Patent Abstract:
A fitting adapted for installation into an opening of a support structure includes a housing structure having a longitudinal extent with a head region. An exemplary embodiment of the housing structure has an interference feature whose outer shape configuration generally matches a shape configuration of the opening, the interference feature oversized relative to the opening. The housing structure further includes a seal surface disposed generally transverse to the longitudinal extent. A component such as a light source may be disposed within the housing structure. 
     A method for installing a light fixture in an opening formed in a support structure includes positioning an end of the light fixture in the opening, applying an installation force on the light fixture to advance the light fixture into the opening such that an oversized interference feature on the exterior periphery of the light fixture tightly engages interior surfaces defining the opening in the support structure, and pushing the light fixture into the opening to engage a seal surface of the light fixture in engagement with a support structure surface around the opening.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Many spa and other bathing installations include an illumination source for illuminating the body of water in the spa tub or bathing installation container, or adjacent areas or features. Exemplary light sources include LED, incandescent and fiber optic light systems. 
         [0002]    Installation of the light source in the spa tub or bathing installation enclosure or other support structure is typically a time-consuming task. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]      FIG. 1  is an isometric partially exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of a light assembly for a spa installation. 
           [0004]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the light assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0005]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the light assembly of  FIGS. 1-2 , taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0006]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0007]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged view of the area within phantom line  5  of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0008]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a housing for a light assembly. 
           [0009]      FIG. 7  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of another alternative embodiment of a light assembly. 
           [0011]      FIG. 9  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 8 . 
           [0012]      FIGS. 10 and 11  depict a spa waterfall structure employing light assemblies as depicted in  FIGS. 8-9 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    In the following detailed description and in the several figures of the drawing, like elements are identified with like reference numerals. The figures may not be to scale, and relative feature sizes may be exaggerated for illustrative purposes. 
         [0014]      FIGS. 1-5  illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a light assembly  50 . The assembly  50  may include a housing  60 , a gasket  70 , and an electrically powered light source  80 . In an exemplary embodiment, the light source includes a light emitting diode (LED) or LEDs, although other types of light sources may be used, e.g. incandescent bulbs, or even an optical fiber transmitting light from a light source, e.g. a remotely located light source. 
         [0015]    In an exemplary embodiment, the housing  60  is fabricated of a transparent or translucent material, e.g. polycarbonate or clear ABS. The housing includes a hollow tube or barrel portion  62 , a head portion  64 , and an interference feature  66  which protrudes from the outer periphery of the hollow tube portion  62  spaced from the head by a gap  68 . In an exemplary embodiment, the housing  60  is designed to be interference fitted into a bore or opening  22  formed in a support structure  20 , e.g., a spa tub wall. For example, the opening may be formed by drilling a hole in the support structure, and may have a circular cross-section. The housing barrel portion  62  and interference feature  66  may have a corresponding circular cross-sectional configuration for this example, with the outer diameter of the housing barrel portion  62  somewhat smaller than the nominal inner diameter of the opening  22 . In an exemplary embodiment, the interference feature  66  may have a generally partial spherical contour, with an outer diameter at its outermost extremity which is somewhat larger than the opening diameter. The outer dimension of the interference feature  66  and the opening dimension are selected so that the housing may be interference fitted into the opening in a tight interference fit. 
         [0016]    In other embodiments, the housing barrel portion  62  and interference feature  66  may have other cross-sectional configurations, e.g. matching non-circular opening configurations. For example, the opening may have a rectilinear configuration, and the housing barrel portion  62  and interference feature  66  may have a matching rectilinear configuration. 
         [0017]    In an exemplary embodiment, the head portion  64  provides a flat seal surface  64 A, against which the gasket  70  is positioned. The gasket in an exemplary embodiment may be fabricated of silicone, EPDM, VITON™, or liquid RTV silicone, preferably of a clear or translucent material. An exemplary gasket thickness range is between 0.030 inch to 0.10 inch, or more preferably 0.030 inch to 0.060 inch. 
         [0018]    The light source assembly  80  may include, in an exemplary embodiment, a light source  82 , which may be an LED source, positioned within the open space  80  within housing barrel portion  62  adjacent the head portion  64 . An o-ring seal may be used to stabilize the position of the light source within the housing. The assembly  80  may also include a circuit board  84 , to which are attached leads  86  which are connected to the light source  82  and leads  88 A- 88 B which may connect to a source of electrical power, or in a daisy chain connection with other light source assemblies. A potting compound may be used to fix the position of the circuit board and seal the electrical components within the housing barrel portion  62 . 
         [0019]    The exposed top surface  64 B ( FIG. 2 ) of the head portion  64  may include a lens pattern, or may be smooth or relatively featureless. 
         [0020]    The light assembly  50  may be readily installed in a support structure such as a wall of a spa tub. An exemplary installation technique may include the steps of (a) forming an opening in the wall, e.g. by drilling a hole, (b) passing the leads  88 A- 88 B through the opening, (c) inserting the housing end  63  into the opening, and (d) pushing assembly  50  into the opening until the head portion and gasket seat against the wall surface  24 . In an exemplary embodiment, the interference feature  66  may be oversized with respect to the opening size such that an impact force may be applied to facilitate the seating of the assembly. For example, the impact force may be applied by a rubber mallet against the outer surface of the head portion  64 . This seating may also compress the gasket  70  between the seal surface  64 A and the surface  24  of the wall, to provide a liquid seal. The gasket portion  70 A ( FIG. 3 ) in the region between the neck region of the housing between the head  64  and the interference portion  66  may be relatively uncompressed, due to the opening gap between the support structure and the housing neck region. This uncompressed portion  70 A may serve to capture the gasket position, keeping the gasket from squeezing out of position or sliding after installation. The interference fit of the feature  66  into the inner surface of the opening  22  may also provide some liquid sealing effect. In an embodiment in which the gasket  70  is formed by a liquid material such as RTV silicone, the gasket material may be dispensed into the opening  22  or onto the outer periphery of the housing  60 , or both, prior to inserting the housing  60  into the opening  22 . 
         [0021]    For some embodiments, e.g., applications in which the LED assembly  50  is above a water line or in which it is unnecessary to provide a water-tight seal, the gasket  70  may be omitted, and the LED assembly installed without a gasket. 
         [0022]      FIG. 5  illustrates the interference fit of the portion  66  and the wall surface of the opening  22 . In the case of a spa tub, the wall may be fabricated of a fiberglass and resin structure, and there may be some compression of the wall to allow the interference portion to enter the opening  22 . Alternatively, the interference portion may also or alternatively compress to allow entry into the opening. 
         [0023]    It may be the case that the opening  22  is formed in the wall  20  at some offset from the perpendicular, or that the wall surface  22  is not completely true or flat. In the past, these types of features or imperfections may lead to difficulties in getting a light fitting head to lie flat against the wall surface. The interference feature  66  may ameliorate these difficulties, by provide some relatively limited range of rotational movement of the head portion within the opening about the interference feature. This is depicted in  FIG. 3 , wherein the dashed lines  26 A- 26 B depict the orientation of an opening formed truly perpendicular to the wall surface  24 , and so the actual opening is formed at a small angle offset from the perpendicular. Since in this embodiment the entire outer surface of the barrel portion of the housing is not in intimate contact with the opening wall due to its undersized diameter, the seal surface  64 A may still be seated truly about the perimeter of the opening. 
         [0024]    The housing  60  in an exemplary embodiment may be fabricated by injection molding, or by machining, or by other techniques. 
         [0025]      FIGS. 6-7  illustrate an alternate embodiment of a housing structure  160  for a light assembly. In this exemplary embodiment, which may be machined from a cylindrical rod of transparent material such as polycarbonate or a clear ABS, the exposed head surface  164 B of the head portion  164  is flat. In another embodiment, the housing structure may be molded. The following are exemplary dimensions for this embodiment, although it is to be understood that the particular dimensions are given for the sake of illustration of one embodiment, and that other dimensions may be appropriate for other applications and embodiments. The outer diameter of the head portion  164  is 0.75 inch. The barrel portion  162  has an outer diameter of 0.4 inch, and an inner diameter of 0.344 inch, which is stepped at shoulder  163  to a diameter of 0.295 inch. The interference feature  166  has an outer diameter at its largest dimension of 0.515 inch. A gap dimension  168  between the interference feature and the head seal surface  164 A is 0.062 inch, providing space for a gasket (not shown in  FIG. 6 ). The length of the tube portion  162  between end  162 A and shoulder  163  is 0.55 inch, and the overall length of housing  160  in this embodiment is 1.055 inch. In an exemplary embodiment, the housing structure with these exemplary dimensions is adapted for installation in a nominal wall opening of ½ inch, with a nominal wall thickness of 3/16 inch or more. 
         [0026]    The shoulder  163  of the housing structure  160  may provide a stop surface against which may be seated a circuit board assembly or other structure for a light source, for example. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 8-11  illustrate another alternate embodiment of a housing structure  200  for a light source. The housing structure  200  is designed to be installed from the opposite direction from that of housing structures  60  and  160 . Thus, while housing structures  60  and  160  may be installed in a wall opening by inserting the end  63  or  162 A of the tube portion  60  or  160  into the wall opening, housing structure  200  may be installed in an opening  304  in a support structure  302  by first inserting the head portion  204  into the opening. 
         [0028]    As with the housing structures  60  and  160 , the structure  200  includes a hollow tube portion  202 , a head portion  204  and an interference feature  206 . In this embodiment, the housing structure  200  further includes a flange portion  210  spaced from the interference feature  206  by a gap  208 . A flange surface  210 A provides a seal surface against which a gasket  220  will be seated when the housing structure is installed in a support structure. As with the housing structures  60  and  160 , a light source assembly  230  may be installed within the hollow space inside the housing structure, with connection leads extending from the end  202 A of the hollow portion  202 . 
         [0029]    An assembly including the housing structure  200  may be installed into an opening in a support structure. The opening is undersized relative to the outer dimension of the interference feature  206 . An exemplary installation procedure includes inserting the head portion  204  into the opening, and applying an insertion force against the housing structure, e.g. on flange surface  210 B, to force the interference feature into the opening, until the gasket and seal surface  210 A are seated against the surface of the support structure surrounding the opening. For example, the insertion force may be applied by a rubber mallet, striking either end  202 A or against an end of a pipe inserted over the tube portion with its distal end seated against the flange surface  210 B. 
         [0030]    One exemplary application for use of a light assembly including the housing structure  200  is illustrated in  FIGS. 10-11 . A waterfall structure  300  may be mounted adjacent a spa tub, and connected to a water supply, which results in a waterfall action from an outlet  304  and slot  306 . The structure  300  includes a wall  302 , into which openings are formed to receive the light assembly housing structures  200 . The embodiment of  FIGS. 10-11  depicts four housing structures, although more or less light assemblies may be employed as desired for a given application. To install the housing assemblies  200 , the head of each may be inserted into the opening surface  302 A ( FIG. 10 ), and an insertion force applied to overcome the interference due to the interference feature  206 , until the gasket  220  and seal surface  210 A are engaged against the surface  302 A. 
         [0031]    Although the foregoing has been a description and illustration of specific embodiments of the invention, various modifications and changes thereto can be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5