Heat distorting support clip for air handling luminaire
AssigneeGenlyte Thomas Group LLC
InventorRoy B. Crane
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An air handling luminaire having a light diffuser, louver, or lamp shield made of a flammable material and mounted within a luminaire housing. Integral with the luminaire housing is a heat distortable support clip from which the light diffuser, louver, or lamp shield depends. The luminaire housing also has a ballast channel and at least one reflector mounted therein. The ballast channel and luminaire housing have a plurality of vents and air gaps for fluid communication with an air plenum. The heat distortable support clip non-permanently deforms or distorts when introduced to a predetermined temperature in order to release the lamp shield from the housing and prevent burning thereof.
Claims44
An air handling luminaire, comprising:
- a housing and a lamp shield comprised of at least one flammable component mounted to said luminaire housing;
- at least one support connected to said luminaire housing supporting said lamp shield;
- wherein said support is heat distortable without melting, to release said flammable lamp shield from said housing.
An air handling luminaire, comprising:
- a top wall and at least one side wall forming a luminaire housing;
- at least one dissimilar metal support having a first leg attached to said luminaire housing;
- a lamp shield comprised of a flammable material and suspended from said dissimilar metal support.
An air handling luminaire, comprising:
- a luminaire housing having vents and an air gap in fluid communication with an air plenum;
- a substantially L-shaped support integral with an outer surface of a sidewall of said luminaire housing;
- a lamp shield depending from said support clip and having a concave shape and a plastic film on an inner side of said lamp shield;
- wherein said support is a dissimilar bi-metal laminate having an industry designation P675R.
An air handling luminaire, comprising:
- a luminaire housing and a flexible light diffuser mounted adjacent to said luminaire housing;
- means for supporting said light diffuser from said luminaire housing;
- said supporting means being physically distortable upon reaching a predefined temperature;
- and,
- at least one reflector connected to a ballast channel mounted within said luminaire housing, said ballast channel and said housing having vents for fluid communication with an air handling plenum.
A method of mounting an air handling luminaire comprising the steps of:
- mounting a lamp shield adjacent a luminaire housing;
- connecting a first leg of a support clip to said luminaire body, said support clip being a distortable dissimilar metal laminate;
- inserting a second leg of at least one support clip through said luminaire housing;
- hanging said lamp shield from said second leg of said at least one support clip;
- and,
- placing said luminaire housing in fluid communication with an air handling plenum.
An air handling luminaire, comprising:
- a luminaire housing formed by a top wall and at least one sidewall depending from an outer periphery of said top wall;
- said luminaire housing having a dissimilar metal support clip integral therewith;
- said dissimilar metal support clip being substantially L-shaped with a first leg and a second leg;
- said first leg connected to an outer sidewall of said luminaire housing, said second leg extending through said housing;
- a flexible louver having a flammable material on an inner surface of said louver, said louver depending from said second leg of said dissimilar metal clip;
- said dissimilar metal laminate being P675R;
- at least one reflector connected to a ballast channel and depending from said luminaire housing, said ballast channel and said luminaire housing having vents for fluid communication with an air handling plenum;
- and,
- an air gap formed by said luminaire housing, said ballast channel, and said at least one reflector.
A system for light diffusers, to release and fall free from return air luminaires in the event of a fire, said system comprising:
- at least one heat distortion device for supporting a flammable light diffuser from a return air luminaire and designed to distort when heated to a preselected temperature;
- at least one light diffuser installed in a return air luminaire and supported by said heat distortion device;
- wherein said heat distortion device will release said light diffuser to fall free from said return air luminaire before said light diffuser catches fire.
A method for mounting said flammable light diffuser to a return air luminaire comprising:
- positioning a return air luminaire in a return air duct;
- connecting at least one heat distortion device through at least one hole aligned in a luminaire body;
- inserting at one heat distortion device through aligned holes in a light diffuser and said luminaire body.
An air handling luminaire, comprising:
- a luminaire housing having a top wall and four sidewalls depending therefrom;
- a lamp shield operably mounted adjacent to said luminaire housing;
- and,
- at least one support clip having a first leg connected to said luminaire body and a second leg supporting said lamp shield;
- wherein said at least one support clip is a dissimilar metal laminate.
An air handling luminaire, comprising:
- a top wall and at least one side wall forming a luminaire housing;
- at least one dissimilar metal support clip having a first leg attached to said luminaire housing;
- a lamp shield depending from said at least one dissimilar metal support clip and having a flammable material on an inner side;
- wherein at least one dissimilar metal support clip is substantially L-shaped.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.