Technical Field

The present invention relates to the technical field of ceiling lamps. More specifically, the present invention relates to a ceiling bracket for attaching a ceiling lamp to a ceiling, to a ceiling lamp comprising such a ceiling bracket and to a method for providing ceiling brackets.

Prior Art

Ceiling lamps are a popular form of lighting device, both for domestic as well as industrial lighting purposes. Ceiling lamps are often constructed such that they comprise a ceiling bracket which serves as the part that attaches to the ceiling. The ceiling bracket further comprises connections for the light source. A lamp shade is also often supported by the ceiling bracket; the lamp shade usually covers the ceiling bracket for aesthetic reasons. The lamp shade may also serve to improve or alter the light scattering of the light source, such as by providing a diffusive effect.

Ceiling lamps are often sold and distributed as a product that requires assembly by the customer. This is beneficial as it allows the package sizes to be reduced, facilitating logistics as well as reducing the environmental effects of the distribution of the products. It is however a delicate balancing act; on one hand it is required to provide a product that is sufficiently easy to assemble, and on the other hand it is required to reduce the space needed for distribution of the product. Development of ceiling lamps is therefore continuously striving to achieve improvements in both areas. An improved ceiling lamp that is easy to assemble and that requires a small volume during distribution is therefore desired.

Summary

It is therefore an object of the invention to at least partly overcome one or more of the above-identified limitations of the prior art. In particular, it is an object to provide an improved ceiling bracket that is easy to assemble and that requires little space during distribution. It is also an object of the invention to provide a ceiling lamp comprising such a ceiling bracket as well as a method for providing a ceiling bracket.

In a first aspect, a ceiling bracket for attaching a lamp to a ceiling is provided. The ceiling bracket comprises a base unit configured to be attached to the ceiling; the base unit having a first wall configured to face the ceiling. A second wall is provided extending from the periphery of the first wall. A plurality of lamp shade support arms are provided being attachable to the second wall, preferably to the exterior, or radially outer side of the second wall. The first wall and the second wall together define a cavity being dimensioned to accommodate the arms during storing and transportation of the ceiling bracket. As the arms are accommodated by the cavity in the base unit, the required volume for each ceiling bracket during transport is reduced.

In an embodiment, each arm comprises a base and an elongated arm portion connected thereto. Each base is attachable to a corresponding slot in the second wall.

The configuration of the arms is such that assembly is facilitated, and that no tools are required for mounting the arms to the slots.

Each slot may be arranged such that an associated arm can be released or attached to the base unit only when the ceiling bracket is not mounted to a ceiling.

In an embodiment the second wall extends around the periphery of the first wall, thereby forming a fully enclosed cavity of the base unit. The second wall may be a substantially cylindrical second wall. This provides for improved mechanical strength of the second wall and improved protection of the arms against damages during

distribution of the ceiling bracket.

In an embodiment the arms are releasably mounted to the second wall.

Thereby, it is possible to disassemble the ceiling bracket.

In an embodiment, the arms are configured to support a lamp shade. A distal end of each arm is provided with a lamp shade holding member, preferably said lamp shade holding member comprises a resilient member and a stop, the stop being configured to restrict the arms from protruding too far through an opening in the lamp shade and the resilient member being configured to provide a snap-locking

functionality, requiring depression for attachment and release of the lamp shade. The lamp shade is in this way easily attached to the arms and held securely in place when mounted.

The first wall may be at least partially circular.

In one embodiment, the second wall comprises an outwardly protruding portion, the interior of the protruding portion is configured to accommodate the base of at least one arm during transport of the ceiling bracket. The protruding portion allows more arms to be fitted into the cavity and it also aids in holding the arms in place when arranged in the cavity.

The ceiling bracket may further comprise a lamp socket attachable, preferably releasably attachable, to the exterior of the second wall. The cavity may be dimensioned to also accommodate at least a portion of the lamp socket during storing and

transportation of the ceiling bracket.

Furthermore, the first wall may comprise a recess on the side of the first wall intended to face the ceiling. The recess is configured to accommodate at least a portion of the lamp socket that protrudes out of the cavity of a second ceiling bracket being stacked adjacent to the side of the first wall intended to face the ceiling. The recess allows stacking of ceiling brackets with the first wall of a further ceiling bracket facing the cavity of a first ceiling bracket, the recess of the further ceiling bracket allowing some space for a lamp socket that cannot be fully enclosed in the cavity of the first ceiling bracket.

In one embodiment, the recess is arranged such that a further ceiling bracket being stacked on a first ceiling bracket is rotated approximately 180° in relation to the first ceiling bracket around a central axis extending through the first wall. This allows the lamp socket belonging to the first ceiling bracket to be placed in a position other than where the recess in the first wall of the first ceiling bracket is located, as the recess generates a corresponding protrusion in the cavity. This is beneficial as it allows the lamp socket to be placed as deep as possible in the cavity side of the first wall, limiting the height of the ceiling bracket when in its transport or storing state.

In one embodiment the ceiling bracket further comprises a wiring cover configured to be, preferably releasably, attachable to the outside of the second wall, which prevents accidental contact of the wirings as well as decreases dust accumulation on the connectors and wires inside.

In one embodiment, the ceiling bracket comprises two to five arms, preferably three to four arms, and most preferably three arms. These numbers of arms have been found to provide a good connection between the ceiling bracket and a lamp shade held by the ceiling bracket in combination with a low cost. In particular three to four arms, and more specifically three arms, are preferable for this reason

In a second aspect, a ceiling lamp is provided comprising the ceiling bracket of the first aspect for mounting the lamp to a ceiling and a lamp shade attachable to the ceiling bracket. The ceiling lamp is easy to assemble and takes up a small volume of space during distribution and storing. The lamp shade is preferably also stackable which would further improve the logistics of the distribution of the ceiling lamp.

In a third aspect, there is provided a method for providing a ceiling bracket, the method comprising: providing a base unit forming a cavity, arranging a plurality of arms in the cavity and positioning a lamp socket in the cavity. Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will be described further below by way of example and with reference to the enclosed drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a ceiling bracket, shown from above, according to one embodiment,

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the ceiling bracket shown in Fig. 1, here shown from below,

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of an arm of a ceiling bracket according to one embodiment,

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of a lamp socket according to one embodiment,

Fig. 5 is an isometric view of a lamp shade for use with a ceiling bracket,

Fig. 6 is an isometric view of a lamp according to one embodiment,

Fig. 7 shows an arm being mounted to a base unit of a ceiling bracket, Fig. 8 is a side view of a stack of ceiling brackets according to one

embodiment,

Fig. 9 is an isometric view of a stack of ceiling brackets according to one embodiment, and

Fig. 10 shows a schematic outline of a method for providing ceiling brackets according to one embodiment.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

In Fig. 1, a ceiling bracket 1 is shown. The ceiling bracket 1 comprises a base unit 2, which is configured to be attached to a ceiling. The base unit 2 may for this purpose comprise holes 20 through which screws (not shown) can be fitted and which allow securing of the ceiling bracket 1 to a ceiling. The exact means for attaching the ceiling bracket 1 to the ceiling is however of limited importance to the invention, and other alternatives are also conceivable such as hanging the ceiling bracket 1 from a hook, using adhesives, etc. The ceiling bracket 1 is preferably manufactured in a plastic material; however other materials are also possible such as for instance aluminum or other light-weight material.

The base unit 2 constitutes the main part of the ceiling bracket 1, and onto the base unit 2 other components of the ceiling bracket 1 are attached. The base unit 2 comprises a first wall 21 that preferably is at least partially circular in shape. The first wall 21 has at least some planar portions which will be facing the ceiling once attached thereto. A second wall 22 extends perpendicular from the peripheral circumference of the first wall 21 and is preferably at least partially cylindrical in shape. The first wall 21 and the second wall 22 together define a cavity 23 (shown in Fig. 2). The cavity 23 is intended to face downwards when the ceiling bracket 1 is mounted to the ceiling.

The ceiling bracket 1 further comprises a plurality of lamp shade support arms

3, such as three arms 3, which are, preferably releasably, attachable to the outside, or exterior side, of the second wall 22. The first wall 21 further comprises a recess 211 and the second wall 22 comprises a protruding portion 222. The purpose of these features will be described further below.

In Fig. 2, the ceiling bracket 1 is shown where a lamp socket 4 is attached to the outside, or exterior, of the second wall 22. The lamp socket 4 is preferably attached to the second wall 22 by means of a snap-lock or other similar fastening means that does not require tools.

A wiring cover 6 is also provided, which covers the electrical connectors on the rear portion of the lamp socket 4. The wiring cover 6 is optionally used, but provides improved safety to the ceiling bracket 1 as it hides the wiring to the lamp socket 4 and thereby prevents unintentional contact that could result in electrical shocks. It also reduces the collection of dust in the electrical connectors. The cover 6 is attached by pins (not shown) provided on the inside of the cover 6 that protrudes into corresponding holes 223 (see Fig. 1) in the second wall 22. The cover 6 may pivot in the holes 223, providing access to the wiring without having to completely remove the cover 6 from its attachment.

In Fig. 3 an example of an arm 3 is shown. The arm 3 comprises a base 31 from which an elongated arm portion 32 extends. The base 31 is attachable to slots 221 in the second wall 22 (shown in detail in Fig. 7) such that the elongated arm portion 32 protrudes radially out from the base unit 2. The slots 221 are provided at the radially outer, or exterior side of the second wall 22 and preferably they are distributed evenly along the second wall 22 such that the angular distance between two adjacent slots 221 is essentially constant, or the same. On the distal end 35 of the arm 3, i.e. the end which is configured to be the furthest away from the base unit 2, a lamp shade holding member is provided, wherein the lamp shade holding member comprises a stop 34 and a resilient member 33.

The stop 34 is in the form of a triangularly shaped protrusion with the high end of the protrusion facing the distal end of the arm 3. The resilient member 33 is of a similar triangular shape but with the high end arranged innermost, thereby facing the base 31. The resilient member 33 is configured to flex and thereby allow insertion of the distal end of the arm 3 into a corresponding mounting hole 51 in a lamp shade 5 (as shown in Figs. 5 and 6). When the lamp shade 5 is pushed past the resilient member 33 it resiliently flexes back to its original position and prevents radial outwards motion of the lamp shade 5. The stop 34 prevents the lamp shade 5 from travelling too far onto the arm 3, and as the gap between the stop 34 and the resilient member 33 is only a little larger than the wall thickness of the lamp shade 5, the lamp shade 5 will be held in a desired position.

Three arms 3, spaced apart by equal angular distance (i.e. 120°) around the second wall 22 will provide a robust connection of the lamp shade 5 to the ceiling bracket 1. Other numbers of arms 3 is also possible, such as two, four or five arms.

Fig. 4 shows a lamp socket 4 that is attachable to the outside of the second wall 22. Preferably, the lamp socket 4 comprises a snap-lock type fastener that allows attachment to the second wall 22 without use of tools.

As can be seen in Fig. 5, the mounting holes 51 of the lamp shade 5 are configured to receive the distal ends of the arms 3. The lamp shade 5 is in this embodiment shown to have a semi-spherical shape but it could also have other shapes. Preferably, the shape of the lamp shade 5 is such that several lamp shades 5 can be stacked on top of each other, preferably having each lamp shade at least partly nested inside the previous lamp shade in the stack.

Fig. 6 shows a ceiling lamp 10 comprising a ceiling bracket 1 (not visible) and a lamp shade 5. As can be seen, the arms 3 of the ceiling bracket 1 protrudes through the holes 51 of the lamp shade 5 and holds it securely in place by the provision of the stop 34 and the resilient member 33.

The mounting of the arms 3 to the base unit 2 is shown in Fig. 7, where an arm

3 is pushed down into a slot 221 in the second wall 22 via a slot opening 22 la. The base 31 of the arm 3 fits into the slot 221 only from the side of the ceiling bracket 1 which is intended to face the ceiling. This results in that the arms 3 can only be mounted to the base unit 2 when the ceiling bracket 1 is not attached to the ceiling. This is beneficial as it also means that as long as the ceiling bracket 1 is secured to the ceiling, the arms 3 will not accidentally fall out of their slots 221.

In Figs. 8 and 9 the ceiling bracket 1 is shown in its distribution state where two ceiling brackets 1 are stacked on top of each other. As mentioned earlier, it is important to consider the logistics when developing new products. There are several reasons for this, one such reason being to reduce distribution costs and another to reduce the environmental effects per delivered product.

For the inventive ceiling bracket 1 advantages relating to packaging and transport are achieved by allowing the cavity 23 to accommodate the arms 3 of the ceiling bracket 1 and at least a part of the lamp socket 4. The interior height of the second wall 22 in the cavity 23 is approximately as high as, or slightly higher, than the base 31 of the arms 3 when positioned on their respective side as shown in Fig. 9.

Consequently, no parts of the arms 3 will protrude out of the cavity 23 past the second wall 22. The protruding portion 222 of the base unit 2 is provided as a local radial extension of the second wall 22 in order to fit as many arms 3 as possible, preferably to fit all the arms 3 of the ceiling bracket 1, and to ensure that the arms 3 are oriented as desired within the cavity 23. The protruding portion 222 has a shape that essentially matches that of a base 31 of an arm 3 and as it protrudes radially outside the otherwise essentially cylindrical shape of the second wall 22, it allows a larger number of arms 3 to be accommodated in the cavity 23. The arms 3, preferably three arms 3, will thus fit into the cavity 23 without interfering or coming into contact with a further ceiling bracket 1 stacked on top of the first ceiling bracket 1 with the first wall 21 of said further ceiling bracket 1 facing the cavity 23 of the first ceiling bracket 1 arranged underneath.

The lamp socket 4 may however have a size that does not entirely fit into the cavity 23. In order to prevent it from interfering with the stacking of the ceiling brackets 1, the recess 211 (see Fig. 1) is provided in the first wall 21 on its side that is intended to face the ceiling. The recess 211 has a shape that essentially or roughly corresponds to a side of the lamp socket 4. The recess 211 will thereby occupy a part of the cavity 23 as the first wall 21 is depressed at the position of the recess 211.

Consequently, the lamp socket 4 is preferably placed in the cavity 23 in a position opposite the protrusion formed by the recess 211, in relation to a central axis extending through the first wall 21. When stacking the ceiling brackets 1, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, they are placed on top of each other with a relative rotation of

approximately 180° around a central axis CA. This will make the part of the lamp socket 4 that does not completely find room in the cavity 23 of the first ceiling bracket 1 extend into the recess 211 of the further ceiling bracket 1 placed over the cavity 23. As a result the adjacent stacked ceiling brackets 1 will principally make contact with each other only along the top edge of the second wall 22 and the periphery of the first wall 21, as illustrated in Fig. 8. This provides stable stacks of ceiling brackets 1. In Fig. 10, a schematic outline of a method 100 for providing a ceiling bracket 1, preferably for preparing the ceiling bracket for distribution and transport, is shown. The method comprises a step 101 of providing a base unit 2 forming a cavity 23, and a step 102 of arranging the arms 3 in the cavity 23 of the base unit 2 of the ceiling bracket 1. The protrusion 221 in the second wall 22 defines the most radial protruding position of the arms 3, and the arm 3 first placed in the cavity is preferably placed in the protrusion 221. The remaining arms 3 are then placed next to the first arm 3. For holding the arms 3 in place the dimensions of the cavity 23 may be designed such that the intended number of arms 3 will fit precisely when they are in close contact with each other, as indicated in Fig. 8.

The method 100 further comprises a step 103 of positioning the lamp socket 4 in the cavity 23, preferably opposite the recess 211 in the first wall 21. It is to be understood that the arms 3 may just as well be placed in the cavity 23 after that the lamp socket 4 is placed in the cavity 23.

Multiple ceiling brackets 1 may then be placed on top of each other with the first wall 21 of a further ceiling bracket 1 facing the cavity 23 of a first ceiling bracket 1. Preferably, each ceiling bracket 1 is rotated approximately 180° around a central axis. The relative rotation of the ceiling brackets 1 will ensure that the lamp socket 4 arranged in the cavity 23 of the first ceiling bracket 1 is arranged adjacent to, and extends into, the recess 211 of the further ceiling bracket 1.

It should be mentioned that the inventive concept is by no means limited to the embodiments described herein, and several modifications are feasible without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, the term“comprises/comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Additionally, although individual features may be included in different claims, these may possibly

advantageously be combined, and the inclusion in different claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. The terms“a”,“an”,“first”,“second” etc do not preclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are provided merely as a clarifying example and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.