Housing and mounting system for a strip lighting device

• US 6,609,813 B1
• Filed: 09/06/2001
• Issued: 08/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Signify North America Corporation (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Lumileds Lighting US LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Quantrell, James Barry, Showers, David Field
• Primary Examiner(s): HUSAR, STEPHEN F
• Application Number:
  US09/856,806
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 362/146, 362/240, 362/246, 362/219, 362/223, 362/102, 362/202, 362/184, 362/249, 362/252, 362/351, 362/361, 362/362, 362/368, 362/370, 362/812, 362/800, 405/50, 405/58, 405/49, 340/815.73
• US Class Current: 362/240
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 4/26 of rope form, e.g. LED lighting ropes, or of tubular form
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/036 by means of a rigid support, e.g. bracket or arm
• 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 15/013 the housing being an extrusion
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/015 Devices for covering joints between adjacent lighting devices; End coverings
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/0045 by tongue and groove connections, e.g. dovetail interlocking means fixed by sliding
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/00 Supporting, suspending, or attaching arrangements for lighting devices F21V17/00, F21V19/00 take precedence; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q, stands for supporting apparatus or articles in general F16M11/00; Hand grips
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/08 Devices for easy attachment to any desired place, e.g. clip, clamp, magnet
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/00 Globes; Bowls; Cover glasses with refracting properties F21V5/00; with reflecting properties F21V7/00; characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/506
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2121/004 mounted on the exterior of houses or other buildings to illuminate parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/22 electroluminescent electroluminescent light sources per se H05B33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2013/1895 Imitating a neon tube
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/88 adapted for simultaneous co-operation with two or more identical counterparts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/80 Light emitting diode
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/812 Signs

Abstract

A housing and mounting system for a strip lighting device, particularly a lighting device of the kind in which multiple light emitting diode (LED) light sources are arranged at spaced intervals within an elongate tubular housing that is translucent and arranged to diffuse, disperse or scatter the light from the LED light sources. The tubular housing has two longitudinally extending keys integrally formed on the exterior of the tube. The interior of the tube has longitudinally extending formations for supporting mounted LED light sources within the tube.

Claims

1. A housing for a strip lighting device, comprising:

an elongated tube which is at least partially translucent; and

at least two longitudinally extending keys of substantially uniform cross-section on the exterior of said tube;

wherein said keys are integrally formed with the tube, and extend substantially parallel with the axis of the tube.

2. A housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elongated tube has a substantially circular cross-section.

3. A housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said keys define an included angle between the keys of less than 180°

at the axis of the tube.

4. A housing as claimed in claim 3, wherein said included angle is between 90°

and 150°

.

5. A housing as claimed in claim 3, wherein said included angle is about 120°

.

6. A housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said keys have a generally round cross-section.

7. A housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein said keys have a generally rectangular cross-section.

8. A housing as claimed in claim 1, further comprising longitudinally extending formations integrally formed on the inside of said elongate tube for mounting a support strip for internal light sources, wherein said formations and said keys are relatively positioned so that the keys are generally equi-angularly distant from a diametral plane parallel to the plane of the support strip when mounted using said formations in said elongate housing.

9. A housing as claimed in claim 8, wherein each said key is radially or chordally aligned with said formations.

10. A housing as claimed in claim 8, wherein said formations consist of a pair of ribs defining a groove to receive a strip within the tube.

11. A housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein each key is a rib, fin, groove, or shoulder.

12. A housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein each key is a rib.

13. A strip lighting device comprising:

an elongated housing;

at least two longitudinally extending keys of substantially uniform cross-section on the exterior of said housing, wherein said keys are integrally formed with the housing, and extend substantially parallel with the axis of the housing;

a multiplicity of light sources arranged at intervals within the housing; and

a diffuser to disperse or scatter light from said light sources whereby on activation of the light sources, a visible optical effect is produced when the housing is viewed from its outside.

14. A strip lighting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said effect is that the housing glows so as to form a strip or line of light.

15. A strip lighting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the diffuser comprises the housing itself.

16. A strip lighting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the housing is tinted a colour so that the strip lighting device:

is visible as that colour when the light sources within the housing are not activated, and

is visible as a glowing form of that colour when the light sources within the housing are activated.

17. A strip lighting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein said device is shaped or connected together with other strip lighting devices to form an illuminated display of one or more symbols.

18. A strip lighting device as claimed in claim 17, wherein said one or more symbols include a numeral or letter of an alphabet.

19. A strip lighting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein each key is a rib, fin, groove, or shoulder.

20. The strip lighting device as claimed in claim 13 further comprising a plurality of interconnected housings interconnected by a plurality of support elements.

21. A support element for retaining and mounting a housing for a strip lighting device, said housing comprising:

an elongated tube which is at least partially translucent;

at least two longitudinally extending keys of substantially uniform cross-section on the exterior of said tube, wherein said keys are integrally formed with the tube, and extend substantially parallel with the axis of the tube, the support element comprising;

a body;

an opening or recess in the body, the opening or recess having a shape adapted to receive the elongated tube of said housing; and

a pair of formations associated with said opening or recess to engage and locate the respective longitudinally extending keys of said housing.

22. A support element as claimed in claim 21, including deflectable members located at an open end of said recess, said formations being formed on said deflectable members whereby said housing may be snap engaged with the support element by pushing said housing between said deflectable members until said formations engage and locate the respective keys.

23. A method of providing a building or other object with display or decorative illumination, comprising fitting the building or other object with plural strip lighting devices, each strip lighting device comprising:

an elongated housing;

at least two longitudinally extending keys of substantially uniform cross-section on the exterior of said housing, wherein said keys are integrally formed with the housing, and extend substantially parallel with the axis of the housing;

a multiplicity of light sources arranged at intervals within the housing; and

a diffuser to disperse or scatter light from said light sources whereby on activation of the light sources, a visible optical effect is produced when the housing is viewed from its outside.