US3435204A - Lighting fixture - Google Patents

Description

Sheet I T. J. LEPAK LIGHTING FIXTURE March 25, 1969 Filed Jan. 17, 1966 I llllllL INVENTO 79:00am:-

March 25, 1969 T. J. LEPAK LIGHTING FIXTURE Sheet & of 2 Filed Jan. 17, 1966 INVENTOR 72/500025 JLfPflK United States Patent 3,435,204 LIGHTING FIXTURE Theodore John Lepak, Meriden, Conn., assignor to The Miller Company, Meriden, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Jan. 17, 1966, Ser. No. 520,984 Int. Cl. Hb 33/02 US. Cl. 240-5111 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lighting fixture comprising a lens having a plane bottom surface with upwardly and outwardly inclined side and end walls. A housing having a flat top wall with downwardly and outwardly inclined side and end walls surrounds the lens. The side and end walls of the housing extend at least to the lower surface of the lens, and the lower portion of the side and end walls act as a light controlling member. The light controlling member and the lens form downwardly divergent channels therebetween.

This invention relates to lighting fixtures and more specifically to a novel and improved fluorescent lighting fixture adapted to be mounted within a ceiling recess and affording a substantially uniform distribution of light about the entire fixture and minimizing high intensity areas and shadows normally produced by mounting devices for supporting and electrically energizing the light sources, such as, fluorescent lamps and the like.

Recessed fluorescent fixtures of various designs have heretofore been suggested, but such fixtures have generally been mounted within a square or rectangular opening and a suitable translucent or transparent closure in the form of a plate or other plane structure has been placed over the opening to block the direct view of the light sources and aid in distribution of the light. Inasmuch as the fluorescent lamps usually utilized in such fixtures require end socket mountings, the intensity of the light produced by the fixture is far greater throughout the central portions than at the end portions. With the fixture in accordance with the invention this inherent disadvantage of known fixtures has been overcome and actual tests have indicated that substantially uniform light is emitted throughout the entire area of the fixture and thus produces not only an efficient light source but one that is more pleasing to the eye and provides improved general uniform illumination.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel and improved fluorescent fixture particularly adapted to be mounted within a ceiling fixture.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel and improved fluorescent fixture.

The above and other objects of the invention will become more aparent from the following description and accompanying drawings forming part of this aplication.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a fixture in accordance with the invention in position within a ceiling recess.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the lens utilized in the lighting fixture shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view of FIGURES 1 and 4 taken along the line 3-3 thereof.

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of FIGURES 1 and 3 taken along the line 4-4 thereof.

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FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view of a fixture similar to FIGURE 3 but provided with four fluorescent tubes.

The fixture in accordance with the invention includes a housing generally denoted by the numeral 10 having inclined side wals 11 and 12 and inclined end walls 13 and 14. In the instant embodiment of the invention the inclination of the end walls is slightly greater than that of the side walls. The housing 10 further includes a fiat top wall 15 and the lower edge of each side and end wall includes an outwardly extending L-shaped flange 16 adapted to rest upon T bars 17 supported from a ceiling in the conventional manner.

The housing 10 is divided into upper and lower portions 18 and 19 by an intervening plate 20 secured in substantially parallel spaced relationshi with the top wall 15 by downwardly extending bolts 21 secured in any suitable manner to the top wall 15 and extending through cooperating openings in the plate 20 for reception of fastening nuts 21. The plate 20 further supports fluorescent lamp sockets generally denoted by the numeral 22 which extend through cooperating openings in the plate 20. The lower portions 22 of the sockets 22 support elongated fluorescent lamps 23.

The lamps 23 are enclosed by a novel and improved lens generally denoted by the numeral 24 having an esentially plane bottom surface 25 with upwardly and outwardly inclined side walls 26 and 27 and similarly inclined end walls 28 and 29. While the lens 24, which may be formed on any suitable light transmitting material and preferably a translucent material, may be held in position in any suitable manner, the instant embodiment of the invention includes four outwardly extending tabs 28 on the upper edges of the side walls 26 and 27 as will be viewed more clearly in FIGURE 2. These tabs engage cooperating openings 29' in the inclined walls 11 and 12 of the housing 10 and hold the lens with the bottom wall 25 in substantially coplanar relationship with the subceiling 30.

With the arrangement as described above the portion of the housing 10 between the top wall 15 and the plate 20 provides a wire way for wiring the sockets 22 and also provides ample space for housing a suitable ballast or other device for operating the lamps. The triangular channel surrounding the lens 24 and formed by opposing inclinations of the side and end walls of the housing and the side and end walls of the lens provide a highly uniform general room illumination, particularly if the inner faces 11, 12', 13', and 14' of the housing are provided with a reflective coating such as white paint or the like. It has been found that this arrangement minimizes areas of high brightness which are distracting to the eye and afiords the visual eifect of substantially uniform light emanating from the entire area of the subceiling 30 in which the fixture is installed. It has also been found that the particular relationship of the lens 24 to the housing 12 prevents the formation of shadows which would normally be encountered by reason of the socket portions 22 which extend downwardly into the lens 24.

The foregoing embodiment of the invention has been illustrated utilizing two elongated fluorescent lamps 23. It is apparent, however, that the fixture may incorporate any desired number of lamps 23 as illustrated for instance in FIGURE 5 or suitable incandescent lamps. Inasmuch as the structure shown in FIGURE 5 is identical to the structure shown in FIGURES 1 through 4, corresponding numerals have been utilized to denote corresponding ele- 3 ments in the two embodiments of the invention. In the embodiment of FIGURE 5, four pairs of fluorescent lamp sockets 22 are mounted in the same manner as illustrated in connection with FIGURE 4, and four lamps 23 extend throughout the length of the fixture in the same manner previously described.

While only certain embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is apparent that alterations, modifications and changes may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the apmnded claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A lighting fixture comprising a lens of light transmitting material having a bottom wall and upwardly extending side and end walls, lamp supporting means associated with said lens and supporting said lamps for emission of light downwardly through said lens and light controlling means having a light reflecting surface surrounding said lens and extending downwardly at least to said bottom wall, said light controlling means and said side walls being angularly disposed and forming downwardly divergent channels therebetween.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD M. SHEER, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

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