of creating a proper electrical connection between the track portions 41 and 43. Further, when the shelving assembly 10 is disassembled such that the panel 30 is removed, the electrical assembly comprising harness 50 will disconnect from one or both of the track sections 41 or 43 automatically and without damage to the track or the harness. There is no need for a person disassembling the shelf to disconnect the harness before taking the back of the shelving unit apart.
Connectors such as 58 may be used with other electrical assemblies to attach other items to the track. 42. As shown in
Other power supplies incorporate other types of connectors.
Sometimes it is desirable to attach a pair of electrical devices to a track or, alternatively, supply power from a single power supply to a plurality of tracks.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that although specific examples have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may he made without deviating from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. By way of example, wiring harnesses may be formed using the connector of the present invention which includes one, two or even more cables with any of a number of different connectors attached to the opposite ends of the cables. Likewise, the harnesses may be colored to match the shelving with which they are used to hide them from view. Alternatively, the harnesses, connectors or cables may be color coded to meet the needs of a specific application. Likewise, various indicia may be provided on the connector of the present invention. Such indicia may be in the form of written labeling or ridges or the like formed in the connector housing 70 or connector cover 72. Likewise, the materials used to form various components may vary depending on the particular application. For example, the gauge of the wire used in the cabling may be altered and the material used as conductive elements in the cable may be altered depending on the cost of raw materials. Examples of such conductive materials include aluminum or copper. The cable, of course, will be provided with a non-conductive sheath to prevent a short circuit from being created between the conductive elements and the shelving components which are typically made of metal. Likewise, the housing and cover of the connectors 58 can be made out of any of a variety of non-conductive plastics or other non-conductive materials. It is, therefore, intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to identify the invention.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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