RV light lens

Details RV light lens RV light lens

2000-10-11

2002-09-24

Sember, Thomas M. (Department: 2875)

Illumination

With switch plate or socket

C362S154000, C362S564000, C362S375000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06454424

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to electrical service panels, and more particularly, this invention relates to the even distribution of light across a lens in a door of an electrical service panel.
Recreational vehicle (“RV”) parks use electrical service panels to provide electricity to its customers. The park owners desire lighting on these units to show the number of the campsite and also to provide lighting when the customer is plugging into the service panel. The customer desires equipment that looks nice as the equipment is obvious in every camp site. A water tight seal is needed to prevent water from getting into the panel.
One prior art unit, shown in
FIG. 1
, supplies a standard electrical hub connection
14
on top of the unit
12
where a Pagoda light
16
can be installed. A pagoda light, such as pagoda light
16
, illuminates an area on the ground, and light emitted is spread radially. The Pagoda light
16
does not provide light inside the unit
12
when the customer is plugging into the service equipment. In fact, when the door
18
is opened as shown, the outlets
20
and
22
are shadowed by the door
18
and adequate light is not provided to the customer during plugging in. The Pagoda light
16
also does not provide a location for installing the number of the campsite.
Another prior art configuration, shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, shows a unit
30
with an optional meter opening
32
and a location
34
where a door (not shown) may be hinged to hinges
36
. A lens
38
carrying an alphanumeric symbol
40
is positioned above an opening
42
in the unit and riveted with a plurality of rivets
44
. The riveted lens
38
provides a water tight seal although it cosmetically looks very unprofessional. Turning to
FIG. 3
, a separator wall
48
is shown dividing the space occupied by the meter opening
32
and the space provided below the lens
38
. A wire clip
46
is used to align the separator wall
48
within the front panel
31
. Attached to the separator wall
48
is a lamp
50
to which is secured a plurality of LED's
52
directed towards the base of the unit
30
. A white background
54
is used to reflect the light from the LED's
52
. Unfortunately, this does not provide an even pattern of light across the lens
38
. Additionally, when the door (not shown) is opened for accessing the outlets (not shown), the LED's
52
are directing light towards the base of the unit
30
rather than towards the outlets, and thus optimum lighting for the customer is not provided.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above discussed and other drawbacks and deficiencies are overcome or alleviated by a service unit having a top side and a bottom side, a front surface and a rear surface, the unit further comprising a service panel having a dead front and a rear defining the rear surface of the unit, a door covering the dead front of the service panel in a closed position of the door, a front surface of the door defining the front surface of the unit, the door movable between the closed position and an open position, the door having a window, and, a lamp, wherein, when the door is in the closed position, light is directed from the lamp across the window in a direction away from the top side of the unit and towards the bottom side of the unit.
The above-discussed and other features and advantages of the present invention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 1349651 (1920-08-01), Bartlett
patent: 4546418 (1985-10-01), Baggio et al.
patent: 4951182 (1990-08-01), Simonson et al.
patent: 4953067 (1990-08-01), Moore
patent: 5039832 (1991-08-01), Polacek et al.
patent: 5184279 (1993-02-01), Horn
patent: 5925848 (1999-07-01), Elliott, Jr.

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