US1959638A - Electric lamp - Google Patents

Description

May 22, 1934. B PATCHE 1,959,638

ELECTRIC LAMP Filed Dec. 31,

Patented May 22, 1934 .Nirso srA'rss ELEcrarc LAMP Application December 31, 1931, Serial No. 584,029

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in electric lamps. It relates particularly to electric lanterns of the type employing two lamp bulbs in circuit with a battery carried in the lantern. One or" th objects of my invention is to provide novel means by which either bulb may be place-d in closed circuit with the battery while the other bulb is in open circuit with the battery, and by which both bulbs at the same time be placed in open circuit with the battery, whereby but one the bulbs can be lighted and kept illur and thus prolong the eiiective life of the battery.

A further object of my invention is to proout of order, and which is eiiicient in its operation.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates the prefer c embodiment of my invention,

Fig. l is a reduced side elevation, partly broken away, of an electric lantern provided with my improvement.

Fig. 2 is a bottom View of the lantern, partly in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, enlarged, the lamp bulbs being omitted.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view of the lower portion of the body of the lantern, th bulbs being omitted.

d is an enlarged bottom view of the body, part or the wire base being shown in cross secion.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged bottom view of the false bottom and parts supported thereby, the bulbs being omitted.

Fig. 6 is an edge view of the oscillatory circuit controlling member.

Fig. 7 is a section on the arcuate line 7-7 of Fig. 2 showing portions of the oscillative ring member and of the false bottom.

Fig. 8 is a top view of the circuit controlling 43 ring member, reduced.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the circuit employed.

Similar characters of reference designate similar parts in the differentv views.

1 designates the body of the lantern supported by the usual wire base member 2 and having an open top normally closed by a screw cap 3 and adapted to receive a battery cell 4, the conductive upper end of which forms the negative terminal engaged by a coil spring 5 which is conductively connected with the cap 3, the latter and the body 1 being metal.

The lower end of the battery cell i has its positive terminal resting against and conduc tivei connected to a vertical rivet 5 which extends centrally through and is insulated from a false bottom 6 with which the body 1 provided. The rivet 5 extends downwardly through an insulation plate 7 at the under side of the also bottom 5 to which it is secured by the LL 5 through the intermediacy of a transverse conductive plate 8 at the under side of the bottom, Fig. 3.

to the under side of the insulation plate '7 and insulated from each other are two conductive downwardly extending sachet mern- 9 and lo respectively supporting bulb receiving sockets ll. and 12 in which are respectively fitted electrically connected therewith two cl ctric lamp bulbs 13 and 1 the center end tcrr-iinals or which in contact espectively with two downward? extending contact pins 15 and 16, the ends of which are attached to the transverse plate 8. The pin contacts 15 and 16 are respec ely cer rally disposed with respect to the sockets l1 and 12.

The socket members 9 and is at their upper ends extend terally outwardly on the insulation plate '7 "orzn two contacts 17 and 18 adapted to be respectively electrically engaged by two upwardly ex ending spring contact arms is and 2G with which a condo tive circuit con trolling m ber 21 is provided.

circuit controlling me nber 21 is a ring horizontally disposed ve on the upper side of the bottom 22 of the body 1, Fig. 3. It encircles the socket supporting members 9 and 10 and is provided with two diametrically opposite operating arms 23 which respectively extend downwardly through two slots 24 provided in the bottom 22, Fig. 4. The ring circuit controlling member 21 is oscillative from an open circuit position, shown in solid lines 111 2, and in Fig. 4 to two closed circuit positions, one of which is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, in which position, the spring arm 19 electrically engages the contact l7 of the socket supporting member 9. In the other closed position of the ring member 21, the spring arm 20 electrically engages the Contact 18 of the socket supporting member 10, as shown in Fig. 9.

By grasping the operating arms 23, the circuit controlling ring member may be turned to the open position, in which both bulbs 13 and 14 will be placed in open circuit with the battery 4, and

neither bulb will be lighted. The ring member may be turned to the position in which the contact arm 20 will engage the contact 18, Fig. 8, in which case the bulb 14 will be lighted. When the ring member 21 is turned to the position in which the spring contact arm 19 is engaged with the contact 17, the bulb 13 will be lighted. Ihe bulbs 13 and 14 can not both be lighted at the same time, so that the effectiveness of the battery 4 will be extended to a longer period than would be the case if both bulbs were kept lighted at the same time,

In Fig. 9 is a diagram of the electric circuit employed. 7

The current will pass, when the contact arm 20 is engaged with the contact 18, from the positive pole of the battery 4 through the rivet 5, constituting the conductor in Fig. 8, to the plate 8, thence through the contact pin 16, bulb 14, socket supporting member 10, socket 12, contact 18, spring arm 20, ring 21, and thence through the conductor 1, constituting the body 1, to the bat-. tery 4.

The lamp bulb 14 will thus be lighted. When the ring member 21 is turned so that the spring contact arm 19 is engaged with the contact 1'7, as in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the current will pass as has been described, from the battery 4 to the plate 8, thence through the contact pin 15, bulb l3, socket ll, socket member 9, contact 17 and spring contact arm 19 to the ring member 21 and thence back to the battery 4 through the conductor 1, comprising the body 1 with which the ring member 21 has conductive engagement, thus causing the bulb 13 to be lighted. When the ring member 21 is turned to the open position shown in solid lines in Fig. 2, the circuit will be broken through both bulbs 13 and 14, the spring arms 19 and both being disengaged respectively from the contacts 17 and 18.

To releasably hold the controlling ring member 21 in the open position, shown in solid lines in Fig. 2, it is provided with two pairs of diametrically opposite projections 26 adapted to receive respectively between them two springs fastened at one set of ends to the under side of the false bottom 6, Figs. 2, 5, 8 and 7. By having the operating arms 23 extending downwardly through the slots 24 of the bottom and located wholly within a circle having the same center and radius of said bottom, there is no liability of the clothing of the user of the lantern catching either of the operating arms so as to shift them from the positions to which they are adjusted.

By providing the false bottom 6 carrying the sockets 11 and 12 and the contacts 15 and 16 respectively alined with the sockets and insulated therefrom, and by locating the operating contact,

making ring 21 oscillative between the bottom 22 and the false bottom 6, a self contained structure is provided which is simple, cheap to make and assemble, and which eliminates side openings in the body.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the false bottom 6 is of inverted cup shape, and the contact rivet 5, which engages the bottom center terminal of the battery 4, extends above the insulation between it and the false bottom 6, and holds the insulation plate 7 tightly covering the central opening in the false bottom 6 through which the rivet contact 5 extends.

It will be noted that the socket members 9 and 10 with their contacts 18 and 19 are both located under the false bottom 6 and are encircled by the depending walls thereof, and that the only contact, the rivet 5, which is above the false bottom 6 has its upper end raised above and insulated from the false bottom 6. By means of this construction if the battery 4 should leak, as sometimes happens, the escaping liquid will not effect a short between said contacts 18 and 19 and the conductive plate 8 which is also at the under side of and encircled by the false bottom 6, but with a smallleakage the liquid from the battery can seep out around the periphery of the false bottom 6 and escape through the central opening in the bottom 22.

As shown in Fig. 3, the ring circuit controlling member 21 is oscillatively against the bottom 22 by the depending walls of the false bottom 6.

I do not limit my invention to the structure shown and described, as many modifications, within the scope of the appended claim, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:-

In an electric lamp, the combination with the body of the lamp having a bottom provided with a slot, two bulb receiving sockets of conductive material, and two conductors respectively connected with said sockets and insulated from each other and each provided with a contact, of a circuit controlling conductive ring encircling said I sockets and through which said sockets extend and rotative on said body and having two contact arms which when said ring is in one. position are both disconnected from said contacts, and when said ring is turned to either of two other positions through said slot.

HENRY B. PATCHE.

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