Illumination – Elongated source light unit or support – With means to accommodate additional circuit element
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-06
2004-06-29
Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Elongated source light unit or support
With means to accommodate additional circuit element
C362S033000, C362S223000, C362S217060, C315S058000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06755551
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a task light, and in particular to a task light having a thin overall profile.
Task lights are used in a wide variety of applications, such as the office furniture industry, overhead residential and industrial lighting, as well as lighting within recreational vehicles and the like. These task lights typically include a housing, a lighting element suspended within the housing, a reflector to reflect the light generated by the lighting element from within the housing, a lens covering the lighting element, and associated electrical components.
Heretofore, task lights have been constructed in a manner that results in the task light having a substantial overall profile thickness, thereby requiring significant space to be provided for the mounting of the light. New designs in office furniture such as partition and shelving units attempt to maximize the utilization of ever shrinking office space, which requires accessories such as task lights to also be minimized while simultaneously providing sufficient lighting of a given space. The rigid scalability of prior task light designs has made it difficult to provide task lights having a reduced size while simultaneously effectively lighting a given desk top and/or room area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention is to provide a thin profile task light that includes an elongated housing having a longitudinally extending and downwardly opening window, an elongated lighting element located within the housing and including electrical connectors located at opposite ends thereof, and a plurality of electrical power sockets shaped to receive the opposite ends of the lighting element therein to physically support the lighting element and electrically connect with the electrical connectors to supply electrical power to the lighting element. The task light also includes a reflector located between the lighting element and the housing, and a lens covering at least a portion of the window of the housing. The task light further includes a power supply assembly that includes an electrical switch controlling the supply of the electrical power to the ballast, a ballast regulating the supply of electrical power to the lighting element, and a circuit board, wherein the electrical switch and the ballast are mounted on the circuit board. The task light has an overall thickness of within the range of from about 0.5 to about 1.0 inches.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an elongated housing having a longitudinally extending and downwardly opening window, an elongated lighting element located within the housing and including electrical connectors located at opposite ends thereof, and a plurality of electrical power sockets shaped to receive the opposite ends of the lighting element therein to physically support the lighting element and electrically connect with the electrical connectors to supply electrical power to the lighting element. The task light also includes a reflector located between the lighting element and the housing, and a lens covering at least a portion of the window of the housing. The task light further includes an electrical switch controlling the electrical power supplied to the lighting element, and a ballast for regulating the electrical power supplied to the lighting element. The task light has a preferable overall thickness of within the range of from about 0.6 inches to about 1.0 inches.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a task light that includes an elongated housing having a longitudinally extending and downwardly opening window, an elongated lighting element located within the housing and including electrical connectors located at opposite ends thereof, and a plurality of electrical power sockets shaped to receive the opposite ends of the lighting element therein to physically support the lighting element and electrically connect with the electrical connectors to supply electrical power to the lighting element. The task light also includes a power supply assembly that includes an electrical switch controlling the supply of the electrical power to the ballast, a ballast for regulating the electrical power supply to the lighting element, and a circuit board, wherein the electrical switch and the ballast are mounted on the circuit board.
The reduced overall profile thickness of the present inventive task light allows the task light to be mounted within areas of reduced space as compared to prior task light designs, thereby making more efficient use of the limited space available within office units, recreational vehicles, and the like. Further, the task light offers substantial and adequate lighting for given desk top and/or room areas.
These and other advantages of the invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification, claims and appended drawings.
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Buyce Douglas D.
Charon Jeffrey T.
Soorus Armas D.
Waugh Daniel E.
Williamson Scott A.
Cranson James
Husar Stephen
Price Heneveld Cooper DeWitt & Litton LLP
Steelcase Development Corporation
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