Anti-theft vehicle mini lamp

• US 7,572,043 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2007
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Truck-Lite Company LLC (Truck-Lite Holdings 2 Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Truck-Lite Company Incorporated (Truck-Lite)
• Inventors: Johnson, Gary R., DiPenti, Timothy A., Kolstee, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Sawhney; Hargobind S
• Application Number:
  US11/983,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20080062708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 362/353, 362/365, 362/368, 362/396, 362/455, 362/470, 362/473, 362/477, 362/478, 362/479, 362/481, 362/487, 362495-497, 362/505, 362/506, 362/523, 362/485, 362/540, 362/543, 362/545, 362/546, 362/548, 362/549, 362/655, 362/800
• US Class Current: 362/540
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0088 Details of electrical connections B60Q1/305 takes precedence; electrical connection of the light source itself F21S41/192, F21S43/195
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2623 Details of the fastening means
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2696 Mounting of devices using LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/00 Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps reversing lights F21S43/00
• 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 31/04 Provision of filling media

Abstract

A vehicle lamp assembly includes a housing having a top end, a body portion with an interior portion, and a lens portion covering the top end. The lamp assembly also includes an attachment member having a sleeve portion with an open top end and an open bottom end. The sleeve portion includes a recess and is adapted to receive the body of the housing and to fit within an opening in a vehicle surface such that the lens portion of the housing is substantially flush with an outer face of the vehicle surface and the body portion of the housing is positioned substantially behind the surface. A securing device is positioned between a back face of the vehicle surface and a plurality of legs from the attachment member, wherein the securing device prevents the attachment member and housing from being removed from the vehicle surface.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp assembly comprising:

a housing having a top end, a body portion with an interior portion, a lens portion covering said top end;

circuitry disposed within said interior portion of the housing;

at least one light source being electrically connected to said circuitry;

an attachment member having a sleeve portion with an open top end and an open bottom end, said sleeve portion having a plurality of legs, said sleeve portion being adapted to receive said body portion of said housing and to fit within an opening in a vehicle surface such that said lens portion of said housing is substantially flush with an outer face of said vehicle surface and said body portion of said housing is positioned substantially behind said vehicle surface; and

a securing device positioned between a back face of said vehicle surface and said plurality of legs of said attachment member, wherein said securing device prevents said attachment member and housing from being removed from said vehicle surface.

2. The vehicle lamp of claim 1, wherein said body portion of said housing includes a cylindrical sidewall.

3. The vehicle lamp of claim 1, wherein said attachment member includes an upper rim surface extending outwardly from said sleeve portion adjacent to said open top end such that said upper rim surface is substantially flush with said lens portion of said housing.

4. The vehicle lamp of claim 3, wherein said upper rim surface of said attachment member is arcuate and said lens portion is generally arcuate to form a generally flush surface.

5. The vehicle lamp of claim 1, wherein said vehicle lamp is adapted for use as a clearance lamp, a side marker lamp, or an identification lamp.

6. The vehicle lamp of claim 1, wherein said securing device is selected from the group consisting of:

a compression clamp, an ear clamp, a wire rope clamp, a bench clamp, a magnetic clamp and a cord clamp.

7. The vehicle lamp of claim 6, wherein said securing device is a compression clamp.

8. The vehicle lamp assembly of claim 1 wherein said vehicle surface is a mounting structure having a first wall, a second wall and a third wall, said second and third walls extending perpendicularly from said first wall and being spaced apart to define a channel therebetween, said first wall having an aperture adapted to receive said attachment member wherein said mounting structure protects said vehicle lamp from damage and wherein said securing device prevents said vehicle lamp from being removed from said mounting structure.

9. The vehicle lamp of claim 1, wherein said vehicle surface is a vehicle wall and said securing device prevents said vehicle lamp from being removed from outside said vehicle wall.

10. The vehicle lamp of claim 1, wherein said lens is selected from a group consisting of:

a red lens, emitting a generally red light from said vehicle lamp, a yellow-amber lens, emitting a generally yellow-amber light from said vehicle lamp, or a clear lens and said at least one light source emits red light, emitting red light from said vehicle lamp, or said at least one light source emits yellow-amber light, emitting yellow-amber light from said vehicle lamp.

11. The vehicle lamp of claim 1, wherein said securing device includes one or more crimpable ear portions.

12. The vehicle lamp of claim 1, wherein said attachment member is formed from a flexible material.

13. The vehicle lamp of claim 1 wherein each of said legs to said attachment member includes a portion that overhangs said securing device.

14. The vehicle lamp of claim 13 wherein the portion of said legs that overhangs said securing device is hollow.

15. A method for assembling an anti-theft vehicle mini lamp comprising the steps of:

providing a lamp housing having a top end, a body portion with an interior portion, a lens portion covering said top end, and a light source fixed to a circuit board within said interior portion;

providing an attachment member having a sleeve portion with an open top end and an open bottom end, said sleeve portion having a plurality of legs, said sleeve portion being adapted to receive said body of said lamp housing and to fit within an opening in a vehicle surface;

positioning said lamp housing within an attachment member;

positioning a clamp against a back face of said opening in said surface;

pushing said attachment member and said lamp housing into said opening in said surface such that said plurality of legs engage said clamp, thereby securing said attachment member and lamp housing within said vehicle surface.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said clamp has at least one crimpable ear and said method further comprises:

crimping said ear of said clamp.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein said attachment member includes an upper rim surface extending outwardly from said open top end and being substantially flush with an upper surface of said lens portion, said attachment member being adapted to attach said vehicle lamp to a vehicle such that said vehicle lamp has a low profile in relation to said vehicle surface.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said upper rim surface of said attachment member is arcuate and said lens portion is generally arcuate to form a generally flush surface.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein said vehicle lamp is adapted for use as a clearance lamp, a side marker lamp, or an identification lamp.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein said clamp is a compression clamp.