US1937322A - Electric lamp receptacle fastening means - Google Patents

Description

Patented Nov. 28, 1933 UNITED PAT NT. OFFICE "ELEc'raIo LAMFRECEPTACLEFASTENING MEANS Frank E. Johnson; New Bedford, Massg'assignor 1 f ;to John I. Pauld ing," Inc., New Bedford, Mass.,

a corporation of Massachusetts 7 i V Application'August 13; 1928. Serial No. 299,367

' 1 oiaini. (01. 173439) This invention relates to electric lamp receptacles and more particularly to mean's for fasten ing receptacles of thischaracter in illuminated signs. Electric illuminated'signs' are generally made of-thin sheet metal provided with circular holes,

for receiving and holding electric lamprece'ptacles, the holes being positioned and arranged.

to form letters ordesigns, In some cases, the

circular holes are provided with a pair'of oppo'-' site ly disposed open recesses or radial slot's for receiving fastening means for holding the receptacles in position on the sign board. In such cases, the receptacle is mounted on the backside of the sign board with a circular lip fitting within. the hole and is held thereon'bysuitable' screws or other devices threaded into the receptacle and having their heads overlapping the side edges of the radial slots; One disadvantage of method of fastening the receptacles'onfto thesign boards is that it requires the services of two men, one in back of the sign board to place the receptacle and the other in front to adjust the fastening means. Another disadvantage I of this method is due to the fact that such sign-boards are generally placed in positions wherethey are caused to sway or move byfwind'pre'ssureand breakages of the receptacles are frequent be cause of lack of resiliency in the fastening means;

One of the objects .of the present invention is the provision of means for fastening electric lamp receptacles on a sign board which means is of such construction that the rec'eptacles maybe" placed in position and fastened to the boardby one man operating in the back of the board} Another object of the invention is the provision of fastening means which is resilient and will yield to compensate for any movement of the sheet metal sign thereby preventing breakage of the receptacles.

A further object of the invention is to provide fastening means so designed that the receptacles may be mounted on the sign board rapidly and with a minimum of labor and effort and which may be made ata very low cost simple and eflicient.

Other objects of the invention willbe more specifically set forth and described hereinafter;

' My invention contemplates a lampreceptacle adapted for use on illuminated sign boards which is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed fa s tening members having. portions on the front face of the receptacle adapted to overlap the edges of the'radial slots in the sign board to hold the receptacle thereon. The fastening members are resiliently mounted in the receptacle sothat they will yield slightly in case there is any movement of its sign board'in order to prevent break-v ages of the receptaclesp The fastening means are mounted in recessesopening from the back and yet which is 'inthe fastening operation. This feature of the invention makes itpossible for one workman to install the rec'eptacles from the backof the board and to fasten them in position on the board with: great rapidity and a minimum of effort thereby effecting economies of time and labor over t methodsheretoforein use.

In the accompanying drawingillustrating one embodiment of the invention,Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portionof a sign board and a re ceptacle fastened thereto in accordance with my invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the bottom face ofthe receptacle; Figure 3 is a view on 'anenlarged scale partly inelevation and partly in section of the receptacle fastened to a sign board; Figure 4 is a sectional view of a portion-only of the receptacle also on an enlarged scale, showing one of the fastening members in unlockedposi tion; and Figure 5 isja viewin perspective of one in'g spring sides. r r

Referring to the drawing, '10 indicates a lamp receptacle made from any suitable insulating material such as rubber composition, fibre or porcelain or'other molded material having in itsupper face ace'ntral, socket recess 12 within which is fastened by two screws 14 a threaded'metallic shellg l6 for receiving the lamp. The closed 'end'or portion of the shell is cut out to receive an elevated portion 18 formed'on the bottom of the socket recess '12 which looks theshell against rotation and at the same time insulates it'from the central lamp terminal 20 mounted withina depression 22 in the portion 18. Theoute'r bottom face of the receptacle has two separate recesses 24 and 26 formed therein for rece'ivinga straight wire terminal 28 and a curved marginal wiret'erminal 30 respectively provided withbinding screws 32 and 34 respectively.- The wire termin'a'l'at 28 isconnected by ascre'w 36 to the central lamp terminal 20 which form of fastening meanscomprising a plate havits two ends to the shell by the two screws 14 and is further held to the receptacle by a screw 38. Both recessesopen out on each-side at 39 to permit the circuit'wires to be connected to the binding screws on the terminals from either side.-

For fastening the receptacle to a sign board 40 the top ;or front face of the receptacle is" pro: vided-with a circular lip 42 adapted to fit in a circular hole44 in the signboard to prevent lat-' eral" movement of the receptaclethereon and mounted on the receptacle are fastening means adapted to extend through two oppositely dis-1 posed slots or recesses 46 of identical form'opening into the hole 44 and to overlap the edges of The fastening means are preferably permanently mounted on the receptacle so that the two may be treated as a unitary structure.

The receptacle is preferably provided with two oppositely disposed lugs or ears and 51 for carrying the fastening means, each earhaving a bore 52 formed therein opening from the bottom face of the car, which bore is connected by a bore 54 of smaller diameter to the top face of the ear thereby forming a square shoulder 56 at the top of the larger bore. To relieve the strain on the ears the bores 52 may be partially formed in the main body of the receptacle as. shownin.

Figure 3 at 58. I

In the preferred form-of the invention two fastening members of different construction are provided for each receptacle, one of the members being so formed that one side of the receptacle may be slipped in place on the sign board without requiring manipulation of that member and the other side is then fastened to the sign board by merely turning the other fastening member through an arc of approximately ninety degrees.

The first member comprises a thin square plate 60 (Figure 5) centrallythreaded on the end of a screw 62 mounted in the bore 54 of the ear 51 with its head in the bore 52 overlapping and in engagement with the shoulder 56. The two sides 64 adjacent the outer end of the plate 60 are depressed to form resilient spring members and the outer end 66 is flared upwardly, The top surface of the ear 51 may be provided with a raised or elevated portion 68 to fit into theplate between the depressed side portions thereof to prevent the plate turning on the screw 62 and the outer edge of the ear is bevelled at 70 to facilitate the slipping of that side of the receptacle in place on the sign board. The inner edge of the plate 60 normally engages-the lip 42 which also contributes to preventing the plate turning on'the screw 62.

The second fastening means comprises a T- shaped member having a head 72 on the top 1 face of the ear and a shank '74 mountedin the bore 54 and extending downwardly into the bore 52 and having its end split to form two prongs 76 turned outwardly to hold on said shank a washer '78 and a helical spring 80 abutting at its lower end said washer and at its upper end the shoulder 56. The spring is normally. under compression to force the T-shaped member downwardly. In Figure 4 the T-shaped member is shown with one endof its headportion '72 locked in a depression 82 in the circular lip 42 so'that the receptacle is prepared for presentation to the sign board. V r

In mounting the receptacle in the opening 44 of a sign board, the workman stands back of the board and presents the receptacle to the opening in position to receive the two edges of one slot opening 46 between the flared edge 66 of the plate 60 and the bevelled portion '70 of the car 51. He then moves the receptacle radially of the opening 44 and along the slot to force the edges thereof between the depressed sides 64 of the plate 60 and the top face of the car 51 and continues this movement until the circular lip 42 slips into the opening 44 and the head '72 of the T-shaped fastening member through the other slot 46. With an ordinary screw driver or similar tool inserted between the prongs 76, the workman then turns the said member approximately a quarter circle into the position shown in Figure 1 and releases it. The spring then forces the fastening member downwardly with its head across] the slot thereby completing the locking 'ofthe receptacle to the sign board. To remove the. receptacle from the sign board, the fastening member is pressed outwardly by the use of a board then completed by a sidewise movement to Withdraw the plate 60 from the other recess. The operations of fastening the receptacle in place on the board or removing it therefrom, are extremely simple and may, with a little practice, be performed in a moment of time. After the receptacle has been fastened in place there is no danger of separation because of vibration of the board or other cause since the T-shaped fastening member is prevented by the lip 42 from turning to a position whereits head can pass through the slot.

It will be observed that the receptacle is held looked on the sign board by means which are resilient and which will yield to compensate for vibrations .of the sign board and thereby breakages. of the receptacle are avoided. The T- shaped fastening member is held by the spring 80 which will yield, when there is movement of v the sign board, sufficiently to relieve the receptacle from strain on that account andv the same is true of the depressed sides of the plate member 60. I

It is to benoted that in addition to the advantages of my invention already pointed out, thework of mounting receptacles on signs may be performed rapidly by one workman on the rear side of the board and thereby effects a material saving in the work of preparing an illuminated sign for the reception of the lamps.

'My invention is capable of use with receptacles of various forms and the receptacle herein shown and described is illustrative only of such use.

It to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the exact forms herein shown and described since it may be embodied in other.

the purview of the folof communicating slots therethrough, a lamp receptacle having a flange adapted to through said opening and a face adapted to abut the rear face of said boardsaid face having a projection adapted to fit one of said slots, a rectangular plate fixedly secured to said projection and having resilient depressed side portions, said plate being adapted to be passed through said opening from the rear side of said board and over one of said slots with its side portions overlapping the edges thereof to lock one side of said receptacle to said board, and a rotatable member resiliently mounted in said receptacle and having a T- shaped head projecting from said face and adapted to be passed through the other of said slots and to be turned cross-wise, said slot to lock the other side of said receptacle to said board, said member having its inner end formed for permittingit to be rotated from the said board. v

. FRANK E. JOHNSON.

rear side of

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