Cassette for receiving a planar light source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9062836-B2
Application number	US-201213461657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2012
Priority date	May 16, 2011
Publication date	Jun 23, 2015
Grant date	Jun 23, 2015

Abstract

A cassette includes a substantially planar base plate having a first or bottom side and a second or top side. A slide channel capture ring or other retention structure is provided on the first side of the base plate for releasably retaining a planar light source to this side of the base plate. Another slide pocket, or other slide-in retention structure is provided on the second side of the base plate for coupling the cassette to a connector structure.

First claim

What we claim is:

1. A loadable cassette for holding a planar light source so that the planar light source can be operatively connected to a luminaire or lighting system having one or more cassette connector structures, the loadable cassette comprising:
a base plate having a first side and a second side;
a light source retention means associated with the first side of said planar base plate for releasably retaining a planar light source on said first side;
a low profile slide-in retention means associated with the second side of said base plate, said low profile slide-in retention means being in the form of a slide pocket configured to slidably receive a substantially flat low profile cassette connector structure of a luminaire or lighting system in a slide motion that is substantially parallel to the base plate of the cassette; and
spring means on said base plate which releasably engage the substantially flat low profile cassette connector structure of a luminaire or lighting system when substantially fully engaged in said slide pocket, said spring means acting to releasably lock the connector structure of the luminaire or lighting system in said slide pocket.

2. The loadable cassette of claim 1 wherein the light source retention means is at least in part integrally formed on the first side of said base plate.

3. The loadable cassette of claim 1 wherein said spring means is provided in the form of a spring tab in said base plate which depressibly projects into the slide pocket on the second side thereof for snapping into a correspondingly located spring tab slot in the cassette connector structure of the luminaire or lighting system when such connector structure is substantially fully engaged in said slide pocket.

4. The loadable cassette of claim 1 wherein said base plate has electrical connection throughways through which an electrical connection can be made to the planar light source retained on the first side of the base plate from the second side of the base plate.

5. The loadable cassette of claim 1 wherein said base plate is configured to receive the planar light source to be held in the cassette.

6. The loadable cassette of claim 1 wherein the planar light source retention means defines an opening through which the light emitting surface of the planar light source can be viewed.

7. The loadable cassette of claim 6 wherein the opening of the planar light source retention means is of a predetermined size.

8. The loadable cassette of claim 1 wherein the light source retention means is provided in the form of a separate capture ring that releasably attaches to the base plate over the planar light source so as to retain the planar light source against the first side of the base plate.

9. The loadable cassette of claim 8 wherein said capture ring has vertical ring walls and an inwardly turned lip at the bottom of said ring walls for contacting the perimeter edges of the planar light source.

10. The loadable cassette of claim 9 wherein the inwardly turned lip at the bottom of the capture ring's vertical ring walls is angled slightly upwardly toward the base plate to achieve positive contact between the end of the lip and the planar light source held by the cassette.

11. The loadable cassette of claim 3 wherein said capture ring has seating surfaces located to provide a positive stop when the capture ring is engaged against the base plate, and wherein the positive stop provides for a snug fit between the base plate and capture ring and prevents the capture ring from damaging the planar light source held by the cassette.

12. The loadable cassette of claim 11 wherein said capture ring has defined corners and wherein said seating surfaces are located in the corners of the capture ring.

13. A loadable cassette for holding a planar light source so that the planar light source can be operatively connected to a luminaire or lighting system having one or more extending cassette holding arms, the loadable cassette comprising:
a substantially planar base plate having a first side and a second side, and being sized in correspondence with the planar light source to be held in the cassette;
a low profile light source retention means associated with the first side of said base plate for releasably retaining a planar light source to said first side, said light source retention means lying in a plane that is substantially parallel to said base plate;
a low profile slide-in retention means on the second side of said base plate, said slide-in retention means being in the form of a slide pocket configured to slidably receive a substantially flat cassette holding arm of a luminaire or lighting system in a slide motion that is substantially parallel to the substantially planar base plate of the cassette; and
spring means on said base plate which releasably engage the substantially flat low profile cassette connector structure of a luminaire or lighting system when substantially fully engaged in said slide pocket, said spring means acting to releasably lock the connector structure of the luminaire or lighting system in said slide pocket.

14. The loadable cassette of claim 13 wherein the low profile slide-in retention means on the second side of said base plate is adapted to receive and hold a low profile adaptor for operatively interconnecting the cassette and the planar light source held therein to a luminaire or lighting system.

15. The loadable cassette of claim 13 wherein said base plate has electrical connection throughways through which an electrical connection can be made to the planar light source retained on the first side of the base plate from the second side of the base plate.

16. The loadable cassette of claim 13 wherein the planar light source retention means is at least in part integrally formed on the first side of said base plate.

17. The loadable cassette of claim 13 wherein the light source retention means on the first side of said base plate is provided in the form of a low profile capture ring that snap fits onto the base plate over the planar light source so as to retain the planar light source against the first side of the base plate.

18. The loadable cassette of claim 13 wherein the low profile slide-in retention means on the second side of said base plate is adapted to slidably receive and hold a low profile cassette holding arm of a luminaire or lighting system at or close to a zero degree angle relative to the plane of said base plate.

19. The loadable cassette of claim 18 wherein the low profile slide-in retention means on the second side of said base plate is comprised of a slide pocket for slidably receiving the cassette holding arm of a luminaire or lighting system substantially in the plane of the cassette.

20. A loadable cassette for holding a planar light source so that the planar light source can be operatively connected to a luminaire or lighting system having one or more low profile cassette connector structures, the loadable cassette comprising:
a substantially planar base plate having a first side and a second side, and being sized in correspondence with the planar light source to be held in the cassette;
a low profile capture ring adapted to snap fit onto the first side of the base plate over a planar light source so as to retain the planar light source against the first side of the base plate; and
a low profile slide pocket on the second side of said base plate for slidably receiving a substantially flat low profile cassette connector structure of a luminaire or lighting system;
said

Assignees

• Tran Michael Trung
• Engel-Hall Aaron Mathew
• Blum Darren
• Abl Ip Holding Llc

Inventors

• Tran Michael Trung
• Engel-Hall Aaron Mathew
• Blum Darren

Classifications

• F21S2/005 Primary

  of modular construction · CPC title

• F21V21/005

  for several lighting devices in an end-to-end arrangement, i.e. light tracks · CPC title

• Y02B20/36

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F21S8/061

  with a non-rigid pendant, i.e. a cable, wire or chain · CPC title

• F21Y2105/008

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic