Patent ID: 6942368

Claim:
An accessory cartridge for removable and interchangeable reception in a specialized lighting fixture, which comprises (a) a cartridge ring having a generally circular side wall portion and generally open bottom and top portions, (b) one or a plurality of generally flat, disc-like accessory elements adapted for loose-fitting reception within the side wall portions of said cartridge ring, (c) said side wall portions having an axial dimension sufficient to accommodate the simultaneous reception of a plurality of accessory elements within said cartridge ring, (d) support flange portions adjacent said bottom portion and extending radially inward to form a bottom limit stop for an accessory element received within said cartridge ring, (e) at least one retainer clip element positioned on said side wall portion for engagement with outer edge portions of an upper one of said one or a plurality of accessory elements positioned in axially stacked relation within said cartridge ring, (f) said retainer clip element comprising a resilient element extending inward from said side wall portions at an angle thereto such that portions of said resilient element closer to the bottom portion of said cartridge ring extend inward a distance less than portions of said resilient element farther removed from said bottom portion, (g) said resilient element engaging and resiliently bearing inwardly against at least the upper one of said one or a plurality of disc-like accessory elements for restraining a single such accessory element or an axially aligned stack of a plurality of such accessory elements against upward movement relative to said cartridge ring, (h) said retainer clip element comprising a contoured spring element, separate from side wall portions of said cartridge ring, formed of sheet metal and having a generally flat central portion disposed generally parallel to a central axis of said cartridge ring and fixed to the inside of a side wall portion thereof, (i) said retainer clip element further comprising a pair of wing-like side elements extending laterally from opposite sides of said central portion and disposed at a shallow angle extending away from adjacent side wall portions of said cartridge ring, (j) said wing-like side elements being contoured such that lateral edges of portions thereof located axially more remote from the bottom of said cartridge ring are spaced farther inward from the side wall portions of said cartridge ring than are portions of said side elements located closer to said bottom.