Patent Publication Number: US-2005117355-A1

Title: Lamp shade

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a lamp shade, and more particularly to a lamp shade that can be folded when not in use, so as to reduce the volume of the lamp shade, thereby facilitating package, storage and transportation of the lamp shade, and thereby decreasing the costs of transportation.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      A conventional lamp shade  1  in accordance with the prior art shown in  FIG. 6  comprises an upper ring  11 , a lower ring  12 , and a plurality of ribs  13  mounted between the upper ring  11  and the lower ring  12 . The upper ring  11  has a mounting rack  111  for mounting a lamp, such as a table lamp.  
      However, the ribs  13  are fixed between the upper ring  11  and the lower ring  12  by soldering, so that the conventional lamp shade  1  has a fixed volume and cannot be folded, thereby causing inconvenience in package, storage and transportation of the conventional lamp shade  1 , and thereby increasing the costs of package and transportation.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a lamp shade that can be folded when not in use, so as to reduce the volume of the lamp shade, thereby facilitating package, storage and transportation of the lamp shade, and thereby decreasing the costs of transportation.  
      Another objective of the present invention is to provide a lamp shade that can be assembled and disassembled easily and conveniently, thereby facilitating the user assembling and disassembling the lamp shade.  
      In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a lamp shade, comprising: 
          a shade having two opposite sides separated from each other; and     a fastening device mounted on the shade for combining the two opposite sides of the shade together.        

      Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a lamp shade in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a plan view of a shade of the lamp shade as shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a folded view of the shade of the lamp shade as shown in  FIG. 2 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a schematic plan assembly view showing the lamp shade being mounted on a table lamp;  
       FIG. 5  is a folded view of a shade of a lamp shade in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a conventional lamp shade in accordance with the prior art. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring to the drawings and initially to  FIGS. 1-3 , a lamp shade in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a shade  2 , a fastening device  20 , an upper ring  3 , and a lower ring  4 .  
      The shade  2  is foldable and has a planar shape when being expanded as shown in  FIG. 2 . The shade  2  has two opposite sides  25  separated from each other. The shade  2  has a first end formed with a plurality of first elastic locking plates  21  and a second end formed with a plurality of second elastic locking plates  22 .  
      The fastening device  20  is mounted on the shade  2  for combining the two opposite sides  25  of the shade  2  together. The fastening device  20  includes two chains  23  each mounted on a respective one of the two opposite sides  25  of the shade  2 , and a slide  24  slidably mounted on either one of the two chains  23  to combine the two chains  23  together, so that the two opposite sides  25  of the shade  2  are combined together, thereby forming a loop-shaped shade  2  as shown in  FIG. 3 .  
      The upper ring  3  is mounted on the first end of the shade  2  and has a rim  31  locked by the first elastic locking plates  21  of the shade  2 , and a central portion formed with support portion  32  supported by a plurality of spiders  34 .  
      The lower ring  4  is mounted on the second end of the shade  2  and is locked by the second elastic locking plates  22  of the shade  2 .  
      In assembly, referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , the two chains  23  are combined together by the slide  24 , so that the two opposite sides  25  of the shade  2  are combined together, thereby forming a loop-shaped shade  2  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Then, the upper ring  3  is mounted on the first end of the shade  2  with its rim  31  being locked by the first elastic locking plates  21  of the shade  2 . Then, the lower ring  4  is mounted on the second end of the shade  2  and is locked by the second elastic locking plates  22  of the shade  2 , thereby forming the expanded lamp shade.  
      As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 , the expanded lamp shade is mounted on a table lamp  5 . The table lamp  5  includes a harp  51  mounted in the shade  2  and rested on the bottom of the support portion  32  of the upper ring  3 , a threaded rod  53  mounted on the harp  51  and extended through the support portion  32  of the upper ring  3 , and a decorative nut  52  screwed on the threaded rod  53  and rested on the top of the support portion  32  of the upper ring  3 , so that the expanded lamp shade is mounted on the table lamp  5 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 5 , the fastening device  20 A includes two bonding straps  27  each mounted on a respective one of the two opposite sides  25  of the shade  2 . Each of the bonding straps  27  is a loop-shaped or hook-shaped strap, so that the bonding straps  27  are combined together. Thus, the bonding straps  27  are combined together, so that the two opposite sides  25  of the shade  2  are combined together, thereby forming a loop-shaped shade  2  as shown in  FIG. 5 .  
      Accordingly, the lamp shade is assembled and disassembled easily and conveniently, thereby facilitating the user assembling and disassembling the lamp shade. In addition, the lamp shade can be folded when not in use, so as to reduce the volume of the lamp shade, thereby facilitating package, storage and transportation of the lamp shade, and thereby decreasing the costs of transportation.  
      Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment(s) as mentioned above, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will cover such modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the invention.