Modular housing assembly for vehicle warning light system

• US 4,189,709 A
• Filed: 01/13/1978
• Issued: 02/19/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Federal Signal Corporation
• Original Assignee: Federal Signal Corporation
• Inventors: Gosswiller, Earl W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Padgett, Benjamin R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gron, T. S.
• Application Number:
  US05/869,286
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 340/50, 340/84, 340/87, 340/81 R, 362/236-241, 362/244-245, 362/311, 362/301, 362/302, 362/362, 362/363, 362/227, 362/367, 362/812, 362/219, 362/217, 362/223-225, 362/234
• US Class Current: 340/472
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2611 Indicating devices mounted on the roof of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/104 using feather joints, e.g. tongues and grooves, with or without friction

Abstract

A modular housing assembly for housing a vehicle warning light system and intended for mounting across the roof of a police car or other vehicle on which warning lights are required. The housing comprises a plurality of transparent plastic panels of modular construction, there being provided a plurality of front modular panel sections interconnected in side-by-side relation and a plurality of rear modular panel sections interconnected in side-by-side relation, the front and rear panel sections being connected to one another and to a common base member.

Claims

1. A vehicle warning light housing assembly system comprising, in combination, a plurality of transparent plastic front dome panel sections positioned in side-by-side relation and interconnected to one another, a plurality of transparent plastic rear dome panel sections positioned in side-by-side relation and interconnected to one another, said front dome panel sections being connected to said rear dome panel sections at upper edge portions to form a longitudinal joint along the top of said housing assembly, an elongated base member common to said front and rear dome panel sections, and lower ends of said front and rear dome panel sections being connected with said common base member along the length thereof.

2. A housing assembly as defined in claim 1 where said front and rear dome panel sections are of arcuate configuration.

3. A housing assembly as defined in claim 1 where said base member is formed with a pair of parallel longitudinal grooves, said front dome panel sections having lower front edge portions locked in one of said grooves and said rear dome panel sections having lower rear edge portions locked in the other of said grooves.

4. A housing assembly as defined in claim 3 where said front and rear dome panel sections are first interconnected with one another, said dome panel lower front and lower rear edge portions are then inserted into respective ones of said longitudinal grooves at one end of said base member, and said front and rear dome panel sections are then moved conjointly along the length of said base member to desired relative positions.

5. A housing assembly as defined in claim 1 where said front and rear dome panel sections are generally C-shaped in cross-sectional configuration.

6. A housing assembly as defined in claim 3 where said parallel longitudinal grooves are generally L-shaped in cross-sectional configuration, said front dome panel sections having bent lower front edge portions locked in one of said grooves and said rear dome panel sections having bent lower rear edge portions locked in the other of said grooves.

7. A vehicle warning light housing assembly system comprising, in combination, a plurality of transparent plastic front dome panel sections of arcuate cross-sectional configuration positioned in side-by-side relation and interconnected to one another, a plurality of transparent plastic rear dome panel sections positioned in side-by-side relation and interconnected to one another, said front dome panel sections being connected to said rear dome panel sections at upper edge portions to form a longitudinal joint along the top of said housing assembly, an elongated base member common to said front and rear dome panel sections, said front and rear dome panel sections having lower edge portions locked to said common base member along the length thereof, and said housing assembly including at least four front and four rear dome panel sections, selected ones of said dome panel sections being of different colored plastic from other of said dome panel sections.

8. A housing assembly as defined in claim 7 including a centrally located siren compartment, there being provided at least two front and two rear dome panel sections on each side of said compartment.

9. A housing assembly as defined in claim 7 where said front and rear dome panel sections are generally C-shaped in cross-sectional configuration.

10. A housing assembly as defined in claim 7 where said base member comprises a metal extrusion formed with a pair of parallel longitudinal grooves, said front dome panel sections having lower front edge portions locked in one of said grooves and said rear dome panel sections having lower rear edge portions locked in the other of said grooves.

11. A housing assembly as defined in claim 7 where each of said front and rear dome panel sections has formed thereon adjacent one arcuate side edge a male rib which extends substantially from the upper end to the lower end of the panel, and has formed thereon adjacent the opposite arcuate side edge a complementary groove which extends substantially from the upper end to the lower end of the panel, said ribs and grooves serving to interconnect said front dome panel sections to one another in side-by-side relation and said rear dome panel sections to one another in side-by-side relation.

12. A housing assembly as defined in claim 11 where said front dome panel sections and said rear dome panel sections are formed at their mating upper edge portions with one of complementary longitudinal rib and groove means to provide a substantially weather-tight longitudinal joint along the top of said housing assembly.

13. A housing assembly as defined in claim 7 which houses a warning light system including a plurality of individual flashing light assemblies, said housing including a front dome panel section and complementary ear dome panel section positioned adjacent and corresponding to each of said individual light assemblies, selected ones of said dome panel sections being of different colored plastic from other of said dome panel sections.

14. Vehicle warning light housing assembly system including a plurality of individual light assemblies, said housing assembly comprising, in combination, a common mounting plate extending substantially the full length of said housing for supporting said individual light assemblies, a common base extrusion extending substantially the full length of said housing, said mounting plate being positioned approximately in a horizontal plane and secured to the top of said base extrusion, a plurality of transparent plastic front dome panel sections positioned in side-by-side relation and interconnected to one another, a plurality of transparent plastic rear dome panel sections positioned in side-by-side relation and interconnected to one another, said front dome panel sections being connected to said rear dome panel sections at longitudinal upper edge portions to form a longitudinal joint along the top of said housing, said front dome panel sections having lower front edge portions secured to said base extrusion along the length thereof forwardly of said mounting plate, and said rear dome panel sections having lower rear edge portions secured to said base extrusion along the length thereof rearwardly of said mounting plate.