US1709213A

US1709213A - Instrument light

Info

Publication number: US1709213A
Application number: US731822A
Authority: US
Inventors: Raymond W Griffith; Samuel N Hope
Original assignee: GRIFFITH HOPE Co
Current assignee: GRIFFITH HOPE Co
Priority date: 1922-10-06
Filing date: 1924-08-13
Publication date: 1929-04-16
Anticipated expiration: 1946-04-16

Description

April 16 1929- R. w. GRIFFITH Er AL 1,709,213

INSTRUMENT LIGHT Filed Aug. 15, 1924 INV NToRS @M Q- l x q' 'Up Q, y

A TTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES ricain PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND W. GRIFFITH AND SABIUEL N. HOPE. OF IWIILWAUKEE, VJISCONSIN, ASSIGIT- ORS T GRIFFITH-HOPE GMPANY, OF 0F WISCQNSIN.

Original application filed October 6, 1922, Serial No.

MILWAUKEE, IVISCON SIN, A CORPORATION INSTRUMENT LIGHT.

592,991. Bivded and this application. filed August 13,

1924.. Serial No. 731,822.

This invention relates to instrumentlights for automobiles and the like and has tor its obj ect to provide a simple structure that will V be compact and neat in its appearance; that Will be inexpensive to manufacture; that `Will be readily adapted to take the usual nish of the instruments on the instrument board, black body with nickeled base; that may be quickly and easily assembled for use l0 with either a single Wiring system or a double Wiring system; that will have its attaching means hidden from view; that Will be capable of throwing a light from one side door to the other; that Will be provided with a shutter to entirely conceal the 'lamp or opened to any desired extent to modily the light;that Will permit oi' ready access to the lamp and easy attachment and removal of the lamp, and that will be strong and durable and eiiicient.

This case constitutes a division of our application for instrument light, ,Serial Number 592,891, tiled October 6,1922, and issued as Patent 1,557,045, on October13, '51925. j

lVith the above and other objects in vievv the invention consists in the instrument light as herein claimed and all equivalents. Referring to the accompanying drawings f in Which like characters of reference indicate the same partsin dierent views,l

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of an instrument lamp constructed in accordanceivith this invention; fy Fig. 2 is a iront vieiv thereof;

Fig. 3 is a bottom vienT thereof; Fig. e is a similar view showing the modiicationv for converting it for use With a double Wire system;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view;

and

Fig. 7 is a view of the base with the hood and lamp removed.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a fragment of the socket looking upwardly t the edge thereofshown in Fig. 6.

In these drawings, 10 indicates a base of pressed sheet met-al of oval shape, which is deeper at its upper edge, so that its face is approximately-vertical When fitting against an inclined instrument board, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The face of the base is embossed or pressed up to form a smaller Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view,

oval shaped projection 11, upon which is tightly but removably fitted an oval shaped hood 12 or" sheet metal with a rounded front end. A sector-shaped opening 13 termed in the lower part of the front end of the hood and is controlled by a shutter or shield 14 pivotally mounted in the hood and adapted when closed to complete the roun led formation of the hood. The curved shutter or shield 14, `which is convex laterally Well as longitudinally, may be pivotally mounted in the hood by projections 15.0n its ends fitting in openings in the hood, such projections being either in the form of rivet lugs, as shown, or in the ferm oi lugs bent out from the ends or the hood. An outwardly projecting lug 1G at its edge serves as a handle by means of Whichit may be moved to the desired adjustment and, when it is completely closed, such handle tits Within a recess 17 in the edge of the hood opening.

A plate of insulating material 18 lits Within the recess in the bottom of the base, where it is held by rivets 19. Insulating Washers 2O it between the heads of the rivets 19 and the sheet metal base and the openings in the base are sulliciently larger than the stems. of the rivets to avoid Contact therewith so that the rivets are insulated .from the base. Either or bot-h of those Vrivets may be used for attachingcontaet springs 21 to the insulating plate according to Whether the instrument light is to be o used on a .single Wire circuit or a double Wire circuit. Each contact'spring consists orn a U-shaped sheet metal spring member lattached at an intermediate point to the in- V sulatingjsheet by the rivet 19, as mentioned,

vv`th one end projecting toward the center of the base for engagement with a lamp terminal and the other end bent to form a nut pocket 22 containing an ordinary nut 23, through which is threaded a screw 24 to constitute a binding post. The screw 24Y passes through an opening in the nut pocket of the contact spring, threads through the nut and then passes through a close-fitting opening in the insulating plate to anchor the contact spring in place, and then through a considerably larger opening 25 in the base to avoid electrical contact therewith. VOpenings 26 through the insulating plate Vand the base permit attaching screws or bolts 27 to bev located within the hood where they will not be seen and their location is such that they dovnot comev in contact withtlie contact springs, such springs being curved around them and Vspaced therefrom.

Centered somewhat below the center of .the base is an opening 28 through the base and the insulating plate to constitute` a socket toreceive the base 29 of an electric lamp 3() and notches 3l in the edge of this opening through the base accommodate the Adiametrically opposite attaching lugs 32 of the lamp base as the lamp base is inserted in or removed from the socket 28, and embossed lpockets 33 pressed in the sheet metal base 'in vertical alignment ieceive said attaching lugs when the lamp is turned throughV an arc otinovcment to its inal position. rElie travel of the attaching lugs 32 from the notches 3l to the pockets 325 is permitted by arc shaped recesses 3ft in the edge ot the opening of the insulating plate and the lamp is held firmly in place with the attaching` lugs 32-titting in the pockets 33 by the pressure of the contact spring or springs 2l bearing against its terminal or terminals 3e.

lf desired, the metal whichis cut to torni the notches 3l, may be left bent down from one edge of said notches to form stops to prevent theturning of the lamp in the f wrong direction when itis being attached though Vthe glass bulb has become broken,

thus having a great advantage Vover structures of the tubular socket type. Y p

, The lamp being positioned below the .cen-

' ter of the hood,pserves to throw the light through the partly or fully openedorilice to the full width ot the instrument board vor from one door of theV automobile Vto the other and, by closing the shutter more or less, the light may be modified to suit the requirements. rflic shape of the hood and of 4the shutter enables them to serve reflectors for strengthening the illumination. lt no light is desired at times when the lamp is burning, as when the instrument light is in series with the tail-light, the shutter or shield mayV bey completely closed.

l' ,It will be seen that the instrument light ot this invention is inexpensively constructed of sheet metal stainpin'gs'and a fiber punching with ordinary rivets7 nuts and V`screvvs,jand is readily assembled without rev quiring skilled labor and still it is strongly constructed and amply protected against short circuits or wear that would cause it to get out ot order. Y

It will be further noted that7 as the hood is separablerom the base, the latter may lie readily nickel-plated,\vhile the former is given a` dull black finish to harmonize with the instrument-s on the instrument panel.

The avoidance of' the use ot a tubular socket to receive the lamp base effects an Aimportant economy in construction without sacrificing the strength or etiiciency ot the device. Furthermore it permits oithe structure being more con densed with a corresponding improvement in the appearance.

In practice the change from the manu- Vfacture ci' the base for the single wire circuit, shown in Fig. 3, to the base for the double wire circuit, shown in Fig. 4, is et'- ecte'd by merely clipping the ends of the Contact springs and the added spring is from the same die as the other, the nut pocket and the bend of the spring being reversed.

that we claim'as new and'desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l; In aninstrument light lamp socket, a sheetmetal base having a tlatsurtaca'an insulating plate secured beneath the tlat surtace of the base, therebeing an opening through the flat surfacefot the base and the Vinsulating pla-te to receive a lamp base, a

springcontact mounted on the insulating plate'behind said opening to be engaged by a terminal of the lamp base when the lamp base is pressed through the opening, there being notches in the edge of said opening to accommodate the attaching lugs of the lamp base7 and pockets formed in the sheet metal base at the edge of the opening to receive the attaching lugs of Vthe lamp base, the insulating'plate being cut away along the edge ot' the opening from the notches to the pockets to accommodate the attaching lugs in their movement between the notches and the pockets'. Y

2. vA lamp socket comprising a sheetmetal base having an approximately flat surface with an opening:therethrough to fit a lamp base, a` contact spring behind the opening to be engaged by a lamp terminal when the lamp baseV is forced through the opening, there being notches in the edge oi the opening to accommodate Vthe attaching lugs vof the lamp base, pockets at one side of the notches in which the attaching lugs are re tained by the` pressure of the contact spring, and stops bent up trom the sheet metal on the other side ofthe notches to limit the movement of the attaching lugs.

3.' In an instrument'light lamp socket, a sheet metal base. having anapproxiniately flat surtacewith anjopening to receive a ylamp base With'notcli'es to accommodate the retaining lugs thereof, anV approximatelyl tlat isc U-shaped Contact spring attached to the back of the flat base at its intermediate portion but insulated therefrom and bent to form a nut pocket at one end and with the other end extending behind the opening to be engaged by a lamp terminal when a lamp base is forced through the opening'7 a nut supported within the nut pocket, and a screw threaded through the nut to form a binding post. v

4. In an instrument light lamp socket, a sheet metal base having an approximately fiat surface, an insulating plate secured to the back of the flat surface, there being an opening through the flat surface of the sheet met-al baseand the insulating plate to recei've a lamp base with notches in the edge of the opening to accommodate the attaching lugs of the lamp base, a U-shaped contact spring riveted at its intermediate point to the insulating plate and the base' and insulated from the base, one end of said contact spring being bent to form a nut pocket and the other end extending behind the opening to be engaged by a lamp terminal when a lamp base is forced through the opening, a

nut contained in the nut pocket, a screw passing through registering openings in the contact spring, the insulating plate and the sheet metal base and threaded through the nut, said screw fitting the openings in the contact spring and in the insulating plate to anchor the contact spring in place but being loose within the opening of the base to avoid contact therewith.

5. A lamp socket for instrument lights comprising abase having an opening to receive the lamp base, an opening on one side thereof to receive an attaching screw, and a U-shaped approximately flat contact spring secured to the back of the base and insulated therefrom and centered around the vattaching screw opening but spaced therefrom to avoid contact with the attaching screw and having its end projecting behind the first mentioned opening to engage a lamp terminal when a lamp is passed through said opening.

In testimony whereof we aiiiX our signatures.

RAYMOND lV. GRIFFTH. SAMUEL N. HOPE.