Apparatus for supporting a lamp on a low-voltage rail

• US 4,907,137 A
• Filed: 05/25/1988
• Issued: 03/06/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rolf Winter
• Original Assignee: Rolf Winter
• Inventors: Winter, Rolf, Schladitz, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hagarman, Sue
• Application Number:
  US07/198,785
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 362/145, 362/147, 362/226, 362/421, 362/294, 362/148, 362/150, 439/110, 439/111, 439/792
• US Class Current: 362/145
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/32 Flexible tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/35 with direct electrical contact between the supporting element and electric conductors running along the guiding element
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/505 of reflectors

Abstract

An adjustable neck is provided for adjusting a lamp, in particular a lamp plugged onto a low-voltage rail, in as many alternative directions as possible. The adjustable neck is mounted between a clamping socket of the lamp and the replaceable incandescent body or bulb. The adjustable neck includes several joint members, each consisting of a ball portion that can be plugged into a corresponding joint seat portion of a next adjacent joint member and held there by a friction fit. The incendescent body can be surrounded by a lamp shade provided with ventilating slots. The clamping socket is embodied such that a positive anchoring is achievable even in the case of larger, heavier lamps.

Claims

1. A lamp removably mounted to a low-voltage rail, said rail consisting of a longitudinally running central track, two side strips running parallel to said track, a transverse support means for supporting said side strips in spaced apart relation to the central track on opposite sides thereof, and a plurality of at least partially free-lying, bare conductor wires running longitudinally between the central track and the side strips, characterized in that:

said lamp includes a clamping socket removably mounted to the rail, a plug-in socket means for supporting a replaceable incandescent body, an adjustable neck between said clamping socket and said plug-in means, and connecting wires for electrically joining said plug-in socket means and conductor wires, said adjustable neck including a plurality of serially connected joint members, each said joint member having a ball portion and a joint seat portion at its opposite ends, said joint members being serially connected to one another to form said neck, with the ball portion of each joint member being substantially surrounded by the joint seat portion of an associated, next adjacent joint member and held in a frictional engagement that provides a clamping force sufficient to maintain said joint member and said next adjacent joint member in a set position with respect to one another, and means forming borings through said joint members for accommodating said connecting wires.

2. The lamp according to claim 1, further characterized in that one of said joint seat portions is formed as an integral part of the clamping socket and so engaged with one of the joint members said neck, and one of said ball portions is formed as an integral part of said plug-in socket means and so engaged with another of the joint members of said neck, said plug-in socket means including integral lamp shade and socket portions.

3. The lamp according to claim 1, further characterized in that one of said joint seat portions is formed as an integral part of said clamping socket and is so engaged with one of the joint members of said neck, and further in that one of said ball portions is formed as an integral part of said plug-in socket means and so engaged with another of the joint members of said neck, accommodating said incandescent body.

4. The lamp according to claim 1, further characterized in that said joint members include a means for preventing the joint members from rotating relative to one another about their longitudinal axis.

5. The lamp according to claim 4, further characterized in that said means for preventing rotation consists of at least one spring-groove catch between each ball portion and its associated joint seat portion.

6. The lamp according to claim 5, further characterized in that the spring-groove catch consists of at least one longitudinal slot in each joint seat portion and positioned to engage an associated pin extended radially outwardly of an associated ball portion so engaged with the seat portion, with the remainder of the associated seat portion gripping about the associated, inserted ball portion with a restoring force.

7. The lamp according to claim 6, further characterized in that the longitudinal slot is open toward an insertion region of the joint seat portion for receiving the ball portion of its associated joint member.

8. The lamp according to claim 6, further characterized to include at least two opposed longitudinal slots in each of said joint seat parts and one of said radially extended pins engaged with each slot, said slots in each joint seat portion forming in their associated joint seat portion two finger-like parts which grip their associated ball portion with a restoring force.

9. The lamp according to claim 2, further characterized in that said joint members include a means for preventing said joint members from rotating relative to one another about their longitudinal axis.

10. The lamp according to claim 9, further characterized in that said means for preventing rotation consists of at least one spring-groove catch between each ball portion and its associated joint seat part portion.

11. The lamp according to claim 10, further characterized in that the spring-groove catch consists of at least one longitudinal slot in each joint seat portion and positioned to engage an associated pin extended radially outwardly of an associated ball portion so engaged with the seat portion, with the remainder of the associated seat portion gripping about the associated, inserted ball portion with a restoring force.

12. The lamp according to claim 11, further characterized in that the longitudinal slot is open toward an insertion region of the joint seat portion for receiving the ball portion of its associated joint member.

13. The lamp according to claim 11, further characterized to include at least two opposed longitudinal slots in each of said joint seat parts and one of said radially extended pins engaged with each slot, said slots in each joint seat portion forming in their associated joint seat portion two finger-like joint seat parts which grip their associated ball portion with a restoring force.

14. The lamp according to claim 1, further characterized to include a lamp shade accommodating the incandescent body and joined to said neck, said lamp shade consisting of a plurality of concentrically disposed rings, and a ventilating slot formed between each pair of adjacent rings, said rings lying successively offset in the axial direction to define a truncated cone, said lamp shade further including a plurality of braces joining said rings.

15. The lamp according to claim 14, further characterized in that the smallest of said rings is integrally mounted to said plug-in socket means, said plug-in socket means including a lamp socket for supporting said incandescent body and including one of said ball portions connected to said neck.

16. The lamp according to claim 15, further characterized in that said plug-in socket means includes a lamp socket constructed as a component separate from said lamp shade, said lamp shade adapted to be removably mounted to said lamp socket.

17. The lamp according to claim 15, further characterized to include a reflector constructed separately from the incandescent body, said lamp shade including a means for removably supporting said reflector inwardly of and with respect to the lamp shade.

18. The lamp according to claim 16, further characterized in that the lamp socket is constructed of plastic, and a ceramic, heat insensitive spacer is mounted on a side of said socket proximate the incandescent body.

19. The lamp according to claim 1, further characterized in that the clamping socket removably mounted to the low-voltage rail side includes two clamping pieces, each clamping piece including means defining inner and outer longitudinally running walls whereby the clamping pieces are fork-shaped in cross-section, each clamping piece adapted for engaging one of said side strips in conforming closure fashion, said clamping socket including means defining a boring therethrough to accommodate said connecting wires that further run along said inner walls of the clamping pieces, said inner walls facing one another and spaced apart a distance corresponding substantially to the distance between the conductor wires.

20. The lamp according to claim 19, further characterized in that said connecting wires are fastened with respect to said connecting socket by a bending of said wires about the inner walls that face one another.

21. The lamp according to claim 19, further characterized in that the inner and outer walls are pressed and maintained against the side strips and the conductor wires with a restoring force.