Fluorescent light fixture

• US 6,428,183 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2000
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: XtraLight Manufacturing, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: X-Tra Light Mfg. Inc.
• Inventors: McAlpin, Kenneth M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sember, Thomas M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choi, Jacob Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/698,229
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 362/217, 362/225, 362/241, 362/247, 362/260, 362/221, 362/404, 362/408, 362/147
• US Class Current: 362/225
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/06 by suspension
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/01 Housings, e.g. material or assembling of housing parts F21V15/02 takes precedence housings forming signs or letters G09F13/04
• 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: F21V 7/0008 providing for indirect lighting
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0016 on lighting devices that also provide for direct lighting, e.g. by means of independent light sources, by splitting of the light beam, by switching between both lighting modes
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/005 with an elongated shape to cooperate with linear light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2103/00 Elongate light sources, e.g. fluorescent tubes
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2113/00 Combination of light sources

Abstract

An improved fluorescent light fixture of the type having an elongated housing in a downwardly opening elongated cavity of which are carried one or more tubular fluorescent lamps for emitting light below the fixture. The improvement comprises one or more upwardly opening elongated cavities defined by upper portions of the housing in which are carried one or more tubular fluorescent lamps for emitting light above the fixture.

Claims

1. An improved fluorescent light fixture of the type having an elongated housing in a downwardly opening elongated cavity of which are carried one or more tubular fluorescent lamps for emitting light below said fixture, the upper portion of said housing comprising a central elongated horizontal section, a pair of short vertical elongated sections extending downwardly from opposite sides of said central section and a pair of horizontal elongated sections projecting outwardly from lower edges of said short vertical sections, the inner surfaces of said central elongated section and said pair of short vertical elongated sections defining a smaller elongated cavity above said downwardly opening cavity, the outer surfaces of said pair of short vertical sections and said pair of horizontal sections defining a pair of elongated cavities in each one of which is carried one or more tubular fluorescent lamps for emitting light from above said housing.

2. An improved fluorescent light fixture as set forth in claim 1 in which opposite ends of said housing are formed of a sheet of material defined by a horizontal base and a shorter horizontal top connected, at opposite ends, by a pair of short vertical sides and a pair of longer inclined sides, inner surfaces of said housing ends defining ends of said pair of elongated cavities in each of which is carried at least one of said tubular fluorescent lamps for emitting light from above said housing.

3. An improved fluorescent light fixture as set forth in claim 1 in which one or more ballasts are disposed in said smaller elongated cavity, above said downwardly opening cavity in which said one or more tubular fluorescent lamps are carried.

4. An improved fluorescent light fixture as set forth in claim 3 in which there are a plurality of reflectors carried by said housing above said tubular fluorescent lamps in said downwardly opening cavity, at least one of said reflectors being removable to allow replacement of said one or more ballasts disposed in said smaller elongated cavity.

5. An improved fluorescent light fixture as set forth in claim 1 in which said housing is provided with means, at each end thereof, for suspending said fixture from two or more chains connected to supporting structure thereabove.

6. An improved fluorescent light fixture as set forth in claim 1 in which said housing is provided, near the center thereof, with a pendant mount by which said fixture may be suspended on a single rod or tubular member.

7. An improved fluorescent light fixture as set forth in claim 6 in which an enclosed junction box is provided at said pendant mount having an opening thereinto by which the electrical wiring in said light fixture may be connected to an external power source.

8. An improved fluorescent light fixture as set forth in claim 1 in which the surfaces of both said downwardly opening and said pair of cavities are covered with light reflective paint.

9. An improved fluorescent light fixture as set forth in claim 1 comprising elongated reflectors carried by said housing in said downwardly opening cavity above each of said one or more tubular fluorescent lamps carried therein to improve the optical efficiency of said fixture.

10. An improved fluorescent light fixture as set forth in claim 9 in which said reflectors are formed of narrow downwardly opening channels, one for each of said fluorescent lamps, the inner surfaces of which are formed by a plurality of long narrow planar surfaces joined along mutual edges at obtuse angles to form a channel surrounding, at a preselected distance therefrom, the upper half of a respective one of said fluorescent lamps to reflect upwardly emitted light in a downward direction.

11. An improved fluorescent light fixture as set forth in claim 9 in which there are a plurality of said elongated reflectors carried by said housing, at least one of said reflectors being removable to allow installation and replacement of one or more ballasts disposed in said housing above said one or more fluorescent lamps carried in said downwardly opening elongated cavity.

12. An improved fluorescent light fixture as set forth in claim 9 in which a lens is carried by said housing at the lowermost level of said downwardly opening cavity and through which light from said tubular fluorescent lamps carried therein is distributed.