US1091226A

US1091226A - Electrical socket and receptacle.

Info

Publication number: US1091226A
Authority: US
Inventors: Louis Kellner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1913-05-13
Filing date: 1913-05-13
Publication date: 1914-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 1931-03-24

Description

L. KELLNBR.

ELECTRICAL SOCKET AND REGEPTAGLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1913.

1,091,226 Patented Mar. 24, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ncurs xnnnnna, or new "coax, it. a

ELECTRICAL SOCKET AND QEOEI'TACLE.

Specification o! Ietters latent.

'Patented'Man-M, 1914.

Application fled Icy 18, 1913. Serial 1T0. 767,258,-

tain new and useful Improvements in. Electrical Sockets and Receptacles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to means for preventing the unauthorized removal of electric lamps, fuse plugs and similar devlces from their sockets or receptacles and has special reference to that class of lamps, plugs, etc., which engagewith their sockets or receptacles by means of a screw thread. The ordinary Edison lamp is provided with a threaded metallic base which engages with a threaded metallic shell in the socket or receptacle to hold the lamp in place and various other devices in the, electrical art are similarly equipped with these threaded bases for the purpose of mounting and securing them in the sockets or receptacles with which they coiiperate when in use, and my invention extends to all such devices. The theft of lamps and other devicesof the kind re ferred to, is quite common and the losses in many instances are severe, merely because the devices can be removed by anyone from the socket by simply. unscrewing them.

My invention provides a construction which permits the lamp or other dev1ce to be screwed into its socket-in the ordinary way,bu't when an attempt is made to unscrew the lamp, the threaded shell with which the lamp engages, rotates and thus prevents relative rotation of the lampand shell which thereby defeats its unauthorized removal. To remove the lamp, it becomes necessary to insert a key into the socket or receptacle which, when properly manipulated, actuates a detent which prevents the rotation of the threaded shell when the lamp is turned in' a direction to unscrew and remove it. Thus anyone provided with a key is able to remove the lamp while all others are prevented from so doing.

The details of my invention. will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing in which;

Figurel, isa side elevation of an ordinary incandescent lamp and" lamp socket showing the key-hole therein; Fig. 2, is a vertical transverse section of the sfocket; Fig. 3, is a section of the socket taken on line similar manner.

to the view shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4, is a plan of the upper face of the insulating base of the socket; Fig. 5, is a plan of the lower face of said base; Fig. 6, 1s a plan of the ring which sustains the threaded shell, a portion being broken away; Fig. '7, is a plan of the bottom of the threaded shell; and Fig. 8, is an enlarged detail takenon the line y-g of Fig. 6 and extending'through a portion of the insulating base.

-w-m of Fig. l,,thesame being at right angles The lamp socket illustrated is of a usual 7.

construction and comprises the outer casing 1 and the insulatin base 2, the latter being slotted and provi ed with p'assages variously located for the metallic parts and the screws which hold them in place by which the current is carried to the two terminals. As here shown, the socket is provided with a key 3 for turning the current on and off, but the invention is applicable to a keyless socket as well as to various other forms of sockets and receptacles. The conductors leading to the socket are indicated by 4;, and 5. one of them being attached to the bracket 6, by means of a suitable binding screw and the other to the bracket 7 in a The bracket 7 is in one piece with ametallic yoke 8, in which the key shaft 3 is mounted. This shaft carries into contact with the threaded shell to be hereinafter referred to, while the other bracketv 6 connects with a' center contact 9, also referred to hereinafter.

An important portion of my invention relates to the construction and mounting of the threaded shell in which the lamp neck is to be screwed and from whichitis, to be unscrewed. This shell is indicated by .10 and ingi 1 opposite its open end. The bottom of this shell is a disk ll having a circular opening in the center through which'the' center 'contact' 9 passes and from which it is insulated" by a disk of mica 9'. This disk or bottom is covered on its .outer face by a ring '12 of substantially the same diameter, which ring has a cylindrical neck, 13', passing through the opening in the disk and being eyeleted to a second ring 14, wl'1ich rests a cross head 9 of metal which may be thrown occupies the usual position inside of the casagainst the inner face'of the bottom of the V shell. Thus, the bottom of the shell is con-.

fined between the outer andinner rings 12 and 14; and the construction is such that the shell can be rotated independently of both of the rings between which it is held. The -.ring 12 is secured to the lower face of the insulating base 2 by means of two

screws

15 and 16, which pass vertically downward through the base and project beyond its lower face to engage the ring. In this manner the ring is anchored and prevented from rotating in either direction. The ring is provided with a series of substantially recta-ngular openings 17, there being six of these shown, but more or fewer may be used if desired.

The bottom 11, of the threaded shell is provided with a series of spring tongues 18 formed integrally therewith. All of the tial direction and having a bias toward the ring 12. Thus, the threadeii shell can be rotated in one direction through only a very short angle before the tongues 18 drop into the openings 17 in the ring 12 and strike against one of the radial walls of the latter which thereby prevent the further rotation Y I of the shell. In forming the. tongues 18 in thbottom of the threaded shell, portions of the material of the bottom in front of each tongue are removed to form openings 19, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. The base 2, is provided with a vertical chamber 20 of rectangular cross section in which is located a bolt 21. The upper or rear end of this bolt is beveled as shown in Fig. 3, and is preferably made of insulating material, while the lower or frontend is also beveled or formed with a point 22 and occupies a position directly opposite one of the bolts 17, in the ring 12. The bolt is normally held in its upper or withdrawn position regardless of the position of the socket, by means of a spring 23. The upper .end of the bolt' chamber 20 communicates with a key-way 24, leading transversely through the casing 1 and the insulating base 2. A key 25 which is adapted to enter this key-way, consists of a tubular shaft having a longitudinal slot along oneside and a beveled end and the key-way is correspondinglyshaped so that a cross section thereof is somewhat of the shape of a horseshoe or the letter U, this being done to prevent the regular key from being replaced by ordinary devices such as a nail or wire.

. The beveled'end of the key when thrust through the key-way engages the upper beveled end of the bolt 21 and forces itdownward so that its point 22 will not only pass through the opening in ring 17, but-will also enter a space 19 in front of one of the tongues in the bot-tom of the threaded shell and engage the radial wall of said space to prevent the rotation of the threaded shell in the direct-ion in which said shell is permittedto rotate by the tongues 18.

The-operation is as follows: The direction :of the tongues 18 is such that they will engage with the openings 17 in the ring 12 when the threaded shell is turned in a clockwise direction which is the usual direction for screwing the lamp into the socket. Thus, when the base of the lamp is presented to the threaded shell and turned in a direction to screw inward, the shell at once becomes locked and stationary, and permits the lamp to traverse its threads until the-center contact of the lamp is firmly in position against the contact 9 at the bottom of the shell. This is the normal working position of the lamp and it will be seen that the operation of adjusting the lamp to this position is exactly the same as that ordinarily used, nothing different being entailed because of the application of my invention to the socket.

f now an unauthorized person who is not possessed of a key 25, attempts to remove the lamp by unscrewing it, the frictional engagement between the lamp and the threaded shell will tend to rotate the latter and since the tongues 18 are all pointed in the same direction, they will slip over the radial walls of the openings 17, and the shell will rotate freely with the lamp, so that the latter cannot be unscrewed and removed therefrom. In this Way the theft of the lamp is prevented. An authorized person who will be provided with a key 25, may, however, readily remove the lamp by first inserting said key into the key-way 24 and forcing it against the beveled end of the bolt 21; this forces the point of the bolt. into one of the spaces 19 in the bottom of the threaded shell and thereby prevents the shell from rotating backward or counterclockwise when the lamp is unscrewed.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of an insulating base, a plate fixed to said base and provided with at least one opening therein, a threaded shell rotatable and provided with at least one tongue adapted to pro ect into said opening and a bolt located in line with said opening and adapted to project through the same and engage with said shell.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a threaded shell having a bottom provided with a central opening, two stationary rings between which the bottom of'the shell is confined and adapted to turn, means for automatically locking the shell against rotation in one direction and means for manually locking the shell against rotation in the opposite direction.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotary threaded. shell, a fixed bearing surface against which said shell rotates, a pawl and ratchet engagement between the shell and surface to prevent rotation of the shell in one direction and a key operated bolt for locking the shell against rotation in the otherdirection.

IIO

4. In a device of the character described, In witness whereof, I subscribe my signathe camtiinatioln of 1'(')t(a1ry1 threaded shell, ture, in the presence of two witnesses. a fixe p ate, t 1e she 1 an ate havin corresponding openings, a bolt arrangeg and LOUIS KELLNER' 5 movable parallel to the axis of the shell and VVit-nesses:

fitting said corresponding" openings, and. a VVALDO M. OI-IAPIN, key coiiperating with said bolt. REUBEN LADER.