Recessed canopy light fixture

Illumination – Housing – With closure

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C362S147000, C362S366000, C362S455000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06231214

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is related generally to light fixtures and, more particularly, to light fixtures installed on overhead canopy structures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Light fixtures that are mounted to overhead canopy structures, such as are increasingly common for gasoline service stations, truck stops and the like, are well known in the lighting art. Such light fixtures serve the purpose of providing light to outdoor areas which are partially protected from the elements by the canopy structures, which are high overhead. Canopy light fixtures are typically mounted to the horizontal sheet which forms the overhead ceiling of the canopy structure.
Some canopy light fixtures are below the horizontal sheet of the canopy structures and some are above—recessed into the canopy structure. For aesthetic reasons, such recessed mountings, with the main body of the light fixtures above the canopy sheet, are preferred.
Such canopy light fixtures typically include a lamp inside, which requires changing or other service from time to time, and a lens cover which is closed during use but opened for service—to allow access to the lamp inside or allow cleaning of inside and outside lens surfaces or replacement of the lens, or other service. The high overhead mounting and the fact that the fixtures are to be recessed above the canopy sheet tend to make installation and regular maintenance of the light fixtures difficult and time-consuming functions. The size and weight of canopy-light parts, including the size and weight of their lens covers, make installation difficult.
Previous canopy light fixtures have had significant shortcomings particularly when it came to attaching the lens frame to the main body. Various known lights have required more than one person for convenient installation. Considerable efforts have been made in the past to facilitate installation and maintenance. An example is the canopy light fixture disclosed in United States Patent No. 5,662,407 (Fischer et al.). There remain considerable problems and shortcomings in installation and maintenance of canopy light fixtures. There is a need for canopy light assemblies for which parts having weights well less than the overall fixture weight can be installed separately, thereby to reduce the physical loads borne by the installer. There is a need for an improved canopy light which allows easy attachment of a lens cover during installation and easy removal of a lens cover during maintenance, while still providing reliable attachment to the main body of the canopy light. There is a need for an improved canopy light having a secure way to retain the lens cover when in the open position, as for maintenance.
Various canopy lights of the prior art have a variety of mechanisms and systems for attachment of their lenses or lens covers. There is a need for a simple and highly reliable hinging attachment of a lens cover to the remainder of a canopy light fixture. There is a need for a hinging attachment which facilitates installation, removal and opening of a canopy light for maintenance purposes. Such a canopy light would be an important improvement in the lighting-fixture art.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved recessed-canopy light fixture that overcomes some of the problems and shortcomings of the prior art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a canopy light fixture that is easy to install.
Another object is to provide a canopy light fixture having a hinge that allows for easy opening and removal of the lens frame.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a canopy light fixture having a removable lens frame.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved canopy light fixture which simplifies installation by allowing assembly of a main portion followed by attachment of a lens cover, thereby to reduce weights of parts to be lifted overhead by the installer.
Another object of this invention is to provide a canopy light which allows easy attachment and removal of a lens cover but still has the lens cover reliably secured to the remainder of the light fixture, whether the cover is open or closed.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved canopy light having a secure way to retain the lens cover when in the open position, as for maintenance.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a canopy light fixture with a simple and highly reliable hinge apparatus.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following descriptions and from the drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is an improved canopy light fixture of the recessed-mounting type which overcomes many of the above-noted problems and shortcomings of prior art canopy lights.
The fixture is of the type that is installed in an overhead canopy having a rigid horizontal canopy sheet with upper and lower surfaces and a fixture-receiving opening defined by a lip. The canopy light fixture itself includes a main body that is positioned at the opening above the sheet in contact with the upper surface. A rim member is in contact with the lower surface of the canopy along the lip in such a manner that the sheet is sandwiched between the main body and the rim member. A lens frame is positioned below and connected to the rim member by at least one hinge of a type characterizing the instant invention.
The hinge includes a first hinge member which is secured to the rim member and extends laterally therefrom. The first hinge member has an upwardly-open substantially semi-cylindrical female portion with an outer edge that is spaced below the canopy sheet by a first distance. A second hinge member is secured to the lens frame and extends laterally therefrom. The second hinge member has a truncated-cylindrical male portion that is received in the female portion such that the female and male portions define a hinge axis which is substantially tangential to the opening. The male portion includes a flat portion (referred to herein as a “flat”) such that the vertical dimension of the male portion, depending on the orientation of the lens cover between its extreme fully-closed and fully-open positions, varies between a full diameter which is substantially greater than the first distance and a truncated diameter which is at most slightly greater than the first distance such that the male portion is non-removable from the female portion except when the lens frame is pivoted to a fully-open position -well beyond a vertical hanging position.
In certain highly preferred embodiments of the invention, the canopy light structure of this invention takes advantage of the deflectability of the canopy sheet to which the canopy light is mounted to provide extra attachment security of the lens cover to the remainder of the canopy light fixture. In such embodiments, the first distance, that is, the distance between the outer edge of the female portion of the hinge and the canopy sheet is slightly less than the truncated diameter such that removal of the second hinge member from the first hinge member requires a slight upward deflection of the canopy sheet immediately adjacent to the hinge—in order to provide the space necessary to remove the male portion from between the canopy sheet and the female portion. This helps to preventing inadvertent separation of the lens cover of the canopy light, particularly when the lens cover is hanging in an open position for service of the light fixture.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the truncated diameter is about 60-90% of the full diameter. For the most preferred embodiments, the truncated diameter is about 75% of the length of the full diameter.
In certain preferred embodiments, the upwardly-open substantially semi-cylindrical female portion includes a nadir and an inner edge spaced from the outer edge, the outer edge being vertically spaced from the nadir by a second distance that is less than the full diameter. In highly-preferred embodiments, such second distance is about equal to half the full diameter. In preferre

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