Patent Publication Number: US-7708433-B2

Title: Light with plastic housing comprised of plates with glued beveled edges

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to a light comprising a housing of plastic material and at least one light bulb arranged within the housing by means of a light bulb fixture, wherein the housing is comprised of several plates and at least one plate is beveled at its outer edges at an angle of 45 degrees and glued to the adjoining plates in the area of its contact surfaces. 
   Such a light is disclosed in DE 81 28 057 U1. The light has housing sidewalls and a diffuser wall wherein the diffuser wall and the adjoining housing sidewalls are connected to one another similar to a miter joint. The edges that are resting against one another are glued together. The housing sidewalls are comprised of transparent plexiglass but they are provided with a reflective layer and a black cover coating so that no light can penetrate to the exterior. In this way, an improved illumination of the diffuser wall is achieved; disadvantageously, a high-quality visual appearance is however not achieved. 
   A further known light comprises a housing that is produced integrally by a casting process. This provides for an inexpensive manufacture but, disadvantageously, a high-quality visual appearance is not achieved. 
   The object of the invention is thus viewed in further developing the light of the aforementioned kind such that a special visual and aesthetically pleasing appearance is achieved. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   As a solution to this object, it is proposed according to the invention that for a light of the aforementioned kind all plates at their outer edges are beveled at an angle of 45 degrees and adjoining plates are glued together in the area of their contact surfaces over the entire surface area wherein at the bottom side of the housing a circular cutout is provided that can be closed off by a base or a closure lid through which opening the light bulb fixture projects into the housing. 
   It has been found that for a light according to the invention the edges of the housing in the area of the contact surfaces appear brighter than the other areas of the housing sidewalls. In this way, the shape of the housing is especially enhanced for the viewer and an extraordinary visual appearance will result. This impression is further enhanced when the plates are made of plexiglass with at least one satin-finished surface. By means of a satin-finished surface on one or both faces of the plexiglass, a very soft and pleasing light distribution is generated wherein, in turn, the edge areas of the housing will shine more brightly and in this way the exact shape of the housing stands out. When the light is illuminated by sunlight, the light beams are reflected in the entire housing and the viewer has additionally the impression that the light is switched on. Moreover, when using colorless satin-finished surface plexiglass one cannot view the interior of the housing from the exterior so that within the housing the light bulb is not visible and therefore the clear impression of the exact shape of the housing is not diminished. At one side of the housing, particularly the bottom side, a circular cutout is provided. The cutout is closed by a base or a closure lid. The light fixture projects such into the housing that the light bulb is arranged approximately at the center of the housing so that a uniform illumination and an enhancement of the visual effect is achieved. By means of the closure lid the light can be positioned at different locations in a simple and fast way and also in a visually pleasing way. 
   The light according to the invention is preferably parallelepipedal or cubic and can be positioned e.g. outdoors in different ways. One embodiment of the invention provides that on the bottom side of the housing a base is arranged. The base can be in cross-section rectangular or circular. The light bulb fixture can be arranged on the top side of the base and can project through the housing opening into the housing. A further embodiment of the invention proposes that on the bottom side of the housing a multifunctional closure lid is arranged. On this closure lid, advantageously a ground spike can be arranged with which the light can be mounted with minimal expenditure on the ground. According to a further embodiment of the invention, on the closure lid alternatively a fastening plate is arranged that is suitable for attaching the light to a ceiling or a flagstone. The closure lid is also suitable for receiving thin steel cables so that a flexible suspension, for example, from the ceiling or from a lamp post is possible. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be explained in the following with the aid of the drawing. The drawing shows embodiments of the invention. It is shown in: 
       FIG. 1  a side view of the light according to the invention with a base; 
       FIG. 2  an exploded view according to  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  the light according to the invention with a ground spike, partially broken away; 
       FIG. 4  an exploded view according to  FIG. 3  without a housing; 
       FIG. 5  the light according to the invention with a fastening plate; 
       FIG. 6  an exploded view according to  FIG. 5 ; 
       FIG. 7  a cross-section of the light according to  FIG. 5  with threaded light bulb fixture; 
       FIG. 8  a cross-section of a further light; 
       FIG. 9  a cross-section of a further light with a float for water surfaces; and 
       FIG. 10  a cross-section of a further light suspended from the ceiling. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The light according to the present invention illustrated in  FIG. 1  has a cubic housing  1  of plastic material that is comprised of several plates  2 . Each plate  2  is beveled or milled at its outer edges  3  at an angle of 45 degrees relative to its outer surface such that the adjoining plates  2  are joined without seam and projections when the housing  1  is assembled. The plates  2  are glued together in the area of the contact surfaces of adjoining plates  2  that correspond to the surface of the outer edges  3 . A suitable glue is applied to the entire surface area of the contact surfaces or outer edges  3 . Each plate  2  is comprised of plexiglass with satin-finished surfaces on both faces. Conceivable are also matt-finished surfaces. The plexiglass has distributed about its volume a plurality of small diffusing pearls on which light is reflected. A total of six plates  2  that are square in cross-section are glued together to form the housing illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Within the housing  1  a light bulb, not shown in detail in the drawing, is mounted on the light bulb fixture  4 . The light bulb fixture  4  is attached to a top side  5  of a base  6  that is rectangular in cross-section. The base  6  is formed as a hollow body that is open in the downward direction wherein its top side  5  has four bores  7  for fastening screws and has a somewhat greater bore  8  for passing electric cables therethrough. On the bottom side  9  of the housing  1  a circular cutout lOis provided through which the light bulb fixture  4  projects into the housing  1 . A circular groove  11  extends circumferentially about the cutout  10 . Into the groove  11  an O-ring is inserted so that the interior of the housing  1  is water-tightly sealed and in particular the light bulb is protected from water when the base  6  is screwed on. The screw nuts  12  for the fasting screws are schematically indicated in dashed lines in  FIG. 1  as are all parts or edges arranged inside the housing  1 . 
   In the embodiment according to  FIG. 3 , a multifunctional closure lid  13  is attached instead of the base  6  to the bottom side  9  of the housing  1 . This closure lid  13  is comprised of a metal plate  14  that is square in cross-section and has centrally a throughbore  15  into which a cylindrical body  16  is inserted. The hollow body  16  is closed off toward the interior of the housing  1  by a disk  17  and is open downwardly and toward the exterior in such a way that a ground spike  18  in the form of a pointed metal pipe or a metal rod can be inserted. The hollow body  16  is welded to the metal plate  14  and the ground spike  18  is attached by means of a pin  19  to the hollow body  16 . For this purpose, the pin  19  is inserted through a bore  20  into the jacket of the hollow body  16  and the pin  19  is locked in a circumferential groove  21  on the ground spike  18 . By means of the ground spike  18  the light can be fastened in a simple way on the ground. Depending on the type of ground the ground spike can be designed for hard or soft ground. Instead of a metal tube as a ground spike  18 , it is also possible to use a profiled rod. 
   When the light according to the invention is to be attached for example to a ceiling or a flagstone, instead of the ground spike  18  a fasting plate  22  is inserted into the hollow body  16  of the closure lid  13  as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The fastening plate  22  is comprised of metal, is of a square configuration, and has centrally a cylinder-shaped projection  23  that is stepped once with regard to its diameter. The area  24  of the projection  23  that has the smaller diameter is positioned within the hollow body  16  after assembly and is also attached by means of the pin  19  to the hollow body  16 . 
   In the light illustrated in  FIG. 7  the actual threaded fixture  26  for the light bulb is illustrated on the light bulb fixture  4 . The light can be mounted by means of the fastening plate  22  directly to a top face of a wall. The fastening plate  22  can also be pushed with its projection  23  through the bore  27  of a flagstone  28  and then be screw-connected to the multifunctional closure lid  13  as described above. In the case of this light, the fastening plate  22  is then arranged at the bottom side of the flagstone  28  and must not be screwed to the flagstone  28  itself; this is shown in  FIG. 8 . 
   The light illustrated in  FIG. 9  is used on water surfaces and floats on the water surface. For this purpose, a float  29  is provided that is arranged at the bottom end of a metal pipe or plastic pipe  30 . This pipe  30  is inserted into the closure lid  13  as described above in connection with the ground spike  18 . The interior of the light is water-tight by means of the O-ring in the groove  11 , welding of the hollow body  16  to the metal plate  14 , and gluing of the plates  2 . 
   The light illustrated in  FIG. 10  is attached to a ceiling wherein a fastening wire or fastening cable  31  is connected to a holder  32  that is fastened in the hollow body  16  of the closure lid  13 . The light can be attached to a wall by means of the closure lid  13  and a wall amount. 
   When operating the light, the light of the light bulb is reflected on the plates  2  and in the area of the outer edges  3  in such a way that the edge areas  25  of the housing  1  appear brighter than the outer surfaces of the plates  2 . In this way, the special shape of the light, in this case the cubic shape, is particularly underscored and enhanced so that for a viewer a special visual effect is provided. Moreover, by means of the satin-finished surfaces of the plates  2 , a very soft and pleasing light distribution is generated for the viewer. By means of the closure lid, the light can be simply and quickly installed at different locations and in a visually pleasing way.