Patent Grant
7549780
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recessed articles such as lighting fixtures.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recessed light fixtures, often called “pot lights”, are in widespread use in residential and commercial premises. They appeal to designers both for the fact that they take up virtually no space in a room, being recessed into the ceiling, and for their aesthetic versatility and appeal.
A typical recessed light fixture comprises a housing, which is usually cylindrical, a socket for receiving a floodlight, halogen bulb or other lamp, and a housing trim for aesthetic purposes which is affixed over the mouth of the housing after the housing has been mounted into the ceiling and covers the housing flange.
An example of a recessed lighting fixture is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,414, issued Mar. 11, 1997, entitled RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE, in which a pair of outwardly biased retaining clips is mounted in a housing. The entire subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,414, issued Mar. 11, 1997, entitled RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE, is incorporated by reference.
While conventional recessed lighting fixtures well serve their intended purpose, they have limited use in some applications. It would be desirable to provide further improvements to such lighting fixtures.
In one aspect, there is provided a recessed lighting fixture, comprising a housing having one or more side walls, one or more of which including at least one elongate slot formation, the slot formation including a pair of oppositely extending lateral edge formations, each lateral edge formation having a first dimension, a retaining clip to be located in the slot formation for movement therealong, the retaining clip having a first portion to extend through the slot formation and to travel along an inner surface of the corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, a second portion having a second dimension exceeding the first dimension and to travel along an outer surface of a corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, the second portion being arranged to be biased outwardly from the housing relative to the first portion, the second portion joined to a third portion, the third portion being arranged to extend through the slot formation in a retained position, in which the third portion is retained against an inner surface of the corresponding lateral edge formation with the second portion in a spring-loaded orientation, the third portion being movable from the retained position to a released position when separated from the lateral edge formation, thereby causing the second portion to be transferred from its spring-loaded orientation to an outwardly extended orientation relative to the housing.
In an alternative embodiment, each of the lateral edge formations being provided by a pair of opposed lateral slot extensions.
In an alternative embodiment, the first portion includes a head portion and a neck portion, the neck portion being dimensioned to extend through the slot formation, the head portion arranged to travel along an inner surface of the corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation.
In an alternative embodiment, the body portion includes a pair of arm portions adjacent the neck portion and extending outwardly therefrom, each arm portion having the second dimension.
In an alternative embodiment, the body portion includes a region with a bend, the arm portions being located on either side of the bend or included therein.
In an alternative embodiment, the third portion has an anchor portion with a retaining section providing a pair of opposed retaining regions, each to engage a corresponding lateral edge formation.
In an alternative embodiment, the third portion includes an anchor portion with a pair of opposed locking flanges, each locking flange being arranged to travel along an inner surface of the corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation.
An alternative embodiment further comprises a displacement portion for displacing the retaining clip along the slot formation.
In an alternative embodiment, the head portion includes a first passage, the fixture further comprising a mounting flange extending inwardly from a side wall adjacent a corresponding slot formation, the mounting flange including a second passage, the displacement portion including a drive member extending through the first and second passages.
In an alternative embodiment, the anchor portion includes a passage to receive the drive member, the passage being of sufficient dimension to enable the retaining clip to move between the locked and unlocked orientations.
In an alternative embodiment, the drive member is threaded.
In an alternative embodiment, the slot extensions are centrally located along the slot formation.
In an alternative embodiment, the body includes a central elongate passage extending between the arm portions and the anchor portion.
In an alternative embodiment, the head portion includes a pair of contact regions for contacting the inner surface of the corresponding side wall portion, each contact region including a tab. In an alternative embodiment, the slot extensions include a pair of first boundary edge regions oriented at an angle to one another of less than 180 degrees.
An alternative embodiment further comprises a second boundary region between the first boundary regions, the second boundary region being substantially parallel with a neighbouring boundary edge region of the slot formation.
In an alternative embodiment, the slot extension forms a triangularly shaped opening.
In an alternative embodiment, the body and anchor portions are joined at an offset connecting portion.
In an alternative embodiment, the housing has a back wall, the one or more side walls extending from the back wall, and at least one lower lip extending outwardly from one of said side walls.
In an alternative embodiment, the lip is integrally formed with the corresponding side wall.
In another alternative aspect, there is provided a recessed lighting fixture, comprising housing means providing at least one side wall including at least one elongate slot formation extending therealong, the slot formation including a pair of oppositely extending lateral edge formations, each lateral edge formation having a first dimension, retaining means to be located in the slot formation for movement therealong, the retaining means having a first portion to extend through the slot formation and to travel along an inner surface of the corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, a second portion having a second dimension exceeding the first dimension and to travel along an outer surface of a corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, the second portion being arranged to be biased outwardly from the housing means relative to the first portion, the second portion joined to a third portion, the third portion being arranged to extend through the slot formation in a retained position, in which the third portion is retained against an inner surface of the corresponding lateral edge formation with the second portion in a spring-loaded orientation, the third portion being movable from the retained position to a released position when separated from the lateral edge formation, thereby causing the second portion to be transferred from its spring-loaded orientation to an outwardly extended orientation relative to the housing.
In another alternative aspect, there is provided a method for mounting a recessed lighting fixture, comprising
In another alternative aspect, there is provided a method for mounting a recessed lighting fixture, comprising:
In another alternative aspect, there is provided a recessed lighting fixture, comprising a housing having a back wall and arranged to receive a light source therein, a power supply portion for supplying power to the light source, the power supply portion including a support portion which is mounted adjacent the back wall, the support portion and housing having aligned first and second cable passages to receive a power cable to join the light source with the power supply portion, the support portion being movable between a first position against the back wall and a second position in which a segment of the support portion is displaced from the back wall to permit the power supply portion to be moved relative to the housing during installation at a recessed lighting site, the back wall and the support portions forming an inner region therebetween when the support portion is in the extended position, the support portion including a guide portion arranged to extend into the second cable passage and to at least partially shield the power cable in the inner region, when the support portion is in the second position.
In an alternative embodiment, the support portion has a peripheral edge, the first cable passage being open thereto.
In an alternative embodiment, the first support portion includes a slot extending between the first cable passage and the peripheral edge.
In an alternative embodiment, the support portion includes a support plate with the first cable passage formed in a central region thereof, the support plate being fixed near one end to the back wall.
In an alternative embodiment, the support plate includes a first pair of fastener passages at a first location and a second pair of fastener passages at a second location, the first and second fastener passages arranged to receive fasteners therethrough.
In an alternative embodiment, the power supply portion includes a junction box portion, a pair of first fasteners fixing the support plate to the back wall at the first location and a pair of second fasteners for fixing the support plate to the junction box portion.
In an alternative embodiment, the first cable passage has a boundary, the guide member including a flange extending inwardly from the boundary and toward the second cable passage.
In an alternative embodiment, the flange extends partway along the boundary of the first cable passage.
In an alternative embodiment, the boundary extends about 180 degrees along the boundary.
In an alternative embodiment, the guide member has a neck portion with a v shaped cross section.
In an alternative embodiment, the second passage has a peripheral region and a v-shaped notch therein to receive the neck region when the support portion is in the rest position.
In another alternative aspect, there is provided a mounting device for mounting an article in passage formed in a wall panel, comprising a housing having one or more side walls, one or more of which including at least one elongate slot formation, the slot formation including a pair of oppositely extending lateral edge formations, each lateral edge formation having a first dimension, a retaining clip to be located in the slot formation for movement therealong, the retaining clip having a first portion to extend through the slot formation and to travel along an inner surface of the corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, a second portion having a second dimension exceeding the first dimension and to travel along an outer surface of a corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, the second portion being arranged to be biased outwardly from the housing relative to the first portion, the second portion joined to a third portion, the third portion being arranged to extend through the slot formation in a retained position, in which the third portion is retained against an inner surface of the corresponding lateral edge formation with the second portion in a spring-loaded orientation, the third portion being movable from the retained position to a released position when separated from the lateral edge formation, thereby causing the second portion to be transferred from its spring-loaded orientation to an outwardly extended orientation relative to the housing.
In another alternative aspect, there is provided a recessed lighting fixture, comprising a housing having a back wall, one or more side walls extending from the back wall and at least one lower lip extending outwardly from one of said side walls, one or more of said side walls including at least one elongate slot formation extending along an axis substantially perpendicular to the back wall, the slot formation including a pair of oppositely extending lateral slot extensions, each slot extension having a first dimension, a retaining clip to be located in the slot formation for movement therealong, the retaining clip having a head portion, a neck portion and a body portion, the neck portion being dimensioned to extend through the slot formation and the head portion arranged to travel along an inner surface of the corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, the body portion including a pair of arm portions adjacent the neck portion and extending outwardly therefrom, each arm portion having a second dimension exceeding the first dimension to permit the flange portions to travel along an outer surface of a corresponding side wall and over the corresponding lateral slot extension, the body portion arranged to be biased outwardly from the housing, the body portion joined to an anchor portion, the anchor portion being arranged to extend through the slot formation, the anchor portion including a pair of opposed locking flanges, each locking flange being arranged to travel along an inner surface of the corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, the locking flanges being dimensioned to pass through a corresponding slot extension to transfer the clip between locked and unlocked orientations.
In another alternative aspect, there is provided a recessed lighting fixture, comprising a housing having a back wall, one or more side walls extending from the back wall and at least one lower lip extending outwardly from one of said side walls, one or more of said side walls including at least one elongate slot formation extending along the back wall, the slot formation including a pair of oppositely extending lateral edge formations, each lateral edge formation having a first dimension, a retaining clip to be located in the slot formation for movement therealong, the retaining clip having a first portion which is dimensioned to extend through the slot formation and to travel along an inner surface of the corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, a second portion having a second dimension exceeding the first dimension and arranged to travel along an outer surface of a corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, the second portion being arranged to be biased outwardly from the housing relative to the first portion, the second portion joined to a third portion, the third portion being arranged to extend through the slot formation and arranged to be retained against an inner surface of the corresponding lateral edge formation with the second portion is a spring loaded orientation, the third portion being moveable from the retained position to a released position when separated from the lateral edge formation, thereby causing the second portion to be transferred from its spring-loaded position to an outwardly extended position relative to the housing.
In another alternative aspect, there is provided a recessed lighting fixture, comprising a housing having a back wall, one or more side walls extending from the back wall and at least one lower lip extending outwardly from one of said side walls, one or more of said side walls including at least one elongate slot formation extending along an axis substantially perpendicular to the back wall, the slot formation including a pair of oppositely extending lateral slot extensions, each slot extension having a first dimension, a retaining clip to be located in the slot formation for movement therealong, the retaining clip having a head portion, a neck portion and a body portion, the neck portion being dimensioned to extend through the slot formation and the head portion arranged to travel along an inner surface of the corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, the body portion including a pair of peripheral regions adjacent the neck portion and extending outwardly therefrom, each peripheral region having a second dimension exceeding the first dimension to permit the peripheral region to travel along an outer surface of a corresponding side wall and over the corresponding lateral slot extension, the body portion arranged to be biased outwardly from the housing, the body portion joined to an anchor portion, the anchor portion being arranged to extend through the slot formation, the anchor portion including a pair of opposed locking flanges, each locking flange being arranged to travel along an inner surface of the corresponding side wall on opposite sides of the slot formation, the locking flanges being dimensioned to pass through a corresponding slot extension to transfer the clip between locked and unlocked orientations.
In still another alternative aspect, there is provided a method for installing a recessed lighting fixture, comprising:
In yet another alternative aspect, there is provided a recessed lighting fixture, comprising a housing having a back wall and arranged to receive a light source therein, a power supply portion for supplying power to the light source, the power supply portion including a support portion which is mounted adjacent the back wall, the support portion and housing having aligned first and second cable passages to receive a power cable to join the light source with the power supply portion, the support portion being movable between a first position against the back wall and a second position in which a segment of the support portion is displaced from the back wall to permit the power supply portion to be moved relative to the housing during installation at a recessed lighting site, the back wall and the support portions forming an inner region therebetween when the support portion is in the extended position, a barrier arranged to at least partially interrupt access to the inner region when the support portion is in the second position.
Several preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the appended drawings in which:
a is a fragmentary side view of a portion of the housing assembly of
a is a perspective view of an alternative retaining clip to that shown in
a is a side view of a portion of the housing assembly of
b is a side view of a portion of an alternative housing assembly, according to
a is a sectional view taken on line 22a-22a of
Located in the side wall is at least one, in this case two elongate slot formations 20 extending along an axis 20a substantially perpendicular to the back wall 14. Each slot formation 20 has a pair of oppositely extending lateral edge formations, in the form of slot extensions 22, each slot extension having a first dimension 22a.
A retaining clip 32 is located in each slot formation 20 for movement therealong. Referring to
The body portion 38 includes a pair of peripheral regions in the form of arm portions 40 which are adjacent the neck portion 36 and which extend outwardly therefrom. Each arm portion 40 has a second dimension 40a exceeding the first dimension 22a of the corresponding slot extension 22. This permits each arm portion 40 to travel along an outer surface 16b of a corresponding side wall 16 and over the corresponding lateral slot extension 22.
The body portion 38 includes a bend section 42 with a bend 42a. In this case, the arm portions 40 are centrally located in the bend section 42. However, other arrangements may be provided in which the arm portions 40 are located either above or below the bend, as desired, with or without a bend section, as desired.
The body portion 38 is arranged to be biased outwardly from the housing 12. The body portion 38 is joined to a third portion in the form of an anchor portion 44, which is arranged to extend through the slot formation 20 and be held in a retained position. As can be seen in
The anchor portion 44 is also provided with a pair of abutment portions shown at 47 to engage an upper surface 56a of a ceiling panel as shown at 56 in
A displacement portion 50, including a threaded drive member, in this case screw fastener shown at 52, is provided to displace the clip 32 along the slot formation 20. The head portion 34 includes a first threaded passage 34a, for threaded engagement with screw fastener 52. A mounting flange 48 extends inwardly from a side wall 16 adjacent a corresponding slot formation 20 and includes a second passage 48a, which, in this case, is a clearance hole, to guide, but not threadably engage, screw fastener 52. The mounting flange 48 may be provided at other locations near the slot 22 or on the housing as desired.
The screw fastener 52 thus extends through the first and second passages 34a, and 48a. The anchor portion 44 includes a passage 44a to receive the screw fastener 52. In this case, the passage 44a is of sufficient dimension to enable the retaining clip to move relative to the screw fastener 52 between the locked and unlocked orientations, as can be seen by comparing
The body and anchor portions 38, 44 are joined at an offset connecting portion 39. Located in the offset connecting portion 39 is a retaining section 39a providing a pair of retaining regions 39b, each to engage a corresponding lateral edge formation, as can be seen in
As can be seen in
However, if desired, the slot extension 20 may form other shaped openings, such as a substantially triangularly shaped opening, as is shown in
Referring to
An alternative clip is shown at 32 in
It will thus be seen that the screw fastener 52 may be used to locate and/or displace the retaining clip 32 relative to one or more of:
The passage 44a in the anchor portion 44 receives the screw fastener 52. In this way, the fastener 52 is able in this instance to act as an anchor or restraining portion to restrain or limit the lateral travel of the clip outwardly from the housing in the fifth position. This occurs because the innermost region of the clip closes the passage 44a and the screw abuts this outermost region as the clip is drawn relatively tightly toward the lip 18. While the screw fastener in this case serves as a restraining portion, the anchor portion 44 may be provided with other formations, such as laterally extending flanges extending outwardly from the innermost region of the clip to engage the inner surface of the side wall rather than the screw. Moreover, the anchor portion may be provided with a structure similar to the head portion 34 at its lower end to provide means of limit outward travel of the clip relative to the housing. If desired, each of the lateral edge formations may be provided by other arrangements, such as by a pair of opposed tabs extending into the slot formation 20 from a slot periphery, rather than by the opposed slot extensions 22 shown above.
The recessed lighting fixture 10 may be installed in the following manner. First a passage 56b is formed in the ceiling panel 56 as shown in
The retaining clips 32 are held in the above mentioned first phase and the housing 10 is pushed through the passage 56b to the position as shown in
Located in the side wall is at least one, in this case two elongate slot formations 120 extending along an axis 120a substantially perpendicular to the back wall 114. Each slot formation 120 has a pair of oppositely extending lateral slot extensions 122, each slot extension having a first dimension 122a. A retaining clip 132 is located in each slot formation 120 for movement therealong. Referring to
The body portion 138 is arranged to be biased outwardly from the housing 112. The body portion 138 is joined to an anchor portion 144, which is arranged to extend through the slot formation 120. The anchor portion 144 includes a pair of opposed locking flanges 146, each of which travels along the inner surface 116a of the corresponding side wall 116 on opposite sides of the slot formation 120. The locking flanges 146 are dimensioned to pass through a corresponding slot extension 122 to transfer the retaining clip 132 between a locked orientation (as shown in
A displacement portion shown at 150 is provided to displace the clip 132 along the slot formation 120. The head portion 134 includes a first passage 134a. A mounting flange 148 extends inwardly from a side wall 116 adjacent a corresponding slot formation 120 and includes a second passage 148a.
The displacement portion 150 includes a threaded drive member, in the form of a screw fastener 152, extending through the first and second passages 134a, and 148a. The anchor portion 144 includes a passage 144a to receive the screw fastener 152. In this case, the passage 144a is of sufficient dimension to enable the retaining clip to move relative to the screw fastener 152 between the locked and unlocked orientations.
In this case, the body and anchor portions 138, 144 are joined at an offset connecting portion 139. This allows the body portion 138 to lie along the side wall 116 in the locked position, as can be seen in
It will thus be seen that a screw fastener 152 may be used to locate and/or displace the retaining clip 132 relative to one or more of:
The remaining phases are similar to those for the housing 10.
The recessed lighting fixture 110 may be installed in the passage 56b formed in the ceiling wall panel 56 in a manner similar to that discussed earlier.
Thus, as shown in
Another recessed lighting fixture is shown at 200 in
The support portion 206 is movable between a first rest position against the back wall 208 and an extended second position in which a segment of the support portion is displaced from the back wall 208 to permit the power supply portion 202 to be moved relative to the housing 210 during installation at a designated recessed lighting site.
The back wall 208 and the support portion 206 thus form an inner region 212 therebetween (
The support portion 206 includes a support plate 216 with the first cable passage 206a formed in a central region thereof. The support plate 216 has a peripheral edge 216a and the first cable passage 206a is open thereto by way of slot 216b. The slot 216b thus provides a convenient way to deliver the wiring harness 204 to the first cable passage 206a without having to disassemble the socket portion 204b or requiring the latter to be installed after the power cable 204a is located in the first cable passage 206a. That being said, the wiring harness 204 may indeed be installed by disassembling the socket portion 204b if desired, or by installing the power cable 204a first in the first cable passage 206a before installing the socket portion thereon. The slot 216b may also be configured differently than that shown in the figures. It may instead form a larger access opening directed longitudinally or laterally relative to the first support plate, among other arrangements.
The support plate 216 includes a first pair of fastener passages 216c at a first location and a second pair of fastener passages 216d at a second location. The first and second fastener passages 216c, 216d are arranged to receive fasteners therethrough. The second fastener passages 216d are in threaded form while the first fastener passages 216c are clearance holes which are aligned with corresponding threaded passages 208d.
Referring to
As can be seen in
In this case, the guide member 214 has a neck portion 214b with a v shaped cross section, as shown in
The flange 214a can be seen to extend partway along the boundary of the first cable passage, for example about 180 degrees along the boundary. However, the flange may, if desired, extend more or less than 180 degrees if desired. For instance, the flange may extend the entire periphery of the passage. In this latter case, then, the flange may be provided in the form of a cylindrical skirt depending from the first cable passage, as shown in dashed lines at 215. In addition, the flange may also, in some cases, be arranged to extend outwardly from the support plate 216 in the vicinity of the first cable passage or in other locations relative thereto. For instance, the flange may extend outwardly from the support plate at a location beyond the periphery of the side wall of the housing, for example as shown by the dashed lines at 218.
There are other ways in which the support plate 216 may be mounted on the back wall. For instance, the support plate may be welded, riveted or bonded to the back wall. A portion of the support plate may be integrally formed with the back wall if desired. The support plate 216 is biased toward the back wall 208 by the natural spring rate of the support plate when fastened to the back wall. The support plate 216 may be provided with other forms of biasing, such as by a pivot connection between the support plate 216 and the back wall, or between two sections of the support plate itself.
Thus, the light fixture 200 is used in the following manner. First, the light fixture may be assembled as described above. Then, with the appropriate passage 56b formed in the ceiling panel 56, the light fixture 200 is installed by first directing the power supply portion 202 through the passage 56a. To do this, the power supply portion is oriented relative to the housing 210, so that the power supply portion transferred from its lateral position relative to the housing as shown in solid lines in
The power supply portion 202 may be provided in different configurations and be coupled with the mounting plate 220a and thus to the plate 216 using other configurations. For instance, the mounting plate 220a and the support plate 216 may be integrally formed, if desired. The support plate may be coupled to the housing 210 at locations other than the back wall 208.
As can be seen, the side wall of the housing shown above are arranged to form a cylinder, but maybe provided in other configurations, such as multiple sided cross sectioned structures, such as squares, rectangles, triangles and the like. The housing may also be formed of more than one part, as desired. While the lip 18 is shown above integrally formed with the housing 12, but may be separate therefrom and attachable thereto, if desired.
The drive member may be provided in other configurations, such as by way of a spring-loaded pin, for example.
The retaining clips above described include a first movement away from the ceiling or wall panel to release the clip and a second opposite movement toward the panel to tighten the clip against the ceiling or wall panel. However, the clip may be arranged to provide the release function and the tightening function in the same direction if desired.
While the recessed lighting fixture 10 is described with respect to its installation in a ceiling panel, the fixture, if desired, may also be mounted in other panels that are not necessarily ceiling panels in some cases. For instance, the fixture may be installed a wall panel or a floor panel. Moreover, the housing described herein may be used to mount articles other than light fixtures onto panels, including ceiling, wall and floor panels, or other panels, for that matter.
The retaining clip, in some cases, may also be retained as described by using only one slot extension or lateral slot formation and one corresponding arm or body portion, and/or one retaining region, rather than the opposed pair configurations as described above.
The head, neck and body portions 34, 36 and 38 provide one configuration of the first, second and third portions. Other configurations may also be used if desired without having the features associated with the head, neck and body portions as described above. In addition, the spring-loaded, while the body portion is shown above slightly bowed in light of this spring-loaded orientation. There may be other examples in which the body portion may be spring loaded without being bowed in the manner illustrated above. Furthermore, other means may be provided for biasing the body portion outwardly from the housing, in addition to or as an alternative to, the inherent resiliency to the body portion.
While the present invention has been described for what are presently considered the preferred embodiments, the invention is not so limited. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
The entire subject matter of U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60/774,452 filed Feb. 17, 2006 and entitled RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE is incorporated by reference. The applicants claim priority benefit under Title 35, United States Code, Section 119 of U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60/774,452 filed Feb. 17, 2006 and entitled RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE.
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