Illumination – Housing – Recessed
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-31
2002-03-26
Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Housing
Recessed
C362S147000, C362S396000, C362S404000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06361193
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to mounting structure for positioning and holding a reflector trim within a lamp housing of a downlighting fixture or similar lighting fixture, the invention particularly relating to an inexpensive pull-on clip of improved structure which can be rapidly assembled onto a reflector trim for mounting of the trim within a lamp housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Downlighting provides a flexibility not available with most other categories of lighting due to the ability to employ a variety of fixtures intended for downlight purposes to lighting situations which range from ambient to accent to wall-washing and the like. Where desired, downlighting can also be used in task lighting applications. The flexibility of downlighting is not limited to use situations but also extends to appearance and even to the use of a variety of differing lamp choices in most downlighting fixtures. With cost always a consideration in any lighting choice, it becomes necessary to provide downlighting fixtures which can be inexpensively manufactured and installed with the least intensive labor use while providing the most optimal lighting performance. Lighting fixtures so configured must also be easily and rapidly installable not only by relatively skilled labor such as in new construction but also by relatively unskilled labor such as by a home owner in a retrofit situation. Downlighting fixtures comprising varying “rough-in” structures are common in the marketplace and vary in complexity and cost. Such fixtures are manufactured and marketed by Lithonia Lighting of Conyers, Ga., Lithonia Lighting being a part of the Lithonia Lighting Group which is a division of National Service Industries, Inc. of Atlanta, Ga. In these fixtures as in downlighting fixtures produced by others, an intent has been the manufacture of effective fixtures having the best possible performance at the least possible fixture cost and the least possible involvement of installation labor. Fixtures having these desirable characteristics must include structure insertable into a lamp housing or “can” and which will positively secure lamping, a reflector trim with or without a baffle and a lamp socket within the can with positive lamp positioning and with positioning of the reflector trim snugly against a ceiling hole such that a gap does not exist between the trim and peripheral edge portions of the ceiling which surround the ceiling hole. While relatively complex and expensive mechanisms can be and are employed in at least some downlighting fixtures to produce the necessary results, the achievement of such results inexpensively and with mechanical simplicity is less than commonplace in the industry. Desirable mechanical simplicity in the industry now extends even to the very insertion of a reflector trim and lamp socket assembly into the can, standard practices in the industry essentially requiring the ability to insert such an assembly into the can in a single motion with concurrent fitting of annular flange-like portions of the tri about the ceiling hole above which the fixture is operatively mounted. In the prior art, clip-like structures riveted to the reflector trim have been used to hold the trim and socket assemblies within a can. These prior clip structures have generally required assembly to trim reflectors in a manufacturing environment and could not be reasonably attached on the job site. Clip attachment to reflector trim in the manufacturing environment further allows shipment of trim to a job site to be inefficient due to the bulky nature of reflector trim having preattached assembly clips, each trim being incapable of packaging in a nesting relation to each other such as will be possible if clips could be installed easily and rapidly on the job site. A clip capable of functioning in the manner described is disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,143 and provides an improved mechanism for mounting a reflector trim or a reflector trim and lamp socket assembly within a lamp housing or can to achieve the results and economies alluded to herein. It is to be noted that Blaisdell et al, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,679; Basile, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,344; and Zadeh, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,471 also provide mechanisms which are of interest relative to achievement of the desired goals enumerated herein.
The present invention intends solution to certain deficiencies of the prior art by providing a reflector trim assembly which can also include a lamp socket mountable to the trim and which can be easily and rapidly mounted with positive securement within the interior of a lamp housing or can of a downlighting fite or similar lighting fixture. The invention includes assembly clip structure of improved characteristics capable of attachment to a reflector trim on a job site without the use of tools, thereby allowing reflector trim to be compactly packaged in a nesting arrangement for shipment to the job site. The present clip can rapidly be attached to the reflector trim without damage to the trim The invention further provides for improved positive retention of the reflector trim and any associated structure within the can with positive lamp positioning for optimal lighting performance and with snug fitting of the trim against a ceiling surface about a ceiling opening through which light is directed from the downlighting fixture. The improved structure of the invention provides finger-like projections having multiple points at distal ends of the projections, the structure acting to “snug” the reflector trim against the ceiling about the opening to prevent the existence of an unsightly gap between the trim and the ceiling, thus preventing light leakage and providing a clean appearance. The advantages of the invention are realized with net cost reductions in manufacturing, product shipment and job site installation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention particularly provides improvement upon the clip disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,143, the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinto by reference. The present clip structure has in common with the clip of the patent the ability to mount a reflector trim and any associated structure within a downlighting fixture “rough-in”. The present clip can be easily and quickly pulled onto a penultimate body portion of a reflector trim and locked thereto by means of a fitting of a locking tab of the clip into an aperture formed in the reflector trim the clip thus being positively secured to the reflector trim manually and without the use of tools. Two of the “pull-on” clips are mounted one each to each side of the trim although it is to be understood that more than two of the clips could be used as desired. Regardless of the number of clips used, the clips are regularly spaced about upper portions of the reflector trim and are attachable thereto without the use of tools. The structure of the present clip allows attachment thereof to the reflector trim at a job site, thereby allowing reflector trim to be compactly packaged and shipped to the job site with optimum economy. Use of the present pull-on clips provides positive lamp positioning on single motion insertion of the reflector trim assembly into a lamp housing or can with improved fitting of a trim flange of the reflector trim assembly against ceiling surfaces about an opening above which a downlighting fixture is mounted to provide a clean appearance and to prevent light leakage.
The attachment end of the improved pull-on clip of the present invention particularly includes a locking tab similar to the locking tab disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,143, with the exception that the locking tab of the present structure is taken to be approximately twice as long as the locking tab of the patent. The locking tab of the present invention is also provided with an angled lead-in element formed distally of the locking tab to facilitate assembly of the clip to the reflector trim without damage to portions of the trim over which the locking tab must pass in
Gabrius Algimantas John
Yates James Patrick
Alavi Ali
Darnell Kenneth E.
Husar Stephen
NSI Enterprises Inc.
LandOfFree
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