Patent Publication Number: US-4544994-A

Title: Knuckled lamp head bracket mount for generator

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of my allowed, parent application Ser. No. 402,964, filed July 29, 1982, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,706, and entitled LAMP HEAD BRACKET MOUNT FOR GENERATOR. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Many situations call for a portable, generator-driven flood lamp. These include accidents, fires, rescues, utility repairs, construction, and various night work out of reach of conventional electric power. 
     To meet this need, I have selected a portable engine-driven generator that is compact and light enough to be carried about with a carrying handle, and I have devised a bracket for mounting a floor lamp head directly to the housing of this generator. My bracket mount allows the lamp head to pivot from a protectively stored position to an upwardly aimed position for easily directing light wherever it is needed. My bracket mount is also sturdy, reliable, rugged, and compact to combine a flood lamp head with a portable generator in a way that is practical, effective, and able to withstand the rigors of rough use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     My bracket mount fits directly over one end of a rectangular housing for an engine-driven electric generator and supports a flood lamp powered by the generator. The bracket includes a frame extending around and fitting to the generally rectangular perimeter of the end of the generator housing. The lamp head has a supporting knuckle with a mounting arm arranged so the lamp head can pivot through the knuckle relative to the mounting arm. An upper region of the bracket has a socket that receives the mounting arm to hold the mounting arm fixed relative to the bracket in an orientation that pivots the lamp head about a horizontal axis through the knuckle. The lamp head can be folded under the socket so that the front face of the lamp head is close against the bracket and the end of the generator housing for a protective storage, and the lamp head can be pivoted to upwardly aimed positions accommodated by a downward slope of the upper side of the socket. The socket and mounting arm are hollow, providing a conduit for electric conductors. The overall combination is rugged, durable, and compact; and it makes the generator usable as a portable and powerful flood lamp. 
    
    
     DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a partially schematic, side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of my bracket mount for a lamp head combined with an engine-driven generator and shown with the lamp head folded for protective storage; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view similar to the view of FIG. 1 and showing the lamp head in an upwardly aimed position; 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the generator and bracket mount of FIG. 1 with the lamp head removed; 
     FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the bracket mount of FIGS. 1-3 removed from the generator and with the lamp head removed; 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of the generator and bracket mount of FIG. 1 with the lamp head removed; 
     FIGS. 6 and 7 are fragmentary side elevational views similar to the view of FIG. 2 and showing a preferred alternative form of my bracket mount for a knuckled lamp head shown folded for protective storage in FIG. 6 and elevated to an upwardly aimed position in FIG. 7; and 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevation of the generator and bracket mount of FIGS. 6 and 7 with the lamp head removed. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     My bracket mount combines a flood lamp head 10 with a portable, engine-driven generator 15. Generator 15 is light enough to be carried by handle 16 and has a generally rectangular housing 17 that compactly contains an engine, fuel supply, and electric generator. Electricity can be produced by generator 15 wherever it can be carried and operated, and my bracket mount supports an electric flood lamp 10 directly on generator 15 for converting electricity to a powerful light source. 
     The main components of my bracket mount are a frame-shaped bracket 20 and a gooseneck 30. These are strong and rugged and securely attached to generator 15 to support lamp head 10 in a way that is compact, convenient, and readily operable. Since the portable light source provided by my bracket mount may be used at fires, rescues, construction sites, and other places where it may get wet and receive hard use, it is made both strong and water resistant. It is also made compact and effective both at protecting lamp head 10 in a folded position for storage and allowing lamp head 10 to pivot to an upwardly aimed position so that light can be directed anywhere it is desired. 
     The components of generator 15 are compactly arranged within its generally rectangular housing 17 so that it can be carried about with handle 16. I mount bracket 20 over the air intake end 18 of generator 15 where it does not interfere with controls and is not in the path of exhaust. Bracket 20 is shaped like a frame that extends around the perimeter of air intake end 18 of generator 15. This lets bracket 20 fit closely and compactly against generator housing 17 and also does not interfere with air intake while generator 15 operates. 
     To ensure that bracket 20 is ruggedly and securely attached to generator 15, I have provided four rearward projections 21 that reach horizontally back from the frame position of bracket 20 and are screwed to side regions of housing 17 near air intake end 18. In doing this, I have used existing threaded holes for screwing on exterior panels of generator housing 17, and I have screwed projections 21 to these mounts with similar screws 22. I have also provided corner gussets 23 that brace and strengthen projections 21 relative to bracket frame 20. 
     I prefer a pair of stop pads 25 mounted on a lower region of bracket frame 20 to engage lamp head 10 in a folded position; and since the air intake end of generator housing 17 has a pair of screw mounts in this region, I have screwed stop pads 25 in place with screws 24 that enter preexisting threaded holes in generator end 18. Screws 24 not only hold stop pads 25 in place, but also strengthen the mounting of bracket 20 to generator 15. 
     Bracket 20 is shaped to extend a little way above the top 19 of generator housing 17. The upper region of bracket 20 supports gooseneck 30 and also receives a conduit 40 for guiding electric conductors into gooseneck 30. Conduit 40 is preferably formed as a metal tube held securely to top 19 of generator housing 17 by clamps 41 so that conduit tube 40 extends alongside carrying handle 16. An electric conductor cord 42 extends from a plug 43 fitting into a receptacle outlet for generator 15 and runs through conduit tube 40 to the upper region of bracket 20. There conduit 40 extends into a receiving hole 44 where it is held in place by a set screw 45. Gooseneck 30 is hollow so that conductor 42 can run through gooseneck 30 to lamp head 10. 
     Gooseneck 30 is preferably screwed to the upper region of bracket 20 with four screws 32. The joint between gooseneck 30 and bracket 20 is also preferably sealed with a sealant material. Gooseneck 30 is shaped to accommodate the desired movement of lamp head 10, and the free end of gooseneck 30 also forms a part 31 of a knuckle on which lamp head 10 pivots. The other part 33 of the pivot knuckle is formed on lamp head 10, and the two knuckle parts 31 and 33 form a horizontal knuckle axis so that lamp head 10 pivots vertically. A friction device such as a pair of nylon washers are arranged between knuckle parts 31 and 33 to hold lamp head 10 in any position within its range, and the strength of the frictional grip is preferably adjustable as is generally known. 
     Lamp head 10 has a handle 11 by which it can be pivotally adjusted. Gripping handle 11 and raising it in an upwardly directed arc moves lamp head 10 from the folded position of FIG. 1 to the upwardly aimed position of FIG. 2. Handle 11 can also be used for positioning lamp head 10 in any intermediate position. Because of the friction grip between knuckle parts 31 and 33, pivotal movement of lamp head 10 stresses gooseneck 30 and bracket 20 so that their interconnection and mounting on generator 15 are preferably made strong and secure to withstand this. 
     The underside 34 of gooseneck 30 curves downward as it extends away from bracket 20 to provide clearance for lamp head 10 in the folded position of FIG. 1. This allows lamp head 10 to fold against stops 25 on bracket 20 so that the front face of lamp head 10 is closely spaced from bracket 20 and the end 18 of generator 15 where it is protected for storage. In this folded position, a closure clip 12 for lamp head 10 just clears the downwardly curving underside 34 of gooseneck 30. Also, in the folded position of FIG. 1, the back 14 of lamp head 10 extends outward beyond knuckle parts 31 and 33 to protect the knuckle from damage during storage. By compactly folding lamp head 10 against the air intake end 18 of generator 15, the overall length of the generator and folded lamp head is short enough to fit in standard size lockers in fire and emergency trucks. 
     The upper side 35 of gooseneck 30 also curves downward from bracket 20 as it extends outward until it approaches knuckle part 31 that it curves upward to form. This leaves a gooseneck or valley in upper surface 35 that accommodates the back 14 of lamp head 10 when pivoted to an upwardly aimed position as shown in FIG. 2. The curved shapes of upper surface 35 and lower surface 34 of gooseneck 30 thus allow it to extend through a space that fits closely over lamp head 10 in the folded position of FIG. 1 and closely under lamp head 10 in the upwardly aimed position of FIG. 2. The shape of gooseneck 30 then allows full pivotal functioning of lamp head 10 between folded storage and upwardly aimed lighting and also contributes to strength and reliability in supporting lamp head 10. 
     With gooseneck 30 hollow and firmly joined and sealed to bracket 20, the interior of gooseneck 30 is water resistant to keep conductors dry as they pass through gooseneck 30 and knuckle parts 31 and 33 to lamp head 10. This makes the unit resistant to damage from water that can wet it during fire fighting. 
     FIGS. 6-8 show a preferred variation of my bracket mount for a different brand of generator 15a having a slightly different shaped housing 17a and accommodating a knuckled lamp head 10a having a handle 11a and a narrower back 14a. Lamp head 10a includes a supporting knuckle 50 pivotally secured to a knuckle part 51 on a mounting arm 52 that attaches lamp head 10a to generator 15a via frame 20a. 
     I shape frame 20a to fit and attach to a generally rectangular end of generator housing 17a, preferably by four screws 24a. A single rubber stop pad 25a attached to a lower region of frame 20a forms an abutment for the folded storage position of lamp head 10a. 
     Offset to one side of an upper region of frame 20a, I form a socket 60 for receiving lamp head mounting arm 52. The offset centers lamp head knuckle 50 relative to frame 20a. Mounting arm 52 fits into socket 60 to hold mounting arm 52 fixed in place relative to frame 20a, and I prefer that an end 53 of mounting arm 52 be threaded into socket 60 for this purpose. Mounting arm 52, when finally secured in socket 60, is oriented so that the pivot axis of knuckle 50 is horizontal and lamp head 10a pivots up and down in a vertical plane. Mounting arm 52 and socket 60 are hollow to accommodate an electric conduit passing through to lamp head 10a. 
     Socket 60 slopes downward and away from the upper region of frame 20a, and its upper and lower exterior surfaces also slope downward. This produces an effect similar to gooseneck 30 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5 in providing clearance for folding lamp head 10a into a stored position closely under socket 60 and accommodating a full upward tilt of lamp head 10a toward the upper surface of socket 60.