US2639368A - Recessed lighting fixture with drop hinged cover - Google Patents

Description

May 19, 1953 R. PRYNE 2,639,368

RECESSEID LIGHTING FIXTURE WITH DROP HINGED COVER Filed May 12, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

Patented May 19, 1953 UNITED STATES OFFICE ros es!) .LIGHH FIXTURE Wmi DB9? HINGED Italph l igvne,- Pomona, Calif. elli lltsliili Ma 12, time; N0 9%.85

(Cl. Z i i---'3) 1 Claim.

M in ent n r l s is imp ovements i ase el ct ca ie Wei h ma h installed in ceiling, side or other walls of struccures. lThe primary object of my invention is to Provide a f xture of ts kind; which is so designed that the outlet box or splice box, light et, reflector, illuminating means, cover other portions are readily accessible for splicing, connecting, cleaning, repairing, replacing and other 'P n ss o i Hor or. T ll upon the structure shown in my compan i'applicatlon, Ser. No. 38,234, filed July 12, 1948, issued. as fifi m NG- Q' 1 ll, 2-

eto o it h s been di i ult and at times z r u fo attenda t to re whiis ud er and servic a fixture prove in add tion to ther sdvsntas. re s the om w: r t a minim p fi th sesstru ti o the fixure so that i is easi r st ll d a d s rviced, the cost .o c t uct o is reduced, and the operation of the fixture facilitated; My improved fixture is also readily adapted to modern building construction and.

'the electrical supply 'servicewhich is in general use.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, my invention comprises the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a typical elevational view partly broken away and in section, showing my improved recessed lighting fixture when in stalled in a ceiling structure and its front closed; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a detail portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1, when the front of the fixture assumes open position to permit servicing; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken approximately on and below the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, when the front is closed; Fig. 4 is a plan of a portion of one of the spring controlled hinge units by which the front of the fixture is supported, and Fig. 5 is a section of the hinge base plate taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. i.

My improved lighting fixture comprises a boxlike housing A, which is designed to be recessed in a wall structure such as B, said housing having connected to its inner end wall In, a typical outlet box C of a conduit system for making the usual connection with the conventional light socket l l and the usual electrical service line i i.

The housing A is provided with one or both inner and outer removable side covers 13 and M, which are fastened removably by screws I4 or suita e i s pi l {#33 51 for Permitting E1 0 o he sssrisst ns 0 made 35W??? the sua se ce 1 s as N we e sock l i. When the electrical connection is made excess Wire may be packed in the outlet box .6 in the usual mann r. The removable cover [3 also pert nits access to the connections in the out;- l he firm ithin the hou n as h naf or cribed. The screws l'gfwhich'iasten the cover it may also serve to iasten the outlet box to the end wall lil.

The wall structure B may represent the ceiling, side or any other portionlof a building structure shown has the usual rafters it, or frame mel'nhe rs for supporting the usual lath and L ster or other type of wall finish such it. ii suitable opening ii is provided through the wall runs it, to receive thehousing A and as shown the hou rig is fastened to the wall structure B by the angle clips It or other suitable means. The lower end portion of the housing is open, as shown, and a reflector 28 is removahly supported horizontallytherein by the separable clip connecting elements 21, which are secured to the opposite sides 22 ofthe housing. This reflector has a central opening 23 through which the illuminating light bulb 26 in the socket li projects downwardly. When the light bulb is unscrewed and I'clliOVEtd from its socket, the refleotor can be lifted on of its fastening supports ill and removed downwardly from the recessed housing, thus providing free access upwardly to the socket and outlet box. The reflector, however, is not essential to the invention.

The lower open end portion of the housing is normally closed by the cover D which has a frame conforming in marginal outline and overlapping the edge of the opening through the wall finish it, which surrounds the lower end of the housing. The frame of the cover I) has an upstanding enclosing flange 2% within which a light transmitting plate 2'5 is held, thus forming a window through which light from the bulb 24, either in clear or condition is transmitted outwardly from within the housing.

The cover I) is supported either in closed horiaontal position as shown in Fig. 1, or in open inclined position as shown in Fig. by a pair of similar oppositely disposed spring controlled hinge units 3% and 3E. Each of these hinge elements consists of a supporting oblong plate 32 which is formed by a longitudinal shoulder 33 with an oiiset outstanding portion 33' (Fig. 5), below which a spring actuated supporting arm 34 is pivotally secured at 35 (Fig. 4). The sup- 3 porting plate 32 is secured on one side of the housing by rivets 36 or other suitable means so that the arm 34 may swing freely. The outer end portion 3'! (Fig. 2) of the arm 34 is formed with a lateral pivot 38 which rotatively engages inone of the outwardly directed sockets 39, there being a pair of said sockets provided in opposite side portions of the enclosing flange 26 on the frame 25. A retractable helic'al spring 40 is secured between an engaging catch 4| on the outer portion of the arm 34 and the engaging catch 42 on the hinge plate 32. The connecting points of said spring 40 with the arm 34 and catch 42 are in offset relation to the pivot 35, whereby the cover is retained in closed position automatically by the springs 40 of the opposite pair of hinge elements. The arms 34 are sufficiently flexible so as normally to automatically engage the sockets 39 but permit lateral separation so that the cover can be disconnected and removed when the latter is in open position. In this manner the recessed housing can be opened so that its parts are fully accessible for adjusting, cleaning and servicing, or for any other purpose desired. When the cover is opened and inclines downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1, towards the position shown in Fig. 2, the short inner end portions 44 of arms 34 are adapted to strike the shoulder elements 33 and limit the downward inclination of the cover.

The means thus provided enables the cover to be connected to or disconnected from the arms 34 in a snap-on manner and without the use of tools and without the use of bolts, screws, nuts or other fastening means, all of which saves time, labor and expense.

I have described the principles of operation or" my invention, together with the construction thereof which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it I understood that the construction shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

In a lighting fixture unit adapted to be recessed into a building wall structure, an outer shell, a lamp socket in said shell, a window cover over the lower portion of said shell, snap-acting opening and closing means for said cover comprising a pair of similar, oppositely-disposed, springcontrolled hinge units, each hinge element consisting of a supporting plate positioned on opposite sides of said shell, said plate being formed with a longitudinal shoulder and anintegral offset outstanding portion, a spring-operated supporting arm pivotally secured to said plate near one end thereof, said end of the supporting aim being sufficiently spaced from the pivot so that it will strike said longitudinal shoulder and limit the downward inclination of the window cover and hold it by spring action in predetermined open position, the other end of said arm being provided with a lateral pivot, a corresponding socket in said window cover, a retractible helical spring between catches on the supporting plate and supporting arm respectively, the connecting points of the spring to said catches being 01iset with respect to the pivot point of the arm on said supporting plate, whereby the cover is retained in closed position automatically by spring action.

RALPH PRYNE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,478,473 Herron Dec. 25, 1923 1,931,343 Cook et a1 Oct. 17, 1933 2,120,449 Vanderveld June 14, 1938 2,227,655 Levy Jan. 7, 1941 2,300,504 Hedges Nov. 3, 1942 2,330,935 Tuek Oct. 5, 1943 2,334,484 Dunbar Nov. 16, 1943 2,434,108 Handler Jan. 6, 1948 OTHER REFERENCES Crouse Hinds catalogue #2200, November 1, 1929, page 188, catalogue Nos. UGE 100 and UGE 1300.

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