GB2239085A - A lamp housing and method for making it - Google Patents

Abstract

A lamp housing is formed from a blank (1) cut from a thin sheet of metal, which is preferably mild steel. The blank (1) has requisite holes (5) slots (6) and flaps (2a and 2b) cut in it. It also has lines of weakness (21) in it, which may be formed at the same stage as the blank (1). The lines of weakness (21) comprise a series of linear slots enabling the blank (1) to be folded and assembled on site. An advantage of the invention is that it permits a large number of lamps in the form of blank lamp housings to be transported flat. Previously, because of the bulky nature of these lamps they were not easy to transport. <IMAGE>

Description

A LAMP HOUSING AND METHOD OF MAKING IT This invention relates to a lamp housing and to a method of making it. The housing is intended specifically, but not exclusively, for a fluorescent lamp.

Lamp housings not only support bulbs or fluorescent tubes which provide light, but also, serve to contain starters, required for fluorescent tubes, wiring and electrical fittings.

Lamp housings are bulky. This makes them difficult to transport efficiently.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a lamp housing which comprises a blank produced to the desired shape from a sheet of material and with lines of weakness in the material within the envelope of the shape, the lines partially defining areas of the blank and enabling those areas to be bent out of the main plane of the blank to form a chamber to accommodate a lamp, and fastening means to hold the bent blank in that condition.

As the blank is substantially flat in its disassembled state, it occupies less volume than anassembled lamp housing. It therefore may be packed transported more easily than previous lamp housings and assembled into its final form on site.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of making a lamp housing including the steps of producing a blank to a desired shape from a sheet of material with lines of weakness in the material within the envelope of the shape, bending areas of the sheet partially defined by the lines of weakness out of the main plane of the blank to form a chamber to accommodate a lamp and fastening parts of the bent blank together to retain the blank in the bent condition.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lines of weakness comprise perforations. The perforations are preferably a series of linear slots, which enable the blank to be manually folded as desired, without the need for expensive or complex assembly jigs. Any additional holes and tags may be provided when the blank is formed. The folded blank is held in the assembled condition by fastenings in the form of rivets or clips for example.

Support brackets are sometimes necessary, so as to allow, for example, the assembled housing to be fitted to a support rail. These support brackets may be rivetted onto the main body of the lamp housing, although tags, which may be formed at the stage at which the blank is formed, are preferable as they may fit into already available slots. These features of the invention enable lamp housings to be connected together either directly or by way of attaching them individually to a support rail in a modular manner.

The blank may be formed to provide for any one of a number of different housing shapes. For example, the ends of the blank may be straight or mitred.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure la is a plan view of a blank for a lamp housing; Figure lb is a plan view of a blank for a lamp housing having mitred ends; Figure 2 is an exploded view of a general assembly of the lamp housing; Figure 3 is a transverse section of the assembly of Figure 2; and Figure 4 illustrates a longitudinal section of the assembly of Figure 2.

Referring to Figure la, which illustrates a blank 1 for a lamp housing which has been punched from a thin flat sheet of material such as mild steel. Within the envelope of the blank 1 are two end portions 2a and 2b, two side portions 3a and 3b and a central portion 4, which is the upper surface of the lamp housing. The central portion 4, which is in the shape of a rectangle, is separated from the end portions and side portions by lines of linear slots 21. Holes 5 are provided in the end portion 2b, to permit wiring to pass into the lamp housing. Flap 6 is formed by removing a rectangular region 7 and making two parallel cuts 8a and 8b. The flap is then bent back on assembly of the lamp housing to provide a mount for a socket for a fluorescent tube as shown in detail in Figure 4.Support flaps 9a and 9b when folded back at 900 to the end flaps 2a and 2b respectively, lie in a parallel plane to the surface of the central portion 4. The blank 1 is substantially flat and occupies less volume than an assembled lamp housing. It therefore may be packed and transported more easily than assembled lamp housings.

Referring briefly to Figure lb in which the same reference numerals have been used to denote the same items as in Figure la, mitred end flaps 9c and 9d are included so as to permit the lamp when assembled, to be hung so that its longitudinal axis of symmetry is at 450 to two corner walls. This will usually be within a square or rectangular ceiling tile. The blank for the lamp housing illustrated in Figure lb is otherwise identical to that as illustrated in Figure la.

Referring to Figure 2 the blank 1 for the lamp housing, as illustrated in Figure 1, is shown with the portions 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b, as well as the end flaps 9 folded so as to form the lamp housing 10. Folds are made along the lines of the slots 21.

A gear cover 20 is connected to the assembled lamp housing 10 by way of tags 30 which slot in their associated slots 40 in the lamp housing 10. The gear cover 20 , when connected to the lamp housing 10, forms a cavity in which wires (not shown) and other electrical equipment such as a capacitor 50 and a starter stud 60 are housed. In addition ballast 70 is provided within the cavity. The capacitor 50 is mounted within the lamp housing 10 on a capacitor clip 80.

Tube 90, lamp clip 100, louvre 110 and side rail 120 are also included.

Figure 3 illustrates a transverse section of the apparatus of Figure 2, assembled. The gear cover 20 is way of tags 30 inserted through the slots 40. The lamp housing 10 is shown riveted by rivets 150 and 160 to two side rails 120 and 130 respectively. These rivets may be replaced by clip fasteners which facilitates disassembly, should this be required. The section shows in detail how the tube 90 is arranged on the lamp clip 80 and how these are connected to the external surface of the gear cover 20. The louvre 110 is mounted to the end plate 2a by way of a tag (not shown) slotting into a groove 200 formed in each end plate. Flap 123 is punched so that it may be folded back and used as a support for an emergency light, (not shown). The emergency light would have its own power supply and would automatically cut in if there were a power failure. Not every lamp would be required to have this facility. It is clearly quite simple to fabricate this optional flap at the punching stage of the blank.

Figure 4, which is a longitudinal section of the assembled lamp, shows individual slats 111 of the louvre 110. The spacial arrangement of the internal fittings and electrical components is also shown: that is the starter 60, ballast 70, capacitor 50 and fused terminal block 300. The interior surface of the gear cover 20 is recessed at 310 and supplied with a screw fitting 320 which connects the lamp 90 to the gear cover 20.

The construction of lamp housings for light fittings as described above enables the manufacture of the lamp to be facilitated. It also facilitates transportation, because the housings can be transported with the blanks flat thus considerably reducing the bulk of the housings which has to be accommodated. Assembly on site is a relatively simple matter which can be carried out with unskilled or semi-skilled personnel.

It will be appreciated that variation may be made without departing from the invention that is to say, the housing may be a formed from a different type of metal or even a temperature resistant plastics material.

Claims (10)

1. A lamp housing comprises a blank produced to the desired shape from a sheet of material with lines of weakness in the material within the envelope of the shape, the lines partially defining areas of the blank and enabling those areas to be bent out of the main plane of the blank to form a chamber to accommodate a lamp, and fastening means to hold the bent blank in that condition.

2. A lamp housing according to claim 1 wherein the lines of weakness comprise perforations.

3. A lamp housing according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the blank has holes cut in it and tags provided on it.

4. A lamp housing according to any preceding claim wherein the assembled lamp is held together by tags or rivets.

5. A lamp housing according to any preceding claim wherein the blank has end flaps which in use lie flush with a ceiling when the housing is assembled.

6. A lamp housing substantially as herein described with reference to the figures.

7. A method of making a lamp housing including the steps of producing a blank to a desired shape from a sheet of material with lines of weakness in the material withinthe envelope of the shape, bending areas of the sheet partially defined by the lines of weakness out of the main plane of the blank to form a chamber to accommodate a lamp and fastening parts of the bent blank together to retain the blank in the bent condition.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein fastening means are provided integrally with the blank.

9. A method according to claim 7 wherein the lines of weakness comprise a plurality of perforations.

10. A method of making a lamp housing substantially as herein described with reference to the figures.