Patent Abstract:
A flush lighting system includes a support ring for attachment, typically to the underside surface, of a lighting fixture containment space, and a finishing ring which can lockably engage the support ring, either directly using threaded members, or by the use of raised dimples on the support ring which interfits with a groove on the finishing ring. The finishing ring preferably contains apertures and radius grooves for accommodating plaster or dry wall compound. A raised abbreviated radial width inner surface transition lies at the inner most portion of the face of the finishing ring. Inside the raised transition and extending axially is an engagement structure for mating with the support ring, through either a groove or apertures for threaded attachment against a radially outwardly existing axial surface of the support ring. The aforementioned system works well with an additional fixture engagement structure which typically lies within the lighting fixture and for which an additional holding structure provides some engagement to the lighting fixture, and particularly a structure which contemplates a fixture which mounts flush with the surrounding ceiling or wall and the finishing ring.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of lighting systems and more particularly to recessed lighting systems and provides a structure for facilitating a completely flush recessed lighting arrangement for an enhanced and finely customizable recessed lighting installation. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional recessed lighting systems offer a rivet-type installation in which structural and visually hidden portions of the light fixture are provided above and partially within a wall or ceiling barrier, and in which an engaging fixture is attached to the opposite side of the wall or ceiling with or without further rigid attachment to the portions of the light fixture on the other side. The engaging fixture, in order to hide the imperfections in the aperture extending through the wall or ceiling material, typically includes a generously proportioned cover flange. In the case of a ceiling, for example, the flange extends through the aperture, downward to a point at least below the ceiling level and then radially outward. The radial extent of the flange hides imperfections which occurred in the making of the through-hole, such as a tear in the dry wall sandwiching paper, deviations from circularity in the hole, etc. 
     Typically the radial extent is not flat, and curves downwardly more at the inner radial edge and usually tapers in the direction of its radial outermost extent. The taper provides more clearance space at the radial innermost extent to accommodate foreign objects, such as those formed by gauges in the dry wall, chips of torn paper at the rim, and the like. The shape of the radial extent can vary, and may include an abbreviated taper at the outermost extent for example. The object is to accommodate imperfections without further treatment and provide an outer sealing with respect to the wall or ceiling. 
     However, the radial design becomes a defacto part of the wall&#39;s finish. Moreover, the fixture is typically painted at the factory in a stock color such as white or eggshell and typically in a gloss or enamel finish. Most wall coverings are non-reflective and have a light dispersive finish. The fixture finish virtually never matches the wall color. In highly stylized surroundings, such as art galleries, and custom homes where great care and attention is given to the space, and objects within the space to be illuminated, adding the hodge podge of finishing collar designs to raw need for lighting is undesirable. 
     Lighting systems have other requirements which continue to demand to be met, including accessibility for cleaning, light bulb and reflector changes and preferably some ability to re-direct the position of the light source. An elimination of the intrusive shape and color of a flange collar can only be reasonably accomplished while leaving these other requirements in tact. 
     What is therefore needed is a system which meets all of the necessary requirements for lighting system operation and servicablity, but which facilitates a more custom installation. The needed system should be as structurally secure as a conventional system and facilitate a customized installation flush with the surrounding wall or ceiling. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A flush lighting system includes a support ring for attachment, typically to the underside surface, of a lighting fixture containment space, and a finishing ring which can lockably engage the support ring, either directly using threaded members, or by the use of raised dimples on the support ring which interfits with a groove on the finishing ring. The finishing ring preferably contains apertures and radius grooves for accommodating plaster or dry wall compound. A raised abbreviated radial width inner surface transition lies at the inner most portion of the face of the finishing ring. Inside the raised transition and extending axially is an engagement structure for mating with the support ring, through either a groove or apertures for threaded attachment against a radially outwardly existing axial surface of the support ring. The aforementioned system works well with an additional fixture engagement structure which typically lies within the lighting fixture and for which an additional holding structure provides some engagement to the lighting fixture, and particularly a structure which contemplates a fixture which mounts flush with the surrounding ceiling or wall and the finishing ring. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention, its configuration, construction, and operation will be best further described in the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective lower view of a lighting fixture accommodation box to which a support ring of the invention is attached, typically with four screws and overlying a ceiling board, finishing ring and also shown with a light fixture which fits within and through the finishing ring, ceiling board, support ring and through and protruding into the accommodation box; 
     FIG. 2 is an isolated view of the support ring and finishing ring where the support ring contains dimple projections radially toward the center of the support ring, and where the finishing ring includes an outwardly disposed groove into which the dimple projections interfit and engage the finishing ring; 
     FIG. 3 is an isolated view of the support ring and finishing ring where the finishing ring carries apertures and where the support ring may contain a series of different axial height apertures for different thicknesses of wall or ceiling board or no apertures to facilitate the drilling of apertures to exactly match the axial displacement of the support ring with respect to the finishing ring; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the finishing ring showing an expanded view of the apertures and grooves which facilitate the retention of wall joint compound; 
     FIG. 5 is an assembled view of the flush fixture system seen in exploded perspective in FIG. 1 before the addition of wall joint compound; 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line  6  of FIG.  5  and illustrating the addition of wall joint compound over the structures on the planar outer radial surface of the finishing ring and shown with the access afforded with the fixture removed; 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view as seen in FIG. 6, but with the fixture in place and illustrating the final, flush appearance of the flush fixture system of the invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a variation on the system of the invention shown in FIG. 2, but where the support ring has a threaded axial portion and where the finishing ring simply threads onto the axial portion of the support ring, with any excess length of the axial portion acting as a rim to limit the innermost extent of the dry wall compound; and 
     FIG. 9 is the simplest variation of the invention as a free standing ring having a rim for limiting the joint compound radially inner extension and which would be held in solely by dry wall screws or by nails. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The description and operation of the invention will be best initiated with reference to FIG.  1  and which illustrates a perspective view from below and looking upward at a flush trim collar lighting system  11 . At the uppermost section is a light accommodation box  13  which is usually provided to more than adequately house the wiring and light support, and is typically made oversize in order to aid in heat dissipation. Accommodation box  13  has a light fixture accommodation aperture  14  at its lower side. A larger metal accommodation box  13  will result in a lower temperature and increased thermal dissipation. 
     Just inside the metal accommodation box  13  two friction clips  15  are noted which will make frictional contact with a removable fixture  17  having a light aperture  18 , seen at the bottom of FIG.  1 . The bottom of the removable fixture  17  is seen as having a lip or outermost radial structure which will be shown to engage a complementary structure to limit its extent of travel in the direction of box  13 . Other shapes of light fixture  17  may be used and in conjunction with other limiting structures to limited the extent of travel toward box  13 . In some cases the clips  15  will be mounted to other structures which may cooperate with any of the structures shown and described in system  11 . 
     Just below the box  13 , a support ring  19  includes a radially planar portion  21  which will ideally fit directly against the bottom of the box  13 , and an axial portion  23  which, in the preferred embodiment, provides both strength and further structural support. A set of four screws  25  are used to extend through apertures  27  at the outer periphery of the support ring  19  to attach the support ring  19  to the box  13 . This is typically done before the installation takes place, and the combination of the box  13  and support ring  19  may be available commercially as a pre-assembled unit. Manufacturing advantages may be had by using rivets, where a pre-assembled box  19  section is attached to the support ring  19  before the box  13  formation is complete. 
     The support ring  19  is shown just above a section of wall or ceiling board  31  having a central aperture  33  through which the axial portion  23  may partially extend. Ceiling board  31  may be plaster or dry wall. In most applications the ceiling board  31  will be already installed and the central aperture  33  will be cut with the dimensional clearances and attachment of box  13  taken to account. 
     Below the ceiling board  13  is a finishing ring  41 . Finishing ring  41  has a radially extending flange  43  which is generally flat but may be tapered in the direction of the outermost periphery. Radially extending flange  41  may also be thin and may generally range from one eighth of an inch to about one sixteenth of an inch. The finishing ring  41  has a plurality of apertures  45  which may have a diameter of about one quarter of an inch to about an eighth of an inch. The apertures  45  help hold wall joint compound so that the wall finish can be brought over the radially extending flange  43  and up to a rim  47  seen as a prominent surface disposed on the same side of the radially extended flange  43  which will receive joint compound to finish the custom installation. In addition, the apertures  45  can also be used with nails having thin heads where the nails are driven into the apertures  45 , but not left so high that the heads would extend above the natural application level of wall joint compound, sometimes referred to as spackle. Where nails are used, the upper nail structure, although displacing part of an aperture  45 , helps to provide additional surface for the wall joint compound to take hold. Rim  47  demarks a radial limit at which the finishing compound approach toward the radial center of the finishing ring  41  will extend. As will be seen, the radially extending flange  43  also includes a plurality of radiused grooves which help to hold the wall joint compound in place over the radially extending flange  43 . 
     The system  11  is generally seen as having an axis which extends through the accommodation box  13  opening, through the support ring  19 , through the finishing ring  41  and fixture  17 . The general axis of this system is a main axis through which the orientation of the other members may be described. 
     On the inside of the finishing ring  41  is a radially extending portion which includes an outwardly disposed groove, the rear of which is labeled as  49  which continues axially with an upper wall  51 . Into the upper wall  51  are a series of cutouts  53 . The cutouts  53  give access into the outwardly disposed slot and is generally the best way to open an upper portion of the slot to entry from projections, which will be shown, into the slot. In the alternative, small vertical grooves, leading into the radially outwardly disposed slot, may be provided. However, cutouts  53  are relatively easy to form and where the material of the finishing ring  41  is very thin, this is the preferred method. 
     Rim  47  is made wide enough in FIG. 1 to be observable, but in actual use it may be radially narrower or wider. The main function of the rim  47  is to provide a transition structure which separates the wall joint compound and the clearance for the ingress and egress of the fixture  17 . The radial width of the rim  47  can be nearly razor thin. Another reason to have a wider rim is to provide sufficient structure against which scraping and sanding can occur. Where hand finishing is performed, the rim  47  can be quite thin, but where a mechanical sander is used, a wider rim, for a given material thickness, can withstand the rubbing away of material without loss of structural integrity. In addition, the rubbing away of material makes the surface of the rim  47  more amenable to holding paint and causes the transition between wall joint compound and metal surface of the rim  47  to be more nearly seamless. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, a view above the separated supporting ring  19  and finishing ring  41  exposes the radially outwardly disposed groove  61 , and more clearly indicates how the series of cutouts  51  provide access from above. The axial portion  23  of the supporting ring  19  is seen as having a series of inwardly protruding engagement structures  63  which align with the cutouts  51  and which can ride in the slot  61  and enable the supporting ring  19  to engage and support the finishing ring  41 . Any number of engagement structures  63  can be used so long as a matching series of cutouts  53  are properly aligned to accommodate them. In the system  11  with the cutouts  53  and inwardly protruding engagement structures  63 , the finishing ring  61  need only have its cutouts  53  aligned with the projections  63 , followed by a raising of the finishing ring  41  to bring the protruding engagement structures  63  into alignment with the groove  61  and then turn the finishing ring  41  either clockwise or counter clock wise to position the protruding engagement structures  63  in the slot  61  between two adjacent cut outs  53 . In this position, the finishing ring  41  is secured with respect to the support ring  19 , and in an installation with the ceiling board  31  sandwiched in between. 
     In another embodiment, seen in FIG. 3, a variation is shown in which the support ring  19  carries a series of apertures  65  which may be threaded, and engageable with a series of screws  67 . The screws  67  engage the apertures  65  of the support ring  19  through apertures  69  of the finishing ring  41 . This provides a direct attachment method, and can be used to make custom installations. For example, where the thickness of the ceiling board  31  is thinner or thicker, the holes  65  can be drilled to match for a custom fit, or a series of apertures  65  can be provided which are radially shifted and axially varied. An example is seen as aperture  71  to one side of aperture  65  which is higher up and as an aperture  73  to the other side of aperture  65  which is lower down. If the axial heights are still unacceptable, the apertures  69  can be positioned over a portion of the upper wall  51  having no apertures  65 ,  71 , or  73 , and a matching hole drilled. As such, the attachment structure seen in FIG. 4 works well with odd thickness size wall board  31 . 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the finishing ring  41  showing an expanded view of the apertures and grooves  77  which facilitate the retention of wall joint compound. 
     FIG. 5 is an assembled view of the flush fixture system  11  seen in exploded perspective in FIG. 1 with the finishing ring  41  seen before the addition of wall joint compound and possibly held in place with the addition of a fastening structure  78  which may be a nail or a dry wall screw. FIG. 5 illustrates the assembled structure as seen with respect to beams  79 . The underside of the fixture  17  is seen. In the fully finished configuration, only the fixture  17  and possibly the rim  47 , assuming that it is not otherwise finished and painted, will be seen. Where the rim  47  is sanded along with the joint compound, only the ceiling&#39;s painted surface (not shown) and the bottom surface of the fixture  11  will be seen. The section lines and orientation facilitate further explanation in the following Figures. 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line  6 — 6 , along a main axial extent of the system, and seen in FIG.  5  and illustrating the addition of wall joint compound  81  leading up to and over the structures on the planar surface of the outer radial portion  43  of the finishing ring  41 . As can be seen, the finishing ring  41  radially extending flange  43  extends downward from the lower surface of the ceiling board  31 . Where a more customized finish is desired, a chamfer can be formed in the lower portion of the wall or ceiling board  31  by simply scribing a radius of a lower paper layer  82  equivalent to or greater than the radius of the finishing ring  41  and peeling it away. If further depth of chamfer is desired, some of the wall or ceiling board material  31  can be scraped away. Over chamfering will not be harmful and will help to further seat the finishing ring  41 , although chamfering will probably not be necessary due to the thinness of the radially extending flange  43 . 
     The fixture  17  is seen enclosing a light support  83  shown in phantom. Typically the light support  83  will support a lamp and enable positional aiming adjustment through the light aperture  18  seen in FIG.  5 . The box  13  is seen has having a lower wall  85  supporting clips  87  which are positioned to frictionally engage a side wall  89  of the fixture  17 . The box  85  may include either as an integral part or as a bracket upholding the clips  87 , a downwardly extending axial wall  91 . Clips  87  will typically be radially dispersed to exert equal opposing force on the fixture  17 . The wall  91  is distinguishable from the wall  23  of the of the support ring  19 . Also seen is the wall or ceiling board  31  now seen sandwiched between the support ring radial planar portion  21  and the finishing ring  21  radially extending flange  43 . Also clearly seen are the of inwardly protruding engagement structures  63  which are engaging the slot  61 , and enable the supporting ring  19  to engage and support the finishing ring  41 . 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view as seen in FIG. 6, but with the fixture  17  in place and illustrating the final, flush appearance of the flush fixture system  11  of the invention. 
     The installation of the system  11  is quite simple. First, a larger metal accommodation box  13  is typically fitted already with a support ring  19 . Into the wall or ceiling board  31  is formed a central aperture  33  just beneath where the box  13  is to be mounted. Next the box  13  is secured, typically with respect to beams rafters or other structural members of a building, in a position where the support ring  19  may partially fit through the central aperture  33 . Next, the finishing ring  41  upper wall  51 , which is a cylindrical shape, is moved upwardly and into the axial portion  23  of the support ring  19  such that the inwardly protruding engagement structures  63  fit within the radially outwardly disposed groove. A short turn of the finishing ring secures it into place and such the radially extending flange  43  should lie closely adjacent to the surrounding wall or ceiling board  31  and flatly against it. Next, the joint compound is applied to the wall or ceiling board  31  around the finishing ring  41  and onto the finishing ring  41  up to the rim  47 . Typically smoothing will be performed by a wide blade tool. Once the joint compound dries, the whole area is sanded and the addition of joint compound possibly repeated. The surrounding surfaces, joint compound and possibly the rim  47  are now ready for painting. 
     A further variation on the connectability of a support ring  101  is seen in FIG. 8 by providing threads  103  on an outer surface of an axial portion  105  of the support ring  101 . A finishing ring  107  has an internal thread  109  or has an internal surface suitable for interactably engaging a threaded surface. The excess of the axial portion  105  which goes past the finishing ring  107  forms a stop or rim similar to rim  47  to limit the concentric inner extent of drywall compound. 
     Another variation is seen in FIG. 9 where a finishing ring  121  is provided which is not intended to link up with a support ring. The finishing ring  121  contains the rim  47  and radially extending flange  43  seen in FIG. 2, but requires other methods and structures to attach, such as the dry wall screw, nail or like structure  78  of FIG. 5, as well as glue or other holding structures. 
     While the present invention has been described in terms of an flush trim collar lighting system, the principles contained therein are applicable to other types of custom finishing systems. 
     Although the invention has been derived with reference to particular illustrative embodiments thereof, many changes and modifications of the invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, included within the patent warranted hereon are all such changes and modifications as may reasonably and properly be included within the scope of this contribution to the art.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5