Illumination – With static structure – Wall or ceiling
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-07
2001-04-17
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
With static structure
Wall or ceiling
C362S147000, C362S148000, C362S150000, C362S364000, C362S365000, C362S404000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217189
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an arrangement for and a method of mounting a flanged device, such as a light fixture, on a room wall, especially a ceiling and, more particularly, to concealing the flange of the mounted device from view.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are already known various constructions of room light fixtures and built-in recessed lighting installations that are used to illuminate a room in a non-obtrusive manner, i.e., without the use of pole lamps, table lamps, sconces, wall lamps, track lighting, or like fixtures that extend from a room wall into a room and occupy a non-negligible space within the room. Details of such constructions can be had by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 1,799,304; 2,218,731; 2,998,511; and 4,408,262.
Although generally satisfactory for their intended purpose, the known wall-mounted installations suffer from an objectionable drawback, namely, their presence is still noticeable after installation. An exposed part of the fixture, no matter how slight, represents an unsightly detail to be avoided. In the case of a ceiling light fixture, an abutment flange is typically located at the periphery of the lighting fixture. The purpose of this flange is to abut the underside of the ceiling when the fixture is inserted into a mounting hole cut into the ceiling. The flange limits how far the fixture is recessed into the ceiling. However, as stated above, the flange remains visible after installation, is unsightly, can cause objectionable shadow effects, and does not present a finished, uninterrupted, smooth, flush surface with the ceiling. Even worse, it often happens that the fixture drops below the ceiling due to poor installation or vibration, thereby causing the flange to be even more noticeable. Modern architectural and room design demand such continuous surfaces.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mounting arrangement for a flanged fixture that does not possess the drawbacks of the known mounting arrangements of this type.
Still another object of the present invention is to devise a mounting arrangement of the type here under consideration which is capable of concealing the fixture, especially the exposed abutment flange.
Still another object of the present invention is to conceal the flange, to avoid objectionable shadow effects, and to present a finished, uninterrupted, smooth, flush surface with the ceiling.
A concomitant object of the present invention is so to construct the mounting arrangement of the above type as to be relatively simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, and yet reliable in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In keeping with the above objects and others which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of the present invention resides in a mounting arrangement for concealing a flange on a device, e.g., a lighting fixture, to be mounted on a wall, e.g., a ceiling. The mounting arrangement includes a support having a mounting hole extending through the support for mounting the device, a flange recess formed in the support for receiving the flange of the mounted device, and a mask recess formed in the support. A mask element is received in the mask recess and overlies the flange of the mounted device to hide the flange from view. The hidden flange no longer represents an unsightly, objectionable detail.
In the preferred embodiment, the support has opposite major surfaces, the hole extends through the major surfaces, the flange recess is located between the major surfaces within the support, and the mask recess is located at one of the major surfaces. More specifically, the major surfaces are generally planar, the hole extends along a longitudinal axis generally perpendicular to the major surfaces, and the flange recess and the mask recess extend circumferentially around the axis. Preferably, the flange recess and the mask recess have concentric, circular configurations, but they could have other shapes, such as square or rectangular.
In accordance with another feature of this invention, the flange recess and the mask recess are bounded by smooth, continuous boundary walls and have a complementary contour to the flange and the mask element, respectively. The support is molded of a moldable, non-metallic material, preferably plaster or plastic. The mask element is a circular ring molded of the same moldable, non-metallic material. The mask element has an outer face that is flush with said one major surface of the support, thereby obtaining the above-described finished look so sought after in modern architectural design. For even greater design interest, the outer face of the mask element can be molded and/or imprinted with any pattern or design, such as a geometric or floral design.
The method of mounting the device and of concealing the flange on the mounted device is performed as follows:
First, a section of a finished or partly finished ceiling is removed. Then, the support is inserted in the removed section. The support has previously been formed with the mounting hole, flange recess and mask recess described above.
Next, the device is inserted through the mounting hole until the flange is placed in and abuts the flange recess. The aforementioned mask element is placed in the mask recess in an overlying relationship with the flange of the mounted device to hide the flange from view.
The support is advantageously formed with an outer, generally planar surface and the mask element is formed with an outer, generally planar face. The outer surface of the support is made flush with the outer face of the mask element, typically by applying a spackling compound and sanding the compound flat in known manner.
Finally, it is advantageous if the support is provided with beveled edge regions at the periphery of the support. These beveled edge regions of the support are made flush with the wall as described before, that is, by spackling a joint compound and sanding the compound flat in known manner.
The support is held overhead by securement to ceiling joists or neighboring ceiling structures or, in an advantageous embodiment, by securement to the ceiling itself, either by fasteners or by resting on an upper, inner surface of the ceiling. The support may have a peripheral flange that is circumferentially complete, or split to form a plurality of radial arms. The ceiling is prepared by being formed with a cutout through which the support passes. Thereupon, by turning the support through an angular distance, the flange rests on the upper, inner ceiling surface, thereby enhancing the securement.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2998511 (1961-08-01), Chan
patent: 4729074 (1988-03-01), Steadman
patent: 5034869 (1991-07-01), Choi
patent: 5921655 (1999-07-01), Nassim
patent: 5957572 (1999-09-01), Wedekin et al.
patent: 40 13 457 (1991-10-01), None
patent: 2 683 616 (1993-05-01), None
Kirschstein et al.
O'Shea Sandra
Ton Anabel M.
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