Outdoor landscape lighting fixture

An outdoor ground-supported light fixture having a non-conductive hollow staff and having a lower end for disposition in the ground and an upper end where electrical conductor elements are received by the lower end into the staff and where the electrical conductor elements exit the staff from the upper end is disclosed. The light fixture also includes a shade unit having a non-conductive wiring compartment integral therewith. The unit has a top end and a bottom end with the wiring compartment located at the bottom end of the unit. The bottom end of the unit is for connection with the upper end of the staff. The compartment has a base with an aperture therein for receiving the electrical conductor elements from the upper end of the staff through the aperture. The compartment has a lamp receiving device devised for connecting a lamp to the electrical conductor elements.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to lighting fixtures and, more 
particularly, to outdoor lighting fixtures. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Various types of outdoor lighting fixtures are known. Such fixtures 
typically serve both utilitarian and decorative purposes in that they aid 
in lighting outdoor lawns, decks, patios, parking lots, driveways, and 
other areas, as well as being of an attractive design to complement such 
areas. 
One aspect of existing 120 V outdoor light fixtures detracting from the 
decorative nature of these fixtures is the need for an electrical 
connector device separate from the shade unit bearing the light bulb of 
the fixture to connect the supply wires from the power source to the lamp. 
The electrical connector device typically known as a junction box is 
typically housed in a box-like structure. These additional boxes are bulky 
and detract from the appearance of the outdoor light fixture. A 
representative form of such a conventional outdoor light fixture is shown 
in FIG. 1. Some non-120 V outdoor light fixtures do not require junction 
boxes such as the low voltage fixture described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,636 
to Lovett. 
Some present outdoor light fixture manufacturers attempt to avoid the 
unsightliness of the separate connector box in various ways. For example, 
in U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,877 to Carter, a plastic light standard has a 
length of plastic pipe with a cap at one end and a slanted cut-off portion 
at the opposite end. The cap includes an outside threaded nipple or an 
inside threaded hub for securing a light fixture to the pipe. The slanted 
cut-off end of the pipe allows the pipe standard to receive the ends of 
underground pipe at various depths in the ground. While the arrangement 
disclosed in the '877 patent presents a somewhat less bulky landscape 
fixture than the fixture shown in FIG. 1, the separate standard still 
detracts from the overall appearance of the landscape lighting fixture as 
can be seen in FIG. 1 of the '877 patent. 
Other fixtures, known as bollard-type fixtures differ from typical 120 V 
landscape fixtures in that they are mounted on a wide diameter post 
(compare FIG. 1 of this application with U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,018). These 
wide diameter posts can accommodate supply wire connections. 
Thus, a 120 V landscape lighting fixture having an area for connection of 
electrical circuits which does not detract from the overall appearance of 
the lighting fixture is needed. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a 
landscape lighting fixture whose electrical connections are made in such a 
manner so as not to detract from the overall appearance of the fixture. 
This and other objects of the present invention are accomplished with an 
outdoor ground-supported light fixture having a non-conductive hollow 
staff having a lower end for disposition in the ground and an upper end 
for disposition above ground level for receiving below ground electrical 
conductor elements from the power source, known as supply wires, through 
the lower end into the staff and for exiting of the electrical conductor 
elements from the upper end of the staff. The light fixture also includes 
an illumination unit having a wiring compartment and at least one 
translucent lens as an integral unit. The wiring compartment has a base 
mountable to the upper end of the staff with an aperture in the base for 
receiving the supply wire electrical conductor elements from the upper end 
of the staff through the aperture and the wiring compartment has a lamp 
receiving device devised for connecting a lamp to the supply wire 
electrical conductor elements. The lens is affixed to the wiring 
compartment to enclose the lamp.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A prior art device is shown in FIG. 1 exhibiting a bulky separate wiring 
compartment C detracting from the appearance of the fixture. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, one embodiment of a landscape lighting fixture 10 
of the present invention is shown. The fixture 10 has an illumination unit 
12. The illumination unit 12 comprises a lighting portion 16 as well as an 
integral wiring compartment 18 and a base 14. The wiring compartment is 
preferably a parallelopiped housing having upper 18A and lower 18B mating 
housing halves. The halves 18A and 18B are hollow to define an interior 
wiring compartment. The illumination unit is connected to a non-conductive 
hollow staff 20 at the hub 14. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, the landscape lighting fixture 10 is shown in a 
partially sectioned view disposed in the ground 22 for use. Inside the 
illumination unit 12, lamp 24 is connected to electrical conductor 
elements 28 by a lamp receiving device 25 bearing electrical contacts 26 
which connect the lamp 24 to the supply wire electrical conductor elements 
28. The staff or standard 20 is hollow to guide electrical conductor 
elements 28 from the ground 22 to electrical contacts 26. Electrical 
conductor elements 28 are typically insulated wire leads from a suitable 
source of AC electrical power. 
Referring now to FIG. 4, an exploded view of one embodiment of a landscape 
lighting fixture 10 of the present invention is shown. The shade 30 of the 
illumination unit 12 is attached to the upper half 18A of wiring 
compartment 18 via screws 34 of the illumiantion unit 12 threaded through 
apertures 36 located on diametrically opposed mounting flanges 17 of the 
shade 30 and a gasket 38 to apertures 40 in the upper half 18A of wiring 
compartment 18. The shade 30 is preferably bell shaped and opaque. The 
upper half 18A and the lower half 18B of the wiring compartment 18 are 
designed so as to fit snugly together and may have a gasket 41 disposed 
therebetween to aid in securing the upper and lower halves 18A,18B 
together, as well as providing added protection from moisture. 
The interior of the upper half 18A and lower half 18B is structured so as 
to fit electrical contacts 26 therein. The electrical contacts 26 have 
insulated electrical wire leads 26A which connect to another set of 
electrical contacts (not shown) within the socket 21. The lower half 18B 
contains an aperture 44 through which the electrical conductor elements 28 
rising through hollow staff 20 can access the electrical contacts 28 for 
electrical connection. 
The upper half 18A of the wiring compartment 18 contains a hub 25 acting as 
a lamp receiving device which is formed so as to receive the portion of 
the lamp 24 necessary for electrical contact in the socket 24 positioned 
within the hub 25. The socket 24 receives the base 23 of lamp 24 for 
electrical connection of the lamp. 
In summary, an outdoor lighting fixture having a wiring compartment 
integral to the illumination unit of the lighting fixture is disclosed 
which does not detract from the overall appearance of the outdoor lighting 
fixture. 
It will be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the 
present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. Many 
embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those 
herein described, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent 
arrangements will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present 
invention and the foregoing description thereof, without departing from 
the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the 
present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its 
preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only 
illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for 
purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The 
foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the 
present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, 
adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, the 
present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the 
equivalents thereof.