MXPA97006911A - Lamp with safety characteristics - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a lamp with safety features. To avoid the hazards of fire and burns, the lamp includes an electrical circuit that has a thermostat connected in series with the bulb of the lamp. The thermostat is mounted in close proximity to the bulb of the lamp and, based on the ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the thermostat that reaches a predetermined temperature, the thermostat effectively opens the electrical circuit, turning off the lamp. Once the power is turned off for a period of time, the thermostat is reset and the lamp can be operated again. The invention also discloses a protective guard which is positioned on at least a portion of the bulb of the lamp to prevent accidental burns.

Description

LAMP WITH SAFETY CHARACTERISTICS The present application is a continuation in part of the serial application No. 08 / 711,242 filed on September 9, 1996. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention The present invention relates to a lamp and , more particularly, with an improved floor lamp that has characteristics to avoid the risk of fire and damage to people. 2. Description of the Prior Art The lamps currently available for standing, more particularly, lamps commonly referred to as "torchiere" halogen lamps, are known to produce a significant amount of heat from used 300-watt halogen light bulbs. in the same. The heat of these light bulbs is a potential fire hazard as well as a burn hazard to people who come in contact with the upper portion or screen of the torchiere lamp or the halogen bulb itself. Generally, manufacturers of these types of lamps provide warnings to consumers regarding the potential fire and danger of damage that may be caused by extremely hot halogen lamps. Such warnings may include a label attached to the power supply cable or a label attached to the interior of the screen near the halogen bulb to warn consumers of the potential fire hazard when changing a halogen bulb. To date, no torchiere-style lamp manufacturer provides any interconstructed safety features to protect the consumer from the risk of fire or damage due to burns. Accordingly, the present application is directed to providing safety features for torchiere-style halogen lamps to provide consumer protection against the risk of fire and damage. Characteristics and objectives of the invention It is an object of the present invention to provide a lamp that includes safety features to avoid potential fire hazards. It is another object of the present invention to provide a lamp having means to prevent a person from making contact with the halogen bulb and to risk possible damage due to burns and to prevent the objects from coming into contact with the halogen bulb to avoid potential fire hazards. It is still another object of the invention to provide a lamp having a thermostatic control "which responds to the ambient temperature in the vicinity of a lamp in operation, which cuts off the energy to the lamp upon reaching a predetermined temperature. It is still another object of the invention to provide a lamp having a thermostatic safety feature in which the thermostat will not restart until the energy to the lamp is cut off for a period of time. According to one form of the present invention, an electric lamp includes a base for supporting the lamp and a portion of the rod having a first end coupled to the base and a second end coupled to a light bulb socket. The electric lamp further includes an electrical circuit to provide power to the light bulb socket, the circuit includes an on / off switch and a thermostatic switch connected in series to the light bulb socket. The thermostatic switch responds to the ambient air temperature in such a way that, when a predetermined value is reached, the power to the light bulb socket is cut off or turned off. Preferably, the thermostatic switch includes means for maintaining the switch in an open circuit position until the power to the lamp is turned off for a period of time to allow the thermostatic switch to reset to thereby allow normal operation of the lamp. The means for maintaining the thermostatic switch may be in the form of a resistive heating element. When the thermostatic switch opens in response to the ambient air temperature reaching the predetermined value, the current is directed to the resistive heating element which maintains the ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the thermostatic switch above the predetermined value thereby preventing the thermostatic switch from resetting. Only under the power cut to the lamp, for example, by turning the on / off switch to the off position or unplugging the lamp, the thermostatic switch will be allowed to cool and reset. Although the thermostatic switch and the resistive heating element can each have different shapes, the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a thermostatic switch which is a bimetallic switch and a ceramic resistive heating element. In order to improve the safety margin with respect to fire hazards and potential damage to people, the predetermined temperature at which the thermostatic switch opens the electrical circuit is approximately 65 ° C. In addition, the thermostatic switch is preferably mounted in close proximity to the plug of the light bulb to detect the ambient air temperature in the hottest region of the lighting fixture. Although the present invention can be used with any type of lamp, the safety features of the present invention are particularly useful with respect to torchiere floor lamps. Such lamps use high intensity halogen bulbs, usually 300 watts. These lamps create significant heat and fire hazards and potential damage to people. These types of lamps usually include a bowl-shaped screen provided at the second end of the rod. To direct the light in an upward direction the screen includes a reflector placed therein. Such lamps also include a voltage regulating element to control the intensity of illumination provided by the lamp. The present invention also discloses a floor torchiere lamp that includes a base to support the lamp, an elongated and hollow rod having a first end coupled to the base and a screen coupled to the second end, a light socket placed inside the screen to receive a halogen bulb and an electric circuit means to provide power to the lamp. The floor halogen lamp includes a protective guard mounted within an internal portion of the screen. The protective guard is placed on at least a portion of the halogen bulb mounted inside the light socket, thereby obstructing the access to the light socket and the bulb with minimal obstruction of light. The protective guard is preferably a convex shaped wire, but it is thought that the protective guard can take different forms. The halogen floor lamp may also include a reflector located in a lower part of the screen and in which the protective guard is mounted on the opposite edges of the reflector. The present invention also discloses a method for controlling the heat generated by a lighting fixture, the method includes the steps of: providing an electrical circuit for a lighting fixture, the circuit includes a thermostat connected in series with a light socket, the thermostat responsive to the ambient air temperature in the vicinity of a lighting bulb inside the lighting socket, detecting the ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the illuminated bulb until a predetermined temperature is reached; open the circuit by extinguishing the light in this way in response to the thermostat being subjected to the predetermined temperature. The method also includes the step of keeping the circuit open until "the power to the lighting fixture is turned off for a period of time that allows the thermostat to re-initialize. A preferred form of the lamp to lie on the floor, as well as other embodiments, objects and features of this invention, will be apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments thereof, which should be read in conjunction with the drawings. companions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lamp to lie on the floor formed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the lamp to lie on the floor formed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lamp shade portion to lie on the floor formed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 4 is an electrical schematic of the circuit associated with the lamp to lie on the floor formed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 5 is a side view of the protective guard shown in Figure 2, formed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 6 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of the protective guard formed in accordance with the present invention; Figure 7 is a perspective view of yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a partial section in detail of the protective guard in a collapsed position to facilitate packing of the lamp; Figure 10 is a partial section in detail of the protective guard in an upright position without packing; Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 8 of a further embodiment of the present invention; Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 8 of a still further embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 is a view of the embodiment of Figure 12 wherein the guard members have been collapsed for packaging; and Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 8 of another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES The invention relates to safety characteristics for lamps and more particularly, for lamps that lie on the floor of the torchiere type. Although the present invention is described herein for use with a torchiere lamp, it is thought that these safety features can be used in conjunction with any lighting fixture. As illustrated in Figure 1, a torchiere lamp 10 formed in accordance with the present invention includes a lamp base 2 for supporting the attachment, an elongate rod 4 having a first end attached to a central portion of the base 2 and a second end coupled to a bowl-type screen 6. The rod is hollow and includes a rotary switch 8 to control the on / off function of the power supply to the lamp. In addition, the switch 8 has associated with it a voltage regulating switch for controlling the intensity of the lamp in the on position. Finally, the lamp includes a power cable 12 that can be plugged into any standard AC electrical outlet. Figure 2 is a top plan view of the screen portion 6 of the lamp formed in accordance with the present invention. Within the screen portion of the lamp there is a reflector 14, which substantially reflects the light of the lamp coming from the lamp in an upward direction. Positioned inside the reflector is the halogen bulb 16 which is seated within a socket 18. The plug 18 is electrically connected to the rotary switch 8 and finally to the power source through the power cable 12. The reflector formed in accordance with the present invention includes several grooves 22 through its thickness. Finally, Figure 2 illustrates a top view of a protective guard 20 which is positioned across and on at least a portion of the halogen bulb and is mechanically connected to the reflector 14. Referring to Figures 2 and 5, the The protective guard 20 has a substantially convex shape and is positioned perpendicular to the axis of the halogen bulb 16. The protective guard 20 may have any shape, for example, a cage, as opposed to a single bar as shown in FIG. Protective guard 20 will prevent a person from reaching inside the bowl portion of the lamp and possibly coming into direct contact with an extremely hot halogen bulb. Additionally, something has to be placed on the screen 6, the protective guard 20 will protect such articles from direct contact with the halogen bulb. The protective guard 20 of the present invention provides the desired safety feature while obstructing the minimum amount of light produced by the lamp. Preferably, the protective guard formed in accordance with the present invention is made of a metallic wire having mounting holes formed at its opposite ends. Screw lathes 24 may be used to attach the guard to the edges of the reflector housing within the lamp shade 6. As previously noted, the guard may be in the form of an open wire cage (not shown) to provide even more protection against possible contact with a potential burn hazard. As illustrated in figure 6, the protective guard, ie, the guard 20 ', can be formed of two wires crossed in half. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the upper screen portion 6 formed in accordance with the present invention. As illustrated in Figure 3, the reflector 14 is mounted on a lower surface of the screen 6. The reflector includes placed therein to the socket 18 to receive a halogen bulb 16. Also illustrated in Figure 3 is the protective guard 20 which extends over the bulb mounted on the plugs. The present invention is focused on the safety features for torchiere type halogen lamps. Accordingly, a torchiere lamp formed in accordance with the present invention includes a thermostat switch to prevent overheating of the lamp and a possible fire hazard. The thermostat switch 30, as illustrated in FIG. 3, is located in close proximity to the halogen bulb, namely, the area between the reflector 14 of the lamp and the metal shield 6. FIG. 4 is a diagram of circuit of the torchiere lamp formed in accordance with the present invention. The circuit includes a power source to provide AC power to the lamp. The power source is connected in series with a switch SW1 which includes an on / off switch 28 in combination with a voltage regulator switch 32 such that the intensity of the light can be varied from a dark luminescence to an intensity high. Any known voltage regulator switch circuitry can be used. For example, a voltage regulator circuit using a triac has proven to work well on rotating on / off switches, used for the lighting fixture. In normal operation, switch SWl will control the intensity of illumination from the lamp. To provide the safety feature of the lamp formed in accordance with the present invention, a thermostat is connected in series between the switch SWl and the plug 18 for the halogen bulb 16. Preferably, the thermostat includes a bimetallic contact 34 and an element heating circuit connected in parallel 36. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the thermostat 30 is mounted in close proximity to the halogen bulb 16. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the reflector 14 includes slots formed therein in such a way that heat is easily transferred to the area in which the thermostat is mounted. If the ambient air temperature surrounding the thermostat reaches a predetermined temperature based on the rated temperature of the thermostat, the bimetallic contact will change from a short-circuit to an open circuit and the voltage supply is then applied through the temperature element. heating 36. Preferably, the heating element is a ceramic element which has been heated by ambient air and, under the current «applied to the element, generates sufficient heat to maintain the bimetallic contact in an open position until the energy to the lamp is disconnected either by placing the switch in the off position or by switching off the lamp.

Only the power interruption will allow the ceramic heating element to cool down and allow the bimetallic element to return to a closed position thus allowing the lamp to operate under normal conditions again. Preferably, the heating element is a limiting resistor so that the current is limited to only the current necessary to maintain the bimetallic contact in an open position. The limited current will not be enough to illuminate the halogen bulb. It is understood by those skilled in the art that the thermostat can take many forms. However, in the preferred embodiment, to provide extra security, a thermostat "that can not be reinitialized until the power to the lamp is switched off is more desirable. Such a thermostat is manufactured by Micro Therm under Part No. A71C65-5. In the preferred embodiment, the predetermined temperature for the bimetallic contact to open is 65 ° C. In addition, the time required for the ceramic element to cool and the bimetallic contact to reinitialize and close is preferably a sufficient amount of time to allow the entire lamp assembly to cool, i.e., about 10 minutes. Once the bimetallic contact has been reset to a closed condition and the ceramic heating element has been allowed to cool over time, the lamp will be enabled to operate under normal conditions. Generally, overheating conditions occur if an obstruction to the air flow occurs in the area of the screen 6, thereby causing the temperature to rise to an unacceptable level. For example, a curtain or other fabric may be in close proximity to a torchiere lamp similar to that formed in accordance with the present invention. Due to the extremely high temperatures generated by a 300 watt halogen bulb, it is possible that fabrics could ignite causing a fire. The present invention includes a circuit having a thermostat to cut the energy to the lamp when the ambient air temperature around the lamp reaches a predetermined set point, provides greater safety and substantially eliminates any "fire hazard". Accordingly, the torchiere halogen lamp formed in accordance with the present invention ends the disadvantages of prior art lamps and provides greater consumer safety. These safety features include both the interruption of the thermostat as well as the protective guard placed on top of the halogen lamp to avoid possible damage caused by burns due to the heat generated by the halogen lamp. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the protective guard, ie, the protective guard 50 shown in FIG. 7, includes a pair of intersecting elongated wire members, i.e., the lower wire member 52 and the upper wire member 54, each of which extends from one side of the reflector 14 to the other side, thus forming an X-shaped dome structure which obstructs access to the halogen bulb by such objects as fabrics and curtains without significant blocking of light . The wire members 52, 54 are preferably 90 ° apart from each other around the upper periphery of the reflector 14. Of course, it is contemplated here that the protective guard could employ more than two wire members. It is also contemplated that the members of the protective guard could be secured to the screen instead of the reflector. As best shown in Figure 8, the wire member 52 includes a "U" shaped detent 56 formed in the center thereof. The "U" shaped retainer is dimensioned to receive the wire member 54. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the wire member 54, once captured within the "U" shaped retainer 56, is substantially blocked in an upright, vertically oriented position, i.e., it is unable to rotate around the reflector. Each of the wire members preferably has an arc-like configuration to improve the structural rigidity of the resulting guard structure. As a result of both the "U" shaped retainer and the arc-like configuration of the members, the protective guard structure (as shown in Figures 7 and 8) is capable of supporting variable loads and / or forces without rupture. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, it is desirable that the protective guard be installed in the factory, leaving little or no assembly for the end user when unpacking the lamp. Although protective guards such as guard 20 provide the required degree of protection, rigid non-rotating members employed in such a structure either 1) require the structure to be assembled by the consumer after unpacking the lamp without such guard structures) . However, it has been discovered here that the protective guard 50 can be installed in the lamp in the factory and still be packaged in the same packaging used for the lamps without such guard structures. More particularly, the wire members 52, 54 are rotatably attached to their ends opposite the reflector 14. As best shown in Figure 8, each of the wire members includes inwardly facing fingers that extend through a pair. of opposite openings formed in the reflector. By way of illustration, member 52 includes fingers 58, 50 which extend through circular openings 62, 64 formed in the upper portion of the reflector. The wire members are sufficiently flexible to allow the attachment of such members to the reflector. Once attached, the wire members can rotate around the circular openings through an arc of substantially 180 °. As mentioned above, the wire member 52, 54 may be alternately joined to the screen. As will be discussed further hereinbelow, the wire member 52 is preferably biased to an upright, vertically oriented position. Referring to Figures 9-10, this can be accomplished by securing an elastic biasing member, i.e., a spring clip 66, to the reflector 14. As shown, the wire member 52 includes a leg 68 extending perpendicular from the finger 58. The leg 68 of the wire member 52 acts against the elastic member when the wire member 52 pivots to a collapsed state (as shown in Figure 9). This collapsed state allows such lamps to be packaged in the packing member than the lamps without protective guard structures installed therein. Upon release of the collapsed guard structure, the biasing elastic member 66 acts against the leg 68, urging the wire member 52 to its upright position. As the wire 52 is urged to its upright position by the diverter member 66, the wire member 54 (which is resting against the wire members 52 as shown in Figure 9) is simultaneously forced to rotate into its upright position until such time when the wire member 54 comes to be captured within the "U" shaped retainer formed in the wire member 52. Once the wire member 54 is captured in the "U" shaped retainer 56, the guard structure becomes blocked in the X-shaped dome structure best seen in Figure 7. Of course, other types of springs can be used to deflect the wire member 52 to its upright position. For example, a coil spring 70 (as shown in Figure 11) may be secured at one end to the leg 68 and at the other end to the reflector 14. Additionally, the springs may be attached to both sides of the wire member 52, and / or can be attached to one or both sides of the wire member 54. In an alternate embodiment, the protective guard structure includes guard members which are permanently attached to opposite sides of the reflector 14 (or altered in shape). to the screen), but they are flexible enough to allow their collapse for packaging. As shown in Figure 12, the protective guard structure, ie, the protective guard 50 ', includes elastic guard members 52', 54 '. The elastic guard members 52 ', 54 are attached to the reflector, for example, by threaded metal sheets. Because the guard members are formed of an elastic material, they can be collapsed (as shown in FIG. 13) to pack the lamp. Once packaged, the guard members return to the dome configuration of FIG. 12, thus providing a protective guard structure that obstructs access to the halogen bulb while minimizing obstruction of light from the bulb. In yet another embodiment, the protective guard structure, ie, the protective guard 50"is attached to the reflector 14 (alternately to the screen) in a manner that allows" the ends of the guard member to slide through the shield. the openings in the reflector, thus allowing the guard members to collapse for packing (the collapsed position is shown in Figure 14.) The member (s) is, of course, offset (e.g., coil springs 72) for return to an upright position, without collapsing when unpacking the lamp.As a result, a collapsible guard structure is provided that can be installed in the lamp in the factory and then collapsed to allow the lamp to be packed. by the end user the spring-loaded guard structure automatically returns to its initial configuration without the involvement of the end user, thus providing a structure in the form of a cu which obstructs access to the halogen bulb while minimizing light obstruction of the bulb. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and is intended to be part of the invention for use in similar components, although not necessarily identical to those described in the preferred embodiment to provide the security features discussed herein. Specifically, several different types of thermostats can be used as well as many types of protective guard designs. Although the illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is understood that the invention is not limited to those precise modalities, and that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. invention.

Claims (31)

1. R E I V I ND I C A C I O N S 1. An electric lamp comprising: a base to support the lamp a portion of a rod having a first end coupled to said base and a second end coupled to a light bulb socket; and an electrical circuit to provide power to the light bulb socket, the circuit includes an on / off switch and a thermostatic switch connected in series to the light bulb socket, the thermostatic switch cuts the power to the light bulb socket in response that the ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the thermostatic switch reaches a predetermined value. The electric lamp as defined in claim 1, wherein the thermostatic switch includes means for maintaining the thermostatic switch in an open circuit position until the energy to the lamp is turned off for a period of time to allow the thermostatic switch reinitialize. The electric lamp as defined in claim 1, wherein the maintenance element is a resistive heating element that maintains the ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the thermostatic switch above the predetermined value preventing the thermostatic switch from resetting . 4. The electric lamp as defined in claim 3, wherein the thermostatic switch comprises a bimetallic switch and wherein the resistive heating element comprises ceramic. The electric lamp as defined in claim 1, wherein the on / off switch includes voltage regulating means for controlling an illumination intensity provided by the lamp. 6. The electric lamp as defined in claim 1, wherein the lamp is a floor torchiere lamp. The electric lamp as defined in claim 6, wherein the floor torchiere lamp includes a high intensity halogen bulb. 8. The electric lamp as defined in claim 7, further including a bowl-shaped screen provided at the "end" of the rod, the screen having a reflector positioned to direct the light in an upward direction. The electric lamp as defined in claim 8, further comprising a protective guard positioned within the screen and concealing at least a portion of the halogen light to obstruct access to the halogen light. 10. The electric lamp as defined in claim 1, wherein the predetermined temperature is about 65 ° C. The electric lamp as defined in claim 1, wherein the thermostatic switch is mounted in close proximity to the light bulb socket. 12. A torchiere halogen floor lamp comprising: a base to support the lamp; an elongated hollow rod having a first end coupled to said base and a screen coupled to the second end; a light socket placed inside the screen to receive a halogen bulb; an electrical circuit to provide power to the light socket, the circuit includes an on / off switch and a thermostat connected to the light socket, the thermostat cuts the power to the light socket in response "That the ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the thermostat reaches a predetermined value. The electric lamp as defined in claim 12, wherein the thermostat includes means for maintaining an open position until the energy to the lamp is turned off for a period of time to allow the thermostat to reset. The electric lamp as defined in claim 13, wherein the maintenance means is a resistive heating element that maintains the ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the thermostat above the predetermined value by preventing the thermostat from resetting. 15. The electric lamp as defined in claim 13, wherein the thermostat comprises a bimetallic switch and wherein the resistive heating element comprises ceramic. 16. The electric lamp as defined in claim 11, wherein the thermostat is mounted in close proximity to the light socket. 17. A method for controlling the heat generated by a lighting fixture, the method comprising the steps of: providing an electrical circuit for a lighting fixture, the circuit includes a thermostat connected in series with a lighting plug, the thermostat responds to the ambient air temperature in the vicinity of an illuminated bulb inside the lighting socket; detecting the ambient air temperature in the vicinity of illuminated bulb until a predetermined temperature is reached; open the circuit thus extinguishing the light in response to the thermostat being subjected to the predetermined temperature. 18. The method according to claim 16, including the steps of: maintaining the circuit open until the power to the lighting fixture is turned off for a period of time that allows the thermostat to reset. 19. A torchiere halogen lamp for floor comprising: a base to support the lamp, - a hollow elongate rod having a first end coupled to the base and a screen coupled to the second end, - a light socket placed inside the screen for receiving a halogen bulb, - electric circuit means for providing power to the lamp; and a protective guard mounted within an internal portion of the screen, the protective guard is placed on at least a portion of a halogen bulb mounted inside the light socket, the protective guard obstructs access to the light socket and the bulb with minimal obstruction of light. 20. The floor torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 19, wherein the protective guard is a convex wire. 21. The torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 20, further including a reflector located in the lower portion of the screen and wherein the protective guard is mounted on the opposite edges of the reflector. 22. The torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 19, wherein the protective guard includes a pair of intersecting elongated wire members. 23. The torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 22, wherein the wire members can rotate between a collapsed position to facilitate packing of the lamp and an upright position oriented vertically whereby the wire members obstruct the access to the plug and light bulb, and wherein at least one of the wire members is biased toward said vertically oriented position. 24. The torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 23, wherein the wire members include upper and lower members, and wherein the lower member is biased towards said upright position oriented vertically, and wherein the upper member it is configured to rest against the lower member in said collapsed position whereby the rotation of the lower member from the collapsed position to said vertically oriented upright position simultaneously causes said wire member to rotate to the upright position vertically oriented. 25. The torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 24, wherein the lower member includes a "U" shaped retainer arranged centrally to receive the upper wire member therein. 26. The torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 23, further comprising a reflector located in a lower portion of the screen; and a spring fastener secured to said reflector for deflecting at least one wire member. 27. The torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 23, further comprising: a reflector located in a lower portion of the screen; and a coil spring secured to one end of the wire member terminating at the other end of the reflector to deflect said at least one member. 28. The torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 19, wherein the protective guard includes at least one elastic guard member. 29. The torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 28, further comprising a reflector located at a lower portion of the screen, and wherein the ends of the elastic guard members are secured to opposite sides of said reflector. 30. The torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 28, further comprising a reflector located in a lower portion of the screen, and wherein the ends of the elastic guard members are removably attached to said reflector. 31. The torchiere halogen lamp as defined in claim 30, wherein the reflector includes a stop of openings formed in its upper periphery, and wherein said ends extend removably through the openings to allow said members of elastic guard collapsed for packing. EXTRACT The present invention discloses a lamp with safety features. To avoid the hazards of fire and burns, the lamp includes an electrical circuit that has a thermostat connected in series with the bulb of the lamp. The thermostat is mounted in close proximity to the bulb of the lamp and, based on the ambient air temperature in the vicinity of the thermostat «which reaches a predetermined temperature, the thermostat effectively opens the electrical circuit, turning off the lamp. Once the power is turned off for a period of time, the thermostat is reset and the lamp can be operated again. The present invention also discloses a protective guard which is placed on at least a portion of the bulb of the lamp to prevent accidental burns.