Irradiation device and removable timer useful therewith

An irradiation apparatus having a housing, a reflector and a source of ultraviolet radiation. The irradiation apparatus has a timing mechanism detachably located within the housing, the timing mechanism being an integral portion of the circuit which supplies power from a power source to the ultraviolet radiation source. The timer is adapted to be removed from the housing and attached to the housing by means of a cord having a non-standard plug to allow the lamp to be operated by means of the timer from a remote position.

The use of ultraviolet radiation alone or in combination with infrared 
radiation is well known for treating humans. In using such devices, it is 
the usual course of treatment to gradually increase the dose of 
ultraviolet radiation applied to the person being treated over a number of 
days. This is generally accomplished by exposing the person to the 
radiation of the ultraviolet source for increasingly longer periods of 
time. Initially, for example, the radiation may only be applied to the 
area to be treated for a matter of a minute or two. While amounts of 
radiation up to on the order of ten minutes is suitable for people who are 
using the radiation simply to gain a minor amount of skin coloration, 
those people who are using ultraviolet radiation for the treatment of skin 
problems or to gain a deep tan frequently require increasingly longer 
periods of exposure in excess of ten minutes. 
People using the longer periods of exposure have occasionally encountered 
problems. The warm soothing effect of such lamps is such that certain 
people have fallen asleep under the lamps resulting in an artificial 
sunburn and other similar problems. Therefore, it is desirable to limit 
the amount of time that the lamp can remain on without some form of 
intervention on the part of the person being exposed. To solve this 
problem it has been proposed to place a timing mechanism within the 
sunlamp so that the timer turns the lamp off after a predetermined, 
relatively short, period of time. For example, having the timer limit the 
exposure to ten minutes has proved a viable way to prevent overexposure. 
While the installation of a timing mechanism prevents a sunlamp from being 
operated for extended periods of time, it presents a new problem for those 
people who require a longer exposure time than that allowed by the timer. 
Once ultraviolet lamps have been turned off, they require a considerable 
period of time to cool to room temperature before they can again be 
reactivated for additional exposure. Thus a timing mechanism which turns 
the lamp off before the exposure is finished necessitates a subsequent 
reexposure at a later time. Reexposure results in lost time and is 
discouraging to the person being treated. 
It is an object of this invention to provide an ultraviolet radiation 
device which allows a substantial exposure if desired but simultaneously 
limits the time of exposure without an active intervention. 
Briefly, the objects are achieved by the irradiation apparatus of the 
present invention which comprises a housing with an open portion and a 
reflector carried within said housing positioned to reflect radiation 
generated within the housing through the opening. A source of ultraviolet 
radiation is located within the housing. A timing mechanism is detachably 
located within the housing, the timing mechanism being an integral portion 
of the circuit which supplies power from a normal household power source 
to the ultraviolet source. An attachment means has a first end adapted to 
engage a complementary receptacle located within the housing and a second 
end adapted to engage a second complementary receptacle on said timer, 
said attachment means allowing said timer to be operatively connected to 
the circuit for providing power to the ultraviolet source at a location 
remote from the housing, to complete the circuit and allow operation of 
the lamp.

Referring to the accompanying drawing and initially to FIG. 1, a sunlamp 10 
has a housing 12 supported on a pole 14 and resting on a base 16, such a 
structure being well known in the art. The housing has receptacles (not 
shown) suitable for supporting one or more infrared bulbs 19 and 
ultraviolet bulbs 18 within the housing. The interior 20 of the housing 
can be made of reflectorized material to form a reflector which reflects 
the radiation from the interior of the housing out through an opening 22 
in the housing. The housing 12 also has a timer mechanism 24 mounted 
within the housing and detachably connected thereto. As shown in phantom, 
the timer 24 can be removed from the housing 12 to a remote location and 
attached to the housing by means of an attachment cord 26. 
The attachment cord 26 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 5. The attachment 
cord has a first male plug 28 having three protuberances 29 and a female 
end 30 having three recesses 31. The female end is adapted to engage a 
corresponding male plug 32 on the timer mechanism 24, and the male end 
engages a corresponding female receptacle (not shown) in the housing. The 
attachment cord 26 provides a means for attaching the timer 24 to the 
housing while allowing the timer to operate in the normal manner. The plug 
28 is shown with the three prongs or protuberances 29 in an off center 
arrangement making defeat of the lamp's timing circuit by means of a 
standard plug impossible. The off center, unsymmetrical arrangement also 
makes certain the plugs are properly arranged thereby ensuring that the 
timer is properly connected to the housing circuit. 
Referring to FIG. 2, the timer 24 has a front housing member 34 which 
engages a rear housing member 36 to form a complete encasement for the 
timing components. The front of the housing has a dial 38 which engages a 
stem 40 extending orthoganally from a timer motor 42 through the housing 
member 34 and engages the dial in a manner well known in the art. The 
timer motor 42 has three attachment contacts A, B, C which are attached to 
corresponding electrical leads 44, 46 and 48. Contact A is connected by 
lead 44 to a tap connector 50 which provides a source of power both to the 
contact A and to the timer motor 42 by means of a line 52. Contact C 
connects the buzzer 54 to the timer motor; the buzzer 54, the timer motor 
42 and the remainder of the system having the ground or white leads 56 
joined together by a crimp cap 62. 
The timer motor 42 can be a standard type well known in the art. For the 
purposes of description, it will be assumed that the motor is one which 
can be rotated almost one full turn to start and which would then rotate 
to the off position in about ten minutes. Longer or shorter periods could 
be chosen or a smaller angular travel could be chosen for the same time 
period, such choices being within the skill of the art. Also to be 
considered is the torque necessary to turn the dial in setting the motor 
since the dial will normally be manipulated by a person wearing protective 
lenses used to shield the eyes from the ultraviolet rays produced by the 
lamp. 
FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 together show the contacts, the timer's operation and the 
circuit diagram used with the timer in greater detail. A source of power, 
such as an ordinary household outlet, is shown at 64 in FIG. 6 with a 
normal connection to ground at 66, grounding the lamp and circuit of this 
invention. The hot lead or black wire 68 is connected by means of one of 
the prongs of the male connector 32 to line 46 from the contact mechanism 
47 which in turn causes the contact lever B (shown best in FIG. 3) to be 
energized with household current. When the timer 42 is activated, contacts 
B and A are closed forming a connection between lines 46 and 44, thus 
completing the circuit at the contact designated as A in FIG. 6. Closing 
the A-B contact allows current flow to the infrared bulb, shown as 19, and 
the ultraviolet bulbs, shown as 18. Simultaneously, current is applied to 
the timer motor 42 via the line 52 causing the timer motor to begin its 
timing sequence. 
As shown in the diagram of FIG. 4, the timer motor, when set by turning it 
approximately 1 turn of the dial 38, begins to operate the circuit by 
closing the contact A and B thus lighting the lamps and running the timer 
motor simultaneously. The timer motor will continue to run continuously 
for a time of approximately 9 to 91/2 minutes at which time the timer 
mechanism will activate contact C as well as A and B resulting in the 
buzzer 54 being connected to the circuit via line 48, sounding the buzzer. 
At this point, the person using the lamp will have a predetermined time in 
which to reset the timer motor for a longer exposure if desired. The 
length of time the buzzer is activated can be adjusted, times on the order 
of 10 to 30 seconds being sufficient for most purposes. 
It is apparent from the foregoing description that a new and useful sunlamp 
and timing mechanism combination has been disclosed wherein the timing 
mechanism can be removed to a point remote from the lamp and attached to 
the lamp by means of a cord attachment. 
In summary, the lamp can be used in the conventional fashion when the 
timing mechanism is inserted into the housing and can be operated by a 
person while in a prone or reclining position when the timing mechanism is 
attached to the lamp by the cord. 
Various modifications and alterations of this invention will become 
apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and 
spirit of this invention; and it is to be understood that this invention 
is not limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth hereinbefore.