FLUORESCENT LIGHT FIXTURE

• US 20090034263A1
• Filed: 02/04/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alumalight LLC
• Original Assignee: Alumalight LLC
• Inventors: Stenback, Michael, Anton, Scott, Dillon, Gary, von Zittwitz, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,604,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/296.10
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/01 Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts F21V15/02 takes precedence housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/015 Devices for covering joints between adjacent lighting devices; End coverings
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0442 activated by means of a sensor, e.g. motion or photodetectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 31/03 with provision for venting for vehicle head lights F21S45/33; for vehicle rear lights F21S41/192
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/00 Elongate light sources, e.g. fluorescent tubes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A fluorescent light fixture is disclosed which is modular in construction and capable of accommodating different types and numbers of light tubes. The light fixture includes a first and a second socket bridge which include a plurality of socket mounting holes in a first and a second row to accommodate different lengths of light tubes as well as varying numbers and locational positions of the light tubes in the fixture.

Claims

1. A light fixture for use in receiving and supporting at least one electrically powered fluorescent light tube, the light fixture comprising:

a housing having an elongate base defining a longitudinal axis and angled side panels connected to the base and extending along a lateral axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the base and the side panels defining an interior cavity for receipt of the at least one light tube;

a first universal light socket bridge positioned in the interior cavity extending along the lateral axis and connected to the housing, the first socket bridge having a plurality of light tube socket holes spaced apart along the lateral axis in a first row and a second row positioned outward from the first row along the longitudinal axis; and

a second light socket bridge positioned in the interior cavity opposite the first socket bridge along the longitudinal axis and connected to the housing, the second socket bridge having a first row of light socket holes aligned along the lateral axis with the first and second rows of socket holes in the first socket bridge, wherein the first and the second socket bridges are readily adaptable to accept a desired number and desired type of the at least one fluorescent light tube through selective use of the socket holes in the first and the second socket bridges.

2. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein the second socket bridge further comprises a second row of light socket holes positioned outward along the longitudinal axis in alignment with the first row of socket holes along the lateral axis.

3. The light fixture of claim 2 wherein the first row and the second row of socket holes in the first and the second socket bridges are positioned along the longitudinal axis to accept metric system-based length tubes and English system-based length tubes respectively.

4. The light fixture of claim 3 wherein the metric length tubes are T5 and English length tubes are T8.

5. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein the first row of socket holes on at least the first socket bridge are narrower in length along the lateral axis than the second row of socket holes.

6. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises a first end cap and an opposing second end cap attached to opposing ends of the base and side panels.

7. The light fixture of claim 1 further comprising at least one light socket mounted in each of the first and the second socket bridges, wherein the sockets receive and support the at least one light tube in the light fixture.

8. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein the base further defines a plurality of holes positioned along the longitudinal and lateral axes for universal mounting of at least one ballast to the base in electronic communication with the sockets to provide adequate power for the chosen number of the at least one light tube to be used in the light fixture.

9. The light fixture of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises a plurality of integrally formed vents extending away from the housing and defining vent openings in communication with the interior cavity, the plurality of vent openings positioned so that at least one opening is directed toward each of four directions along the longitudinal and the lateral axes.

10. A light fixture for use in receiving and supporting at least one electrically powered fluorescent light tube, the light fixture comprising:

a housing having an elongate base defining a longitudinal axis and integral angled side panels extending along a lateral axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the base and the side panels defining an interior cavity for receipt of the at least one light tube, the base further defining a plurality of ballast mounting holes for universal mounting of at least one ballast to provide power to the chosen number and type of the at least one fluorescent light tube;

a plurality of integrally formed vents extending away from the housing and defining vent openings in communication with the interior cavity, the plurality of vent openings positioned so that at least one opening is directed toward each of four directions along the longitudinal and the lateral axes; and

a first and an opposing second universal light socket bridge positioned in the interior cavity along the longitudinal axis and extending along the lateral axis, each of the first and the second socket bridges are connected to the housing and define a plurality of light tube socket holes spaced apart along the lateral axis in a first row and a second row positioned outward from the first row along the longitudinal axis, wherein the first and the second socket bridges are readily adaptable to accept a desired number and desired type of the at least one light tube through selective use of the socket holes in the first and the second socket bridges.

11. The light fixture of claim 10 wherein the housing further comprises a first end cap and an opposing second end cap attached to opposing ends of the base and side panels.

12. The light fixture of claim 10 further comprising at least one light socket mounted in each of the first and the second socket bridges, wherein the sockets receive and support the at least one light tube in the light fixture.

13. The light fixture of claim 10 further comprising a reflector removably mounted to the first and the second socket bridges.

14. The light fixture of claim 10 wherein the first and the second socket bridges are connected to the housing without the use of separate mechanical fasteners.

15. The light fixture of claim 10 wherein the housing is formed from aluminum.

16. A method of assembling a universal light tube fixture comprising the steps of:

providing a housing having an elongate base defining a longitudinal axis and integral angled side panels connected to the base extending outward along a lateral axis and defining an interior cavity;

providing a universal first socket bridge and mounting the first bridge to the housing in the interior cavity, the first socket bridge having a plurality of light tube socket holes spaced apart along the lateral axis in a first row and a second row positioned outward from the first row along the longitudinal axis;

providing a second socket bridge and mounting the second bridge to the housing opposite the first socket bridge, the second socket bridge having a plurality of light socket holes aligned along the lateral axis with the first and the second rows of socket holes in the first socket bridge;

selecting a number and a type of fluorescent light tubes to be used in the light fixture;

selecting a number and a type of ballasts compatible with the selected number and the type of light tubes and mounting the ballasts in universal holes defined in the housing;

mounting light tube sockets corresponding to the selected number and the type of light tubes in at least one of the first and the second rows of light tube socket holes in the first socket bridge in electrical communication with the ballasts;

mounting light tube sockets in the second socket bridge in alignment along the lateral axis with the sockets mounted in the first socket bridge corresponding to the number and the type of light tubes selected; and

mounting the selected number and the type of light tubes in the light sockets.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the second socket bridge further comprises a second row of socket holes positioned outward of the first row of socket holes along the longitudinal axis, the step of mounting the light tube sockets in the second socket bridge further comprises the step of mounting the sockets in at least one of the first row and the second row of socket holes corresponding to a length of the selected light tube.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of mounting a first end cap and a second end cap on opposing ends of the housing.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of mounting a reflector to the first and the second socket bridges prior to the mounting of the light tubes to the sockets.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of mounting the first and the second socket bridges to the housing consists of deforming the socket bridge material and the adjacent housing material together without the use of separate fasteners or an independent source of thermal heat.