Patent Application
20070274082
A recessed light fixture 20 incorporating various aspects of the present invention is illustrated in
The fixture 20 includes a base plate 24 with a substantially flat bottom or front surface 26, and a frame 30 around the peripheral edge of the plate 24. The frame 30 may be advantageously made, for example, of aluminum, and may be secured to a suitable junction box 32 (see
As illustrated in
An opening 40 is defined through the base plate 24 and a separate edge plate 44 is located in the plate opening 40. The edge plate 44 defines a smooth edge 46 for a light opening 48 so that light from behind the plate 24 may project out the light opening 48 and into the room beneath the ceiling 34.
While a separate edge plate 44 is illustrated, it should be appreciated that the base plate 24 could itself define the light opening 48 within the scope of the present invention. However, the use of a separate edge plate 44 permits different materials to be used for the two plates 24,44, and further permits the smooth edge 46 to be protected again damage when the base plate 24 is separately handled prior to installation.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the edge 46 is a sharp edge 46 in which the back surface 50 of the plate 44 tapers away from the plate front surface 26 so as to present virtually no thickness (i.e., virtually no vertically extending surface around the light opening 48) to anyone looking into the light opening 48 from the room below. For example, in a room with eight foot ceilings, a standing person of normal height would have their eyes at a level about 2½ feet or more below the ceiling 34 and would not see any of a 15° tapered back surface unless they stood at least about ten feet away from the location of the edge 46. Such a person standing within 10 feet would, upon looking up at the light opening 48, see only the sharp, smooth edge 46 of the light opening 48 with no visible thickness at the edge 46, giving the visual effect of there being nothing there, which itself is a striking visual effect and, when used in conjunction with other features described below, allows for further striking visual effects. It should also be appreciated that even though a person standing more than ten feet away from the fixture 20 would theoretically be able to see a sliver of the back surface 48, at that distance such small details will be difficult for most people to discern anyway. Therefore, given standards room sizes and ceiling and person heights, a taper of about 15° would give the above described visual effect and thus tapers in that range would be a suitable standard. However, it should be appreciated that different tapers of the back surface 48 (e.g., tapers up to 45°) from the sharp edge 46 could advantageously be used in different rooms; for example, a taper greater than 15° could provide similar visual effects in rooms in which the ceiling is higher than eight feet.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a curved dome 56 is mounted (as described further below) to be supported over, and substantially centered on, the light opening 48. While shown as translucent in the Figures for illustration purposes, the dome 56 may advantageously be of the same color as the ceiling 34. In conjunction with the nearly invisible sharp edge 46 of the light opening 48 as previously described, this can have the effect of causing the opening 48 to be noticeable only upon close scrutiny, as a person in the room may not notice the opening 48 in their peripheral vision. Further, it should be appreciated that a dome 56 having the color of the ceiling will not provide the eye-hurting kind of glare occurring as a result of the bright light coming from reflectors typically found heretofore in recessed lighting fixtures.
Specific lighting may also be advantageously provided to the inside surface of the dome 56 itself whereby, as one example, any shadow within the dome 56 which may make it appear darker than the surrounding ceiling 34 may be removed. Moreover, selected colored lighting (as described further below) may be provided inside the dome 56 to provide an accent to a room. In such a case, it should further be appreciated that the dome 56 gives the perception of little or no depth so that, together with the previously described sharp edge 46, a colored light will give the appearance of being a glowing portion of the ceiling 34 itself.
It is worth noting here that, while it may appear from the Figures that a lamp is itself centered directly over the light opening 48 and that, therefore, whatever “invisibility” effect may occur as described above would be lost by the presence of the lamp. However, as further described below, the lamp may be advantageously mounted for easy movement between different positions other than the one centered over the opening 48 as illustrated in the Figures. In those other lamp positions (e.g., when the fixture 20 is mounted in the ceiling 34 adjacent a wall, the lamp may be moved off to the side away from the wall and tilted to provide highlighting light on the wall, and in such position a person standing away from the wall and looking up at the fixture 20 would not see the lamp within the dome 56 at all.
Mounting of a socket 70 for a light bulb or lamp is illustrated in the Figures, particularly
Specifically, a ring 74 is suitably mounted to the base plate 24 for rotational adjustment relative to the base plate 24. A round guide may be provided if desired to ensure that the ring 74 is concentric with the light opening 48. Further, a suitable locking opening 76 may be provided in the ring 74 for receiving a locking screw 78 (with a knob handle 80) to secure the position of the ring 74 in any suitable manner when desired.
A socket mount 100 includes a support track 104 secured on its lower end to the ring 74, with the track 104 being curved up and toward (over) the light opening 48. A socket support 110 includes a carriage 114 which includes a base 116 connected by side frame members 118 to a pair of pinion gears 120 (see particularly
A suitable mounting member 122 is secured to the carriage 114 and is adapted to mount a lamp socket 70. As illustrated, the mounting member 122 consists of a simple collar which may secure a socket 70 therein in any suitable manner, such as set screws.
The track 104 may advantageously consist of two spaced but matching curved racks 124, with the carriage 114 mounted thereto with the base 116 slidable along the curved but smooth underside of the racks 124 and the pinion gears 120 engaging the other side of the racks 124 to trap the carriage 114 thereon. A worm gear 130 extends from driving engagement with the pinion gears 120 through the space between the racks 124 and through the base 116, whereby its lower end 132 includes a drive such as a slotted head and is accessible through the light opening 48 by, for example, a screwdriver, so that adjustment of the carriage 114 along the track 104 may be readily accomplished by simple turning of the worm gear 130. Frictional forces between the track 104 and carriage components may suitably retain the carriage 114 in the selected position on the track 104.
The socket mount 100 may also advantageously include a mounting leg 140 on which the dome 56 may be advantageously mounted. In such case, the dome 56 may include a slot 144 therein (see
Also advantageously secured to the ring 74 for rotation therewith are arcuate frame members 150 about which suitable lighting members such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) 154 may be secured. Such LEDs 154 are directed upwardly to light the dome 56 without being directly visible to a person in the room. As previously described, the LEDs may be suitably controlled to not only control their light intensity but also the color of the light emitted so that to provide the effect desired with respect to the appearance of the dome 56 to a person in the room. As with the socket mount 100, since the LEDs 154 will rotate with the dome 56, their wiring may be securely retained to pass only the short distance from the end of the frame members 150 to the dome slot 144 and thereby remain hidden and not twisted even if the rotational position of the ring 74 should be adjusted.
It should thus be appreciated that the ring 74 may be readily turned to essentially any desired position around the light opening 48 to accommodate different mounting locations for the fixture 20. For example, if the fixture 20 were mounted in a ceiling 34 with a wall adjacent the right end of the fixture 20 as illustrated in
Though not shown in the Figures, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that suitable wire and control lines, and control circuits and transformers when needed for particular types of light sockets, may be provided and suitably secured to the junction box 32 and/or base plate 24. Except as illustrated and as disclosed herein, the particular wiring of the fixture 20 does not comprise the invention. Further, the invention does not require a particular kind of wiring (although, as noted herein, certain structural aspects of the invention do permit advantageous handling of the wires).
It should thus be appreciated that various features of the present invention will, both individually and in combination with other features, provide a recessed light fixture which may be readily installed and adjusted, and will provide striking visual effects. The sharp edge 46 of the light opening 48 assists in enabling the opening 48 to virtually disappear, and together with the dome 56 and adjustable socket mount 100 permit the fixture 20 to be readily configured in virtually any condition wherein the visual intrusiveness of the fixture 20 is minimized, and special effect appearances hiding the depth of the fixture 20 may also be achieved.
Still other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention can be obtained from a study of the specification, the drawings, and the appended claims. It should be understood, however, that the present invention could be used in alternate forms where less than all of the objects and advantages of the present invention and preferred embodiment as described above would be obtained.
