Abstract:
The system of the present invention provides this advantage by providing an elongated cabinet light having walls which are joined at an edge which engages a corner, shelf, top surface, side surface, or bottom surface of the cabinet. An illumination source is positioned within the walls defining the lamp housing and a light transmissive cover is placed across the free ends of the walls with a portion thereof provided diagonally to maximize the light output. The light can be mounted in the inside corner of the front of a cabinet adjacent the door. The light may include a lens extrusion flange which prevents viewing the cut edge of a cabinet shelf when the lamp unit extends between one or more shelves of the cabinet.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/887,447, filed on Jan. 31, 2007, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a cabinet lamp and one which is adapted for mounting in the corner of a cabinet. 
         [0003]    There exists a variety of aftermarket light fixtures that can be employed for the illumination of a cabinet. Such fixtures include flat, elongated fluorescent fixtures, which are typically mounted to the undersurface of a top shelf or other shelves of a cabinet to project light downwardly onto a lower shelf. Other aftermarket lighting accessories include lamp modules which mount to the side walls of a cabinet for providing illumination horizontally outwardly from the side wall. Such fixtures, although providing interior illumination for a cabinet, frequently interfere with the storage space available in the cabinet and can be easily bumped and damaged while placing items within a cabinet. There exists a need, therefore, for an improved cabinet lighting system in which illumination is provided to the interior of a cabinet in an efficient manner but one which does not interfere with storage or ingress and egress of items to and from the cabinet. 
         [0004]    These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The system of the present invention provides this advantage by providing an elongated cabinet light having walls which are joined at an edge which may engage a corner of the cabinet. Illumination means is positioned within the walls defining the lamp housing and a light transmissive cover is placed across the free ends of the walls and has at least one portion that is diagonal relative to the walls to maximize the light output. 
         [0006]    According to one aspect of the present invention, a cabinet light is provided for the illumination of the interior of a cabinet. The cabinet light comprising: an elongated housing having a pair of intersecting walls coupled to each other along one edge and having opposed free edges, wherein at least one of the walls includes mounting structure for attaching the at least one wall to a surface of a cabinet adjacent a corner, an interior bottom surface of the cabinet, an interior top surface of the cabinet, interior side surfaces, or at least one shelf of the cabinet; a source of illumination coupled to the housing; and a light transmissive cover extending between the walls adjacent the free edges for directing illumination outwardly from the housing along a substantial section of the elongated housing, at least a portion of the cover extending diagonally relative to the walls. 
         [0007]    According to another aspect of the invention, a cabinet including a light is provided for the illumination of the interior of the cabinet. The cabinet/light combination comprising: a cabinet having a pair of intersecting surfaces defining a corner; an elongated housing having a pair of walls coupled to each other along one edge and having opposed free edges, wherein the walls intersect at generally the same angle as the surfaces and wherein at least one of the walls includes mounting structure for attaching the at least one wall to a surface of the cabinet adjacent the corner; a source of illumination coupled to the housing; and a light transmissive cover extending between the walls adjacent the free edges for directing illumination outwardly from the housing along a substantial section of the elongated housing, at least a portion of the cover extending diagonally relative to the walls. The pair of intersecting surfaces may include a side panel and a front panel of the cabinet. 
         [0008]    According to another aspect of the invention, a cabinet including a light is provided for the illumination of the interior of the cabinet. The cabinet/light combination comprising: a cabinet having an interior bottom surface, an interior top surface, interior side surfaces, and at least one shelf; an elongated housing having a pair of walls coupled to each other along one edge and having opposed free edges, wherein at least one of the walls includes mounting structure for attaching to at least one of the interior bottom surface, interior top surface, interior side surfaces, or one of the at least one shelf of the cabinet; a source of illumination coupled to the housing; and a light transmissive cover extending between the walls adjacent the free edges for directing illumination outwardly from the housing along a substantial section of the elongated housing, at least a portion of the cover extending diagonally relative to the walls. 
         [0009]    According to other aspects of the invention, the light transmissive cover may include transmissive portions and opaque portions, the opaque portions provided to block light from projecting directly towards a door of the cabinet. The light transmissive cover may be formed from an extruded piece of plastic. 
         [0010]    According to other aspects of the invention, the housing may extend generally horizontally or vertically within the cabinet. The cabinet may include at least one horizontally extending shelf having an aperture therethrough where the housing extends through the aperture such that light from the source of illumination illuminates opposite sides of the shelf. The aperture may be formed in a front corner of the shelf and the light is mounted so as to project light toward the back of the cabinet. The light transmissive cover may include a flange that extends outward to cover a cut edge of the shelf. 
         [0011]    The source of illumination may include a circuit board disposed in substantially parallel spaced relationship to the cover. Additionally, the source of illumination may comprises a plurality of lamps (which may be light emitting diodes) positioned in spaced relationship on the circuit board. 
         [0012]    The light may further include a heat sink thermally coupled to the source of illumination. The heat sink may be formed from an integral extrusion and may comprise a support member having a planar surface that is diagonally disposed relative to the walls of the housing, where the planar surface configured to accommodate and secure a circuit board on which the source of illumination is mounted. The heat sink may further include a plurality of fins extending from an opposite side of the support member from the planar surface, the fins including a middle fin that extends further from the support member than other ones of the plurality of fins. The heat sink may also include a pair of arms that extend from opposing edges of the support member in an opposite direction than the fins, the pair of arms tabs for engaging and securing the cover. 
         [0013]    The light may further comprises a pair of cover caps secured to opposite ends of the light. The cover caps comprise vent holes formed through the cover caps to allow heat to escape. The cover caps may comprise a wiring hole for wiring to pass into the light for supplying power to the source of illumination. The cover caps may comprise integrated latches for snapping onto the light. 
         [0014]    It is to be understood that the foregoing description is exemplary of the invention only and is intended to provide an overview for the understanding of the nature and character of the invention as it is defined by the claims. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated and constitute part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various features and embodiments of the invention, which, together with their description serve to explain the principals and operation of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    In the drawings: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the light assembly installed in a cabinet, shown extending through a cabinet shelf so as to illuminate two areas of the cabinet; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the light assembly shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the light assembly shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the light assembly, taken along section line IV-IV of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the light assembly, taken along section line V-V of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the light assembly, taken along section line VI-VI of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a front elevational view of a cabinet showing various positions to which the cabinet light may be mounted within the cabinet; 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the light assembly installed in a cabinet, shown extending through a cabinet shelf so as to illuminate two areas of the cabinet; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the light assembly, taken along section line IX-IX of  FIG. 8 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. 
         [0026]    For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as shown in the drawings. However, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative orientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices illustrated in the attached drawings and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions, proportions, and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiment disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. 
         [0027]    The embodiments of a light  100  and  200  are shown herein as being mounted on the inside of a cabinet  10 . As best shown in  FIGS. 1 and 7 , a typical cabinet  10  may include: a first side panel  12   a,  a second side panel  12   b,  which extends in parallel with first side panel  12   a;  a top panel  16  that extends between the top edges of side panels  12   a  and  12   b;  a bottom panel  18  that extends along the bottom edges of side panels  12   a  and  12   b;  and an optional rear panel  15  that may be generally perpendicular to all the aforementioned panels so as to extend between the rear edges of all four panels. It should be noted, however, that in the event the cabinet is mounted in a corner, additional side/rear panels may be provided. In general, it is intended that lights  100  and  200  may be mounted within any cabinet. Such cabinets may further include one or more shelves  20  that extend parallel to the top panel  16  and bottom panel  18 . Further, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the cabinet may include front panels  14  which generally extend between the front edges of panels  12   a,    12   b,    16 , and  18  and which define one or more openings that are accessible by opening one or more doors (not shown). It should be noted that some cabinets are constructed that do not include front panels  14 . 
         [0028]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , light  100 / 200  may be mounted to an interior bottom surface of bottom panel  18 , and interior top surface of top panel  16 , interior side surface of either of side panels  12   a  and  12   b,  or to any surface of a shelf  20 . In addition, the light fixture may be mounted to an interior surface of rear panel  15  or an interior surface of front panel  14 . Moreover, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 8 , light  100 / 200  may be mounted in a corner formed by any two of the aforementioned surfaces. In the particular embodiments shown and discussed in the remaining portion of the application, lights  100  and  200  are mounted in a front corner to the inside surfaces of a side panel  12   a  and front panel  14 . Although the lights may extend horizontally (as shown in  FIG. 7 ), the embodiments discussed below show the lights mounted vertically. The lights could also be mounted externally to the cabinet for above- or below-cabinet lighting. 
         [0029]    As also shown in the disclosed embodiments, the lights may be mounted to extend through a plane in which a shelf  20  is disposed. In this case, an aperture  22  may be cut or otherwise formed in the front corner of shelf  20  as best shown in  FIGS. 1 and 8 . This enables lights  100  and  200  to project light substantially rearward in the cabinet both above and below a shelf  20 . This may eliminate the need for a separate light fixture to be provided both above and below each shelf  20 . As will be described further below, each of lights  100  and  200  includes a light transmissive cover having at least one surface that is disposed diagonally relative to the corner in which the light is mounted so as to efficiently project the light throughout the interior of the cabinet. 
         [0030]    With reference to  FIGS. 1-6 , a first embodiment of the present invention will now be described. As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , light  100  includes an elongated housing  105  (see  FIGS. 3-6 ) and a pair of mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  disposed at opposite ends of housing  105 . The mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  may include respective flanges  109   a  and  109   b  which extend towards one another around the outer periphery of the light to conceal the edges of housing  105  and a light transmissive cover  120  which both extend between mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b.  In addition, light  100  may include a first cover cap  130   a  and a second cover cap  130   b  that are attached to opposite ends of the light, as further described below. 
         [0031]      FIGS. 4 ,  5 , and  6  show that light  100  may further comprise a source of illumination which may include a plurality of lamps, or more particularly (as illustrated) a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs)  140  that are spaced apart and mounted to a mounting member, which may be a circuit board  150 . Circuit board  150  may be mounted to a heat sink  160 . In general, heat sink  160  and cover  120  are formed by extrusion-meaning that they have an identical cross-section to that illustrated in  FIG. 6  along their entire length. By forming the heat sink  160  and the cover  120  in this fashion, lights  100  may be readily constructed with varying lengths. In particular, one would only need to cut the lengths longer or shorter and provide different circuit boards with differing amounts of LEDs  140  to change the length of the light given the remaining construction. Housing  105  may similarly be a single extruded piece. 
         [0032]    Having generally described most of the components of light  100 , a detailed description of the various components is provided below. It should be understood that such detailed descriptions are not intended to limit the invention. 
         [0033]    As shown in the Figures, housing  105  comprises side walls  104   a  and  104   b  that intersect at an angle of about 90 degrees. It will be appreciated, however, that this angle may vary, particularly depending upon the angle at which the intersecting panels of the cabinet meet. 
         [0034]    Cover  120  may be configured to have at least one portion-namely, surface  121 , that extends diagonally relative to side walls  104   a  and  104   b  of housing  105 . Light transmissive cover  120  may also include both transmissive portions  122  and opaque or less transmissive portions  124 , which are provided to block light from projecting directly towards the door of the cabinet or in other directions that are not particularly desirable. Cover  120  is preferably made of a plastic material and may include integral ridging, lenses, or diffusers to most effectively project the light for a particular application. 
         [0035]    If light  100  is provided so as to pass through an aperture  22  in a shelf  20  as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  6 , cover  120  may include a flange  126  that extends outward from a corner of cover  120  so as to hide the cut in the shelf  20  for forming aperture  22 . Such a cut would otherwise be visible by a person looking into the cabinet. 
         [0036]    As best shown in  FIG. 6 , cover  120  may include tabs  128   a  and  128   b  that extend inward so as to engage mating tabs  168   a  and  168   b,  respectively, of heat sink  160 . This may allow the cover to be snapped into the heat sink  160  or it may be slid lengthwise into engagement with heat sink  160  prior to attaching mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b.    
         [0037]    Heat sink  160  may include a support member  161  that has a generally planar surface to which circuit board  150  may be mounted. Mounting of the circuit board  150  to the surface of support member  161  may be by any conventional means so as to provide the most efficient thermal coupling of the heat sink to the circuit board. Heat sink  160  further includes the aforementioned tabs or arms  168   a  and  168   b  that extend towards cover  120  from opposite edges of support member  161 . As described above, these arms or tabs  168   a  and  168   b  are provided to engage corresponding tabs  128   a  and  128   b  of cover  120 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , it is preferable that support member  161  is configured such that the planar surface on which circuit board  150  is mounted is substantially parallel to the diagonal surface  121  of cover  120 . This allows the LEDs  140  to be mounted flush with the circuit board  150  which aids in the thermal conduction from the LEDs  140  to the heat sink  160 . In addition, this allows the LEDs to be generally aimed to project light perpendicularly through the diagonal surface  121  of cover  120 . In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the diagonal surface  121 , circuit board  150 , and planar surface of support member  161  are at approximately 45 degrees relative to the side panel  12   a  and front panel  14  of cabinet  10 . Other angles may be appropriate for different cabinets or effects. 
         [0038]    Heat sink  160  is preferably formed of an extruded metal, such as aluminum, that has good heat conduction properties while also providing sufficient structural rigidity so as to provide the primary internal support for the light. More particularly, mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  would represent the only other primary means for support in that they are both formed of metal or other rigid material and include apertures  103   a  and  103   b  through which screws may be used to mount the light to the cabinet. Mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  may be attached to opposite ends of the extruded heat sink  160  by means of respective screws  102   a  and  102   b.  As shown in  FIG. 6 , screws  102   a  and  102   b  may engage heat sink  160  between the parallel fins  162  that extend from support member  161  in a direction opposite that of which the light is generally projected. 
         [0039]    In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the heat sink comprises a first middle fin  162   a  which is the longest of the fins and which extends closest to the interior corner formed by side walls  104   a  and  104   b  of housing  105 . Additional fins  162   b,    162   c,    162   d,    162   e,  and  162   f  extend in parallel to first fin  162   a  but have shorter lengths due to the angular positioning of heat sink  160  within housing  105  relative to side walls  104   a  and  104   b.  These fins extend down the length of heat sink  160 , particularly if heat sink  160  is extruded. In the embodiment shown where light  100  is mounted vertically, it may be beneficial to have the fins extend vertically from heat sink  160  such that hot air may readily move upward between the fins and then out of the device. It may nevertheless be possible that if it is known that the light will be mounted horizontally, the fins would extend perpendicular to the direction in which they are shown as to extend in  FIG. 6 . Such an arrangement, however, would not enable the heat sink  160  to be extruded. 
         [0040]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3 , and  5 , cover caps  130   a  and  130   b  may include one or more holes  132   a  and  132   b,  respectively, to allow wiring to pass therethrough and/or provide holes for venting the hot air dissipating from the heat sink  160 . Any hole  132   a  or  132   b  provided for the wiring, is preferably positioned at the corner of the cover cap that is closest to the corner of the cabinet such that the wiring may be run in a manner that is hidden within the cabinet corner. Cover caps  130   a  and  130   b  may be formed of any material and may specifically be formed of a plastic material. Mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  are preferably plastic, but may be formed of a metal to provide further means of heat sinking. Mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  preferably include apertures so as to not internally seal off the ends of heat sink  160 , but otherwise to allow sufficient venting of the air across the fins of the heat sink. 
         [0041]    The cover caps  103   a  and  103   b  preferably include integral latches  134   a,    134   b,    136   a,  and  136   b  that allow the cover caps  130   a  and  130   b  to be snapped in place. As illustrated, the latches  134   a  and  134   b  of cover caps  130   a  and  130   b  pass through apertures  101   a  and  101   b  provided through an internal surface of mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  respectively. It should be noted however, that the latches  134   a  and  134   b  may otherwise latch to mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  without passing through any apertures. Latches  136   a  and  136   b  of cover caps  130   a  and  130   b  are configured to engage respective tabs  111   a  and  111   b  of respective mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b.    
         [0042]    Circuit board  150  may be any conventional circuit board, but preferably is a FR4 circuit board or a metal clad circuit board so as to optimize the transmission of heat from the LEDs  140  to heat sink  160 . 
         [0043]    The LEDs are preferably LUMILED REBEL LEDs, which emit a warm white light. It should be appreciated, however, that other LEDs may be used depending upon the color temperature or color that one wishes to project. 
         [0044]    With the construction discussed above, the circuit board  150  with light sources  140  mounted thereon, may be first attached to heat sink  160  and then cover  120  may be attached to heat sink  160 . Housing  105  may optionally be attached to heat sink  160  or otherwise temporarily held in place. Once housing  105 , heat sink  160 , and cover  120  are generally positioned together, mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  may then be attached to the respective ends of heat sink  160  by means of screws  102   a  and  102   b.  By attaching the mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  to the heat sink  160 , the flanges  109   a  and  109   b  serve as collars that extend around the outer peripheries of cover  120  and housing  105  further holding these components in place. One would then secure light  100  to cabinet  10  by utilizing screws through holes  103   a  and  103   b  provided in mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b,  respectively. Once this is completed, one would connect the end of a power supply wire connector  170  into a mating receptacle  172  that is electrically coupled to circuit board  150 . Once the steps are completed, cover caps  130   a  and  130   b  may be snapped in place on mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  for aesthetic purposes. As one will then see, the primary mechanical support for light  100  is provided by the combination of mounting caps  107   a  and  107   b  and heat sink  160 . It should be appreciated, however, that other forms of support may be provided within light  100 . 
         [0045]    A second embodiment of a light  200  according to a second embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . Light  200  is similar to light  100  with the exception that a portion of diagonal surface  100  of cover  120 , particularly that portion  124  which is opaque, is truncated. This truncation is provided so that no portion of light  200  extends beyond the opening defined by the front panel  14  of the cabinet. As shown, the cut edge of the shelf may be provide so as to be positioned behind the peripheral edge of front panel  14  thereby eliminating the need for a flange  126  such as that provided in the first embodiment. 
         [0046]    An additional difference is that instead of including a plug-type connector  172 , insulation displacement terminals  270   a  and  270   b  may be provided such that the insulated wires that run to the lights need not include connectors  170 . Such insulation displacement terminals  270  would allow one to simply push the insulated wires down into the openings of the terminals which would cut through the insulation and make electrical contact with the metal wire within the insulated wire. In addition to these connection means, other types of connectors or terminals located on circuit board  150  could also serve the purpose of making electrical connections to the power supply and other identical lamps in series or in parallel. 
         [0047]    In the example shown in  FIG. 9 , the hole cut in shelf  22  is large enough to allow light  200  including flanges  109   a  and  109   b  of cover caps  130   a  and  130   b  to be slid therethrough. It will be appreciated, however, that the hole in shelf  22  may be smaller to more closely fit around cover  120  with the tradeoff that the cover caps would not be able to slide through the hole. It should also be noted that in  FIG. 9 , the thickness of flange  109   b  of cover cap  130   b  is shown as being thinner than cover  120 . It may be preferable to make the cover cap as thick as cover  120  and also to provide space for housing  105  between flange  109   b  and heat sink  160 . 
         [0048]    Lights  100  and  200  may be activated by a cabinet-mounted switch provided at the opening of the cabinet such that the opening of the door actuates the light, or by a manually, conventionally placed separate switch. 
         [0049]    The above description is considered that of the preferred embodiment only. Modifications of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art and to those who make or use the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the embodiment shown in the drawings and described above is merely for illustrative purposes and not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law, including the doctrine of equivalents.