US1963794A - Vacuum tube socket and terminal therefor - Google Patents

Description

June 19, 1934.

v A. W. KIMBELL VACUUM TUBE SOCKET AND TERMINAL THEREFOR Filed July 5, 1929 Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES VACUUM TUBE SOCKET AND TERMINAL THEREFOR Arthur W. Kimbell, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Cinch Manufacturing Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 5, 1929, Serial No. 375,924

7 Claims.

My invention is for improvements in socket devices and terminal members therefor particularly adapted for use as radio tube sockets.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this application: Figure 1 is a plan view of a socket for receiving the-prongs of a radio tube; Fig. 2 is an underside view of the socket; Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; Fig. 4 is a detail section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, but showing a prong entered into a terminal member; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a terminal member; and Fig. 7 is a plan view of a terminal member.

While I have illustrated in the drawing and will hereinafter describe a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the particular details illustrated and described, my invention being best set forth in the claims forming a part of my application.

The socket which I have selected for illustration in the drawing is particularly adapted for the mounting of radio tubes, while the terminal members are also adapted for other uses as electric terminal members.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated I have provided a pair of plate members of thin insulating material, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The top plate I shall term as the base 1 and the bottom plate I shall term the terminal supporting plate 2 (see Fig. 4). The base 1 and plate 2 are punched or otherwise cut from sheet material and have various apertures formed therein either during the punching operation or separately. In the base 1, I provide a number of contact receiving apertures 3 arranged in a circle about the center of the base (Fig. 1), the number of apertures varying according to the number of prongs or contacts on the base of a radio tube to be used with the socket. The terminal supporting plate 2 is provided with the same number of apertures 4 as provided in the base and for alignment therewith when the socket is assembled.

The terminal members A which are used with the base 1 and plate 2 are each formed from sheet metal. The particular terminal members A illustrated are stamped from flat sheet metal and have their elements folded and bent into shape to produce terminals like those illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7.

Each terminal member has a base 5. a yieldable sleeve 6 extending from the base, an aperture '7 in the base in alignment with the sleeve 6, a conventional wiring terminal 8, spacing means 9 and lug means 10 extending from the spacing means. The sleeve 6 is formed by a number of petal-like portions or fingers 11 bent inwardly from the edge of the base and extending substantially parallel to the base for a distance toward the center and then the fingers extend at substantially a right angle to the base to form -The shoulders 13 on the spacing means 9 engage the face of the plate 2 and space the base 5 and inwardly bent portions 14 of the fingers 11 from the plate 2, as shown in Fig. 3.

After the terminal members are assembled with the terminal supporting plate 2 the base 1 is placed in position with its apertures 3 aligned with the apertures in the bases of the terminal members. Then a tubular rivet 15 of rectangular crosssection is passed through holes of correspondingcrosssection,-formed .in the base 1 and. plate 2, and the ends are peened over, for example, to clamp the parts together as shown in Fig. 3. The square rivet 15 in the square holes prevents rotation of the base 1 relative to the terminal supporting plate 2 thereby maintaining alignment of the parts. Furthermore, only one rivet is required to hold the parts in assembly.

If desirable, a washer 16 of insulating material may be secured in place by the rivet 15 (Figs. 1 and 3) to provide means for guiding the contacts of the tube into proper alignment with the aper-- tures 3. This washer l6 acts as a guide about the edge of which the contact members on the tube may be rotated.

The lug means 10 prevent rotation of the terminal members A relative to the terminal supporting plate 2 and also hold them in assembled relation prior to complete assembly of the socket.

The plate 2 is made smaller than the base 1 and the wiring terminals extend over the edge of the plate 2, as shown in Fig. 3.

When a prong or contact of the radio tube enters an aperture 3 in the base 1 and a terminal member A, as shown in Fig. 5, the sleeve 6 is expanded. During expansion of the sleeve 6, the parallel portions 14 of the fingers 11 yield away from the base and this action is not interfered with because the spacing means 9 maintains a space which permits such yielding. Also the wallefthe aperture 4 is normally spaced from the sleeve 6 (Fig. 3) but may act to provide a stop against over expansion and consequent setting of the fingers 11 of the sleeve 6.

The socket and the terminal members which I have illustrated and described are simple, durable, inexpensive to manufacture and are a decided improvement over other known devices for similar purposes because the terminal members make a.

better and firmer electrical engagement with contact members.

It should be understood that the terminal members may be used in socket assemblies which may differ materially as to the number of parts used and the exact arrangement and assembly.

I claim:

1. A socket comprising, in combination, a base having apertures therethrough to permit passage of a number of contact members, terminal members located beneath said base and each having a yieldable annular sleeve aligned with one of the apertures in the base, a terminal supporting plate spaced from said base and having the sleeves passing through apertures formed therein to align with the apertures of the base, each of said termi nal members having a base resting against the underside of the base, and having the sleeve formed by a number of petals bent inwardly from the edge of the base parallel thereto and then outwardly to form the sleeve, and spacing means extending from the base and engaging the supporting plate to space it from those portions oi the petals which are parallel to the. base of the terminal member thereby to permit movement of said parallel portions toward said supporting plate during expansion of said sleeve portions.

2. A socket comprising, in combination, a base having apertures therethrough to permit passage of a number of contact members, terminal members located beneath said base and each having a yieldable annular sleeve aligned with one of the apertures in the base, a terminal supporting plate spaced from said base and having the sleeves passing through apertures formed therein to align with the apertures of the base, each of said terminal members having a base resting against the underside of the base, and having the sleeve formedby a number of petals bent inwardly from the edge of the base parallel thereto and then outwardly to form the sleeve, and spacing means extending from the base and engaging the supporting plate to space it from those portions of the petals which are parallel to the base of the terminal member thereby to permit movement of said parallel portions toward said supporting plate during expansion of said sleeve portions and lug portions extending from the spacing means into engagement with the supporting plate to prevent rotation of the terminal members.

3. An electric terminal device for prong receiving sockets comprising a base portion, a number of petal-like portions extending inwardly from the edge of said base portion in substantially parallel relation thereto and then extending at a substantially right angle to the base to provide a yieldable sleeve for receiving and holding a contact member, an aperture in said base portion in alignment with said sleeve, a terminal portion formed integral with said base and providing means for receiving and holding an electric current conducting element, and spacing means extending from said base 'in the same direction as said sleeve to prevent a supporting structure from contacting with those portions of the petal like portions which are parallel with the base portion.

4. An electric terminal device for prong receiving sockets comprising a base portion, a number of petal-like portions extending inwardly from the edge of said base portion in substantially parallel relation thereto and then extending at a substantially right angle to the base to procontacting with those portions of the petal-like portions which are parallel with the base portion, and lug means extending from the spacing means for engagement with a support for the terminal device.

5. A socket comprising, in combination, a thin, fiat base having circularly arranged apertures therethrough to permit passage of a number of contact members, terminal members having all parts located entirely beneath said base and each having yieldable means aligned with one of the apertures in the base, a thin, flat terminal supporting plate located beneath said base and having apertures in alignment with the apertures in said base andwith the yieldable means passing through the apertures formed therein to align with the apertures of the base and a single fastening member passing through the base and supporting plate inside the circle of the apertures therethrough and being non-circular in cross-section where it passes through the base and supporting plate, thereby to provide the only means for preventing relative rotation between the supporting pl ,te and the base.

6. A socketcomprising, in combination, .a thin flat base plate having apertures therethrough to permit passage of a number of contact members, terminal members located entirely beneath the under surface of said base plate, each of said terminal members comprising a base portion having an opening therein and a series of petal-like portions extending inwardly from the edge oi the base portion in substantially parallel relation thereto and then extending at substantially a right angle thereto in an annularly arranged manner forming a yieldable sleeve, a terminal supporting plate underlying said base plate in spaced relation thereto and having apertures therein aligned with the apertures in the base plate, said terminal members having their sleeve portions passing through the apertures of said supporting plate and their base portions and parallel inwardly extending portions lying in the space between the supporting plate and the base plate, and spacing means located in the space between the base plate and supporting plate maintaining them in spaced parallel relation, whereby provision is made for free vertical yielding movement of the inwardly extending parts of the petal-like portions during expansion and contraction of the petal-formed sleeve.

7. A socket comprising in combination a base plate, an assembly comprising a terminal supporting plate carrying a number of contact-prong receiving terminals, said base plate having aper- I tures positioned to overlie said terminals to permit passage of contact prongs thereto, and a single fastening device passing through the base plate and supporting plate and being non-circular in cross-section where it passes through the base plate and supporting plate, said single fastening device constituting the only means for securing the base plate and the supporting plate against relative rotation.

ARTHUR W. KIMBELL.

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