US3050620A - Outdoor lighting unit - Google Patents

Description

1962 F. G. SCHLOSSER ETAL 3,050,620

OUTDOOR LIGHTING UNIT Filed April 4, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS S. F. G A 2 20 F. G. SCHLOSSER BY WRNEY Aug. 21, 1962 F. s. SCHLOSSER ETAL 3,050,620

\ouTDooR LIGHTING UNIT Filed April 4, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS S. F. Z Z O F. G. HLOSSER BY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,050,620 OUTDOOR LIGHTING UNIT Francis G. Schlosser, Fairview, and Salvatore F. Gazzo, Irvington, N.J., assignors to Pfaff and Kendall, Newark, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 4, 1960, Ser. No. 19,939 2 Claims. (Cl. 240-25) This invention relates to outdor lighting units disposed in downwardly directed extended relation to a vertical support. In such pendant outdoor devices, a practical problem encountered in use, is the shifting of the vertical support from a true vertical position due to a number of causes, with resultant change in the path of light emanating from the lighting unit. Pursuant to this invention, an outdoor lighting unit is provided for extremely rugged and durable construction, incorporating novel features for readily adjusting, from time to time, the angular relation of the unit to its support to compensate for deviations in the position of the support from the perpendicular. The device of the invention incorporates features of construction enabling it to be readily adjusted, as noted, and to withstand deflection, vibration or flutter, rupture or structural failures.

The drawings, illustrating procedures and devices useful in carrying out the invention, and the description below, are exemplary only of the invention, which shall be deemed to cover all other devices and procedures coming within the scope and purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters indicate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an outdoor unit embodying the invention, shown secured to a vertical support, the latter being indicated fragmentarily,

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are similar fragmentary views thereof, showing the lighting unit adjusted to other positions pursuant to the invention,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view taken at line 5-5 of FIG. 6, and

FIG. 6 is a partly fragmentary side elevational view taken at line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a lighting unit 21 of the invention in connection with a vertical support 10 such as a pole made of wood or other material or other vertical sup-porting structure, having a longitudinal axis 11.

The device of the invention comprises a tubular arm 12 secured at one end 13 to a bracket 14, which in turn is secured to the support 10; arm 13 may be directly secured to said support in that or any other desired manner so as to extend outwardly therefrom at an angle 15 for a major portion of the length of said tubular arm 12; said angle in practice is an acute angle such as a 60 angle relative to the longitudinal axis 11 of the support 10. The arm 12, adjacent the free end 16 thereof, is formed on an are 17 of radius 40 so as to define an arcuate length 18 inwardly of the free end 16 of the arm 12. A pipe 20 has secured to one end thereof a lighting fixture 21 in downwardly direct relation so as to project rays of light 22 downwardly therefrom onto an area therebelow. The pipe 20 is arcuately formed on a radius 41 corresponding to radius 40 of length 18 of arm 12, said pipe 20 having a major length portion 23 so arcuately formed extended from the lighting fixture 21 and proportioned of substantially smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the arcuate length 18 of the tubular arm 12 so that said length 23 of the pipe 20 may be freely slidably moved into and out of the arcuate length 18 adjacent the free end 16 of the tubular arm 12. It will be noted from 3,050,620 Patented Aug. 21, 1962 FIG. 2 that the arrangement described enables the light ing fixture to be moved so as to dispose a greater or lesser portion 42 of the pipe link 23 either inwardly of the free end of the tubular arm 16 (FIG. 2) or outwardly therefrom (FIG. 3). The radius 40 for arcuate length 18 differs from the angle 15 at which arm 12 extends from support 10, so that the angle defined by the longitudinal axis 24 of the length 23 of pipe 16 relative to a true horizontal line 25 may be set and changed to precisely the required degree to compensate for alterations caused for example, by the shifting of the vertical support 10 from a truly perpendicular position 11. The parts may be locked in adjusted position and readily disengaged and reset pursuant to the invention by provision of a longitudinal slit 26 inwardly of the free end 16 of the arm 12 substantially coextensive with the length of the arcuate portion 18 of said arm 12 and means are provided to compress the slit, such as apertured lugs 27, 28 (FIG. 5) disposed in straddling relation to said slit and adapted to receive therethrough bolt means 29. The arcuate length 18 of the arm 12 may be provided with means rearwardly of the lugs 27, 28 and preferably diametrically opposite (FIGS. 2 and 4) such as internally threaded lugs 30 fixed to length 18 of arm 12, bolts 31 passing through said lugs and through apertures 32 in the length 18 of the arm 12 (FIG. 4) and bearing against the pipe 16 to clamp it in position. Thus the lighting unit may be readily moved from its FIG. 1 to FIG. 2 or 3 or intermediate positions from time to time to attain precisely the desired adjustment in the field, with a minimum of time and effort, rapidly and accurately.

A major portion 33 of the tubular arm 12 may be disposed (as above noted) at the acute angle 15 relative to the longitudinal axis 11 of the vertical support 10. A brace plate 35 may be secured at one end 36, by welding or otherwise, to the arm 12, the opposite end of said brace plate 35 being secured directly to the vertical support 10 at a position lower than that at which the end 13 of the arm 12 is secured to said support, directly or through a bracket 37. Brace plate 35 is thus secured to the portion 33 of the arm 12 to define an acute angle 38 therewith (FIG. 1). A strut 39 may be secured, at opposite ends, to the brace plate 35 intermediate the length thereof and to the arm 12 in an arrangement such that when the brace plate and arm are secured to the vertical support 10- the strut 39 will be essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis 11 of the vertical support 1 0. The are 17 of the arm adjacent the free end 16 thereof is complementary to the angle 15 of the opposite end of the arm relative to the vertical support 11, for disposing the lighting unit 21 at the position desired for directing the rays of light 22 emanating therefrom downwardly onto the area to be lighted.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an outdoor lighting device including a vertical support and a lighting unit disposed in downwardly directed position in extended relation to said vertical support, a tubular arm, means fixedly securing one end of said arm to said vertical support so that said arm is at all times restrained from movement in relation to said support, said arm extending outwardly from said support at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of said vertical support, said arm being straight for a major portion of its length, said arm adjacent the free end being formed arcuately on a predetermined radius, a pipe secured at one end to said lighting unit and extending for a substantial length thereof from said lighting unit and curved to a radius conforming to that of the said portion of the arm adjacent the free end thereof and slidably mounted therein so that on movement of the said end of the pipe ina wardly and outwardly of the said arcu-ate free end portion of the arm, said lighting unit will be disposed at correspondingly difiierent angular positions relative to a line drawn at substantially right angles to the longitudinal axis of the vertical support, to thereby focus the light emitting from the lighting unit at correspondingly different areas therebelow said arm inwardly of the free end thereof being slit, apertured lugs secured to the arm in straddling relation to the slit portion thereof, said apertured lugs receiving means therethrough for compressing the slit portion of the arm about the pipe when the latter is positioned therein, to tightly hold the pipe in the arm, to the desired extent of insertion, for so focusing the light emitting from the light unit.

2. In an outdoor lighting unit as set forth in claim 1, said arm being provided with apertures rearwardly of 15 Bracket, Line Material Co., Milwaukee 1, Wis.

4 the lugs and diametrically opposed thereto and means passing through said apertures and against the pipe to clamp the pipe in said arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Amyot Feb. 11, 1930 2,710,207 Mueller June 7, 1955 10 2,734,760 Marquis et a1. Feb. 14,1956

2,908,809 Beach et a1 Oct. 13, 1959

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