Abstract:
A lighting assembly for illuminating a deck area having a longitudinally extending base plate having a front side and a back side, a lamp having at least one LED and a circuit board, and a heat sink connected to said circuit board. The lighting assembly and the electrical wire can be hidden from view, providing a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. Furthermore, the lighting system can be installed simultaneously with the deck itself, or afterwards.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/446,598, filed Feb. 25, 2011, and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. This application also is related to U.S. Design application 29/406,698, filed Nov. 17, 2011, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a lighting assembly for illuminating decking structures. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Outdoor deck areas are popular with residential home owners. They add beauty to the home, provide a functional place to enjoy the outdoors, and add value to the residence. Decks require sufficient lighting to be enjoyed during night time, for safety reasons to prevent injuries, e.g., near railings and stairs, and for security. 
         [0004]    Current lighting systems may require wiring on the surface of the posts, railings, and/or deck surfaces, which is not aesthetically pleasing. The wires can be hidden within a conduit, but this is still not aesthetically pleasing. 
         [0005]    Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a light assembly for decks useable with traditional and modern deck materials and construction, which is easy to install, safe to use, energy efficient, and which is aesthetically pleasing. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In broad terms, the invention provides a light fixture for use with a deck rail that includes a longitudinally extending base plate having a front side and a back side, a lamp having at least one LED and a circuit board, and a heat sink connected to the circuit board. 
         [0007]    As another embodiment, the invention provides a deck rail and light assembly combination that includes a deck rail, at least two of balusters attached to an underside of said deck rail, and a light assembly attachable to said underside of the deck rail between the balusters, the light assembly having a longitudinally extending base plate having a front side and a back side and a lamp having at least one LED and a circuit board. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The following detailed description will be better understood when read in conjunction with the figures appended hereto. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a preferred embodiment. It is understood, however, that this invention is not limited to this embodiment or the precise arrangements shown. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a light assembly mounted on a handrail in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the lighting assembly shown in  FIG. 1  isolated from the handrail; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the lighting assembly shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the lighting assembly shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is an end view of the lamp portion of the lighting assembly taken from the left side in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is an end view of the lamp portion of the lighting assembly taken from the right side in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6A  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 A- 6 A in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a view of another embodiment of a light assembly mounted on a handrail in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a top view of the lighting assembly shown in  FIG. 7  isolated from the handrail; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a bottom view of the lighting assembly shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is a side view of the lighting assembly shown in  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  is an end view of the lamp portion of the lighting assembly taken from the left side in  FIG. 8 ; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  is an end view of the lamp portion of the lighting assembly taken from the right side in  FIG. 8 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0022]    Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are now described with reference to the Figures described herein. A first embodiment of the invention is described first with reference to  FIGS. 1-6 , showing a light fixture by itself and in combination with an exemplary hand rail; a second embodiment is then described with reference to  FIGS. 7-12 . 
         [0023]    With reference to  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the light assembly  10  includes a lamp  12  fixed to a base or mounting plate  14 . The base plate  14  is preferably rectangular extending in a longitudinal direction, and having a top face  16 , bottom face  18 , and longitudinal ends  20   a  and  20   b  as shown. The plate  14  is preferably made of any suitable material to withstand the outdoor environment, such as a stainless steel which also provides heat transfer benefits as further described below. It is configured and shaped to be mounted to deck components such as hand rails  50 , having various slots  22  and openings  24  to facilitate mounting. The slot  22   a  on the right side in  FIG. 2  is longer than the slot  22   b  on the left side and includes a wider portion  22   c  to accommodate an electrical wire  26  as shown. The length and width of the plate  14  is selected to work with decking components, the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  being preferred for use with hand rails having balusters spaced between about 2.5 inches to about 5 inches from one another and where the ends  20   a,    20   b  of the plate  14  are secured between the balusters and the hand rail as further described below. Studs  28  affixed to and extending from the plate  14  are provided for attachment of the lamp  12 . 
         [0024]    The lamp  12  mounted to the plate  14  preferably includes a circuit board  30  having a light source  32  mounted thereon. In the preferred embodiment, the light source is an LED, here a single square array of 16 LEDs having parallel circuitry, 160 degree light distribution, and warm white 3000K 5.0 watt Xenon equivalent output. Other forms of LED&#39;s may be used, including a single larger LED. The electrical wire  26  is soldered to leads on the circuit board  30  for power. A low voltage lamp powered by a low voltage power supply (not shown) is preferred for safety. 
         [0025]    The lamp  12  is mounted to a heat sink  34  using a thermal epoxy to ensure good heat transfer. In the preferred embodiment, the heat sink  34  is formed of a rectangular piece of metal such as nickel plated copper which is longer longitudinally than the circuit board  30  as shown, and which may contact the base plate  14  for heat transfer thereto. Any suitable material that provides good heat transfer can be used. 
         [0026]    A translucent cover  36  covers the light source  32 , circuit board  30  and the heat sink  34  as shown to form a single unit that can be mounted on the plate  14 . As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the cover  36  is shaped to fit over and snap onto the heat sink  34 , and includes openings  38  for the studs  28  and an opening  40  for the wire  26 . The cover can be made of any suitable translucent material such as a polymer, e.g., polycarbonate, acrylic, Plexiglas, etc. The cover  36  includes a translucent lens portion  42  positioned directly over the LED light source  32  and is thicker than the remaining portions of the cover  32 , here by extending downwardly towards the LEDs so as to be close to the LED and thereby maximize the light transmitted out from the lamp  12  to dispense the light as desired. 
         [0027]    An internal space between the cover  36 , circuit board  30  and heat sink  34  is filled with a translucent potting material  44  such as a two part silicone or epoxy potting material that preferably remains soft or gel like. Prior to addition of the potting material  44 , a seal material  45 , such as a one part silicone sealant, is added around the wire  26  to seal the wire area and retain the potting material  44 . This seals and protects the electrical components from the environment, and seals the openings  38 ,  40  for the studs  28  and wire  26 . The potting material  44  is added through a opening  46  formed on the back side of the heat sink  34  and which is not covered by the circuit board  30 . Some of the potting material  44  may need to be removed for placement of the studs  28 . 
         [0028]    The lamp  12 , including the heat sink  34  and lens  36 , is affixed as a unit to the mounting plate  14  via the studs  28  and locking nuts  48  with locking washer  48   a.  This forms the completed light assembly  10 . The heat sink  34  preferably transfers heat to the steel mounting plate  14  to aid in the removal of heat from the LEDs. It is appreciated that the mounting plate  14  can be configured and shaped as desired for the particular use. 
         [0029]    The light assembly  10  can be integrated and combined with decking components as now described. With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 6A , a modern deck hand rail system  52  is shown having a rail  50  formed of a lower rail  54 , a decorative upper rail  56  that fits over the lower rail  54 , and balusters  58 . The lower rail  54  has an H shaped cross section forming a bottom channel  60  having an underside  61 , with a top channel  62  and sides  64  extending downwardly to form the bottom channel  60 . The balusters  58  are secured within the lower channel  60  by screws  67  passing through a central portion  66  from the upper channel side  62  into the upper end of the balusters  56 . The decorative upper rail  56  is secured to the lower rail  54  by screws  71  extending from the bottom channel side  60  of the central portion  66  of the lower rail  54  into the upper rail  56 , thereby finishing the hand rail  50  and covering the screws and the upper channel. 
         [0030]    As seen in  FIGS. 1 and 6A , the light assembly  10  extends longitudinally within the lower channel  60  above and between two balusters  58  against the underside  61  of the lower rail  54 . The ends  20   a,    20   b  of the light assembly mounting plate  14  are clamped between the balusters  58  and lower rail  54 , the screws  67  extending from the lower rail  54  (from the upper channel  62  side) into the balusters  58  through the slots  16  of the mounting plate  14 . Thus, no separate attachment means is required to affix the light assembly  10  to the lower rail  54 , although screws  69  can be used through openings  24  for such purposes if desired as illustrated in  FIG. 6A . The electrical wire  26  for the light assembly  10  passes through the opening slot  22   c  in the plate  14 , through a hole drilled through the central portion  66  of the lower rail  54  into the top channel  62  through which the wire  26  is run to a power source. It is seen that the lower channel  60  in which the lighting  10  assembly is mounted hides the light assembly  10  from view, and provides protection from direct contact and shielding from the weather, e.g., rain. 
         [0031]    It is appreciated that the light assembly  10  in combination with the rail system  52  provides an effective light source that is simple to install and aesthetically pleasing. The light assembly  10  is mounted within the lower channel  60  of the lower rail  54  during installation of the rail system  52 , i.e., when the lower rail  54  is attached to the balusters  58 . Holes for the wire  26  can be readily drilled in the lower rail  54 , and the wire  26  run in the upper channel  62 . The hand rail  50  is completed by attachment of the finish upper rail  56  to the lower rail  54  with screws  71  which covers the wire  26  within. 
         [0032]    A second embodiment of a lighting assembly and a second hand rail assembly is now described. With reference to  FIGS. 7 through 12 , a lighting assembly  10   a  is similar to the lighting assembly  10  described above, having similar elements identified by the same reference numbers. In this embodiment, the lighting assembly  10   a  is identical to the lighting assembly  10  described above with the exception that the plate  14  is shorter in longitudinal length and does not have slots  22  through which screws from the hand rail to the balusters can pass. As will be described below, the lighting assembly  10   a  is preferred for installation where it is not practical or desirable to sandwich the lighting assembly plate  14  between the balusters and the hand rail as described above. 
         [0033]    An example of such an embodiment is now described with particular reference to  FIG. 7  showing a different type of modern residential hand rail system  52  having a lower rail section  54  affixed to balusters  58  via screws as described above in reference to  FIGS. 1 and 6A . The finish rail is not shown but fits over the lower rail  54  in a similar matter as in the embodiment described above. 
         [0034]    The lower rail  54  is seen having a upper channel  62  and a middle channel  68 , but not a lower channel as does the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 . Thus, the lighting assembly  10   a  is affixed with screws  69  (see e.g.,  FIG. 6A ) directly to an underside  70  of the lower rail  54  between the balusters  58  as shown (the baluster on the left side of the light assembly  10   a  being shown in  FIG. 7 , the baluster on the right of the light assembly  10   a  not shown). A shroud  72  can be provided to shield and protect the lighting assembly  10   a,  as well as hide the assembly from view and ensure that the light shines downward only. The shroud  72  has openings  24   a  that align with the openings  24  for receiving screws  69  (see e.g.,  FIG. 6A ) and a slot  22   d  that aligns with slot  22   c  for the wire  26 . Thus, it is seen that this embodiment is useable with rail assemblies that do not have a lower channel and for installation with previously installed rail systems. The wire  26  is run through an opening drilled through the underside  70  to the top channel  62  where it can be run to a power source before attaching or reattaching the finish upper rail (not shown). The wire hole will be drilled through the underside  70  to align with the slots  22   c  and  22   d.    
         [0035]    The shroud  72  has openings  24   a  corresponding with the openings  24  of the lighting assembly  10   a  for screws  69 , and a slot  22   d  corresponding with the slot  22   c  of the plate  14  of the lighting assembly  10   a  for the wire  26 . The shroud  72  is preferably made of any suitable material such as stainless steel, and can be colored as desired, e.g., via a polymer powdered coating. The shroud  72  is positioned between the underside  70  of the lower rail  54  and the light assembly  10 , with screws in openings  24  of the light assembly  10   a  passing through the openings  24   a  in shroud  72  fixing both to the lower rail  54 . 
         [0036]    The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may practice the invention. Having shown and described exemplary embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be made to affect the described invention. Many of those variations and modifications will provide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimed invention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention only as indicated by the scope of the claims.