Abstract:
A clip formed of flat spring steel stock material and operable in association with a lamp housing mounting arrangement of a downlighting fixture to exert a force on a lighting trim through the lamp housing to retain the trim snugly against a ceiling about an opening in the ceiling through which at least lowermost portions of the lamp housing and/or trim extends, an environmental space beneath the opening being illuminated through the opening by lamping carried by the lamp housing. In the preferred embodiment, an adjustable, U-shaped mounting yoke is carried by a conventional downlighting pan with the bight of the yoke being disposed immediately over a socket cup mounted to an uppermost end of the lamp housing or reflector, the clip extending between spaced arms of the yoke and being attached to a central portion of the clip. Upward displacement of the lamp housing after attachment to the clip causes the clip to deform and bias the lamp housing and associated trim upwardly to hold annular flanged lowermost portions of the lamp housing or trim in place about the ceiling opening to prevent light leakage and to provide a pleasing appearance. Alternate embodiments include spring elements formed of bent wires as well as strap stock which are configured to exert a force on a lamp housing or trim to maintain the lamp housing or trim about a ceiling opening.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates generally to ceiling-recessed downlighting fixtures and particularly to trim retention clip and mounting arrangements intended to facilitate snug mounting of a trim about a ceiling opening. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Lighting fixtures and particularly recessed downlighting fixtures mountable above the ceiling to building structural elements or to a gridwork of a suspended ceiling are commonly employed in both residential and commercial lighting applications due in part to the applicability of such lighting to an extraordinary variety of lighting applications as well as to the efficiency of such lighting. A description of recessed lighting fixtures in particular and components of such fixtures can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,423, the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinto by reference. While U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,423 provides particular disclosure of a pan or support element used for supporting the components of a downlighting fixture in place above a ceiling, it is to be understood that supporting pan structures of varying design are available in the art and that the present invention can be utilized with such supporting pan structures to produce the advantages described herein. In particular, downlighting pans conventionally mount a lamp housing and a junction box above an opening in a ceiling through which light is to be directed into an environmental space beneath the ceiling for illumination thereof. Electrical wiring is usually passed through a conduit between the junction box and the lamp housing for connection to lamping which produces the light directed into the environmental space. It is to be understood that the lamp housing can comprise a reflector per se such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,050, the patent being assigned to the present assignee and being incorporated hereinto by reference. In this patent, the reflector itself also functions as a trim and as a lamp housing, a socket cup being mounted over an upper end of the reflector. Wiring from the junction box through the conduit connects to the socket cup to power lamping mounted within the reflector/lamp housing. An integral flange formed about an end of the lamp housing is intended to cover the ceiling opening and perimetric portions of the ceiling disposed about the opening. Similarly, a conventional can can be provided as the lamp housing either with or without reflector trim or finishing trim mounted within the interior of the can. In such situations, finishing trim is typically provided which has flange portions about a lowermost opening of the trim, the opening in the trim and an opening in the can being substantially coincidental. A flange formed about the trim opening covers the ceiling hole to prevent light leakage and to provide a pleasing appearance. 
     The prior art is replete with mounting arrangements including spring-like clips and the like which are intended to ensure that flanged lower portions of a lamp housing, reflector trim, finishing trim or the like are pulled into and held in snug engagement with the ceiling hole. However, component weight coupled with the eventual progress of time often causes such springs to function less than perfectly especially over time, the prior art thus feeling a long-standing need for a mounting arrangement which will positively hold a flanged lower end of a lamp housing, trim or the like in place against the force of gravity so that product performance is maintained over time. As an example, Caluori, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,414, describes a recessed lighting fixture having retaining clips which can be adjusted to secure a lamp housing in place about a ceiling opening. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,041, Slocum provides spring clips disposed about a lamp mounting can in a recessed lighting fixture, the spring clips being intended to support an exterior cylinder of a pair of cylinders within a ceiling hole, the interior cylinder then being positioned within the exterior ceiling, the cylinder mounting arrangement being intended to mount the fixture in place about the ceiling opening. Still further, Jones, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,148, describes a lamp-mounting can having a flange formed about a lowermost opening, the can being received into a ceiling opening such that the flange is flush with the surfaces of the ceiling about the opening. Jones then provides a pair of spring elements which are compressed and inserted through a pair of slots formed in walls of the housing, the springs bearing against the slot and the interior surface of the ceiling in order to hold the flanged can in a flush position with the ceiling opening. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,610, Lahti provides a mounting arrangement for a recessed electrical fixture wherein first and second spring supports and a locator plate are used to secure the spring supports to the fixture. Portions of the first and second spring supports bias against upper surfaces of a ceiling to maintain the fixture in position in an opening formed in the ceiling. While the prior art provides structure intended to produce a result essentially identical to the result provided by the present invention, it is to be noted that the prior art has experienced a long-felt need for a simple and inexpensive structure capable of mounting a recessed downlighting fixture above a ceiling hole to provide the functions herein described with a minimum of expense and with long-term reliability. The present invention in the several embodiments herein described provides structure for mounting a recessed lighting fixture in place above an opening in a ceiling to cause structure such as a flanged lamp housing or the like to be received into the opening such that a flange is pulled into engagement with ceiling portions about the opening to cover the opening. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides in embodiments explicitly described herein and implicitly disclosed mounting arrangements carried by a conventional supporting pan of a downlighting fixture to mount a lamp housing structure to the pan and to exert a force by means of a resilient clip and particularly a clip formed of flat spring steel stock on the lamp housing structure to cause the structure to be pulled inwardly or upwardly of a ceiling such that an annular flange forming the perimeter of an opening of the lamp housing structure as an example is pulled into engagement with perimetric portions of a ceiling surface adjacent the opening. Lighting trim which can take a variety of physical forms is thus caused to be pulled against the opening in a ceiling through which light is directed from a downlighting fixture, the resilient clip which forms the active portion of the lamp housing mounting arrangement acting to “invert” gravity in its action upon the lamp housing. The clip acts against the pull of gravity on the lamp housing to maintain the lamp housing in a desired position relative to the ceiling opening so that light leakage from perimetric portions of the opening about exterior surfaces of the lamp housing is prevented. The clip and mounting arrangements of the invention positively maintain a lamp housing or trim in place relative to the ceiling opening in order to provide a pleasing appearance. 
     The clip and mounting arrangement of the invention can be used with a variety of structure which will be described herein as “trim”, the term trim including a self-supported reflector such as is commonly provided with a socket cup or the like for mounting lamping, the lamping being disposed within the interior of the reflector. In such situations, the reflector is usually provided with a finishing flange located outwardly of the opening in the distal end of the reflector, the opening in the reflector essentially being disposed coplanar with or in proximity to the ceiling opening with the flange providing a finished appearance as is well known in the art. A self-supporting reflector as described can also be provided with a finishing trim which would be inserted into the opening or “mouth” of the reflector, the finishing trim having a flange operable according to well-known principles in the downlighting arts to cover a ceiling opening. Still further, lamping can be housed through use of a “can” with the can carrying a lamp socket and lamping within the interior thereof, such a can typically having a reflector trim or finishing trim inserted into the mouth of the can to provide reflecting surfaces for improvement of lighting performance and also to provide a finishing flange operable as are the flanges described above. As can readily be seen, a lamp housing can take a variety of forms within a downlighting fixture and the present clip and lamp housing arrangements can be configured to accommodate this variety of structure. It is further to be noted that downlighting fixtures of differing description can be configured to function with the clip and mounting arrangements of the invention. In particular, mounting pans other than conventional flat pans can be employed, such pans being described as aforesaid in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,423 or in U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,414, entitled “Thermoplastic Pan Assembly for Mounting Recessed Lighting Fixtures in Ceilings and the Like” the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinto by reference. 
     The mounting arrangements of the invention can take a variety of forms as can the clip employed to produce the “gravity inversion” function. In particular, the clip is preferably formed of flat spring steel stock material, and is formed in an unstressed state as an arcuate body member having reduced-in-width arms located one each on either end of the body member with angled tabs extending one each from each of the arms. A medial portion of the clip body member is attached to structure such as a lamp housing which either has a finishing flange formed integrally therewith or which carries a finishing trim having a finishing flange. The tabs on either end of the clip are then inserted into openings in a mounting structure such as can take the form of a yoke of substantially U-shaped cross section. The lamp housing attached to the medial portion of the clip is then moved into a mounting position within a ceiling opening with the clip therefore being inverted and deformed in shape, shoulders of the clip body member at those locations thereof from which the arms extend allowing only a certain freedom of movement of the clip relative to the mounting arrangement, the inverted clip exerting pressure against the yoke at the locations where the arms move relative to the yoke to exert a positive force upwardly on the lamp housing or “trim” in order to maintain the trim in proper relation to the ceiling and ceiling opening. In order to adjust the mounting arrangement, the yoke is carried for sliding movement by leg elements having scales which allow predetermined selection of the height of the mounting arrangement, the legs being mounted directly to the pan itself. Other clip structures include structure best formed of wire bent to a desired configuration. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide clip and mounting arrangements for downlighting trim which act to exert a force directly or indirectly on such trim to maintain a finishing flange of the trim in a covering relationship with a ceiling opening above which a downlighting fixture is mounted for illumination of an environmental space. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a trim retention clip operable to “invert” gravity for exertion of a force on a trim having a finishing flange to maintain the trim in a desired relationship with a ceiling opening and to continuously exert a force on the trim against gravity for maintaining the trim and thus the finishing flange in a desired location. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide mounting arrangements for a lamp housing and/or trim having a finishing flange and including a clip formed of flat spring steel carried for movement relative to the mounting arrangements by said arrangements and connecting directly or indirectly to a trim which can comprise a lamp housing having a finishing flange or a trim having a finishing flange and mounted to a lamp housing to which the clip is attached, the trim so mounted being drawn positively into a ceiling opening so that a finishing flange of the trim snugly engages about the ceiling opening to prevent light leakage and to provide a pleasing appearance. 
     Further objects and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent in light of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view in perspective of a particular embodiment of the invention wherein the clip of the invention is used with particular mounting structure such as would be employed in the use of a self-supporting reflector having an integral finishing flange, the reflector mounting a socket cup and having lamping connected to the socket cup and being disposed essentially within the confines of the reflector; 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view in partial section of a fixture configured according to the invention and shown in an assembled configuration, the clip of the invention being shown in phantom in the unassembled configuration; 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the clip of the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the clip of the invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view in partial section of an embodiment of the invention configured with the mounting arrangement of the invention disposed interiorly of a lamp housing which takes the form of a can; 
     FIG. 6 is an idealized perspective view of another embodiment of a clip structure which is formed of resilient wire and which includes pivotable central structure which can be connected to a socket cup or reflector of a lamp housing; 
     FIG. 7 is an idealized perspective view of yet another embodiment of the clip structure of the invention and having a general conformation similar to the clip structure shown in FIG. 6, the clip structure of FIG. 7 being formed of resilient strapping material; 
     FIG. 8 is an idealized perspective view of a further embodiment of the invention wherein a mounting arrangement includes a clip structure formed of wire and having a central platform portion mountable to a socket cup or reflector of a lamp housing, ends of the clip snapping onto support structure mounted to a fixture pan; 
     FIG. 9 is an idealized perspective view of a mounting arrangement having a clip structure formed of a sinusoidal wire element connected at each end to wire structure which is preferably integrally formed with a wire frame pan; and, 
     FIG. 10 is an idealized perspective view illustrating a mounting arrangement having a clip formed of wire stock wherein a medial portion of the clip is attached to a socket cup or a reflector with ends of the clip being joined to a pan or similar support. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a downlighting fixture is seen generally at  10  to comprise a pan  12  and a lamp housing  16  of conventional design. The lamp housing  16  in this embodiment of the invention takes the form of a self-supporting reflector having a socket cup  18  mounted to an upper end thereof and terminating in a finishing flange  20  which forms an annulus about mouth  22  of the lamp housing  16 . Although not shown, the fixture  10  would include a junction box inter alia to provide necessary function to the fixture. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates the placement of the pan  12  immediately above an opening  24  formed in ceiling  26  of an environmental space. Attachment structure such as is well known in the art is utilized to mount the assembly in place relative to the opening  24  such that the mouth  22  of the lamp housing  16  communicates with the interior of the environmental space surmounted by the ceiling  26 . Light from lamping (not shown) mounted within the interior of the lamp housing  16  and provided with electrical power through the socket cup  18  from wiring (not shown) extending from a junction box (now shown) is directed through the mouth  22  of the housing  16  and thus into the interior of the environmental space surmounted by the ceiling  26 . 
     In order to prevent light leakage from the ceiling opening  24  and also to provide a pleasing appearance, it is desirable that the finishing flange  20  fit snuggly about the opening  24  in the ceiling  26 , it being necessary to accomplish this snug fit against the pull of gravity on the lamp housing  16 . 
     In order to mount the lamp housing  16  appropriately and to exert a continuing force on the housing  16  to cause a snug fit between the flange  20  and the opening  24  of the ceiling, a mounting arrangement shown generally at  28  is provided which includes a clip  30 , a yoke  32  and supporting legs  34 . Each of the supporting legs  34  is substantially L-shaped in conformation with a base plate  36  being disposed perpendicularly to a body plate  38 , lateral edges of the body plate  38  being turned inwardly to form a guideway  40  into which one of the legs  42  can be slidably received so that the yoke  32  can be moved vertically relative to the supporting legs  34  and thus the pan  12 . The supporting legs  34  are each mounted to the pan  12  by means of screws or the like. Each leg  42  of the yoke  32  is provided with a slot  44  which extends vertically and longitudinally along the leg  42 . A slot  46  is formed in each of the legs  42  above the slot  44  and near upper ends of the legs  42 . The yoke  32  is completed by the provision of a bight  48  which joins the legs  42 . 
     Scale plates  50  can be fitted on inner vertical wall surfaces of the supporting legs  34  so that the yoke  32  can be mounted at a desired location relative to the supporting legs  34 , screws  52  or similar fasteners being used to mount the yoke  32  through the respective slots  44  aligned with threaded apertures  54  formed near upper ends of the supporting legs  34 . 
     The yoke  32  can therefore be positioned above the plane of the pan  12  at a desired height. More importantly, the slots  46  formed in the respective legs  42  are positioned a desired height above the plane of the pan  12 . In a preferred embodiment, the slots  46  are essentially rectangular in shape and are disposed horizontally relative to the plane of the pan  12 . 
     Referring now to FIG.  1  and also to FIGS. 3 and 4, the clip  30  is seen to comprise a strap-like structural element which can be formed of flat spring steel stock material or similar material having resilience such that the clip  30  when properly mounted by the mounting arrangement  28  will exert a continuous force on the lamp housing  16  to cause proper seating of the finishing flange  20  about the opening  24 . The clip  30  comprises a main body portion  56  of a thickness of approximately 0.020 inch with a Rockwell hardness of C45 to C48. A preferred material is 302 full hard stainless steel. It is to be noted that the clip  30  can be deformed at least within certain limits and returned to the conformation shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 when at rest. The ends of the main body portion  56  terminate in angled straps  58  which bend from the plane of the main body portion  56  when the clip  30  is at rest. The respective ends of the straps  58  terminate with tabs  60  which bend from the straps  58  respectively at angles of approximately 90° from a line tangent to each strap  58  at the juncture thereof with the tabs  60 . The tabs  60  are typically about one-half inch in length with the clip  30  at rest being approximately 16 inches in length, each strap being approximately 3 inches in length. The width of the main body portion  56  is taken in preferred embodiments to be approximately one inch with the width of the straps  58  being approximately one-half inch. The radius of the straps  58  relative to a plane within which the main body portion  56  lies is approximately 4.2 inches. Corners of the main body portion  56  proximus to the juncture of the angled straps  58  thereto have radii of approximately 0.1 inch. An aperture  62  is formed medially of the main body portion  56  and receives a screw or similar fastener  64  therethrough to connect to the socket cup  18  as is best seen in FIG.  1 . The screw  64  can attach the clip  30  to the socket cup  18 , and thus the lamp housing  16 , either before or after the ends of the clip  30  are received into the slots  46  formed in the respective legs  42  of the yoke  32 . In a well-organized installation of the fixture  10 , the mounting arrangement  28  is first mounted to the pan  12  with the supporting legs  32  being attached to the pan  12  followed by mounting of the yoke  32  to the legs  34  at a desired location measured by the scale plates  50 , the screws  52  being used to positively connect the yoke  32  to the legs  34 . The screw  64  is then used to connect the clip  30  to the socket cup  18  and thus to the lamp housing  16 , this assembly being extended from beneath the ceiling  26  into the opening  24  with the tabs  60  of the clip  30  then being inserted one each into the slots  46  of the yoke  32 , the clip  30  staying in place until further assembly due to the fact that the tabs  60  are angled relative to the straps  58 . In this conformation, the clip  30  generally assumes the shape shown in FIG.  1  and also in phantom in FIG.  2 . The lamp housing  16  is then further inserted into the opening  24  to an engagement of the flange  20  with perimetric portions of the ceiling  26  about the opening  24  to seat the finishing flange  20  in a desired relation with the ceiling opening  24 . This insertion causes deformation of the clip  30 , thereby to cause each of the straps  58  to push through the respective slots  46  until further movement of the straps  58  within the slots are prevented by engagement of shoulder portions  66  of the main body portion  56  against interior wall portions of the yoke legs  42  on either side of the slots  46 . In other words, the width of the straps  58  are dimensioned along with the dimensions of the slots  46  to allow movement of the straps  58  through the slots  46 . However, the main body portion  56  of the clip  30  cannot move through the slots  46  due to the greater width of the main body portion  56 . The resilient clip  30  therefore biases against each of the legs  42  to exert an upwardly displacing force against the lamp housing  16 . The finishing flange  12  is thus continuously urged into a snug fit within the opening  24  and the ceiling  26 . 
     Although the clip  30  has been described hereinabove as being formed from resilient strap stock, it is to be understood that a similar clip (not shown) could be formed of wire stock with a wire similar to piano wire being formed in the shape of the perimeter of the clip  30  with a platform (not shown) being medially disposed of such a wire clip for attachment to a socket cup, reflector or lamp housing of other description. The ends of such a wire frame clip would function in essentially the same manner as corresponding structure of the clip  30 . Embodiments of the present clip structure which are described hereinafter have similarities to a wire frame clip configured essentially as described relative to modification of the clip  30 . It is further to be noted that the clip  30  and modifications thereof can be attached directly to a reflector or finishing trim even though FIGS. 1 and 2 show such an attachment to a socket cup such as the socket cup  18 . Essentially, the clip  30  or modifications thereof require connection either directly or indirectly to structure on which a finishing flange such as the flange  20  is provided so that force can be exerted through such a connection to cause the flange  20  to be pulled tightly against a ceiling opening or the like as has been described herein. 
     Further note should be taken and reference made to FIG. 5 wherein the clip  30  mounts at its ends through slot openings  70  formed in oppositely disposed side walls of a can  14 , the can  14  effectively acting as a frame functionally identical to the yoke  32  of FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 5, the clip  30  attaches directly to a reflector  72 . It is to be understood that a socket or a socket cup such as the socket cup  18  of FIGS. 1 and 2 could be employed in the structure of FIG. 5 to provide intermediate connection between the clip  30  and the reflector  72 . 
     FIG. 6 is seen to provide an idealized view of a clip  80  formed of a wire such as music wire, the clip  80  being formed of two substantially arcuate body elements  82  pivotally connected at inner ends by means of a pivot platform  84  having an aperture  86  formed therein to receive a screw  88  for connection to a socket cup  90  or to a reflector or lamp housing trim or the like. The body elements  82  are pivotally connected at outer ends to respective platforms  92  which are connected directly to a pan structure which is not shown in the figure. The clip  80  through the resilient body elements  82  thus exerts an upward force on the socket cup  90  and the reflector/lamp housing/trim mounted by the socket cup  90 . 
     FIG. 7 is essentially identical to the structure seen in FIG. 6 with the exception that the clip  100  is formed of two body elements  102  formed of resilient strap stock essentially identical to the material from which the clip  30  of FIGS. 1 and 2 is formed. In the structures of FIGS. 6 and 7, the ends of the respective body elements  82  and  102  can pivot relative to a supporting pan structure or can be fixed relative thereto. Similarly, the clip  80  of FIG.  6  and the clip  100  of FIG. 7 can be provided with structure which connects directly to structure such as the socket cup  90  but without pivoting of the respective body elements  82  and  102  relative to each other. 
     Referring now to FIG. 8, a clip  10  which can be formed of either wire stock or spring strap stock is seen to be provided with a platform  112  disposed medially of the clip  110  and having an aperture  114  formed therein for receipt of a screw  116  which connects the clip  110  to a socket cup  118  or the like. As seen in FIG. 8, the clip  110  is formed of wire stock but could be readily formed of resilient strap stock in which case the platform  112  could be integral with the clip. In either situation, ends of the clip  110  can be formed with an inward reverse portion  120  which terminates in a downward yoke  122 , the shape of the portion  120  and the yoke  122  fitting against and snapping into place on a channel bracket  124  connected to a supporting pan structure (not shown) at each end of the clip  110 . 
     FIG. 9 illustrates in idealized form the mounting of a clip  130  to a wire frame pan  132  which is similar in structure to that wire frame pan described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,423, only portions of the pan  132  being seen and wherein those visible portions are shaped to form integral bight brackets  134  on opposite sides of a ceiling opening. The clip  130  is preferably formed of a relatively heavy gauge resilient wire formed into a sinusoidal configuration and being attached at each end to one each of the bight brackets  134 . A mounting platform  138  attached to the clip  130  medially thereof and having an aperture  140  formed therein is thus connectable by means of a screw  142  to a socket cup  144  or directly to a reflector, trim or the like. The clip  130  could be formed of resilient strap stock material and connected to the brackets  134  at respective ends thereof. When formed of strap stock, the mounting platform  138  of FIG. 9 could be formed integrally with the clip structure which would thus result. The clip  130  is best configured with a slight upward bow or arch preformed into the clip  130 . 
     FIG. 10 is seen to illustrate a wire clip  150  having a central portion formed into a loop  151  capable of receiving a screw  152  for connection to a socket cup  154  or the like. Ends of the clip  150  would also be formed into loops along horizontal feet  156  at the respective ends of the clip  150  so that screws (not shown) could be employed to attach the clip  150  to a pan support structure (not shown). Portions of the clip  150  on either side of loop  151  are arcuately formed in order to facilitate exertion of an upward force on the socket cup  154  and thus on a trim or the like mounted thereto. 
     It can thus be seen that mounting arrangements according to the invention can take a variety of forms including the form of wire frame elements connecting to a pan including wire frame pans, such wire frame elements mounting resilient clips formed of wire stock or strap stock which exert continuous forces on a lamp housing, a lamp-mounting can having trim mounted therein or on trim per se, the salient feature of the invention being a mounting arrangement capable of exerting continuous and uninterrupted forces on structure of a fixture to cause a finishing flange to seat snugly against a ceiling opening so as to retain the finishing flange in a desired relation to the ceiling opening. Accordingly, while the invention has been explicitly described in relation to particular, embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention can be practiced other than as is explicitly shown without departing from the scope of the invention as to defined by the appended claims.