The present invention relates generally to the field of lamp assemblies, and in particular to a lamp which can be attached to similar lamps in a variety of orientations or shapes for producing a sculpture.
Decorative lighting has always been an active and popular area of technology. From “Lava Lights” of the 60s which are even now in the 21st century, enjoying a comeback, to the use of Christmas tree lights as permanent decorations in college dorms, lighting is often used to improve ones surroundings.
A variety of modular lamps are known in the art.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,771 discloses a modular lamp unit for a lamp assembly. The lamp units may be placed in a planar or three-dimensional arrangement for decorative effect. Each lamp unit comprises an outer frame with four corners, a middle frame, and an inner frame enclosing a lamp. The outer frame has conductive blocks at each corner which form electrodes. The inner frame is pivotally connected to the middle frame, and the middle frame is pivotally connected to the outerframe. Adjacent lamp units are connected via connection units at the corners of the units. The connection unit can be a straight connection plate, an angle connection plate, or a hexagonal connection plate. However, attachment of one unit to another cannot be offset since attachment always occurs at the corners.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,716 discloses a modular LED assembly comprising at least two substantially identical LED modules. Each module has a non-conductive base with a straight edge and a pair of faces, an LED, and two conductive traces on the base connected to the LED. The modules are juxtaposed at the edges with the lines aligned with each other. The bases are coupled via a clip body. The alignment of the modules cannot be offset.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,461 discloses an LED array formed from a plurality of modular units that are snapped together via male and female type connectors on respective reflector units that have at least one reflector. The positioning of the connectors on each of the four sides of a reflector unit allows a wide variety of configurations for the completed array. The array may be rectangular for example. However, the positioning of the units are shown as side by side rather than offset.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,393 to Brandes et al. discloses a light fixture which uses a printed circuit board and is adapted to be modularly connected to other similar light fixtures. The light fixture has a housing with electrical endcaps on first and second ends. The printed circuit board is disposed inside the housing and is electrically connected to at least one of the electrical endcaps. The modules are rotatable relative to their respective mounting surface. However, the modules are not pivotally connected.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,096,379 and 4,253,135 disclose other modular light fixtures.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,311 teaches a connection system for mechanically and electrically joining a plurality of illuminated modules into a decorative lighting display. The connection system includes a plurality of rigid connectors with hollow tubular bodies. The connectors may be in the form of four-way or six-way connector, with arms extending along different axes, or simply a two-way connector for joining together two adjacent modules. A two-way connector is also disclosed for joining adjacent ends of modules in a right angled relationship. However, modules remain in geometrical arrangements.
Thus, a need remains for a modular light fixture and a means for pivotally connecting such fixtures in an offset relationship so that various patterns and shapes can be formed. A need also remains for new innovations in this field.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a modular lighting fixture comprising at least one housing having at least three sides connected to each other at a plurality of edges to form a polygon. The housing has a front surface and a rear surface for defining a volume in the housing and at least one electrically powered light source is in the volume. A separate connector in each of at least two of the sides is for pivotally connecting each side of the housing having a connector, to a side of another housing having a connector.
Another object of the invention is to provide a modular lighting fixture where each connector includes means for detachably pivotally connecting each side of the housing having a connector, to a side of another housing having a connector.
Another object of the invention is to provide a modular lighting fixture where each connector includes means for electrically connecting each side of the housing having a connector, to a side of another housing having a connector, the light source in the housing being electrically connected to each connector of said housing.
A further object of the invention is to provide a modular lighting fixture where each connector includes means for detachably electrically connecting each side of the housing having a connector, to a side of another housing having a connector.
A still further object of the invention to provide a modular lighting fixture including a plurality of the housings, pivotally connected to each other by one connector means.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a modular lighting fixture which can be assembled and disassembled without any special tools.
Finally, another object of the present invention is to provide a modular lighting fixture that is able to provide lighting on all of its sides.
Accordingly, a modular lighting fixture is provided comprising a modular lighting housing having at least three sides and a volume therein, connectors on at least two of the sides of the housing in the form of quarter turn receptacles set into a dielectric medium and surrounded by a conductive metal ring, a pin for detachably, pivotally, and electrically connecting a side of the housing having a connector, to a side of another housing having a connector, and at least one electrical light source withing the housing. Each connector is located by an equal amount, away from a center position located between the edges of the sides containing a respective connector. The housings are pivotally connected to each other by a connector, and can be offset with respect to each other since two different housings with connectors at the same corner can be aligned in two different directions, wherein the connected side of one housing extends beyond the connected side of another housing. Likewise, two housings can be connected at the same corner and aligned in the same direction so that they are aligned with each other. The two housings can also be aligned at different angles by changing the shape of the pin. For example, a pin that is twisted at 90 degrees will result in housings that are oriented at 90 degrees to one another.
In another embodiment, a modular lamp block is provided comprising a modular lamp housing, connector means generally near each corner of the housing for pivotally connecting the housing to a housing of another lamp block so that the lamp blocks are offset, a printed circuit board (PCB) suspended in the center of the housing by a gauge wire which electrically joins the PCB to each connector means, and a plurality of light emitting diodes (LED's) attached to the PCB and arranged on each side of the housing.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
In the drawings:
Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to refer to the same or similar elements,
The lamp housing 10 comprises a multi, e.g. four-sided structure with front and rear faces for defining a volume inside the housing. The lamp housing may alternatively take the shape of any polygon having at least three sides. The lamp housing 10 is made of cast dyed resin and the front and rear faces are made of acrylic translucent plates 12 shown in
The cast resin can be in the form of a variety of shapes and sizes, letters, numbers, figures, etc., which is made possible by the connectors 20, as described below and shown in more detail in
Each connector means or connector 20 is a means for connecting lamp blocks both mechanically and electrically to each other and to other structures of the invention. The mechanical connection, which also provides a pivotal connection for the housing 10, is achieved, for example, by a quarter turn fastener assembly available from Southco of Concordville, Pa. (see www.southco.com), which includes a quarter turn spring loaded metal receptacle or receiver socket 22 located near each of the corners of the housing 10 and a metal fastening pin 26 with a first male end inserted into receptacle 22 and a second male end on the opposite side for securing the modular lamp block 1 to another similar modular lamp block having a receptacle 22. The spring of the metal receptacle ensures firstly good mechanical and electrical connection between housings of connected lamp blocks, secondly that two connected blocks cannot be pulled apart unless twisted, and thirdly provides flexibility to the connector 20 between housings so that the block can be maneuvered without interfering with other blocks during assembly and disassembly. It is noted that the quarter turn assembly makes it possible to attach the lamp block 1 to other objects that are not lamps, so long as the other objects contain a receptacle 22.
In use, the fastening pin 26 or 27 is turned one quarter turn to fasten. The pin 26 engages with the receptacle 22. A quarter turn in the opposite direction disengages the assembly.
The two electrical connections of the connector means 20 are formed by the receptacle 22 which is conductive, i.e. metal, and is connected to one of the wires 40, and by a conductive metal ring 24 around each receptacle 22. Pin 26 and 27 are also conductive, i.e. metal, to pass electricity to the next block, and each ring 24 is set in the non-conductive or dielectric material of housing 10, but projects slightly above its outer surface to make contact with the ring of the next block.
The quarter turn receptacle 22 is set into dielectric medium 23, which can be resin, wood, rubber, etc. A conductive metal ring 24 surrounds the receptacle 22, and is mounted to dielectric medium 23. Thus, the receptacle 22 of the quarter turn fastener assembly and the surrounding conductive metal ring 24 form two concentric circles separated by the layer of the dielectric medium 23. The combination of the receptacle 22, dielectric medium 23, and conductive metal ring 24 are cast and/or machined into the resin housing 10. In use, a positive electric charge is applied to the receptacle 22 and a negative charge is applied to the conductive metal ring 24.
The connecting pins of the present invention have opposite heads which can be oriented at different angles from each other, dictating how the housings are oriented with respect to each other. One type of pin 26, which is straight, maintains the plane of the preceding block while another type of pin 27, with a 90 degree angle between the opposite heads of the pin, allows the faces of the two housings to be oriented at a 90 degree angle. Regardless of which type of pin is used, the pin is inserted into a one quarter turn receptacle within a modular lamp block. The exposed end of the two sided pin is then inserted into a second block. The second block must be rotated clockwise one quarter turn. The pin carrying the current allows the new block to enter the live circuit.
The quarter turn receptacle 22 allows a pivotal connection to another housing having a similar quarter turn receptacle. Each receptacle 22 is located by an equal amount, away from a center position between the edges of the sides containing a respective receptacle. Housings that are pivotally connected to each other by receptacles 22 and a pin 26 or 27, are offset with respect to each other if aligned in different directions since each connector 20 is offset by the same amount from the midline between the edges of each side of block 1 as shown best in
Two one-half watt resistors are on the PCB regulating current. The PCB directs the current to and from each of the four quarter turn female receptacles that reside on the four sides of the resin block housing. These four connections are wired in parallel.
The LED's 50 may have one color, different colors, or may change through the color spectrum. LED's 50 with changing colors may be controlled with a potentiometer and/or wirelessly.
A shown in
Both types of power sources are 12 Volt DC and utilize the connecting pins to attach and carry current to the modular lamp blocks. Nugget 62, however has a quarter turn receptacle 22 like those of the blocks, and a conductive metal ring 24 so that a connection can be made via a pin. As explained earlier, the lamp blocks of the present invention can be mechanically attached to other non-lamp objects so long as those objects have a receptacle 22 as well, such as a wall mounting plate 90 in
The modular lamp blocks may have additional features such as battery operation and illumination as a consequence of the 12 Volt source being a separate connection. The modular lamp block may also have an on and off switch and a rechargeable battery that is charged when connected to the 12 Volt source.
Further, a lamp block 1 of the present invention may be mechanically and electrically connected to other lamp blocks having decorative shapes, or alternatively, the lamp block 1 may be only mechanically connected to non-electric decorative objects which only contain a receptacle 22. For example,
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
This application claims the benefit of provisional application No. 60/485,488 filed on Jul. 9, 2003, and which is incorporated here by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60485488 | Jul 2003 | US |