GB2094564A

GB2094564A - Lamp socket for a push-in type lamp assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2094564A
Application number: GB8106095A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: JENG SHYONG WU
Current assignee: JENG SHYONG WU
Priority date: 1981-02-26
Filing date: 1981-02-26
Publication date: 1982-09-15
Also published as: GB2094564B

Abstract

A lamp socket has a housing (21) containing a receptacle portion having two spaced insulative body portions (311) which between them receive two contacts (311A, B) each having a wire (13A, B). An intermediate body portion (312) has an upper part which joins the two body portions and a lower part (312A) which protrudes from the two body portions. A clamp (41) is fitted to the protruding intermediate body portion to clamp the wires. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A receiving device for receiving a push-in type lamp assembly The present invention generally relates to a receiving means and more particularly to an improvement in a receiving device for receiving a push-in type lamp assembly.

It is known in the art that there are a plurality of defects, caused by inadequate design, present in traditional lamp sockets for receiving a push-in type lamp assembly, for example: A. A contact or conductive wire housed in the socket is usually exposed out of the socket to cause a short circuit or electrical arc since the said contact or conductive wire cannot be contained tightly within the socket; B. The contact or conductive wire is liable to improper displacement since it cannot be clamped firmly within the socket. Therefore, an electrical malfunction or occurence, such as a short circuit or arc, can frequently occur; C.In cases where an improper method of clamping is applied to two constituent conductive wires which are provided for two contacts, then these two conductive wires may either be cut or the PVC insulation of the conductive wire may be broken, and a short circuit or other electrical occurance can be caused; D. Two poles in the lamp assembly cannot be separated exactly.

The present invention provides a novel lamp socket in which an insulative clamp element and a unique receptacle means are jointed together and housed in the lower end of the lamp socket to enable a firm combination of constituent components.

According to the present invention, there is provided a receiving device for receiving a push-in type lamp assembly, the receiving device comprising a housing; a receptacle means having a body made of insulative material and a pair of contacts each with a wire, said contacts being oppositely mounted in said body while said two wires project out of said body, the said insulative body being formed by two symmetrically disposed, separate halves together with an intermediate bar, upper and lower portions of said bar being respectively joined to, and protruding from, said body; a clamp element being fitted to said protrusive portion of said bar and onto the lower end of the body for clamping said wires; the receptacle means being contained within the said housing, a recess being presented between said two contacts for receiving a lamp assembly, and said two wires protruding out of said housing for connection into a circuit.

From the following description it will be apprecaited that such a receiving device can be inherently reliable yet inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, some embodiments in accordance therewith will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is an exploded isometric view of a receiving device in accordance with the invention, and a push-in type lamp assembly; Fig. 2A is a longitudinal sectional view of the receiving device and lamp assembly shown in Fig.

1; Fig. 2B is a cross-sectional view talcen on line 2B-2B of Fig. 2A; Fig. 3A is a front view of the receptacle means of the receiving device shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3B is a side view of Fig. 3A; Fig. 3C is a top view of Fig. 3A; Fig. 4A is a side view of an embodiment of a clamp element which may be employed in the receiving device shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4B is a top view of Fig. 4A; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the clamp element; and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the clamp element.

As shown in the drawings, referring first to Figs.

1 and 2, the complete apparatus 20 shown comprises: firstly a receiving device, which comprsies a housing 21, a receptacle means 31 and a clamp element 41; and secondly a lamp assembly or set 10, comprising a lamp bulb 11 and an insulative lamp base 12 which is to be received into the said receptacle means 31 of o the receiving device.

The receptacle means 31 is constituted by an insulative body 311 having a protrusive portion 31 2A; two contacts 311 A, 311 B connected with two conductive wires 1 3A, 1 3B (the protruding ends of which are insulated, e.g. by a PVC covering) and oppositely mounted in the body 311 to form a recess 31 3 between each other for receiving the insulative lamp base 1 2 of the lamp set 10 from which extend two wires 1 1 1 A, 111 B of the lamp bulb 11 in close contact with the said two contacts 311 A, 311 B, respectively.

The insulative clamp element 41 has a central hollow portion 411 for receiving and clamping the protrusive portion 31 2R and said two conductive wires 13A, 138.

The structure of the receptacle means 31 and the clamp element 41 will now be described in more detail.

Referring now to Figs. 3A, 3B and 3C, the receptacle means 31 is formed by two insulative halves 311-311 with a longitudinal intermediate bar 312. Each half 311 has two recesses 311 C-3 11 C for the purpose of accommodating the said two contacts 311 A, 311 B with the conductive wires 1 3A, 1 3B. The two ends of the upper portion of the intermediate bar 31 2 are respectively connected to said two halves 311-311 to space said two halves 311-311 from each other.A lower portion 3 1 2A of the bar 312 extends downwardly, is of waved configuration to constitute a plurality of convex and concave portions 313A and 313B, and is provided with some projections 31 2C-3 1 2C.

The convex and concave portions 31 3A and 31 3B as well as the projections 31 2C-3 1 2C are provided to enable jointing with the clamp element 41 as described hereinafter.

The structure of the clamp element 41 is shown in greater detail in Figs. 4A and 4B. The clamp element 41 is made of insulative material, and in section is of horse hoof-like configuration. The horse hoof-like clamp element 41 has a longitudinal hollow portion 411 and two oppsoite slots 41 2A, 41 2B, one slot 41 2A being closed, formed as a recess in an inner wall 413 of the clamp element 41, the other slot 41 2B being open, formed between two disconnected ends of the clamp 41,so that the diameter of the clamp element 41 can be adjusted easily by means of these two slots 412A, 412B. The inner wall 413 is of waved form and has a plurality of convex and concave portions 41 3A and 413B.Therefore, the protrusive portion 31 2A of the receptacle means 31 can be jointed firmly to the inner surface 413 of the clamp element 41 because of their complementary shapes; that is, the provision of convex and concave portions 31 3A and 31 3B of the protrusive portion 31 2A together with the concave and convex portions 41 3B and 41 3A of the clamp element 41 fit closely together.

Fig. 5 shows a second embodiment of the clamp element, the clamp element 51 being formed by two pieces 511, 512, an extended portion 511 A of piece 511 being insertable into a recess 51 2A of piece 512 to provide a clamping facility.

Fig. 6 is a third embodiment of the clamp element in which the clamp element 61 is also constituted by two pieces, 611 and 612, piece 611 having at least one recess 61 lA and fixed flanges 611 B. Piece 612 has at least one extended portion 612A. All of recesses 61 1A and extended portions 612A are arranged to accommodate the extensions 31 2C-3 1 2C on the protrusive portion 31 2A to prevent the constituent components, such as the contacts 311A,311Band the conductive wires 13A, 13B, housed within the socket from suffering looseness and displacement.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description with reference to the drawings that at least the following advantages can be attained in the present invention: A. Two conductive wires 1 3A, 1 3B can be separated exactly by means of the protrusive portion 312A, so that short circuits caused by mutual contact of conductive wires 1 3A, 1 3B, should not occur; B. All conductive portions such as the two contacts and the bare portions of two conductive wires are built in the receptacle means; that is, no conductive portions are exposed out of the lamp socket Therefore, the possibility of electric shock from these conductive portions is guarded against; C. Two conductive wires are difficult to move or displace because of the fit of the unique shape of the protrusive portion 31 2A and the complementary shape of the inner wall 413 of the clamp element 41.

In the foregoing, the present invention has been described solely in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof. Since many variations and modifications of the present invention will now be obvious to those who are skilled in this art, it is to be understood that the scope of this invention is determined not by the specific disclosure herein contained but rather by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A receiving device for receiving a push-in type lamp assembly, the receiving device comprising a housing; a receptacle means having a body made of insulative material and a pair of contacts each with a wire, said contacts being oppositely mounted in said body while said two wires project out of said body, the said insulative body being formed by two symmetrically disposed, separate halves together with an intermediate bar, upper and lower portions of said bar being respecitvely joined to, and protruding from, said body; a clamp element being fitted to said protrusive portion of said bar and onto the lower end of the body for clamping said wires; the receptacle means being contained within the said housing, a recess being presented between said two contacts for receiving a lamp assembly, and said two wires protruding out of said housing for connection into a circuit.

2. A receiving device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said clamp element is formed in hollow cylindrical configuration and an inner wall of which is of waved form to constitute a plurality of convex and concave portions, the outer surface of the said protrusive portion of the said insulative body being correspondingly of waved form to establish a plurality of concave and convex portions; a portion of the said two wires being clamped tightly by co-operation of the corresponding wave forms of said protrusive portion and the said inner wall, these conductive wires thus being oriented respectively on opposite sides of the said protrusive portion of the insulative body and in said inner wall of the clamp element.

3. A receiving device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein there is a pair of recesses formed in each of the said two halves of the said insulative body for accommodating the said two contacts.

4. A receiving device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a section of the clamp element is of horse hoof-like configuration, a closed slot is formed longitudinally at its inner wall, an open slot is formed between the disconnected ends of the element, two projections are provided on each of two opposed surfaces of the said protrusive portion of the insulative body, and the said two slots with the respective projections are arranged to co-operate so that they firmly engage each other when the clamp element is fitted to the said protrusive portion of the insulative body.

5. A receiving device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the clamp element is constituted by two pieces, one piece having at least one projection, and the other one having at least one corresponding recess to fit said projection.

6. A receiving device for receiving a push-in type lamp assembly, the receiving device being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, Figs. 1,2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A and 4B of the accompanying drawings.

7. A receiving device as claimed in claim 6, but modified substantially as herninbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A receiving device as claimed in claim 6, but modified substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated by, Fig. 6 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A receiving device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, whenever fitted with a push-in type lamp assembly.