Fluorescent fixture housing

• US 5,055,985 A
• Filed: 01/25/1991
• Issued: 10/08/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Genlyte Thomas Group LLC (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Keene Corp. (Steel Partners Holdings LP)
• Inventors: Fabbri, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen F.
• Application Number:
  US07/645,577
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: 362/148, 362/150, 362/216, 362/221, 362/222, 362/225, 362/240, 362/260, 362/364, 362/365, 362/346
• US Class Current: 362/221
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/033 the surface being a wall or like vertical structure, e.g. building facade
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/04 intended only for mounting on a ceiling or the like overhead structures F21S8/02 takes precedence; details of ceiling bases F21V21/03
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/101 permanently, e.g. welding, gluing or riveting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/0095 of U-shaped tubular light sources, e.g. compact fluorescent tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/02 the elements being transformers, impedances or power supply units, e.g. a transformer with a rectifier
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/37 U-shaped

Abstract

The apparatus is a nestable fluorescent fixture housing of a truncated pyramid shape with "knock-out" apertures provided on the sloping walls thereof to engage the ends of fluorescent bulbs. A wedge-shaped separate ballast/socket assembly is provided for each fluorescent bulb, preferably a "biax" bulb. The slope of the wedge shape of the ballast/socket assembly is complementary to the slope of the walls of the fixture.

Claims

1. A fluorescent fixture housing including:

a truncated pyramid shaped body including a downwardly opening bottom, walls upwardly and inwardly sloping from said bottom, and a top parallel to said bottom, a periphery of said top engaging an upward and inward portion of said walls;

ceiling-mounting means engaging said body; and

a plurality of apertures on said walls, said apertures designed to engage ends of fluorescent bulbs.

2. The fluorescent fixture housing of claim 1 wherein said body is symmetrical so as to be nestable with substantially identical bodies.

3. The fluorescent fixture housing of claim 2 further including a detachable wedge-shaped ballast/socket assembly with a sloping lower surface complementary to a slope of said walls.

4. The fluorescent fixture housing of claim 3 wherein said apertures are symmetrically spaced on said walls whereby a male socket of a fluorescent bulb passes through a first of said apertures to be engaged by said detachable wedge-shaped ballast/socket assembly and an opposite end of said bulb is supported by a second of said apertures in an opposing wall.

5. The fluorescent fixture housing of claim 4 wherein said apertures and said ballast/socket assembly are designed to engage biax fluorescent bulbs.

6. The fluorescent fixture housing of claim 5 wherein said apertures are provided by partially excised portions which can be removed to create said apertures.

7. The fluorescent fixture housing of claim 6 wherein said bottom includes a light-diffusing cover.

8. The fluorescent fixture housing of claim 7 wherein said bottom and said top are substantially square-shaped.

9. The fluorescent fixture housing of claim 8 wherein said bottom is substantially twenty-four inches by twenty-four inches.

10. A fluorescent fixture housing including at least one sidewall having a means therein to support a ballast/socket assembly adapted to be mounted to said sidewalls, said ballast/socket assembly including therein at least one lamp socket;

and at least one fluorescent bulb having at least one end passing through said sidewall to engage the socket of said ballast/socket assembly.

11. The fluorescent fixture housing of claim 10 wherein each of two adjacent sidewalls have said ballast/socket assembly support means thereon.