This invention is related to the field of ceiling-mounted lighting fixtures, including “cans” recessed behind the ceiling panels, and surface mounted fixtures similar in lighting function and external appearance to can mounts but not necessarily recessed.
This invention is a follow-on to several earlier inventions by this inventor, contained in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,597,233 and 6,350,046. These two patents teach a lighting system designed for industrial ceilings that have air apertures in the lighting can housings, allowing heat generated by the lamps to pass upwards through the can and into the ceiling area above. The present invention adds the feature of stopping air-leaks of a non-insulated, rated can. The majority of can light fixtures installed in the United States are not insulated at all, and even the minority of “insulated” cans containing down lights have been classified as non-insulated (non-IC cans).
Prior art inventions in this field, particularly U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,299 to Yan, do not have this feature, and the present invention is easily distinguishable from Yan.
When incandescent lights are used in down light fixtures, the venting apertures in the can housings amplifies the chimney effect of heat rising up through the cans. To prevent fires in insulated ceilings, insulation materials must be kept at least three inches away from the can housings. This reduces the effectiveness of the insulation in keeping building heat below the ceiling.
Loss of heated air through the lighting cans exacerbates a common problem that roofs have during the winter; that is, the snow on the roof melted by moist, hot air from the ceiling rising through the roof causing the snow to turn into ice, which expands and cracks the roof Replacing incandescent bulbs in down lighting with fluorescent bulbs reduces heat generation by 75% and reduces the moist hot air loss through the roof Retrofitting incandescent and florescent down lighting cans with the present invention will eliminate heated air loss through the cans entirely and prevent expensive roof damages.
Reduction in air loss through the cans also reduces the loss of cooled air from air conditioning during the warmer months, reducing energy usage to cool building air.
The present invention is a retrofit of the existing lighting can designs produced by the present inventor as well as current industry lighting cans. Using the present invention, the air cooling apertures in the can housing do not need to be plugged and a vent-free reflector and trim assembly can be mounted in the can housing. This system can also use a compact fluorescent light bulb that produces substantially less heat than an incandescent bulb.
By preventing the leaking of heated air through the top of the can housing, the ceiling can be more effectively insulated and the insulation can be extended all the way to the outer surface of the can housing and can be placed in contact with the can housing itself without fear of fire.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a ballast for a fluorescent lamp or lamps in the trim rim of the reflector, permitting the use of a fluorescent lamp. An alternate embodiment of the invention possesses no ballast in the trim rim and is independent of the presence or absence of any ballast, This embodiment can be applied to an incandescent bulb fixture as well as a fluorescent fixture.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an airtight reflector system that can be retrofitted to existing non-insulated can lighting fixtures that eliminates heated air loss through the cans into the ceiling.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a reflector system with a trim rim that extends outside of and surrounds the existing non-insulated can.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a trim rim in two configurations, with a ballast and without a ballast.
The present invention 110 incorporates a reflector assembly with the option of a baffle 125 serving as a glare shield, with aperture 116 (shown in
In
In
The invention is installed by removing the incandescent lamp 101 from its socket within a non-IC 100, placing the invention 110 below the socket by means of connecting the adaptor 109 end of the invention to the socket, fitting the trim rim to the hole in the ceiling where the non-IC 100 is placed by pushing the invention 110 up into the can 110 until the trim rim 113 meets the bottom surface of the ceiling 104, and then inserting a replaceable CFI 107A in the socket 126. Where the bottom surface of the ceiling is irregular, there is an additional step of placing an optional silicon rubber gasket 115 between the trim rim and the bottom surface of the ceiling. The invention 110 is attached to the can 100 by means of V-shaped tensions springs 114 or coiled springs 114A.
While the foregoing describes a preferred and an alternative embodiment of the invention, variation on this design and equivalent designs may be resorted to in the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.
This application is a Continuation-In-Part of application Ser. No. 11/741,676, filed Apr. 27, 2007, currently copending.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11741676 | Apr 2007 | US |
Child | 12692613 | US |