Mounting system for suspended lighting fixtures

Claim 2

A mounting system for suspending fixtures from overhead structures, the system comprising: (a) support means having an open side with first and second opposing ends at the open side; (b) plate means dimensioned to cover and conceal the open side of the support means with its first and second opposing ends covered by correspondingly opposing ends on said plate means; (c) disengageable pivot means adjacent the first ends of said open side and said plate means for disengageable inter-connection of the support and plate means, said disengageable pivot requiring a predetermined sequence of horizontal and vertical movements of said plate relative to said support means in order to disengage said plate means from said support means; (d) hooking means adjacent the second ends of said open side and plate means for latching said plate over said open side, said relationships being such that said plate hangs, but does not fall, from said support if said hooking means is accidentally unlatched; (e) means for attaching a light fixture to the mounting system before said disengageable pivot means is engaged; and (f) means for attaching the mounting system to an overhead structure; whereby the plate means and support means may be attached to each other at the disengageable pivot means without danger that said fixture may fall before the plate is closed against the open side, whereby after the pivot is engaged the plate may swing on the pivot and be secured by said hooking means against the open side, and whereby the lighting fixture must be lifted and shifted in order to disengage it from the support means.

Claim 3

The mounting system according to claim 1 wherein the disengageable pivot means includes a rod mounted on the support means and a notch formed on the plate means.

Claim 4

The invention according to claim 1 wherein the hooking means include a hooking element formed by an edge of the plate and a ridge formed on the support means which is engaged by the hooking element.

Claim 5

The invention according to claim 3 wherein the plate has a descending vertical wall which abuts a horizontal lip of the support means to prevent movement of the descending wall toward the lip unless the descending wall is first lifted over the lip and the hooking means cannot be moved away from the ridge unless the edge of the plate is lifted so that the hooking means may be moved over the ridge.

Claim 6

The invention according to claim 2 wherein the plate has a descending wall which abuts a horizontal lip of the support means when the plate sets at an oblique angle to the box to prevent the notch from becoming disengaged from the rod by movement of the plate in a direction parallel to its plane.

Claim 7

The invention of any one of the claims 1-5 wherein said support means is a junction box.

Claim 8

The invention of any one of the claims 1-5 wherein said support means is a cover member for closing a junction box.

Claim 9

A fixture support comprising support means having opposing edges, plate means for covering and concealing said support means, said plate means having opposing edges which are individually associated with corresponding opposing edges of said support means, a first pair of said individually associated edges having dismountable hinge means forming an interconnected hinge so that said plate and support means may be hingedly interconnected and then swing between opened and closed positions, said hinged interconnection being concealed by said plate when in said closed position and a second pair of said individually associated edges having latch means for securing said plate and support means while in said closed position, the hinge and latch and latch means being shaped and dimensioned so that said dismountable hinge means cannot become unhinged unless said plate and support means are first uniquely manipulated in both horizontal and vertical directions with respect to each other in a sequential manner which cannot normally occur responsive to a swinging of said plate on said hinge responsive to gravity acting on the weight of said fixture.

Claim 10

A fixture support comprising support means having opposing edges, plate means for covering and concealing said support means, said plate means having opposing edges which are individually associated with corresponding opposing edges of said support means, a first pair of said individually associated edges having dismountable hinge means forming an interconnected hinge so that said plate and support means may be hingedly interconnected and then swing between opened and closed positions, said hinged interconnection being concealed by said plate when in said closed position and a second pair of said individually associated edges having latch means for securing said plate and support means while in said closed position, the hinge and latch and latch means being shaped and dimensioned so that said dismountable hinge means cannot become unhinged unless said plate and support means are first uniquely manipulated in both horizontal and vertical directions with respect to each other in a sequential manner which cannot normally occur responsive to a swinging of said plate on said hinge responsive to gravity acting on the weight of said fixture.

Claim 11

The fixture support of claim 8 wherein said shape and dimension of said hinge and latch include vertical and horizontal walls positioned so that said plate must be slid and lifted simultaneously to enable said vertical and horizontal walls to pass each other before said hinge means may be dismounted.

Claim 12

The system of claim 1 wherein each of said fixtures has associated therewith a closed box containing electrical parts, said plate means being attached to the exterior of said box, and means for enabling at least a pair of wires to be brought out of said box and through said plate means whereby said fixture may be electrically connected to or disconnected from an external circuit without exposing said electrical parts.

Claim 13

The system of claim 4 wherein each of said fixtures has associated therewith a closed box containing electrical parts, said support means is a junction box for use in an external electrical wiring circuit, and said plate means is attached to the exterior of said closed box, and means for enabling at least a pair of wires to be brought out of said box and through said plate means whereby said fixture may be electrically connected to or disconnected from said external electrical wiring circuit without exposing said electrical parts.

Claim 14

The system of claim 8 and a fixture having associated therewith a closed box containing electrical parts, said plate means being attached to the exterior of said closed box, and means for bringing at least a pair of wires out of said closed box and through said plate whereby said fixture may be electrically connected to or disconnected from an external circuit without exposing said electrical parts.

Claim 15

An electrical fixture comprising a closed box containing electrical parts required by said fixture, junction box support means for attachment to an overhead structure, plate means having opposing edges which are individually associated with corresponding opposing edges of said support means, said plate means forming an exterior part of said closed box means for bringing at least a pair of wires out of said box and through said plate means whereby said fixture may be electrically connected to or disconnected from an external circuit via said pair of wires and without having to open said box and thereby expose said electrical parts, a first pair of said individually associated edges having dismountable hinge means forming an interconnected hinge so that said plate means and said support means may be hingedly interconnected and then swing between opened and closed positions, and a second pair of said individually associated edges having latch means for securing said plate and support means while in said closed position, the hinge and latch means being shaped and dimensioned so that said dismountable hinge means cannot become unhinged unless said plate and support means are first uniquely manipulated in a predetermined sequence and with a lift and shift operation in both horizontal and vertical directions, said lift and shift operation being such that they cannot normally occur responsive to a swinging of said plate means on said hinge responsive to gravity acting on the weight of said fixture; whereby the plate means and support means may be attached to each other at the disengageable pivot means without danger that said fixture may fall before the plate is closed against the open side, whereby after the pivot is engaged the plate may swing on the pivot and be secured by said hooking means against the open side, and whereby the lighting fixture must be lifted and shifted in order to disengage it from the support means.

Claim 16

An electrical fixture comprising a closed box containing electrical parts required by said fixture, junction box support means for attachment to an overhead structure, plate means having opposing edges which are individually associated with corresponding opposing edges of said support means, said plate means forming an exterior part of said closed box means for bringing at least a pair of wires out of said box and through said plate means whereby said fixture may be electrically connected to or disconnected from an external circuit via said pair of wires and without having to open said box and thereby expose said electrical parts, a first pair of said individually associated edges having dismountable hinge means forming an interconnected hinge so that said plate means and said support means may be hingedly interconnected and then swing between opened and closed positions, and a second pair of said individually associated edges having latch means for securing said plate and support means while in said closed position, the hinge and latch means being shaped and dimensioned so that said dismountable hinge means cannot become unhinged unless said plate and support means are first uniquely manipulated in a predetermined sequence and with a lift and shift operation in both horizontal and vertical directions, said lift and shift operation being such that they cannot normally occur responsive to a swinging of said plate means on said hinge responsive to gravity acting on the weight of said fixture; whereby the plate means and support means may be attached to each other at the disengageable pivot means without danger that said fixture may fall before the plate is closed against the open side, whereby after the pivot is engaged the plate may swing on the pivot and be secured by said hooking means against the open side, and whereby the lighting fixture must be lifted and shifted in order to disengage it from the support means.