Claims
- 1. A ventilation system for a replaceable bulb headlamp in which the headlamp comprises a rectangular reflector member, the front face of which is closed by a rectangular lens member, said lens member having an outer flange provided with a projection located within a channel formed around the entire margin of said front face of said reflector member, said channel having an adhesive therein for bonding said lens member to said reflector member, the improvement comprising a first elongated boss formed on said reflector member behind said channel along one side portion of said reflector member and a second elongated boss formed on said reflector member, an elongated well formed in each of said bosses with the opening of said well being located in said channel, a plate located in said channel and covering said opening of said well so as to form a passage within each of said bosses and preventing said adhesive from flowing into the interior of said headlamp, and port means formed in said reflector member at opposite ends of the passage of each of said bosses so as to allow air to flow into and out of said headlamp.
- 2. A ventilation system for a replaceable bulb headlamp in which the headlamp comprises a rectangular reflector member, the front face of which is closed by a rectangular lens member, said lens member having an outer flange provided with a projection located within a channel formed around the entire margin of said front face of said reflector member, said channel having an adhesive therein for bonding said lens member to said reflector member, the improvement comprising a first elongated boss formed on said reflector member behind said channel along one side portion of said reflector member and a second elongated boss formed on said reflector member behind said channel along the bottom portion of said reflector member, an elongated well formed in each of said bosses that opens into said channel, an L-shaped plate located in said channel and covering said opening of said well so as to form a passage within each of said bosses and preventing said adhesive from flowing into the interior of said headlamp, and port means formed at opposite ends of each of said bosses so that the passage provided therein allows air to flow into and out of said headlamp.
- 3. A ventilation system for a replaceable bulb headlamp in which the headlamp comprises a rectangular reflector member, the front face of which is closed by a rectangular lens member, said lens member having an outer flange provided with a projection located within a channel formed around the entire margin of said front face of said reflector member, said channel having an adhesive therein for bonding said lens member to said reflector member, the improvement comprising a first elongated boss formed on said reflector member behind said channel along each side portion of said reflector member and a third elongated boss formed on said reflector member behind said channel along the bottom portion of said reflector member, an elongated well formed in each of said bosses with the opening of said well being located in said channel, a ledge surrounding said opening, an L-shaped plate positioned on said ledge in said channel and covering said opening of said well so as to form a passage within each of said bosses and preventing said adhesive from flowing into the interior of said headlamp, and port means formed at opposite ends of each of said bosses so that the passage provided therein allows air to flow into and out of said headlamp.
- 4. A ventilation system for a replaceable bulb headlamp in which the headlamp comprises a rectangular reflector member having the front face thereof closed by a lens, said lens having an outer flange provided with a projection located within a channel formed around the entire margin of said front face of said reflector member, said channel having an adhesive therein for bonding said lens to said reflector member, and at least two air vent devices carried by said reflector member for providing cross flow ventilation for the interior of said headlamp, the improvement wherein at least one of said two air vent devices comprises a first elongated boss formed on said reflector behind said channel of said reflector member, an elongated well formed in said boss with the opening of said well being located in said channel, a plate located in said channel and covering said opening of said well so as to form a passage within said boss and prevent said adhesive from flowing into the interior of said headlamp, and port means formed in said reflector member at opposite ends of said passage so as to allow ventilation air to flow into and out of said headlamp.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/182,559 filed on Apr. 18, 1988 now abandoned.
This invention concerns headlamps of the replaceable bulb type and more particularly relates to a ventilation system for such headlamps.
More specifically, the headlamp assembly according to the present invention includes a rectangular reflector member, the front face of which is closed by a rectangular lens member. The outer flange portion of the lens member is sealingly received within a channel formed around the entire margin of the front face of the reflector member. A first elongated recess is provided in the channel along one side edge of the reflector member and a second elongated recess is provided along the bottom edge of the reflector member. Each of the recesses is covered by a plate so as to form a passage and at the same time prevent the sealant for the lens to flow into the passage when the lens member is joined to the reflector member. In addition, port means are formed in the reflector member adjacent each of the recesses so as to allow the air to flow into the interior of the headlamp through one of the passages and out the other passage.
Two pages which may be considered pertinent to the ventilation system according to the present invention are Dick U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,232 and Dick 4,569,007. In FIG. 10 of the '232 patent, a headlamp unit is disclosed in which a spacer of elastically soft synthetic material has the front end accepting a glass lens while the rear end is attached to a reflector. A ventilation system is provided adjacent the reflector rim and has an opening at the top of the headlamp unit an an opening at the bottom of the headlamp so that air exchange can take place. The '007 patent is similar to the '232 patent in that it also concerns a headlamp unit in which the lens is connected to the reflector through a spacer. As with the '232 patent, vent means are located between the inner end of the spacer and the rim of the reflector. In neither the '232 patent nor the '007 patent, however, is a boss provided immediately adjacent the seal channel for the lens to form a passage for providing air circulation to the interior of the headlamp as provided by this invention.
The objects of the present invention are to provide a new and improved ventilating system for a replaceable bulb headlamp; to provide a new and improved ventilating system for a replaceable bulb headlamp of a rectangular configuration that includes an elongated passage along one side edge of the headlamp and an elongated passage along the bottom edge of the headlamp with each passage being located immediately behind and in line with the usual sealant channel for the lens and serving to communicate the interior of the headlamp with the atmosphere; to provide a new and improved ventilating system for a replaceable bulb headlamp of a rectangular configuration in which the sealant channel for the lens along the opposite side edge and along the bottom edge of the reflector member is formed with separate elongated recesses and each recess is covered with an L-shaped plate so as to form a passage which serves to communicate the interior of the headlamp with the atmosphere; and to provide a new and improved ventilating system for a replaceable bulb headlamp adjacent and to the rear of the sealant channel at spaced locations thereof for providing passageways for air to enter and flow out of the interior of the headlamp.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
| 3220704 |
Mar 1984 |
DEX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
| Parent |
182559 |
Apr 1988 |
|
Patent Grant
4849865
