GB2202389A

GB2202389A - Safety socket device for ornamental lights

Info

Publication number: GB2202389A
Application number: GB08706435A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George Tong
Original assignee: TUNG MING ELECTRICAL CO LIMITE; TUNG MING ELECTRICAL CO Ltd
Current assignee: TUNG MING ELECTRICAL CO LIMITE; TUNG MING ELECTRICAL CO Ltd
Priority date: 1987-03-18
Filing date: 1987-03-18
Publication date: 1988-09-21
Also published as: GB8706435D0

Abstract

A socket for an ornamental light comprises contacts (4) each attached to a conductor (41), a central body part (2) on which the contacts are located and an outer body part (3) into which the central body part (2) latches so as to clamp the conductors in a sinuous patch and retain the contacts. The conductors are also clamped between latches (225) and a latch orifice (32). <IMAGE>

Description

SAFETY SOCK DEVICE FOR ORNAMENTAL LIGHTS This invention relates to a socket device, particularly to a safety socket device for ornamental lights with a novel structure capable of preventing the electrical elements thereof from becoming deteriorated through external tensile force.

Traditional sockets for ornamental lights, as shown in Fig. 1, are usually composed of a pair of electrical wires 12, respectively soldered to a pair of conducting pieces 11 and placed in a socket mold for being filled therein with molten plastic grout so that a socket 13 for ornamental lights is formed accordingly. These known sockets suffer the following defects: 1. Except for the conducting pieces being embedded in the socket, there are no partitioning arrangements provided between the electrical wires 12 and the conducting pieces 11 in the socket. Therefore, when the electrical wires are pulled by external force, for example, during a safety test, backward displacement of the conducting pieces and electrical wires within the socket occurs very easily, resulting in an inferior conduction condition.

2. As there is a gap 14 usually left between the wires 12 and the end portion of the socket 13 during formation of the socket, water and dust can easily permeate into the inner part of the socket 13, causing the conducting pieces and the electrical wires therein to erode and therefore incurring poor conduction.

3. The soldered conducting pieces and electrical wires must be arranged in the socket mold prior to filling the mold with plastic grout. Since this procedure is very time-consuming, it is not satisfactory for meeting the manufacturing requirement.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide a safety socket device for ornamental lights that overcomes the foregoing defects associated with the prior art.

With this and other objects in mind, this invention provides a safety socket device, which comprises the combination of a conducting-strip holding means and a coupling casing member. The conducting-strip holding means is integrally formed in a tapered shape with nonconductive material, and includes an open insert head at the front portion and a gradient body at the rear portion. The open insert head has a pair of inserting grooves correspondingly located at the opposing sides thereof for installing the conducting strips with a cavity defined in the front end for receiving the base of an ornamental light, and the gradient body includes a plurality of gradient edges opposingly located below the conducting strips and an open slot in the lower end with a pair of inverted protrusions symmetrically located at the opposing ends of the lower end.The coupling casing member having nn inner open section formed in a tapered pattern corresponding to the contour of the conducting-strip holding means so that when the latter is inserted into the open section of the former, the electrical wires respectively soldered on the conducting strips at one end, together with gradient edges of the holding means, will be tightly pressed against the inner graded wall of the coupling casing member with the inverted protrusions of the holding means closely secured on the tail end of the coupling casing member so as to form a consolidated safety socket. As a result, the electrical wires of the socket can withstand an external tensile force without affecting the connection condition between the conducting strips and the electrical wires.

Further characteristics and advantages of this invention will become more apparent from the following detailed descriptions of one example of a preferred but not sole form of embodiment for the invention, given below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an illustrative view of a known socket for ornamental lights; Figure 2 (A) is an exploded and perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a safety socket device for ornamental lights according to this invention; Figure 2 (B) is a cross sectional view of an open insert head of a conducting-strip holding means of the preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 2 (A); Figure 3 is an assembled illustration of the preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 2; and Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of the preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. 2 (A) and 2 (B), the preferred embodiment of a safety socket device according to this invention comprises the combination of a conducting-strip holding means 2 and a coupling casing member 3. The conducting-strip holding means 2 is formed in a tapered form with non-conductve material, and includes an open insert head 21 at the front portion and a gradient body 22 at the rear portion.The open insert head 21 includes a pair of inserting grooves 211, as shown in Fig. 2 (B), horizontally formed in the opposing sides thereof, a pair of conducting strips 4 symmetrically insetted in the grooves 211, defining a cavity 212 with the open end of the insert head 21 at the front end thereof for receiving the base of an ornamental light (not shown), and a pair of electrical wires 41 respectively soldered to a lower end of the conducting strips 4. The gradient body 22 includes a plurality of gradient edges 222 symmetrically located below the conducting strips 4, an open slot 224 formed in the lower end of a flat tail surface 223 of the gradient body 22, and an inverted protrusion 225 located at each end side defining the open slot 224.

The coupling casing member 3 has an inner open section 31 formed in a tapered pattern corresponding to the contour of the conducting-strip holding means 2 with a reduced end opening 32 for being engaged with the inverted protrusions 225. As can be seen in Fig. 2, the inner open section 31 of the coupling casing member 3 includes a plurality of flanges 311 corresponding to the gradient edges 222 of the holding means 2, and at least one baffle block 33 located at a rear portion of the inner open section 31 with a distance to the rear end of the coupling casing member 3 corresponding to the length cf the flat tail surface 223 of the gradient body 22.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the assembly operation of the conducting-strip holding means 2 and the coupling casing member 3 is simply done by inserting the former into the open section 31 of the latter with the electrical wires 41 closely clamped between the gradient edges 222 of the gradient body 22 and the inner flanges 311 of the coupling casing member 3 as well as the baffle blocks 33, as shown in Fig. 4, with the inverted protrusions 225 extending out of the reduced end opening 32 and closely secured on the end surface of the coupling casing member 3.Consequently, the electrical wires 41, in addition to being tightly held between the gradient edges 222 and the inner flanges 311 within the coupling casing member 3, are also tightly clamped in the opposing sides of the open slot 224 against the inner wall of the reduced end opening 32 so that when an external tensile force is applied to the electrical wires 41, the stress will b separately taken in at the clamping positions defined by the gradient edges 222, the baffle blocks 33 and the reduced end opening 32.

Therefore, the conducting-strip holding means 2 and the coupling casing member 3, together with the electrical wires 41, as shown in Fig. 3, are strongly consolidated into a single unit, completely effective in protecting the conducting pieces 4 and the electrical wires 41 against the external tensile force as well as against the pereation of water and dust.

Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of this inventive concept herein taught including equivalent structures or materials hereinafter thought of, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiment herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirements of the law, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A safety socket device for ornamental lights comprising a combination of: a conducting-strip holding means formed in a tapered shape with an open insert head and a gradient body for facilitating the installation of conducting strips and electrical wires; and a coupling casing means having an inner open section formed in a pattern corresponding to a contour of said conducting-strip holding means; so that, by inserting said conducting-strip holding means into said coupling casing means, a strongly consolidated safety socket device is accomplished accordingly.

2. A safety socket device according to Claim 1 wherein said conducting-strip holding means comprises a pair of insert grooves correspondingly formed at a side opposite to another in said open insert head so that conducting strips with electrical wires respectively soldered thereto can be separately inserted into the insert grooves.

3. A safety socket device according to Claim 2 wherein said open insert head and conducting strips form a cavity at a front end of said open insert head, suitable for receiving the base of an ornamental light.

4. A safety socket device according to Claim 1 wherein said conducting-strip holding means further comprises a plurality of gradient edges formed on the gradient body below the conducting strips for providing clamping effect in securing electrical wires therewith.

5. A safety socket device according to Claim 1 wherein said conducting-strip holding means further comprises an open slot formed in a lower end of the gradient body and a pair of inverted protrusions opposingly located at the lower end defining the open slot for providing elastic engagement with said coupling casing means.

6. A safety socket device according to Claim 1 wherein said coupling casing means comprises a plurality of flanges corresponding to the gradient edges of said gradient body for providing clamping effect against the electrical wires along with said conducting-strip holding means.

7. A safety socket device according to Claim 1 wherein said coupling casing means further comprises at least one baffle block formed in the inner open section and located at a place corresponding to that of a lower gradient edge of said gradient body for making proper engagement therewith during assembly operation of said conductingstrip holding means and said coupling casing means.

8. A safety socket device according to Claim 1 wherein said coupling casing means further comprises a reduced end opening formed at a lower end thereof for providing a tight engagement with the inverted protrusions of said gradient body and the electrical wires so as to effect protection against the permeation of water and dust therewith.

9. A safety socket device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 2 (A), 2 (B), 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.