US1271980A - Electric-lighting apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

G. WRIGHT.

ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11

H is DTttorney.

iii-7622,2942?! 5i Inventor: Gilbert, Wright,

Patented July 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l Witnesses:

e. WRIGHT. ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS.

APPLlCATiON FILED MAR. 11, 1914. 1,271,980 Patented July 9,1918..

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Inventor Gilbert W i ht,

His JIttorney.

. Fi .6. M 19 44 itnesses: g.

To all whom it may concern:

GILBERT wear, 'or scrmmacirsnv, NEW-YORK, assrenon 'ro GENERAL memo comm, A oonroaa'rron or New YORK.

ELECTRIC-LIGHTING APPARATUS Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1918.

Be it known that I, GILBERT WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric- Lighting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric lighting ap a-ratus and electric circuit connections, and especially to sockets or receptacles for electric lampsand the like and to the mounting of such lamps and sockets in'reflec'to'rs and in lanterns. It is m aim to make the lamp conveniently accessile when mounted in a lantern; to enable it to be easily and quickl focused or adjusted with reference to its r ector so as to give whatever intensity and distribution of light may at the moment be desired; to emit thelamp and its reflector to be readi y removed from the lantern andused as a portable light or seamhlight; and tocombine serviceability,

- durability, and a good appearance with simplicity and ruggedness of construction and ease and chea ness of manufacture. These and various 0t ier advantages that will hereinafter become apparent especially adapt the invention to the lighting equipment of automobiles; but its utility is not by any means restricted to this field.

Myv invention comprises various novelfeatures of construction and various novel parts and combinations and arrangements of parts that will be hereinafter set forth by the illustration and description of the best forms of'apparatus embodying them at present known to me,and' will be definitely pointed outand distinguished in my cla1ms,- for while my invention extends to various specific features and-details shown and described, it is not confined thereto.- Moreover, while I have shown and'described my invention as embodied in simple form of apparatus constructed on the single wire system commonly em lo ed for automobiles, it will be understoo -t at many, at" least, of

,its features are applicable in other'systems of wiring.

Iii the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 ,is a sectional-mew through-a lantern suitable for use as an automobile headlight,

certain of the internal parts being also partially brokenaway'f 0'1 in section. v

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail view of 'the'pa'rts directly involved in the mountin of the lamp.

ig. 3 is-a separate view (not in of one of the parts shown in Fig. 2 turned 90 from the position shown in thati'figure.

Fig. 4 is a view similar toFig. 1 o'ffcertain of 'the inner partsof the Tanteimshowing a modified form of construction.

Fig. '5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view illustrating the construction shown in Fi 4, certain parts being removed or partial y broken away.

Fig. '6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with various parts in section. v

Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged detail views of certain parts shown in 1, 2"a11d6, Fig. 7 being an end view, andig. 8 a longitudin'al section.

Figs. 9 and 10 are views similar to Figs. 7 and 8 showing a modified form of construction, the parts beingl shown as turned 90 from the position in t ose figures.

Figs. 11, 12 and 13"are long tudinal sectional views illustrating'a coupling 'or connecting plug device suitable for flexible coi'd ci'1'cuits,as, for example the exterior supply connection of the lantern shown in Fi l. Y "%he automobile headlight lantern shown in Fig: 1 comprises an ordinary metal casing 1, a glazed front 2 bin-ed thereto in the 'usual way, and a para olic metal reflector structure 3 for the incandescent electric lamp 4' secured to the inside of the front 2 by means 0&- a. flanges that fits in the frame 6 behind 'the' glass. It

8 at whose center the lam 4 is mounted.

w The front section 7 has at its inner rear edge a flange 9 so shaped'as to form a good seat for the rear section 8,=the front edge of suchfrear section being turned b'acli'i'n'a bead 10 adapted to fit snugly in said seat. The rear section 8'isdetachably secured in lace against the front section 7 b means of 'ooks 11 haying a T shape an attached tohelical springs 12 (or, as shown in'Fig. 4,

' '30:-vice-versa,-'said' parts bem consisting merely of the bent ends of the spring 12) that are in turn secured to lugs 13 riveted to the flange 5, the points of the hooks 11 lying in notches in the flange 1 and 5 engaging in the groove at the rear of the bead 10. By-merely opening the door 2 and releasing the hooks 11, the rear reflector section 8 can be removed and the lamp 4 itself made conveniently accessible, as well as 10 its current .supply means and connections. As shown, the current supply means comprise a liberal length of flexible wire cord 4, sothat the lamp 4 with the reflector sec- 'tion 8 may conveniently be removed from '15the' lantern and used anywhere about the automobile as a powerful trouble lamp, or as a Searchlight, etc.,the cord 14 being easilycoiled away in the, casing 1 when the ,lamp 4 is to be restored to its normal position in the lantern. f i

l The means employed for the mounting of the lamp 4 inthe reflector 3 and for the relative adjustment of the lamp and the reflector comprise'a part associate with the former '25 and provided with engaging means, such as fnotches, at different positions lengthwise thereof and apart'associated with the latter and having corresponding engagement means, such as one or more pins or studs, or capable of relative rotary as well as longltudinal movement to' bring the'pins or the like into and out of engagement in the various notches.

As. shown in Fig. 1', the part associated with the reflector 3 is a hollow cylindrical sleeve or socket 'part orshell 15 on which a split collar 16 brazed in the reflector section 8 is secured by a screw clam ring 17; the corresponding 'part associate with the lamp 4 is its cylindrical base 18, of the bayonet type; and the engagement means belonging to ,these? two parts comprise a plurality of' notches 19 at the front edges of the inclined portions 20 of openin 21 in the shell 15 that resemble bayonet s ots and theordinary 1 bayonet pins 22 of the base 18. The base 18 has end contact means 23 for engaging with the socket contact means 24 to which the conductor of the flexible cord 14 is connected, the return circuit being through the bayonet pins 22 and the shell 15. The contact means 24 is movably and insulativel mounted in the socket structure and is yield 'ingly urged forward or outward into engagement with the lamp base 18 by a helical spring 25. This spring 25 thus tends to shift the parts 15 and 18 lengthwise with reference to one another in the direction to cause engagement of the pins 21 in the. notches 19, besides acting to hold the lamp of-the notches 19 will correspond to the. variations of illumination and delicacy of may be made b means 0 the screw clamp ring or strap 1 Referring nowto Fig. 2 as well as Fig. 1, it will be seen that the socket contact means 24 consists of the forwardly projecting portion of a member 26 mounted in a hollow part 27 of insulating material, and that, in

addition to the notches 19 already mentioned,each bayonet slot 21 has anotch 28 opening from infront of the inclined por tion 20. It will further be seen that there is.

a sleeve-like member 29 of insulating ma terial around the forwardly projecting portion 24' of the contact member 26, and that there .is a helical spring 30 arranged in a recess at the rear of the insulating member 29 and tending to push it forward on the portion 24 of the contact member beyond the end thereof and so separate the latter and the lamp base 18. The dimensions and pushed apart-coacting shoulders 31 and 32 on the - parts 15 and 29, respectively preventing any of the parts from being forced too far outward-and securely held out of contact with one another. lighting and extinguishing the lamp 4 by shiftin it in its socket is advantageously applica 1e to automobile tail-lamps for use in places where the law requires that it be impossible to extinguish them from within the machine, as well as to headlight and other lamps.- I

It will be observed that the action of the vamous operating parts by which the lamp4 is li hted and extinguished as just described resu ts from the variation in the length of the space for them behind the lamp base 18 produced by the longitudinal shifting of the lamp 4 in the socketQ-and that the same ac tion would result from a similar variation produced without any disturbance of the lamp. In the structure shown, means for extension and contractionof the space bebind the lam base 18 additional to the.

' notches 19 an 28 areaccordingly provided This method of by making the rear portion 33 of the shell or casing structure that incloses the operating parts separate from the front portion 15 which receives the lamp base 18 and is secured in the reflector 3 and adjustable with reference thereto; From Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that the enlarged rear end of the part 15 has engagement means comprising inwardly projecting studs or bayonet pins 34, and that the part 33 fits within it and has corresponding engagement means in the form of notches 35 and 36 in the opposite edges of the slot-like openings 37. The notches 35 and 36 associated with each slot 37 are so located that by turning the part 33 and shifting the corresponding pin 34 from the former to the latter or vice-versa the lamp 4 will be extinguished or lighted by the same action of the interior parts as when it is itself shifted in its socket. While just as applicable to tail-lamps, etc., as that first described, this latter mode of producing the necessary action of the parts is more convenient for lanterns such as shown in Fig. 1, for example, because it does not necessitate detachment of the rear reflector section 8.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 I have shown a modified construction. that permits the adjustment of the lamp 4 with reference to the reflector 3 to be effected without detachment of the rearreflector section 8, omitting the turning on and off feature for the sake of simplicity. ofconstruction and illustration. As here shown, the hollow cylindrical socket part or shell 40 that receives the lamp base 41 has an inclined opening or slot 42 entirely distinct from its bayonet slot 43 that receives the bayonet pin 44 of said base 41, and the notches 45 corresponding to the adjusting notches 19 of Figs. 1 and 2 are at the inclined front edge of this opening. The cylindrical collar or sleeve part 46 associated with the reflector 3 is itself adapted to slide and turn on the shell 40, and the engagement means corresponding to the bayonet pins 22 of 1 and 2 is a stud or dpin formed by the inwardly projecting en (not visible) of a part 47 screwed through the wall of this sleeve. The means (corresponding to the spring 25) whereby this stud is caused to engage in the notches 45 and held so engaged consists of a helical spring 48 arranged between the reflector 3 and a flange 49 at the rear end of the shell part 40. The contact member 26 and the insulating part 27 that carries it are yieldingly urged outward and forward in the socket b the spring 25: these parts are in form an action like those of the same numbers in Figs. 1 and 2, although differently arranged. a As shown, there are seven notches 45 so ocated as to give a range and delicacy of adjustment sufficient to take care of considerable irregularities in the location of the incandescent body or filament 50 in the lamp 4 as well as to give all the variation of the light distribution likely to be desired. The adjustment is effected by merely taking hold of the milled or knurled edge of the flange 49 or of the lamp bulb 4 and manipulating the part 40 thereby so as to shift the stud or pin 47 from one notch 45 to another; and this does not affect the current supply circuit of the lamp 4, the desired adjustment can be made very quickly and certainly.

Referring, now, more particularly to the contact member 26 and the insulatin means 27 that form the contact device empfoyed in the structures of Figs. 2 and 6, and first to the former, it will be seen from these figures and from Figs. 7 and 8 that said member 26 comprises cylindrical portions 56 and 24 of diflerent diameters, that there is a slot 57 extending lengthwise through the larger portion 56 into the smaller portion 24 nearly to its end, and that there is a common bore 58 extending clear through both portions. It will further be seen that oppositely facing screws 59 in the portion 56 at opposite sides of the bore 58 afford means for clamping the parts into which the member is divided by the slot 57 together on a conductor, said parts undergoing flexure in the smaller portion 24 to permit this. As for the insulating part 27, it will beseen that it is a sleeve of insulating material (such as vulcanit-e or fiber) which is reduced at one end so as to fit within the spring 25 and has its own bore 60 enlargedat the other end at 61 to take the large portion 56 of the member 26 with-a snu or even rather tight fit. The rest of the bore 60 is of such a size as to be adapted to receive the smaller portion 24 of the member 26 rather loosely.

When the smaller portion 24 of the contact member 26 is to project and make contact, as in Fig. 2, the cord l4,. for example, is passed through the part 27 from its reduced end, its conductor is stripped of insulation for a suitable distance and inserted and clamped in the bore 58 at the large end of the member 26, and said member 26 is inserted and pushed home in the enlarged bore of the part 27 at 61, asshown in Fig. 2. When thelarger portion 56 is to be exposed and make contact, the flexible cord 14 is passed through the part 27 in the same way; but the stripped conductor is inserted in the 'bore 58 at the small end. 24 of the member 26 and after itis clamped the small end 24 is inserted and pushed home in the bore at 61 as shown in Fig. 6.

- In Figs. 9 and 10 I have shown a modified form of contact member 126 differing from that just described in having its slot 157 wider in the portion 156 and in having but a single screw 159 for clampin together the parts into which it is divided. lhis arrangement allows the conductor to be bent around the screw 159 before the parts are clamped to ether upon it.

11 Figs. 11 and 12 I have Shown a coupling or connecting plug device suitable for flexible cord circuits (such as that of the lamp shown in Fig. 1, for example) constructedr-in accordance with my invention. The part 70 shown in Figs. 1 and 11 is substantially like the socket of Fig. 6, except that its shell 71 is a little longer andlacks the opening 42 and the flange 49. The part 72 shown in Fig. 12 has a shell or. casing 73 very much like the part 15 of Fig. 2, but closed at its right-hand end by an ornamental closure like that-shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 11. In this shell 7 3 are parts 26 and 27 arranged as in Fig, 2, but nospring. When the parts 70 and 72 are put together with the bayonet pins of the shell 73 inthe simple bayonet slots of the shell 71, the spring of the part 70 keeps the contact members 26 of the two parts engaged. It will be observed that the contact members 26 in both parts are protectedby the ends of their shells when the parts are separated.

In Fig. 13 I have shown a plug part 75 7 adapted to be used with the part 70, but

differing from the part 72 of Fig. .12 in being quite short, in having its shell 76 fit inside the shell of the part 70, in having external bayonet pins or studs 77, and in having its parts 26 and 27 put together like those of the part 70. This plug part 7 5 makes the connecting device as a whole quite short. I 1

What I claim as new and'desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a mounting device for an electric lamp, the combination of parts associated, respectively, with the lamp and with the structure carrying it and fitting one within the other, one'of said parts having notches at different positions lengthwise thereof and the other having means adapted-to engage in said notches, "'said arts being capable of relative movement-to rin such means into and out of engagement in t e various notches and alter the position of the lamp with reference to the aforesaid structure, and spring means'tending to shift said arts lengthwise with reference to one anot er and thereby bring about engagement of said means in ber adapted to engage'with the end of the lam base in said hollow art, and means ten ing to push the lamp ase outward in said hollow part, said hollow part having notches for receiving a pin on the lamp base I at different positions lengthwise thereof, so

that the position of the lamp with reference I to the aforesaid structure may be adjusted tending to shift the reference to one anot er in the direction to cause engagement of said means in said ,by manipulating the .lampso as to engage the pin-in the various notches. 3. In a mounting device for an incandescent electric'lamp, the combination of a contact device comprising insulating means and a contact member projecting therefrom, an insulating member fitting about the pro ecting portion of said contact member, spring means .aroundsaid projecting portlon actingto force said insulting member toward the projecting end thereof, a casing associated with the structure carrying the lamp inclosing the parts aforesaid and having a socket for the base of the lamp, and spring means in the casing urging said contact device toward the open end of the socket, said socket having a plurality of notches for a bayonet pin on the lamp base at difi'erent' positions lengthwise of the socket such that when the pin is in one of them the lamp base will be held out of contact with said contact member by said insulating part and that when said pin is in the others the lamp base will be in contact with said contact member with its filament indifferent positions with reference to the aforesaid structure.

4. In a mounting device for an electric lamp, the-combination of parts associated, respectively, with the lamp and with the structure carrying itand fitting one within the other, one of said parts having notches at different positions lengthwise thereof and the other having means adapted to engage in said notches, said parts being capable of relative rotary and longitudinal movement to bring such means into and out of engagement in the various notches and alter the position of the lamp with reference to the aforesaid structure, and spring means arts lengthwlse with notches.

5. In a mounting device for an electric lamp, the combination of a sleeve part asso ciated with the structure carrying the lamp, a cylindrical part in said sleeve part associated with the lamp, one of said parts having a slot with an inclined edge having notches therein and the other part having means ada ted to engage in said notches, said arts eing capable of relative rotary and ongitudinal movement to bring such means into engagement in the various notches and alter the position of the lamp with reference to the aforesaid structure, and spring means tending to shift the parts lengthwise with reference to one another in the direction to cause engagement of said means in said notches.

6. The combination of a casing comprising separate parts, one of which has a socket for a lamp base, said parts being longitudinally adjustable with reference to one another so as to extend or contract the space in the casing behind a lamp base in the socket, contact means in the casing for engaging the lamp base, and spring means in the casing which acts to separate the lamp base and the contact means when the space is extended and permits them to come together when it is contracted.

7. A socket comprising a casing structure having a socket adapted to receive a lamp base, said casing structure including means whereby the space behind a lamp base in the socket may be longitudinally extended or contracted, a contact member in said casing structure for engaging the end of ,the lamp base, an insulating member in said casing structure around the contact member, and a spring acting to urge said insulating member outward in the casin beyond the end of said contact member so t at when the space is contracted the lamp base will be in contact with said contact means and that when the space is extended the lamp base and said contact member will be pushed apart.

8. A contact device wmprising a sleeve of insulating material having a portion of reduced diameter atone end and having a large bore at one end and a small bore at the other, a hollow contact member havin a portion fitting in the larger bore of sad sleeve and a smaller portion adapted to the smaller bore of said sleeve, and means associated with the larger portion of said contact member for clamping a conductor thereto.

9. A contact member having portions of different diameter and a slot extending 'lengthwise through the larger portion and into the smaller portion, so that the parts 40 into which said member is divided may be made to approach one another by flexure in the smaller portion, and screw threaded means associated with the larger 1portion for clamping the parts thereof toget er upon a conductor between them.

10. A hollow contact member having cylindrical portions of different diameters and a slot extending lengthwise through the larger portion and into the smaller portion, so that the parts into which said member is divided may be made to approach one another by flexure in the smaller portion, and screws 1n the larger portion at opposite sides of its bore for clampin the parts together 5 upon a conductor in sai bore.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day'of March, 1914.

GILBERT WRIGH'IX' Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN Onronn.

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