Patent Publication Number: US-2012044701-A1

Title: Lamp Seat Assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a lamp seat assembly, more particularly to a lamp seat assembly that may be assembled and disassembled in a snap-engaging manner. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the Taiwanese Patent Number M351311 has disclosed a lamp device  1  with a heat-dissipating effect. The lamp device  1  includes a lampshade  11  and an insulation lamp seat  12 . The lampshade  11  has a rear end formed with a plurality of threaded holes  111 , whereas the lamp seat  12  has a front end formed with a same number of through holes  121 , each of which is aligned with a respective one of the threaded holes  111 . To mount the lamp seat  12  to the lampshade  11 , a screwdriver is used to drive fasteners  13  through the corresponding through holes  121  for fastening threadedly into the corresponding threaded holes  111 . Moreover, to remove the lamp seat  12  from the lampshade  11 , a screwdriver is also needed to unscrew the fasteners  13  so that the fasteners  13  may be removed from the corresponding through holes  121  and the corresponding threaded holes  111 . 
     However, this sort of fastening manner that uses the fasteners  13  requires a screw driver for assembly and disassembly of the lamp seat  12 , which is inconvenient in operation and time-consuming. Moreover, the fasteners  13  increase the incurred cost. As such, it is desirable to design a structure of a lamp seat assembly that dispenses with fasteners and that facilitates assembly and disassembly operations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a lamp seat assembly that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the conventional lamp seat assembly. 
     Accordingly, a lamp seat assembly of this invention comprises a lampshade and a hollow lamp seat. 
     The lampshade includes a side wall that extends along an axial direction, that has top and bottom ends opposite to each other along the axial direction, and that defines a through hole. The lamp seat includes a surrounding wall that extends along the axial direction and that has a bottom portion surrounded by the side wall of the lampshade, at least one first engaging member that projects from the bottom portion of the surrounding wall at a position adjacent to a bottom end of the bottom portion, and that is disposed below and contacts the bottom end of the side wall of the lampshade, and a second engaging member that projects from the bottom portion of the surrounding wall and that is disposed above and contacts a top end of the side wall of the lampshade, such that the bottom portion of the surrounding wall is retained removably in the through hole of the lampshade. 
     Preferably, the bottom portion of the surrounding wall of the lamp seat is formed with at least one slit that extends upwardly from the bottom end of the bottom portion and that extends parallel to the axial direction, thereby enabling the bottom portion of the surrounding wall to move resiliently and inwardly when the first engaging member is inwardly pressed. 
     Preferably, the first engaging member of the lamp seat has a first engaging surface, and a second engaging surface disposed above the first engaging surface along the axial direction, and contacts slidably the bottom end of the side wall of the lampshade. The bottom portion of the surrounding wall is urged to move resiliently and inwardly when the first engaging surface of the first engaging member contacts slidably the top end of the side wall of the lampshade during retention of the bottom portion of the surrounding wall in the through hole of the lampshade, and when the second engaging surface of the first engaging member contacts slidably the bottom end of the side wall of the lampshade during removal of the bottom portion of the surrounding wall from the through hole of the lampshade. 
     Preferably, the side wall of the lampshade further has first and second guide surfaces that are formed obliquely and respectively at the top and bottom ends thereof. The bottom portion of the surrounding wall is urged to move resiliently and inwardly when the first engaging member contacts slidably the first guide surface of the side wall of the lampshade during retention of the bottom portion of the surrounding wall in the through hole of the lampshade, and when the first engaging member contacts slidably the second engaging surface of the side wall of the lampshade during removal of the bottom portion of the surrounding wall from the through hole of the lampshade. 
     Preferably, the lamp seat includes a plurality of angularly spaced-apart ones of the first engaging members that are disposed below and contact the bottom end of the side wall of the lampshade, each of the first engaging members being formed with the first and second engaging surfaces; and the bottom portion of the surrounding wall of the lamp seat is formed with a plurality of the slits that are arranged alternately with the first engaging members. 
     By using the first engaging member and the second engaging member of the lamp seat to engage the bottom end and the top end of the side wall of the lampshade, the lamp seat assembly eliminates the need for separate fasteners and facilitates assembly and disassembly operations. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a sectional view of a conventional lamp disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Number M351311; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a lamp seat assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded partly sectional view of the preferred embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates assembly operation of a lamp seat of the preferred embodiment to a lampshade by abutting a first engaging surface of a first engaging member against a first guide surface of a side wall; 
         FIG. 5  is an assembled partly sectional view of the preferred embodiment for illustrating the first engaging member and a second engaging member engaging respectively bottom and top ends of the side wall; and 
         FIG. 6  illustrates disassembly operation of the lamp seat of the preferred embodiment relative to the lampshade by abutting a second engaging surface of the first engaging member against a second guide surface of the side wall. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the preferred embodiment of a lamp seat assembly  200  according to the present invention is shown to comprise a lampshade  2  and a lamp seat  3  mounted removably on the lampshade  2 . 
     With further reference to  FIG. 3 , the lampshade  2  is made of metal material with a good heat dissipation effect, and includes a shade body  20 , an annular wall  21  extending inwardly from a top end of the shade body  20 , and a side wall  22  that extends downwardly from an inner periphery of the annular wall  21  along an axial direction (L), that has top and bottom ends opposite to each other along the axial direction (L), and that defines a through hole  23 . The lamp seat assembly  200  further includes an LED lighting unit (not shown in the Figures) that is to be fastened to a bottom side of the annular wall  21  and that emits light for passage through an opening  24  formed at a bottom end of the shade body  20 . 
     The lamp seat  3  is made of insulating material, and is mounted removably in the through hole  23  of the lampshade  2 . The lamp seat  3  includes a base wall  31  and a surrounding wall  32  extending downwardly from an outer peripheral edge of the base wall  31 . The base wall  31  and the surrounding wall  32  cooperate to define an accommodation space  33  having a bottom opening. The accommodation space  33  is adapted to accommodate a driving circuit board (not shown in the Figures). The driving circuit board is coupled electrically to the 
     LED lighting unit so as to provide power for the LED lighting unit. The lamp seat  3  further includes a plurality of first engaging members  34  that are angularly spaced apart from each other and that project from the bottom portion of the surrounding wall  32  at a position adjacent to a bottom end of the bottom portion of the surrounding wall  32 , and a second engaging member  35  that projects from the bottom portion of the surrounding wall  32  and that is disposed above the first engaging members  34 . Each of the first engaging members  34  has a rib shape and is disposed below and contacts the bottom end of the side wall  22  of the lampshade  2 . The second engaging member  35  has a ring shape and is disposed above and contacts the top end of the side wall  22  of the lampshade  2 , such that the lamp seat  3  is capable of engaging and being positioned relative to the side wall  22  of the lampshade  2 . 
     Preferably, the bottom portion of the surrounding wall  32  of the lamp seat  3  is formed with a plurality of slits  36 , each of which extends upwardly from the bottom end of the bottom portion, extends parallel to the axial direction (L), and is disposed between an adjacent pair of the first engaging members  34  (i.e., the slits  36  are arranges alternately with the first engaging members  34 ). Each adjacent pair of the slits  36  configures the surrounding wall  32  with a resilient wall portion  321 . The resilient wall portions  321  of the surrounding wall  32  are able to move resiliently and inwardly when the first engaging members  34  are pressed inwardly, such that the lamp seat  3  may be quickly assembled to or disassembled from the lampshade  2 . 
     Preferably, each of the first engaging members  34  of the lamp seat  3  has a first engaging surface  341  facing down and a second engaging surface  342  facing up, whereas the side wall  22  has a first guide surface  221  formed obliquely at the top end thereof, and a second guide surface  222  formed obliquely at the bottom end thereof. Through abutment between the first engaging surfaces  341  and the first guide surface  221  or abutment between the second engaging surfaces  342  and the second guide surface  222 , the first guide surface  221  and the second guide surface  222  serve to press inwardly and contract resilient wall portions  321 , so that during assembly or disassembly of the lamp seat  3 , friction between the first engaging members  34  and the side wall  22  is reduced, and the lamp seat  3  may be smoothly mounted and positioned relative to the side wall  22  of the lampshade  2 , or removed from the side wall  22 . It is worthwhile to mention that, in design, implementation with only the first engaging surfaces  341  and the second engaging surfaces  342  and without the first guide surface  221  and the second guide surface  222 , or with only the first guide surface  221  and the second guide surface  222  and without the first engaging surfaces  341  and the second engaging surfaces  342 , likewise achieves the effect of reducing friction between the first engaging members  34  and the side wall  22 . Furthermore, there may only be one first engaging member  34  and one slit  36  in other embodiments of this invention. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 , to mount the lamp seat  3  to the lampshade  2 , either the lamp seat  3  is pressed downward toward the lampshade  2  along a direction (I), or the lampshade  2  is pressed upward toward the lamp seat  3  along a direction opposite to that of the arrow symbol (I), so that the first engaging surfaces  341  of the first engaging members  34  are to contact slidably the first guide surface  221  of the side wall  22 , and the first guide surface  221  of the side wall  22  exerts a lateral force component on the first engaging members  34  so as to urge that the resilient wall portions  321  of the surrounding wall  32  to move inwardly and resiliently, such that the first engaging members  34  can move downward smoothly along the inner wall side of the side wall  22 , and as a result, extend through the through hole  23 . When the second engaging member  35  engages the top end of the side wall  22  of the lampshade  2 , the lamp seat  3  is stopped from further downward movement. In the meantime, the first engaging members  34  have moved past the inner wall side of the side wall  22 , and, due to the restorative resiliency of the resilient wall portions  321 , the first engaging members  34  are restored to the original states thereof, such that the second engaging surfaces  342  of the first engaging members  34  engage the second guide surface  222  of the bottom end of the side wall  22 . The lamp seat  3  is mounted and positioned relative to the lampshade  2  at this time. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , to dismount the lamp seat  3  from the lampshade  2 , the lamp seat  3  is pulled upward from the lampshade  2  along the direction (II), or the lampshade  2  is pulled downward from the lamp seat  3  along the direction (I), so that the second engaging surfaces  342  of the first engaging members  34  are to slide relative to the second guide surface  222  of the side wall  22 , and the second guide surface  222  of the side wall  22  exerts a lateral force component on the first engaging members  34 , so as to urge the resilient wall portions  321  of the surrounding wall  32  to move inwardly and resiliently, such that the first engaging members  34  can move upward smoothly along the inner wall side of the side wall  22 , and as a result, be removed from the through hole  23 . When the first engaging members  34  are detached from the inner wall side of the side wall  22 , the lamp seat  3  is removed from the lampshade  2 . 
     In summary, in the lamp seat assembly  200  of this invention, by using the first engaging member  34  and the second engaging member  35  of the lamp seat  3  to engage the bottom end and the top end of the side wall  22  of the lampshade  2 , and also by the design of the slits  36 , the lamp seat assembly  200  eliminates the need for separate fasteners and facilitates assembly and disassembly operations. 
     While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.