Abstrict In an exit sign, an insertable battery pack module is designed
to fit in the lower portion of the exit sign housing. This battery
pack module incorporates a pair of lamps as well as a battery, battery
charger and transfer circuitry. The module incorporates a pair of
reflective surfaces so that light from lamp filaments tangentially
hit at least a portion of the exit sign stenciled area along the
bottom portion of the letters forming the word EXIT. If an exit
sign is only to have utility AC power, then the module need not
be installed within the exit sign. In this configuration, the bottom
portion of the exit sign can incorporate a slidable panel which
is removed if the battery pack module is later inserted. The battery
pack module incorporates the indicator light and test button which
then would show through the area where the panel formerly resided.
This exit sign provides a clean appearance unlike prior art exit
signs wherein the battery backup module is typically added onto
the outside of the existing exit sign.
Claims What is claimed is:
1. An exit sign assembly adapted for attachment to an electrical
junction box found in a wall or ceiling of a building, comprising:
A. an exit sign housing defining an exit sign housing enclosure
therein and including means defining indicia thereon;
B. means on said exit sign housing adapting said exit sign housing
for attachment to the electrical junction box;
C. primary illumination means mounted within said exit sign housing
enclosure comprising:
i. at least one low voltage primary lamp mounted within said exit
sign housing enclosure to fully illuminate said indicia defining
means in a uniform manner; and
ii. a primary electric power circuit operationally connected to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp for supplying power to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp; and
D. emergency illumination means mounted within said exit sign housing
enclosure and operationally connected to said primary illumination
means to detect failure thereof and thereafter provide auxiliary
illumination to said indicia defining means comprising:
i. an emergency power pack housing defining an emergency power
back housing enclosure therein;
ii. at least one low voltage emergency lamp mounted on said emergency
power pack housing;
iii. an emergency electric power supply located within said emergency
power pack housing enclosure and operationally connected to said
at least one low voltage emergency lamp for supplying power to said
at least one low voltage emergency lamp; and
iv. an emergency electric power circuit within said emergency power
pack housing enclosure for detecting failure of said primary electric
power circuit and for switching to said emergency electric power
supply, wherein said emergency illumination means is an integral
unit releasably mounted in said exit sign housing to facilitate
replacement thereof.
2. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said
emergency electric power supply is at least one rechargeable battery.
3. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 2 wherein said
emergency electric power circuit includes a charging device for
keeping said at least one rechargeable battery fully charged during
periods of nonuse.
4. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said
exit sign housing has a generally rectangular shape including a
rectangularly shaped frame with at least one removable cover thereon
to form said enclosure.
5. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 4 wherein said
rectangularly shaped frame has top and bottom walls and a pair of
endwalls.
6. The exit-sign assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said
exit sign housing and said emergency power pack housing are dimensionally
sized so as to prevent relative movement therebetween.
7. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein said
indicia defining means includes a visible area through which light
can pass from said low voltage primary and emergency lamps so as
to make the visible area visible outside said exit sign housing
enclosure and a masked area which blocks light from said primary
and emergency lamps from passing outside said exit sign housing
enclosure.
8. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 7 further including
a diffuser within said exit sign housing enclosure whereby light
from said primary and emergency lamps passes through said diffuser
before passing out of said exit sign housing through said visible
areas.
9. An exit sign assembly adapted for attachment to an electrical
junction box found in a wall or ceiling of a building, comprising:
A. an exit sign housing defining an exit sign housing enclosure
therein and including means defining indicia thereon, said exit
sign housing has a generally rectangular shape including a rectangularly
shaped frame with at least one removable cover thereon to form said
exit sign housing enclosure;
B. means on said exit sign housing adapting said exit sign housing
for attachment to the electrical junction box;
C. primary illumination means mounted within said exit sign housing
enclosure comprising:
i. at least one low voltage primary lamp mounted within said exit
sign housing enclosure to fully illuminate sad indicia defining
means in a uniform manner; and
ii. a primary electric power circuit operationally connected to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp for supplying power to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp;
D. emergency illumination means mounted within said exit sign housing
enclosure and operationally connected to said primary illumination
means to detect failure thereof and thereafter provide auxiliary
illumination to said indicia defining means, said emergency illumination
means is slideably received within said frame the emergency illumination
means comprising:
i. an emergency power pack housing defining an emergency power
pack housing enclosure therein;
ii. at least one low voltage emergency lamp mounted on said emergency
power pack housing;
iii. an emergency electric power supply located within said emergency
power pack housing enclosure and operationally connected to said
at least one low voltage emergency lamp for supplying power to said
at least one low voltage emergency lamp; and
iv. an emergency electric power circuit within said emergency power
pack housing enclosure for detecting failure of said primary electric
power circuit and for switching to said emergency electric power
supply.
10. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 9 wherein
said emergency illumination means is firmly seated within said frame.
11. An exit sign assembly adapted for attachment to an electrical
junction box found in a wall or ceiling of a building comprising:
A. an exit sign housing defining an enclosure therein and including
means defining indicia thereon;
B. means on said housing adapting said housing for attachment to
the electrical junction box;
C. primary illumination means mounted within said enclosure comprising:
at least one low voltage primary lamp mounted within said enclosure
to fully illuminate said indicia defining means in a uniform manner;
and
ii. a primary electric power circuit operationally connected to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp for supplying power to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp; and
D. emergency illumination means mounted within said enclosure and
operationally connected to said primary illumination means to detect
failure thereof and thereafter provide auxiliary illumination to
said indicia defining means comprising:
i. an emergency power pack housing;
ii. at least one low voltage emergency lamp mounted on said emergency
power pack housing;
iii. an emergency electric power supply located within said emergency
power pack housing and operationally connected to said at least
one low voltage emergency lamp for supplying power to said at least
one low voltage emergency lamp; and
iv. an emergency electric power circuit within said emergency power
pack housing for detecting failure of said primary electric power
circuit and for switching to said emergency electric power supply,
wherein said exit sign housing and said emergency power pack housing
are dimensionally sized so as to prevent relative movement therebetween,
one of said exit sign housing and said emergency power pack housing
includes a dovetailed male member and the other of said exit sign
housing and said emergency power pack housing has a dovetailed reception
area within which said dovetailed male member is slideably received.
12. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 11 wherein
said dovetailed male member is on said emergency power pack housing.
13. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 12 wherein
said emergency electric power circuit includes a test switch and
indicator light and said dovetailed male member includes at least
one aperture through which said test switch and said indicator light
protrude so as to be externally accessible through said emergency
power pack housing.
14. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 13 wherein
said exit sign housing has at least one access opening defined therein
to provide access to said test switch and indicator light.
15. An exit sign assembly adapted for attachment to an electrical
junction box found in a wall or ceiling of a building, comprising:
A. an exit sign housing defining an exit sign housing enclosure
therein and including means defining indicia thereon;
B. means on said exit sign housing adapting said exit sign housing
for attachment to the electrical junction box;
C. primary illumination means mounted within said exit sign housing
enclosure comprising:
i. at least one low voltage primary lamp mounted within said exit
sign housing enclosure to fully illuminate said indicia defining
means in a uniform manner; and
ii. a primary electric power circuit operationally connected to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp for supplying power to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp; and
D. emergency illumination means mounted within said exit sign housing
enclosure and operationally connected to said primary illumination
means to detect failure thereof and thereafter provide auxiliary
illumination to said indicia defining means comprising:
i. an emergency power pack housing defining an emergency power
back housing enclosure therein, said emergency power pack housing
includes at least ine aperture;
ii. at least one low voltage emergency lamp mounted on said emergency
power pack housing;
iii. an emergency electric power supply located within said emergency
power pack housing enclosure and operationally connected to said
at least one low voltage emergency lamp for supplying power to said
at least one low voltage emergency lamp; and
iv. an emergency electric power circuit within said emergency power
pack housing enclosure for detecting failure of said primary electric
power circuit and for switching to said emergency electric power
supply, said emergency electric power circuit includes a test switch
and indicator light which protrude through said at least one aperture
of said emergency power pack housing so as to be externally accessible.
16. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 15 wherein
said exit sign housing has at least one access opening defined therein
to provide access to said test switch and indicator light.
17. An exit sign assembly adapted for attachment to an electrical
function box found in a wall or ceiling of a building, comprising:
A. an exit sign housing defining a next sign housing enclosure
therein and including means defining indicia thereon;
B. means on said exit sign housing adapting said exit sign housing
for attachment to the electrical junction box;
C. primary illumination means mounted within said exit sign housing
enclosure comprising:
i. at least one low voltage primary lamp mounted within said exit
sign housing enclosure to fully illuminate said indicia defining
means in a uniform manner; and
ii a primary electric power circuit operationally connected to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp for supplying power to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp; and
D. emergency illumination means mounted within said exit housing
enclosure and operationally connected to said primary illumination
means to detect failure thereof and thereafter provide auxiliary
illumination to said indicia defining means comprising:
i. an emergency power pack housing defining an emergency power
pack housing enclosure therein;
ii. at least one low voltage emergency lamp mounted on said emergency
power pack housing;
iii. an emergency electric power supply located within said emergency
power pack housing enclosure and operationally connected to said
at least one low voltage emergency lamp for supplying power to said
at least one low voltage emergency lamp; and
iv. an emergency electric power circuit within said emergency power
pack housing enclosure for detecting failure of said primary electric
power circuit and for switching to said emergency electric power
supply, wherein said emergency power pack housing has at least one
angled side wall positioned within said exit sign housing enclosure
to receive light rays from said low voltage primary and emergency
lamps and reflect the light rays so received to illuminate said
indicia defining means.
18. The exit sign assembly in accordance with claim 17 wherein
said at least one low voltage emergency lamp and said at least one
low voltage primary lamp are mounted within said exit sign housing
enclosure on opposite sides thereof.
19. An exit sign kit adapted for attachment to an electrical junction
box found in a wall or ceiling of a building, comprising:
A. an exit sign housing defining an exit sign housing enclosure
therein and including means defining indicia thereon;
B. means on said exit sign housing adapting said exit sign housing
for attachment to the electrical junction box;
C. primary illumination means mounted within said exit sign housing
enclosure comprising:
i. at least one low voltage primary lamp mounted within said exit
sign housing enclosure to fully illuminate said indicia defining
means in a uniform manner; and
ii. a primary electric power circuit operationally connected to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp for supplying power to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp;
D. emergency illumination means mountable within said exit sign
housing enclosure and adapted for operational connection to said
primary illumination means to detect failure thereof and thereafter
provide auxiliary illumination to said indicia defining means comprising:
i. an emergency power pack housing defining an emergency power
pack housing enclosure therein;
ii. at least one low voltage emergency lamp mounted on said emergency
power pack housing;
iii. an emergency electric power supply located within said emergency
power pack housing enclosure and operationally connected to said
at least one low voltage emergency lamp for supplying power to said
at least one low voltage emergency lamp; and
iv. an emergency electric power circuit within said emergency power
pack housing enclosure for detecting failure of said primary electric
power circuit and for switching to said emergency electric power
supply; and
E. an access plate mountable on said exit sign housing when said
emergency illumination means is not mounted within said exit sign
housing enclosure.
20. The exit sign kit in accordance with claim 19 wherein said
emergency illumination means is an integral unit releasably mountable
in said exit sign housing to facilitate replacement thereof.
21. The exit sign kit in accordance with claim 19 wherein said
exit sign housing and said emergency power pack housing are dimensionally
sized so as to prevent relative movement therebetween when said
emergency illumination means is fully inserted in said exit sign
housing enclosure.
22. The exit sign kit in accordance with claim 19 wherein said
emergency electric power circuit includes a test switch and indicator
light and said emergency power pack housing includes at least one
aperture through which said test switch and indicator light protrude
so as to be externally accessible.
23. The exit sign kit in accordance with claim 22 wherein said
exit sign housing has at least one access opening defined therein
to provide access to said test switch and indicator light.
24. The exit sign kit in accordance with claim 23 wherein said
access plate is dimensionally sized to cover said at least one access
opening.
25. The exit sign kit in accordance with claim 19 wherein said
emergency power pack housing has at least one angled side wall positioned
within said exit sign housing enclosure to receive light rays from
said low voltage primary and emergency lamps and reflect the light
rays so received to illuminate said indicia defining means.
26. An exit sign kit adapted for attachment to an electrical junction
box found in a wall or ceiling of a building, comprising:
A. an exit sign housing defining an enclosure therein and including
means defining indicia thereon;
B. means on said housing adapting said housing for attachment to
the electrical junction box;
C. primary illumination means mounted within said enclosure comprising:
i. at least one low voltage primary lamp mounted within said enclosure
to fully illuminate said indicia defining means in a uniform manner;
and
ii. a primary electric power circuit operationally connected to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp for supplying power to
said at least one low voltage primary lamp;
D. emergency illumination means mountable within said enclosure
and adapted for operational connection to said primary illumination
means to detect failure thereof and thereafter provide auxiliary
illumination to said indicia defining means comprising:
i. an emergency power pack housing;
ii. at least one low voltage emergency lamp mounted on said emergency
power pack housing;
iii. an emergency electric power supply located within said emergency
power pack housing and operationally connected to said at least
one low voltage emergency lamp for supplying power to said at least
one low voltage emergency lamp; and
iv. an emergency electric power circuit within said emergency power
pack housing for detecting failure of said primary electric power
circuit and for switching to said emergency electric power supply;
and
E. an access plate mountable on said housing when said emergency
illumination means is not mounted within said enclosure,
wherein said exit sign housing and said emergency power pack housing
are dimensionally sized so as to prevent relative movement therebetween
when said emergency illumination means is fully inserted in said
enclosure, one of said exit sign housing and said emergency power
pack housing includes a dovetailed male member and the other of
said exit sign housing and said emergency power pack housing has
a dovetailed reception area within which said dovetailed male member
is slideably receivable.
27. The exit sign kit in accordance with claim 26 wherein said
dovetailed male member is on said emergency power pack housing.
28. The exit sign kit in accordance with claim 27 wherein said
emergency electric power circuit includes a test switch and indicator
light and said dovetailed male member includes at least one aperture
through which said test switch and said indicator light protrude
so as to be externally accessible through said emergency power pack
housing.
29. The exit sign kit in accordance with claims 28 wherein said
exit sign housing has at least one access opening defined therein
to provide access to said test switch and indicator light when said
emergency illumination means is fully inserted in said enclosure.
30. The exit sign kit in accordance with claim 29 wherein said
access plate is provided with a dovetailed shape so as to be slideably
receivable within said dovetailed reception area to cover said at
least one access opening.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to mounting electrical
devices to standard electrical junction boxes found in walls and
ceilings and, more particularly, to mounting illuminated exit signs
to such electrical boxes.
Under current local fire and building codes, buildings to which
the public has access are required to have signage therein identifying
the exits. Most of these signs are required to exhibit a specific
amount of illumination and, oftentimes, must have an emergency backup
power source to provide emergency illumination to the light for
a specified period of time during periods when utility power to
the building is discontinued, thereby facilitating egress of persons
from the building.
Traditionally, two 15-watt incandescent lamps driven by 120 volt
alternating current (120 VAC) have been employed to provide normal
illumination while two 3.6-watt incandescent lamps driven by a self
contained emergency battery power supply are used for illumination
during power failure situations. A switching or transfer device
will automatically operate the emergency backup illumination system
when a power failure is detected.
While these traditional exit sign lighting arrangements perform
adequately, they do have a few drawbacks. A major drawback is that
the emergency battery power supply and associated transfer circuitry
is typically added onto an existing exit sign as an external module.
This type of external installation gives a rather cumbersome look
to the exit sign. In addition, the same building may contain exit
signs with and without battery back-up. It would be desirable if
these exit signs all had the same external appearance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel exit
sign mounting which has the same external appearance whether or
not it has emergency battery power capabilities.
It is also an object to provide such an exit sign having a battery
back-up module containing an emergency battery power supply and
associated charging and transfer circuitry insertable within the
exit sign housing.
Still another object is to provide such an exit sign which can
be retrofit with an emergency battery power supply and associated
charging and transfer circuitry.
A further object is to provide such an exit sign which may be readily
and economically fabricated and will enjoy a long life in operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has now been found that the foregoing and related objects can
be readily attained in an exit sign assembly adapted for attachment
to an electrical junction box found in a wall or ceiling of a building
comprising an exit sign housing with indicia thereon, a mounting
device for attaching the housing to the electrical junction box,
and primary and emergency illumination devices mounted in the housing
for illuminating the indicia. The primary illumination device has
low voltage primary lamps to fully illuminate the indicia in a uniform
manner and a primary electric power circuit operationally connected
to low voltage primary lamps for supplying power thereto. The emergency
illumination module is operationally connected to the primary illumination
device to detect failure thereof and thereafter provide auxiliary
illumination to the indicia. The emergency illumination module is
provided with an emergency power pack housing, low voltage emergency
lamps mounted on the emergency power pack housing, an emergency
electric power supply located within the emergency power pack housing
and operationally connected to the low voltage emergency lamps for
supplying power thereto, and an emergency electric power circuit
within the emergency power pack housing for detecting failure of
the primary electric power circuit and for switching to the emergency
electric power supply.
Desirably, the emergency electric power supply is provided by a
plurality of rechargeable batteries. The emergency electric power
circuit includes a charging device for keeping the rechargeable
batteries fully charged during periods of nonuse.
Conveniently the exit sign housing has a generally rectangular
shape including a rectangularly shaped frame with at least one removable
cover thereon. The rectangularly shaped frame has top and bottom
walls and a pair of endwalls.
Ideally, the emergency illumination module is slideably received
yet firmly seated within the frame. The exit sign housing and the
emergency power pack housing are dimensionally sized so as to prevent
relative movement therebetween when the emergency illumination module
is fully inserted in the exit sign housing. The emergency illumination
module is an integral unit to facilitate insertion and replacement
thereof.
According to the invention, the emergency power pack housing includes
a dovetailed male member designed to cooperate with a dovetailed
reception area of the exit sign housing within which the dovetailed
male member is slideably received. The emergency electric power
circuit includes a test switch and indicator light while the dovetailed
male member includes at least one aperture through which the test
switch and the indicator light protrude so as to be external to
the emergency power pack housing. The exit sign housing has an access
opening defined therein to provide access to the test switch and
indicator light from outside the exit sign housing.
Still another feature of the invention is the provision of an access
plate mountable in the exit sign housing when the emergency illumination
module is not mounted therein. The access plate has a dovetailed
shape so as to be slideably receivable within the dovetailed reception
area to cover the access opening.
In yet another feature, the emergency power pack housing has at
least one angled side wall positioned within the exit sign housing
to receive light rays from both the low voltage primary lamps and
the low voltage emergency lamps and reflect the light rays so received
to illuminate the indicia. The low voltage emergency lamps and the
low voltage primary lamps are mounted within the exit sign housing
on opposite sides thereof.
The invention will be fully understood when reference is made to
the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of an exit sign
embodying the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the exit sign
housing showing both its associated emergency power pack module
and its optional access plate;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the exit sign housing with
a portion of one of the housing members broken away to illustrate
internal structure;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the emergency power pack
module for the exit sign;
FIG. 5 is a bottom elevational view of the exit sign;
FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the exit sign housing showing
the dovetailed slide reception area; and
FIG. 7 is a partial side elevational view of the exit sign housing
with a portion broken away to illustrate the mating of the detents
on the emergency power pack with the housing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring first to FIG. 1 of the drawings, therein illustrated
is the exit sign construction of this invention generally designated
by the numeral 10. The exit sign 10 has an exit sign housing generally
indicated by the numeral 12 shown with a flush mounted hole plug
14 mountable to the side thereof in elongated opening 16A, a canopy
bracket 18 mounted to the top of the exit sign housing 12 and a
universal mounting plate 20 mountable to both the canopy bracket
18 and a standard electrical junction box in a manner explained
in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/585610 filed Sep.
20 1990 entitled CANOPY MOUNTING DEVICE FOR EXIT SIGNS AND THE
LIKE of inventor Robert M. Johnstone. With this arrangement, the
exit sign construction of this invention can be mounted directly
to a standard electrical junction box found in a ceiling of a building
in any desired location.
The exit sign housing 12 comprises a central rectangularly shaped
frame 22 with front and back cover members 24 and 26 at least one
of which incorporates a large stencil 28 having the letters "EXIT"
in the major surface thereof and a colored plastic diffuser 30 therebehind.
The central rectangularly shaped frame 22 and the front and back
cover members 24 and 26 are snap-fit together and cooperate to form
an enclosure (FIG. 2) generally indicated by the numeral 32 containing
the necessary internal electrical lighting components. The front
and back covers 24 26 can use a plurality of finger clips 31 (one
shown in both FIGS. 2 and 3) to hold them in assembly with the central
rectangularly shaped frame 22.
In the alternative arrangement of the exit sign construction of
this invention not illustrated herein but shown in the copending
application, the flush mounted hole plug 14 can be mounted to the
top of the housing 12 within an elongated opening 16B defined in
the rectangularly shaped frame 22 while the canopy bracket 18 is
mounted to the side of the central rectangularly shaped frame 22
within the elongated opening 16A. With this arrangement, the exit
sign construction of this invention can be mounted directly to a
standard electrical junction box located in a side wall of a building
in any desired location.
In addition to the two previously mentioned mounting arrangements
using the canopy bracket 18 another nonillustrated arrangement
can be used where the exit sign unit of the present invention can
be adapted for flush mounting on a side wall directly to a standard
electrical junction box. By eliminating the canopy bracket IS and
using a screwdriver to punch out the areas of weakness 34 in the
back cover member 26 the back cover member 26 can be attached directly
to the electrical junction box by appropriate fasteners such as
screws (not shown) and appropriate electrical wires can be threaded
through the back cover member 26. A pair of the flush mounted hole
plugs 14 could then be inserted in the elongated openings 16A and
16B.
Referring now to FIG. 2 the enclosure 32 of the central exit sign
housing 12 is divided into a wiring compartment 36 and a lighting
compartment 38 by a retaining wall 40 which extends around the interior
sides and top of the central rectangularly shaped frame 22. The
wiring compartment 36 contains appropriate wiring harness 39 and
transformers 41 for powering two 15-watt alternating current incandescent
primary lamps 42 held by lamp sockets 44 extending downwardly into
the lighting compartment 38 from the retaining wall 40. Utility
power (120 VAC) is provided to the wiring harness 39 of the exit
sign 10 through electrical leads 46 which extend into an electrical
junction box (not shown) found in the ceiling of the building.
Located at the bottom of the lighting compartment 38 is a emergency
power pack module retention platform 48 having a dovetailed slide
reception area 50 at one end thereof and appropriate vents 52 at
the other end thereof. The dovetailed slide reception area 50 has
a large generally rectangular opening 53 defined therein. As best
seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 the emergency power pack module retention
platform 48 is designed to receive an emergency power pack module
generally indicated by the numeral 54 with the retaining wall 40
angled as indicated by numeral 56 to accommodate the specific angled
shape of the emergency power pack module 54. In its retained position,
the emergency power pack module 54 is fully housed within the enclosure
32 of the exit sign housing 12.
Turning now to FIG. 4 the emergency power pack module 54 is shown
in greater detail and includes a hollow power pack cover 58 having
a rectangular base 60 with sloped reflective side walls 62 sloped
end walls 64 and a flat top wall 66. A contoured foam insert 68
is located within the power pack cover 58 for heat insulating purposes.
Adhesively mounted within the power pack cover 58 on mounting tabs
70 is a printed circuit board 72. The printed circuit board 72 incorporates
appropriate electronic components and circuitry generally indicated
by the numeral 74 in the form of an emergency power supply transformer,
rectifier, transfer circuitry, battery charging circuitry, a test
switch 76 and indicator lamp 78. The electronic components and circuitry
74 are designed and mounted to the printed circuit board 72 in a
manner well known to those skilled in the art to charge the auxiliary
rechargeable battery pack 80 as well as to switch between the primary
alternating current power supply and the emergency direct power
supply provided by the rechargeable battery pack 80 if the alternating
current power supply fails as would be the case during a utility
power outage. The test switch 76 is used to test the operability
of the emergency power supply.
The printed circuit board 72 also has a pair of direct current
lamp sockets 82 which extend through the flat top wall 66 and hold
a pair of 3.6-watt direct current incandescent emergency lamps 84.
The rechargeable battery pack 80 seated within the power pack cover
58 in notch 86 of the printed circuit board 72 is wired to the
electronic components and circuitry 74 by use of electrical leads
88. Alternating current is supplied to the electronic components
and circuitry 74 by electrical leads 90 which extend from the power
pack cover 58 through aperture 92 and are connected to the wiring
harness 39. A power pack base 94 is snap assembled on the bottom
of the power pack cover 58 to complete the emergency power pack
housing thereby enclosing the printed circuit board 72 and rechargeable
battery pack 80.
The power pack base 94 has four longitudinally extending vents
96 at one end thereof dimensionally sized to align with the vents
52 of the emergency power pack module retention platform 48 when
the emergency power pack module 54 is inserted within the exit sign
housing 12. At the other end of the power pack base 94 is a dovetailed
slide member 98 having five longitudinally extending vents 100
switch aperture 102 for the test switch 76 indicator light aperture
104 for the indicator light 78 and opposed detents 106. The four
longitudinally extending vents 96 and the five longitudinally extending
vents 100 provide for air circulation through the emergency power
pack module 54 to dissipate heat buildup therein caused by the electronic
components and circuitry 74 and the rechargeable battery pack 80.
As best understood from FIGS. 3 6 and 7 the dovetailed slide
member 98 on the emergency power pack module 54 is received in the
dovetailed slide reception area 50 of the emergency power pack module
retention platform 48 with its opposed detents 106 mating with opposed
grooves 108 to properly center the emergency power pack module 54
within the exit sign housing 12. When the front cover member 24
and back cover member 26 are snap fit onto the central rectangularly
shaped frame 22 longitudinally extending ribs 110 thereon engage
the rectangular base 60 of the emergency power pack module 54 to
prevent lateral movement of the same. As also seen in greater detail
in FIG. 5 with the emergency power pack module 54 fully inserted
in the exit sign housing 12 access to the test switch 76 and visual
observation of indicator light 78 by the user are permitted through
the rectangular opening 53 in the frame 22.
As seen in FIG. 7 the sloped reflective side walls 62 of the emergency
power pack module 54 permit light rays 112 from the direct current
incandescent emergency lamps 84 to illuminate the stencil 28 when
they pass through the diffuser 30 as do the light rays from the
primary lamps 42 which reflect from surfaces 62 to evenly illuminate
the indicia. It should be appreciated that the sloped reflective
side walls 62 are angled and placed so that some of the light rays
from the emergency lamps and also the light rays (not shown) from
the primary lamps 42 are reflected off the sloped reflective side
walls 62 so as to indirectly illuminate the stencil 28.
Turning again to FIG. 2 those skilled in the art will appreciate
that a dovetailed access plate 114 can be installed in the dovetailed
slide reception area 50 of the emergency power pack module retention
platform 48 if the user elects not to use the emergency power pack
module 54. The dovetailed access plate 114 has vents 116 providing
ventilation to the enclosure 32 and four finger members 118 to hold
the dovetailed access plate 114 in place within the dovetailed slide
reception area 50.
The mounting plate 20 is preferably stamped from corrosion-resistant
sheet metal alloy material such as galvanized steel. The canopy
bracket 18 exit sign housing 12 emergency power pack module housing
components and the hole plug 14 are preferably molded from a plastic
resin such as an engineering type thermoplastic such as ABS, polycarbonate
or polyphelyene oxide but it should be apparent to those skilled
in the art that they may be manufactured from other suitable materials
which exhibit the desired resiliency to permit the desired flexing
movement of the various elements.
It will therefore be seen from the above that the present invention
provides an effective means for providing an attractive exit sign
having a self contained emergency power pack module directly insertable
within the housing of the exit sign. The exit sign has the same
attractive look whether or not the emergency power pack is used.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those
made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained
and, since certain changes may be made in the above product without
departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all
matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying
drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting
sense.
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended
to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention
herein described, and all statements of the invention which, as
a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween. |