Variable intensity light assembly

• US 5,951,155 A
• Filed: 09/03/1997
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Price Company (Costco Wholesale Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Prince (Wellman Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lanser, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea, Sandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US08/922,769
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 362/488, 362/490, 362/508, 362/512, 362/513, 362/523, 362/295, 362/394, 362/427, 362/287, 200/2
• US Class Current: 362/490
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/44 Spotlighting, e.g. reading lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/85 for manual control of the light, e.g. of colour, orientation or intensity
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 39/044 continuously H05B39/042 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/00 Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps

Abstract

A light assembly comprises a fixed mounting plate on which there is positioned a variable resistor, a rotatable member including an arm engaging the variable resistor and a lamp subassembly pivotally mounted to the rotatable member and keyed to the rotatable member such when the lamp subassembly is rotated in a plane generally parallel to a lens associated with the lamp subassembly, the rotatable member moves with respect to the fixed mounting plate, thereby varying the resistance, which is coupled in series with a lamp contained within the lamp subassembly for varying the intensity of the illumination therefrom. In a preferred embodiment also, the lamp subassembly includes a lens having a knob associated therewith such that the lamp subassembly can be tilted and rotated for directing and varying the intensity of the illumination therefrom.

Claims

1. A variable intensity light assembly comprising:

a mounting plate adapted to be mounted to a vehicle support member and having a variable resistor thereon;

a rotatable member rotatably mounted with respect to said mounting plate, said rotatable member including a member selectively engaging said variable resistor for varying the resistance thereof; and

a lamp subassembly including a lamp mounted within a lamp socket, said socket having one terminal coupled to said variable resistor in a series circuit with a source of operating power, said lamp subassembly being coupled to said rotatable member such that as said lamp subassembly moves the variable resistor varies the intensity of illumination from said lamp, and wherein said lamp subassembly is tiltable with respect to said rotatable member for selectively directing illumination therefrom.

2. A variable intensity light assembly comprising:

a mounting plate adapted to be mounted to a vehicle support member and having a variable resistor thereon;

a rotatable member rotatably mounted with respect to said mounting plate, said rotatable member including a member selectively engaging said variable resistor for varying the resistance thereof; and

a lamp subassembly including a lamp mounted within a lamp socket, said socket having one terminal coupled to said variable resistor in a series circuit with a source of operating power, said lamp subassembly being coupled to said rotatable member such that as said lamp subassembly moves the variable resistor varies the intensity of illumination from said lamp, wherein said variable resistor is a resistance strip and said member engaging said variable resistor comprises a conductive wiper arm.

3. The light assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said lamp subassembly is tiltable with respect to said rotatable member for selectively directing illumination therefrom.

4. The light assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein one of said rotatable member and lamp subassembly includes a slot and the other of said rotatable member and lamp subassembly includes a mating tab which slideably moves within said slot allowing said lamp subassembly to tilt with respect to said rotatable member but lockably indexing said lamp subassembly to said rotatable member when rotated in a plane generally orthogonal to the direction of tilting of said lamp subassembly for moving said wiper arm with respect to said resistance strip.

5. An overhead light assembly for a vehicle comprising:

a fixed housing for mounting to a vehicle headliner, said housing having a resistive strip thereon;

a rotatable member rotatably mounted with respect to said housing, said rotatable member including a conductive wiper arm selectively engaging said resistive strip of said housing; and

a lamp subassembly including a lamp mounted within a lamp socket having one terminal coupled to said wiper arm, wherein said rotatable member and lamp subassembly are coupled to one another such that rotation of said lamp subassembly moves said wiper arm with respect to said resistive member for varying intensity of illumination from said lamp.

6. The light assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein said lamp subassembly is generally hemispherical and said rotatable member defines a spherical socket for receiving said lamp subassembly which is tiltable with respect to said rotatable member for selectively directing illumination therefrom.

7. The light assembly as defined in claim 6 wherein one of said rotatable member and said lamp subassembly includes a slot and the other of said rotatable member and said lamp subassembly includes a mating tab which slideably moves within said slot allowing said lamp subassembly to tilt with respect to said rotatable member but lockably indexing said lamp subassembly to said rotatable member when rotated in a plane generally orthogonal to the direction of tilting of said lamp subassembly for moving said wiper arm with respect to said resistance strip.

8. The light assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein said housing includes an annular ring on which said resistive strip is positioned.

9. The light assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein said housing includes an arcuate slot and said rotatable member includes a stop tab riding within said slot to define the limits of rotation of said lamp subassembly and rotatable member between lamp off and lamp full on positions.

10. The light assembly as defined in claim 9 wherein said lamp subassembly includes a knob projecting therefrom for allowing rotation of said lamp subassembly and said rotatable member.

11. A tiltable and dimming overhead light assembly comprising:

a housing for fixed mounting to a vehicle overhead support, said housing having a variable resistor mounted thereto;

a rotatable member rotatably mounted with respect to said housing, said rotatable member including an arm selectively engaging said variable resistor of said mounting plate for varying the resistance thereof as said rotatable member is rotated with respect to said housing; and

a lamp subassembly including a lamp mounted within a lamp socket having one terminal coupled to said variable resistor, said rotatable member and lamp subassembly being coupled to one another such that rotation of said lamp subassembly rotates said rotatable member to vary the resistance of said variable resistor for varying intensity of illumination from said lamp, wherein one of said rotatable member and lamp subassembly includes a slot and the other of said rotatable member and lamp subassembly includes a mating tab which slideably moves within said slot allowing said lamp subassembly to tilt with respect to said rotatable member but lockably indexing said lamp subassembly when rotated in a plane generally orthogonal to the direction of tilting of said lamp subassembly.

12. The light assembly as defined in claim 11 wherein said variable resistor is a resistance strip and said arm engaging said variable resistor comprises a conductive wiper arm.

13. The light assembly as defined in claim 12 wherein said housing includes an arcuate slot and said rotatable member includes a stop tab riding within said slot to define the limits of rotation of said lamp subassembly and rotatable member between lamp off and lamp full on positions.

14. The light assembly as defined in claim 13 wherein said lamp subassembly includes a knob projecting therefrom for allowing rotation of said lamp subassembly and said rotatable member.

15. The light assembly as defined in claim 14 wherein said lamp subassembly is generally hemispherical and said rotatable member defines a spherical socket for receiving said lamp subassembly which is tiltable with respect to said rotatable member for selectively directing illumination therefrom.