Vehicle interior lamp assembly adapted for use with recreational vehicles, outfitted vans, shuttlebuses and the like

• US 6,283,621 B1
• Filed: 06/04/1999
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ASC Industries, Inc. (UCI International Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ASC Industries, Inc. (UCI International Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Macri, Gregory G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sember, Thomas M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alavi, Ali
• Application Number:
  US09/325,986
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 362/479, 362/488, 362/489, 362/490, 362/514, 362/549, 362/448, 362/493, 362/494, 362/85, 362/295, 362/245, 362/328, 362/337, 362/544
• US Class Current: 362/488
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/74 for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43

Abstract

A vehicle interior lamp assembly comprises a light assembly carried within a housing. A cover is snap fit to the housing and carries a lens in registration with the light assembly. The light assembly includes a dome shape reflector, into which a light bulb is positioned, and a light switch slidingly positioned within a slotted flange attached to the housing. A light switch actuator, in operational connection with the light switch, is captured by the cover. The lens is formed with a double convex middle region and a pair of outer regions formed with a plurality of serrations which reflect light toward the light reflector to thereby provide a uniform pattern of illumination about a preselected area. In one preferred embodiment, the housing supports a pair of lighting assemblies to permit selective illumination of a passenger'"'"'s seat, table, or the like.

Claims

1. A vehicle interior lamp assembly comprising:

a housing adapted for attachment to an interior of a vehicle, said housing including a horizontal flange extending within said housing, said horizontal flange having a pair of legs defining a slot therebetween;

at least one light assembly carried by said housing, said at least one light assembly including a light bulb, a light reflector partially surrounding said light bulb, and a light switch mechanism in electrical interconnection with said light bulb and attached to said housing, wherein said light switch mechanism has an annular groove, wherein said slot is dimensioned to slidingly receive said annular groove in said light switch mechanism;

a cover having an interior surface;

at least one lens carried by said cover, said at least one lens in registration with said at least one light assembly when said cover is attached to said housing; and

at least one light switch actuator captured by said cover and in operational connection with said light switch mechanism when said cover is attached to said housing.

2. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said cover comprises a plurality of fingers dimensioned to abuttingly contact said at least one light switch actuator.

3. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said cover has a guide member extending from said interior surface, said guide member being in registration with an opening formed in said cover, wherein said guide member is dimensioned to receive said at least one light switch actuator, wherein said guide member is configured to retain said at least one light switch actuator within said guide member, and wherein said at least one light switch actuator is formed with a portion dimensioned to extend through said opening formed in said cover.

4. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein said at least one light switch actuator further comprises:

a main body; and

a raised member extending from said main body, said raised member dimensioned to extend through said opening formed in said cover.

5. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said slot has a seating end and wherein the width of said slot gradually decreases toward said seating end to a minimum width, said minimum width being less than the width of said seating end.

6. A vehicle interior lamp assembly comprising:

a housing adapted for attachment to an interior of a vehicle;

at least one light assembly carried by said housing;

a cover having an interior surface, wherein said housing and said cover are snap-fit together;

at least one lens carried by said cover, said at least one lens in registration with said at least one light assembly when said cover is attached to said housing; and

at least one light switch actuator captured by said cover, said at least one light switch actuator in operational connection with said at least one light assembly when said cover is attached to said housing.

7. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 6, wherein said at least one light assembly further comprises:

a light bulb;

a light reflector partially surrounding said light bulb; and

a light switch mechanism in electrical interconnection with said light bulb and in operational connection with said at least one light switch actuator, said light switch mechanism attached to said housing.

8. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 7, wherein said light switch mechanism is slidingly attached to said housing.

13. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 6, wherein said at least one light assembly is two light assemblies and said housing further comprises a light assembly partition positioned between said two light assemblies.

14. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 13, wherein said light assembly partition is formed with at least one slot, and wherein said cover includes at least one center support extending from said interior surface, said at least one center support dimensioned to slidingly engage said at least one slot formed in said light assembly partition.

9. A vehicle interior lamp assembly comprising:

a housing adapted for attachment to an interior of a vehicle, said housing having a light assembly mounting portion, said lamp assembly mounting portion having a non-uniform cross sectional shape;

a cover attached to said housing, said cover having an interior surface;

at least one lens carried by said cover; and

a light assembly positioned within said body, said lighting assembly having,

a light reflector, said light reflector having a perimeter contoured substantially to the cross sectional shape of said light assembly mounting portion of said housing, said light reflector having an interior having a central spherical region and a plurality of substantially horizontal ledges extending from said central spherical region,

a light bulb, said light bulb positioned in registration with said at least one lens, and

a light switch carried by said housing.

10. A vehicle interior lamp assembly comprising:

a housing adapted for attachment to an interior of a vehicle, wherein said housing has opposing sides, each side of said opposing sides having an exterior surface formed with a wedge;

at least one light assembly carried by said housing;

a cover having an interior surface, wherein said cover is formed with a pair of side attachment members extending from said interior surface, each side attachment member of said pair of side attachment members having an opening formed therethrough, said opening dimensioned to receive said wedge formed in each side of said opposing sides of said housing;

at least one lens carried by said cover, said at least one lens in registration with said at least one light assembly when said cover is attached to said housing; and

at least one light switch actuator captured by said cover, said at least one light switch actuator in operational connection with said at least one light assembly when said cover is attached to said housing.

11. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 10, wherein said housing has opposing ends, each end of said opposing ends having an end member, wherein said cover is formed with a pair of end attachment assemblies extending from said interior surface, said end attachment assemblies dimensioned to engage said end members formed in said housing.

12. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 11, wherein each end of said opposing ends of said housing is formed with a pair of vertical slots, wherein said end members are positioned between said slots, wherein each end member is formed with a lip, and wherein each end attachment assembly further comprises:

a first member having an opening dimensioned to receive said lip formed in said end member; and

a pair of parallel members placed a preselected distance apart, said parallel members slidingly received by said slots formed in said opposing ends of said housing.

15. A vehicle interior lamp assembly comprising:

a body adapted for attachment to an interior of a vehicle;

at least one light assembly nested within said body; and

at least one lens carried by said body, said at least one lens in registration with said at least one light assembly, said at least one lens having a first region configured to provide a pattern of illumination in preselected area, and at least one second region configured to reflect light generated by said at least one light assembly toward said light assembly.

16. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 15, wherein said body further comprises:

a housing, said at least one light assembly nested within said housing; and

a cover removably attached to said housing, said at least one lens attached to said cover.

18. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 16, wherein said light assembly further comprises:

a light bulb;

a light reflector, said light reflector reflecting light generated by said light bulb towards said at least one lens; and

a light switch in electrical communication with said light bulb, said light switch slidingly received by said housing.

19. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 18, wherein said light reflector has a dome shape.

20. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 18, wherein said light bulb is partially surrounded by said light reflector.

21. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 15, wherein said first region is a middle region and said at least one second region is opposing a pair of outer regions, said middle region of said lens configured to concentrate said pattern of illumination in said preselected area, said pair of outer regions configured to reflect light from said at least one light assembly toward said at least one light assembly.

22. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 21, wherein said at least one lens has an inner surface proximate to light assembly and wherein said opposing outer regions are formed with serrations extending from said inner surface.

23. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 21, wherein said middle region of said at least one lens has a double convex shape.

24. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 16, wherein said at least one lens is formed with a skirt extending from the periphery of said at least one lens, said skirt having an end and an outer surface, and wherein said cover further comprises:

an interior surface;

a lens opening configured in the shape of said at least one lens; and

a lens guide member projecting from said interior surface, said lens guide member positioned about the periphery of said lens opening, said lens guide member having an end formed with a ledge, wherein said at least one lens is positioned within said lens guide member such that said end of said skirt contacts said ledge.

25. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 24, wherein said ledge is formed with a cut-out section and said lens guide member is formed with at least one opening formed therethrough, and wherein said at least one lens further comprises:

a lip projecting from said end of said skirt, said lip positioned within said cut-out section of said ledge; and

at least one wedge projecting from said outer surface of said skirt, said at least one wedge positioned within said opening formed in said lens guide member.

17. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in 16, wherein said at least one lens is substantially non-movably mounted within said cover.

26. A vehicle interior lamp assembly comprising:

a housing adapted for attachment to an interior of a vehicle, said housing having a light assembly mounting portion, said lamp assembly mounting portion having a non-uniform cross sectional shape;

a cover attached to said housing, said cover having an interior surface;

a light assembly positioned within said body, said lighting assembly having,

a light reflector, said light reflector having a perimeter contoured substantially to the cross sectional shape of said light assembly mounting portion of said housing,

a light bulb, said light bulb positioned in registration with said at least one lens, and

a light switch carried by said housing; and

at least one lens carried by said cover, said at least one lens having a middle region and a pair of opposing outer regions, said middle region of said lens configured to provide a pattern of illumination in a preselected area, said pair of outer regions configured to reflect light from said at least one light assembly toward said at least one light assembly.

27. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 26, wherein said light reflector has a dome shape.

28. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 26, wherein said at least one lens has an inner surface proximate to said at least one light assembly and wherein said pair of opposing outer regions are formed with serrations extending from said inner surface.

29. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 28, wherein said middle region of said at least one lens has a double convex shape.

30. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 29, wherein said housing and said cover are snap fit together.

31. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 26, wherein said light switch is formed with annular groove and said housing further comprises a horizontal flange extending within said housing, said horizontal flange having a pair of legs defining a slot therebetween, said slot dimensioned to slidingly receive said annular groove of said light switch.

32. The interior vehicle lamp assembly as recited in claim 26, further comprising a light switch actuator in operational connection with said light switch, said light switch actuator captured by said cover.

33. An interior vehicle lamp assembly comprising:

a housing adapted for attachment to an interior of a vehicle, said housing having a light assembly mounting portion, said lamp assembly mounting portion having a non-uniform cross sectional shape;

a cover attached to said housing, said cover having an interior surface, said cover having a guide member extending from said interior surface, said guide member being in registration with an opening formed in said cover;

at least one lens carried by said cover;

a light assembly positioned within said body, said lighting assembly having,

a light reflector, said light reflector having a perimeter contoured substantially to the cross sectional shape of said light assembly mounting portion of said housing,

a light bulb, said light bulb positioned in registration with said at least one lens, and

a light switch carried by said housing; and

a light switch actuator in operational connection with said light switch, said light switch actuator captured by said cover, wherein said guide member is dimensioned to receive said at least one light switch actuator, wherein said guide member is configured to retain said at least one light switch actuator within said guide member, and wherein said light switch actuator is formed with a portion dimensioned to extend through said opening formed in said cover.

34. The interior vehicle lamp assembly as recited in claim 33, wherein said guide member further comprises a plurality of fingers dimensioned to abuttingly contact said at least one light switch actuator.

35. The vehicle interior lamp assembly as recited in claim 33, wherein said at least one light switch actuator further comprises:

a main body; and

a raised member extending from said main body, said raised member dimensioned to extend through said opening formed in said cover.