The present invention relates to an assembly and method for mounting a fixture, such as a ceiling fan or light, in a spaced relation to a ceiling.
Various ceiling-mountable fixtures, such as fans, lights (semiflushes, chandeliers, pedants, etc,), loudspeakers, monitors, video cameras, televisions, and the like, are usually connected to an electrical box, terminal, or the like, at the ceiling. When it is desired to mount the fixture in a spaced relation to the ceiling, a downrod is often connected between the electrical box, or terminal, and the fixture. Normally an installer has to attach the downrod to the fixture, fish electrical conductors from the fixture through the downrod, and attach the downrod to the ceiling. This is labor intensive and adds to the cost of the fixture.
Therefore what is needed is an installation assembly and method that facilitates the above installation and reduces the installation time.
Referring to
The lower end portion of the downrod 10 is pivotally mounted to an externally threaded coupling member 12 having a semi-annular cross section. To effect this pivotal movement, a pivot bolt 18 extends through aligned openings formed through the coupling member 12 and the downrod 10, and a locking pin 20 is attached to an end portion of the bolt. The diameters of the above openings are larger than the diameter of the bolt 18 to permit pivotal movement of the downrod 10 relative to the coupling member between a substantially vertical position shown in
The lower end of the coupling member 12 is attached, in any conventional manner, to a mounting plate 24 having a series of angularly-spaced openings 24a formed through the plate. The mounting plate 24 is adapted for attachment to a fixture (not shown) that is to be mounted, in a spaced relation, to the ceiling. For example, if the fixture were a ceiling fan, the mounting plate could be attached to the motor housing of the fan by inserting screws, bolts, or the like (not shown) through the openings 12a and into corresponding openings in the housing, in a conventional manner.
A plurality (three in the example shown in the drawings) of electrical conductors 26 extend from the above-mentioned fixture, through a central opening (not shown) in the plate 24, and up through the interior of the downrod 10, with the free end portions of the electrical conductors extending out a few inches from the upper end of the downrod as shown in
As shown in
In order to enable the assembly shown in
To mount the fixture to the ceiling, the downrod 10 is simply pivoted to its substantially vertical position shown in
The assembly of the present invention thus enables the fixture 10 to be easily and quickly mounted to the ceiling while taking up relatively little extra space when packing and shipping.
It is understood that variations may be made in the foregoing without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the mounting plate 24 can be connected to the fixture in any conventional manner other than that disclosed above, or it can be formed integrally with the fixture. Also, the mounting plate 24 can be eliminated and the coupling member can be connected directly to the fixture. Further, the shape of the coupling member 12 and the mounting plate 24 can be varied. Moreover, the manner of pivotally connecting the downrod 10 to the coupling member 12 can be varied. Still further, the spatial references, such as “upper”, “lower”, “downwardly”, etc., are for the purpose of illustration only and do not limit the spatial orientation or location of the structure described.
It is understood that other modifications, changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention.