Illumination – Housing – With mounting means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-16
2001-09-18
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Housing
With mounting means
C362S374000, C362S375000, C174S050000, C174S050510, C174S058000, C174S261000, C174S003000, C174S003000, C174S361000, C174S657000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290375
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of ballast housings for lighting fixtures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An important and really essential part of many lighting systems is the electronic or electromagnetic element commonly referred to as the ballast. Ballasts are used in fluorescent fixtures, and others which require different voltage, current or frequency for operation than the normal 115 v 60 Hz line voltage provided by the standard United States lighting circuits. Also, low voltage, such as 12V lamps require a step-down transformer between the power outlet and the lamps serviced.
The ballast or the step-down transformer, hereinafter referred to as the ballast, usually constitutes a rather bulky, heavy part of the system as compared with the lamps and their fixtures. In the case of standard fluorescent fixtures, which are recessed into a ceiling, the ballasts are normally concealed within the lamp housing and do not present any mounting problems, but often are different to service or replace.
In the case of ornamental or internal fixtures, there is seldom sufficient room to mount the ballast in the fixture. Often the attractive appearance of the fixture would be sacrificed if the ballast were present in the fixture. Likewise, cooling of the ballast by air convection or other means is often a requirement, so mounting of a ballast near a heat-generating lamp or lamps is undesired.
In many cases, the mounting of lamp fixture, which uses a ballast near interior partitions, is often a requirement, and has been difficult to meet. One other challenge to the lighting designer and the installer is to provide a fixture design that is easy to install and service and that also allows electrical inspection without interfering with the installation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Faced with this state of the art and these requirements, it is an object of this invention to provide improved ballast housing for lighting fixtures.
Another object of this invention is to provide a ballast housing which serves as the mounting structure for a large variety of lamp fixtures and with a variety of modes of mounting any one of the fixtures in a manner which adds to, rather than detracts from, the overall appearance of the fixture, ballast and mounting structure.
Still another feature of this invention is to provide a single ballast housing configuration which receives a large variety of ballasts and which provides effective, conductive cooling for any one of them.
One other feature of this invention is that the ballast housing may be mounted directly on an outlet or junction box, totally concealing it and yet allowing easy inspection and servicing of the connections to the lighting fixture without disturbing the mounting of the fixture or removal of the ballast.
These and other objects of this invention are accomplished by a ballast housing, which is formed of an aluminum extrusion of length determined by the ballasts contained therein. Since the housing is an extrusion, it can readily be made of any desired length and closure members for each end will fit housings of any length. Other suitable metals or alloys could be used.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 387333 (1997-12-01), Pellow et al.
patent: 2308600 (1943-01-01), Gaynor
patent: 2489245 (1949-11-01), Sola
patent: 2550362 (1951-04-01), Logie
patent: 3751574 (1973-08-01), Fisher
patent: 3851225 (1974-11-01), Lucheta
patent: 5249099 (1993-09-01), Sridharan et al.
patent: 5446617 (1995-08-01), Blocher et al.
patent: 5566047 (1996-10-01), Kahn et al.
patent: 6175487 (2001-01-01), McCartney et al.
Bernardo Sam
Cooper Technologies Company
Negron Ismael
O'Shea Sandra
Smith Robert C.
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