US2118749A - Lamp - Google Patents

Description

May 24, 1938. M. WEAVER 2,118,749

LAMP

Filed Feb. 2, 1937 f7@ W MAY We Vfl? 4 Trop/vir Patented May 24, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a lamp. More particularly my invention pertains to a lamp having a single light source from which the light may be directed in two substantially opposite directions simultaneously or in either one of the two directions alone. The lamp is particularly adapted for mounting on a wall between two adjacent beds. When so used, the iight may be directed toward both beds at the same time, or toward either one of the beds independently of the other so that the occupant of one bed may be in relative darkness while the occupant of the other bed receives suflicient light for reading. One oi the objects of my invention is a. lamp which is particularly adapted for furnishing an effective illumination for reading in bed to either or both oi two beds in such a manner that the light is primarily available in the place where it is required without unduly illuminating the rest of the room.

Another object of my invention is a lamp which has two doors on substantially opposite sides either of which may be entirely closed or opened any desired amount independently of the other. The amount of opening of one of the doors determines the amount and the direction of the light given out on that side of the lamp. With both doors closed or only very slightly open, a small amount of light escapes into the room through such small openings as still exist and an effective night light results.

My invention is constructed in a manner such that the opening of the doors may be adjusted and controlled to produce a particularly eective indirect light for reading in bed by directing light against the wall in back of the bed so that a diffused and glareless light illuminates the pages being read without shining in the eyes of the reader.

One of the principal objects of my invention is attained by mounting the lamp on a wall between two adjacent, or side-by-side positions, and by the4 proper adjustment of the doors on the sides of the lamp, so that the light from one side of the lamp illuminates objects on that side of the lamp only and objects on the other side of the lamp receive only a very small amount of the light from the rst side.

Another object of my invention is a lamp which may be economically constructed and has a pleasing and artistic appearance. The lamp is relatively small and unobtrusive. tive when mounted against the wall and this wall mounting has a further advantage of not requiring a bedside table for supporting a reading lamp, or if such a table is used, its top is available for other articles. Also the lamp is sup- It is most effec- (Cl. 24U-73) ported so that it cannot be knocked over or disturbed.

My invention effectively and eiliciently produces the required illumination for reading in either or both of two adjacent positions by the 5 use of a single source of light without unduly wasting light in illuminating the entire room.

The preferred form of my lamp has a solid, opaque front, back, top and bottom. The two sides of the lamp consist of opaque frames in which sheets of translucent, opalescent glass are mounted, and swinging doors adapted to cover completely the glass when in their closed positions. The glass may be omitted entirely or clear glass used, but less glare and a more pleasant eiiect is obtained by the use of opalescent glass. The doors are hinged on vertical hinges located at or close to the junction of the sides with the front of the lamp: The doors when partly opened thus serve as shields and reectors which prevent to a large extent the shining of the light directly out into the room and also reflect light against the wall on which the lamp is mounted and against the objects beside the lamp.

The amount of light which comes directly out of the side of the lamp and the angle at which the reilected light is caused to strike the wall or objects beside the lamp are readily controlled and adjusted by the amount the door on that side of the lamp is opened. The person on one side of the lamp has complete control of the amount and direction of the light coming to his side without materially affecting or changing the light being used by the person on the other side of the lamp.

These and other objects of my invention will be apparent from the specification and from the drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig.- 1 is a front elevation of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section taken in a plane indicated by the line 2--2 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross section taken in a plane indicated by the line 3 3 on Fig. 1.y

The drawing shows a preferred form of my lamp in which a front l0, a bottom il, and a back l2 are suitably connected together to form a one piece structure. A top, or cover, i3 is removably mounted on the lamp and is shaped to conform to the outside dimensions of the lamp as shown in the horizontal cross section, Fig. 3. An angle piece i4 is attached to the back of the top I3 and ts inside of the back l2. A wire It is attached at the front of the cover i3 and fits snugly into the corners where the sides of the 55 lamp join the front I0. The cover is thus held securely in place but may be removed whenever necessary. The front, bottom, back and top form the case of the lamp and are made of opaque material such as thin sheet copper or brass.

The sides of my lamp are designated generally by the reference numerals I6 and Il. The sides consist primarily of translucent glass plates or sheets I8 and I9 which are securely held and framed between side pieces 20 and 2| and angle pieces 22 and 23 at the back of the lamp, and between side pieces 20 and 2| and theJpieces 24 and 25 at the front of the lamp. The glass plates I8 and I9 are preferably made of vopalescent glass and may be readily slid into place or removed when the top I3 is not in place. The side pieces 20 and 2| of the side frames are in the form of hollow rectangles which serve to frame the glass sides I8 and I9. Dotted lines 26 and 2l, Fig. l, define the openings at the center of the side pieces 2|) and 2|, respectively.

Each side of the lamp case is provided with a hinged door, indicated at 28 and 29, mounted on vertical hinges 30 and 3|, respectively, and provided with knobs 32 and 33, respectively. The doors 28 and 29 are made of opaque material, such as sheet copper or brass, and preferably extend from the top to the bottom of the lamp, as shown in Fig. 1, to serve most effectively as shields and reflectors of light. 'I'he doors overlap the side pieces 20 and 2| on all foursides so as to reduce the amount of light that escapes around the doors when they are closed.

I prefer to have each of the sides .I8 and I1 extend outward at an angle of between 55 and 70 with the back I2, particularly when the lamp is to be used between adjacent beds. I have found that with the sides converging in this manner the most effective lighting is produced together with the most attractive appearance of the lamp. When the doors 28 and 29 are closed, I prefer to have the outer surfaces of the sides I8 and II substantially dat surfaces as best shown in Fig. 3. The hinges 38 and 3| are flush with the outside surfaces.

The doors 28 and 29 may bei independently adjusted to any position within their range of movement. such as shown for instance by the broken line positions 28', 21", 29' and` 29".

A standard electric lamp socket 34, provided with a switch actuated by a pull chain 35 is mounted on the bottom II in any well known manner. The pull chain 35 extends through a bushing 36 at the point where it passes through the bottom II. A bushing 3'I in the back I2 provides an opening for bringing the lamp cord 38 into the lamp. The pull chain 35 is conveniently located for use from either side of the lamp. A single incandescent lamp 39 in the socket 34 serves as a single source of light from which light may be directed out through both glassplates I8 and I9. Although I prefer to use a single lamp 39, it is obvious that a plurality of lamps in the common compartment or enclosure in which lamp 39 is located will function as a single source of light for the purposes of my invention. The emission of light from the source 39 depends upon and may be varied and controlled by the amount or distance the doors 28 and 29 are opened or closed.

The side pieces 28 and 2| extend beyond the back I2 as shown at 40 and 4I and are connected to bent over portions 42 and 43 of the back I2 by brazing or soldering. This produces an air space 44 between the back I2 of the lamp and a wall 45 on which the lamp is mounted by means of a screw 48. The back I2 is provided with a slot 41 which is placed over the head of the screw 46 to hold the lamp in place against the wall. A plurality of such slots and screws may be provided if desired for strength and rigidity. I prefer to make the top I3 of such size that it stops slightly short of the wall 45, as shown at 48, so that the air may readily circulate through the air space 44. 'I'he air space 44 is important in preventing overheating of the wall 45. The back edges of the sides, indicated generally at 48 and 4|, preferably extend all the way from the top to the bottom of the case and are held 'against the wall when the lamp is mounted on the wall.

By mounting the lamp directly vagainst the wall, the light coming out from one side is effectively shielded by the wall and the door on that side of the lamp from illuminating objects on the other side of the lamp.

With the door 28 in the position 28', some of the light coming through the glass I8 will go directly out to that side and some will strike the inside surface of the door 28 and be reiiected against the wall 45 to illuminate the wall on that same side of the lamp. When`the door 28 is in the position 28" not so much of the light is directed against the wall and a larger portion shines directly out into that side of the room.

Other intermediate positions to which either door may beadjusted are shown at 29' and 29". When the door 29 is opened approximately the amount shown at 29', practically all of the light coming through the glass I9 will be directed against the wall 45 on that side of the lamp.

It will be apparent that the light from the side I6 of the lamp maybe controlled-and adjusted both as to amount and direction by the door 28 without materially affecting the light on the side I1 of the lamp. The position of the open door determines the amount of light coming directly out, the angle and location at which the reected light strikes the wall, and the size and location of the most brightly illuminated area. For example, by suitably adjusting the door, light may be supplied to the reading matter and a. minimum of light directed out into the room. If the cover 29 is closed and cover 28 is open, only a soft dull light will reach objects located at the side II of the lamp. The light coming out of the side I 1 of the lamp may likewise be controlled and adjusted as to amount and direction by the door 29 without materially affecting the light at the side I6 of the lamp. By making the inside surfaces of the back I2 and the two doors 28 and 29 of non-tarnishing material of good reflecting qualities, such as covering them\ with a light colored, porcelain enamel, the emciency and effectiveness of the lamp may be increased.

A slightly modifled form of my lamp which I have not shown in the drawing,'is made by mounting the doors on horizontal hinges located near the top of the sides. The doors will then open by swinging out and up from the bottom. It will also be obvious that many of the advantages of my invention may be gained with a lamp having sides which do not converge toward each other.

While I have described my improved lamp as being particularly adapted for use between-adjacent beds, it will be obvious that it may be used in other ways such as between two adjacent chairs or seats, or at the middle of a davenport,

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or in any location where it may be desired to have a single lamp serve to provide illumination to either or both of two adjacent or side-by-side positions.

I have shown and described one ,form of my invention but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many different forms, shapes and types of construction may be used without departing from the spirit or the scope of my invention as set forth in this specification and the enclosure having a light transmitting opening therein, said side having a hinged door of opaque material adapted when'closed to cover completely said light transmitting opening, said door being mounted on a substantially .vertical hinge near t the front of said enclosure, asecond side substantially the same as said rst-named side, and located substantially on the opposite side of said source of light from said first-named side, and means formounting said lamp with its back substantially against said vertical surface, whereby the doors of said two sides are independentlyadjustable to any one of several positions between completely closed and completely open and each is adapted to confine the light to an area of varying'size and location depending upon the amount the door is open.

2. In a lamp adapted for mounting against a substantially vertical surface or wall between two adjacent reading positions, two converging sides, each extending out from said mounting surface at an angle of less than ninety degrees, a source of light inside of said lamp, a sheet of translucent, material in each 4of said sides, and a swinging door on each of said sides adapted when closed to cover completely the light transmitting portion of said translucent material, said doors being independently adjustable to any one of several positions between completely closed and completely open, the inside surface of each door being so constructed and arranged as to serve when the door is open as a shield or reflector for the light being transmitted through the sheet of translucent material on that side of the lamp in such a manner as to confine said light to an area of varying size and location depending upon the amount the door is'open.

3. A lamp suitable for use between two adjacent beds comprising in combination, an entirely4 opaque case having two light transmitting sides, two opaque hinged doors each adapted when closed to cover substantially completely the light transmitting portion of one oi' said sides, and means for mounting said case against a wall,

each of said sides making an angle of between 55 degrees and 70 degrees with the back of said case and with the wall so that the back of said case is wider than the front of said case, each of said doors being mounted on a vertical hinge near said front of said case.

4. In a lamp, a single source of light in a substantially opaque enclosure, oneside of saidenclosure consisting of a' sheetof light transmitting material mounted in an opaque frame, a hinged door of opaque material adapted when closed to cover completely said light transmitting material, said door being mounted on a substantially vertical hinge near the front of said enclosure, the outer surface of said side lying in a substantially vertical plane at an angle of between 55 degrees and '70 degrees with the surface against which the lamp is adapted to be mounted, and a second side substantially the same as said first-named side, said second side also being at an angle of between 55 degrees and '70 degrees with said mounting surface and converging toward said first-named side, the other portions of said enclosure being opaque and so constructed and arranged that substantially no 4light can be emitted from said lamp when the doors of said two sides are closed.

5. Ina lamp, a single source of light in a substantially opaque enclosure, theback of said enclosure being opaque and adapted for mounting against a vertical surface such as a wall, one side of said enclosure consisting of a sheet oi' light transmitting material mounted in an opaque `frame, a hinged door of opaque material adapted when closed to cover substantially completely said light transmitting material, the edges of said door slightly overlapping said frame, the outer surface of said side being substantially iiat when said door is closed and lying in a substantially vertical plane at an angle of between 55 degrees and degrees withthe surface againstl which the lamp is adapted to be mounted, and a second side substantially the same as said first-named side, said second side also being at an angle of between 55 degrees and 70 degrees with said mounting surface and converging toward said firstnamed side, the doors on each of said sides being mounted on substantially vertical hinges at the front of'said lamp.

6. In a lamp for wall mounting, the combination of a back substantially parallel to the walll on which the lamp is mounted, two sides extending beyond the back such a distance that an air space is` formed between said back and said wall when the lamp is mounted on said wall with the back edges of said sides held against said wall, and a hinged, opaque door on each of said sides, said doors being independently adjustable to any position between closed and wide open.

MAY WEA'YIR.

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