Lighting systems, such as ceiling-, wall-, or surface-mounted lighting fixtures or luminaires, commonly illuminate spaces in which people live, work, or play. One type of lighting system, or luminaire, is the recessed lighting fixture, which is typically installed within an aperture formed in a ceiling. The term “luminaire”, as used herein, generally refers to a system for producing, controlling, and/or distributing light for illumination. A luminaire can be a system that outputs or distributes light into an environment so that people can observe items in the environment. Such a system could be a complete lighting unit including one or more lamps; sockets for positioning and protecting lamps and for connecting lamps to a supply of electric power; optical elements for distributing light; and mechanical components for supporting or attaching the luminaire. Luminaires are also sometimes referred to as “lighting fixtures” or as “light fixtures.” A lighting fixture that has a socket for a bulb, but no inserted bulb, can still be considered a luminaire.
Some conventional recessed lighting fixtures include a housing, one or more support mechanisms, a lamp source, and a trim. The trim can be referred to as a reflector, a lower reflector, or a lower shielding. The trim typically consists of a reflector having an integrated flange or a non-integrated trim ring. One example of the housing includes a planar platform having an opening extending therethrough and a cylindrical can extending in an upward direction above the opening. The support mechanism is typically coupled to the housing and is mounted to one or more support structures, such as a support beam, positioned immediately above the ceiling. Once mounted to the support structure, the opening is typically aligned and positioned above the aperture formed in the ceiling. The lamp source is disposed within the can and is oriented to emit light through the opening and the aperture into the illumination area, such as a room. The trim ring is typically ring-shaped, square-shaped, or rectangular-shaped and is coupled to a lower portion of the trim. At least a portion of the trim ring is disposed below the ceiling and is positioned generally circumferentially around the opening of the trim and adjacent to the ceiling. The trim is designed to cover any space formed between the perimeter of the opening and the perimeter of the aperture. However, this trim ring can be aesthetically unappealing to an observer standing in the illuminated space.
Other conventional recessed lighting fixtures do not use the trims with the integrated or the non-integrated flange. Instead, these conventional recessed lighting fixtures use a rimless adapter that disappears in the ceiling once the ceiling is finished, for example, once plastered. The rimless adapter is directly, or indirectly, coupled to the housing at one end, while the other end is disposed below the ceiling and positioned adjacent to the ceiling surface. The portion disposed below the ceiling includes a perforated planar area and a lip extending elevationally below the perforated planar area. The distance that the lip extends elevationally below the perforated planar area is referred to as a lip height. The perforated planar area is disposed below the ceiling and positioned adjacent to the ceiling surface. The perforated planar area allows for plaster to adhere to it. The desired lip height is dependent upon the surface of the ceiling that is to be plastered, the type of plastering that is chosen, and/or the technique used in plastering the ceiling. Example lip heights include 1/16″, ⅛″, 3/16″ and ¼″. According to conventional rimless adapters, each rimless adapter provides for a single lip height. Thus, depending upon which type of finishing is performed, a different rimless adapter is to be used. This becomes costly and inefficient for manufacturers, contractors, and/or consumers to make and/or purchase various different rimless adapters, each having different lip heights.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds