Abstract:
A lighted chair rail comprises a frame secured to a wall and a horizontal facia mounted on the frame and positioned in a spaced apart relationship to the wall. Light bulbs supported on the frame direct light through a lens mounted on the horizontal facia onto the wall. The horizontal facia may also include decorative items.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY  
       [0001]     Applicant claims priority based on provisional patent Ser. No. 60/679,828 filed May 11, 2005, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     This invention relates generally to chair rail moldings and indirect lighting, and more particularly to a lighted chair air rail for use in home and office lighting and decor.  
       BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Chair rail moldings have traditionally been used to protect walls from being damaged by the backs of chairs, and more recently have been used as casings, bases, wallpaper borders, panel moldings, etc. Indirect lighting systems are used for various purposes such as providing lighting in addition to overhead and other traditional lighting systems, providing an alternative to traditional lighting systems, and various decorative purpose. Indirect lighting systems are useful in rooms where dim lighting levels are preferred at various times such as hallways during the night, a baby&#39;s nursery, and other areas where a low level of light is preferred over bright levels of traditional lighting. For example, indirect lighting is preferable in a baby&#39;s nursery during nighttime hours for periodically tending to the baby without disturbing the baby with bright lighting.  
         [0004]     Heretofore indirect lighting has been available in various configurations and several alternatives exist for concealing indirect lighting at or near the top of walls, e.g., behind crown molding. However there is currently no chair rail molding configuration which provides means for mounting and concealing indirect lighting at or near the height of a chair rail.  
         [0005]     The present invention comprises a chair rail design which overcomes foregoing and other difficulties which have long since characterized the prior art. In accordance with the broader aspects of the invention, there is provided means for supporting an indirect lighting system behind a decorative chair rail.  
         [0006]     In accordance with more specific aspects of the invention, a horizontal facia mounts on a frame secured to a wall. The frame also comprises means for supporting an indirect lighting source. The horizontal facia may further comprise means for mounting decorative trim thereon. The resulting lighted chair rail provides an additional alternative light source which provides a low level light source when brighter lighting is undesirable.  
         [0007]     The lighted chair rail of the present invention may also be configured to accommodate interchangeable decorate plates. Alternatively, the lighted chair rail may be configured to provide a lighted facing for an alternative decorative appearance.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in connection with the accompanying Drawings, wherein:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is an environmental view illustrating a chair rail apparatus comprising a first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the chair rail apparatus of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the chair rail apparatus of  FIG. 1  comprising an additional component for mounting decorative trim thereon;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 2  illustrating a second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 3  further illustrating the second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view illustrating a third embodiment of the invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a sectional view similar to  FIG. 6  illustrating an additional component for mounting decorative trim thereon;  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating a fourth embodiment of the invention in which certain components parts have been broken away more clearly to illustrate certain features of the invention; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 9  is a sectional view illustrating a fifth embodiment of the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]     Referring now to the Drawings, and particularly to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a room  10  which may comprise an integral part of a home, an office, etc. The room  10  comprises a plurality of walls  12  and a floor  14 , it being understood that the room  10  would typically also include a ceiling situated at the upper ends of the walls  12  and extending above the floor  14 . In accordance with the present invention the walls  12  of the room  10  are provided with a lighted chair rail assembly  16 . As will become more apparent hereinafter, the lighted chair rail assembly  16  may comprise any of the various embodiments of the invention illustrated in  FIGS. 2-8 , inclusive, and described hereinafter in conjunction herewith as well as variations thereof.  
         [0019]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a lighted chair rail  20  comprising the first embodiment of the present invention. The lighted chair rail  20  comprises a frame  22  which is secured to an interior wall within a home, an office, etc. by means of suitable fasteners and/or suitable adhesives. A facia  24  is detachably secured to the frame  22  by suitable fasteners  26  which are preferably integrally formed with the remaining components of the facia  24 . The facia  22  may be provided with a decorative component  28  at the lower end thereof in the manner of typical chair rail constructions.  
         [0020]     In addition to supporting the facia  24 , the frame  22  supports a plurality of upright lighting assemblies  30 . The lighting assemblies  30  are conventional in design and construction and are adapted for operation by typical household electrical current. Alternatively, the lighting assemblies  30  may be battery operated. A lens  32  is provided at the intersection between the frame  22  and the facia  24  whereby light generated by the lighting assemblies  30  is directed upwardly from the interior of the chair rail  20  in the manner illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  illustrates a chair rail  34  comprising a variation of the chair rail  20  shown in  FIG. 2  and described herein above in conjunction therewith. The chair rail  34  is substantially identical to the chair rail  20  but differs therefrom in that the facia  24  of the chair rail  34  is provided with an elongate groove  36  which detachably receives and supports a decorative accessory  38 .  
         [0022]     And  FIG. 4  illustrates a chair rail  40  comprising a second embodiment of the invention. Many of the component parts of the chair rail  40  are substantially identical in construction and function to the component parts of the chair rail  20  as illustrated in  FIG. 2  and described herein above in conjunction therewith. Such identical component parts are designated in  FIG. 4  with the same reference numerals utilized in the foregoing description of the chair rail  20  but are differentially thereof by means of a prime (′) designation. The chair rail  40  differs from the chair rail  20  in that rather than being provided with a plurality of upright lighting assemblies  30 , the chair rail  40  is provided with a horizontally disposed lighting apparatus  42  which extends the entire length of the chair rail  40 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  illustrates a chair rail  44  comprising a variation of the chair rail  40  illustrated in  FIG. 4  and described herein above in conjunction therewith. The chair rail  44  is identical to the chair rail  40  except that the facia  24 ′ thereof is provided with a longitudinally extending groove  46  which supports a decorative assembly  48 .  
         [0024]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , there is shown a chair rail component  50  comprising a third embodiment of the invention. The chair rail component  50  comprising a facia  52  which may be utilized in conjunction with the embodiments of the invention illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3  in lieu of the facia  24  thereof, or in conjunction with the embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGS.  4  and  5  in lieu of the facia  24 ′ thereof. The facia  52  includes various components which are substantially identical to components of the facia  24  as shown in  FIG. 2  and described herein above in conjunction therewith. Such identical components are designated in  FIG. 6  with the same reference numerals utilized above in the description of the facia  24  but are differentiate therefrom by a double prime (″) designation.  
         [0025]     The facia  52  differs from the facia  24  of  FIG. 2  in that the facia  52  is provided with opposed longitudinally extending flanges  54  and  56 . The flanges  54  and  56  are utilized to receive and retain a decorative item which extends continuously along the entire length of the chair rail comprising the facia  52 . Alternatively, the flanges  54  and  56  may support a plurality of decorative items located at spaced apart locations along the length of the chair rail comprising the facia  52 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 7  illustrates a chair rail  58  which is substantially identical in construction and function to the chair rail  50  illustrated in  FIG. 6  and described herein above in conjunction therewith. The chair rail  58  differs from the chair rail  50  in that the chair rail  58  is provided with a longitudinally extending groove  60  which receives and supports a decorative accessory  62  extending longitudinally along the entire length of the chair rail comprising the facia  58 .  
         [0027]     Referring to  FIG. 8 , there is shown a lighted chair rail  64  comprising a fourth embodiment of the invention. The lighted chair rail  64  comprises a unitary frame  66  which extends the entire length of the chair rail  64 . The frame  66  is supported on a wall and in turn supports one or more lighting assemblies  68  which may comprise either the vertically disposed lighting assemblies  30  shown in  FIG. 2  and described herein above in conjunction therewith or the horizontally disposed lighting assemblies  42  shown in  FIG. 4  and described herein above in conjunction therewith. The frame  66  is further characterized by a pair of opposed grooves  70  and  72 .  
         [0028]     The grooves  70  and  72  receive a facia  74 . The facia  74  comprises a lens which allows light to pass outwardly from the lighting assemblies  68  into the room in which the chair rail  64  is deployed. The facia  74  is preferably translucent in nature such that light from the light assemblies  68  passes through the facia  74  but the lighting assemblies  68  are not directly observable therethrough.  
         [0029]     Referring to  FIG. 9 , there is shown a lighted chair rail  80  comprising a fifth embodiment of the invention. The lighted chair rail  80  comprises a unitary frame  82  which extends the entire length of the chair rail  80  and which is normally supported on a wall. The frame  82  supports a plurality of light sources  84  preferably comprising silicon encased LED (light emitting diode) units. The lighted chair rail  80  further comprises a facia  86  which is secured on the frame  82  by a pair or tongue-and-groove connections  88 . A white PLEXIGLAS® light diffuser lens  90  is supported on the facia  86  and on the upper end of the frame  82 . The function of the lens  90  is to direct light from the light source  84  onto a wall having the frame  82  supported thereon.  
         [0030]     Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.