Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Automobile
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-06
2001-04-24
Sember, Thomas M. (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Automobile
C362S548000, C362S549000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06220732
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved side marker clearance and reflex lamp assembly to be used with recreational vehicles, such as boat trailers. More specifically, the invention relates to a support used to ground a lead wire extending from the lamp to the recreational vehicle.
Replaceable side marker lamps have long been used on many different types of recreational vehicles. A lamp of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,959. The lamps are of simple construction, comprising a plastic base, a lighting mechanism affixed to the base, and a translucent plastic lens hermetically sealed over the base and enclosing the lighting mechanism. The lighting mechanism includes a side marker bulb, received within a seat extending forwardly from the base. The mechanism also includes a bulb conductor strip and a ground conductor strip located in the seat that provide an electric socket for the bulb. The conductor strips extend beneath the seat into a recess located under the seat, and a lead wire is attached to the bulb conductor strip.
To supply electrical power to the lamp, the lead wire extends outwardly from the recess in the base of the lamp and is sealed in connection with the bulb conductor strip by a layer of a thermosetting resin filling the recess in the base. The lead wire is connected to the electrical system of the vehicle through a hole in the exterior of the vehicle.
The ground strip, as disclosed in the aforementioned patent, includes a central plate-like section that protrudes below the base of the lamp and extends parallel to the base, allowing the central section to contact the exterior surface of the recreational vehicle when the lamp is mounted to the vehicle. In this manner, the ground strip electrically contacts the recreational vehicle body and forms a ground for the lighting mechanism contained within the lamp.
In mounting the lamp to the vehicle, as described in the aforementioned patent, the lamp is secured to the exterior of the recreational vehicle body by a pair of screws inserted into and retained within a pair of cylindrical wells in the lamp. The wells extend through the lens and are aligned with openings in the base of the lamp. The screws are inserted into the wells and protrude through the openings in the base of the lamp to engage the exterior surface of the recreational vehicle body. One of the wells is located directly over the central section of the ground conductor strip. Thus, when the screw inserted into that well is engaged with the exterior surface of the recreational vehicle body, the screw pierces the central section and presses it into contact with the vehicle body to form the ground for the lamp.
With certain types of vehicles, in order to vertically position the lamp on the vehicle, it is necessary to place a support for the lamp between the lamp and the vehicle body. In most situations where a support is necessary, the support is wedge-shaped to accommodate an angled, non-horizontal surface on the vehicle body to which the lamp is mounted. The wedge-shaped support vertically positions the lamp, allowing the lamp to face in a horizontal direction, and allowing for proper viewing of signals generated by or reflecting from the lamp.
However, when utilizing a support, the support necessarily separates the central section of the ground conductor strip from the vehicle body, preventing the central section from coming into direct electrical contact with the vehicle. Therefore, the ground conductor strip in the lighting mechanism of the lamp must be connected to the vehicle in some other manner.
To solve this problem, some prior art lamp supports are formed entirely of an electrically conductive material, such as die cast aluminum. Thus, an electrical ground is formed through the contact of the central section with the aluminum support, and the support with the vehicle body. These die cast supports, in order to be aesthetically pleasing while in use, are painted to match the color of the base of the lamp. Also, the supports are attached to the vehicle by welding them directly onto the exterior surface of the recreational vehicle body.
Overall, these prior art supports provide an effective means for creating a ground between the lamp and the vehicle when the lamp is necessarily spaced a distance from the vehicle body. However, as the support is welded to the vehicle body, the body of the recreational vehicle is marred due to the manner in which the support is attached to the vehicle. Furthermore, should the lamp support ever need to be replaced, due to damage to the support, or for other reasons, the support would need to be removed from the vehicle body, further marring the exterior surface of the vehicle body. This damage must be repaired or covered over in order to preserve the aesthetically pleasing appearance of the recreational vehicle.
The method in which these supports are made also illustrates other shortcomings of supports of this type. First, the supports are die cast, making each support relatively expensive and difficult to manufacture. Also, as the supports are painted to match the lamp base, any paint coming between the ground plate and the support can interfere with the electrical grounding connection between the lamp and the support, and possibly, the support and the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention discloses a mounting assembly for use in conjunction with a side marker lamp attached to the exterior surface of a recreational vehicle. The lamp used in conjunction with the present invention is of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,959 and consists of base and a lighting mechanism is attached to the outer surface of the base and includes a side marker bulb. A ground conductor strip and a bulb conductor strip are mounted on the base and form a socket for the bulb. A translucent lens is hermetically sealed over the base and encloses the lighting mechanism. The lens includes a number of cylindrical wells aligned with a set of openings in the base that receive screws for mounting the lamp to a vehicle.
A lead wire connected to the bulb conductor strip extends through a recess in the base, and is connected to the electrical system of the recreational vehicle through a hole in the exterior of the vehicle. The ground conductor strip includes a central flat section that extends below the bottom surface of the base.
The lamp is connected and grounded to a non-horizontal exterior surface of the vehicle through the use of a mounting support, preferably formed of a non-conductive material, and constructed according to the present invention. The support is generally wedge-shaped and includes a number of cylindrical mounting sleeves for mounting both the lamp to the support, and the support to the vehicle.
To assist in grounding the lamp to the vehicle, a ground clip is connected to the mounting support and extends between an adjacent pair of the mounting sleeves. The clip is generally U-shaped and the ends of the clip extend into each of the adjacent mounting sleeves while a central portion of the ground clip contacts the exterior surface of the vehicle. A mounting screw is inserted into one of the adjacent sleeves to secure the support to the exterior surface of the vehicle. The threads on the screw also engage an end portion of the U-shaped ground clip positioned in the mounting sleeve, thus electrically connecting the ground clip with the vehicle.
Once the support is mounted and grounded to the vehicle, the lamp is then mounted to the support. In mounting the lamp, the lead wire is inserted through the hole in the vehicle and mounting screws are inserted through the cylindrical wells in the lamp. As the central section of the ground conductor strip extending below the bottom of the lamp runs directly beneath one of the wells, the mounting screw inserted into that well pierces the central section, engaging the central section with the screw and creating an electrical connection between the screw and the central section. The mounting screw then enters a lamp mounting sleeve
Andrus Sceales Starke & Sawall LLP
Sember Thomas M.
Wesbar Corporation
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