DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Referring now to the drawings in detail, and initially to FIG. 1 thereof, an illuminated garment holder 10 is illustrated. The garment holder of this embodiment of the invention includes a pair of generally cylindrical hollow support members 12 , 14 , which have opposed ends 16 , 18 , respectively. These support members are adapted to be secured at their ends 16 in conventional support structure 20 , which will support the elements 12 , 14 horizontally from a wall or vertically from a ceiling. These structures may consist of collars into which the ends 16 of the elements 12 and 14 are inserted to be held in place by set screws or the like. The collars in turn are mounted on the wall or ceiling in any convenient manner.

[0022] The illuminated garment holder 10 includes an integrated light fixture 22 supported between the ends 18 of the support elements 12 , 14 . The light fixture 22 is generally cylindrical in shape, as illustrated for example in FIG. 6 , and includes an extruded aluminum housing 24 and a transparent lens 26 . As seen in FIG. 6 , housing 24 includes an internal surface 28 having cylindrical channel structures 30 formed therein, and a pair of support bars 32 . A fluorescent light bulb 34 is supported in a conventional manner at its ends on conventional end connectors 36 which in turn are mounted on the bars 32 in any convenient and known manner.

[0023] Translucent lens 26 is concave and has a radius of curvature corresponding to the radius of curvature of housing 24 . The lens has free ends 38 , which include a snap fit structure as illustrated, that engages the lips 40 formed on the housing 24 so that the lens is easily secured thereto and removed therefrom.

[0024] Preferably, the diameter of light fixture 22 is selected such that the hook end of a conventional coat hanger or garment hanger can be placed over the light fixture in order to suspend garments thereon.

[0025] As seen in FIG. 5 , light fixture 22 has opposed end portions 42 , which are closed by circular end plates 44 . These end plates are secured to housing 24 by a pair of screws (not seen in the drawing) which are threaded through holes in the plates into the channels 30 formed in the housing. As a result, the ends of the fixture 22 are relatively flat in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof.

[0026] Light fixture 22 is connected to support members 14 , 12 by connector elements 46 . These connector elements are illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings. As seen therein, connectors 46 are generally L-shaped elbows having a first leg 48 and an angularly related leg 50 , located at a 90° angle to each other. Leg 50 has a flat face 52 formed thereon at its end, along with a longitudinal bore 54 extending along its longitudinal axis. Flat face 52 has a diameter essentially identical to the diameter of the light fixture 22 , and is positioned against plate 42 in the assembled condition of the device.

[0027] The leg 48 of elbow 46 is formed of two semi-cylindrical elements 54 , seen most clearly in FIG. 4 , as an integral part of the elbow in a molded aluminum construct or the like. As also seen in FIG. 4 , these elements are spaced from one another by a slot 56 , and their effective diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the light fixture 22 and the internal diameter of support elements 12 , 14 , so that a peripheral lip 58 is formed on the elbow whose width is approximately the same as the thickness of the support elements 12 , 14 . One of the legs 54 has a threaded opening 60 formed therein, while the other leg has an abutment 62 formed on its inner face in direct alignment with opening 60 .

[0028] In order to secure the light fixture to support members 12 , 14 , legs 48 of the elbows 46 are inserted into the ends 18 of support members 12 , 14 . These support members have openings 64 formed on their inner sides, as seen in FIG. 5 , through which a set screw 66 (only one of which is seen in FIG. 5 ) is threadedly engaged into the opening 60 . By threading the screw to its full depth, the inner end 68 thereof engages the opposed abutment 62 in the leg 56 , and causes the two legs 54 to be spread apart into tight friction engagement with the inner surface 70 of support members 12 or 14 . As a result, the elbow is secured tightly to the support member.

[0029] Light fixture 22 is secured to the other legs 50 of elbows 46 by a hex nipple 72 . A hex nipple is a known mechanical device which consists essentially of a hollow threaded shank 74 (see FIG. 5 ) and a hexagonal head 76 which has an opening therein communicating with the hollow bore in the shank.

[0030] With the lens of the light fixture removed, the light fixture is positioned between the ends 52 of the two elbows, and the hex nipple positioned through a central opening formed in the cover plate 42 into threaded engagement with the threaded bore 54 on the leg 50 of each of the elbows. Once the two hex nipples shown in FIG. 5 are threadedly engaged, the light fixture can be rotated through 360° into the desired position so that the opening on which the lens is placed can be directed upwardly, laterally, or downwardly. When the desired position is established, the hex nipples are tightened down and the rotatable light fixture is secured in place. Of course, if it is desired to change the angle at which light is directed, it is a simple matter to slightly loosen the hex nipples, rotate housing 24 to the new position and tighten them again.

[0031] As also seen in FIG. 5 , threaded bore 54 communicates with an extension of the bore 78 formed in the leg 48 of the elbow. Thus, the two bores 54 , 78 form a wireway or passage for the power supply wiring to the light fixture.

[0032] In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1 , power is supplied through wires extending through the wall and support member 20 , through the leg 14 , the bores 78 , 54 , into the light fixture. There the power wires are connected in any convenient manner to the electrical support and contacts 36 for the fluorescent bulb 34 .

[0033] In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5, a plug-in arrangement 80 for the power supply is provided. As seen therein, this power supply includes a ballast 82 with an outlet wire 84 extending through a hole 86 in leg 12 , whereby the wire can pass through the support member 12 and the bores 78 , 54 to supply current to the lamp.

[0034] In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2, a single lamp support leg 12 is provided mounted by the structure 20 to the wall or the ceiling of a room. Leg 12 is also connected to an elbow 40 as described above, of identical construction to that shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 . Lamp fixture 22 is also of identical construction, and secured at one end 42 thereof, to elbow 40 . The other end, as illustrated in the drawing, is unsupported, and simply closed by a flat plate 44 . Again, the light fixture 22 has a diameter sufficient to support a garment hanger in the garment display.

[0035] In the embodiment of FIG. 2A a single joint between a support 12 and light fixture 18 is shown which is suitable for use with either the embodiment of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 . In this case the end 121 of the support member 12 (opposite the end 121 ′ that is supported on a wall or the like) is cut at a 45° angle. The adjacent end 24 ′ of housing 24 is cylindrical and also cut at a 45° to mate with the 45° angle end of member 12 . These two ends respectively receive the legs 48 , 48 ′ of an elbow 46 ′. These legs are identical to each other and to leg 48 described above with respect to the embodiment of FIG. 3 , except that they are generally uniform in diameter to fit entirely in the ends 12 ′ and 24 ′ of support 12 and housing 24 . They are secured to the ends 12 ′, 24 ′ by set screws as described above, which force legs 54 apart. As a result, the elbow is entirely concealed, as seen in FIG. 2A .

[0036] In another embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 7 , lighting fixture 22 is identical to the fixture as previously described, except in this case one end 90 thereof, including the end plate 32 , is secured directly to a wall to extend therefrom, for example, by bolts through the plate 42 into the wall (not shown).

[0037] A ballast 92 is provided in an electrical supply line 94 which is connected through a portion of the housing 24 to provide current to the bulb 34 therein. The opposite end of the fixture 22 , i.e. the right end as seen in FIG. 7 , has a threaded extension 96 on its end plate 42 . An end cap 98 of greater diameter than housing 24 is threadedly engaged on that extension, to form a stop for garment hangers supported on the fixture.

[0038] Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention.