GB2173887A - Lamp with speaker - Google Patents

Abstract

A combined lamp and remote speaker unit has a lamp base with an open topped cavity (42) therein and a woofer (57) mounted in this cavity and facing upwardly. An elongate, upright hollow frame means (14) is mounted rigidly on top of the base and has substantially open sides. A tweeter (88) is mounted at the top end of the frame and faces downwardly. Layers of fabric (16) and screen (94) cover the sides of the frame and allow sound to pass outwardly from the interior of the frame. A light bulb socket (22) is mounted at the top end of the frame above the tweeter. In another version there are no separated tweeter and woofer but a single dual cone speaker is mounted in the base of the lamp. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Lamp with speaker This invention relates to a combination lamp and remote speaker unit.

Remote speakers which form part of a stereo system are well known in the sound reproduction art. Commonly they are located in relatively large boxes that are attached by means of speaker wires to an amplifier and/or radio receiver. In order to provide the desired stereo effect, there are normally two boxes located at spaced apart locations in a room or living area. One difficulty with these known speaker units is that they are rather obvious in a room and may detract from the appearance or decore. Although attempts have been made to conceal speaker units in the past, for example in end cabinets, the use of such concealment devices has not come into wide spread use, possibly because of the expense involved or because they do not conceal the speakers entirely.

Attempts have also been made in the past to conceal sound producing devices in a lamp or light source. For example early United States patent number 1,817,354 issued August 4, 1931 to G.G. De Andia-Yrarrazaval teaches a wireless loud speaker that also functions as a table lamp. A wireless receiving unit and speaker is mounted at the mouth of an upright sound tube which is connected to the top of a casing having the shape of an ornamental howl. The casing is open at the bottom and is raised from the table or other supporting surface by feet so that sound can freely emit from below the casing as well as through the sound tube. Several lamp bulb holders are mounted on top of the sound tube. One difficulty with this construction is that, in order to be implemented, it requires a lamp column and base of a certain construction and shape which do not lend themselves to modern lamp designs.A further difficulty is that sound emission through the bottom of the lamp is not satisfactory since the speaker faces upwardly.

United States patent number 1,587,096 issued June 1, 1926 to A.E. Wheeler describes and illustrates a radio loudspeaker arranged in a lamp. The base of the lamp is provided by a rectangular cabinet having top and side walls and a removable bottom. The large end of a horn unit for the speaker is arranged in this cabinet and the open end thereof is arranged against one side wall having openings therein. The narrow end of the cone extends up a hollow neck structure to a sound producing device. Light bulb sockets are connected at the top of the neck structure adjacent the sound producing device and they are covered by a lampshade. An obvious difficulty with this known unit is the use of the lamp as a loudspeaker is quite obvious to the viewer due to the special openings in the side of the cabinet.This known arrangement containing both a radio and a horn reguires a rather oddshaped lamp that is quite large and that might be unsatisfactory from an aesthetic standpoint for many users. Essentially the patentee tried to make a radio cabinet look like a lamp.

The present combined lamp and remote speaker units look very much like ordinary lamps and have a very pleasing appearance.

They differ substantially in their construction from the above known units. The present lamps can have a size that is the same as or is close to the size of presently used table lamps. The speakers in the lamps of the present invention are so well concealed that an observer would normally only realize that they contain speakers when a sound source has been connected and sound is coming from the lamps. Moreover the use of the present invention does not materially reduce the sound quality coming from the speakers, if at all. In one embodiment of the invention, a woofer and a separated tweeter are provided and the distance between the two provides a good separation of the sound, that is between low notes and high notes.Good sound quality can be obtained with the speaker lamps disclosed herein if speakers of a certain size and wattage are used together with the described combination of fabrics and supports therefor.

According to one aspect of the present invention a combined lamp and remote speaker unit comprises a base and elongate, upright hollow frame means mounted rigidly on top of the base and having substantially open sides.

A woofer is mounted in the base or at the bottom of the hollow frame means and faces upwardly. A tweeter is mounted at the top end of the frame means and faces downwardly. There are also means for covering the sides of the frame means and allowing sound to pass outwardly from the interior of the frame means. Socket devices for one or more light bulbs are mounted at one end of the frame means above the tweeter. An electrical cord is connected to the socket means and speaker wires are connected to both the woofer and the tweeter and are adapted for connection to an amplifier or radio receiver.

Preferably the covering means include protecting screens covering all sides of the frame means and fabric arranged over the protecting screens.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, a combined lamp and remote speaker unit comprises a lamp base having a cavity therein and openings in a plurality of its sides and means for covering the openings while at the same time allowing sound to pass outwardly from the cavity. The covering means include protecting screen means covering all of the openings and fabric arranged over the protecting screen means. A speaker is mounted in the cavity and faces upwardly.

Elongate upright, hollow frame means are mounted rigidly on top of the lamp base.

Socket means for one or more light bulbs are mounted at the top end of the frame means and an electrical cord is connected to the socket means. Speaker wires are connected to the speaker and are adapted for connection to an amplifier or radio receiver.

Further advantages and features will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a combined lamp and remote speaker unit constructed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a bottom view of the base of the lamp of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but with a base plate removed; Figure 4 is a side elevation that is partly in section along the line IV-IV of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a sectional view along line V-V of Figure 1; Figure 6 is a detail view in perspective showing the construction of a light reflector for a lamp construction in accordance with the invention; Figure 7 is a side elevation of another embodiment of a combined lamp and remote speaker unit constructed in accordance with the invention;; Figure 8 is a sectional elevation showing the base portion of the lamp unit of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a side elevation of a further embodiment of a combined lamp and remote speaker unit; Figure 10 is a sectional elevation of the base of the lamp shown in Figure 9; Figure 11 is a side elevation of a further embodiment of a combined lamp and remote speaker unit constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 12 is a sectional elevation of the lower half of the lamp shown in Figure 11; and Figure 13 is a side elevation providing a sectional view similar to Figure 4 but showing a further embodiment.

A combined lamp and remote speaker unit 10 has a lamp base 12 that in a preferred embodiment is made of four wood sections, one for each side. Mounted on top of the base is an elongate, upright hollow frame means 14. In the embodiment shown the frame means 14 has four vertical sides all of which are covered by an open weave fabric 16. These four sides are preferably each made of 1/2 inch thick wood that permits the fabric to be stapled thereto. If desired a suitable pattern or decoration 18 can be provided on the fabric, particularly on the front side of the lamp. This artwork should be provided in such a way that it does not materially interfere with the passage of sound through the fabric as explained hereinafter. The four vertical edges of the frame means 14 can be protected by elongate strips 20 of wood or plastic, each of which has a L-shaped cross-section as shown in Figure 5.The ends of these strips are preferably held in L-shaped grooves formed in a cap 28 and in the top corners of the base 12.

As can be seen from Figure 4, the lamp is provided with socket means 22 for a standard light bulb 24 and the socket means are mounted at the top end of the frame 14. If necessary a wooden spacer ring 26 can be provided between the frame and the socket to provide proper support for the latter. In the embodiment shown, the spacer ring 26 rests on a removable wood cap 28 through the ring 26 and the cap 28 is a standard threaded lamp pipe 30 through which an electrical cord 32 extends. The lamp pipe extends through a hole in a connecting metal bar 31 which is joined at its ends to the frame 14. A lock nut 34 is threaded unto the bottom end of the pipe 30 in order to secure the socket structure to the metal bar 31. Mounted at the base of the socket is a standard harp support 36 to the top of which is connected the lamp shade 38 (shown in Figure 1) in the usual manner.It will be appreciated that the harp support 36 is of standard construction and therefore only the bottom portion thereof has been shown in the drawings.

Turning now to the construction details for the aforementioned lamp base 12, in the embodiment shown the base is substantially square having four upright walls 40. In one preferred embodiment these walls are 1 inch thick in order to add to the weight of the base. If desired these walls can be made from attractive wood such as mahogany, oak or maple. The walls form a cavity 42 for a speaker and they are preferably glued together in an air tight manner which is required for good speaker sound. The cavity 42 is open at the top and the bottom but a removable base plate 44, preferably made of hardboard, is provided to cover the bottom of the cavity when access thereto is not required. The plate 44 is attached to the lamp base in an air tight manner by means of suitable screws 46. Also affixed to the bottom of the base are four felt pads 48 which help to prevent vibrations and prevent the bottom of the lamp from marring the supporting surface in the usual fashion.

Extending around the bottom of the lamp base is an optional base trim 50. In a preferred embodiment this trim is made of solid wood such as mahogany, oak or maple. In order to add to the appearance of the lamp base, the top edge can be routered at 52.

Secured inside the cavity 42 is a flat speaker plate 54 having a large hole 56 in the centre thereof. The inside surface of each wall 40 is preferably provided with a groove 41 to accomodate the corresponding edge of plate 54. In a preferred embodiment for a 4 inch woofer or dual range speaker, the plate is 5 inches square and the hole 56 has a 4 inch diameter. Detachably mounted to the speaker plate, which can be made of plywood, is a suitable woofer speaker 57 which faces upwardly. In a preferred embodiment the cavity 42 is large enough to accommodate a 4 inch full range woofer having a capacity of 20 watts and a resistance of 8 Ohms. It can also be made to accomodate a 5 inch speaker. At the bottom of this woofer is a magnet 58 which can weigh between six and eight ounces.Preferably the cavity 42 around the woofer is filled with fibrous glass insulation that is not shown for clarity of illustration. In order to operate the woofer speaker wires 60 are connected thereto and to a suitable fuse 62 mounted on the inside of the cavity. The fuse 62 is only required if the receiver to be used with the unit has no fuse protector. The speaker wires 60 extend through a hole 64 formed in the lamp base and through which the electrical cord 32 can also extend. Any gap between the wires and the surrounding surface is preferably filled with a suitable sealing material to improve sound quality. Plastic cord protectors 65 and 66 can be mounted at the ends of the hole 64. To complete the base, wooden spacers 68 are mounted in the four corners of the cavity 42 above the speaker plate 54 and on top of these spacers rests a square holding plate 55 having a round hole therein.The speaker plate 54 and holding plate 55 have holes formed therein to accommodate four or more wood screws 70, two of which are indicated in Figure 4. These screws 70 are used to connect the aforementioned frame means 14 to the base 12. If desired a fine screen 63 can be placed over top of the woofer to protect the cone from material that might otherwise fall on it.

Turning now to the construction of the frame means 14, it can be constructed from four 1/2 inch plywood sections 72 to 75 that are glued and/or screwed together. In the illustrated preferred embodiment each of these sections has two large openings 76 and 77 cut therein. Each pair of openings is separated by a central web 78 which adds to the strength of the frame structure. The bottom end of the attached sections 72 to 75 fit snuggly into a recess 80 formed in the top of the base 12. The screws 70 are screwed into the bottom edge of the frame after insertion into the recess. Glue can also be used around the bottom of the frame to provide a very rigid connection between the frame 14 and the base 12.

Mounted near the top end of the frame is another speaker plate 82 which can be made of plywood and which has a hole 84 in the centre thereof. The speaker plate 82 can be secured by screws 86 driven through the sections 72 to 75 and into the edge of the plate 82. Mounted on top of the speaker plate 82 is a tweeter speaker 88 which in a typical embodiment is of the 2 inch or 3 inch size.

Speaker wires 90 are connected to the tweeter and these can pass downwardly through the frame 14 along with the electrical cord 32. All wires are preferably anchored to the inside of the frame 14 by any suitable known means.

Covering means are provided for the four sides of the frame 14. The covering means allow sound to pass outwardly from the interior of the frame means 14. The covering means comprise protecting screen means 94 covering all vertical sides of the frame and the aforementioned fabric 16 which is arranged over the protecting screens in the manner shown in Figure 5. The screens 94 can be attached to the frame means 14 by any suitable method such as by stapling or by Ushaped connecting nails. It will be appreciated that the screens 94 provide a supporting surface for the overlying fabric and help to prevent damage to the fabric (such as by a hole being poked therein). Preferably the screens are a wire mesh material having an open area of at least 50 percent of the total screen area.

One type of wire mesh that is suitable is a wire mesh sold by Baymills Limited of Brampton, Ontario using 010 X 010 Alclad 5056 black aluminum wire. This wire mesh has construction dimensions 18 X 16 and it has a 70 percent open area.

The fabric 16 can be glued or otherwise attached to the vertical corners of the frame.

It extends over the outer surface of each of the frame sections 72 to 75. The vertical edges of the fabric are covered by the aforementioned corner strips 20 as indicated in Figure 5. Preferably the bottom edge of the fabric extends down into the recess 80 to provide a neat, attractive appearance. Across the front of the lamp and the two adjacent sides, the fabric preferably comprises a single layer of light burlap material. The material should have a sufficiently open weave to permit sound to easily pass therethrough. Along the back of the frame, the fabric preferably comprises a double layer of light burlap material in order to prevent one from seeing through the frame and the openings therein from front to back. Alternatively at the back of the frame one can employ a darker and closer knit fabric that is placed under an outer layer of fabric such as the aforementioned light burlap.The extra layer of fabric at the back cuts down on the emission of sound from the back but it has the advantage of tending to force more sound out the front and the sides of the frame 14.

The preferred fabric material to cover the sides of the frame has an open area percentage of at least approximately 50 percent. If a pattern 18 is desired on one or more sides of the lamp, it is preferable that the pattern not cover more than 50 percent of the open area of each of the frame sections 72, 73, and 75.

In order to prevent one from seeing from side to side through the frame 14, there is preferably provided a perforated metal or vinyl partition 96 extending lengthwise in the frame and extending from the rear section 74 to the front frame section 72. In order to attach the partition 96, short side extensions are bent over to form 1/4 inch connecting tabs 98 that are stapled to the inside of sections 72 and 74. The preferred metal partition is made of aluminum and it is perforated in the manner of aluminum soffits for houses.

A desirable feature of the lamp shown in Figures 1 to 6 is a light reflector 100 connected to the lamp and located above one side of the frame 14. Typically this reflector is located above the front side that has the decorative pattern 18 thereon. In the illustrated embodiment the reflector is connected by two metal arms 102 (see Figure 6) to the lamp harp 36. The main component of the reflector is small mirror 104 arranged at an acute angle to the horizontal as shown in Figure 4. The mirror is connected by short stub shafts 106 at each side to the arms 102.

Preferably the mirror 104 can rotate on these stub shafts 106 so that its position can be adjusted. In the illustrated embodiment the arms 102 are made from a single piece of wire and are joined at the rear of the mirror by interconnecting portion 108. At the ends of the arms furthest from the mirror are short upward extensions 110 that are used to attach the arms to the lamp harp. The attachment can be accomplished by means of slidable cylinders 112. Each cylinder is large enough to embrace both one of the extensions 110 and part of the wire forming the lamp harp. It will be appreciated that with the mirror 104 arranged at the illustrated angle, light from the bulb 24 will be reflected unto the front side of the frame 14. The use of such a reflector favorably improves the appearance of the illustrated lamp.The colours of the lamp will be enhanced by the increased light falling on the pattern.

Turning now to the embodiment shown in Figures.7 and 8 of the drawings, a combined lamp and remote speaker unit 110 has a lamp base 112 comprising a lower section 114 in which a speaker unit 116 is mounted and an upper section 118 having openings 120 in the sides thereof. The speaker unit 116 is mounted in the section 114 in essentially the same manner that the woofer 57 is mounted in its lamp unit. In the preferred illustrated embodiment the lower section 114 is wider than the upper section 118. The lamp base has a cavity 122 formed therein and this cavity extends between the upper and lower sections. The portion of the cavity in the lower section can be formed from four pieces of wood 1 inch thick that are glued together at mitered corners. The open bottom of the cavity is covered by a removable base plate 124 made of hardboard in the same manner as the first embodiment.An opening 126 is formed in the side of the lower section to permit passage of an electrical cord for the lamp and speaker wires for the speaker 116. Any air gap between the wires and the opening 126 is sealed off with a suitable material.

Located above the upper section 118 is an optional solid wood cap 128 which may have routered edges and an elongate upright hollow frame means 130 which is a turned post in the drawing. The frame means 130 can be of any standard construction suitable for the upright portion of a lamp. It can be made of brass or wood for example. It has a passageway therethrough for the electrical cord needed to operate the light bulb or bulbs at the top of the lamp. A threaded pipe (not shown) in the column provides the passageway for the cord in a well known manner.

Socket means (not shown) for one or more light bulbs are mounted at the top end of the frame means 130 and on the threaded pipe in the usual manner. This socket means could be of the type illustrated in part in Figure 4, for example. An electrical cord (not shown) is connected to this socket means and extends down through the centre of the frame means 130, through the lamp base, and out through the hole 126. The possible path of the lamp cord is illustrated by the dashed line 132 in Figure 8. The lamp unit can be topped off in the usual manner with a lamp shade 134.

The openings 120 in the lamp base are provided in each of the four sides of the upper section 118. These rectangular openings are covered in essentially the same manner as the openings 76 and 77 in the first embodiment described above. There is a layer of screen or wire mesh 136 covered by a layer of fabric such as light burlap 138. The outer fabric layer can be decorated with a pattern if desired. The back of the upper section can be covered with an extra layer of fabric if desired to prevent an observer from seeing through the upper section in the front to back direction. Also, as in the first embodiment, a metal or vinyl partition 140 can be provided in the upper section to prevent an observer from seeing through the upper section from one side to the other. This partition can be made in the same fashion as described above for the first embodiment. It is secured at its corners to the upper section of the lamp base and it can also be secured by upper tabs 141 to the horizontal top plate 142.

As will be evident, the sound from the upwardly facing speaker 116 can flow upwardly and through the openings 120 substantially unhampered and with little distortion. Perferably the speaker is a dual cone or full range speaker and can vary in size from 3 inches for a small lamp to 4 or 5 inches for a typical table lamp. It will further be noted that the overall appearance of the lamp in Figure 7 is not significantly different from a standard table lamp and it is therefore aesthetically pleasing.

The lamp is also quite stable because the lamp base can be made quite heavy and the weight of the speaker 116 at the very bottom of the lamp adds to the stability. Fibrous glass speaker insulation (not shown) is placed inside the cavity 122 around the perimeter of the speaker and behind it. The same applies with respect to the woofer unit 57 shown in Figure 4.

A third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 9 and 10 of the drawings. The combined lamp and remote speaker unit 142 has a hollow lamp base 144 that is mounted on legs 146. In this embodiment the lamp base 144 has a circular horizontal crosssectional but it could be square. Mounted inside the cavity 148 in the base is a speaker 150 which faces downwardly. The speaker, which preferably is a dual cone or full range four inch speaker, is mounted on the upper surface of a speaker plate 152 that, as in the other embodiments, can be made of plywood.

The perimeter of the speaker plate is secured by any suitable means, preferably screws to the inside of the lamp base. The speaker plate has a large round hole 154 to allow the sound from the speaker to flow downwardly and outwardly through the openings between the legs. In order to add to the appearance of the lamp, the open space between the legs and the legs themselves can be covered by an attractive valance 156 which has not been shown in Figure 10 for clarity of illustration.

Of course, instead of the valance the space between the legs could be covered by screen filigree, or fabric. Mounted on the top of the lamp base is an elongate, hollow frame means 160 which is of standard construction. The upright frame means 160 can be made of metal, such as brass, if desired. A standard light bulb and socket (not shown) are mounted at the top end of the member 160. An electrical cord 152 extends through an opening 164 in the side of the lamp base and upwardly through the post of frame 160 to the socket.

The opening 164 and an opening 165 in the top are preferably sealed airtight around the wires.

It is preferable that the legs 156 be at least two inches long in order to provide for good sound emission. In addition the speaker 156 is preferably located a distance D above the bottom edge 170 of the lamp base. The distance D is preferably 1 to 1 1/2 inches, assuming a leg length of 2 inches. Because of the distance that the speaker 150 is located above the surface of the table, good sound guality is provided by this unit which looks very much like a standard table lamp.

In order to provide a stereo effect, two lamp units constructed in accordance with the present invention are used. A distance of approximately eight feet between the lamp units provides a very good stereo sound and coincidentally this is the approximate distance between many table lamps located at opposite ends of a chesterfield. A distinct advantage of the present lamp construction is that the lamps can be placed at a variety of positions in a room and they need not be confined to a corner or a wall. This arises from the fact that the sound is emitted from all four sides of the lamp although, in some versions, sound emission is better on three of the sides than it is on the fourth for reasons already explained.

The present lamp construction also has the advantage of eliminating the need for special steel or iron weights in the base of the lamp.

Such weights are commonly used in many lamps on the market in order to provide the necessary stability. The use of such weights has been eliminated, in part, by the use of a heavy lamp base made from a solid block of wood (cut out in the centre to accomodate the speaker or woofer). If the walls of the base are made of one inch of solid maple, mahogany or oak, it has been found that there is no need for the formerly used metal weights.

The size of the various components used in the lamps of the invention has been found to be important from an aesthetic standpoint and also from the standpoint of good sound reproduction. A four or five inch speaker or woofer has been found to be ideal for purposes of the present lamp unit. If a larger speaker is used, the lamp base must be made quite large to accomodate it and this detracts from the appearance of the unit. If only a three inch speaker is used one must compromise to some extent on sound guality (assuming that speakers of normal construction and cost are to be employed).

A further embodiment of a combined lamp and remote speaker unit is illustrated in Figures 11 and 12. In this embodiment the lamp unit 180 is arranged on a wooden or metal base 182 that should have sufficient weight to keep the lamp unit upright. Mounted on the base is an upright hollow housing 184 which is covered with an open weave material of reasonable strength and rigidity. Examples of suitable materials are cane, bamboo, and wicker. The material can be woven in a well known manner so that one can not see into the housing 184 and yet there are sufficient openings in the woven material to permit sound to be transmitted therethrough without substantial distortion. Commonly the woven material 186 extends over a metal framework 188 which is used to define the shape of the housing.It will be appreciated that the housing 184 can be made in various shapes including housings having a square, circular, or six sided shape in horizontal cross-section.

The shape of the base 182 corresponds to the shape of the horizontal cross-section of the housing at the bottom. The bottom edge may be strengthened by an extra layer 190 of woven material. Wood screws 192 can be used to attach the bottom end of the housing.

Socket means (not shown) for one or more light bulbs is mounted at the upper end of the housing and this can be done in the same manner as the previously described embodiments. A shade 194 is mounted on top of the socket means in the usual manner. The electrical cord operatively attached to the socket means extends down through the housing as is indicated by the dashed line 196 and through a hole 198 in the side of the housing. If desired the speaker wires 200 can also extend through this hole.

On top of the base and at the bottom end of the housing is mounted a full range speaker 202 which faces upwardly. The speaker is mounted at the top to a wooden speaker support 204 in the same manner as the first described woofer 57. Thus the speaker is held down by an upper plate 207 having an opening 206 for the emission of sound. The plate 207 is detachably connected by bolts (not shown) to a speaker plate 209. The support 204 is detachably connected to the base 182 by any suitable means such as screws (not shown).

A further variation of the invention is a lamp and remote speaker unit employing a base and a speaker support similar to those of the embodiment of Figures 11 and 12 and the frame means 14, cover means, and partition 96 of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the base has no cavity and the woofer speaker is located in the bottom end of the frame means. The frame means can be attached to the base in the same manner as shown in Figures 1 and 4.

The lamp stand of figure 13 has a lamp base 220 similar to that shown in figure 4 and described above. The base contains a hollow cavity 222 which is open at the top and which is covered across the bottom by a removable panel 224. Mounted in the upper section of the base is a horizontal wooden plate 226 which can be approximately 5" sguare. In the centre of this plate is an access opening 228 through which a woofer 230 can be reached. Mounted on the plate 226 and connected thereto by screws 232 is an elongate, upriqht hollow frame means 234. This frame means has an upper section 236 with open sides and a lower section 238 with closed vertical sides. It will be understood that the frame means 234 can be constructed from four wooden panels, each of which has a rectangular opening 240 cut therein in order to form the open sides of the upper section.

Horizontally extending wooden panels 242, 244, and 246 extend between and connect the vertical panels forming the frame means.

The panel 242 is located at the top of the aforementioned lower section and it has a hole in the centre thereof to accommodate the woofer 230. In a less expensive version of this embodiment, the woofer 230 can be a dual cone speaker, in which case a separate tweeter is not required. In the illustated embodiment there is a separate tweeter 250 which faces upwardly and is connected by screws to the panel 244 which has a suitable opening 252 therein. Because the tweeter 250 faces upwardly away from the woofer, the sound coming from the woofer will not interfere with that from the tweeter. The uppermost panel 246 supports a threaded lamp pipe 254 located in the centre thereof.

As with the embodiment of figure 4, the openings 240 are covered by an open weave fabric 16 which allows sound to pass outwardly from the interior of the upper section.

The embodiment of figure 13 provides improved sound quality due to the larger, enclosed air chamber located behind the woofer 230. This air chamber includes the lower section of the hollow frame means and the interior of the base 220.

If desired, one or more tweeters can be mounted in the upper section 236 so that they face outwardly in a horizontal direction rather than upwardly. However, the mounting shown in figure 13 has an advantage in that it is substantially omni directional both with respect to the sound coming from the woofer and the sound of the tweeter.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

For example, in the embodiment of figure 13, not all of the sides of the upper section of the frame means need be open. Thus, one or two of the sides could be closed, particularly if the user of the lamp is not interested in having sound come from all sides of the lamp stand.

Claims (34)

1. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit comprising: a base and elongate, upright, hollow frame means mounted rigidly on top of said base and having substantially open sides; a woofer mounted in said base or at the bottom of said hollow frame means and facing upwardly; a tweeter mounted at the top end of said frame means and facing downwardly; means for covering the sides of said frame means, said covering means allowing sound to pass outwardly from the interior of said frame means; socket means for one or more light bulbs mounted at the top end of said frame means above said tweeter; an electrical cord connected to said socket means; and speaker wires connected to both said woofer and said tweeter and adapted for connection to an amplifier or radio receiver.

2. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 1 wherein said covering means include protecting screen means covering vertical sides of said frame means and fabric arranged over said protecting screen means.

3. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 1 wherein said base has an open topped cavity therein and said woofer is mounted in said cavity.

4. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 1 2, or 3 including means for preventing a viewer from seeing through said covering means and said frame means.

5. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 1, 2, or 3 including a perforated metal or vinyl partition extending lengthwise in said frame means and preventing a viewer from seeing through said covering means and said frame means.

6. A combined lamp and speaker unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the size of said woofer is between four and five inches and said lamp base is made of wood.

7. A combined lamp and speaker unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said lamp base has a base plate extending along the bottom thereof, said plate being removable for access to said woofer.

8. A combined lamp and speaker unit according to claim 2 wherein said protecting screen means is a wire mesh having an open area of at least 50% of the total screen area.

9. A combined lamp and speaker unit according to claim 8 wherein said fabric is a single layer light burlap material on three vertical sides of said frame means and is a double layer of burlap on a fourth vertical side of said frame means.

10. A combined lamp and speaker unit according to claim 8 or 9 including a perforated metal or vinyl partition extending lengthwise down the centre of said frame means and preventing a viewer from seeing through said covering means and said frame means.

11. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit comprising a lamp base having a cavity therein and openings in a plurality of its sides; means for covering said openings in the sides of said base while at the same time allowing sound to pass outwardly from said cavity, said covering means including protecting screen means covering all of said openings and fabric arranged over said protecting screen means; a speaker mounted in said cavity and facing upwardly; elongate, upright, hollow frame means mounted rigidly on top of said base; socket means for one or more light bulbs mounted at the top end of said frame means; an electrical cord connected to said socket means; and speaker wires connected to said speaker and adapted for connection to an amplifier or radio receiver.

12. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 11 wherein all vertical sides of said lamp base have openings therein.

13. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 11 wherein said speaker is a full range speaker.

14. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 11, 12, or 13 wherein said lamp base has a lower section in which said speaker is mounted and an upper section where said openings are located, said lower section being wider than said upper section.

15. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 11, 12, or 13 including a perforated metal or vinyl partition extending vertically in said cavity above said speaker and preventing a viewer from seeing through said covering means and the openings in said base.

16. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to any one of claims 11 to 15 wherein said lamp base has a base plate extending along the bottom thereof, said plate being removable for access to said speaker.

17. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit comprising: a lamp base; an upright, hollow housing mounted on said base, said housing being covered on vertical sides thereof with an open weave material which allows sound to pass substantially freely therethrough; an upwardly facing speaker mounted on said base and at the bottom of said housing; socket means for one or more light bulbs mounted at the top end of said housing; an electrical cord connected to said socket means and extending down through said housing; and speaker wires connected to said speaker and adapted for connection to an amplifier or radio receiver.

18. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 1 7 wherein said open weave material is cane, bamboo, or wicker.

19. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 17 or 18 wherein said open weave material extends over a metal framework.

20. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit comprising: a base and elongate, upright, hollow frame means mounted rigidly on top of said base and having sides with substantial openings therein; a speaker mounted in said base or hollow frame means and facing upwardly; means for covering the sides of said frame means; said covering means allowing sound to pass outwardly from the interior of said frame means; socket means for one or more light bulbs mounted at the top end of said frame means; an electrical cord connected to said socket means; and speaker wires connected to said speaker and adapted for connection to an amplifier or radio receiver.

21. A combined lamp and remote speaker uriit according to claim 20 wherein said covering means include protecting screen means covering vertical sides of said frame means and fabric arranged over said protecting screen means.

22. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 20 or 21 including a tweeter mounted at the top end of said frame means.

23. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit comprising: a lamp base; elongate, upright hollow frame means mounted on top of said base and having an upper section with open sides and a lower section with closed vertical sides; means for covering at least the open sides of said frame means, said covering means allowing sound to pass outwardly from the interior of said upper section; a speaker mounted in said hollow frame means and facing upwardly, said speaker being located up from the bottom of said frame means; socket means for one or more liqht bulbs mounted at the top end of said frame means; an electric cord connected to said socket means; and speaker wires connected to said speaker and adapted for connection to an amplifier or radio receiver.

24. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 23 wherein said speaker is a woofer mounted at the top of said lower section and said unit includes a tweeter mounted in the upper half of said upper section.

25. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 23 wherein said speaker is a dual cone speaker mounted at the top of said lower section.

26. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to claim 24 wherein said tweeter is facing upwardly.

27. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit according to any one of claims 23 to 26 wherein said hollow frame means has four sides all of which are substantially open in said upper section.

28. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

29. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

30. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.

31. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 9 and 10 of the accompaying drawings.

32. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 11 and 12 of the accompanying drawings.

33. A combined lamp and remote speaker unit substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Fiqures 1, 2, and 13 of the accompanying drawings.

34. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.