Illumination – Light modifier – Translucent or opaque
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-07
2001-02-20
Tso, Laura K. (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Light modifier
Translucent or opaque
C362S351000, C362S357000, C493S950000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190024
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a lampshade, and to a method for making the lampshade.
Lampshades are provided in many shapes and forms, and are provided for use in connection with table lamps, standard lamps, ceiling suspended lights and the like. Typically, such lampshades comprise an upper support ring and a lower support ring, and a side wall or side walls extend between the upper and lower rings. The side wall may be an endless wall which extends completely around and between the two rings, or it may be formed in segments which extend between the two rings and are spaced apart circumferentially around the two support rings. The side wall or walls are secured to the upper and lower rings, and may be secured by adhesive, stitching or, indeed, by folding around the upper and lower support rings. Such forms of construction of lampshade will be well known to those skilled in the art.
One particular type of lampshade comprises an upper and a lower support ring and a single endless side wall or a plurality of side walls extending between the support rings, and the side wall or side walls is secured to one or both support rings by a ligature, which may be of leather, textile, such as, for example, a ribbon, coarse twine, wire or the like, or cord. The side wall or walls are provided with a row of spaced apart apertures adjacent one or both the top and bottom edges of the side wall or side walls and the ligature is threaded sequentially through the apertures and wound around the adjacent support ring in a helical form. Such construction of lampshade, though it has been well known for many years has recently become increasingly popular. However, the manufacture of such lampshades is particularly tedious and time consuming. The ligature must be threaded through each aperture, and wound around the adjacent support ring and a portion of the side wall or walls of the lampshade between the apertures and the edge thereof. The ligature requires pulling through all the apertures, and the entire length of the ligature must be pulled through the first aperture, and virtually the entire length of the ligature must be pulled through the second aperture, and so on until the ligature has been passed through all the apertures. This, it will be appreciated is a particularly time consuming task, and does not lend itself to mass production of this type of lampshade.
European Patent Specification No. 325878 discloses a lampshade with a removable cover in which the removable cover is a skirt. The skirt is held in place with a combination of flaps, strips, and annular metal components. However, the patent specification does not disclose or suggest a method which obviates the need for time-consuming threading procedures in the mass production of lampshades having a ligature component in its assembly.
A need exists for an improved method for making a lampshade of the aforementioned type. A need also exists for a lampshade of the aforementioned type having an improved construction.
An object of the invention is to provide an improved simplified method for making a lampshade.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved lampshade having a simplified construction.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of manufacturing a lampshade which obviates the need for threading of a ligature but results in a lampshade having a component resembling a threaded ligature.
According to the invention there is provided a method for making a lampshade of the type which comprises at least one support ring, and a side wall secured to the support ring by a ligature, wherein the support ring comprises a plurality of ligature receiving means at spaced apart locations along the support ring, and a plurality of spaced apart apertures are formed in the side wall adjacent the support ring for receiving the ligature, the method comprising the steps of:
inserting respective portions of the ligature sequentially into the wall apertures, and
securing the respective portions of the ligature to corresponding ones of the ligature receiving means on the support ring.
In one embodiment of the invention a first access means is provided to each wall aperture, the respective first access means extending from a side edge of the wall adjacent the wall apertures to the corresponding wall aperture for accommodating the corresponding portion of the ligature into the corresponding wall apertures.
In another embodiment of the invention a second access means is provided in the support ring to each ligature receiving means for accommodating respective portions of the ligature to the corresponding ligature receiving means.
In a further embodiment of the invention each ligature receiving means is formed by an aperture extending through the support ring.
Preferably, prior to inserting the portions of the ligature into the corresponding wall and ring apertures, the respective wall and ring apertures and their corresponding first and second access means are aligned for receiving the said portions of the ligature, and preferably, the said portions of the ligature are passed sequentially through the respective first and second access means to the wall and ring apertures, simultaneously.
Advantageously, on being inserted into one of the corresponding wall and ring apertures the ligature is pulled taut. Preferably, the ligature is pulled taut at the outer side of the side wall and the support ring assembly from an inner side of the side wall to the outer side thereof.
In one aspect of the invention the ligature is inserted through respective adjacent wall and ring apertures to give the effect of a helically wound ligature around the ring and a portion of the side wall intermediate the wall apertures and the adjacent side edge of the side wall.
Preferably, the first and second access means are provided by first and second access slits or slots, respectively, and advantageously, the first and second access slots are inclined to the side edge of the side wall adjacent the wall apertures, and when viewed from the outer side of the side wall the first access slots define a part of each wind of the helix formed by the ligature so that the first access slots are concealed by corresponding adjacent portions of the ligature which extends from the respective wall apertures to the adjacent side edge and which coincide with the respective first access slots.
Preferably, while being pulled taut the portion of the ligature adjacent the outer side of the side wall adjacent the side edge is held adjacent the first access slot for preventing the ligature being pulled through the first access slot a second time.
Advantageously, the ligature is pulled taut each time a portion of the ligature is inserted through one of the wall and ring apertures for tightening a portion of the ligature extending between that wall and ring aperture and the next adjacent wall and ring aperture through which the ligature had previously been inserted.
Alternatively, each ligature receiving means comprises a grip means which is located in the support ring, and preferably, each grip means is located in a corresponding one of the second apertures in the support ring. Preferably, the respective portions of the ligature are inserted through the respective corresponding wall apertures for engaging the grip means.
Suitably, the grip means comprises resiliently deformable slits deformable inwards when one of the portions of the ligature is urged against the slits.
Preferably, prior to inserting the ligature into the corresponding wall and ring apertures, the respective wall and ring apertures are aligned for receiving the said ligature.
Most preferably, a first end of the ligature is first secured in an aligned pair of wall and ring apertures and the ligature is doubled adjacent the subsequent wall and ring apertures and inserted through the wall aperture and the grip means.
Additionally, the invention provides a lampshade comprising a side wall and at least one, and preferably two support rings, the support rings being spaced apart, and being located adjacent a
Hackett Dominic Anthony
Hackett Joseph Patrick
Nixon & Vanderhye PC
Tso Laura K.
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