Audio loudspeaker assembly for recessed lighting fixture and audio system using same

• US 5,828,765 A
• Filed: 05/03/1996
• Issued: 10/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tony L. Gable
• Original Assignee: Tony L. Gable
• Inventors: Gable, Tony L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HUYEN D
• Application Number:
  US08/643,167
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 381/152, 381/182, 381/186, 381/189, 381/188, 381/205, 381/87, 381/88, 381/90, 181/150, 181/199
• US Class Current: 381/386
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles

Abstract

An audio loudspeaker assembly for use with a recessed lighting fixture includes a housing, a male socket attached to and projecting from the housing and being adapted for insertion into a female socket within the recessed lighting fixture, a pair of electrical contacts mounted to the male socket for making an electrical connection with a pair of like electrical contacts mounted to the female socket, an audio loudspeaker module having electrical terminals and being disposed in the housing, and a pair of internal electrical conductor wires disposed in the housing and being connected to the pair of electrical contacts of the male socket and extending therefrom and being connected to the electrical terminals of the audio loudspeaker module. A pair of external electrical conductor wires also extend from the female socket of the recessed lighting fixture to an audio receiver of an audio system so as to electrically connect the audio loudspeaker assembly via the recessed lighting fixture to the audio receiver for activation and operation by the audio receiver.

Claims

1. An audio loudspeaker assembly for a recessed lighting fixture having a female socket means with an internally threaded surface being adapted to have a light bulb threadably screwed therein, the female socket means having a pair of electrical contacts mounted thereon, said assembly comprising:

(a) a housing having a rear end wall and an annular sidewall connected to and extending from said rear end wall and defining an interior cavity of said housing, said annular sidewall of said housing having a front end disposed opposite from said rear end wall;

(b) a male socket means attached to and projecting outwardly from said housing and having an externally threaded surface exposed exteriorly of said housing being adapted to threadably screw into the internally threaded surface of the female socket means within the recessed lighting fixture, in the absence of the light bulb being threadably screwed therein, by rotation of said housing and male socket means therewith relative to the female socket means;

(c) a pair of electrical contacts mounted to said male socket means and being exposed exteriorly of said housing for making an electrical connection with the pair of electrical contacts of the female socket means, said pair of electrical contacts of said male socket means also being exposed in said interior cavity of said housing;

(d) an audio loudspeaker module mounted in said interior cavity of said housing and having electrical terminals disposed in said interior cavity of said housing; and

(e) a pair of internal electrical conductor wires disposed in said interior cavity of said housing and being electrically connected to said pair of electrical contacts of said male socket means and extending therefrom and being electrically connected directly to said electrical terminals of said audio loudspeaker module.

2. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

a dome-shaped perforated protective grill installed over said audio speaker module and being attachable therewith to said front end of said housing.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said audio loudspeaker module includes a front end with an annular flange detachably attached by fastening elements to said front end of said housing, a rear permanent magnet, a front tweeter and a conical woofer supporting said rear magnet and said front tweeter in axially spaced relation to one another, a front edge of said conical woofer defining said annular flange of said audio loudspeaker module.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein said electrical terminals of said audio loudspeaker module are mounted to said front tweeter of said audio loudspeaker module such that said internal electrical conductor wires are electrically connected directly to said front tweeter of said audio loudspeaker module.

5. An audio loudspeaker installation assembly, comprising:

(a) a recessed lighting fixture having a female socket means disposed within said fixture and being adapted to have a light bulb threadably screwed therein, said female socket means having a pair of electrical contacts mounted on said female socket means;

(b) a housing smaller in size than said recessed lighting fixture and disposed within said fixture, said housing having a rear end wall and an annular sidewall connected to and extending from said rear end wall and defining an interior cavity of said housing, said annular sidewall of said housing having an open front end disposed opposite from said rear end wall;

(c) a male socket means attached to and projecting outwardly from said rear end wall of said housing and having an externally threaded surface exposed exteriorly of said housing being adapted to threadably screw into the internally threaded surface of the female socket means of the recessed lighting fixture, in the absence of the light bulb being threadably screwed therein, by rotation of said housing and male socket means relative to said female socket means;

(d) a pair of electrical contacts mounted to said male socket means in an electrically insulated relationship with respect to one another, each of said electrical contacts of said male socket means having respective outer portions exposed at the exterior of said male socket means exteriorly of said housing for making an electrical connection with the pair of electrical contacts of the female socket means, said electrical contacts of said male socket means also having respective inner portions exposed to said interior cavity of said housing;

(e) an audio loudspeaker module having electrical terminals and being disposed in said interior cavity of said housing; and

(f) a pair of internal electrical conductor wires disposed in said interior cavity of said housing and being electrically connected to said inner portions of said electrical contacts of said male socket means and extending therefrom and being electrically connected directly to said electrical terminals of said audio loudspeaker module.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein said audio loudspeaker module includes a front end with an annular flange detachably attached by fastening elements to said open front end of said housing sidewall, a rear permanent magnet, a front tweeter and a conical woofer supporting said rear magnet and said front tweeter in axially spaced relation to one another, a front edge of said conical woofer defining said annular flange of said audio loudspeaker module which is attachable to said front end of said housing.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein said electrical terminals of said audio loudspeaker module are mounted to said front tweeter of said audio loudspeaker module such that said internal electrical conductor wires are electrically connected directly to said front tweeter of said audio loudspeaker module.

8. The assembly of claim 6 further comprising:

a dome-shaped perforated protective grill installed over said front end of said audio loudspeaker module and being attachable therewith to said open front end of said housing.

9. An audio system, comprising:

(a) an audio receiver;

(b) a recessed lighting fixture having a female socket means disposed within said fixture and being adapted to have a light bulb threadably screwed therein, said female socket means having a pair of electrical contacts mounted to said female socket means;

(c) a pair of external electrical conductor means extending between and electrically interconnecting said audio receiver and said pair of electrical contacts of said female socket means of said recessed lighting fixture; and

(d) an audio loudspeaker assembly separate from said audio receiver and being capable of activation and operation by said audio receiver, said audio loudspeaker assembly including

(i) a housing smaller in size than said recessed lighting fixture and disposed within said fixture, said housing having a rear end wall and an annular sidewall connected to and extending from said rear end wall and defining an interior cavity of said housing, said annular sidewall of said housing having an open front end disposed opposite from said rear end wall,

(ii) a male socket means attached to and projecting outwardly from said rear end wall of said housing and having an externally threaded surface exposed exteriorly of said housing being adapted to threadably screw into said internally threaded surface of said female socket means within said recessed lighting fixture, in the absence of the light bulb being threadably screwed therein, by rotation of said housing and male socket means therewith relative to said female socket means,

(iii) a pair of electrical contacts mounted to said male socket means in an electrically insulated relationship with respect to one another, each of said electrical contacts of said male socket means having respective outer portions exposed at the exterior of said male socket means exteriorly of said housing for making an electrical connection with said pair of electrical contacts of said female socket means, said electrical contacts of said male socket means also having respective inner portions exposed to said interior cavity of said housing,

(iv) an audio loudspeaker module having electrical terminals and being disposed in said interior cavity of said housing, and

(v) a pair of internal electrical conductor wires disposed in said interior cavity of said housing and being electrically connected to said inner portions of said electrical contacts of said male socket means and extending therefrom and being electrically connected directly to said electrical terminals of said audio loudspeaker module such that said pair of external electrical conductor means electrically connects said audio loudspeaker assembly via said recessed lighting fixture to said audio receiver for activation and operation by said audio receiver.

10. The audio system of claim 9 wherein said audio loudspeaker module includes a front end with an annular flange detachably attached by fastening elements to said open front end of said housing sidewall, a rear permanent magnet, a front tweeter and a conical woofer supporting said rear magnet and said front tweeter in axially spaced relation to one another, a front edge of said conical woofer defining said annular flange of said audio loudspeaker module which is attachable to said front end of said housing.

11. The audio system of claim 10 wherein said electrical terminals of said audio loudspeaker module are mounted to said front tweeter of said audio loudspeaker module such that said internal electrical conductor wires are connected directly to said front tweeter of said audio loudspeaker module.

12. The audio system of claim 10 wherein said audio loudspeaker assembly further includes a dome-shaped perforated protective grill installed over said front end of said audio loudspeaker module and being attachable therewith to said open front end of said housing.