Embodiments relate generally to lighting solutions, and more particularly to systems, methods, and devices for facilitating the installation of a light fixture.
Surface mounted light fixtures typically come in two parts—a back plate that is coupled to a wall or a ceiling, and a cover that is coupled onto the back plate. During installation, it is convenient to have the two parts near each other to accomplish the electrical connections. Often, while the installer makes the electrical connections, the installer has to hold the cover in one hand which in turn leaves the installer with only one free hand to make electrical connections. Since the installer cannot use both his/her hands to make the electrical connection, the installer may find this approach very inconvenient and inefficient.
Mechanisms for placing the cover in proximity to the back plate during installation do exist. For example, a hinge may be provided between the two parts. However, adding hinges to the cover and back plate may be cost prohibitive. Another example includes providing a tether between the two parts. However, adding tethers to the cover and the back plate may also be cost prohibitive. Furthermore, tethers may not rigidly hold the cover in proximity to the back plate and the installer still may be required to support the cover with one hand. Yet another example includes providing snaps that hold the cover and back plate together during installation. However, the installation of snaps are limited to plastic parts that can utilize the snaps. Accordingly, snaps are not a feasible option for light fixtures made using other types of materials.
In view of the foregoing shortcomings, there is a need for technology that holds the two parts of the surface mounted light fixtures rigidly and in close proximity to each other during the installation of a surface mounted light fixture. This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present disclosure. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present disclosure.
In one aspect, the present disclosure is related to a light fixture that includes a back plate that is configured to be mounted to a mounting surface. The back plate includes a base; a sidewall disposed adjacent to and extending along a perimeter of the base, and a rib formed in at least one corner of the sidewall. The sidewall is substantially perpendicular to the base and defines a cavity in concert with the base. The light fixture further includes a cover that is configured to be coupled to the back plate. The cover includes a front panel having one or more corners that are cut out such that at least a portion of the front panel fits within the cavity formed by the sidewall of the back plate when coupled to the back plate in an electrical connection phase. At least one corner of the cover includes a notch formed therein. In the electrical connection phase, the cover is coupled to the back plate by engaging the notch formed in the at least one corner of the cover with the rib formed in the at least one corner of the sidewall of the back plate.
In another aspect, the present disclosure is related to a light fixture that includes a light fixture that has a back plate that is configured to be mounted to a mounting surface. The back plate includes a base, a sidewall disposed adjacent to a perimeter of the base, and a first securing element formed in the sidewall. The sidewall defines a cavity in concert with the base. Further, the light fixture includes a cover that is configured to be coupled to the back plate. The cover includes a front panel that is defined such that at least a portion of the front panel fits within the cavity formed by the sidewall of the back plate when coupled to the back plate in an electrical connection phase. The cover further includes a second securing element formed in the front panel. In the electrical connection phase, the cover is coupled to the back plate by engaging the second securing element formed in the cover with the first securing element formed in the sidewall of the back plate such that the cover is substantially perpendicular to the back plate and the cavity is exposed.
These and other aspects, objects, features, and embodiments, will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.
The foregoing and other features and aspects of the present disclosure are best understood with reference to the following description of certain example embodiments, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The drawings illustrate only example embodiments of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, as the present disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The elements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the example embodiments. Additionally, certain dimensions or positioning may be exaggerated to help visually convey such principles.
The present disclosure describes an example surface mounted light fixture having one or more hanging features that are cast into each of the cover and back plate of the surface mounted light fixture. The hanging features allow the cover of the surface mounted light fixture to be inserted into the back plate and be held rigidly while making electrical connections during installation. For example, the back plate includes one or more ribs formed in one or more corners of the back plate. Further, the cover includes cut out corners that permit the cover to fit within the back plate. One or more notches are formed into one or more corners of the cover. In an electrical connection phase, the cover maybe inserted into the back plate such that the notch of the cover is aligned and disposed above the rib of the back plate. Then, to rigidly hold the cover and the back plate in close proximity to each other, the cover is moved down such that the notch in the corner of the cover may engage the rib in the corner of the back plate. In another example, the rib in the back plate may have an aperture and the notch in the corner of the cover may be further defined to form a finger/post that is configured to engage with the aperture on the rib to securely lock the cover to the back plate.
Turning to the figures,
Referring to
Additionally, the back plate 102 may include a rib 208 that is cast into the back plate 102 at each corner 206 of the back plate 102. In particular, the rib 208 that is disposed at a corner 206 defined by one end of the longitudinal wall 204 and a lateral wall 203 may extend towards the corner 206 defined by an opposite end of the same longitudinal wall 204 and an opposite lateral wall 203. The rib 208 may be substantially perpendicular to the sidewall and substantially parallel to the base 202. Each corner 206 may include a curved wall 289 (convex) that extends from the lateral wall 203 to the longitudinal wall 204, and the rib 208 may extend from the curved wall 289 disposed at each corner 206. As illustrated in
The cover 104 of the light fixture 100 may include a front panel 290 that has a pair of longitudinal edges 230 and a pair of lateral edges 232. The corners (212, 214) of the front panel 290, i.e., the intersections of the longitudinal edges 230 with the lateral edges 232, may be cut out (concave) as illustrated in
The cover 104 may also include one or more partition walls 231 that are disposed adjacent the longitudinal and lateral edges (230, 232) of the cover 104. The partition walls 231 may be substantially perpendicular to the front surface 290 and may extend along at least a portion of a perimeter of the front panel 290. Additionally, the cover 104 may house a circuit board 210 with one or more light sources, such as LEDs, halogen lamps, florescent lamps, etc., disposed thereon as illustrated in
Furthermore, the cover 104 may include coupling features 299, such as tabs, that are configured to mate with corresponding receiving features 297, such as hooks, of the back plate 102 to couple and securely lock the cover 104 to the back plate 102 as illustrated in
However, during the electrical connection phase, i.e., to make electrical connections during installation, initially, the back plate 102 may be mounted and secured on a mounting surface (vertical wall, ceiling, etc.) using an appropriate fastening mechanism. Then, the cover 104 may be rotated and positioned such that: (a) the cover 104 is substantially perpendicular to the back plate and (b) the longitudinal edge 230 of the cover 104 faces the base 202 of the back plate 102, as illustrated in
In other words, the cover 104 and back plate 102 are designed such that the cover 104 may be inserted into the cavity 205 above the ribs 208 and then pushed downward to engage the ribs and not simply pushed in horizontally to engage with the back plate 102 when coupled to make electrical connections. The engagement of the notch and rib provides a secure coupling between the cover 104 and the back plate 102 and prevents the cover 104 from disengaging from the back plate 102 when the installer (user) accidently brushes against the cover 104 or makes other similar motions while completing the electrical connections. Further, engaging the cover 104 and the back plate 102 by sliding the notch 216 of the cover 104 onto the corresponding ribs 208 of the back plate 102 from above prevents the cover 104 from disengaging and falling off from the back plate 102 when the cover 104 and back plate 102 are placed in proximity to each other for making electrical connections in a ceiling mount installation of the light fixture 100.
Even though
Further, even though the example embodiment of
Furthermore, even though
It is noted that light fixture 400 of
Referring to
To disengage the cover 404 from the back plate 402, the installer (user) may have to push the cover 404 towards the back plate 402 to release the post 420 of the cover 404 from the aperture 414 in the rib 412 of the back plate 402. Then, the installer may slide the cover 404 upwards to disengage the notch 416 of the cover 404 from the rib 412 of the back plate 402.
Even though
Even though the present disclosure describes that the hanging features such as the ribs, the ribs with the aperture, the notches, and/or the posts/fingers are cast into the cover and/or the back plate of the light fixture using a die-cast mechanism, one of ordinary skill in the art can understand and appreciate that any other appropriate manufacturing mechanism may be used to form the hanging features in the light fixture without departing from a broader scope of the present disclosure. Alternatively, in another example embodiment, one or more of the hanging features may be configured to be removably coupled to the cover and/or back plate of the light fixture without departing from a broader scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, in an example embodiment, the back plate 102 may include a first securing element that is cast into and disposed at or adjacent the corners (intersection of sidewalls) of the back plate 102, and the cover 104 may have a second securing element that is complementary to the first securing element and cast into and disposed at or adjacent the corners of the cover 104. In some examples, the first securing element and the second securing element may be removably coupled to the back plate 102 and the cover 104. The first securing element may include, but is not limited to, the rib 412, a tab, or other functionally similar elements. The second securing element may include, but is not limited to, the notch 216, the notch 416 coupled with the post 420, a hook, or other functionally similar elements. Alternatively, the first securing element may include the notch 216, the notch 416 coupled with the post 420, a hook, or other functionally similar elements, while the second securing element may include the rib 412, a tab, or other functionally similar elements. During the electrical connection phase, the cover 104 may be rigidly and securely held in close proximity to the back plate 102 by engaging the first securing element of the back plate 102 with the second securing element of the cover 104 as illustrated in
Even though the present disclosure describes a surface mounted light fixture 100 having a substantially rectangular profile, one of ordinary skill in the art can understand and appreciate that the cover and/or the back plate of the surface mounted light fixture can have a profile of any other appropriate geometric or non-geometric shape without departing from a broader scope of the present disclosure.
Although the present disclosure is described with reference to example embodiments, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications are well within the scope of the present disclosure. From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that an embodiment of the present disclosure overcomes the limitations of the prior art. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure is not limited to any specifically discussed application and that the embodiments described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. From the description of the example embodiments, equivalents of the elements shown therein will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and ways of constructing other embodiments of the present disclosure will suggest themselves to practitioners of the art. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited herein.
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/423,931, titled “Surface Mounted Light Fixtures With Hanging Features For Installation,” and filed on Nov. 18, 2016. The entire contents of the foregoing application are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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3780284 | Dewhirst | Dec 1973 | A |
5768814 | Kozek | Jun 1998 | A |
5887968 | Logan | Mar 1999 | A |
6050013 | Heaton | Apr 2000 | A |
20060185204 | Holt | Aug 2006 | A1 |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20180144669 A1 | May 2018 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62423931 | Nov 2016 | US |