Pendant light

• US 8,348,482 B1
• Filed: 12/24/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bocci Design & Manufacturing Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bocci Design & Manufacturing Inc.
• Inventors: Arbel, Omer
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen F
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRANSON JR, JAMES W
• Application Number:
  US12/655,211
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 362/362, 362/809, 362/253, 362/396, 362/186, 362/189, 362/363, 362/391, 362/407
• US Class Current: 362/407
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 8/063 with a rigid pendant, i.e. a pipe or rod
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 17/06 the fastening being onto or by the lampholder
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/112 Fixing lighting devices to pendants F21V21/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/061 the material being glass
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A pendant light assembly having a decorative globe with an internal light chamber, formed integrally of blown glass. The chamber is formed by reheating a portion of the blown glass globe and applying a partial vacuum to draw the glass inwardly. A secondary layer of glass inside the light chamber differs from the glass of the main globe in transparency, translucency and/or color; for example, the outer globe may be clear and the inner light chamber may be translucent to diffuse the light from the light source therein. The globe is suspended by a lighting assembly on the end of an electrical cord that is mounted to the lip of the opening into the internal light chamber. The connector assembly includes a clip mounted to the lighting element, having a plurality of flexible lobes that can be depressed to pass through the opening, and a cap threadingly mounted to the lighting element that can be tightened down to clamp the edges of the clip beneath the lip of the opening. The light chamber may have a substantially spherical shape, with the lip around the opening being formed by the edge of the wall of the main globe.

Claims

1. A pendant light assembly, comprising:

a decorative globe, comprising;

a wall of blown glass substantially surrounding an interior volume of said globe; and

a light chamber located within said interior volume of said globe and having a wall of blown glass and an opening at a surface of said globe, said light chamber being formed of a concavely recessed, substantially continuous portion of said blown glass wall of said decorative globe that has been drawn into said interior volume of the globe; and

a lighting assembly comprising;

a lighting element having at least one light source;

a suspension cord having an end operatively connected to said lighting element so as to supply power to said at least one light source; and

a connector assembly mounting said lighting element to the decorative globe so that said at least one light source thereof is located in said light chamber of the globe and said cord extends therefrom to suspend said pendant light assembly from an overlying support.

2. The pendant light assembly of claim 1, wherein said decorative globe further comprises:

a secondary layer of blown glass on said wall of said light chamber, said secondary layer of light transmitting material differing in at least one light-transmissive characteristic from said material of said wall of said chamber.

3. The pendant light assembly of claim 2, wherein said at least one light-transmissive characteristic by which said secondary layer of blown glass differs is selected from the group consisting of:

transparency;

translucency;

color; and

combinations thereof.

4. The pendant light assembly of claim 3, wherein said secondary layer of blown glass comprises:

a secondary layer of blown glass laminarly fused to said wall of blown glass so as to form an inside surface of said wall of said light chamber.

5. The pendant light assembly of claim 1, wherein said opening of said light chamber comprises:

a necked-down opening sized smaller than an inside diameter of said light chamber.

6. The pendant light assembly of claim 5, wherein said opening of said light chamber comprises:

an inwardly-projecting mounting lip substantially surrounding said opening of said light chamber.

7. The pendant light assembly of claim 6, wherein said light chamber is a substantially spherical chamber meeting an outer surface of said decorative globe so that an edge of said wall of said globe forms said inwardly-projecting mounting lip around said opening of said chamber.

8. The pendant light assembly of claim 6, wherein said connector assembly mounting said lighting element to said decorative globe comprises:

a clip member that is mounted to said lighting element above said at least one light source and has at least one radially extending portion that fits beneath said inwardly-projecting mounting lip around said opening of said light chamber so as to suspend said decorative globe therefrom.

9. The pendant light assembly of claim 8, wherein said radially extending portion of said clip member comprises:

a plurality of resiliently flexible lobe portions that are individually depressible so as to permit said clip member to be selectively passed into and out of said opening of said light chamber.

10. The pendant light assembly of claim 9, wherein said connector assembly further comprises:

a cap member that is mounted to said lighting element and has a radially extending portion that fits over said inwardly-projecting mounting lip around said opening of said light chamber; and

means for alternately raising and lowering said cap member on said lighting element so as to selectively clamp and release said radially extending portion of said clip member beneath said lip around said opening.

11. The pendant light assembly of claim 10, wherein said means for alternately raising and lowering said cap member comprises:

an upwardly extending portion of said lighting element having said cap member in threaded engagement therewith, so that said cap member is selectively lowered and raised by tightening and loosening said cap member on said lighting element.

12. The pendant light assembly for claim 11, wherein said at least one light source of said lighting element comprises:

at least one LED bulb mounted to a lower end of said lighting element.

13. A decorative globe for a pendant light assembly, comprising:

a wall of blown glass substantially surrounding an interior volume of said globe; and

a light chamber for receiving a lighting assembly, said light chamber being located within said interior volume of said globe and having a wall of blown glass and an opening at a surface of said globe, said light chamber being formed of a concavely recessed, substantially continuous portion of said blown glass wall of said decorative globe that has been drawn into said interior volume of said globe.

14. The decorative globe of claim 13, wherein said decorative lobe further comprises:

a secondary layer of blown glass on said wall of said light chamber, said secondary layer of light transmitting material differing in at least one light-transmissive characteristic from said material of said wall of said chamber.

15. The decorative globe of claim 14, wherein said at least one light-transmissive characteristic by which said secondary layer of blown glass differs is selected from the group consisting of:

transparency;

translucency;

color; and

combinations thereof.

16. The decorative globe of claim 15, wherein said secondary layer of blown glass comprises:

a secondary layer of blown glass laminarly fused to said wall of blown glass so as to form an inside surface of said wall of said light chamber.

17. The decorative globe of claim 13, wherein said opening of said light chamber comprises:

a necked-down opening sized smaller than an inside diameter of said light chamber.

18. The decorative globe of claim 17, wherein said opening of said light chamber comprises:

an inwardly-projecting mounting lip substantially surrounding said opening of said light chamber for being engaged by a connector of said light assembly.

19. The decorative globe of claim 18, wherein said light chamber is a substantially spherical chamber meeting an outer surface of said decorative globe so that an edge of said wall of said globe forms said inwardly-projecting mounting lip around said opening of said chamber.