Patent Application
20060034087
The present invention relates to end caps used to hold elongated tubular lamp sleeves that are used themselves to protect incandescent and fluorescent lamps from casual impact and for retaining the lamp fragments should the fluorescent or incandescent elongate lamp brake.
To protect both the fluorescent lamps and the user of such lamps, elongated tubular lamp sleeves (hereinafter “tube guards”) were devised and developed many years ago, i.e. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,167. Along with the tube guards the prior art had to develop a method of attaching the tube guards around the fluorescent lamps and still maintain the fluorescent lamps electrical connection to the lighting fixture. As such, numerous prior art end caps have been designed and developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,167 includes an end cap that has an annular groove along the face of the end cap that aligns with and receives the end of the tube guards. The end cap is hollow such that the end of the fluorescent lamp may extend through the end cap and connect to the lighting fixture. See also U.S. Pat. No. 3,673,401. U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,495 is similar to the '167 patent, however, the end cap now includes beads within the annular groove such that the end of the tube guard is held more securely in place. U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,368 includes an end cap with locking teeth that align with notches placed on the end of the fluorescent lamps. U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,998 discloses an end cap that includes pads of silicone to rest against and protect the fluorescent lamps.
One major problem not dealt with or solved by the prior art is space in storage and shipping. The industry, by developing tube guards, has doubled the shipping and storage needs. Since components of the entire lighting fixture are typically bought and shipped separately from different suppliers and later assembled by the end retailer. The manufacture of the tube guards must store and stack each tube guard separately. This is mainly because for a given fluorescent lamp there is only one standard size of the tube guard. For example, Prior Art
In accordance with the present invention, an end cap for use with at least two differently diameter tube guards, wherein the two differently diameter tube guards are designed for use with a fluorescent lamp. The end cap includes a base with an aperture for accommodating electrical terminals defined on the fluorescent lamp, an internal periphery portion for frictional engagement with an external periphery of an end of one of the two differently diameter tube guards, and an external periphery portion for frictional engagement with an internal periphery of an end of the other one of the two differently diameter tube guards. The tube guards include a first tube guard with a diameter that is such that it permits the first tube guard to slide within a second tube guard having a larger diameter.
The end cap may also include tapered internal and external periphery portions to maintain strong frictional fits with the tube guards.
Numerous other advantages and features of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.
A fuller understanding of the foregoing may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
a is a front perspective view of an end cap from FIG 1;
b is a rear perspective view of the end cap from
a is an end view of a prior art packaging arrangement of prior art tube guards; and
b is an end view of a present invention packaging arrangement designed in accordance with having two differently diameter tube guards.
While the invention is susceptible to embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will be described herein, in detail, the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the spirit or scope of the invention and/or claims of the embodiments illustrated.
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The end cap 100 includes an annular wall 106 that is tapered on both sides to maintain a strong frictional engagement with the tube guards 200a and 200b.
Once end caps are placed on the tube guard, the electrical terminals 12 of the fluorescent lamp 100 will extend through the apertures 104 on both end caps 100. The fluorescent lamp 10 will then be fixed in place, such that its exterior will not come into contact with the interior of the tube guard surrounding.
From the foregoing and as mentioned above, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concept of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific methods and apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.
