Abstract:
A lamp assembly, that has a fixed base, and a yoke which is controlled to move relative to the base to cause a panning motion. The yoke holds a lamp head. The yoke has a bottom portion and a top portion. A lamp head, which includes a light source therein, is coupled to said bottom portion of the yoke. The lamp head moves to form a tilting motion, thereby allowing both pan and tilt. The yoke includes handles thereon, including a first handle on a bottom most portion of said yoke, and a second handle on a top most portion of said yoke. One embodiment has the handles integrated into the yoke, e.g., molded to or recessed into the yoke.

Description:
This application claims priority from provisional application No. 61/076,827, filed Jun. 30, 2008, the disclosure of which is herewith incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     Moving lights are often used in temporary venues, and moved frequently between the venues. The lights are carried or otherwise conveyed from a warehouse onto a truck, driven to the show, and then eventually hung on a truss. The lights are often handled by a number of different people during the transportation. 
     Some lights can be handled by a single person, and other lights require multiple different people to carry and hang them. The logistics of the size of lights and the way the lights are handled can cause damage or improper setup. 
     As lights become physically larger for various reasons, they become heavier and more awkward to handle. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to an embodiment, handles are coupled to a yoke of a moving light on both a bottom of the yoke, and of a top of the yoke. 
     In embodiments, the handles are at the lowest possible portion on the yoke, below the center of gravity of the whole light, and also at the highest possible portion of the yoke, above the center of gravity of the light. 
     In embodiments, the yoke that supports the moving head is controlled to move in a panning direction. The moving head itself moves in a tilting direction. Motors that are held within the device control the moving between the pan and tilt direction. A control part may also include certain kinds of control mechanisms therein for the motors. 
     According to an embodiment, the yoke has a handle at a topmost portion/top edge of the yoke, and also at a bottommost portion of the yoke. In an embodiment, that handle is indented into the yoke in a way that prevents any part of the handle from extending beyond the outer surface defined by the outer part of the yoke. In one embodiment, the handle is molded into the yoke surface. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other aspects will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows a diagram of the light with the improved handles from the back, with the light as it would be mounted on a truss; 
         FIG. 2  shows a diagram of the light as mounted base-down; 
         FIG. 3  shows the light in the stowed position, wherein the light is facing completely parallel with the direction of yoke, thereby rendering even the center of gravity with respect to the lateral dimension; 
         FIG. 4  shows a side view of the light; 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  show top diagrams of the light; 
         FIG. 7  shows a front-on diagram of the light; and 
         FIG. 8  shows a rear side diagram of the light. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of a moving light  99 . Moving light  99  has three basic parts, the moving head  100 , the yoke  110 , and the control/connection part  120 . 
     The moving head  100  produces and controls light, and outputs that light through a light output orifice  102  that forms the optical beam. The output beam of light is along an optical axis  103  which forms the center portion of the projected beam. 
     The head  100  is movable in the direction shown by arrow  104 , in essence up and down relative to the plane of  FIG. 1 . This direction is referred to herein as the tilt direction, allowing the center portion  103  of the beam of light to be directed upward and downward. 
     The moving of the head  100  is carried out based on moving motors and drive trains such as  105 . These items may be built into the yoke  110 . The yoke  110  holds the moving head on both sides of the head, at locations  111 ,  112 . The head  100  is controlled to tilt relative to the yoke, to allow the up and down control. 
     The yoke  110  is also movable in various directions, shown as  112 . The direction of the movement of the yoke in the direction  112  is referred to generally as the pan direction. The motor which carries out the movement can also be in the yoke, shown generally as  113 . 
     In the embodiment, the yoke has two downwardly projecting arms  115 , 116 . Each of the arms holds a respective side of the lighting head. Each arm also terminates in a handle  117 , where the other handle cannot be seen in  FIG. 1 , but is seen in some of the other figures such as  FIG. 7 . Each light has handle  117 , and opposite handle  717 . The arm  115  also includes a top handle portion  118 . The top handle portion  118  is at the topmost portion of the yoke. In this embodiment, therefore, those handle portions are located at a bottommost portion of the yoke and at the topmost portion of the yoke. This thereby provides the maximum amount of distance between the two handles  117  and  118 . As also evident from the drawing of  FIG. 1 , the handle  117  is generally below the center of gravity of the moving head and light, and the handle  118  is above the center of gravity of the moving head. In general, the handle  118  is as high above the center of gravity of the yoke as possible, and of the lighting instrument as a whole as possible, and the handle  117  is as far below the center of gravity of the lighting instrument as possible. 
     Another important feature is the way that the handles are formed. In one embodiment, none of the handles have any sharp edges. The handle  117  is rounded, both on the outside surface  130 , and also on the inside surface  132 . The inside surface  132  in fact forms a holding surface that allows the hand of someone installing the lights to hold the lights in a specified way. Note that in  FIG. 1  the holding surface  132  is indented in the sense that it is below the outer surface of the yoke  110 . There is also an area which can be held no matter what the position of the head  100 . The handle  117  is also curved so that it provides no sharp edges, so both the inner surface  132  which forms the holding surface and also the outer surface  130  are both curved. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the bottom-most surface of the yoke is always, in all positions of the moving head, next to the light itself. In other words, however the head pivots in  FIG. 1 , the handle surfaces  132  stay next to that moving head. 
     This can be advantageous, since the back end of the handle can have a backstop against the light head. The handle can go all the way through the yoke, but the user&#39;s fingers can never get behind the yoke in a way that could allow movement of the head from pinching a user&#39;s finger for example. 
     The upper handle  118  is also form indented into the yoke, again so that all surfaces of the handle are lower than the outermost surface of the yoke. Handle  118  is formed from an indented portion  119 , and a Rod  117  extending between two opposite walls of the indented portion. The handle  118  is formed at the uppermost area of the yoke, and the handle  117  is formed of the lowermost area of the yoke. 
       FIG. 2  shows the lamp in its opposite position, where the base  120  is used as a base for holding the lamp. The lamp can project in this way. 
       FIG. 3  shows the lamp in a stowed position. When in this position, the moving head  100  is located straight up and down, with its long axis  300  being substantially parallel with the long axis  302  of the yoke. This is called the stowed position, since the moving head and the yoke are in essence parallel. 
       FIG. 4  shows a side view of the light, showing the handles from this side view.  FIG. 5  shows a top view of the lamp, showing the base  120 , head  100 , and the two arms of the yoke  115  and  116 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a bottom view of the lamp, showing the head  100 , the yoke arms  115 ,  116 , and the base  120 . 
       FIG. 7  shows the front-on view of the lamp, showing its light projector lens  700 , and showing how the two bottom handles are molded in a way that makes all outer surfaces rounded. The handle  117 ,  717  have open backs, but the rear surface always rests against the outer surface of the light head. Note that the bottom end of the handles press against the light, and that each of the handle such as  117  as a bottommost portion  720  tapering upward at  725  to the portion that interface is against the lamp  730 . The bottommost edge of the handles is always lower than the center line of the lamp, that is the handles are slightly below the center of gravity of the lamp. 
       FIG. 8  shows the lamp from the rear side. 
     Although only a few embodiments have been disclosed in detail above, other embodiments are possible and the inventors intend these to be encompassed within this specification. The specification describes specific examples to accomplish a more general goal that may be accomplished in another way. This disclosure is intended to be exemplary, and the claims are intended to cover any modification or alternative which might be predictable to a person having ordinary skill in the art. For example, other shapes of handles can be used. Also, the inventor intends that only those claims which use the words “means for” are intended to be interpreted under 35 USC 112, sixth paragraph. Moreover, no limitations from the specification are intended to be read into any claims, unless those limitations are expressly included in the claims. 
     This system can be used in the light of the type shown in  FIG. 1  which can be controlled by a remote console, that communicates with the light over wired or wireless protocols such as DMX  512 . Both the console and the light can include computers therein. The computers described herein may be any kind of computer, either general purpose, or some specific purpose computer such as a workstation. The computer may be an Intel (e.g., Pentium Core 2 duo) or AMD based computer, running Windows XP or Linux, or may be a Macintosh computer. The computer may also be a handheld computer, such as a PDA, cellphone, or laptop. 
     The programs may also be run over a network, for example, with a server or other machine sending signals to the local machine, which allows the local machine to carry out the operations described herein. 
     Where a specific numerical value is mentioned herein, it should be considered that the value may be increased or decreased by 20%, while still staying within the teachings of the present application, unless some different range is specifically mentioned. Where a specified logical sense is used, the opposite logical sense is also intended to be encompassed.