Patent Publication Number: US-2005117354-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 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 package and 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 a first end and a second end;     an upper ring detachably mounted on the first end of the shade; and     a lower ring detachably mounted on the second end of the shade.        

      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 folded view of a shade of the lamp shade as shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a partially perspective assembly view of the lamp shade as shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a plan cross-sectional view of the lamp shade as shown in  FIG. 3 ;  
       FIG. 5  is a schematic plan assembly view showing the lamp shade being mounted on a table lamp; 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. 1-4 , a lamp shade in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a shade  2 , an upper ring  3 , and a lower ring  4 .  
      The shade  2  is made of flexible material, such as cloth or the like, so that the shade  2  is foldable as shown in  FIG. 2 . The shade  2  has a first end provided with a plurality of elastic locking plates  21  and a second end provided with a plurality of bonding straps  22 . Preferably, each of the bonding straps  22  of the shade  2  is a loop-shaped or hook-shaped strap.  
      The upper ring  3  is detachably mounted on the first end of the shade  2  and has a rim  31  locked by the 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 detachably mounted on the second end of the shade  2  and is provided with a plurality of bonding straps  41  each engaged with a respective one of the bonding straps  22  of the shade  2 , so that the lower ring  4  is detachably mounted on the second end of the shade  2 . Preferably, each of the bonding straps  41  of the lower ring  4  is a loop-shaped or hook-shaped strap.  
      In assembly, referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , the upper ring  3  is mounted on the first end of the shade  2  with its rim  31  being locked by the elastic locking plates  21  of the shade  2 . Then, the lower ring  4  is mounted on the second end of the shade  2  and each of the bonding straps  41  of the lower ring  4  is engaged with a respective one of the bonding straps  22  of the shade  2 , so that the lower ring  4  is detachably mounted on the second end of the shade  2 . Thus, the upper ring  3  is mounted on the first end of the shade  2  and the lower ring  4  is mounted on the second end of the shade  2 , thereby forming the expanded lamp shade.  
      As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , 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 .  
      Alternatively, the decorative nut  52  is unscrewed from the threaded rod  53  to detach the support portion  32  of the upper ring  3  from the threaded rod  53  of the harp  51 , so that the expanded lamp shade can be removed from the table lamp  5 . Then, the lower ring  4  is detached from the second end of the shade  2 , and the upper ring  3  is detached from the first end of the shade  2 , so that the shade  2  is folded as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
      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 costs of package and 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.